Capítulo 19: Hunt - (1/2 )
After the episode with Vanessa, Yami got busy with his captain duties and told Julian he wouldn't be able to accompany him for a while. This meant Julian had to handle bounties alone again. After talking with Yami, Julian discovered that the man at the reception was a friend of Yami's and could help if needed. This man's magic was related to communication; he could create an orb with which anyone could contact him from anywhere. Yami had one, and he handed Julian one in case he ever needed assistance.
Today was the day new bounties would be uploaded. Julian reached the mission board and looked for a high-level bounty.
*****
Anemo Wyvern Hunt
Payment: 20,000 yuls
Two wyverns are kidnapping children and women near the village of Lados. Get rid of the wyverns.
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Julian took the quest, seeing it as a good opportunity to enhance his strength. This was the highest-paying bounty he had ever attempted. Hunting with Yami had given him a sense of relief that someone had his back, but he knew relying on that feeling for too long would hinder his growth. A mage could truly shine only in situations of crisis.
He used jet flames and started flying towards the grand magic zone.
After Julian left, two people began following him.
"Are you sure we should do it, boss?" asked one.
"Damn sure! That man's not with him. After the hunt, he should be tired. We can ambush him then. 20,000 yuls should be enough for three months of leisure. Hurry up and use your magic!" said the other.
The first guy nodded, and both of them became invisible as they followed Julian. Julian didn't sense anyone following him, as they were quite far away.
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After flying for about a day towards the grand magic zone in the direction of the Heart Kingdom, Julian reached a village. From above, the village looked desolate, with most roofs broken and trees damaged.
He landed in the village and asked for the chief, but learned that the chief had recently been killed by the wyverns. The villagers were in a gloomy mood, having lost many children and their mothers. With Julian's request and assurance, someone agreed to speak about the wyverns.
The informant explained that there are different types of wyverns with various attributes like geo, hydro, electro, pyro, and anemo. The wyverns terrorizing the neighboring towns were anemo wyverns. Unlike humans, 95% of mana beasts have nature-based magic attributes. Even though they are medium-tier mana beasts, their attacks are formidable, and they are advised to be killed as quickly as possible. These wyverns usually live in the grand magic zone but migrate to other areas when their food supply dwindles, causing ecological destruction.
The wyverns had green scales with small spikes running from head to tail. They had strong legs for grabbing prey and attacking, with their upper limbs being wings. Their tails were sharp as blades and could shoot projectiles. They could paralyze animals and weak-willed mages with their roars and had various wind-based attacks. However, they mostly relied on their vision and smell for detection.
Julian decided to stay in the village overnight to plan his approach, rather than camping in the wild. He needed to lure out the wyverns and follow them to their location, as searching for them among the numerous hills and mountains would be impractical.
Before sunrise the next morning, Julian ventured into the grand magic zone. He hunted a few animals like wolves, tigers, and leopards, leaving them in near-death situations. He ravaged an area, spilling blood everywhere to simulate a territorial fight. According to his sources, the wyverns hunted around this time and were sensitive to the smell of blood.
Julian dug a hole and hid, covering the top but leaving his eyes visible. The smell of blood attracted other animals, but a roar rang out, halting their approach. Finally, his targets arrived. A winged green dragon landed and roared again, followed by another wind attack that sliced through the animals. Another wyvern joined the first, both about 20 meters tall. They communicated with low growls, checking the prey before embedding their claws into the animals and flying off with as many as they could carry.
Julian followed them from the ground, using tree branches to remain quiet. After about 30 minutes, they reached a part of the mountain with no trees. In front of him was a nest-like structure made of mud, with a cave behind it, presumably their lair.
As he approached, Julian saw a horrifying scene of skeletons and half-eaten bodies of various animals and humans. Despite the gruesome sight, he remained focused. He sensed a human presence nearby and found a hole with around ten unconscious children and women inside, most likely kept as a food stock for later.
Julian decided to deal with the wyverns first. He took out his dagger, slashing towards one of the wyverns, creating a yellow slash that sliced part of its wing. The wyvern screamed in pain, releasing a wind blast towards Julian, who dodged it easily and countered with a spiral of flames. The uninjured wyvern slowed down the flames with its wings, but still got hit. Julian condensed the flames and shot a beam, creating a hole in its stomach. The injured wyvern started blasting winds around itself, making it unapproachable.
The second wyvern reinforced its tail and slammed it near Julian like a sword. Julian dodged and sliced its tail, severing it. He jumped on the wyvern, setting it on fire. The second wyvern sent another wind blast, which Julian dodged, reinforcing his legs to slam the injured wyvern to the ground, creating a crater.
Julian made claws of flames, creating a large wound on the wyvern's back and embedding his fist into it, releasing a large amount of flames. He then slashed his dagger towards the other wyvern, severing its wings. Using the momentum, he stabbed his dagger into the first wyvern's head, killing it. The second wyvern released a giant wind blast, throwing Julian a distance away with minor cuts on his body.
The wyvern roared in anger at its fallen companion. Julian, unfazed, dashed towards it, releasing flame bullets. The wyvern dodged half of them before its remaining wing was filled with holes. Julian sent a giant fireball, enveloping the wyvern in flames, then made a strong slash, decapitating it.
Just as he thought the battle was over, Julian sensed an attack and dodged a beam, but the area filled with smoke.
"Cough, cough! What the hell is this?" Julian felt his movements getting rigid and his windpipe burning.
Poison! Someone was targeting him. He sensed another attack and countered with a fire attack, creating an explosion, but the poison's effect increased, burning his skin.
As the smoke cleared, two figures became visible.
"Well, well, if it isn't the famous hunter everyone is talking about. Thanks for killing them; you made my job easier," one of them said.
"If you're wondering why you didn't sense us, my friend can hide our presence. Too bad I'm a good sniper," the other said.
Julian looked up, his face twisting in realization. Before the man could finish his sentence, something happened.
BOOM!
A dark shadow dropped from the sky, landing on the companion, raising a cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, the scene froze the man in place. A giant anemo wyvern, twice the size of the others, stood over the body of his companion, now a paste. The beast didn't stay still and bit off the upper half of the man. Blood flowed like a fountain, covering the wyvern's face as it looked at Julian with bloodshot eyes.
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