Case 145: East Zircon Conquest – Dragon Slayer pt.II

Case 145: East Zircon Conquest – Dragon Slayer pt.II

A dead end.

That's what I've essentially stepped into.

A key when facing opponents stronger than oneself is striking their weaknesses. However, I don't have a clue as to what this creature's weaknesses are.

Certainly not the heads, nor can they be the necks.

If anything, I think it might be hiding it underwater. If I were it, I would do so, too.

Fortunately, I can see clearly underwater even if there's no light, and since I can barely manage to evade attacks with my skills fully utilized, I immediately set out to find the hydra's hidden body.

''Whew...''

I take a deep breath before propelling myself straight into the water, using my [Flight] to boost my speed further. Right after submerging, I quickly scan everything in the vicinity.

One, the lake is quite deeper than what I expected.

Two, the hydra has a typical reptile body with a long tail that it anchors itself on—no visible weakness.

I probably shouldn't touch the tail and bring the battlefield down here. It has more advantages that way.

At this point, only a few seconds have passed, yet I can already feel the spells and jaws coming my way. Let's quickly decide what to do with this thing.

First of all, since it has no visible vulnerabilities, I'll have to assume that I need to vaporize its whole body to kill it. Doing that with raw strength, be it magical or physical—or both—is almost impossible at my level.

I'll have to get creative.

Think.

If this were Sikare, she would probably try to poison it or do something outrageous. I don't have poison.

If this were any of the other grandmasters, they would probably overwhelm it with their immense strength. I'm a bit lacking in that department.

If this were Kyomu, he would probably try to cut through the whole creature with the Blade of Nihility. I don't have that kind of proficiency.

So what do I have?

Outside of my followers, I have the Backrooms, or more accurately, the gates, to use in immediate combat. Teleportation. A weak version of the Sword of Nihility.

Of course, I can teleport this thing into the Backrooms, but I don't want to over-rely on crushing things with its walls, so I'll leave it as a last resort.

After all of that, the options are still surprisingly limited.

''...''

Well, let's try to push with my own strength for once.

Before the head can regenerate, I, with [Parallel Thinking] still running, scan for a severed blood vessel—the most prominent and wide-spread vessel before resolutely stabbing my sword into it.

Then, my own vessels contract, pumping mana straight into the blade and exploding it beyond the tip.

A series of crisp yet slightly hollowed sounds ring amidst the wind-tearing whips of the heads. After confirming the flesh has largely been properly damaged, I back away, taking a safe distance from the creature.

''Hah...''

This is exhausting.

Now, the method is certainly working. The areas that have been 'infected' are being healed at a much lower rate than usual, but that doesn't mean I can afford to keep doing this.

My mana is running out.

There's no problem with my processing efficiency, of course, it's just that the hydra is too big.

As I contemplate what to do next, a noise below catches my attention.

''Heyy~!''

It's... Sikare. And Becky, of course. That idiot girl, why'd she come here if she's shaking like being hit by an earthquake?

''Your supplies!''

Two flickers of light appear. It isn't the objects that are emitting that light. They are reflecting the sunlight.

I quickly catch the two small vials, which have a vibrant blue color to them.

''This...''

They might seem suspicious, but the feeling I get from them... they're undoubtedly mana.

No way.

Mana potions?

It is common knowledge that mana runs through blood vessels, and drinking a liquid hardly gets it into any vessel at all. If it were, then the efficiency would be abysmal—the same goes for injection.

The only logical way to replenish mana is through level-up... or somehow getting the raw mana straight into the heart. [Astra Magical Academy] is weirdly logical like that.

But now, I have to trust these suspicious potions that come from a suspicious woman to refuel my mana?

''...''

It's probably fine.

I'll trust my instinct for once.

...I'll probably need to get back to it soon. Abusing [Parallel Thinking] like this is not good.