Chapter 6: Certain Death Mission
The Behemoth is an existence in the game world that is on par with dragons, titans, and angels. They have a head like a hippopotamus, legs like a lion, a back and tail like a crocodile, and stand over ten meters tall.
They are born at level 3, and once they reach adulthood, they are at least level 5. Even an aging Behemoth that is near death retains the strength of at least level 3.
They are also the strongest race in terms of physical attacks. In pure hand-to-hand combat, not even a dragon can match them.
Thus, provoking a Behemoth and inciting its anger is basically a death wish.
However, Leon is set on doing just that. After conversing with the girl named Lynn, Leon removed all the equipment he had borrowed from the school, took the potions Lynn had prepared, and headed in the direction of the Behemoth.
The girl named Lynn was quite remarkable. Despite lacking sufficient materials, she still managed to concoct potions that an archer would desire.
Among these potions, only one was specifically for dealing with the Behemoth. Lynn called it "Fanatic." She said it was modified from alchemical potions like Bloodlust and Frenzy, and it contained a "madness" effect. Any creature injected with this potion would become bloodthirsty and insane, attacking any living creature it could see without regard for anything else.
The remaining potions included a stealth potion to eliminate Leon's scent, an extreme speed potion that increased speed by 200% for 30 seconds, and a life-saving potion that could withstand one lethal blow. These were crucial for Leon to traverse the beast herd and approach the Behemoth.
Lastly, the archer had kindly provided a leaf, saying it would effectively reduce the attention of wild beasts toward him.
Moreover, as Leon prepared to set off, the woman who cooked gave him a portion of rice wrapped in leaves. The rice had just been prepared and emitted no fragrance. Upon close inspection, it was clear that bits of preserved meat and vegetable leaves were mixed into the sticky rice.
The rice portion was not large, just about a mouthful, but once consumed, it made one's whole body feel warm, as if filled with endless energy.
According to the woman, this was a combat meal, a basic cooking skill. Eating it before battle could increase one's health and stamina.
[Combat Meal: Preserved Meat Rice: Restores 100 health and 100 mana over 30 seconds. If consumed slowly over 15 seconds, grants a +1 constitution effect for 15 minutes.]
After finishing the meal, Leon didn't linger. He made sure he had everything secured and headed towards the Behemoth.
Even though he had a clear target this time, Leon's strength was still too weak in this area. He had to bypass some relatively strong beasts and slowly approached the Behemoth from the side.
Before he got within a hundred meters of the Behemoth, the scavengers trailing behind it spotted Leon. All their eyes focused on him.
Leon quickly poured the stealth potion over himself and took out the leaf provided by the archer, then dashed towards the Behemoth.
Perhaps due to the effects of the potion and leaf, the scavengers did not treat Leon as one of their own but did not see him as an enemy either, allowing him to quickly get within fifty meters of the Behemoth.
At this point, Leon finally saw the terrifying sight of the Behemoth. It stood about ten meters tall, with a huge hippopotamus-like head. Several tusks, thicker than Leon's arms, protruded from its mouth, still stained with blood.
Its arms resembled the forearms of a gorilla, and sharp claws about two meters long extended from its palms.
Beneath its white fur, thick scales were visible, and its five-meter-long tail swished back and forth, raising a cloud of dust with each sweep.
Meanwhile, in Leon's eyes, the Behemoth in front of him flashed a red danger signal.
[Near-Death Behemoth]
[Species: Beast]
[Level: Dropped from Lv5 (7-star) to Lv3 (9-star)]
[Attributes: Strength 29, Agility 18, Constitution 20, Spirit 11]
[Description: A Behemoth near the end of its life, with little awareness left, relying only on instinct as it approaches the end of its life. Any entity obstructing its path will be torn apart…]
Leon kept moving with the Behemoth, staying alert to the scavengers around him. He noticed the effect of the stealth potion was gradually wearing off, and the scavengers' eyes had once again turned toward him.
At this point, Leon had reached about thirty-five meters from the Behemoth. He knew he couldn't wait any longer. He quickly pulled out the syringe containing "Fanatic," forcefully drank the extreme speed potion, and charged toward the Behemoth.
Leon's sudden dash disrupted the scavengers, who didn't know what was happening but still pursued him. Some mindless creatures even began to prepare to attack Leon.
However, for Leon, thirty-five meters was a short distance. Even without the extreme speed potion, he could cover fifty meters in under ten seconds. With a 200% speed boost, he reached the Behemoth's back in just three seconds.
At that moment, years of training in martial arts triggered a flash of inspiration in Leon's mind. With a sidestep jump, he leaped over ten meters high, descending onto the Behemoth's back, and stabbed the syringe into its body.
At this moment, only a few of the quickest vultures managed to catch up to Leon, but they couldn't stop him from injecting the Behemoth.
Watching as the potion was fully injected into the Behemoth, Leon knew his mission was complete.
But he had no intention of closing his eyes and waiting for death after completing the task. With the extreme speed potion still active, he drank the life-saving potion and dashed up the Behemoth's tail, running toward its back.
Just then, the dying Behemoth let out a roar and swung its head, swatting down the two nearest vultures with a single claw.
Then, the Behemoth lunged at the scavenger horde behind it, its massive claws claiming the life of a scavenger with every strike.
The blood and death roused the scavengers into a frenzy. Instead of fleeing, they attacked the Behemoth from all directions.
Under the scavenger's counterattack, the Behemoth continued to claim the lives of scavengers with each strike, but its wounds grew increasingly severe.
Eventually, the Behemoth could no longer support its massive body and slowly sank to its knees.
At this moment, a large number of vultures and jackals seized the opportunity to attack the Behemoth's vital parts. Leon, who had just jumped onto the Behemoth's back, was also under attack from the scavengers.
Facing these creatures' attacks, Leon had no intention of resisting. He looked up at the sky and saw that the double-headed eagle had been lured away by the archer.
Leon, having completed his mission, showed a faint smile. He grabbed a wound on the Behemoth with both hands, ignoring the attacks from behind, and began chanting an incantation.
Guided by the incantation, some of the Behemoth's blood quickly flowed into Leon's hands and transformed into cards.
Of course, such a good fortune could not last long. With a cry of agony from the Behemoth, Leon was flung off and slammed heavily onto the ground.
Simultaneously, the fallen Behemoth started rolling on the ground, thrashing its dying body and crushing any creatures that dared to approach.
The Behemoth's weakened state only fueled the scavengers' madness, and a massive number of them charged at the Behemoth, overwhelming it in an instant.
At this moment, Leon, who had been thrown to the ground, had little strength left. He could barely keep his eyes open, relying on the life-saving potion, until a warm flow accompanied by the death notification of the Behemoth entered his body. Only then did Leon close his eyes with a faint smile.