Chapter 97: The Legiana
"Are you sure you want to follow me?"
Logan looked at the three Grimalkynes before him with a strange expression. Judging by their bright fur and petite frames, they weren't very old—likely the equivalent of teenagers.
After he had expressed his intent to leave, the white Grimalkyne had gone back to the tribe to pack her bags. Since Logan and Zhu Peiniang were two giant beasts, they had nothing to carry, but she needed to bring her weapons, gear, and daily necessities.
To his surprise, when the white Grimalkyne reappeared, she was followed by three companions from her tribe who wanted to leave with her, along with a group of others who had come to see them off.
According to the white Grimalkyne's explanation, these three little ones were childhood friends. Upon hearing she was leaving, they felt both reluctant to part and curious about the outside world, so they decided to join the journey.
This fit the personality of these small lynx-like beastmen from the games perfectly: optimistic, cheerful, and intensely curious. Some were even bold enough to use a sleeping Congalala's belly as a trampoline.
Logan had no reason to refuse. To him, there was almost no difference between having one Grimalkyne or four; if anything, it would be livelier.
However, this act of "abducting" the Grimalkynes left Logan feeling a trace of unearned guilt. After all, setting everything else aside, he did intend to make use of them, and he had already put those thoughts into action.
Before departing, Logan shook his body vigorously. Large patches of transparent "frosting" and sharp, feather-like scales fell away. He used his magnetic field lines to coil them up and present them to the Grimalkynes who had come to say goodbye.
As long as food was plentiful, he could regrow these parts in a few days. For the Grimalkynes, however, these materials would significantly increase their chances of survival in this dangerous world.
The real world was not as easy as the game portrayed. For a group of small creatures barely a meter tall, surviving in a world prowled by giant behemoths was an unimaginably difficult task.
"So you are Lulu, the one next to you is Nana, this one is Pork Chop, and that one is Tonkotsu?"
In Logan's eyes, most Grimalkynes looked nearly identical, especially when their fur colors matched. Therefore, learning their names was essential to tell them apart.
What surprised him was that the white Grimalkyne was actually female. Among the three companions, there were two males and one female, and their names were quite... distinct.
He could only remark that compared to the females, the naming of the male Grimalkynes was incredibly casual. He wondered if this had anything to do with how players named their Palicoes in the game.
Logan strode across the steep, rocky hills, traversing the treacherous terrain as if it were flat ground. The four cats sat upon his broad back, their bodies mostly submerged in his thick, snow-white mane, leaving only a few furry little heads peeking out.
It had been two days since they left the Coral Highlands. With the rapid pace of the two giant beasts, they had covered nearly a thousand kilometers. Along the way, they chatted occasionally, growing much closer as they became familiar with one another.
However, relying on a translator for communication was a hassle. Over time, Logan found he could understand the Grimalkyne language, but could they understand a monster's roar? He wondered if he should evolve his vocal organs to make them more flexible.
But at the thought of "meow-ing" coming out of his own mouth, Logan shuddered and immediately dropped the idea.
Since he had traveled this path once before, the return journey was significantly faster. By noon on the third day, they successfully scaled the first mountain range. Standing at the highest peak, a piercing cold wind whistled past, frosting their fur with white ice crystals. Clouds swirled beneath their feet, making the world below seem minuscule.
From here, they could see the silhouette of a corner of the Coral Highlands. Purples and pinks intertwined, looking like a piece of tempting hard fruit candy.
Suddenly, a high-pitched cry echoed from the distance. A group of blue-and-white winged wyverns was patrolling the edge of the Coral Highlands. They had large membranes on their heads and tails. Their wings were not a single solid sheet but were divided into petal-like sections centered around the wing bones, looking much like the "Blue Dragon" sea slugs Logan had seen in his previous life.
This unique wing structure was an adaptation for the strong updrafts and irregular vertical currents of the Coral Highlands, allowing them to adjust their wing direction for superior flight maneuvers.
Clearly, this was a pack of Legiana. Among the standard Flying Wyverns, they were arguably the masters of the sky.
However, Logan was in no mood to admire their elegant forms. Like all wyverns, these creatures had terrible tempers and a fierce sense of territory.
To the excellent eyesight of a Flying Wyvern, two giant beasts standing on a mountain peak were far too conspicuous. With a tilt of their wings, the pack immediately dove toward them.
Logan didn't want to get involved in a pointless fight, but he certainly wasn't afraid.
The magnetic field lines tucked against his body instantly flared out, forming bright, glowing coils around him. Blue-white sparks flickered as the magnetic field converged violently, turning into an electric current that surged from the massive "Azure Horn" on his head into his body.
The massive electrical energy conducted from his head toward his rear. The sharp tips of his teardrop-shaped scales began to exhibit a "point discharge" effect, concentrating the energy. The gaps within the overlapping structures acted like capacitors, building up energy pressure.
The magnetic lines on his tail extended outward in a spiral, quickly enveloping the entire tail and weaving into a dense, ten-meter-long "cannon barrel." A massive amount of electricity pooled inside, blooming into a blinding blue-white light.
Such a powerful energy signature made the approaching Legiana hesitate. They circled above, not daring to land for a moment, letting out a series of harsh, noisy screeches.
A faint blue-white glow could be seen on the membranes of their wings, chests, heads, and tails. This was an omen caused by the supercooled liquid stored in their internal "Frost Sacs" being discharged through developed secretory glands.
As soon as this liquid hit the air, it would rapidly evaporate, absorbing heat. Guided by the flapping of the Legiana's wings, it created gusts of freezing wind.
If the distance weren't so great, Logan and the others would have been encased in a thick layer of ice. Even so, Zhu Peiniang—who wasn't very resistant to cold—couldn't help but shiver.
This couldn't go on. Gathering such a large amount of electricity for an extended period was a significant burden for Logan. Furthermore, the enemy had the advantage of numbers; dragging this out would only put him at a disadvantage.
Logan shifted his feet, feigning an attempt to flee.
The brutal Legiana predictably lost their patience. One of them immediately lunged down, its sharp claws gleaming with a dark, polished luster—the result of being sharpened dozens of times a day, year after year.
However, what greeted it was a tiny spark of electricity. With a snap, it struck the wyvern's chest, and once the channel was opened, a brilliant blue beam erupted instantly.
Having charged for so long, this current dragged a foot-wide winding ribbon of light through the air, looking like a lightning strike hitting upward. It slammed ruthlessly into the lead Legiana. A massive explosion followed, accompanied by branching flickers of electricity, causing the seventeen-meter-long Legiana to fall from the sky like a tattered rag.
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