Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 215

Chapter 215: Crossing Blades With a Dragon!
With a solemn expression, Ryan’s hand instinctively closed around the hilt of his great sword. He stepped cautiously into what he now recognized as the temporary lair of the [Crown] Sword-Tailed Beast.

The charged atmosphere in the cave grew even denser. Suddenly, from a distant passage, the sound of metal grinding against metal echoed, a chilling prelude to the beast’s approach. The noise grew louder, more urgent, as if the beast had sensed an intruder and was preparing to confront them.

“It’s coming!”

Ryan’s demeanor hardened, his grip tightening around the handle of the bloody spear. Without a moment’s delay, he activated his newly mastered skill, [Brave Strike]. Spiritual energy surged through him like a tidal wave, gathering momentum. Layer upon layer of this force concentrated into the spear, cloaking it in a scorching blue spiritual flame. These flames, mingled with the crimson hue of blood, cast a bizarre yet mesmerizing glow in the dim cave light.

Holding the blood spear, Ryan felt a newfound clarity thanks to his [Throwing Expertise Enhancement]. He now understood precisely the posture and angle required to unleash the spear’s full potential. With a fighter’s precision and a tactician’s foresight, he readied himself for the inevitable encounter, prepared to strike with lethal accuracy.

As Ryan’s strength reached its zenith, the cave was shattered by a deafening “bang.” Smoke and dust billowed as a colossal figure burst forth, its rapid emergence igniting sparks against the rock walls. These sparks, dancing through the air, painted a stunning spectacle of fiery artistry.

The next moment, a piercing whistling sound sliced through the aftermath of the explosion. The Blood Spear, now a blur of blue and red light, shot forward, its arrival heralded by a sonic boom that lagged just behind the spear’s breakneck speed. As it reached its target, shockwaves of white air rippled outward in a fierce display.

Empowered by Ryan’s dual skills of [Brave Strike] and [Throwing Expertise Enhancement], the Blood Spear shattered the sound barrier for the first time. The power unleashed was unlike anything before, a spear transformed into a devastating projectile.

With a resounding “clang,” the spear clashed against the upraised sword-like tail of the beast. The collision sparked a violent explosion of flames and shockwaves. The spear fragmented, starting from its tip, and the behemoth, in an attempt to counter the blow, halted its charge and staggered backward.

The standoff was even.

Only then did Ryan get a clear view of the monstrous adversary before him. The beast boasted a formidable visage with twin horns and a maw bristling with sharp teeth. Its body was encased in a red shell, while a distinctive blue heat-dissipating shell arched upward from its back, resembling a blazing flame. It possessed short, robust forelimbs, powerful thighs, and a tail as long as its body, sheathed in a royal blue shell that tapered into a gigantic blade.

The display on Ryan’s panel flickered to life, finally offering detailed information about the [Crown] Sword-Tailed Beast at this close range.

[Sword Dragon: [Crown]]

This beast dragon species, known in the hunter’s lore as the “Scorching Blade,” exhibits carnivorous tendencies and a fiery temper, aggressively targeting any creature it perceives within its vicinity.

The creature typically consumes coal and combustible minerals, harboring an organ known as the “flame sac” in its throat. This sac processes the consumed materials into magma, which it uses to heat its tail blade, rendering it scorchingly hot.

Furthermore, the beast’s tail, when heated, often collects impurities that it adeptly grinds off using rocks and minerals, keeping the blade lethally sharp. Upon activation of the magma within its flame gland, the beast’s tail can become incandescent, though this also softens the flesh of the tail, presenting a vulnerability.

The Sword Slayer also possesses the ability to mix the impurities on its blade with the stored magma to project explosive minerals from its mouth, allowing for ranged attacks that can devastate adversaries from afar.

[Crown]

A classification reserved for the most formidable of species, denoting a creature that stands as a champion among the special classes of monsters, a true apex predator within its domain.

Ryan steadied himself, preparing for the next move in this high-stakes dance of hunter and hunted. The detailed information flashing before his eyes only sharpened his focus. The battle, he knew, was far from over.

Ryan’s eyes flicked away from the data displayed on his panel, locking onto the towering form of the Sword Tailed Dragon. The beast loomed over twenty meters tall, a monumental figure that dwarfed even those classified within the [Upper] and [Lower] ranks of monsters.

It wasn’t just its size that intimidated. A prevailing myth among hunters suggested that while not all powerful creatures were large, the large ones invariably possessed formidable strength. The Sword tailed Dragon embodied this principle, radiating an oppressive aura that seized the cavern, reminiscent of the overwhelming pressure once exerted by Pope Libra with the artifact-laden remains of the Deity.

“[Crown]… akin to a legend among professionals,” Ryan mused internally, a brief distraction before the Sword Dragon’s next move seized his full attention.

The beast’s tail, armored and massive, slammed into the ground, its surface quickly flushing red like metal in a forge. Ryan, well-versed in the tactics of power accumulation from his experience with “charge flow” techniques, recognized the imminent threat. The Sword Dragon was charging its attack, much like a swordsman preparing to unsheathe a lethal blade.

The air around Ryan tingled with the sharp anticipation of danger, a feeling so acute that even his robust [Ceratops Armor] forged from the remains of “superior” monsters, felt as insubstantial as cloth against the impending strike.

In that critical moment, a calm resolve steeled Ryan’s nerves.

With a resonant “clang,” his [Great Sword·True Red Crown Horn] was drawn and rested on his shoulder, mirroring the posture of a warrior charging his own formidable strike. Facing down the [Grand] Sword Dragon’s imminent “Charged Slash,” Ryan chose not just to defend but to counter with an equally potent attack.

Such a tactic might be deemed reckless, even suicidal, for a typical hunter. But Ryan was no ordinary hunter; he was a greatsword swordsman, bound by a creed that forbade retreat in the face of an adversary’s charged assault. This was more than strategy; it was a matter of honor.

“Do you seek a duel at the gates of oblivion?” Ryan called out, his voice echoing through the cavern.

“Then so be it! I’ll meet your challenge head-on!” His words were a declaration. In the cavernous depths of a vast cave, the ground stretched wide and flat, a natural amphitheater perfectly primed for the spectacle about to unfold.

Here, two warrior and beast faced off, the air between them charged with the electricity of impending battle. One brandished a hefty broadsword, while the other wielded a sword in the form of its tail, both poised and ready.

The tension was palpable, the war was on the verge of erupting!

With a symphony of metallic clinks, the dragon-tail sword sliced through rock tougher than iron, sending sparks flying like fireworks in the dim cave light. The Sword-Tailed Dragon, having gathered his strength to the utmost, unleashed his fearsome strike without hesitation.

His tail, ablaze with crimson flames, carved an elegant arc through the air, reminiscent of the sun’s rise, cleaving the shadowy gloom.

Ryan, watching intently, stood unarmored; the sword’s radiant edge left ghostly white trails on his exposed skin even before making contact. His eyes remained serene, yet beneath that calm, a fierce resolve simmered, ready to boil over.

Facing the Sword-Tailed Dragon, his first encounter of such magnitude, Ryan knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Yet, the mutual respect inherent among swordsmen, each recognizing the other’s choice of weapon, steeled his resolve not to back down.

After all, the true measure of a swordsman is the sword he wields!

With a resounding battle cry, Ryan’s body ignited with spiritual flames, announcing the activation of his [Storm Battle Body].

This technique, a hallmark of a [Storm Fighter (Level 2)], boosted Ryan’s [Spirituality] by 53.5%, markedly enhancing his physical capabilities.

His [Storm Sword Skill], which drew upon both [Spirituality] and [Physical Strength], grew more formidable with this surge in spiritual power. Realizing that his previous tactics, reliant solely on physical strength, would likely falter against the formidable [Grand] Sword Dragon Slayer, Ryan adapted swiftly.

As the gargantuan blade bore down on him, Ryan completed his “three-stage power accumulation,” unleashing a mighty slash from his heavy sword, now shimmering with a fusion of green and blue auras, symbols of the water and wind energies bestowed by his [Storm Combat Body].

The clash resounded like a thunderclap, reverberating through the cave. The aftermath of their sword energies etched delicate fractures into the ancient walls.

The recoil was immense; Ryan staggered, then was hurled backward, skidding to a halt only after a dozen meters. His landing sent a network of cracks radiating through the solid volcanic rock underfoot, a testament to the clash’s ferocity.

“What a fierce slash!” Ryan exclaimed, his fighting spirit undiminished, though his demeanor grew more grave.

It was their first true exchange, brief yet telling. Clearly, Ryan found himself outmatched in sheer strength.

“Is this the value of the ‘crown’?” he mused aloud, feeling the numbness in his sword-gripping hands. He craned his neck toward the Sword-Tailed Dragon, who was methodically retracting his blade in a gesture akin to a swordsman sheathing his weapon.

A wry smile playing on his lips, Ryan declared, “Now, the real battle begins.”

Ryan gulped down a piece of tender meat, its juices barely lingering on his tongue before the battlefield demanded his full attention. A sinister black shadow clung to his massive sword, causing the very air around him to shiver with palpable tension.

Food War: Black Roar Dragon’s Sorrow

“Boom!”

The earth beneath Ryan’s feet fractured, sending terrifying fissures racing across the terrain. Propelled by the immense recoil, Ryan shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his greatsword trailing a long, dark shadow as it cut through the air.

Ahead, the formidable [Crown] Sword-Slaying Dragon raised its massive head, its jaws parting slightly. A horrifying roar erupted, sending shockwaves through the ground; rocks and dust were hurled into the chaos of the battleground.

Though the sonic assault slowed him momentarily, Ryan’s progress was largely unimpeded thanks to the special skill [Earplugs lv.2], embedded within his [Trophies: Black Roar Jaws]. It was not the roar but the primal instinct to flinch that momentarily stilled him.

Through the swirling dust and debris, a monstrous red blade sliced through the air, its edge gleaming menacingly as it approached Ryan. The tail of the [Grand] Sword Slasher whipped through the smoke, its speed enhanced by 20% due to the “Food War” effect yet it moved with a swiftness that defied belief.