Chapter 42: Cat Pickup (1)

“The twins’ attack…worked?”

It appeared as though their brain shocks had indeed affected the drake. Seizing this opportunity, Louis shouted loudly:

“Khan, Kani! Keep attacking!”

Despite its high Magic Resistance rendering holy magic ineffective, it seemed vulnerable to psychic attacks.

Its Magic Resistance doesn’t protect its internal organs!

The twins’ brain shocks were likely wreaking havoc inside the creature’s body.

I can take him down!

If he restrained the drake while the twins continued their psychic onslaught, they could potentially defeat it.

I’ve clearly underestimated our combined power.

More precisely, he had underestimated his own and the twins’ capabilities. With himself being able to manipulate all four unnatural elements, including Tier 1, and the twins displaying output surpassing typical second-tier levels.

The twins’ power output was beyond that of typical second-tier hunters, bordering on first tier. Louis was particularly impressed by how they relentlessly attacked with their swords despite failing to inflict any damage. It dawned on him where he had gone wrong.

That’s right. We’re not just some drakes… We’re dragons!

Although drakes were considered among the highest echelon of magic beasts, dragons reigned supreme. Despite being young, these three were still dragons at heart.

Three human first-rankers? That classification meant nothing to them. The trio realized their combined strength might be comparable or even superior to those humans’.

“All right then, let’s fry this drake!” With renewed determination, Louis’s dragon heart emitted more electric Attribute Power, intensifying his attacks against the drake.

The twins joined in and threw their swords at the drake. Every time their blades bounced off its scales, they whined but didn’t relent.

Graaaaah!

This exchange continued for over an hour. As time passed, steam began rising from the drake’s body, just as Louis had predicted—the dragon was slowly being cooked alive by electricity.

Kreeeee!

Meanwhile, Jacob, who had been tending to the six-winged blood demon Pablo rescued earlier, watched the three children’s performance with disbelief.

He muttered, almost hypnotized, “Just what…are those kids?”

Three tiny figures battling against such a formidable creature—it was clear these weren’t ordinary children, yet this exceeded even his wildest imagination.

Pablo chuckled awkwardly.

“Ha-ha… My nephews ar-r-re quite strong, you see.”

“Are they really…your nephews?”

“…Don’t dig too deep. You might get hurt.”

“…” Jacob sensed Pablo wouldn’t entertain any more questions on the matter and kept his mouth shut. Instead, he turned to watch the three children dealing with the struggling drake—and couldn’t look away. It seemed entirely possible that these kids could defeat it.

Whud! Whud!

With each movement, mud splashed around the drake’s feet.

Graaaahhh!

The sound of psychic waves capable of instantly knocking down a six-winged blood demon reverberated through the air, but Louis canceled them out every time with a wave of his hand.

“Oh…” Jacob’s jaw dropped.

The twins were amazed by Louis’s display of incredible power, but as a druid who specialized in psychic abilities, Jacob was even more astounded by Louis.

At least two different types of attributes…!

Jacob could detect at least two distinct elements, and both appeared to be wielded with great proficiency. The mere sight of Louis effortlessly casting advanced holy magic with nothing but hand gestures left him utterly flabbergasted.

Just where did this child come from…?

As Jacob pondered, the battle that had been unfolding according to a predictable pattern suddenly took a turn.

“Grrr…”

Despite its relentless onslaught, the drake finally began to stagger. Louis’s eyes gleamed.

“It worked!”

Even minor attacks can add up over time and cause significant damage.

Considering Louis and his children had been exposed to the dragon’s psychic pressure for quite some time, it was no wonder they were feeling drained. In fact, it was surprising that it hadn’t affected them sooner.

“Louis… I’m so tired…”

“My arm hurts… My hand too.”

As the twins whined, Louis shouted with renewed vigor, “Hang in there just a little longer! We’re almost done!”

However, life is unpredictable, and this battle took yet another turn.

Graaaaah!

The deafening roar echoed through the area, but it didn’t come from the drake they’d been fighting.

“What?!”

It originated from the direction of Cash Tower Mountain.

Thud, thud.

A second drake, one-and-a-half times larger than the current opponent, charged toward them. Not only did it look stronger than the first, but its sudden appearance caught them off guard.

Damn it!

Panic set in on Louis’s face.

I didn’t sign up for this kind of two-on-one battle!

He was barely managing to hold his own against one drake!

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve insisted they come with me! At least then we could’ve given up and run away together!

Just as he thought victory was within reach, reinforcements arrived for the enemy. Could there be any more torturous false hope? To make matters worse, the newcomer seemed furious.

Kraaaaaah!

With rage and bloodlust written all over its face, the second drake charged at them like a mad beast.

“Get out of the way!” Louis yelled, but their situation looked dire. There appeared to be nowhere safe to retreat. On top of that, the first drake, which had almost been defeated before the interruption, recovered from its daze.

Louis bit his lip hard.

We’re screwed.

His expression turned grim.

Is there nothing else…?

It was a dire situation, but there was still one way out—transforming into his dragon form and flying away with Pablo and Jacob clinging to him.

Showing my true self to someone who dreams of taming dragons feels a bit awkward, though…

But that could wait until after they survived this ordeal.

“Twin—!” Louis made up his mind and began transforming.

“What?” Luckily for Louis, he didn’t have to resort to his last-ditch effort just yet, as reinforcements had arrived for his party.

Rooooar!

Graaah!

Deafening roars reverberated through the air.

Kreeee! The baby thunder tiger’s face lit up at the sound.

Soon, two massive figures shimmered before plummeting from the sky.

Crack!

Two massive tigers with lustrous golden fur appeared. With eyes blazing with rage, they leaped onto the drakes’ backs. The sharp teeth of one tiger pierced through the hide and sank deep into its neck. But that was just the beginning.

Kraaack!

Electricity crackled all over the tiger’s body, causing immense pain to the drake.

Jacob couldn’t help but exclaim at what he witnessed. “thunder tigers!”

And not just any thunder tigers—the fully grown kind. Adult thunder tigers were also known as Gold Tigers due to their metallic gold fur imbued with lightning energy. In some regions, these creatures were revered as sacred beings.

Jacob was thrilled to witness a fully grown thunder tiger with his own eyes. Meanwhile, relief washed over Louis’s face as it didn’t take much thought to figure out why two more had appeared on the scene.

“Well, of course Mom and Dad would rush to their baby’s rescue when it’s in danger!”

The sight of the youngling wagging its tail also confirmed its relationship with the adult thunder tigers.

“Wow! Big kitty!”

“Golden kitty!”

The twins’ eyes sparkled at the sight of the newcomers. As psychic-type creatures themselves, they seemed drawn to the thunder tigers.

Skraaaaah!

Meanwhile, upon seeing his partner in peril, the drake that had first appeared shook off its daze and rose to its feet, ready to charge at the thunder tigers. But Louis wouldn’t allow it.

“Where do you think you’re going?! Khan, Kani!” At Louis’s command, the twins stopped momentarily before swinging their swords again, each strike imbued with intense psychic energy.

Additionally, Fin, who had been concealing himself behind Jacob, joined the fray using the offensive holy magic he’d been gradually mastering despite being rather weak.

“Pablo!”

“Yes, sir! On my way!”

At Louis’s call, Pablo charged forward, war hammer in hand.

Jacob was flabbergasted. “Wait… Since when did my nephew…?”

To see a nephew summoning his uncle like this, complete with formal language? There was no way they were merely nephew and uncle. More likely, a high-ranking boss and his subordinate.

And Pablo addressed Louis with utmost respect? There was no way they were uncle and nephew; at best, they seemed like a senior employee and his subordinate.

Regardless, now that Fin and Pablo had joined the fray, it became much easier to deal with the drake that was already half-dead from the previous battle.

Meanwhile, as Louis’s group focused on one drake…

Graaahhh!

Kyaawww!

The fight between the two thunder tigers and the other drake intensified. Initially, victory appeared to be leaning toward the thunder tigers, but the tide turned abruptly.

Bam!

As the drake shook its massive body violently, the female thunder tiger tumbled to the ground. Though she sustained no physical injuries, what happened next was her undoing.

Graaaaah!

The shock wave from the drake’s roar struck the female thunder tiger. As she attempted to get back up, she coughed out blood and collapsed again. The drake took aim at her with its tail.

Seeing his mate in danger, the male thunder tiger threw himself forward to block the strike.

Bam!

With a sound like popping balloons, the male thunder tiger was sent flying after being hit by the drake’s tail. He struggled desperately to rise but couldn’t immediately do so.

Grrr…

Instead, the enraged female thunder tiger staggered upright. After swaying for a moment, she leaped onto the drake’s back, unleashing a powerful electrical charge simultaneously.

Kreeeee…!

The baby thunder tiger had been watching its parents’ fight from afar, but now it started to wail anxiously at the scene unfolding before it.

Graaaaaah!

Electrified by lightning, the drake screeched loudly. It tried shaking off the female thunder tiger, but she dug her claws and teeth deeper each time, refusing to let go. Realizing this tactic wasn’t working, the drake bolted up the mountain with the thunder tiger still clinging onto its back, intending to slam her against a tree. Soon, both creatures disappeared into the underbrush.

Thud! Thud!

Heavy thumps echoed throughout the mountainside.

It was then…

Wham!

The drake Louis’s group had been battling collapsed, emitting wisps of smoke.

“Huff…huff… It’s over.” Pablo watched as the drake lay motionless before tossing aside his weapon and collapsing on the ground. The usually indefatigable twins also slumped down, showing no signs of getting back up anytime soon.

However, Louis couldn’t rest just yet, as the male thunder tiger was limping toward him.

Skreeeee…

Grrr…

The thunder tiger licked its anxious pup once more before turning to look at Louis.

Grrrr…

Instead of displaying any wariness, it seemed to trust Louis completely, which caught the hunter off guard.

Is this…the leader of their pack?

Perhaps it sensed what Louis truly was. After staring at him for some time, the male thunder tiger turned toward Cash Tower Mountain.

Hooooooooh!

As it moved to leave, its pup let out a pitiful cry. The male thunder tiger slightly glanced back, and Louis softly sighed upon witnessing this exchange.

“Oh…”

The reason behind his sigh?

It was because he saw joy in the eyes of the male thunder tiger—a determination that signaled acceptance of impending death.

You don’t mean…?

Its final smile was brief. With a turn, the male thunder tiger sprinted away as if nothing had ever slowed it down. It quickly disappeared among the mountainside.

Ten minutes later:

Kra-koom! A massive bolt of lightning struck Cash Tower Mountain.