Chapter Thirty-Four: Hunters of the Miasma Valley

The monsters that appear in any given place are not something Su Yi can control; all he can do is adapt to the situation and use every means at his disposal. “If it’s fate, there’s no avoiding it. You can’t always be so unlucky, can you?” Su Yi gritted his teeth and continued tracking the ferocious Jaw Dragon.

In truth, it wasn’t the Jaw Dragon’s strength that drew Su Yi's attention, but the network of minions it commanded in this area. If he could subdue the Jaw Dragon, he would essentially have dominion over its horde, making it far easier to gather supplies or scout out the situation. And failing that, those minions could always serve as cannon fodder in a pinch.

Moreover, in the Valley of Miasma, the Jaw Dragon was currently the easiest to bully. The Dire Hound Dragon, empowered by the abilities of pocket monsters, could easily defeat Jaw Dragons, especially when their numbers were few.

Guided by the glowing insects, Su Yi rode the Raptor Bird to a massive graveyard. Rotting flesh and bones were piled layer upon layer across the ground, dried black blood and sticky flesh mingling among the desiccated skeletons, sending up waves of nauseating stench.

“Ugh! Damn! This smell!” Su Yi gagged as he carefully searched for the insects’ traces in the dim miasma.

“Su Yi, over there!” Dewgrass, perched behind him, pointed into the distance.

Looking closely, Su Yi saw movement amid a pile of corpses—several Jaw Dragons flickering in and out of sight through the haze.

“Dire Hound Dragon! Use Roar!”

The Dire Hound Dragon burst forth from its ball and unleashed a mighty roar at the pile, dark energy forming a shockwave that swept through. With a crash, bones and Jaw Dragons were scattered, revealing the Jaw Dragon with meat in its jaws, which immediately fled.

“Burning Bug, use Ember!” Su Yi tossed a ball from afar.

The Burning Bug appeared and launched a spark, flames igniting the miasma, erupting into a wall of fire along the Jaw Dragon’s escape route.

“Dire Hound Dragon! Dragon Claw!” Su Yi shouted.

The Dire Hound Dragon charged forward, roaring and swinging its claws.

A bloody gash appeared along the Jaw Dragon’s flank, and its ferocity was unleashed; it turned and bit at the Dire Hound Dragon with paralyzing jaws.

“Bite!”

The Dire Hound Dragon responded swiftly, sinking its teeth into the back of the Jaw Dragon’s neck, halting its attack.

“Raptor Bird, deliver the finishing blow—Rock Strike!” Su Yi patted the bird beneath him.

The Raptor Bird quickly formed a stone of energy and hurled it at the restrained Jaw Dragon from a distance.

The stone shattered, blood pouring from the Jaw Dragon’s head, its face contorted in agony.

“Now!” Su Yi hurled a capture ball with all his might.

A dark crimson shadow, lurking in the miasma for ages, could hold back no longer. It lunged from the haze, pouncing on the Jaw Dragon.

With a clang!

The shadow intercepted the capture ball and was sucked inside.

“Damn!? Honey Badger!?” Su Yi recognized the creature caught in the ball—it was the Claw Wraith Dragon, known among hunters as the ‘Honey Badger of the Valley of Miasma.’

The ball shook once, then exploded.

The Claw Wraith Dragon burst from the broken ball, clearly startled by its sudden confinement. It sniffed around warily, letting out a series of high-pitched cries.

“Damn! Another ball wasted!” Its ambush had made Su Yi’s already limited supply of capture balls even scarcer.

“Dire Hound Dragon, hold it off! Raptor Bird, you too! Be careful—it’s a tough opponent!” Su Yi dismounted and, crouching low, jogged toward the barely breathing Jaw Dragon.

The Dire Hound Dragon lunged at the Claw Wraith Dragon, using Bite.

The glowing white teeth barely pierced the tough, leathery red skin before being thwarted by the creature’s powerful muscles.

With a roar, the Claw Wraith Dragon flexed its body like a drawn bow, suddenly dragging the Dire Hound Dragon, which was nearly its equal in weight, a short distance.

“Now that’s pure muscle,” Su Yi marveled at the creature's crimson body, its muscle lines starkly visible.

Though its appearance resembled the Lickers from Resident Evil, with exposed red muscle, in reality, it was covered with tough skin and fine scales—its defense was formidable, and it was remarkably agile.

The Dire Hound Dragon had no combat advantage against it.

The Raptor Bird seized the moment, while the Claw Wraith Dragon was distracted, and slammed its stone down hard.

With a cry of pain, the Claw Wraith Dragon was struck on the head, but instantly retaliated, its twin claws sweeping fiercely, sending the Raptor Bird flying.

The Raptor Bird landed with a thud, letting out a pitiful squawk.

“Is it still too soon to fight the Claw Wraith Dragon head-on?” Su Yi gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Hold on!” Su Yi quickly approached the Jaw Dragon and hurled another capture ball.

Meanwhile, the Claw Wraith Dragon twisted its body and bit down on the Dire Hound Dragon clinging to its flank. Its savage fangs tore through flesh and muscle, and though the Dire Hound Dragon’s eyes bulged in pain, it refused to let go, viciously ripping at the Claw Wraith Dragon’s muscle with its Bite.

The Claw Wraith Dragon thrashed madly, its terrible claws gouging the Dire Hound Dragon, leaving bloody wounds.

Suddenly, a flash-bang exploded, the intense light overwhelming the Claw Wraith Dragon, which was accustomed to darkness; it shrieked and released its grip.

Su Yi successfully captured the Jaw Dragon, then recalled the severely wounded Dire Hound Dragon into its ball.

The Claw Wraith Dragon shook its head, nose twitching, sniffing the air.

“Almost forgot—your main sense is smell.” Su Yi quickly reloaded his launcher.

After a moment, the Claw Wraith Dragon locked onto Su Yi, but before it could pounce, a foul-smelling projectile splattered onto its head.

The stench bomb’s vile odor immediately robbed it of its ability to track by scent and overwhelmed it with nausea.

Su Yi mounted the Raptor Bird and swiftly left the graveyard.

This was no place to linger; the abundance of corpses made it a banquet hall of the Valley of Miasma, and who knew what other monsters might visit.

Deep within the miasmal valley, Su Yi climbed a row of twisted, blackened vines to a small platform surrounded by rock walls. Encircled by stone, with only a few gaps, the site was hidden enough to serve as a good camp.

“We’re safe!” Dewgrass wiped sweat from her brow and took a sip from a small medicine bottle.

Su Yi sat heavily, exhaustion and previous wounds crashing over him, draining both body and spirit.

“It’s not just me—the companions are badly wounded too.” In the cramped space, Su Yi released his companions and pocket monsters.

“Lucky!” The Blissful Egg immediately showed concern for Su Yi’s injuries.

Su Yi gritted his teeth and said to the barely breathing Jaw Dragon, “I’m alright, but this fellow won’t last without treatment.”