Mercenary Wars

Chapter 243 The Hydra

"how much is it?"

Adrian: "Seventy gold coins each."

Moreno frowned slightly: "Let's give it a try first. Maybe we can complete the mission without even needing the Magic Fellowship."

"I think so too."

The four agreed not to use the lesser magic covenant, but instead to test the hydra's strength before making a decision.

They then crossed the Serpent-Slaying Line and entered the Valley of the Deceived Kingdom.

The terrain of the Valley of the Deceiver is naturally a canyon. The rugged rock walls drop vertically as if cut by a knife, and delicate vines hang from the crevices, swaying gently in the breeze.

The canyon was lush with vegetation, shrouded in mist, and the dampness was palpable, making one feel as if walking on the very lungs of the earth. After walking for a short while, the four of them felt as if a thin curtain of water had gathered on their skin, and even their breath carried the coolness of the water mist.

“It’s so humid!” Moreno said.

Charlie: "It's similar to the Tide Hunting Grounds; it's this kind of environment that makes it a hiding place for multi-headed snakes."

"I'll cast a drying spell on you all." Adrian said, casting a drying spell on everyone, and they immediately felt dry again.

The group then sped up and headed straight for the depths of the canyon, traveling for more than ten hours straight.

They had no choice but to do this, because although the news of the multi-headed serpent in the Valley of the Deceiver was secret, it was by no means their exclusive knowledge; there were likely others who were also interested in hunting it.

In order not to be beaten by others, they had no choice but to give up their rest time and head single-mindedly to the swamp where the multi-headed snake was.

Fortunately, they were all level six or seven recipients of the title, and even without considering the blessings and spells, they had physical qualities far exceeding those of ordinary people, so working for more than ten hours without sleep was completely within their tolerance.

Along the way, Adrian occasionally stopped, seemingly to observe his surroundings.

Finally, a vast swamp appeared before them, with lush aquatic plants stretching along the water to the horizon. Small fish occasionally leaped out of the water among the plants, splashing up tiny droplets, but were quickly swallowed by the surface again.

"This should be the place." Adrian looked at the map in his hand and then at the surrounding scenery.

Then he looked at Moreno: "Can you lure out the Hydra?"

Moreno patted his chest confidently: "Although I've never seen a multi-headed serpent before, I have all kinds of bait in my storage ring, so I'm sure I can lure it out!"

As he spoke, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out dozens of colorful bottles and jars, listing them off as if they were his own treasures: "This is a bait for large snakes, this is for carnivorous fish, this is for aquatic magical beasts, and..."

After some consideration, Moreno finally selected six types of bait.

He then began, like a bartender, to mix the six baits together in different proportions, and then added an unknown blood, stirring it thoroughly.

A strange and pungent fishy smell began to permeate the air.

Everyone couldn't help but frown.

Moreno quickly put a cork in the bottle: "We need to figure out our tactics first."

"of course."

Adrian: "The most troublesome thing about the Hydra is its powerful regenerative ability, but you all have corresponding countermeasures, right?"

“That’s one of the reasons we were able to form a team. However, I’m not very familiar with your methods yet, so I think we need to explain them to each other,” Charlie said. “I have a fire elemental blessing spell that can make my sword as hot as lava, which is the most common and effective way to deal with regeneration abilities.”

Adrian: "I am fire, just like you."

Moreno: "I have 'larval acid'."

"The acidic fluid of the larvae of the Subibug race?"

“That’s right, you may have heard its name, but you have absolutely no idea how powerful it is.” Moreno chuckled.

Gaucano asked, "What kind of container do you use to store the larval acid?"

“Of course, it’s the sub-larva’s own acid sac.” Moreno shrugged slightly. “It’s the cheapest container; I can’t afford any of the others.”

At this point, Charlie said, "And you, Gaucano, what means do you have to stop the Hydra's regeneration?"

“I have some special poisons,” Gao Jiano said. The effects of the Blood Arrow and the Blood-Summoning Sword were indeed very similar to poisons.

Charlie frowned slightly: "Poison will contaminate the corpse, this..."

Gao Jiano smiled slightly: "Don't worry, although my poison is very powerful, it will not cause obvious contamination to the corpse, which is why I call it a 'special poison'."

"A poison that won't contaminate corpses?" Moreno exclaimed in surprise. "Such a thing exists? Can you tell me what it is?"

Gaucano shook his head: "Sorry, it's a secret."

Adrian: "In addition, the hydra can also spew venom, so we need to use advanced antidotes in advance and be ready to use the Stone Skin spell scroll at any time—unless someone doesn't mind being disfigured by the hydra's venom."

As he spoke, he took out a Stone Skin scroll and tucked it into his waistband, as did Charlie and Moreno.

Gaucano simply said, "I have the blessing of the Stone Skin."

The four then discussed some details, including battle simulations, strategies for dealing with unexpected events, and escape routes.

Half an hour later, Adrian said, "Alright, let's go deeper into the swamp."

The four walked deeper into the swamp, each tearing open a scroll of water-walking spells. Swamps are a rather troublesome terrain; without preparation, one could easily sink into mud or water covered by weeds. The simplest way to deal with this terrain is to use water-walking spells.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding environment gradually became tranquil.

The tidal flats, often isolated for long periods, teem with wild beasts, many of which they had already encountered along their journey. Swamps, being teeming with life, naturally harbor even more wild animals; shrimp, crabs, insects, and snakes are everywhere.

But when the four of them reached the depths of the swamp, the traces of various wild animals became much scarcer, with only small insects still being relatively common.

Even hunter apprentices know that this means there are high-level predatory magical beasts lurking nearby.

"We're almost at the hydra's habitat!" Moreno said solemnly, holding the newly prepared bait in his hand and glancing around from time to time.

After a while, a deep pool of water came into view.

The surrounding air was eerily quiet, with only the occasional rustling of the water plants along the edge of the water, as if whispering. A thin layer of mist floated on the water, enveloping the entire area in a hazy mist.

"Everyone, get ready," Adrian said. Everyone grabbed their weapons and stood ready for battle.

Except for Paladin Charlie, everyone else stood at a distance.

Adrian stood the furthest away, staff in hand, and immediately cast a magical shield on himself. This is a classic and essential step in mage combat; without a magical shield, a mage's vulnerability would be laid bare.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Moreno nodded to his teammates, then opened the bottle of bait and threw it into the water.

He threw it quite a distance, over a hundred meters, and a few seconds later the bait hit the water with a soft "thump".

Before long, everyone smelled that familiar yet strange stench of blood again, and it seemed to be coming from underwater, which showed how strong it was.

"They're here!" Moreno said quickly and seriously, as he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. A thumb-sized leather pouch was tied to the arrowhead, and through the pouch, one could vaguely see a pale yellow liquid flowing inside, radiating a dangerous luster.

Gaucano also drew his bow, aimed, and began to gather his strength to fire.

Adrian gently shook his staff, and a bright flame had been brewing for a long time.

Charlie gripped the longsword with both hands, and blazing flames danced on its blade in an instant.

At the same time, a ripple appeared on the water's surface.

The ripples expanded rapidly, soon turning into waves that undulated on the water's surface.

"Splash!" The water crashed against the shore.

A moment later, a low growl could be heard coming from underwater: "Roar..."

Immediately, accompanied by violent waves, a huge dark green figure emerged from the water.

The figure, though not yet fully above the water, was already at least five meters tall. Its reptilian body was covered with four ferocious snake heads, and eight malevolent eyes surveyed its surroundings. Its breath, splashing water, also emitted a foul stench, revealing the cruel and vicious power hidden within this enormous body.

Without a doubt, it was the team's target—the Hydra!

Upon seeing that there were four heads, everyone couldn't help but frown.

After all, this means that the hydra is level eight, not the optimistic level seven, and there's even a slight possibility that it's level nine.

Of course, there are usually no shortcuts for wild magical beasts to advance, and each level requires a long wait. Judging from the time, the possibility of it being level nine is extremely slim—at least none of the four people believed that this monster was level nine.

Although the level eight multi-headed serpent was somewhat troublesome, its corpse was also much more valuable, so the four of them did not back down and launched an attack on the multi-headed serpent according to the established plan.

Adrian was the first to launch the attack. He stood at a distance, protected by a magical shield, his spell already in place, a blazing fireball radiating a dazzling light from the tip of his staff.

Then, with a soft shout, a pillar of fire shot out from the fireball, covering a distance of hundreds of meters, and slammed straight into the multi-headed snake!
"Boom!" Flames burst forth, and the scorching power immediately created charred wounds on the hydra's body.

Dense granulation tissue writhed at the wound, demonstrating an extraordinary self-healing ability. However, it was clear that the hydra's healing ability had been greatly suppressed by the flames, and it appeared that it would take at least several tens of minutes to heal. Under normal circumstances, the hydra could completely heal this level of injury in just ten seconds.

Caught off guard by the onslaught of flames, the multi-headed serpent, which had just emerged from the water, shuddered violently, its four heads writhing as it roared in alarm and pain: "Roar—"

Immediately, all four snake heads turned to Adrian, spewing out dark green venom!

Adrian was prepared. He seized the opportunity and leaped into the air, jumping several meters in one bound, demonstrating the athleticism he had gained in the Mage Melee Club and successfully dodging most of the Hydra's breath.

A little bit of poison splashed over.

His magical shield blocked the poison for a while longer.

In the end, only a few drops of poison penetrated the magical shield and splashed onto him.

The advanced antidote he had taken beforehand prevented the poison from causing fatal consequences, only leaving a few spot-like wounds on his arm.

This injury was obviously nothing to Adrian, who was a veteran of many battles. He immediately stood up again and began casting spells once more.

The multi-headed serpent's enormous body emerged completely from the water and moved from the water to the shore. Its four ferocious heads were still staring at Adrian, preparing to spew venom again.

But at that moment, Moreno and Gaugano simultaneously fired their arrows.

"Whoosh—whoosh—" Two sounds pierced the air one after the other.

The two arrows arrived in an instant.

Both arrows were enhanced by aiming, and their momentum was equally fierce. In addition, one of them was coated with the "larval acid" of the Aqir insectoids, and the other was coated with the blood elf's arcane "blood arrow".

Even with its thick hide, the multi-headed serpent couldn't help but howl after taking those two arrows. Its two heads immediately turned, one targeting Gaugano and the other Moreno.

"For Mosa!" Charlie also made his move at this moment. He roared and leaped towards the hydra, thrusting his flaming greatsword fiercely.

"Roar!" A snake head immediately turned towards him, and dark green venom gushed out.

Charlie neither dodged nor avoided the attack; he simply tore open the Stone Skin scroll and let the poison spray onto his body.

Protected by advanced antidotes and the Stone Skin spell, the poison was unlikely to cause fatal damage. Meanwhile, his armor shimmered with a holy light, resisting the poison's effects.

Then the blazing longsword plunged fiercely into the hydra's body!
The situation seemed promising, but just then, Adrian suddenly shouted, "Retreat!"

Charlie, Gaugano, and Moreno were all inexplicable.

But Adrian was the captain, and although they had doubts, they chose to believe him and quickly withdrew.

The retreat was not a simple process.

The multi-headed snake, disturbed from its dream and beaten, unsurprisingly chose to give chase. Its movements seemed slow, but this was just an illusion caused by its enormous size; its actual speed was no slower than the four people's escape.

If they hadn't planned their escape route in advance, and given the complex terrain within the canyon, they might not have been able to escape.

After much effort, they finally escaped the pursuit of the multi-headed snake. The four of them sat on the ground, panting heavily, covered in dust, and looking quite disheveled.

Charlie's tone betrayed his displeasure: "Adrian, why the sudden retreat?"

Adrian took a few more breaths and then said, "Someone is lying in ambush."

"An ambush!" The three of them were taken aback.

"I set up several sentry posts when we entered the swamp to prevent this from happening. Now it seems that it was indeed necessary," Adrian continued to explain. "When we were fighting the Hydra, there were five people lying in ambush nearby. It seems that they were preparing to make their move when we and the Hydra were both exhausted."

(End of this chapter)