Chapter 87: Rock Magic Beast

Chapter 87: The Rock Wyvern

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Li Wei stood atop the mountain peak, his brow furrowed in confusion.

He narrowed his eyes toward the valley below.

The fireball in his hand had not yet been hurled when strange sounds echoed from within the valley.

The ground beneath his feet trembled faintly.

"What lies beneath?"

Earlier, he had sensed odd disturbances—now they grew louder, more insistent.

Cautious, Li Wei tugged at his invisibility cloak and vanished into thin air.

Lilya lifted her head, glancing around, searching for the boy who had disappeared.

Seeing Li Wei gone, she instinctively snatched two roasted bird eggs and slipped away.

A chill of danger crept down her spine.

Rumble! Rumble!

The earth shook violently, mountains trembling as if about to collapse.

People in the valley looked up in alarm.

"An earthquake?"

"No—look over there! Something’s emerging!"

"It's huge… What kind of monster is that?"

With a thunderous boom, the mountainside exploded open. From within the shattered rock emerged a monstrous beast over ten meters long.

When Li Wei saw its form clearly, astonishment flashed across his face.

"What kind of wyvern is this?"

It resembled a colossal pangolin, but its entire body was composed of stone. Along its back rose jagged fins made of yellow crystal. It did not appear like any natural creature—more akin to an elemental spirit.

Yet Li Wei could sense it clearly: this was no earth elemental. It was a true, living magical beast.

There was no overwhelming surge of elemental energy about it.

Soon, others arrived on the scene.

An experienced mercenary captain shouted, "Everyone, fall back! That’s a high-tier second-rank Rock Wyvern—extremely dangerous!"

Hearing this, Li Wei’s heart stirred.

Memories surfaced of ancient bestiaries he’d studied.

The Rock Wyvern was a rare and peculiar creature.

Though born of flesh and blood, it devoured stone and reshaped its body with rock, existing in a hybrid state—part organic, part mineral.

Pure stone beings were common—elemental spirits. Pure flesh-and-blood creatures too—the ordinary magical beasts. But a being straddling both realms? That was exceedingly rare.

In all the books Li Wei had read, the Rock Wyvern was mentioned only in passing, never illustrated nor described in detail.

He never imagined he would lay eyes on such a legendary creature.

The texts claimed these beasts could grow as vast as mountains.

This one, barely over ten meters long, was clearly still young.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Second-rank warriors surrounded the massive wyvern, striking with all their might. Their weapons scraped against its stony hide, chipping off mere fragments of rock—its defense remained unbroken.

The wyvern swung its tail, sending several shield-bearing knights flying through the air like leaves in a storm.

Its strength was terrifying. Its defense, impenetrable.

"Skyrend Slash!"

The mercenary captain—a high-tier second-rank swordsman—swung his greatsword, unleashing a razor-sharp arc of energy.

The blade cut through air and earth alike, crashing into the wyvern’s flank.

Boom! Dust erupted in a thick cloud.

All eyes locked onto the battlefield, breath held.

As the dust settled, only a shallow gash—no deeper than a finger’s width—marred the wyvern’s hide.

"Damn it!" the captain cursed. "This beast’s defense rivals that of a Stonecarapace Tortoise!"

Everyone knew how formidable the Stonecarapace Tortoise was.

Its defenses always exceeded its rank by two tiers.

A high-tier second-rank tortoise possessed the resilience of a low-tier third-rank foe.

Though weak in other aspects, its unmatched defense rendered it nearly invincible among peers.

But the Rock Wyvern was different. Not only did it boast similar armor—it wielded immense physical power.

Only a force equal to a third-rank warrior could have sent those armored knights flying.

Its strength, too, approached third-rank levels.

A high-tier second-rank Rock Wyvern fought with the ferocity of a true third-rank beast.

Even an average low-tier third-rank magical creature might struggle to prevail against it.

Realizing the wyvern’s overwhelming might, many began to retreat.

Unless a third-rank expert arrived, even combined efforts would be futile.

Their attacks lacked the power to pierce its hide.

Numbers meant nothing.

"Armor-Piercing Arrow!"

Whoosh!

Boom!

The arrow struck the wyvern’s skull, burying halfway in before halting, the remaining shaft jutting out uselessly.

Compared to the beast’s colossal size, the wound was insignificant.

But the strike enraged it.

The yellow crystal spines along its back flared with light—brighter, sharper, searing.

Rumble! Rumble!

The earth quaked once more. A wave of terrifying force radiated outward.

All the adventurers around the Rock Beast were sent flying, spitting blood, writhing in excruciating pain.

Their bones felt as if they would shatter from the impact.

"Damn it! The Rock Beast is too powerful!"

Staring at the approaching monstrosity, terror filled their eyes.

"Am I going to die here?"

"Help! Someone, help me!"

Biting through their agony, they scrambled desperately to escape.

Fortunately, the Rock Beast was not swift—only this gave them a sliver of hope.

Even so, wounded as they were, it was only a matter of time before it caught up.

And once it did, death would be certain.

A single stomp from the beast could crush them all.

At that moment, how desperately they wished for a master to appear and halt the beast.

Whoosh!

A deep orange fireball streaked across the sky, hurtling toward the Rock Beast.

Sensing danger, the creature halted, drawing its massive form inward.

Boom!

The fireball struck the huddled beast, erupting in a blinding flash of flame.

Scorching waves swept over the fleeing group.

The shockwave knocked many off their feet.

Whoosh! Rustle! Rustle!

Trees swayed violently, leaves trembling under the wind’s fury.

The ground trembled beneath them.

Whoosh!

Only when the violent gusts faded could they finally see what had happened behind.

The mercenary captain stared in shock at the center of the explosion—only shattered, charred stones remained. The mighty Rock Beast was gone.

"What just happened?"

Cautiously, he approached the blast site and found a vast crater.

Inside lay the remains of the beast.

Suddenly, he turned toward the left, catching a fleeting shadow from the corner of his eye.

He hesitated—was it real, or merely illusion?

Had something just passed by?

Turning back to stand at the edge of the scorched pit, the captain felt a profound awe settle in his heart.

"Is this... the power of magic?"

Even with all his strength, he could never create such devastation.

It was simply terrifying!

He lifted his head and shouted, "Thank you, Mage! I, Blaed, am deeply grateful for your aid! Should you ever need anything, do not hesitate to call upon me!"

Li Wei stood atop the mountain, feeling the last waves of heat dissipating in the high winds.

Hearing Blaed’s voice, he stirred slightly.

"So, that’s Blaed?"

He had heard of Blaed before.

The youngest mercenary captain in Maple City, renowned for both youth and strength.

Back at Mickle’s Tavern, Li Wei often overheard adventurers talking—tales of Blaed completing perilous missions, slaying fearsome magical beasts.

A true legend among Maple City’s adventurer circles.

Yet when Blaed spoke of gratitude and offered future help, Li Wei paid it little mind.

He turned instead to the Shadow Servant returning to his side.

"Any findings?"

The servant opened his palm, revealing a yellow magic core.

(End of Chapter)