Chapter 86: Right Inside A Nest
Leonard had heard about the monsters beforehand in one of the academy’s lessons.
"Dire Eagles are most dangerous when attacking in a flock. Their speed of descent is too fast to react to. We have to stay clear of their claws and avoid their beaks." He recalled.
Not just him, but the whole Elite grade was aware of the danger they represented.
"The academy wouldn’t have sent us here if this were beyond our ability to handle!" Arabella rallied up the elves behind her, already nocking an arrow.
She launched the projectile high into the air. Her shot missed, yet it was enough to make the Dire Eagles reconsider their approach.
"Arabella is right. Stick together, and things should be fine." Leonard threw a glance at the party and summoned Titanic Oath.
His axe was a deadly weapon when thrown. Even just grazing the creatures would be more than enough to slow them down with its frost.
"They are diving down!"
Eager to attack before the humans could form a plan, the eagles headed toward them, their eyes shining with malice.
Leonard’s eyes fixed on an approaching monster, its beak pointed toward him like a blade aimed at his head.
He acted instinctively and unleashed Lightning Strike, the speed of his swing momentarily surprising the eagle.
Faster than a blink, the two collided. His axe carved a large gash across the left side of the monster’s body.
The influx of pain caused the eagle to change its trajectory. Moving too fast to make a proper turn, its beak wounded Leonard’s cheek, drawing blood.
Fortunately, his injury was far from fatal compared to his adversary’s.
Bleeding profusely, the eagle flapped its wings desperately, trying to rise into the air.
"You aren’t going anywhere!" Leonard declared, extending a hand.
[Fireball activated!]
Using the Skill he had learned in Albert’s lectures, he sent several scorching fireballs at the bird.
The aroma of cooked chicken filled the air as the eagle perished on the spot.
[You have defeated a Level 14 Dire Eagle.]
[You have gained 300 Experience!]
Level: 12 [Experience: 1,000/2,200]
Leonard’s eyes narrowed in surprise. Even though his Skill had been maxed, he hadn’t expected it to prove so effective.
"I understand now... The lectures were, in fact, interconnected! Professor Albert was so insistent for us to learn the Skill because he must have known ahead of time that we would be sent here, where Fireballs are especially effective against Dire Eagles!"
Although strict and overly harsh, Professor Albert had, in fact, their best interests at heart all along.
Making a mental note to thank him later, his eyes darted around, searching for his teammates.
The most dangerous part of the battle was when the Dire Eagles used their staggering speed to catch their prey off guard.
To his horror, he saw Cassie getting dragged off her feet.
The fearsome eagle had clamped its claws around her arm and taken flight. Her slender body was too light to resist the powerful wings of the creature, and she was slowly rising higher and higher.
Its plan was straightforward: drop her from high up, then devour the remains after she hit the ground.
"Let our Healer go!" Leonard yelled as he hurled Titanic Oath.
The axe connected, yet the eagle remained stubborn, continuing to rise.
"Tch!" He clicked his tongue in frustration. Using Fireball risked burning Cassie in the aftermath.
[Dragon Slayer activated!]
"How about this?"
With a precise throw, he sent the silver javelin soaring into the monster’s head, killing it and forcing it to let go.
[You have defeated a Level 14 Dire Eagle.]
[You have gained 300 Experience!]
Level: 12 [Experience: 1,300/2,200]
"AAAHHH!"
However, Cassie found herself falling toward the ground. The fall itself wasn’t high enough to be fatal, but she was undoubtedly going to be hurt.
"Uf!"
Winston grunted as he managed to catch her just in time. As it turned out, his fat acted as a cushion, breaking her fall.
"You all right?" He asked with concern.
"H—Huh? I... y—yes... Thank you." Cassie replied timidly. Feeling a blush creeping up her cheeks, she glanced to the side.
"Another one is coming!" She noticed.
A second Dire Eagle approached and took a firm hold of Winston, having the same goal of dropping him from high up.
"?!"
Yet, to the monster’s complete bafflement, Winston proved several times heavier than expected. It was like trying to move a boulder that refused to budge.
"This won’t work on me!" He declared, hitting the monster with his hammer.
Leonard observed the battlefield. Everyone was faring much better than expected.
The only one who seemed to have truly struggled was Elizabeth. Poised at the front when the attack began, she had been met by several eagles at once, receiving a shallow wound on her arm.
"Are you okay? You’d better let a healer check that." He proposed, going over to her side.
She blinked slowly, not expecting Leonard to show concern for her well-being.
"Thank you for your concern, but I am fine." She reassured him, turning her back to the towering mountain as she glanced toward the Elite grade, searching for any lingering monsters.
He did the same, only to see that the battle had ended faster than expected. All eagles were dead and there was no one seriously wounded among them.
"Would you look at that?" Leonard chuckled, seeing Cassie acting flustered around Winston.
Completely oblivious, Winston met his gaze.
All color drained from his face.
"BRO!"
[Primordial Bloodline stirs in your veins.]
"Huh?"
Leonard turned around.
A claw larger than his body clasped around him.
[You have encountered the True Boss of the Stormlands!]
[Level 50 Griffin.]
Unable to react, he lost his sense of gravity, and the world blurred around him as he was lifted upward at monstrous speed.
[You have entered a Death Zone. All gained experience and Evolution Points would be doubled from now on.]
’What’s going on?’
After coming to a stop, he was mercilessly thrown.
"Ugh!" He groaned as he hit the ground, his gaze fixed on the towering Griffin that observed him with terrifying eyes.
With a screech, the monster flew to the side and vanished.
"Did the Griffin throw us into a nest?" He wondered, noticing that, besides him, the creature had also managed to capture Elizabeth.
"Where are we?"
Struggling to his feet, he walked toward the edge of the nest and peered down.
His breathing hitched.
They were at the pinnacle of the towering mountain that dwarfed everything in the Stormlands.
Looking downward, he couldn’t comprehend just how far away the Elite grade and the portal to exit the dungeon were.
"This is bad."
He shifted his attention to Elizabeth. Luckily, she had also come to her senses. Neither of them was too injured to prevent them from fighting.
"Where are we?" Her eyes narrowed as she stood up.
"For some reason, the True Boss of the dungeon targeted us out of the blue... I think she just dropped us in her nest, which is the farthest possible point from where we just were..."
Crack!
Leonard paused mid-explanation when he heard a cracking noise.
He and Elizabeth gazed at the center of the nest, where human-sized eggs were in the process of hatching, the monsters slowly coming into view.
"This is very bad!"