Chapter 147: Frost Wyvern
Those who have climbed mountains know how difficult the mountain trails can be.
Soren walked steadily, but carrying someone on his back made it much more tiring. His weight limit was around 300 pounds, and any weight over that would severely impact his mobility. Although Soren had a strong physique, his strength was still only 14 points, comparable to a normal human laborer who often did heavy work. A weight of around 100 pounds was still within his tolerance, but his stamina would deplete much faster, so he would need to rest temporarily after walking a short distance to ensure he wouldn’t be too fatigued when encountering a fight.
Under normal circumstances, adventurers needed to maintain their stamina above 70%, preferably between 80%-90%.
The probability of encountering unexpected events in the wilderness was not low, and Soren had faced surprise combat more than once. Therefore, he consistently kept his stamina above 80%. The moment he felt even slightly fatigued, he would stop to rest for a moment, ensuring his stamina was over 90%. He was getting close to the activity range of the Frost Wyverns, and the danger of sub-dragon species was no joke; Soren didn’t want to exhaust himself before even starting a fight.
A faint fragrance wafted at the tip of his nose.
He couldn’t tell if it was the scent of flowers or something else, but it smelled pleasant, with a unique freshness reminiscent of a young girl. Occasionally, strands of hair would blow against Soren’s cheek, causing a slight itch. Princess Anna’s breathing was steady, and she seemed to be observing Soren’s ears. For some reason, she really wanted to reach out and pinch them, as she felt they were slightly pointy. She even touched her own ears to compare.
He could feel two soft mounds behind him that occasionally shifted; she might feel a bit shy. After walking for a while, the slight friction had already made the young girl’s cheeks blush. This was not the sort of adult desire but rather an innocent shyness. As the Princess of Arendelle, Anna had received a well-rounded education, and the current situation indeed made her somewhat bashful. Sometimes she even felt the warmth of her hands on her legs, making it somewhat oddly hot.
The snow and wind at the mountain top were fierce.
Soren’s expression remained calm, as his mind focused on the surrounding environment, especially the traces in the sky. Frost Wyverns could fly in such weather and launch dive attacks on their targets. Occasionally, he could feel the girl behind him shift, a vague softness brushing against him, but it didn’t stir any other thoughts. Setting aside Soren’s self-control and the current environment, the knowledge he gained from the Underdark allowed him to remain unperturbed.
The matriarch daughters of the Drow were all skilled seducers; enchanting males was even one of their main subjects of study!
It was like how humans had to learn geography and religious knowledge in school.
Faintly.
Soren seemed to hear some sounds from the cold wind. He carefully laid down the girl on his back and said in a low voice, “This should be the place. Find a safe spot to hide and remember not to come out later.”
Frost Wyvern.
One of the branches of the sub-dragon species, resembling the pterosaurs of the dinosaur era. Unlike pure-blooded dragon species, they do not have dragon scales but rather a layer of dragon skin, which means the requirements to break through their defenses are relatively low. They possess strong hind limbs, and their forelimbs are attached to the wing bones. When walking on the ground, they tuck their wings away. They usually live in small groups on mountain tops in cold regions, typically consisting of one male wyvern and two female wyverns, with occasional sightings of their young.
Reproduction is quite challenging for dragons; it takes about three years for a wyvern to lay eggs. Their distribution across the world is sparse.
“Frost Wyvern [Sub-dragon species] (Level 4) (Social).”
“Challenge Level 14. Biological Level 17. Possesses spell-like abilities.”
“Highest attribute 22 points, lowest attribute 10 points, total attribute value 90-100 points.”
“Specialty: Dragon Biting, Ice Breath, Dragon Wing Strike.”
“Treasure reward: 1.5 times.”
“Challenge difficulty: C+.”
Soren found a stone crevice at the mountaintop and calculated its size. After determining that a wyvern of this size could not fit inside, he quietly told the girl beside him, “Stay here and don’t move. Make sure to remember not to come out later.”
Hunting dragons is extremely dangerous.
Once a fight starts, he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to the girl beside him, so he had to make sure to clarify things.
Princess Anna’s small face was a mix of excitement and nervousness as she tightened her grip on the sword in her hand and whispered, “Don’t worry. I won’t run out and cause you trouble.”
Very good.
Soren nodded slightly and began preparing.
Rushing straight up to challenge a Frost Wyvern would be suicidal; a single dive attack could instantly kill a Level 4 professionist. These wyverns can weigh around three tons, be about seven meters long, and have a wingspan of about five meters. Their strong bodies could perform a Dragon Wing Strike with enough force to push an adult mammoth back several meters. If they hit a person, no matter what armor they wore, it would be useless; even extraordinary equipment couldn’t withstand such fierce power, which could break a human spine.
The wyverns have a strength value between 20-22 points, and their actual explosive power is significantly higher than other creatures of equivalent strength.
However, dragons have a significant disadvantage: most have low agility.
Some pure-blooded dragons only have agility scores of 10-15 points, as their size significantly reduces their flexibility.
Their greatest advantage is that they can fly!
Soren took out his spear and reassembled its metal head, as it was best to use fine steel weapons against dragons, making sure it had a bit of weight. He secured the spear on his back, ensuring he could swiftly draw it for throwing, and began preparing other tools, resembling a tripwire trap. Soren simply fixed it with iron chains and spun it slightly in his hands. This item resembled a lasso, but it was made of metal, with greater length, and had balancing balls on both ends; when thrown, it could temporarily limit a wyvern’s flight when it hit.
Dragon creatures have high resistances.
Poisons have weak effects on them, and Soren didn’t want to waste the expensive Bipedal Dragon venom; he simply loaded his crossbow and attached it to his waist.
After that, he glanced at the girl beside him, turned, and stepped into the swirling snowstorm.
“Be careful!…”
Princess Anna watched Soren’s retreating figure, wanting to say something but swallowing it back. She shrank back slightly, clasping her hands tightly before her chest, lowering her forehead to her fingertips, as if praying quietly, “Goddess of Ice and Snow!… Bless him to return safely!…”
The snow and wind at the mountaintop slightly obscured visibility.
During this season, Frost Wyverns do not hunt frequently; they reduce their hunting frequency to about twice a week.
Soren did not enter a stealth mode, as footprints in the snow were too obvious, and the Frost Wyvern’s nest was in an incredibly difficult-to-approach location.
The sounds ahead became increasingly clear.
Soren turned around a rock face, and a steep cliff, about fifteen meters high, appeared before him. At the top was a makeshift dragon nest, seemingly constructed from various shrubs and branches, resembling a giant bird’s nest. In the center was a huge wyvern, with two smaller ones beside it. He seemed to spot dragon eggs, which was undoubtedly good news. With eggs present, the wyverns would not rush him all at once, making it much easier for Soren to handle.
The Frost Wyvern was grayish-white, with excellent vision, and after laying eggs, it vigilantly watched every corner.
It wasn’t difficult to spot Soren.
In such a special environment, even stealth might not allow him to evade them. The hatchling Frost Wyverns were aggressive, and upon seeing Soren, the male Frost Wyvern let out a roar that sounded almost like a language, as if warning him to leave immediately. Sub-dragon species lack much intelligence; when it saw Soren making no movement, the male Frost Wyvern immediately took to the sky, stirring up a flurry of wind and snow as it soared dozens of meters into the air.
Dragon attacks are ferocious.
However, there are general patterns to their behavior. The male Frost Wyvern circled in the sky before diving towards Soren. As it opened its massive mouth filled with sharp teeth, an extremely cold frost was unleashed directly from within. This was the first attack of the dragon species, with over half of them favoring their dragon breath to eliminate enemies.
The Frost Wyvern’s dive attack occurred at remarkable speed; it opened its mouth to spray frost just ten meters from the ground and then quickly flapped its wings to ascend again.
This was a critical moment in fighting the wyvern!
Although they looked like beasts, they were cunning and dangerous. Adult wyverns rarely land to engage in combat; they would always circle in the air and only dive down after finding an opportunity to attack. The force of this dive is tremendous; even a near-legendary shield warrior would be injured from a direct hit. The wyverns constantly seek opportunities for a lethal dive strike.
They would only fight on the ground as a last resort!
To deal with them, Soren had to force them down; to do that, he would have to withstand the frost breath. As he was hit by an intense foul odor, he also quickly twisted his body to move aside and instantly swung the iron chain in his hand. Soren’s left arm visibly froze into ice, half of his body covered in frost, but at the same moment, the chain flew out, circling the wyvern’s slender neck; it then wrapped around its left wing’s wingbone claw.
This wasn’t a complete binding; it merely wound around once and was hung on the wingbone side.
The Frost Wyvern wasn’t injured.
However, its flight trajectory was entirely altered, and despite desperately flapping its wings, it couldn’t take off. It fell from over ten meters high, crashing down onto the cold rocky ground with a thud.
At this moment, it was truly injured, and the damage was worse than receiving a cut from Soren! (To be continued ~^~)
