N-A-A Chapter 496: Talent Extraction - 1
Chapter 496: Talent Extraction - 1
Chapter 496: Talent Extraction - 1
But Leo did notice a particular difference between him and the other warriors: a brown-colored ribbon, possibly made from animal hide, wrapped around both the Kobolt’s arms and around its head as a headband.
He looked back at the dead Shaman’s body and saw that it only had a single red headband around its head and nothing around its arms.
"Interesting," Leo muttered as the tunnel captain let out a battle cry and pressed its palm against the wall.
Almost immediately, the intact tunnels began to widen as many Kobolts appeared and ran toward the tunnel captain, as if responding to the call.
"Hoh? So that colored band must signify having certain elemental manipulation powers," Leo realised as he watched the captain use the earth element to reshape the terrain.
"And a greatsword... a mage-warrior hybrid?" Leo glanced at the armbands once again.
By then, the captain seemed to be holding its charge until more Kobolts arrived, giving Leo ample time to deduce things.
"So... a headband is a mage... er, Shaman, and an armband is a warrior," Leo said as he observed that some spear-wielding Kobolts had colourless armbands.
"And since you are a hybrid, you’ve got both!"
But Leo’s revelation was of no concern to the tunnel captain; to it, he was just a scaleless being rambling nonsense.
SHRRAAAA!!
The captain shouted, aiming its greatsword at Leo, and the other Kobolts immediately charged.
Leo looked around the chamber and saw that it was around 4 meters tall and surprisingly spacious, roughly 10 to 15 meters long and wide.
"Well... since it will be unfair for me to fight with you all, I will give you a chance."
Saying that, Leo summoned 3 High 2-star Rock Golems around him in a triangle formation that he had already prepared and stored within his spiritual space. Each stood 3 meters tall, nearly double the size of their largest and strongest individual, with reinforced stone plates covering their bodies like sturdy armour.
"If you defeat these 3 golems, I will quietly leave. But if not, I will pry open all your bodies to extract your beast cores for the talents hidden within them."
Leo spoke so naturally that it sounded like an everyday matter. Then he created a seat from vines and leaves and settled down to enjoy the scene that would unfold the next moment.
RRAAAHHHH!
The tunnel captain became enraged by Leo’s lazy attitude and charged at the hulking golems that nearly reached the chamber ceiling.
From the other direction, several more Shamans suddenly appeared. Among them was even the Earth Shaman, and they each chose a golem to target.
Bam!
A golem punched a charging High 1-star Kobolt and killed it in a single strike. Not only that, but the momentum behind the blow carried through, smashing into several more Kobolts and plastering them against the chamber walls. Some suffered fractured bones, some were incapacitated, and some died outright.
The Flame Shaman’s attacks were nearly useless against the golem’s rocky body, as the flames simply washed over its surface. Fire would only be effective if the heat was intense enough to melt the rock, something the Kobolts were incapable of achieving as of now.
Next came the Earth Shamans, who interfered with the golems’ footing and caused one of them to fall, crushing a Kobolt to death beneath its massive frame. The very next instant, the golem rose again, tanking the attacks it received and occasionally throwing punches that instantly killed any Kobolt unfortunate enough to come within range.
Some clever Kobolts slipped past the golems with the help of their small, agile bodies and headed straight for Leo, who watched them without the slightest change in expression.
"I said to fight my golems, not me."
He raised his index finger toward them.
Shing!
A pressurized beam of water erupted forth, piercing through the Kobolts one after another and killing anyone who tried to attack him.
"Hmm... extracting cores from them one by one is tiresome."
"Zelut."
Leo called, and the round, white, chubby mouse appeared.
Squeak! Squeak!
It happily squeaked around Leo as though the commotion in front of them was nothing compared to Leo’s greatness.
"Go and extract the beast cores from the fallen Kobolts and bring them to me. As a reward, you can eat any soul crystals and mana crystals you come across and even feast on their bodies."
Leo also planned to give Zelut the useless beast cores, though he would need to sort through them first.
As for why Zelut wasn’t in his territory keeping the other mice in check, the mouse had claimed that he had appointed a few loyal subordinates to do so. After Leo confirmed that it was true, he brought Zelut along because the little mouse had desperately wanted to accompany him.
It was also necessary in order to increase their bond percentage.
Clang!
KHRAAA!
The Kobolt Captain was locked in a one-on-one battle with a Rock Golem, and it was actually winning. Using its greatsword to slowly chip away at the rocky surface, it had already destroyed almost 1/3 of the golem’s body.
Thang!
With a heavy strike, the Kobolt Captain shattered the golem’s arm. The golem was at a disadvantage because its movements were severely restricted by the limited space, while the captain weaved between its legs with agile movements to avoid its punches.
Grumble!
The captain ducked beneath a punch and pressed its hand against the floor. The compartment shook violently.
The next instant, spikes erupted from the ground around the damaged golem. The area of effect even reached Leo’s resting place, where he sat curiously watching the battle unfold.
Leo looked around and noticed that the compartment walls had suddenly been reinforced to prevent collapse from the tremor, and all of it had been done by the tunnel captain.
"Nice control!"
Leo couldn’t help but be impressed by the mastery the tunnel captain had achieved over its powers. He also used his own [Earth Manipulation] to cancel the earth interference around his area.
But the tunnel captain miscalculated where the golem would stumble after losing its footing. Or rather, it hadn’t miscalculated at all—the golem deliberately threw itself at the captain.
And the slightly exhausted and distracted--due to Leo’s cancelling his powers--captain failed to anticipate it as the massive stone body crashed down on top of it, crushing it into the ground.
"Oh-ho..."
Leo’s excited expression flattened at the sight.
By now, the other golems had already dealt with most of the opposition. Even the Earth Shaman had died in a similar manner, crushed beneath a golem that had simply thrown itself onto its target.
"Who taught my golems this technique?" Leo wondered, only to be distracted by the Tunnel Captain struggling desperately to wriggle free from its predicament.
The golem pinning the captain raised its intact arm and brought it crashing down onto the captain’s head.
Ashfang Kobolt Tunnel Captain (High 2-star) [Intelligence - Adult] Killed - No XP
"Damn... a single mistake was all it took."
Leo was completely certain that the captain might have defeated the golem it had been fighting and even stood a chance against the next one. Though the 3rd golem would surely have defeated it, as the captain would have been exhausted by then. At that point, Leo would have allowed it to escape for the brave fight it had put up.
But things took an interesting turn.
Squeak! Squeak!
Zelut immediately rushed to the captain’s body, dug his fangs into its chest, tore it open, extracted the beast core, and proudly presented his collection to Leo.
Chu!