Earth Dungeon 82.2

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Chapter 82.2. Great Elk

[Charge]

Great Elk charged forward with a combat-based rush, seemingly piercing through Sakimori's body. However, there was no resistance, and Defender's body swayed as if it were empty, then vanished.

Having realized it was a decoy, Great Elk immediately kicked the ground and moved at a sharp angle, facing the real Defender.

"Shadow Figures are my doppelgangers. Now, can you tell which one is the real me?"

I shrugged playfully, fluttering my hand as if to tease.

Great Elk, while having the form of a deer, was a true monster at heart. As befitting a special-type monster, it had a high level of intelligence. Therefore, it sometimes felt frustrated by its opponent's actions.

As a beast and not a true beast, Great Elk chose the option to defeat its enemy. There were many ways to see through the doppelgangers. One of them was to disperse mana or fighting spirit in the surroundings to dissipate the doppelgangers. However, this method had the drawback of scattering one's presence. This might be disadvantageous for someone with the characteristics of a beast.

Hence, it decided to use another technique to expose the doppelganger.

[Mana Sense]

It concentrated mana in my eyes to confirm the figure of the enemy. That was magic to ascertain the size of mana. With its power, it could perceive the amount of mana the man standing on the grassland had.

Among the small amounts of mana, there was one person who harbored a large amount of mana. It realized that was the man's real body, and it resolved to swiftly finish the fight.

[Accelerator]

[Aura Horn]

Charging with fighting spirit, it transformed its horn into a single, penetrating blow. Strongly kicking the ground, its afterimage remained, and charged towards Sakimori.

It further accelerated, shrouding my horn in a crimson aura and thrusting it towards the main body with the largest amount of mana. In an instant, the spear-like horn pierced Defender's torso, and his body lost its strength.

It was about to raise its horn in triumph when it was taken aback. The reason was that Sakimori, who it thought had been killed by the thrust, melted away as if he had never been there.

Startled, it turned around to hear a man's voice from a distance. In front of me was the voice of a man dressed in black.

"Too bad. I was never there from the beginning. And I don't intend to preserve this plain. In other words..."

[Mass Flame Ring]

Using Shadow Teleportation, I had moved in advance, snapping my fingers. As a result, a scorching ring of high-temperature flames spread around me, instantly turning the grass into ashes.

"It's a troublesome opponent, but I can change the terrain like Azure Dragon, right?"

[Plant Barrier]

It's an impressive magic barrier. I'd rather not use it. A barrier that weakens mana is deadly for a mage. But multiple-stage magic? It's hard to operate and use continuously in an instant like that.

It's like a water source. The grassy terrain replaces the water.

Great Elk lowered its head and prepared to charge again. But, I'm sorry, it's already within my reach.

[Frozen Spikes]

I swung my arm, activating my magic. I let the phenomenon of ice soak into the ground, freezing the moisture in the earth and causing sharp ice spikes to emerge. The barren land, which had turned into a scorched plain, transformed into a rugged terrain covered with sharp spikes, causing Great Elk to take a slight step back. Although they were only about 10 centimeters high, the carpet of sharp spikes covering the area should be enough to halt Great Elk's advance.

"Even if you get all scratched up, I recommend attacking."

I gathered mana in my palm and activated the spell.

[Mass Flame Lance]

[Mass Icicle Lance]

[Mass Shadow Lance]

[Mass Magic Lance]

I conjured 4 types of magic spears, floating them in the air, and stared at Great Elk.

"Now, let's test whose remaining mana is greater."

I snapped my fingers, squinting my eyes and forming a smirk, embracing the hard-boiled persona.

"Hey, do you think you can eat this elk?"

A few minutes later, Great Elk was riddled with holes and collapsed. The carpet of ice had slowed the Great Elk's movements, making it unable to evade the rapidly flying spears in the air. 

The spears pierced its body, and it couldn't endure any longer, falling to the ground. It didn't move at all.

[This thing's too messed up. Can't eat it, I guess? Should we at least put its head in a lead box?]

"As you say, we can't eat it in this state. Let's seal the head in a lead box for now."

I questioned Shizuku-san's idea, as Great Elk was burnt, frozen, and full of holes. It was tough and fast, which made it a challenging opponent to defeat, and he hadn't held back in his attacks. Perhaps it was just another one of her usual jokes when she mentioned giving it as a gift to the emperor.

"Never mind... Do you want to eat it?"

I asked Mike, who had defeated the wolves and was now sitting, wagging her tail.

"Myan."

Mike approached the dead Great Elk and took a bite from its body. The other shadow tigers appeared disinterested, lounging on the ground and yawning.

For some reason, Mike was the only one interested in the carcass. Perhaps she was a glutton?

However, as I casually observed this, Mike picked up something from the body and carefully approached him. She dropped a Special Core right in front of him.

"What do you want me to do with this?"

"Myan Myan"

Mike swatted the core with her paw, conveying her message. Or maybe...

"Do you want me to use the Illusionary Wedge?"

"Myan."

Mike was an exceptionally intelligent cat. It didn't seem like a familiar at all.

Well, why not?

"I need to recover some mana first, and then we'll take care of this grassland's eradication and your promotion to familiar. But only after my mana has fully recovered."

I wanted to be in perfect condition to create the Illusionary Wedge. I had used up a considerable amount of mana, and I was feeling exhausted.

"Let's head home for now... I've taken quite a bit of damage."

My shoulder wound was painful. I needed to switch out and recover.