Chapter 32: Hydra x Hunt

____________________________

New Mission: Hydra Hunt

[New Mission: Hydra Hunt]

You have been challenged, that will not stand. You need to prove yourself, you are the Red Dragon Emperor of Domination, not some nobody. And your familiar must be as remarkable as you. Subdue the Hydra of the Familiar Forest and prove who is the superior dragon.

Objective: Subdue the Hydra and take it as a familiar.

Reward: Familiar Seal, Random Skill, Random Trait

____________________________

Thanks for the incentive system. I was already going to prove that old fogey wrong anyway, now I just have a better incentive to do so. Well besides having a hydra as a familiar of course.

'What do you think Ddraig?'

{Well, I can't provide you with much help, even when I was alive I rarely hunted Hydras since they tasted acidic due to their poison. However, I do know their strength can vary from Mid-rank all the way to Ultimate class so be careful. Especially their venom, it's bad news.}

'Well, how bad could it be? It's just a big ass snake with 8 too many heads.'

{You say that but I can feel you rifling through your inventory and organizing your potions so that they are easily accessible.}

'Duh, I am confident, not stupid. I did not develop Brainrot all of a sudden, this is a legendary beast that no High-Class Devil that has come here before has been able to subdue. These pants may really be too big for me.'

{So then why are you still going through with it?}

I grimaced.

'That fucking old man was looking down on me. I refuse to acknowledge that big snake as my better, I am the Red Dragon Emperor. If I am going to back down from every challenge I may as well give my gauntlet away.'

If I was going to take the spot of the main character then I have to prove that I deserve to. A mere hydra is nothing compared to the things I will have to face in the future.

"{BOOST}!"

6.

Feeling myself get closer to the largest mana signature I stopped and uncorked a stamina regeneration potion and drank it. Then I uncorked a mana regeneration potion and drank it.

Then I drank a potion of Ironskin, it would would improve my overall durability. And then a Hawk potion which would improve my field of view and visual prowess massively.

Those 4 were the utmost I could handle at the moment. Any more and I WILL start puking and shitting. Yeah, I am as ready as I could be.

After a minute of jogging at the speed of an overclocked Bugatti, I reached a dropoff into a lower portion of the forest. Looking down I saw a very large swamp but no Hydra in sight? But the mana signature is so close?

As I jumped down the slope and arrived in knee-deep swamp I noticed it.

*Growl!*

A large LARGE creature rose up from the depths of the swamp with 9 heads full of sharp fangs and several times larger than my body, its dark and purple body screamed danger, all 18 of its yellow eyes locking onto me with malice clear in its eyes. This thing was at least 30 meters tall

How the hell did already detect me!?

{Lesser dragons would be very sensitive to my Aura. It's enraged thinking that you want to take its territory.}

Fuck this thing is terrifying. Releasing a shaky breath I smiled and moved my gauntlet as its heads lunged at me.

"{Boosted Gear: Kelvin Catalyst}!" "You want a fight you big fucking snake!? Then let's rattle!"

My gauntlet-clad fist hit the muddy water surface which flash-froze in a single second turning most of the swamp around us into ice, forming into a large glacier in front of me that blocked the Hydra's heads while at the same time, the ice crept up the Hydra's body but it simply moved its gargantuan body to free itself from the ice.

"{BOOST}!" *CRASH!*

"Shit!"

The Hydra's heads tore apart the glacier this time as I sent a wave of frost spikes at the Hydra who just took the hits, what little ice spikes piercing its body were broken and the wounds healed in seconds. I had to dodge the glacier pieces of the Hydra's heads lunged at me at extreme speeds.

I raised my gauntlet up high as I leapt back from the Hydra heads, a giant wave of frost gathering in my hands as I released it toward the Hydra.

"Frost Wave!" a massive wave of frigid winds hit the Hydra with force enough to uproot trees but the Hydra tanked it again, and this time, I wasn't able to dodge as one of the necks hit me like a club, launching my body flying away and sending me through the trees.

*Cough!* *Cough!* "Fuck, that hits hard." I coughed some blood out, I felt my ribs shatter, my eyes focused on the Hydra that was fast approaching. Ice clearly wasn't working as well as I hoped it would. Summoning 5 mana arrows around me I changed my catalyst.

"{Switch! Boosted Gear: Ampere Catalyst}!"

Standing my ground I faced the Hydra's charge with confidence, 5 of the 9 heads descending down on me like bullets as I kept my nerves steeled and used thought acceleration to push my perception even further, and at the right moment.

*BAM!* *CRASH!* *BOOM!*

I jumped on top of one of the heads lunging for me, landing on top of it as the heads tore apart the ground instead. Then I placed my gauntleted palm on its head.

*BZZZZT!* *ROAR!!!!*

Giant arcs of lightning burrowed into the Hydra's head and into the rest of its body, causing all the heads to let out roars of pain while the head I was standing on was torn apart by lightning. But I was forced to jump off in time to avoid getting munched on.

Yet I still sent waves of lightning rolling over the air hitting the heads with bolts of lightning, running away as I did so, getting chased by the large beast who ran most definitely faster than me, forcing me to use the environment to my advantage as much as possible.

I ducked and weaved in between the trees, equipping Kelvin Catalyst on my off-hand to release waves of freezing mist to blind it. I parkoured to dodge head after head lunging at me, the debris buffeted my body, one direct hit and I was paste.

While dodging I weaved and sent waves of lightning alongside spinning mana arrows, but even as I gouged out the eyes with arrows, and turned heads into charcoal with lightning my damage wasn't enough, this motherfucker was just out healing my dps. I needed a bigger gun.

"{Switch! Boosted Gear: Terra Catalyst}!"

I stopped running, skidding to a halt as I spun on my heel, facing the Hydra with my hands on the floor.

"Earth Guardian!" *BOOOM!!!* *BAM!*

Two giant arms of earth punched out of the ground and hit two heads square on and grabbed a hold of them. And then spikes of earth stabbed into its body over and over and over in an attempt to immobilize it. But it just kept powering fucking through.

And then...

*Breath!* *Woosh!* *Swish!!!*

A giant cloud of purple mist that turned my stone into little more than vapour on contact was rushing straight to me at alarming speeds and I couldn't dodge it since I had arrived in front of a hill, I was trapped by it. I couldn't switch fast enough. And as the mist was right before my eyes.

Clever bitch.

*Shatter!* *Booom!*

An explosion swept away the poison. I felt heat scorch my body but I held on as I dropped the broken glass shards of the explosive vial with my now ruined hand.

Now I was pissed. The adrenaline was singing to my ears.

"Haha! If you like melting so much why don't you drown in it!?"

"{BOOST}!" My body could barely contain the power but I struggled to care as I put my hand on the ground this time creating and calculating an imaginary variable on top of the catalyst. Heat.

*Sizzle!* *Roar!*

The Hydra reared up for another breath but at the same time, everything on the ground burnt away as the ground around us melted down to lava, sinking the Hydra knee-deep into lava.

The heads reared up to lunge again but my eyes choked full of malice and mania landed on them just before they struck.

"Hydra? Thanks for the idea!" My nose bled from the strain but at the same time dragon shaped heads rose up from the lava and struck the Hydra, their fangs sinking into its flesh, the constant damage from the heat and pressure kept their regeneration in check as the heads dealt with the with the Lava dragons with their breath but while they dealt with that I stood up and raised my gauntlet to the air with conviction.

I needed to strike down the Hydra and my power would let me do so.

Green lightning crackled and landed on me in a large pillar.

"{BOOSTED GEAR: SECOND LIBERATION}!" The Boosted Gear changed its shape to fit my arm better as more yellow spikes and engravings appeared on it. I smiled with malicious intent at the Hydra who was now kept busy by lava dragons.

I sunk my hand into the lava and pulled along a giant chunk, my reserves were running dry but I had one last move in my sleeve.

I aimed with my hand in front of me as the lava coalesced into a larger and larger dragon head and the mana intensified to the point the Hydra took notice and all of its eyes went wide.

"You see Hydra, this is what a true Dragon looks like!"

"{EXPLOSION}!"

All the stored energy of the Boosts coalesced into a singular attack as I let it loose.

"Draco Meteor!!!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!*

The recoil sent me flying back as the mass of lava moved at hypersonic speeds and sheared through the Hydra's body like a red-hot knife through butter tearing off 6 heads and a massive portion of the body as the mighty beast fell to its knees.

I took a mana and health potion out of my inventory and drank it, feeling slightly better I let the ground return to its natural non-melting state while approaching the downed Hydra who trembled at the sight of me.

A hydra, cowering at the sight of a mere human dressed in nothing but rags with one of his arms mangled.

Laughable isn't it?

~3rd Person~

"{BOOST}!" Hearing the notification the beast closed its eyes shut, it was already on death's door, it was just awaiting the reaper's sickle.

"Do you dare get up?" The beast did not dare try and get up, it accepted its defeat and death against a foe beyond its league. Like a wild animal showing submission.

Takumi smiled.

"{BOOST}!"

"I guess you finally accepted who is the top do here." The beast still cowered, its heads lowered in submission while Takumi's eerie smile persisted.

"{BOOST}!"

"Do you want to live?" The beast stirred a little, its eyes peering at Takumi cautiously before nodding slightly still in a submissive pose.

"Good. Then become my familiar and I will allow you to live." Hearing Takumi's words the Hydra approached him cautiously and lowered its main head in front of Takumi just inches before him in submission.

It felt in its core that it must submit after being defeated. No, it wasn't simply defeated. It was dominated. By a dragon far beyond its league.

"Good boy... girl... whatever you are."

Takumi laid his hands on one of the beast's many heads, and a connection suddenly bloomed between them thanks to Iter Melius.

____________________________

[You have acquired a new Familiar: Nine-Headed Hydra]

A monumental achievement! You have acquired the perk: [Tamer]!

You have completed the mission [Hydra Hunt] rewards are available to be claimed.

____________________________

Seeing the notification I smiled in relief and formed the seal of servitude on the unresisting beast just in case. And now so that it doesn't die I should have enough stacked up. Hopefully, a 5 stack works.

"Open your mouth. This should help you with kickstarting the regeneration process." The beast obediently opened its mouth as I pulled out an Intermediate Healing potion.

"{TRANSFER}!" All the energy in the Boosted Gear was imbued into the one potion, increasing its potency beyond reasonable belief for a period of time at least. I dumped the now glowing potion into the Hydra's mouth as it suddenly trembled and started regrowing its heads at a visible pace, recovering 2 instantly along with most of its body. How broken.

I slumped onto the igneous rock covering the ground in exhaustion.

"Man, you really are a tough piece of meat. Alright Familiar, first order, I need you to carry me, I am too exhausted to do anything else. Names and all else can come later." The Hydra nodded and one of the heads gently wrapped me up with its tongue before depositing me on its body while I smiled wildly.

I won!

A/N: As the better dragon Takumi has to prove his mettle as the top dog around to the lesser snake. But victory doesn't come easy, especially against something as annoying as a Hydra.

But now, Takumi has access to a Hydra on demand. A Hydra whose poison even Devil's fear. And whose regeneration is strong enough to regrow heads. Do you hear? That's the rumble of Alchemic Triumph.

What did you guys think about the fight and how Takumi fought? I aimed to give Boosted Gear my own spin. Did you like it?