Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Deadly Mirage
Jake then allowed them ample time to rest, and at noon, another expedition departed for the Desert Region.

Their next target was the Mirage Lizard, a light-attribute beast known for its ability to cast illusions and wield light magic.

Mirage Lizards are very difficult foes. First, they are cunning predators who hide and only hunt weak prey. Second, they are very fast.

Jake and his companions trudged through the dusty and sandy terrain of the first region, whistling as they scanned their surroundings for any signs of movement. Despite the obstructing dust and sand, they pressed on, determined to find the boss lurking somewhere near the center of the region, as per their usual routine.

Soon they reached the center and found nothing.

“He isn’t here!”

“Damn, don’t tell me we have to find it all over this place.”

“Unbelievable! We’ve come all this way for nothing!”

“I can’t believe our luck. Now we’re stuck searching aimlessly in this scorching desert.”

“This is ridiculous! How are we supposed to find it if it’s not even here?”

Jake observed the others venting their frustrations and chose to remain silent. Trudging through the blistering sun and sandy terrain was enough to drive anyone to madness.

[It’s Illusion is sure great] Nexus said.

Jake nodded in agreement as the Mirage Lizard appeared before them. However, recognizing their significant numbers, the lizard remained cautious and did not budge.

Jake smiled and then pretended to search for it while stealthily moving towards the creature.

****

As he was sleeping, he opened his eyes, sensing the large number of prey coming towards him.

But as more and more started coming, he felt something was wrong and decided to observe first.

He watched as many human cubs entered his territory.

Mirage Lizard kept his composure on as he decided to attack them one by one. He looked around to spot the nearest one and opened his mouth as he saw an ingnorant human cub coming his way.

He waited as the human reached near him; just as he was a few meters away from him, he lunged at the human, intent on gulping him down in one bite.

Reaching the target, he chomped down with a fierce bite, causing a piercing sound to echo.

Roooar!

But soon he roared in pain as a piercing sound came from that human cub piercing his sword in his mouth.

He hatefully looked at the human cub, who now adorns a Mocking smile on his face.

He watched as the human cub gestured towards him; although he didn’t understand what that gesture meant, he understood that the human was mocking him.

He wanted to rip apart this human, but with others now looking at him, he used his Mirage ability to vanish once again from their sight, while keeping an eye out for this particular human.

*****

“he ran away,” Jake said as he watched the fast-moving lizard.

[He will return, his eyes were clearly saying that,] Nexus said, and Jake nodded.

“How did you find him?” As Jake was observing the retreating lizard, Sophia approached him and asked, her eyes shining in admiration as she looked at Jake.

“Air movements,” Jake simply replied. Sophia nodded and then she tried to imitate Jake, but in her case, she increased her focus on water vapors present in the air.

“Hmm, I can somewhat sense things using this technique,” Sophia said and then thanked Jake for teaching her this technique.

Once again, everyone started to search for the lizard, but suddenly they heard a cry, and looking in that direction, they watched as one student turned into motes of light, a clear indicator of elimination.

Jake frowned at this and thought, “I didn’t sense him.”

Jake then used Akashic Sight and found the reason: the lizard was now even masking the air movements.

“He is quite intelligent,” Jake thought, then he ran towards it and slashed. A bright flash formed from his sword and attacked the lizard.

The lizard moved but roared as Jake slashed its tail off.

“Enough blood,” Jake thought as he looked at Sophia, who was now controlling the blood of the Mirage Lizard and covering his whole body, rendering his scales useless.

Now everyone could look at it

The Mirage Lizard stood imposingly, its massive frame towering over the surrounding landscape. As it moved, the scales covering its body shimmered like polished crystals under the sunlight, reflecting myriad hues of iridescence. These scales seemed to blend seamlessly with the desert terrain, making it nearly impossible to spot the creature from a distance.

Its long tail, now severed by Jake’s swift strike, thrashed angrily, sending ripples through the air with each movement. Despite the loss, the lizard remained formidable, its muscular limbs poised for action, ready to unleash swift and deadly strikes upon anyone who dared to challenge it.

Each spine adorned the lizard’s head with a gleaming, razor-sharp edge. Its piercing yellow eyes gleamed with intelligence and malice, betraying the cunning nature of this elusive predator. As it roared in defiance, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth, the very ground seemed to tremble beneath its powerful presence.

Overall, the Mirage Lizard exuded an aura of primal strength and untamed ferocity, a testament to its status as a formidable adversary in the harsh desert landscape.

!

It opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, but everyone’s focus shifted to the golden orb forming within. They scrambled to find cover, anticipating a breath-taking attack.

Jake glanced at Sophia and signaled for her. Her eyes lit up at Jake’s gesture, and she followed his instructions, manipulating the blood within the lizard’s body. Just as it was about to unleash the breath attack, she closed its mouth.

The lizard’s eyes widened in panic, but it was too late. The breath attack detonated within its own mouth, causing its head to explode like a balloon.

The headless Mirage lizard fell lifelessly on the ground.

Sophia and Jake high-fived each other upon witnessing the lizard’s demise. Jake then ordered the others to harvest the scales and anything else of value from the creature.

After another successful hunt, they returned to camp and celebrated, dancing and partying together. The long week ended without any further trouble, with Jake’s team harvesting a total of 7 medallions. As the week came to a close, drones arrived to pick them up. They boarded the drones and bid farewell to the island where they had spent the entire month.

“Can you believe it, guys? We did it!”

“I know! We really did! And we didn’t just survive, we thrived!”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better team. You guys are amazing!”

“Absolutely! We faced challenges head-on and came out victorious!”

“And those medallions we collected… It’s going to make a huge difference!”

“Yeah, we really made the most of our time here. But now, it’s time for new adventures!”

“I’m going to miss this place, though. It’s been quite the journey.”

“True, but I’m excited to see what’s next for us. We’re unstoppable!”

“That’s right! Together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome. Here’s to our next adventure!” Raises a toast

All: “Cheers!”

As they watched from the planes, all the memories came back to them, and they once again celebrated surviving this island.

Soon they landed back to their Academy where they saw lines of teachers and others waiting for them.

As they disembarked, all of them were called for a check-up to see if they accidentally contracted any deadly diseases. Only after a proper check-up were they released. Jake directly went to his own mansion and found Luna waiting for him there.

“Welcome back,” she bowed and welcomed him.

“How did your exam go?” Luna asked.

If not for her usual expressionless face, Jake might have felt a little bit more happy, but he shook his head and replied, “It was tough and hectic.”

Jake wished all the time why it wasn’t a single-person exam, but sadly, he wasn’t the one who ran this academy.

“I have prepared a bath for you,” Luna said, and Jake nodded before heading to take a proper bath.

“Haah! Finally,” Jake moaned as he immersed himself in the warm bathtub, feeling all of his tension melt away.

It was so comfortable that he fell asleep there, and after some time, upon opening his eyes, he found Luna inside the bathroom.

He looked at her and asked calmly, “What are you doing here?” If she weren’t a robot, he might have panicked, but she wasn’t a living person anyway.

“Setting the table for you,” she replied, and Jake watched as she created a table over the bathtub and placed his meal on it.

“Enjoy,” she said before leaving.

Jake blinked and looked at the food, then at Luna standing outside. “Thank you, Luna.”

Jake then ate the food and once again felt blessed for being a special student of the academy. Quickly finishing his meal, he crashed onto his bed and slipped into slumber, totally forgetting about the results of the exam, which were supposed to be displayed tonight.