Chapter 252: The Trap is Set
As Rest prepared to vanquish the monsters terrorizing the fishing village, the first hurdle was locating these creatures. The vast sea stretched endlessly before him, and searching for monsters that might be lurking beneath the waves was no easy feat. No matter how enormous the monsters were, and despite Rest’s ability to sense life with his magic, finding them proved to be a daunting task.
Thus, Rest devised a plan: to ambush the monsters as they approached the village. Fortunately, he had a clue to work with—the destroyed oyster farm. Remarkably, these monsters seemed to grasp the subtleties of human emotions. They understood that the aquaculture farm held great significance for the villagers, which was why they targeted it.
With this understanding, Rest could predict where the monsters would strike next. The village housed another aquaculture farm—the pearl farm. Unfortunately, it was still in the experimental phase and had not yet yielded successful results, but the monsters would be unaware of this. Therefore, Rest decided to hide near the pearl farm and lay in wait.
(However… there’s no guarantee they will attack here. So, I’ll provoke them into doing so.)
On the sandy beach, he intentionally set up a lively feast in a spot visible from the sea. To the malicious monster, the sight of humans reveling and enjoying themselves must have been an eyesore. As expected, the creature launched an attack, seeking to vent its frustrations by destroying the aquaculture farm built by the villagers.
(If there’s one concern, it’s that the monster might directly assault the beach where the feast is taking place…)
In such a case, Rest planned to use Life Search to detect the danger in advance and signal the villagers to retreat. The fact that the monster chose to target the unoccupied aquaculture farm instead of the feast meant that it was not only malicious but also cowardly.
(A typical bully, capable of tormenting those weaker than itself but unwilling to risk retaliation!)
“Fourth one!”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!”
With a sharp harpoon, he struck the monster’s tail, eliciting a high-pitched scream. The weapon was not the legendary Divine Harpoon once wielded by a famous fisherman, but rather a borrowed tool from the villagers. It was reportedly purchased by the Queen Dowager for the villagers, a fine item but not particularly special. What made it special was Rest’s enhancement through magic and the poison he had infused into it.
He launched the heavily poisoned harpoon at bullet-like speed using Wind Magic, embedding it into the monster’s tail.
“Gya! Gya!”
The moment the monster sensed danger, it attempted to flee. However, the harpoon was tethered by a rope, preventing its escape. The other end of the rope was tied to a tree trunk, reinforced by magic, making it unlikely to be easily torn apart.
“Now’s my chance to close off its escape route.”
Rest soared into the air, flying over the monster.
“Earth Shield!”
He unleashed his magic towards the water below. The seabed began to rise, forming a small wall. Of course, such a tiny barrier would not be enough to stop a colossal monster.
“Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield! Earth Shield!”
Thus, from this point onward, it was a matter of sheer force. Rest, fueled by Infinite Magic Power, continuously cast magic, gradually reclaiming a portion of the sea. Fortunately, the aquaculture farm was located in relatively shallow waters, making it feasible to encircle it with earth.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!”
The monster thrashed its tail, finally managing to pull out the harpoon lodged in it. Despite being poisoned, it showed no signs of weakness, its furious cries echoing with vitality.
“Still… it seems I bought some time. The construction is complete.”
Rest had already finished his task. A mound of earth had been formed in a fan shape around the aquaculture farm, blocking the monster’s escape route.
“So, what will you do now? Will you try to flee to the hill?”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!”
The monster let out a deafening roar, surfacing from the water. Its long, serpentine form resembled that of a snake, covered in scales of a bluish hue, with a gaping maw filled with shark-like, ferocious teeth.
“Just as I thought… a Sea Serpent!”
The enemy was exactly as Rest had anticipated. The Sea Serpent, the tyrant of the sea, lunged toward him with its massive, dragon-like body.
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