Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 49 The Battle of Smaug (1)

Smaug spread his wings and swept over Lake-town, the resulting gale whipping up flames on the buildings, and the scorching heat could be felt even from a great distance.

It let out a tremendous roar, nonchalantly displaying its soft belly, inlaid with gold and various jewels, which shimmered with dazzling firelight.

A monocle locked onto the flying dragon.
Flames spewed from the dragon's mouth. He circled high in the air for a while, the flames illuminating the entire lake surface, turning the trees along the shore into pillars of golden and blood-red fire, while dark shadows danced incessantly beneath their feet.

Bud's sharp eyes were fixed on the circling Smaug, like an eagle's, until Smaug once again swooped down recklessly.

He suddenly shouted sharply, "Release!"

All the archers instinctively released their bowstrings.

"Zheng!"

The hum of the bowstrings merged into a single note, and a cloud of black arrows rose into the air, engulfing Smaug entirely.

The arrows struck the scales and jewels with crisp "crack" and "rustle" sounds, the powerful force causing the arrows to break apart and scatter in all directions.

Smaug lowered his head indifferently, and the arrow fletched from his breath, burning like fire as it fell into the lake with a hissing sound.

Li Xia lowered his bow, his expression calm. His arrow had just flown out strangely, aiming for Smaug's groin, standing out conspicuously amidst the rain of arrows.

Even Bard couldn't help but glance in this direction.

This attack failed to break through the defense, dealing 0 damage.

However, their attack was not entirely ineffective. Several arrows were crookedly driven into a bare spot on Smaug's left chest, perhaps without even breaking the skin, and they fluttered down in the wind.

That area was not covered by any gold or jewels, and it was Smaug's only weakness. In the original story, Bard hit Smaug's heart with a black arrow right there.

Not only did Li Xia witness this scene, but the other apostles, who were hiding in the town and observing silently through various means, also saw it.

A message immediately appeared on the chat platform:
Claude (a prospective member of the Brotherhood of Steel): "Gentlemen! The initial estimate of the physical strength at the left chest is 3-4, slightly higher than 3! What are you waiting for?"

Suddenly, a beam of light shot straight into the sky from the blazing fire of Changhu Town, then burst into dazzling light.

Smaug let out a painful roar, his entire body stiffened, and he plummeted straight down from the sky.

Aaron Gur (Apostle #****): "[Flashbang] 2/3, two more chances."

(【Flashbang for Projectiles】: Blinds monsters upon firing. If the monster is in the air, it will fall due to the blindness. - Monster Hunter)

The message had just been sent, as if it had flipped a switch.

Li Xia finally witnessed a sight he would never forget in his life.

Beside the sharp ice spikes were gleaming arrows, and the RPG, trailing a trail of flame, flew past the smoky skull that was grinning menacingly.

The machine gun tracer rounds drew a magnificent line of fire across the night sky.

Shuriken dragged explosive tags, javelins trembled, muskets emitted thick smoke, and boomerangs whistled.

In that instant, the apostles acted like gamblers in a frenzy, unleashing every ranged attack they could muster.

It was as if they would dare to charge forward, even against a god, as long as they could break through the defenses.

A series of frenzied and rapid explosions resounded in Smaug's abdomen, and the behemoth was so badly damaged that even its descent slowed down.

Under such attacks, Smaug's health bar finally dropped a bit.

Li Xia watched silently, the data stream constantly refreshing in his monocle.

"Ballistic calibration complete! Target trajectory calculation complete."

He took a deep breath, his arm muscles bulged, and the purple bow in his hands bent to its limit.

A dotted line extends along the direction of the arrow, with a slight curve.

"Whoosh!" A very dim blue light swirled around the purple arrow, crossing space in an instant.

It plunged deep into Smaug's left chest.

This attack had a power of 3 (+1), dealing approximately 20 * 1.2 (pounds bonus) damage. Taking into account physical attributes, this attack dealt 1% damage to Smaug.

1%
Li Xia breathed a sigh of relief. This was with the help of the horn's bonus, which added an extra 1 to the attack strength. Without this attack strength bonus, this attack wouldn't even have broken through the defense.

The purple arrow was 80 centimeters long, which was equivalent to pricking Smaug's chest with the tip of a sewing needle when he was 141 meters long.

So far, Bard has actually dealt the most damage. He was surprised by the sudden appearance of so many inexplicable attacks in Lake Town, but he did not stop his actions.

Instead, they fired one arrow after another, incessantly.

I just don't know why he didn't just use Black Arrow for a speedrun. Maybe he didn't know that Black Arrow could kill Smaug?

[Flashbang for Projectiles] The stun lasts less than five seconds. As Smaug approaches the ground, it suddenly lets out a painful roar. The huge air blasts from its flapping wings stir up the lake water, creating ripples in circles.

An unprecedented rage surged within him; these cowardly reptiles, which he could easily crush, had actually hurt him.

This anger transformed into flames, erupting forth as long pillars of fire swept back and forth, igniting everything in front of Changhu Town in half a day.

The original leaderboard of 142 people instantly dropped by 11, becoming 131.

The chat group was refreshing like crazy; nobody cared about the 10 o'clock mark at that moment.

"Wait, where's the guy with the flashbang? Keep going!"

"There's a hidden cooldown; it won't be effective if used continuously. Wait another minute!"

"One minute? In one minute Smaug could set us all on fire and make us look like fireworks!"

"That layer of gold and gemstone armor is too much of a hindrance!"

In a corner on the outskirts of Changhu Town, in a room that has not yet been affected.

Several people were squatting by the window, sweating profusely, nervously staring out the window.

A woman holding a rocket launcher turned around and asked in a low, urgent voice:
"How much longer will it take for IVF?"

In the middle of the room were a bunch of things scattered around, including beakers and solvents. A man wearing a white coat, goggles, and rubber gloves was carefully stirring with a glass rod.

"It'll be quick, just wait for me to infuse it with soul."

The test tube stretched out its hand, a fanatical and intoxicated smile on its face.

Talent: Solvent Sublimation!
A ray of light rose from the palm of the hand, illuminating the prepared solvent.

"Now we just have to wait to get Smaug under control a second time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling light shone forth once more.

Smaug let out a wail and crashed heavily onto the ruins of Lake-town.

Aaron Gur (Apostle #****): "[Flashbang] 1/3, one chance left!"

A figure suddenly rushed out of the house, his body wreathed in azure light, clearly having used a speed-up skill.

His white lab coat billowed in the wind as he laughed wildly and threw the reagent in his hand forcefully, hitting Smaug's soft abdomen.

"Oh!"

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)