Chapter 49

A Wise Man Leaps Into Danger

The fight had begun. The adventurers’ offensive attacks seemed to be going rather smoothly. I could not help but be impressed at how they fought while still staying mostly out of danger. They would avoid overly risky moves and took advantage of their numbers to attack from all sides. The wyvern’s energy was easily being drained, just as the number of wounds on it began to grow.

The first part that they attacked were its wings. They were likely trying to cut the membrane there to prevent it from flying away. One adventurer who carried a great s.h.i.+eld, acted as a tank in order to parry the oncoming attacks. While the wyvern’s attacks were wild, it also stood firm and would not break its stance. But there were still gaps in its defense. And those did not escape the eyes of the adventurers, and they boldly pushed it back. Once the wyvern had regained its balance again, they would quickly back away and allow the s.h.i.+eld-bearer to slam it in the face again to draw attention.

A lot of this strategy seemed straight out of a modern video game. Though, it seemed that there wasn’t a healer about. Perhaps they would use potions? And while there was a s.h.i.+eld-bearer, it wasn’t as if he was absorbing all of the attacks. I had seen him drink from small vials and toss them aside several times right after receiving an attack.

You could make especially high-quality potions from good herbs. Herb gathering happened to be my specialty. And I suspected that the potions they were using were of high-quality. As it did not look like any of them had any serious injuries.

Even the occasional damage that was inflicted on them was light. The wyvern was wild and reckless, but that wasn’t doing it any favors. Eventually, the wings were so damaged that it would not be able to fly. There was something very grim about watching the frayed membrane toss in the wind every time its wings would beat, but it was a clear sign of their effectiveness for the adventurers.

The next part that they targeted was the tail. The tail that swung through the air was able to deal heavy blows just like a mace. You would probably be knocked unconscious as soon as it hit you.

The s.h.i.+eld-bearer now blocked a blow of the tail, which allowed one of the swordsmen just enough time to come in and strike at it. But the scales were a tough s.h.i.+eld as well. Try as they might, they were unable to sever the tail completely, and time continued to go by.

Then all of a sudden, the wyvern moved to take in a deep breath. It was a breath attack. I crouched even lower over the ground until I was practically lying down. The adventurers seemed to have antic.i.p.ated this move and decided on how they would react in advance, because they quickly moved behind the s.h.i.+eld-bearer. The s.h.i.+eld-bearer drove the spike that protruded from the bottom of the s.h.i.+eld into the ground, preparing their defense.

“GGGGGGgggRRAAAAAAAaAAA!!!”

An overwhelming roar accompanied the wind of its breath. It was a ma.s.sive discharge of magical energy that shredded nearby trees and plants and blew them away. There was no doubt that they would have died if they had been hit directly…

I had to squint very hard to avoid getting sand in my eyes from the hurricane that was caused. But by the looks of them, the adventurers seemed to be holding up. I could vaguely see them holding the s.h.i.+eld-bearer from behind.

Eventually, the magical discharge stopped. There was so much dust in the air, that it was difficult to see. The s.h.i.+eld-bearer was hidden behind his s.h.i.+eld, but it seemed like he wasn’t moving. What happened? Wasn’t this their chance?

“Hey, hey!”

The wyverns torn wings beat in the air. It wasn’t an attempt to fly, but a way of pus.h.i.+ng away the clouds of dust. Once the dust was gone, I was able to see what had happened.

The s.h.i.+eld-bearer’s s.h.i.+eld had not fulfilled its purpose. Unable to withstand the breath attack, there was now a gaping hole in the center. Was the wyvern’s attack just that powerful?

No, judging by that hole, I feel like the wyvern had deliberately concentrated its attack into one small point. It wasn’t a blast that covered a wide area, it was a high-density blast. But even so, the waves of magic had affected their surroundings and brought about a dust storm. That was probably why I had thought it was your typical breath attack.

I could hear the adventurers become frantic. What happened? They shake the s.h.i.+eld-wielder. I could see it clearly now, there was a hole in his armor as well, and a large river of blood was running out of it. His face was completely pale. It’s…too late…

“Hey, Danny! d.a.m.n it, the blood won’t stop!”

“Carry him and fall back! Hurry! Use the potions!”

The archer orders. And the man with the greatsword picks up the s.h.i.+eld-bearer and moves away. Several others also fell back, potions in their hands. But could the rest handle it with these numbers…?

But there was no one to answer that question for me, and now that the wyvern had recovered after using such a taxing move, it roared once again, and the fight continued.