Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 38: They Really Did Summon Reinforcements
“Holy crap! Leisurely Brother, they summoned reinforcements!”
“What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just summoning someone. Can Koutao Mermen even summon a dragon?”
Leisurely Moment scoffed disdainfully, not fearing them at all. His perspective was dictated by his position; the merfolk had limitations, and even a Koutao Merman Chief showing up would be a pushover.
“Exactly, exactly. We’ll just wait here. At most, a bigger Koutao Merman will show up, and I’ll hit him with Crow Flies Plane right then.”
Yu Ci exclaimed excitedly, his feet shuffling back and forth on the ground.
“Roar—!”
Just then, a thunderous roar echoed from the deeper reeds, agitating the water’s surface and causing the reeds to bend and sway under a strong wind.
“Leisurely Brother, what were you just saying…”
“Can a Koutao Merman Chief make a roar like that?”
Before the players could react, the reeds in the distance began to bend and sway violently, the rumbling accompanied by a rushing sound of water, as if something was rapidly approaching.
“Humans!”
“I’ve eaten three giant bats, six mountain yaks, and one dragon fish today. But it’s okay, I think I can still fit you and your friends in my stomach!”
A deep, enraged roar grew louder as it approached, and in an instant, it was right in front of the players.
The reeds parted, and a colossal beast with greenish-blue fur, eight pairs of legs, and an appearance combining a centipede and a crocodile emerged.
It stood about eight meters tall and over twenty meters long, its deep blue eyes flashing with lightning, exuding an oppressive aura. Behind it followed a panting swarm of Koutao Mermen.
Its massive head was neither fully dragon nor fully snake, resembling a blend of snake and crocodile. It had curved horns like a goat behind its head, hanging from either side of its jaw.
Its body was covered in fine scales, its skin transitioning from blue-green to deep blue, gradually changing to a light blue towards its belly.
[Azure-Footed Dragon Snake – Level 52 – Tier Six – Extremely Lethal]
“Leisurely Brother, look, they really summoned reinforcements…”
Yu Ci said with a grin, treating the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake as if it were air.
“So what if we die once?”
Leisurely Moment’s eye twitched. He took out his Fine Grade +6 Glimmering Longsword from his backpack and sneered,
“No big deal, let’s keep the music going and the dancing going~”
“Whoever dies first reports to the King of Winter. Don’t say anything in the channel; we need to keep the highest reward for ourselves.”
Leisurely Moment declared, then charged forward with his longsword in a slide, yelling at the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake with a ferocious expression,
“Scum, face me!”
“You think you’re the only one who can summon people? Don’t you dare run!”
“Humans!! You will pay the price for your provocation, you who know no bounds.”
The Azure-Footed Dragon Snake’s mouth closed, its forked tongue flicked out, emitting a “hissing” sound. However, it seemed to possess some kind of skill, as every player could understand its meaning.
Following Leisurely Moment’s sliding charge, the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake opened its massive mouth, twisted its neck, and with a “crack,” swallowed him whole.
Yu Ci: “…Holy crap! Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ”
“What do we do if the captain gets eaten?!”
“No problem, Leisurely Brother is teleporting back to find the King of Winter.”
“What a ‘Teleportation’ skill.”
“Cheating Brother, you take the NPCs and go. Yu Ci and I will hold off this lightning-infused slippery snake!”
Qing Xi Yue cast a shield on Yu Ci and urged Cheating Brother along.
The Azure-Footed Dragon Snake was still digesting Leisurely Moment and hadn’t attacked yet; this was the best time to escape.
They didn’t care about themselves, but these NPCs couldn’t be resurrected.
“Okay, you guys do your best!”
Cheating Brother didn’t hesitate, grabbing Rick and running.
“Wait, why are you abandoning them and fleeing? We can fight!”
Rick struggled with all his might, his face filled with grief and indignation. He looked back at the two Foreign warrior players standing ready, facing a terrifying magical beast several times their size.
“Less nonsense, they won’t die!”
Cheating Brother didn’t stop running. He even wanted to carry Rick on his back. The pursuing merfolk were already catching up. While these merfolk were not a threat, if they were entangled, they would eventually be caught by the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake, and the NPC would die.
…
Meanwhile, at Winter Fort.
Leisurely Moment, led by Clemon, hurried to the door of the King of Winter’s room. Just as he was about to barge in, Clemon stopped him.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Your Majesty, it’s Clemon.”
“Please come in.”
A young man’s magnetic voice came from inside the room.
Leisurely Moment pushed open the door and saw the King of Winter sitting at his desk, covered in various territory documents.
He frowned slightly, appearing troubled. Behind him, a petite and lovely Demi-human maid was diligently massaging his shoulders.
“Your Majesty, my team and I have found the Koutao Mermen, but there were some unexpected developments.”
“Oh?”
Xi Wei’s eyes lit up. Finally, some good news. He had just been troubled by Earl Amper of the Andor Empire suddenly launching an invasion and was trying to figure out how to deal with that old dog.
“It’s good that you found them. What unexpected developments?”
“It’s like this, those Koutao Mermen serve a powerful Azure-Footed Dragon Snake. We are no match for it, so we’ve come to request your help.”
“Azure-Footed Dragon Snake? That’s not right…”
Xi Wei muttered to himself. The Azure-Footed Dragon Snake was a legitimate Tier Six Dragon-blooded magical beast. He had seen it yesterday while flipping through the monster compendium. Such creatures usually lived in the sea and had very vast territories.
Most importantly, they ate humans.
If an Azure-Footed Dragon Snake lived in Winter Lake, why would the fishermen be able to fish peacefully?
Could it have just arrived here?
Xi Wei pondered for a moment and then suddenly remembered the characteristics of the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake.
They were extremely territorial and strongly disliked other Dragon-blooded creatures, especially dragons.
If there were Dragon-blooded creatures within their territory, they would drive them away or kill them. If they couldn’t win, they would abandon their nests.
Xi Wei couldn’t help but think of Kasim, the Dragon Beast he had killed. These two should have some connection.
Kasim at the time was also a Tier Six magical beast, and had more complete dragon-like characteristics.
Apart from a pair of mini wings that seemed out of place, its body was no different from that of a dragon.
Therefore, it was highly likely that the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake was driven away by Kasim. Now that Kasim’s aura was gone, it had returned.
When magical beasts were at the same tier, their strength wasn’t solely determined by level but primarily by bloodline strength.
Even a Fire Rabbit that grew to Tier Six could never defeat a Tier Six Silver Moon Wolf. This was a comprehensive suppression by bloodline.
It was currently the season of late summer and early autumn, and the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake needed to find a comfortable place to lay and hatch its eggs. Clearly, Winter Lake was a good place.
“It seems that this search of Winter Lake has also resolved a potential instability in advance…”
Xi Wei couldn’t help but marvel at his luck. After all, if he had discovered this Azure-Footed Dragon Snake any later, who knew how many lives would have been lost.
Now that this magical beast had appeared, it could also serve as practice for the current players. Xi Wei also wanted to see if the players had learned anything in the dungeons.
With this thought, he issued a series of system messages to the players through the system:
[Mission to search Winter Lake and find Koutao Mermen completed. All players receive Equipment Lottery Tickets x10. The team led by Leisurely Moment additionally receives Master Grade Equipment Exchange Vouchers x1.]
[Temporary Mission Triggered: Intercept the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake]
[Mission Description: During the search for Koutao Mermen, the team led by Leisurely Moment discovered that these merfolk were worshipping a powerful Dragon-blooded creature. This creature is now rampaging near Winter Lake. Players are asked to follow Leisurely Moment and immediately head to kill it.]
[Mission Restrictions: None]
[Mission Rewards: 20,000 Experience Points, a chance to bathe in the blood of the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake, Equipment Lottery Tickets x5, Equipment Enhancement Coupons x5, Unknown Reward (Azure-Footed Dragon Snake Egg?)]
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Azure-Footed Dragon Snake (科普) – [Note: This section appears to be a general description of the monster, not part of the narrative dialogue. It’s treated as a separate information block within the original text.]
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The Azure-Footed Dragon Snake slithers across the ground and walls, pursuing prey.
Its lightning breath can incinerate most creatures, and even stronger beings will be ensnared and swallowed whole by the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake’s constricting coils.
The Azure-Footed Dragon Snake’s appearance is a combination of a centipede and a crocodile. Its scaly hide transitions from blue-green to deep blue, gradually becoming a light blue towards its belly.
[Cave Predator]
Azure-Footed Dragon Snakes make their lairs in places difficult for other creatures to reach, forcing intruders to undertake arduous climbing. Deep pits, caves high on cliffs, and grottoes connected only by narrow, winding tunnels are the primary ambush sites for the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake.
Its twelve legs allow it to climb easily both inside and outside its nest. When not climbing, the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake can draw its legs to its sides and glide rapidly like a snake.
Azure-Footed Dragon Snakes typically swallow their prey whole and then enter a period of dormancy for digestion. During this time, the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake hides in inconspicuous places that intruders might overlook.
[Dragon’s Enemy]
In ancient times, giants and dragons engaged in near-endless warfare.
Storm Giants created the first Azure-Footed Dragon Snakes as weapons against the dragon race, hence the innate hatred Azure-Footed Dragon Snakes still hold for dragons.
Azure-Footed Dragon Snakes never nest in areas inhabited by dragons.
If a dragon attempts to nest within dozens of miles of an Azure-Footed Dragon Snake’s lair, the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake will have to kill or drive it away.
Only when the dragon is too powerful to confront will the Azure-Footed Dragon Snake give up and travel far away to find a new nesting site.
