Chapter 172: The Third Trial - Hunt the Unicorn Beast
Chapter 172: The Third Trial - Hunt the Unicorn Beast
Erza and Mira’s cooking turned out to be surprisingly good.
In the cold weather, sipping a warm bowl of soup was truly a delightful experience.
Rod was amazed that these two tough-looking women could cook so well.
Do all these super-strong girls secretly practice cooking at home, just to surprise everyone with their skills out of the blue? Of course, Mira’s cooking was definitely the best.
Everyone gathered around the warm campfire, each holding a bowl of soup, listening to the Master recount stories from the past.
Mainly, he was pointing out the shortcomings everyone had shown during the exam and encouraging them to try harder next year.
After lunch, Warren and Marcus had recovered enough to pack up their things and leave with the other three who hadn’t made it through.
Only Makarov, Erza, Cana, and Rod remained in the camp.
Makarov began to explain the content of the third trial.
"Actually, given your current condition, I don’t recommend you continue with the third trial."
Cana wanted to say she was fine, but thinking about Rod’s state, she decided to ask his opinion first.
Although this was her exam, without Rod, she would have already been back with Warren and the others.
Rod thought for a moment and said, "Why don’t you tell us what the trial is about first? We can make a decision after hearing it. We can’t just give up without knowing what we’re up against."
Makarov glanced at Erza.
Erza pulled out a mission sheet. "The third trial is a mission: find the hiding place of the Unicorn Beast and eliminate it."
"Unicorn Beast?" Cana’s eyes widened. "That’s an S-class monster, right?"
"If it’s an adult Unicorn Beast, yes, it would be classified as S-class. They can cause small earthquakes, destroy mountain ranges and mines, and pose a serious threat to nearby towns," Makarov explained. "But this one is still in its juvenile stage, so it’s not as powerful."
Erza added, "We’ve received intelligence that it’s hiding nearby, quietly feeding and growing. We need to find and eliminate it before it reaches adulthood. That’s your mission."
Rod thought for a moment and asked, "Doesn’t the beast need time to grow? Can we rest for a couple of days before continuing the exam?"
"No, the exam has a deadline by sunset today," Makarov replied. "Even in its juvenile stage, the Unicorn Beast has significant destructive power. It’s most active at night, and we can’t just leave it unchecked. If you don’t complete the task by nightfall, it will be given to Erza."
Rod glanced at Cana’s expression and said, "Let’s rest a bit more, then give it a try?"
Cana was worried. "Your body…"
"Wouldn’t it be a shame to give up without even trying?" Rod said. "Worst case, you take the lead, and I’ll stay back."
Rod figured that with the Master and Erza as backups, it would be a shame not to give it a shot.
Cana was touched and nodded firmly. "Okay."
During the rest period, Rod decided to chat with the Master and Erza to get more information about the Unicorn Beast.
He needed to add a course on rare magical creatures when he got back. He hadn’t even heard of a Unicorn Beast and had no idea what it looked like.
"Maybe I can draw it for you," Erza said, pulling out a pen and sketchbook from her luggage.
Rod was surprised. "You carry a sketchbook with you? You can draw?"
"Of course. I always carry it to sketch new armor designs whenever I get inspired," Erza said seriously. "Because I use it so often, I’m pretty confident in my drawing skills. Let me draw it for you right now."
Cana’s expression was a bit awkward.
It was the first time Rod had seen Erza draw, and he was slightly excited.
The most distinctive feature of the Unicorn Beast, of course, is the horn on its head, followed by its strong hind legs and thick tail. Its muscle structure is quite different from a human's, and the curve of its claws is also quite unique...
Erza muttered to herself as she sketched, making her sound incredibly knowledgeable.
A few minutes later, she flipped the sketchbook around to show Rod, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "What do you think?"
"Hmm... Ah... How should I put it..." Rod carefully chose his words. "It's truly impressive. You’ve perfectly captured all the features you mentioned."
Though, apart from those features, there was nothing else.
Erza modestly replied, "No, it’s not that great. I’m still far from Lidas’s level."
You’re actually comparing yourself to Lidas!
Rod was amazed by Erza’s high standards. "So your goal is Lidas... Well, keep it up."
In truth, Mira’s drawing skills were just as bad as Erza’s. When she tried to explain what Celestial Spirits were to Rod, her illustrations left a lot to be desired.
As a result, Rod had initially thought Celestial Spirits were bizarre, blob-like creatures that were even stranger than the monsters in the League of Legends.
Today, seeing Erza’s sketch, it was clear that these two were equally matched in their artistic prowess.
Kana gave Rod a thumbs-up, impressed by how he handled the situation.
While the drawing was somewhat abstract, Erza’s knowledge was genuine. She had clearly explained the Unicorn Beast’s features.
She also mentioned that Unicorn Beasts often hide in mountain caves, whether natural or dug by the beasts themselves.
Their magic affinity is clearly Earth-based, and they have extremely high defenses.
If they were to take a guild mission, most of this information would be readily available, so it wasn’t really giving away any secrets.
As the sun began to set, Rod’s magic and physical strength had recovered somewhat. He summoned a Rift Scuttler and called out to Kana, ready to set off.
Time was running out, so they decided to search first and think about the battle on the way.
Riding on the Scuttler’s back, Rod could continue to rest.
Maintaining the existence of a single Scuttler was no longer a burden for him, and the Scuttler’s 360-degree vision was much easier than constantly turning his head.
"Should we split up?" Kana suggested. "Two people together are too slow, and the canyon is so large. We could search until nightfall and still not find anything."
Splitting up could be dangerous... That was Rod’s first thought.
But then he considered that the guild master and Erza were each with someone, so they had enough people. He agreed, "How will we stay in touch?"
Kana pulled out two cards and handed one to Rod.
As soon as Rod took it, a small, cartoonish version of Kana appeared on the card.
On Kana’s card, a small, cartoonish version of Rod appeared.
"These cards can be used to communicate," Kana demonstrated.
The cartoon Kana on Rod’s card waved her little hand and said, "Help me, help me," while also pointing in Kana’s direction.
Rod was a bit surprised. "Is this Warren’s magic? You really know everything..."
Kana shook her head. "No, it can only send one type of distress signal and indicate the holder’s location. It’s far less convenient than Warren’s magic."
So it was a specialized version of telepathy, complete with the crucial location function.
Kana was truly versatile.
If given more time to develop, she might become a reliable, all-knowing "wise old man" figure.
But reaching the pinnacle in every type of magic is no easy feat.
Goodnight, goodnight
So, including the early morning, I still managed to update 6000 words today, which means I didn’t take a break.
I’m so awesome.
(End of Chapter)
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