When I stepped onto the last floor, I was sure that I would find myself on a desolate, dry land once again since the previous floor was like that. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself in a forest similar to the one on the first floor. Even their orange barks and purple leaves were the same. If it wasn’t for the dense mana pressing down on my shoulders, I would have thought I somehow returned back to the first floor.
“Well, I didn’t think I would see these colors so soon. They are as ugly as I remember.”
Hopefully, I won’t see that horse-spider thing again. God, that thing was horrible. Elandris who was with me sniffed the air. Since Gökbörü also did the same thing I kind of got worried. Was something in the air?
“This forest smells wrong.”
Elandris finally spoke up. I looked around but besides the weirdness I had seen on the first floor, I saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“Probably because these trees do not use chlorophyll, meaning they have a completely different chemistry.”
Elandris furrowed and looked at me with a confused expression on his face. Yeah, middle ages knowledge, I forgot. I shrugged since explaining how trees worked to an elf in a magical world sounded… redundant.
“Can you exactly pinpoint what smells wrong?”
I asked since I couldn’t sense anything.
“I am not sure.”
He kneeled and touched to the ground.
“It is too weak. Her root…”
Even without asking any more questions I knew that he was talking about Mother Tree.
“Then we must move fast.”
I said. Elandris rapidly stood up and nodded. Our footsteps echoed through the strange forest as we delved deeper into the final floor of the Chimera Garden. The air became thicker with mana, and I was ready to throw my hammer at anything that would pop out of the trees. Eluton probably would snap at me using my hammer as a throwing weapon but considering I could just manifest more, playing Thor didn’t hurt. Without warning, the trees around us rustled, their purple leaves quivering as if disturbed by an unseen force. A low growl reverberated through the air, sending a shiver down my spine. Gökbörü's fur bristled, and Elandris swiftly reached for an arrow, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
From the shadows emerged a creature I hadn’t met before. Taking in its looks, I couldn’t help to be amused. It looked like what a traditional chimera would look like with three heads, bat-like wings, and a snake for its tail. The right head looked reptilian with red scales and red eyes. The middle head was a lion’s, except with fangs like a sabertooth’s. Strangely enough its left and arguably most normal-looking head, which belonged to a goat creeped me most. Unlike its other heads which beamed with ferocity, its horizontal eyes were empty. Its back legs were hooved and looked like cinders with red energy pulsing between the cracks. Its front legs were similar to a lion’s. It was big as a large dog which felt weird but its size could easily be misleading.
The reason I found it funny was because it took me five floors to actually meet with something that looked like a mythical chimera. It was hilarious in my opinion. Despite my amusement, it didn’t change the fact that it was hostile and ready to pounce. It opened its mouth(s) and a fireball size of my fist came flying toward me. Sighing instantly, I swung my hammer like a bat, sending it back to its owner, but not before getting surprised by how much power that small projectile carried.
The right head of the chimera snapped its mouth, shallowing the fireball I sent back to them. Cinder-like veins at its back flared as it absorbed back its own attack. That flare quickly spread to its front claws as it leaped towards me. While Elandris’s arrows hit it in the air, it managed to tank them and meet with me in close-quarters combat.
“Wrong choice, buddy.”
I grinned, tightening my grip on my hammer. The creature landed with a thud, its lion-like head roaring in anticipation. The chimera attacked with a ferocity that matched its mythical reputation. The reptilian head snapped at me, its sharp teeth aiming for my shoulder, while the lion's head attempted to claw at my legs. I sidestepped the reptilian attack, narrowly avoiding its jaws, and brought my hammer down on the lion's head, sending it reeling.
The goat-headed head, surprisingly, remained passive, its empty gaze fixed on the chaotic scene, which was slightly worrying. I took the opportunity to strike at the creature's hind legs, aiming for the cinder-like veins pulsing with energy. My hammer connected with a satisfying crunch, causing the chimera to stagger.
Elandris continued to provide support from a distance, firing arrows with precision. The chimera, now agitated and wounded, unleashed a torrent of fire from its reptilian maw.
“Woof.”
Gökbörü growled as if saying “Challenge accepted.” Before releasing a wave of cold air and frost. Not only his attack extinguish the reptile head’s fire but it also damaged the chimera further. Seeing that it was getting overwhelmed chimera changed tactics. It flapped its wings, creating gusts of wind that disrupted our attacks. The goat-headed head, which had remained passive, suddenly came to life, unleashing a haunting wail that echoed through the distorted forest. Its empty eyes glared at me.
(You resisted the Curse of Vulnerability.)
(You resisted Hexed Vision.)
I see. The reptile was the ranged attacker, the lion was close quarters and the goat head was the debuffer. Too bad I was too fast for its ranged attacks, much better at close quarters, and too resistant to debuffs.
“Outmatched and outskilled.”
The chimera, realizing it was indeed outmatched, roared in frustration. The reptilian head unleashed another stream of fire, but this time, I charged forward with my hammer raised high.
Gökbörü, still emanating an aura of frost, lunged at the chimera from the side. His sharp claws found purchase on the creature's hind legs, causing it to lose balance despite him being much smaller than the chimera. I swung my hammer with precision, aiming for the lion's head. The impact sent shockwaves through the chimera's form, causing it to stumble further.
Elandris continued his ranged assault, sending arrows with increased accuracy. It was nice to know that he was unaffected too. The goat-headed head let out another haunting wail, attempting to weaken our resolve. However, the combined efforts of Gökbörü, Elandris, and myself proved to be too much for the mythical creature.
The chimera, now on the defensive, tried to flap its wings and retreat. However, Gökbörü's frosty breath created an icy barrier, hindering its movements. With the creature momentarily immobilized, I seized the opportunity. Channeling mana into my hammer, I delivered a powerful blow to the chimera's core. With a final, echoing roar, the chimera collapsed to the forest floor, defeated. Its three heads lay still, and the cinder-like veins pulsing with energy faded into nothingness. The distorted forest, once filled with the chaotic sounds of battle, fell into an eerie silence.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Another monster bites the dust."
I remarked, glancing at the fallen chimera. Gökbörü quickly leaped forward and started to bite chunks of the creature. Elandris inspected the creature's remains, his elven eyes discerning details that might be overlooked.
"Well fought," Elandris said, a hint of respect in his voice. "It seems this final floor holds more challenges than we anticipated."
“It was stronger than trash mobs at the lower levels. Smarter too.”
Regardless of its strength now it was being eaten by something a quarter its size.
“Seriously, people will think that I am starving you.”
Just like every time he was presented with food, Gökbörü ignored me.
“He is growing. He needs a lot of food.”
Elandris claimed.
“I must admit that I am envious that you managed to form a soul bond with a mythical beast. This kind of thing only happens once a millennium or even rarer. Even for us, that’s a long time.”
He added. I tilted my head and looked at him with curiosity.
“You know, no one explained to me what exactly is a Mythical Beast.”
This time Elandris looked at me with bewilderment. Guess it was hard to imagine that someone bonded with one to know the exact details of what Mythical Beasts were. He looked deep in thought before speaking up:
"A Mythical Beast is a rare and extraordinary creature, often possessing abilities and characteristics beyond those of mundane beings. While it is easy for someone to think of them as powerful monsters, and sometimes true, the abilities they carry are beyond what monsters and mortals could dream of. They are more akin to Authorities carried by Divine Beings.”
Elandris paused, his gaze focused on the remains of the defeated chimera as Gökbörü continued his feast. Using that pause, I thought about the concept of Authority. My ability to appraise weapons and armor was the result of the Authority granted to me by Aliera. I also suspected that people trusting me easily was the result of the authority given to me. However, it didn’t show up in my status window. Why? What was the difference between the skills, sparks, and authorities? Should I ask them to Elandris? No. I could easily ask them to Amaterasu. Since she already knew that I was an outsider, she would be more open to conversation.
"Some believe that Mythical Beasts are the physical manifestations of the world's magic, its dreams and nightmares given form. Others see them as guardians of ancient knowledge, protectors of hidden realms.”
I nearly missed what Elandris was saying as I was absorbed in my own thoughts. I glanced towards him and asked a question for the sake of my own curiosity rather than acquiring knowledge about the world.
“Which one do you believe?”
Elandris pondered for a moment, his gaze fixed on the fallen chimera, and then he spoke with a thoughtful expression.
"I believe they are a bit of both. Mythical Beasts embody the life force that flows through the world, each of them representing a unique aspect of that life force. Since they are physical and arcane expressions of the world’s energy, one can learn about the secrets the world holds by observing them.”
I nodded in understanding through Elandris’s answers though they only created more questions in my head. Wolf King must been a Mythical Beast too. Then why did he try to become a Calamity? Or why did his descendants slowly degenerate into mindless beasts?
“I don’t think all Mythical Beasts are as docile as Gökbörü to let you observe them.”
That came out a little more proud than I thought. Elandris glanced towards me.
“You think that they are evil for the destruction they cause.”
I thought that Elandris was not good at understanding my tone and facial structures as he was an elf but it seemed like he had a rough idea.
“I… The only other Mythical Beast I heard except Gökbörü is the Wolf King and I heard that he was… handful.”
Well, that was an understatement with him trying to eat Stars.
“I understand the point you are making. However, I would call him dangerous rather than evil. He was no different than a storm or a blizzard, born out of the planet’s very own being.”
“But he was sentient and sapient. He could understand the damage he was causing. That’s not the same as a natural disaster.”
I rejected Elandris’s reasoning. Elandris contemplated my words for a moment, his elven features expressing a mix of understanding and contemplation. The fallen chimera lay still in the background as Gökbörü continued his feast on its remains, his appetite seemingly insatiable and unaffected by our conversation.
"I do not deny that some Mythical Beasts can pose a threat to the balance of the world and her inhabitants. However, that’s our view. A wolf will tear its prey’s throat mercilessly while gently licking its pup's face. Their actions are driven by records deeply ingrained in the fabric of the world. It does not excuse the harm they may cause, but it provides a perspective that goes beyond the notion of good and evil."
I took a minute to absorb his words.
“I can’t say I understood that. I think my human perspective is pretty different than what your race’s is.”
I looked around and took in all the forest.
“Humans were never good at seeing other perspectives even if those other perspectives came from humans. When we saw a thing that was dangerous or inconvenient to us, we destroyed it or changed it even when it came back to bite us in the ass. It didn’t matter if those other things were nature or the planet itself, we refused and fought against it unlike you who lived together with it. That’s why I can’t see Wolf King and his actions as “not evil” or just another perspective.”
I think I could have mentioned that Nidhogg’s actions could be seen as moving according to its instincts but doing that would antagonize Elandris.
Elandris listened attentively to my words, his expression thoughtful. The distorted forest around us remained eerily silent after the battle with the chimera, and the air was thick with the lingering mana of the final floor of the Chimera Garden.
"I understand that your perspective, as a human, is shaped by a different set of experiences and values," Elandris replied, his gaze meeting mine. "In our elven culture, we strive to coexist with the natural world and its creatures. We see the intricate balance between life and death, creation and destruction, as part of the grand tapestry of existence."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "The Wolf King, while undoubtedly posing a threat, might be seen by some as a force of nature rather than an entity driven by malevolence. It's the fine line between acknowledging the danger it presents and recognizing its role in the larger scheme of the world's harmony."
Creation coming from destruction, huh? It wasn’t something I hadn’t heard before.
"I appreciate your insight but I think our little philosophical conversation must come to an end if we want to save Mother Tree.”
He nodded and we moved forward.