Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Mud-dragon’s Weakness!
Suddenly, a sharp, khaki-colored fin sliced through the mud wall, splitting it in two. The gaping mouth of the Mud Dragon lunged at him, wide enough to swallow him whole. Ryan, though taken aback, was quick to react. His enhanced speed from the [Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow] allowed him to sidestep deftly, positioning himself alongside the beast.

With a swift upward arc of his flaming sword, Ryan leveraged his strength against the Mud Dragon’s underbelly. The impact was severe, the protective mud armor shattered, revealing the softer scales beneath. As the dragon reeled from the strike, Ryan hoisted his sword onto his shoulder, gathering his energy for a critical follow-through.

Breathing deeply, Ryan channeled his physical and spiritual strength, focusing intensely as the Mud Dragon struggled to regain composure. He had only enough time for the “first stage of power accumulation”; waiting for a second would cost him dearly in this rapidly evolving fight.

With a fierce cry, Ryan unleashed his sword in a devastating slash. Red and ice-blue flames danced along the blade as it tore through the unprotected abdomen of the Mud Dragon. The cut was deep, slicing through scales and muscle alike, and a gush of bright red blood stained the muddy battlefield.

The dragon’s wails filled the air as it collapsed, severely wounded. Ryan readied himself to press his advantage, but an urgent whistling sound caught his attention, two new threats approaching rapidly from either side.

The assailants were smaller mud dragons, each about two meters long. They had lingered at the fringes of the battle, seemingly insignificant until their leader faltered. Now, driven by a primal urge to protect their fallen leader, they surged towards Ryan with surprising ferocity, their fins slicing through the air as they prepared to defend their pack.

Ryan’s expression darkened as he assessed the new threat. The mud dragon, though smaller and less formidable than their leader, posed a significant nuisance. Clad in his scale armor, Ryan knew their attacks couldn’t harm him directly, but their interference could prevent him from delivering a decisive blow to the Mud Dragon.

In a split-second decision, Ryan abandoned his plan to charge. Instead, he executed a sweeping strike with his greatsword, knocking the attacking mud dragon from both sides. The force of his uncharged sweep was still tremendous, enough to send the smaller creatures hurtling backward, where they crashed to the ground, twitching weakly before succumbing to their injuries. The scales on their bodies were shattered, their innards reduced to a pulp by the devastating power of Ryan’s blade. Even a special species would struggle to recover from such a blow.

The Mud Dragon, seizing the moment provided by its lesser kin’s distraction, burrowed into the mud, flinging debris in a wide arc. Ryan was forced to retreat, shielding his face from the splattering mud that threatened to envelop him. He held back his attack, realizing that any strike now would be futile; the Mud Dragon was rapidly regenerating its protective mud armor amidst its frenzied digging.

Frustration flared within Ryan as he watched the smaller mud dragons circle menacingly. “You little nuisances are digging your own graves,” he muttered under his breath. Had it not been for their interference, a single charged strike would have sufficed to bring the Mud Dragon to the brink of defeat.

Not willing to waste further time, Ryan drew his [Light Crossbow·Ice Crush] from the spatial ring. In a rapid succession, he loosed three bolts, each finding its mark. The mud fish were promptly dispatched, their bodies still as they joined their fallen brethren.

With a resounding “Boom!” the Mud Dragon emerged from its muddy refuge, its armor restored. It paused, noticing the fate of its underlings. A guttural roar filled the air as it saw the five lifeless bodies, its eyes blazing red with fury. Even the mud armor it wore began to glow ominously, speckled with shiny red spots, a dangerous sign.

“What’s this now?” Ryan murmured, recognizing the tell-tale signs of Red Flame Rage. He recalled hearing that creatures closer to the center of the island often exhibited such enhancements when provoked.

The Mud Dragon, now fully enraged, opened its massive jaws and expelled a dark red mud ball at an alarming speed, significantly faster than before.

With the agility afforded by the [Male Fire Dragon’s Sorrow], Ryan dodged the incoming projectile with ease. As he maneuvered, the air sizzled around him, the tension of the battle escalating with each passing second.

As the dark red mud ball struck the earth, it burst with a vicious splat, forming a sprawling mud beach three meters across. The explosion resounded like the sizzle of strong sulfuric acid eating through metal, and immediately, a harsh, acrid stench permeated the air.

Ryan’s expression tensed as the pungent odor assaulted his senses.

Previously, the mud flung by the mud dragon had been merely a hindrance, inducing nausea and impeding movement. But this new, sinister variation of dark red mud was lethal, a corrosive substance that lingered ominously above the wetland’s water, posing a severe environmental threat.

“If this battle drags on and more of this corrosive mud accumulates, I’m doomed,” Ryan thought, his resolve hardening. He knew he needed to end this quickly.

With a thunderous “Bang,” a surge of water erupted from the wetland as Ryan charged at the mud dragon. Unyielding, the creature responded by spewing a wide arc of dark red mud directly at him.

Ryan, anticipating the inescapability of the attack, propelled himself upwards with a mighty leap. He hoisted his great sword overhead, aiming a deadly blow at the mud dragon’s skull.

As Ryan ascended, the mud dragon, now in a frenzied state known as “Red Flame Rage,” snapped its head up. Its response time was drastically improved, and the stream of dark red mud trailed Ryan relentlessly. Any hesitation would spell his entrapment.

Mid-leap, Ryan unleashed a formidable spiritual sound wave. Visible to the naked eye, the wave not only stiffened the mud dragon’s movements but also dispersed the pursuing mud stream. For creatures accustomed to the dim, relying on vibrations and sounds to locate their prey, such spiritual sound waves were devastatingly effective.

His sword descended with monumental force, shattering the mud-dragon’s “mud armor” that was speckled with red. Contrary to expectations, the armor wasn’t slick but brittle, crumbling under the blade’s impact. Beneath, the scales were surprisingly fragile, crisping and cracking as Ryan’s sword carved a deep gash through them.

Stunned momentarily by the unexpected frailty, Ryan swiftly recollected a detail from the creature’s description, the mud dragon’s defenses were formidable when wet, but once dry, its scales grew brittle and weak.

It dawned on Ryan that the “Red Flame Rage” must be raising the creature’s body temperature, an advantage for many but a fatal flaw for a mud dragon, whose scales dried and weakened with heat.

This was a rare instance of the mud dragon’s vulnerability during its enraged state.

With a grim smile, Ryan landed, seizing the moment of the dragon’s disorientation from the spiritual sound wave attack. He readied his sword once more, channeling his energy for another powerful strike.

Energy surged within him, spirit and power intertwining into a fearsome force. Without a second’s delay, Ryan brought his sword down on the mud dragon’s head, his voice thundering through the swampy battlefield.

“Kill!”