Chapter 266: Scorpion Lion Forest

Chapter 266: Scorpion Lion Forest

Translation: SupremeTentacle

Editing: Exkalamity, Sebas Tian

The act of “jinxing” something, also known as “raising a flag”, has always been one that has both brought trouble and evoked fear. It has changed all sorts of destinies. It’s known for hooking up average losers with the hottest girls in school, brutally murdering loving fathers serving in the military, reversing all but guaranteed victories, and everything in between.

So you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this tangent and all.

“Garuoooohhh!”

“Wasn’t there only supposed to be a 1% chance for us to run into a manticore?!” I complained.

“Nn. Lucked out,” Fran happily replied.

“More like this only happened ’cause you jinxed it!”

We happened to encounter a 5 meter tall lion with a scorpion’s tail as we tried passing through The Shortcut.

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General Information

Species: Manticore (Lion-type Monster)

Level: 31

HP: 398/819

MP: 81/196

STR: 201

VIT: 591

AGI: 350

INT: 203

MGC: 187

DEX: 267

Skills

Sole Sense: Lv 1

Sharp Nose: Lv 6

Espionage: Lv 4

Flame Breath: Lv 6

Vigilance: Lv 4

Harden: Lv 8

Herculean Strength: Lv 5

Shock Resistance: Lv 6

Resistance to Abnormal Status: Lv 6

Life Force Detection: Lv 4

Claw Arts: Lv 9

Claw Techniques: Lv 7

Earth Magic: Lv 5

Poison Spray: Lv 6

Tail Strike: Lv 9

Fire Magic: Lv 4

Physical Barrier: Lv 7

Roar: Lv 5

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like there were any other manticores nearby. They weren’t the kind of monster one encountered regularly.

“Grr!” Urushi let out a low growl to warn us of an incoming entity.

“Something coming...!”

Likewise, Fran’s ears twitched as she picked up on the individual the wolf had detected.

“Whatever it is has got quite a bit of magical energy.”

The thing coming towards us had about the same amount of magical energy as a manticore, but it wasn’t one. Whatever it was, it was approaching incredibly quickly.

And it wasn’t alone. There was what seemed to be one of its allies following behind it as well. If they were monsters, it was possible that they were the type that hunted in pairs.

“I’ll get us ready to teleport the hell out if need be.”

“Nn.”

Fran kept her guard up and took a combat ready stance with me in hand as she awaited the incoming pair. But both she and I were taken aback regardless.

”What impudence! I have been robbed of my prey!”

A young girl that looked to be only the slightest bit older than Fran complained as she sprang from the bushes. Her voice carried with it the sort of tone one would expect from a highborn.

She was pretty. She was really pretty. Her beauty was of such importance that I had to say it twice. Twice!

Her hair was cut rather short, but curled inwards at the ends. Her eyebrows were thick, but not too long horizontally. They almost seemed a bit like the kind you’d see in Imperial, historical Japanese courts if you looked at her from afar. When combined with her big forehead, it made her give off a youthful charm. Both her hair and the ears that adorned her head were a platinum blonde while her skin was white as snow.

Her deep, crimson eyes clearly stood out from the rest of her visage. They were big, round, and carried within them all the girl’s obstinacy and determination. The sheer strength of her gaze was more than enough to draw attention to her.

Furthermore, her eyes weren’t the only thing that contrasted with her skin and hair; her armour did too. It was like her opposite: everything she wore was dyed in black. Her metal armour was ornamented all over with gold, giving her an air that was magnanimous and threatening. I couldn’t help but feel like it was too over the top for a child to wear, but for some odd reason it seemed to suit her nonetheless.

I could tell at a glance that she was a beastkin, but I had no way of knowing what race she was in particular. I appraised her, given that it was only natural in our current circumstances, but I wasn’t able to get anything out of it. She must’ve had a skill or item powerful enough to totally ward off the effects of even my Eye of Empyrea.

I instead had to rely on using my experiences to discern that she was some sort of cat-related beastkin.

“I can’t appraise her, so I can’t say for sure, but it looks like she’s probably a White Catkin or something,” I pondered.

“White Catkin. Doesn’t exist,” Fran telepathically replied.

“Sheet, seriously?”

“Nn. Know all catkin types since also catkin. No white.”

“Right...”

Wait, so what is she then? Is she not a cat? Nah, she has to be a cat based on how her ears and tail look. Maybe she’s like a White Pantherkin or White Tigerkin or something, assuming they exist?

“Can tell already evolved,” she remarked conclusively.

“Huh. Well then...”

“Nn... But strange. Can’t tell species.”

She could not only stop me from appraising her, but also somehow had the ability to prevent other beastkin from figuring out her precise species.

The girl briskly walked towards us as I found myself lost in thought. She was giving off an extremely hostile aura, but not the murderous kind. We decided to take a wait-and-see approach and hear her out for the time being. That said, we weren’t going to let her approach us any more than she already had.

“Stop there,” Fran narrowed her eyes as she issued a warning.

“...I need not for you to tell me that,” the other girl replied.

Much to my surprise, she stopped right where we told her to. Thinking about it, I realized it made sense. There was no reason for her to step within range of our attacks.

That action alone was more than enough to inform me that the girl was a skilled fighter. With a single glance she had not only discerned that Fran was strong, but also accurately estimated her effective range.

Her eyes widened as she took a second look at Fran. I couldn’t tell whether it was because she’d realized Fran was the Black Lightning Princess, or if it was simply because she was an evolved Black Catkin.

I wanted Fran to ask her who she was, but that had to wait. There were more important issues to be addressed.

“Approaching person, your party member?”

“Indeed.”

A second individual emerged from a bush behind the girl as she answered Fran’s question.

“Please don’t rush on ahead of me, my lady,” the individual rebuked.

A wave of shock coursed through my brain the moment I saw her. The sheer impact I felt was on par with the one I’d felt when I saw the Leviathan just the other day.

I was so surprised I couldn’t stop myself from muttering under my breath.

“Is that... a maid...?”