Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 1)

Chapter 93 - Manticore

Nie Yan and the others walked along the trail that cut through the marsh and advanced south. As dusk encroached, the scenery around them gradually grew darker. They encountered few players enroute to the dungeon, so much of the journey was uneventful and even somewhat bleak.

After several minutes, Nie Yan and company arrived at a checkpoint in the middle of the trail. Just ahead were two watchtowers, one erected on each side of the path, and stationed in each of them was a crossbow-carrying NPC guard.

"Beyond this point is the King Manticore's territory. This is a forbidden area, so please turn back," one of the guards called out.

"We're adventures who wish to proceed to Agmota. We're seeking to slay the King Manticore and retrieve its eye in order to treat Mayor Monda's poison," Nie Yan replied in a tone that was standard for advancing the quest.

"So it was like this... Brave adventures, the King Manticore is a dangerous and vile creature. I advise you to bring items that can cure paralysis," forewarned the guard. "The mayor's life is at stake, so I hope your mission ends in success!" The two guards allowed Nie Yan and the rest of the team to pass.

As soon as he stepped past the watchtowers, the entire team was transported inside the instance.

On arrival, an intense stench of blood and decay assaulted their noses as it freely permeated the air. Numerous corpses were scattered around the bog; some were fresh while others had completely rotted away, leaving only skeletal remains behind. The temperature plummeted, steeply, turning the atmosphere to one of cold and gloom. Suffice to say, the environment inside the dungeon was noticeably different from the one outside.

Signs of death could be seen everywhere across this long stretch of marsh.

Ahead of Nie Yan and the team was a small den. Manticores usually gathered in prides, so their dens often contained ten to several dozen individuals. Some were tasked with hunting prey, and others stayed behind to rear the young. Prides were headed by an Alpha Manticore, a Leader-class monster, while the rest of the pride consisted of females and the young. Manticores were monsters possessing the head and body of a lion and a scorpion's poisonous tail. If struck by the stinger at the end of their tails, the player would become poisoned and lose a certain amount of health each second. Furthermore, there was also a chance of paralysis. Therefore, if the player didn't bring Anti-Paralysis Potions, they would end up maimed to death before the poison had any meaningful effect.

For the most part, as long as the team's Fighters made sure to cure their paralysis as soon they were inflicted with it, no problems should arise.

"How many Manticores do you think are in that den?"

"I already investigated. They number around sixteen," Nie Yan replied. Since he was already at the front of the group, he had taken the initiative to survey their surroundings.

"Sixteen!? Oh my God!"

"When we ran it on Easy or Normal, the most we'd ever get was a group of five or six..."

All of the team members wore expressions of dismay. Manticores, with their high health, were notoriously difficult to deal with. This held even truer for the Alpha Manticore who was several times more powerful than their normal counterparts. Even on lower difficulties, they often faced great peril whenever they encountered a group of five or six Manticores. If they were careless for even a moment, their team would end up surrounded and killed.

Yet that den had sixteen of them! Even if they had received a ten percent stat boost, it was still impossible for them to deal with so many Manticores.

Nie Yan activated Transcendent Insight to examine the pride.

Alpha Manticore (Leader): Level 3
Health: 1830/1830