Chapter 130: Spark Mantis

In the dense, otherworldly jungle, towering trees reached toward the clouds, surrounded by strange and bizarre flora. Within this surreal environment, a group of humans crept stealthily through the tall grass. Following closely behind them was a long, winding column of kobold troops.

"Halt!" Jia Zhengjin, leading the way, raised a hand, and the entire group came to a stop.

"Lord Keen!" Zhuoma approached, hunching over while gripping his massive axe.

"Shh!" Jia Zhengjin made a silencing gesture and pointed into the distance. "Look!"

Zhuoma, Badi, Worf, and Karl all followed his gaze. About four or five hundred meters away stood a giant mantis, its size rivaling that of a triceratops. Unlike a common giant mantis, its body was a fiery, brilliant red, and sparks flew from its mandibles whenever it opened its mouth.

"Zhuoma, haven't you been clamoring to duel a dragon?" Jia Zhengjin turned to him with a smile. "This Tier 1 magical beast doesn't even have the courage to face a dragon. See if you can defeat this one first!"

Zhuoma tightened his grip on his axe. "I've never had the chance to fight a magical beast. Today, I'll see just how strong these creatures, which strike terror into the hearts of so many adventurer guilds, truly are!"

"Worf, Karl, Badi, take the kobold units and provide cover. If anything goes wrong, retreat immediately!" Jia Zhengjin commanded. "Also, remember, I want this Tier 1 beast captured alive! I intend to tame it as a combat pet to bolster our city's defenses."

"Understood!" The four acknowledged the order. Led by the fully armored Zhuoma, they crept forward, trying to close the distance before the beast noticed them.

Jia Zhengjin took out a wooden whistle he had crafted at his workbench, placed it to his lips, and blew sharply, mimicking the call of a forest insect.

"Whoosh!" Receiving the signal, the fake dragon swooped down on wings. Under Peline's control, it soared past the mantis, blocking its path.

The appearance of the "dragon" sent the mantis into a panic. It turned and scrambled to flee in the opposite direction, only to run straight into the fully armored Zhuoma.

"Earth-Shattering Axe!" Though Zhuoma knew only this one move, its power was immense.

"Boom!" The earth fractured instantly, the rift extending beneath the mantis and nearly causing it to lose its footing.

However, the mantis was agile, and with wings on its back, it was capable of low-altitude flight. It took to the air, snapping its jaws and spitting a massive fireball at Zhuoma.

"Boom!" Zhuoma dodged nimbly. The spot where he had been standing was blasted into a charred crater, the smell of smoke filling the air. Sparks hissed around the pit, but fortunately, the damp ground prevented a fire.

After dodging the fireball, Zhuoma hoisted his axe and leaped high into the air, intercepting the low-flying mantis. He swung his axe with all his might.

"Clang!" The mantis raised its two jagged, sturdy forelegs, directly parrying the axe. Sparks showered down as the blade struck the limbs, leaving them unscathed.

"Whoosh!" Having parried the blow, the mantis spat another stream of fire.

Zhuoma twisted his body in mid-air to evade it and swung his axe down with all his strength once more.

"Clang!" The mantis blocked the attack with ease again, and this time, it lunged, snapping its jaws toward Zhuoma’s head.

"Hey!" Zhuoma kicked hard against the mantis's lower jaw, using the recoil to flip backward and land steadily on the ground.

"Boom!" The mantis spat another massive fireball. Zhuoma rolled instantly, narrowly avoiding the dangerous magical attack.

"Raaargh!" The fake dragon let out a thunderous roar, threatening the mantis from behind.

The mantis grew rattled. Abandoning its assault on Zhuoma, it flew directly over him, attempting to escape from the other side.

"Attack!" At Worf’s command, two hundred kobold crossbowmen and five hundred slingers targeted the mantis, unleashing a relentless rain of bolts and stones.

Forced back by the dense barrage, the mantis spat a huge ball of fire.

"Defend!" Karl commanded.

"Clatter!" Three hundred armored kobolds raised their shields, standing shoulder-to-shoulder to form an impenetrable wall.

"Boom!" The kobolds struck by the blast were held in place by their comrades behind them, preventing them from being blown away. However, their iron shields were dented and turned white-hot. They quickly discarded the ruined shields and retreated to the back of the line, allowing fresh armored kobolds to take their place.

"Hyaaah!" Taking advantage of the mantis being distracted, Zhuoma launched a surprise attack from the rear, slamming his axe into its back.

Although the mantis had a tough outer shell, the force of Zhuoma’s blow cracked it open, and dark green blood began to seep out.

The mantis roared in fury and whipped around to counterattack. It spat three consecutive fireballs, the scorching heat causing the surrounding temperature to spike.

Zhuoma scrambled to dodge two of the fireballs, but the third struck his iron armor, leaving a dent and heating the metal to a searing temperature.

Having fallen hard to the ground, Zhuoma frantically stripped off his iron armor to prevent the heat from burning him. Even with a layer of fur underneath, the extreme heat would have soon burned through!

*A mere Tier 1 beast, and it has already pushed me to such a state!* Zhuoma thought to himself. *If this is the case, how could I ever challenge a dragon—a creature of at least Tier 9, whose mere cry makes these beasts flee in terror? This is the gap in strength! Perhaps only the continent’s most powerful being, the one closest to the gods, is qualified to fight a dragon.*

"Boom!" The mantis spat another fireball at Zhuoma and lunged at him as the projectile flew.

"Covering fire!" Seeing this, Worf hurriedly ordered the crossbowmen and slingers to fire.

Zhuoma could dodge the fireball, but if the mantis closed in right behind it, he might be overwhelmed. To save him, they had to distract the beast.

Sure enough, the hail of bolts and stones caused the mantis to pause its advance.

Zhuoma seized the opportunity. After narrowly dodging the fireball, he instinctively swung his axe in a counterattack: "Earth-Shattering Axe!"

"Splat!" Distracted by the crossbow bolts and stones, the mantis inadvertently exposed its softest underbelly to Zhuoma. The axe struck the vulnerable spot with perfect precision, and the creature’s entire body began to shatter.

[Notification] Zhuoma has killed a Tier 1 magical beast, Spark-Mantis. You have gained 700 experience points!

"Oh no!" Jia Zhengjin grabbed his head, groaning in frustration. "I said capture it alive, brother!"