plumnovel Chapter 44 : When the Snipe and the Clam Grapple
Chapter 44 : When the Snipe and the Clam Grapple
When the Snipe and the Clam GrappleBefore Cecilia could show her inner confusion, a suppressed, angry growl once again sounded from across the small lake.
She subconsciously looked up and gazed in the direction the roar came from. Two gigantic reptiles locked in confrontation appeared within her sight.
Epic, majestic background music played. Combat was officially triggered. At this moment, Cecilia was dumbfounded.
Judging from the crimson text displayed above the monsters' heads, she had actually encountered two world-class bosses at the same time!
One of them was no stranger—it was the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile she had seen earlier. Its displayed level was as high as 28. Its body was over twenty meters long, with a shoulder height of nearly four meters, resembling a colossal armored tank. Lantern-like crimson bloodshot eyes brimmed with fury, and both its massive head and the grotesque bone armor on its back were caked with a thick layer of soil and moss, proof it had spent a long time underground previously.
To be fair, this was absolutely the largest creature Cecilia had encountered in this game. The thought of having to battle such a monster next left her breath quickening uncontrollably.
She exhaled deeply, steadying her excited emotions, then shifted her gaze to the other side—to the other boss locked in standoff with the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile.
[Forest Anaconda Egg Thief], E-rank World Boss.
Species: Reptile
Level: 22
Max HP: 12,263/12,263
Attack: 655
Magic: 131
Physical Defense: 451
Magic Defense: 367
Talent Skills: [Bone-Crushing Constrict], [Forked Serpent Tongue], [Active Vorpal Fangs], [Stealthy Stalker], [Ghostly Pool Phantom].
Description: A giant forest anaconda infected by dark magic, it prefers to lurk in water and feeds on the eggs laid by female Sawtooth Crocodiles.
......
From the name alone, it was clear this python's size was in no way inferior to the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile. Its massive body coiled into a mound with a large portion still submerged in the water; its girth was as thick as an oil drum, and its dark-green head was held high. It was hard to imagine just how many meters it could span if it fully stretched out.
Anyone who has watched wildlife documentaries would know anacondas typically live in the tropical rainforests of South America. Although the Mutant Jungle area's environment wasn't exactly a rainforest, it was pretty close—so finding anacondas here wasn't surprising at all.
However, Cecilia was still puzzled: how did these two bosses end up running into each other?
Judging by the scene, their relationship was clearly anything but friendly. So, this snake was definitely not here for a social call—most likely, the two bosses were battling for territory, namely this small lake in front of her.
But the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile was a D-rank world boss, at level 28, while the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief was only E-rank, albeit level 22. Looking at the panel, it definitely couldn't match the ferocity of the crocodile. Weren't world-class bosses supposed to have limited intelligence? Cecilia couldn't figure out what the snake was thinking.
Shaking her head slightly, Cecilia decided to stop worrying about the bosses' state of mind and instead raised her table knife and flintlock pistol anew.
Since luck had blessed her with two world-class bosses at once, there was no reason to waste the opportunity. The two were just about to brawl, and the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief clearly wasn't a match for the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile. She could wait to reap the spoils, obtaining two world boss kills in one go—this would truly be a windfall.
Just as Cecilia thought this, a long, drawn-out hiss sounded from the far shore. The two gigantic reptiles could hold back no longer, officially tangling in a fight.
The Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile was first to strike, opening its Tyrannosaurus-like jaws and clamping down on the anaconda's thick neck. Blood sprayed madly, with a -1259 damage value popping up.
From this alone, it was clear the crocodile was a veteran in battle. At first contact, it bit and locked the anaconda's nape, rendering the four rows of barb-like fangs in the giant snake's mouth useless and unable to hurt the crocodile at all.
However, the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile obviously underestimated another of the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief's deadly weapons: its powerful, muscular body. Neck held fast in agony and hissing to the sky, the snake's massive body suddenly spun and coiled tightly around the crocodile, slowly and forcefully constricting.
-963!
-1015!
-1246!
.....
Scarlet damage numbers kept popping above the crocodile's head. Though it struggled, the snake's constriction was far too strong—it had no way to retaliate. So the crocodile changed tactics, twisting its log-like body and rolling into the nearby lake, flinging up a mighty splash.
Cecilia knew she could no longer wait.
The Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile dealt heavy damage; although the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief currently had the upper hand, it was unlikely to inflict any real harm on the crocodile's thick hide. With its health a bit over ten thousand, it would run out quickly. If the snake was killed by the crocodile, Cecilia wouldn't earn the generous rewards for landing the kill on the boss.
With that thought, Cecilia hurriedly ran along the lakeshore to the far side. In less than ten seconds, she reached the place where the two behemoths had just battled.
What had once been intact grassland was now completely devastated—a patchwork of overturned turf, deep claw marks gouged across the soil, exposing the dark, humus-rich earth beneath. There were also several deep furrows, no doubt left by the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief's coiling body.
Watching the two giant beasts still locked in combat in the lake, Cecilia felt a tinge of relief. Thankfully, the snake had gone in first; otherwise, she would never know how to fight something the size of a truck with her tiny frame.
The battle raged on in the lake as Cecilia observed from afar along the shore. The Forest Anaconda Egg Thief's health had dropped to about half, while the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile still had about 80%—the outcome was already apparent.
But just then, the Darkwing Demon Bat circling over Cecilia's head suddenly let out a rapid burst of ultrasonic calls. Sensing the bat's emotions through their bond, Cecilia felt its mood: anxious, excited, surprised... as if telling her it had found something truly rare.
Cecilia started, then, as if realizing something, quickly scanned her surroundings. Soon, her gaze locked onto a set of giant claw prints pressed into the mud.
The prints meandered crookedly, extending into a patch of waist-high grass. The grass showed signs of being flattened, and on closer inspection, she could see what looked like thick branches acting as supports underneath.
Carefully following the crocodile's claw prints, Cecilia edged toward the grass patch. When she parted the weeds, the sight before her nearly took her breath away.
There, on the sandy ground, sat two basin-sized white spheres.
To be precise, they were eggs—laid by the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile.