plumnovel Chapter 45 : Unexpected Gains
Chapter 45 : Unexpected Gains
Unexpected GainsIn the muddy, damp sand, two slender, immaculate, jade-like oval objects stood quietly before Cecilia, still streaked with traces of drying mucus. It was easy to associate them with giant ostrich eggs. However, judging by the numerous claw marks all over the ground, these two eggs must have been just laid by the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile.
A flash of understanding shot through Cecilia's mind. At the sight of these two eggs, all the confusion she'd felt before was instantly resolved.
Why had the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile left its long-hidden lair? How did this small lake suddenly come into being? Why was the giant Forest Anaconda called "Egg Thief," and why did it and the crocodile fight each other? The answer was all because of these two newborn baby crocs—no, eggs. The reason behind it all was unexpectedly heartwarming.
Because of their innate habits, crocodiles lay eggs on moist sandy terrain near water sources during breeding. This ensures the right temperature for hatching, and allows hatchlings to quickly slip into the water to escape predators. But there were so few water sources in this forest for the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile to lay its eggs that it had actually dug out an entire lake to create a comfortable environment for its young.
And as for the other D-rank world boss, the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief, it was clearly there because of these eggs. Perhaps, just as it was about to succeed, the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile discovered it—hence their confrontation.
Although the situation was probably just like that, Cecilia still crouched down, carefully leaned closer, and cast Identify on the two eggs—just in case.
[Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile's Egg] (Lv.1)
Trade Type: Tradable
Incubation Progress: (14/100)
Potential: Unknown
.......
Even though she was mentally prepared, upon seeing the light blue interface before her, Cecilia was still filled with incredulous joy—she would never have thought she'd pick up a D-rank world boss's pet egg this time! And there were two of them!
Fry one, boil the other... With such big eggs, who knew how long it would take to finish eating them?
Cecilia glanced warily around. Good, the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile hadn't noticed this spot—it was still locked in a battle to the death with the Forest Anaconda Egg Thief. Wasting no time, Cecilia reached out, paid no mind to the slippery, sticky feeling on her palms, and carefully scooped up the eggs, placing them in her backpack.
After wiping her hands half-heartedly, Cecilia prepared to slip away. But before leaving the grass, she thought for a moment and decided to search the area more thoroughly.
Even rabbits have three burrows for safety—let alone the supremely intelligent D-rank world boss. Only two eggs in one nest just seemed too few. Cecilia suspected the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile might have laid more eggs elsewhere—probably not too far, so it could look after them easily.
Sure enough, after carefully searching the area for two minutes, she quickly made a new discovery: digging through a slightly raised patch of damp sand, yet another flawless, jade-like egg appeared before Cecilia's eyes.
Suppressing her joy, Cecilia collected this crocodile egg just as she had before, placing it in her backpack. Now, all the eggs had finally been gathered. Even after nearly turning the area upside down, she found no fourth egg.
With all the pet eggs collected, Cecilia, in great spirits, returned to the lakeside.
By now, the fight in the lake was nearing its end. The level 22 E-rank boss Forest Anaconda Egg Thief was no match for the D-rank Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile and was in a miserable state—its HP had already fallen below 4000, and the emerald-green lake water was almost stained a deep brown with blood.
The Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile wasn't looking good either and had about 80% of its HP left. Cecilia knew this was her best opportunity.
Bang!
Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled the trigger. Accompanied by a deafening roar that split the silence, Cecilia fired.
[Blood-Infused Silver Bullet triggered! Venom Shell generated!]
A silvery bullet, coated in eerie green venom, spun out of the barrel and struck the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile's massive head. It didn't inflict much actual dmg, but the Venom Shell's true damage numbers kept popping up.
-25!
-25!
.......
This shot didn't deal much dmg, but it did succeed in attracting the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile's attention.
Letting go of the now-dying Forest Anaconda Egg Thief, it turned to stare at Cecilia, its gaze full of seething hatred—clearly aware that its eggs were missing. Its crimson eyes burned with a towering fury, as if, in the next moment, it would pounce and tear the accursed little thief onshore to shreds.
"So frightening."
Stared down by such a ferocious beast, Cecilia didn't feel the slightest bit of pressure. She simply smiled calmly and raised her newly loaded flintlock pistol again.
Bang!
Another shot!
[Blood-Infused Silver Bullet triggered! Armor-Piercing Shell generated!]
The silver bullet shrieked madly as it tore through the air. The Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile didn't even try to dodge, simply closing its vulnerable eyelids. This shot struck squarely in the center of its head, dealing another scratch-like blow.
Yet Cecilia's aim was already achieved. She'd thought she'd have to fire a few more times, but luck was on her side—the second shot triggered Armor-Piercing Shell.
Armor-Piercing Shell could shatter 25% of a target's physical defense for ten seconds.
After taking this shot, the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile's physical defense suddenly dropped from 654 to 490. The next ten seconds would be Cecilia's best damage window!
Lifting her skirt, Cecilia stuffed the now-useless flintlock pistol back into its thigh holster and drew her table knife. She leaped from the lakeshore, heading straight for the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile's enormous head!
The Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile hadn't expected this ant to dash straight to her death. Its giant tail lashed, surging up waves several meters high, and it opened its bloody maw wide for the kill, right as Cecilia leapt through the air.
The Legend of Kaloran's physics engine was exceptionally realistic—when in midair, players couldn't use anything around them for leverage, so moves like "double-jump" or "triple-jump" were simply impossible.
The crocodile's maw, several meters wide and bristling with sawtooth dagger-like teeth, drew close. Cecilia was about to fall in, yet her body suddenly paused and rose weirdly higher, dodging what should have been an inescapable pounce.
With a blast, two spectral bat wings burst from Cecilia's back, their sharp bones slicing the air. A half-transparent bat phantom flickered vividly behind her, looking alive.
Sky Fission!
The bat phantom shrieked and exploded, erupting into countless streams of crimson light that rained down upon the Sawtooth Demon King Crocodile below!