Chapter 94 - - 94: Firefang Raptor

Chapter 94: Chapter - 94: Firefang Raptor

I continue through the dungeon without slowing down much, following the route I had already planned in case I start from the Serpent Chamber.

The path is not particularly difficult to navigate once I know where I am going, although the dungeon itself seems designed to make every passage look almost identical to the next one, with rough stone walls, uneven floors, dim magical lights appearing at irregular intervals, and countless intersections that would probably force an unfamiliar student to stop and think about which direction to take.

I do not have that problem, I know which paths I do not need to take.

During the journey, I encounter several different kinds of monsters, including a few creatures that would probably give an average first-year student a fairly difficult fight, but none of them pose any meaningful threat to me.

Most of them either retreat when they sense Aeris and me approaching or are dealt with before they can get close enough to become troublesome.

There are several snake-like monsters along the earlier sections of the route, followed by a few smaller lizard creatures, a pair of horned beasts that resemble mountain goats, and eventually several creatures with hard shells covering most of their bodies.

I do not stop to fight any of them unless they happen to block the passage.

There is simply no reason to.

The practical examination is not about defeating every monster inside the dungeon, and the marks are primarily determined by reaching the deepest area quickly and then successfully defeating the boss monster.

Wasting several minutes fighting creatures that provide no meaningful benefit would be the same as deliberately making the examination harder for myself.

Besides, I have more important things to do.

Aeris continues flying beside me, occasionally moving ahead to inspect the tunnel before returning to my side, and I notice that her movements have become considerably more natural with navigating my commands.

I continue running.

Because I am moving considerably faster than the other students, I encounter almost no one along my planned route.

That is another advantage.

If I were moving at the same pace as everyone else, I would probably have already run into another group at one of the intersections, forcing me to either explain why I was taking a particular route or find some excuse to separate from them.

Instead, the distance I have created between myself and the other students allows me to travel without worrying about such things.

The route takes me deeper into the dungeon, and the natural lighting gradually becomes weaker.

I know that this section is supposed to be farther away from the ordinary routes used by students, which is one of the reasons why I selected it immediately after recognizing the Serpent Chamber.

There are several alternative paths from my starting point, but most of them eventually lead toward areas where students are likely to gather.

This route does not and rhat makes it considerably more convenient.

Another intersection appears ahead and I turn left without hesitation, then right, then left again.

The turns come almost automatically now because I have deliberately memorized them through Memory Backtrack.

After roughly two hours of running, I finally decide to stop.

I find a relatively quiet section of tunnel and lean against the wall, allowing myself to rest while Aeris lands nearby.

I sit down against the wall and take out my water flask, I take several drinks and stretch my legs.

Aeris remains nearby, occasionally looking toward the tunnel behind. I gave her some water.

Once the ten minutes pass, I stand up again and put the flask away.

"Let’s go."

Aeris immediately takes flight.

This time, however, I do not return to the same speed as before. I slow down considerably. According to my memories, the next section is different from the paths I took until now.

There is a monster guarding the location I am looking for. Though he is not a threat to me but charging forward without caution would be stupid.

I keep my magic staff in my right hand and continue forward.

Aeris flies beside me at almost exactly the same pace.

A few minutes later, I spotted some stone stairs leading downward into another chamber, and faint orange light rises from below. The light comes from magical fire torches.

I stopped before descending and did not immediately move forward.

A shadow caught my attention as it moves across the floor near the bottom of the stairs.Eventually the shadow becomes larger as the thing approaches us

I tighten my grip around the magic staff and shift into a battle stance, keeping my body slightly lowered while maintaining enough distance from the stairs to react if the creature suddenly charges.

"Aeris, stay ready."

The Spirit Hawk spreads her wings. Her cyan feathers begin giving off a faint glow.

The shadow reaches the top of the stairs and then the creature appears as it launches itself out of the chamber in a long leap, moving directly toward me.

I react immediately.

"Sea Serpent’s Coil."

The water vapor in the surrounding atmosphere suddenly gathers around me, rapidly condensing into a thick stream of water. The spell twists into the shape of a massive serpent and shoots forward.

The creature is already halfway through its leap when the water serpent catches it.

Its body wraps around the creature several times, restraining its torso and wings—or rather, the small forelimbs attached to its body—and forcing its momentum downward.

The creature crashes onto the stone floor.

Now I can see it properly. It resembles a dinosaur from my previous life, specifically a Velociraptor. Black and red scales cover its body, with the red portions glowing faintly as though heat is constantly circulating beneath them.

Its jaws are filled with long fangs and several of those fangs are leaking small tongues of flame.

It is a Firefang Raptor.

Its body is restrained, but its head remains free.

I immediately drew my Will Arrow out of the storage magic tool and it immediately appeared between my fingers.

I targeted the raptor’s right leg and the arrow shot forward, striking the joint with enough force to severely damage it.

The Firefang Raptor lets out a sharp roar and attempts to pull itself free.

"Now, Aeris."

Aeris immediately moves. She rises into the air, and cyan radiance begins spreading across both of her wings. The wind around her suddenly sharpens and several thin blades of compressed wind form along the edges of her wings and shoot outward.

They strike the raptor from both sides. The creature twists violently, but the Sea Serpent’s Coil prevents it from moving properly.

Aeris circles around it. The raptor tries to bite at her but she easily avoids the jaws and continues flying around the creature, building momentum while gathering more wind around her body.

The Firefang Raptor eventually opens its mouth and lames gather between its jaws.

I immediately recognize what it is preparing "Aeris, watch out."

The raptor releases a torrent of flame.

Aeris changes direction sharply and the flames pass beneath her as she rises higher, circles once, and then dives.

At the same time, the cyan radiance around her wings intensifies, her wings seem to extend slightly as the wind surrounding them becomes denser, forming sharper edges along their outer surfaces.

Aeris reaches the raptor and her right wing swings downward and the sharpened wind edge cuts across its neck.

The raptor jerks violently.

But Aeris does not stop as she circles back almost immediately and comes from the opposite direction. Her left wing strikes the same area making the Firefang Raptor screams.

I continue maintaining Sea Serpent’s Coil while preparing my own spell. Water has already gathered around the tip of my magic staff.

Two elements wind and water twist together, around my staff creating a rapidly spinning spear at the top of it. I did not extend its agony and finally released the attack.

The raptor tried to counter it with its flame breath but ’storm spear’ easily pierced through it and then also through the raptor’s head, destroying it completely and the raptor died on the spot.

I instinctively flinch and close my left eye for a moment.

"...That was more than I intended."

I have aimed for its neck, that was supposed to be enough but when it used Flame Breath, I had to change the angle of the Storm Spear while maintaining as much of its strength as possible because the storm spear is stronger at the tip than on the side. And it resulted in such a gruesome sight.

I took a breath. There is not much point in thinking about it now. It was a monster, and it was trying to kill me.

I wait for a few seconds before lowering my staff.

Aeris lands beside me. She looks at the dead raptor, then at me.

"You did good."

Aeris tilts her head. I am not sure whether she understands the compliment, but she gives a small movement of her wings.

I walked from aside the dead raptor and begin descending the stairs.

The chamber below is circular in shape with some magical fire torches mounted around the walls, providing enough light to see the entire room, although the illumination remains relatively dim.

The chamber is almost completely empty, there is no treasure chest or obvious artifact.

Instead, on the ceiling there is a large circular design in the very middle. The pattern is complicated enough that I cannot immediately understand what it represents.

There is another carving on the floor directly beneath it. The two formations appear to be connected somehow, although there is no visible beam of magic or physical structure linking them.

I walk closer and nothing happens. That means the dungeon’s mechanism is functioning as I remember.

I quietly move toward one corner of the room and sit down.

Then I reach into my chest pocket and pull out my mechanical watch. The familiar ticking sound is surprisingly noticeable in the otherwise quiet chamber.

I open the cover and check the time.

"Nice, there are still more than twenty-five minutes."

........

Firefang Raptor*