"These are the special mana beasts I created and raised using my master's help. You won't find any official name given to them yet because they don't exist outside.
I just call them… Draconic Lizards. They are pretty, aren't they? Hehe! Best of luck and bye-bye!"
Layla exited the scene and left Eren to his devices. The latter was too stunned to say anything after hearing what the irresponsible caretaker of the Purgatory had said. But the first thing he did after snapping out of his surprise was shout at the brat:
"Pretty? Pretty? Pretty my ass. Why don't you just fucking kill me and be done with it? It'd be easier that way for both of us.
What kind of mana beasts are these? They almost made me pee my pants with their presence alone. I'm not too optimistic about keeping them dryer for longer.
Where did you end up, brat? Screw your rewards. Fuck this place. Just get me outta here. I'm no daredevil you think I am.
Wait. Where are you? Are you even listening? Oi. Oi. Layla! Layla!
Lay the fuck la!"
Eren started shouting at the spot where Layla was standing previously. But unfortunately, the caretaker had already left. Leaving him to battle with the mana beasts that looked like a novice ranker's nightmare.
But Eren's questions weren't answered by Layla. He could imagine the brat laughing her ass off somewhere at his misery.
Saying that Eren was afraid of fighting with the beasts that had appeared was an understatement. His mana sense had given him enough warning to indicate that the beasts weren't normal.
The Draconic Lizards were indeed mana beasts. But their dreadful mana signature put them in the uppermost tier of the mana beast ranking hierarchy.
The Draconic Lizards looked like normal F-Rank mana beast lizards that had been put on steroids. They were at least two times bigger than the normal mana beasts.
The Draconic Lizards were at least 8m in length and 1.5m wide. They had four legs and had black scales that exuded a lustrous sheen under the sunlight. Plus, their tails were as long as their torsos.
The most distinct features of the mana beasts were their fangs. They boasted a fang each on either side of their mouth's corners.
As if this wasn't enough, there were three of them summoned to the place at the same time. Eren didn't even have the confidence to take one of them down without losing an arm or two in exchange. And he only had four limbs to sacrifice.
"Grrrrrrrrrrr!"
The Draconic Lizards started growling at Eren from afar when they first laid eyes on him. But they didn't approach him. As if he wasn't significant enough for them to come to him.
But then they observed him shouting at thin air in a high voice and took it as a challenge to them. The draconic part in them was ignited and they made their presence known at the same time:
"ROARRRRRRRRR!"
They let loose their roars and created innumerable vibrations in the air. The target of those vibrations was a puny demi-human who was trying to quit the game but wasn't allowed to.
Eren heard the roar of the dragon and felt like jumping off the high cliff and finding a way to escape from there. He didn't know how he could battle with three mana beasts of such a frightening aura at the same time.
The most strange thing about them was the fact that despite the overwhelmingly powerful mana signature they gave off, they were still in the F-Rank. Technically, Eren should have been able to handle them.
But his senses told him there was something off about them. Like, they had been modified and weren't part of the natural order any more.
Eren saw the draconic lizards slowly making their way towards him without running. They kept growling at him while trying to find any other opponent or prey they could in the vicinity. This small human nugget wasn't going to be enough for the three of them.
"Fuck my life! The rigged fight is inevitable. I… I miss my mana bombs. Fuck. The least you could do was give the bombs to MC, damn it."
Eren said without addressing anyone in particular as he watched his three fearsome opponents approach him. He took a long breath to get some clarity.
"You want to test the limits of my power and resolve, right? So be it."
After he said that, the butcher's eyes turned cold. He was fearful about his safety, yes. But this was also the time he was the most dangerous. His concentration turned to its peak level as he started running various calculations in his mind while eyeing the approaching beasts.
'Blitz Bolt
Blitz Steps
Fire snakes
Fireball
Breath of fire'
Eren's body started turning red as he stressed his mana circuits and sent them into hyperdrive mode right off the bat. He drank a few vials of mana recovery potions from his storage that was left behind by the dungeon.
But Eren didn't drink the concoctions right away. He held the collective liquid in his mouth by expanding his cheeks and keeping his mouth closed. In short, he had drunk the potions as a precautionary measure against the genetically modified mana beasts.
Eren bent forward and touched the ground with his right hand while keeping his right leg forward. His feet started getting coated in lightning. Nine fire snakes appeared around him, hissing at their opponent.
And then… Eren disappeared from his position and appeared right in front of one of the lizards. His fire snakes were following him and would soon catch up to him. But he didn't have the luxury to wait for them.
"You first, Little Lizzy!"
Eren said to the lizard in front of him. He then used one of his spells in his repertoire. A spell that he would later realize that he shouldn't have used.
"Fireball!"
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AN: Thanks to A9C for the gift.