NOVEL WEB Chapter 28 - Tiger's Boss Raid
< Chapter 28: Tiger’s Boss Raid >
I ventured deep into the Verdant Grove, climbing trees whenever possible and continuously scanning my surroundings.
Before long, I felt the ground shaking again.
‘Where is it this time!’
It was not easy to pinpoint the source of the vibration coming from deep underground.
At times like this, staying still was the best strategy.
I couldn’t become its target just yet. The more I knew about my enemy, the higher my chances of winning. Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy means a hundred victories in a hundred battles.
-Drururuk! Kwak!
Eventually, I could observe the creature appearing at a distance.
‘Damn, it’s huge!’
Its height matched the towering trees around it.
It seemed to be tens of meters long, reminiscent of the elder centipede from a certain Japanese manga.
However, compared to that creature the size of a mountain, this one was only as large as one or two trees. That thought comforted me as I relentlessly observed it from afar.
‘As expected, the weak points are the joints between the exoskeletons?’
The creature was covered with a hard exoskeleton that grew over its skin like armor.
I could determine how hard that armor was through my observations.
【Double Horned Night Panther Lv.36】
The creature resembled a jaguar, a distant cousin of mine.
The night panther with two horns on its head was preying when it was attacked by Teravore.
But as expected! Feline beasts were agile.
“Grrrr!!”
The night panther avoided Teravore’s ground-swallowing technique with astonishing speed.
Then followed a slashing attack!
Its ‘Razor Claws,’ capable of slicing through steel like tofu, precisely struck Teravore’s exoskeleton.
Kagakang!
But contrary to my expectations, Teravore’s exoskeleton seemed harder than steel.
It was honestly shocking that level 3 Razor Claws didn’t work at all. The skill levels differed significantly with each step.
But it wasn’t over yet.
I cheered the night panther on with all my might, feeling a kinship with it!
‘Grr!’
“Go for the joints between the exoskeletons!”
I sent my thoughts through telepathy, but it seemed beyond the Night Panther’s reach.
The Night Panther bravely swung its front paws, pounding Teravore’s body, but in the end, it was the Night Panther’s claws that broke first.
Kaang! Its claws shattered helplessly against Teravore’s armor.
I watched in sorrow as the Night Panther met its end.
In the wild, the animal that loses the fight dies. This was the harsh law of nature.
“Whimper, whimper…”
“Graaargh!”
Teravore let out a roar, opening its mouth filled with sharp teeth, and bit down on the Night Panther’s head.
Crunch, crunch!
Oh, damn it.
A monster in the mid-30s level range got defeated so easily.
However, there was something to be gained.
【Teravore, Master of the Underground Mine Lv.47】
I could now see its level.
And I noticed that Teravore’s eyes didn’t seem to function properly.
“Kyaaaargh!”
Once again, the creature let out a fierce roar and disappeared into the pit with the Night Panther in its mouth.
This confirmed my suspicion.
Teravore’s eyes had likely degenerated due to its underground lifestyle.
Despite the huge level difference, it couldn’t detect me when I was hidden, indicating it relied less on sight.
‘Phew.’
I sighed in relief and recalled the contents recorded in the ‘Monster Encyclopedia’.
—
Characteristics:
Ⅰ. Teravore lives deep underground, creating vast tunnels below the surface as it moves.
…(abridged)…
Weaknesses:
Ⅰ. Sensitive to sound, its direction can be confused using specific high-frequency sound waves.
Ⅱ. The joints between its exoskeletons are vulnerable; attacking these areas can inflict significant damage.
…(abridged)…
—
The useful information was that targeting its joints would be effective.
And that it created large tunnels underground for movement.
For several days, I hunted in the smaller forest areas and hid in the deep forest, spending my time observing Teravore.
.
.
.
Finally, I could grasp its general behavior patterns and routes.
* * *
Shashak!
Right now, I was using stealth and running to scout the surrounding area.
The area I was surveying was a zone Teravore deliberately avoided.
As I observed the place, I discovered something and grinned.
‘It instinctively avoided this.’
There, I found a new weapon that would aid my hunt.
* * *
A few days later.
Boom, boom, boom!
“Grrr!!”
Using its sensitivity to vibrations, I successfully lured Teravore.
【Unknown Night Tiger, Lu-deus Lv.33】
– The undisputed ruler of the ‘Small Forest.’
– Traits: [Potential], …, [Endurance].
– Skills: [Miniaturization], …, [Stealth Lv.2], [Running Lv.2], [Ambush Lv.3].
By analyzing Teravore’s patterns and occasionally hunting, I managed to level up by 3 and raise the levels of stealth, running, and ambush by one each.
「Using ‘Leg Strength Enhancement’!」
Leg Strength Enhancement was truly an amazing skill.
For something obtainable early on, its utility was endless.
I combined Leg Strength Enhancement with running to diligently lure it to the entrance of the small forest.
“Kyaaaargh!”
「You have been hit by the ‘Master of the Underground Mine’s Roar’!」
A scream struck my mind.
Naturally, my feet froze and my speed decreased.
Soon after, my heightened senses alerted me to danger.
Kwakwang!!
“Grr!”
I barely managed to dodge to the side, evading its fangs.
The impact of Teravore’s hard chest against the ground shattered rocks, sending debris flying.
The fragments pelted my hide like projectiles, but fortunately, thanks to acquiring the Steel Hide skill, I only suffered minor bruises.
“Grrr!”
I glared ahead and charged forward again.
Damn it, even though I planned the shortest route to the small forest, luring it there wasn’t easy.
Was Teravore always this fast?
I didn’t notice during observation, but facing it head-on, its speed was no joke.
It rammed the ground with its huge body and swung its tail like a whip…!!
Kwang!
The destructive power was enough to pulp me with a single hit.
Indeed, it was fitting for the master of the underground mine.
“Grr!”
「Using Miniaturization!」
「Disabling Miniaturization! Using Leg Strength Enhancement!」
I ran like mad.
If I hadn’t gained endurance from hunting the Elk, I would have already been exhausted and devoured.
How long had I been running? Finally.
“Kriririririk…!”
As soon as I crossed a certain boundary, Teravore hesitated, then straightened its massive body and roared.
“Kyaaaargh!!”
Judging by its reaction, it seemed like it was about to roar and then leave. What, is it more of a coward than I thought?
I took a moment to catch my breath and focused my strength on my paws.
I had something planned for this very moment!
My robust muscles tensed as my large front paws struck the ground hard.
Kwaang!
“Kyaaak?!”
As a monster sensitive to vibrations, Teravore reacted immediately. After all, what I was doing now was this.
「The ‘Leader of the Small Forest’ has declared its territory!」
Are you running away? Then I’ll claim this land. Scared?
A monster wouldn’t be a monster for nothing.
In response to my provocation, it abandoned its buff as the leader and charged at me.
“Kyaaaargh!!”
「The ‘Master of the Underground Mine’ is enraged!!」
My ears were about to fall off.
You bastard!!
“Grrrr!”
I started to run away.
“Kyaa?”
Bang, bang!
Teravore seemed momentarily confused by my retreat after such a blatant provocation, but as I pounded the ground, it reflexively chased after me again.
Run away!
Boss monster kiting in progress!!
* * *
“Huff, huff huff!”
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
Moments later, I tumbled down a hill in a battered state.
Quickly using Miniaturization and focusing my wild nature into Steel Hide, I curled up like an armadillo.
Rolling like a bowling ball, I gained speed, with a giant centipede bursting out behind me.
“Kyaaaargh!!”
Now, with its eyes red with fury, Teravore leapt down the hill without hesitation.
‘Got it!’
I cheered internally.
Finally, I managed to lure it here!
Pabat!
As I rolled like a ball, I barely held onto my dizzy consciousness and checked the eggshell.
Dark red blood was dripping from the mark, almost filling the trident’s prongs.
This meant the Shadow Pursuit would activate soon.
‘Phew.’
I had struggled to time this perfectly.
If Eryllion hadn’t calculated the timing, I wouldn’t have been able to employ this tactic.
I anxiously watched the Demon’s Mark, waiting for the right moment.
“Grrrrrrrr!!”
As soon as Teravore landed in a round basin-like area, it realized there was no more place to run, and it gave me a sinister grin.
Judging by its look, it seemed to mean I shouldn’t expect an easy death.
Well, sorry, but I have no intention of dying.
“Grr!”
I quickly put the eggshell back into the subspace.
I considered feeding the shell to Teravore, but Eryllion said that was impossible.
The mark engraved on the shell was nothing but a brand directed at me.
Even if I discarded the shell and ran away, the monsters would still be able to track me.
That was why I didn’t just abandon the eggshell and run.
Eryllion seemed to have an exceptional understanding of such magical knowledge, even if he didn’t know much about the monsters.
As expected of a royal fairy, huh?
So, where is that genius Eryllion now?
Our own Zhuge Liang, Eryllion, was waiting on a hill for my signal.
All for this moment!
“Growl!”
As I gave the signal, the ground near the hill crumbled, and something piled on top began to pour down into the basin below.
It was an enormous amount of ‘tobacco leaves.’
.
.
.
『Nicotine contained in tobacco is actually a powerful neurotoxin for centipedes. – From my previous life’s YouTube』
The centipede would be greatly shocked by this aspiring writer tiger’s random knowledge.
What made me think of this was because Teravore avoided places where this ‘plant’ grew.
【Tobacco of the Verdant Grove】
Fortunately, with my status window, I was able to identify the plant as tobacco leaves by just staring at it.
From that moment, I began harvesting the tobacco leaves, and perhaps due to continuous exposure, I achieved the feat of developing resistance from [Poison Resistance] to [Venom Resistance].
In short, the tobacco leaves here were extremely poisonous.
“Keek?!”
I could see Teravore recoiling in disgust at the sudden downpour of tobacco leaves from the hill.
You bastard.
Dare to chase me?
When hunting, one must remember that they can also be hunted.
Whoosh!
I struck my claws against the flint I had prepared in advance, puffing out cigarette smoke.
“Keek!!”
Teravore tried to escape, convulsing, but it wasn’t as easy as it thought.
Boom!
There were no burrows it had prepared in advance here.
And then,
“Roarrr!”
“Grrrraaa!”
Portals began opening around me, and monsters started pouring out. There was no time to dig a burrow!
I cheered inwardly and extended my forepaw towards Teravore.
Are you ready, Tera?
Of course…
“Keek!!”
“Tsk, prickly creature.”
Using Miniaturization and Stealth, I executed Shadow Leap. My target was the back of Teravore’s neck!
As my figure leapt into the air and suddenly disappeared, even the mighty Teravore looked bewildered, tilting its head in confusion.
I appeared from the shadow between its legs and dropped directly onto Teravore’s body.
Smack!
As I embedded my claws into the gap in its carapace, hanging there, Teravore roared and lifted its bladed legs high, thrashing about wildly.
Yeah, you can’t reach me.
Due to its body structure, its legs couldn’t touch the shell on its back.
Normally, it could have easily dislodged me by rolling on the ground.
“Roar?!”
However, due to the surrounding monsters, Teravore couldn’t lie down and instead reared up menacingly.
It roared fiercely at the monsters encircling it!
“Keek!!”
“Growl!”
“Graaa!!”
Though the monsters momentarily staggered and were paralyzed by its roar, they did not flee.
Because they had to kill me, the one riding on Teravore.
“Growl!”
I climbed up to Teravore’s head, commanding it as if I were its master.
Go, Teravore!!
At my command, a life-and-death battle began between the monsters and Teravore.
Crunch!
「Your level has increased!」
Auto hunting, so sweet!