Chapter 162 - 129 The Corrupted Twilight Guardian_1

Chapter 162: Chapter 129 The Corrupted Twilight Guardian_1Soon this place merged into one, as if it were a natural cave. The Stone Shaping Spell was indeed a divine Mining art, true to its name. Melting stone and exposing ores was not the main function of this skill; that was for the Tremor Bomb. Its primary use was to strengthen and support the mines, especially in areas with more soil, to prevent the collapse of the mine tunnels. Stelina couldn’t help but take another look at the two Gnolls, having heard before that they had unparalleled advantages in mining, and seeing it today, their reputation was well-founded. This Chief Gaven, as Lord Virginia had said, did have many secrets worth delving into and understanding more deeply; perhaps unexpected gains were to be had. With different thoughts in mind, the Exploration Team once again slowly progressed, and after twenty meters, they encountered another part of the trap. A rolling cylinder, also hidden above the cave, would trigger the stone door on the other side to shut once it fell. This trap was enough to wipe out most Adventure Teams below the Transcendent level. One door-opening trap was this vicious; who knows what else awaited them further on. The group couldn’t help but brace themselves with extra caution. But the route that followed proved to be quite smooth. It was unclear whether the traps here had been destroyed by the Carrier Bug, or whether they were too ancient to function any longer. Not even physical traps could be found anymore. While a defunct physical trap would at least leave a trace, once a Magic Trap lost its power, the Magic Aura dissipated, making traces difficult to find. The deeper they went, the more certain Gaven and his group became that this was indeed a Dragon’s Nest, a very ancient one at that. Only it was extremely dilapidated, because the main roots of the Dragon Scale Oak were planted right above it, with thick roots visible everywhere in the cave. Some of the major roots even completely blocked the cave and had been forcibly chiseled away with brute force. No question about it, this was the handiwork of the Carrier Bug. Without its path-clearing, Gaven and his companions wouldn’t have gotten far in this Dragon’s Nest. The party followed the path cleared by the Carrier Bug for nearly a kilometer, and a vast cave appeared before everyone. The scene in front of them gave Gaven and his companions reason to believe they were now at the bottom of the main trunk of the Dragon Scale Oak. For the cave was not held up by earth and rocks, but by stout tree roots. The cavern’s height was no less than thirty meters, with a length and width of five hundred meters, and there was a sizable pond in the middle. "There has just been a war here not long ago," Gaven stated in affirmation, not as a question. The bloodstains on the ground, the broken weapons and Armor, all testified to this fact. But conspicuously absent were any bodies. The fate of the bodies was obvious without asking. They had to have ended up in the stomachs of the Carrier Bug and its larvae. In such an environment, it was an invincible being, with its giant pincers and claws making close combat inescapable, and at a distance, there was no avoiding the maggot spray and swarm of larvae. Even for Gaven and his team, engaging it in battle here would completely reverse the outcome. It would not be Gaven’s team dismantling the Carrier Bug, but rather becoming food in the belly of the Carrier Bug. Stelina was the first to step forward and check those weapons and Armor, occasionally picking up blood-stained soil, rubbing it between her fingers, and sniffing it, with an extremely solemn expression. Gaven approached and asked, "Have you identified the origins of these deceased?" Stelina nodded and said, "There is the distinct taint of the Foul Giants, the Dark Servants of the Foul Giants, and possibly even the Foul Giants themselves. Wait, search carefully; there must be a passage leading to the Dark Domain here, one that connects directly to the Black Forest. But what were they doing here?" "Come take a look, there is something wrong with this pond," Atwood called out loudly. Gaven and Stelina hurried over. Even from dozens of meters away, Gaven and the others could smell the intense stench of decay, the odor released by many corpses rotting over a long period of time. The pond, spanning hundreds of square meters, was pitch black and exuded an intense, evil aura that could not be dispelled. Several roots of the Dragon Scale Oak went directly into the pond and were also stained black. Stelina’s face immediately darkened. she had her answer to her earlier question, and grinding her teeth said, "Those damned Foul Giants, attempting to twist and corrupt the Dragon Scale Oak. They want to turn the Spring Bud Forest into a second Black Forest. Thank goodness this Carrier Bug disrupted their plans; otherwise, by the time we noticed, the Dragon Scale Oak would probably have been invaded and destroyed by them. These inexhaustible bastards." This must be the underlying malady of the Dragon Scale Oak. "Back away, everyone back away, there is a Twilight Guardian here, a corrupted Twilight Guardian," Atwood warned loudly once more. Not far from the Corrupted pond, a pile of earth and stones was unnaturally writhing, with a great deal of Magic Power converging upon it; even the water from the Corrupted pond was being drawn in, pouring into the mix. In the blink of an eye, a strange creature appeared before the group. The being was shaped like a dragon but made of a mix of wood, mud, and stone; its two eyes crafted from reflective Obsidian, without a mouth, instead it had a thick curved log, thick as an adult’s thigh, with its head like a sharp cone shimmering with an aura of Magic, leaving no doubt about its lethality—if struck by it, one would surely end up with a gaping hole. A ridge of thorns stretched from its back to the root of its barbed tail, while twisted vines and roots crisscrossed over its body, forming two tattered dragon wings. The black water drawn from the corrupted pond vaporized before it could spread, turning into a wisp of black mist that penetrated its body. Suddenly, there was a new change, one tattered dragon wing grew larger, while the other shrank, becoming exceedingly deformed. Even its previously symmetrical eyes were now oddly positioned—one higher, one lower, one larger, one smaller, making it look extremely awkward. Various earthy bumps emerged from its body as if it was covered in all sorts of tumors. It was already not very appealing to look at, but now it became even more grotesque. Life Dice: 181 (16D10+96) Size: Colossal Attributes: Strength 25, Dexterity 18, Constitution 23, Intelligence 1, Perception 8, Charisma 4 The Twilight Guardian is the physical manifestation of the soul of a dragon that has become the Child of Earth. When a dragon chooses to become the permanent guardian of a place, merging with the land, a Twilight Guardian is born. The Twilight Guardian will forever protect the place the Giant Dragon has chosen. It will not show itself or attack proactively any creature that does not harm its guarded location. That is the case under normal circumstances. The Twilight Guardian before them was clearly not in a normal state. The twisted corruption by the Foul Giants made it filled with a strong aggression. "Hold it off, it’s not very intelligent. Susie, prepare the trap, adjust the size—narrow at the top, wider at the bottom, the deeper the better. Cancel the illusion disguise," Gaven shouted out the tactics. Against such a creature with low intelligence, trickery is needed rather than a head-on confrontation. "Understood," Susie responded loudly. Susie was already accustomed to Gaven’s odd requirements for traps and had been inspired by them to research and adjust accordingly, indeed developing new uses for various traps. In an unexpected situation, the same trap can have vastly increased lethality and threat. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Susie concentrated and tried to merge her thoughts with the Earth Element beneath her feet, attempting to manipulate the surrounding earth for her use. But the moment her thoughts touched the land, a thunderous dragon cry pierced through Susie’s soul. Within the cry, she felt endless pain and rage. This dragon cry originated from the land beneath her feet, from the Dragon Scale Oak above. The normally calm and immensely stable Earth Element had now become incredibly irritable and rushed towards Susie like madness, overwhelming and enveloping her. For a moment, Susie couldn’t maintain her concentration to cast spells and couldn’t help but let out a sky-high dragon’s cry, bursting forth from her mouth. "Susie, what’s wrong?" Gaven was greatly shocked by Susie’s abnormal changes. To outsiders, Susie’s condition was even more baffling. The diminutive Gnoll was half-crouched there, with converging Earth Element swirling around her, gathering denser and denser until it turned into a tangible shell of earth, petrifying her entirely. "Don’t touch her," Stelina shouted a warning, "She seems to be resonating with the land, with the Dragon Scale Oak. If she succeeds, she will gain great benefits from it. Let’s just hold this thing off for now." The Young Red Copper Dragon took initiative, not waiting for the Corruption Twilight Guardian to fully materialize before circling behind it and unleashing a Strong Acid Breath straight onto its head, dousing it thoroughly. However, the attack was less effective than hoped. The Twilight Guardian was composed of wood, soil, and stone; while the Strong Acid Breath could corrode the wood adequately, it struggled against the soil and stone. Four Pikespirit Druids also made their move. Countless vines furiously burst forth, coiling around the Corruption Twilight Guardian, wrapping it from the inside out, binding it tightly. But when the Corruption Twilight Guardian finally took shape, those binding vines acted as if they didn’t exist, and the creature stepped out with ease. "Don’t use vine-type spells, they’re useless against it—it has the Wood Escape Technique," Atwood immediately warned the others. "Watch out for the surrounding tree roots, don’t let it get close to any." Atwood, his body flickering with Magic Aura, roared loudly as a majestic Giant Bear appeared out of nowhere, confronting the Corruption Twilight Guardian with a slap that sent earth and splinters flying in all directions. The Bestial Transformation allowed Druids to turn into large Ferocious Beasts, and Atwood had at least eight Druid Profession Levels. Aow! Aow! Aow! Following three more roars, the other three Pikespirit Druids completed their transformations into the same Ferocious Bears and furiously pummeled the Corruption Twilight Guardian. But their efforts had little effect. The stones and earth sent flying merely comprised the outer shell of the Corruption Twilight Guardian, doing nothing to harm its core essence. No matter how many pieces were knocked away, the foe could simply pick up materials from the surroundings and quickly re-arm itself. Gaven along with Brolan of the Autumnbreeze, led by Stelina, also joined the fight. Long Spear and Long Knife in hand, they hacked and slashed in the brief moments they could manage. Their efforts were similarly ineffective. Even Gaven’s Keen Edge Longspear struggled, remaining sharp indeed, yet only making holes in the Corruption Twilight Guardian’s body, which hardly seemed to matter to the creature made of earth and stone. All they could see was some black pus seeping out, but before it even hit the ground, it vaporized into the black mist swirling around the Corruption Twilight Guardian. The level of the Corruption Twilight Guardian was clearly not higher than the Carrier Bug’s, but it was proving to be even more troublesome than the Legendary Beetle. The only consolation was that the Twilight Guardian’s attack methods were relatively limited: either pecking with its dragon mouth or lashing with its thorny tail. After being corrupted, its coordination was significantly affected, reducing the frequency and accuracy of its attacks—once the pattern was understood, it wasn’t difficult to dodge. After such comparison, it turns out the Strong Acid Breath from Aivensa was inflicting more damage.