Feeling somewhat excited thinking about potentially encountering another powerful monster that would be able to help her grow stronger, Scaly finished up the last bit of the food that was left before she began moving in the direction of the two loud roars that had echoed through the now quiet forest.
Her original goal of finding a path from the fourth floor to the fifth floor, having been momentarily forgotten due to the absence of adventurers over the past few minutes alongside the knowledge that it would be difficult for them to get to the deepest part of the large mountain range that she found herself inside of. At the very least, she felt confident that she would be able to avoid any adventurers for another hour or two. Giving her more than enough time to clash with a powerful monster without having to worry about being ambushed by a group of adventurers in the process...
[Dwarf, Flame Bringer, lvl 99 (Dragon Seeker)]
[Human, Healing Light Cleric, lvl 69]
[Human, Deep Cave Hunter, lvl 71]
[Catkin...]
Huh? Isn’t that the dwarf from the dreamscape? What is he doing here?
But as she was making her way towards the origin of the two powerful monsters who had roared earlier to display their strength and power, she found herself running into a familiar dwarf who was moving alongside a small group of adventurers.
Of course, her first instinct was that this group had come chasing after her as well, but another glance made it clear that this wasn’t the case, as the adventurers in question were far too weak and didn’t seem to have the same protection as the weaker adventurers chasing after her.
As for how she could tell this almost immediately? That was because the adventurers in question had not only arrived at her location far faster than the stronger adventurers chasing after her, but also because it was clear that they were in the process of escaping from the two monsters behind the earlier roaring.
Another reason why she didn’t think this group of adventurers came with hostile intentions was because she clearly remembered the quest that she had originally intended to ignore after seeing the extra few words next to the dwarf Verdell after she glanced over him and his companions.
[Dragon Seeker’s Attention]
[You have drawn the attention of a dragon seeker; you can choose to aid them in their quest to befriend a dragon or ignore them]
[Reward for establishing friendly relationship: Dragon Blood Purity increase by 5%]
[Ignore the Dragon Seeker: Obtain unique skill, Dragon’s Pride]
Looking through the quest once again, she realized that this might be an opportunity for her to increase the purity of her dragon blood.
Even if this meant she had to give up on the dragon’s pride skill that she could otherwise obtain, she didn’t feel the slightest bit regretful knowing that the purity of her dragon bloodline would increase. After all, while a new skill might have been useful, an improvement in her dragon blood didn’t just increase her strength but also made it possible for her to evolve into a far stronger dragon upon reaching the limits of her current evolution.
That and she was hoping that her dragon bloodline skill would be able to level up with this, as it was a growth type of skill that increased her stats with every level.
Problem was... Even knowing this dwarf whom she had once ended saving by accident was the target of her quest and that she had to befriend him, she didn’t exactly know how to accomplish this task, as she found herself landing on top a large rock a few hundred meters away from the escaping group of adventurers just barely keeping her out of sight to avoid them recklessly attacking her like adventurers tended to do when they saw her.
Roooar-!
As for the two monsters rushing over? They weren’t at the forefront of her mind any longer, as improving the purity of her dragon blood was something she deemed to be far more important than simply increasing her strength by leveling up. After all, it was something that directly brought her closer to her goal of becoming a true dragon standing at the very apex of the world.
"It’s getting close! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Y-y-yess!"
"What about the monster hiding within the pine tree forest!?"
"Don’t worry about it, if there really was such a powerful monster hidden around, it would have already attacked us. Instead of the illusory threat that hasn’t materialized, we need to focus on the threat approaching from behind!"
Around the same time Scaly was going through her own thoughts regarding the quest and how to complete it and successfully receive the promised reward of a five percent increase in the purity of her dragon blood, the adventurers who had by now already rushed past her without noticing her presence in the process, were yelling out loudly to each other.
All the while, the stronger adventurers that were originally positioned to protect from a potential ambush from any direction, shifted back beside Verdell to guard against the real threat that was closing in on them from behind. Feeling confident that there wasn’t any other monster lurking around nearby, as it should have attacked them by now.
Not to mention, they also understood that only with everyone working together would they be able to fend off against the two S Rank Monsters. Holding them back long enough that Verdell would be able to launch fire magic powerful enough to threaten them. Hopefully forcing them into a temporary retreat-
Crack~ BANG!
ROOOOOOAR-!
Or that was at least what everyone thought was possible before they found themselves face to face with one of the two S Rank Monsters who came crashing through the tall pine trees, its massive body alone causing the few A Rank Adventurers outside of Verdell to shiver in fear. Understanding from a single glance that they stood no chance of holding back this terrifying monster for even a second, let alone long enough for Verdell to cast a powerful enough spell to drive it back.
Wow... So powerful!
Even Scaly watching this powerful monster make its appearance from afar felt a hint of awe at its sheer size as she wasted no time inspecting it out of curiosity over just how strong it was...
[Swamp Trampler Crocodile, lvl 132]
[Description: The ruler of any swamp that it finds itself residing inside of; the swamp trampler crocodile is a well-known S Rank Monster found throughout swamps both inside and outside dungeons. Commonly referred to as the king of the swamp by adventurers who encounter it because of its power and size. What is less known is the fact that the swamp trampler crocodile is adapted to both salt and fresh water, so one can encounter one even out on sea if one is unlucky enough.
Even with how dangerous this monster is, it is still something adventurers risk their life hunting down because of how durable leather created from it can be. Able to withstand most other S Rank Monsters while also having some magic resistance capabilities that render most magic cast by a mage below level 70 useless. The meat of the swamp trampler crocodile is generally considered tough and difficult to chew through, though still a valuable commodity among certain unique nobles.]
Feeling herself stumbling backwards almost falling off the rock she was perched on top of the instant another dreaded wall of text hit her out of nowhere without any warning. Blocking out her vision in the process, Scaly was once again reminded that using the inspecting ability needed some kind of update- or at least an inbuilt warning whenever another wall of text was inbound.
Still, after she got over the wall of text that had emerged and she read through it. Understanding far more than she had originally wanted about the S Rank Monster that had emerged and was currently clashing with the dwarf and his companions that were now barely holding on in the face of this powerful monster-
Ruslte~
Another sound came from the direction that the swamp trampler crocodile had emerged from, as a second equally massive monster emerged. The pressure alone made Scaly certain that this new arrival was no weaker than the swamp trampler crocodile itself.
A fact that made Scaly shiver.
Not from fear, but a sense of hesitation knowing that inspecting the other party like she had done with the swamp trampler crocodile might very well end up with her getting smacked headfirst by another dread inducing wall of text that was difficult to prepare for even knowing that it was coming for her...
[Living Swamp Log, lvl 127]
[Description: A log that has come alive through mysterious circumstances and transformed itself into a wolf made up of algae. Not just any log, but a swamp log! Capable of wielding plant magic and nature magic... I think? Description reduced~ (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ]
Wha... What is this description! It doesn’t even seem to sure about what its saying!
But as she prepared herself for another wall of text, she was faced with what could only be described as a hastily put together description from someone who didn’t seem to fully understand the monster she had just inspected.
[Living Swamp Log, lvl 127]
[Description: A log... That is alive! Maximum description reduction achieved! (￣^￣ )ゞ]
Even worse, the description only got worse the second time she tried to inspect it with no signs of improving no matter what she did. Leaving her unable to fully trust the information she had recived about the so-called living log...