Hunting Manticore

Cao Tai POV

When Violet comes back to camp it was an hour past sundown, with another scroll in her hand? Did she enroll into a secret society or something?

"Master! I have a new technique for you!" She calls.

Oh... she mugged a cultivator... I'm so proud!

"Violet where were you? Where you somewhere you shouldn't have been???"

"Of course not! I would never go against the rules!" She blushes and turns her head.

"Violet, look at me in the eyes" She looks at me and I make the most furious face I could make, "Are you lying to me?!"

Violet gasps and I swear I could see a tear in her eye, I walk up to her and smile, "It's ok Violet, I don't care where you were, come here, you big dragon"

She nods, still a little tense from what I've said, I pull her into a hug [I'm such a sado-degenarate] and she melts into my arms, "Now what are you carrying?"

Violet pulls out of my embrace slowly and producing a scroll, "The next step after the material enhancing! I can teach you now if you want!" She waves around excited, while I become a white corpse on the ground, "Are you OK, Master?"

"Just... give... me... some... TIME!!!" I yell at the end, "Also, what technique?"

Violet jumps back before flashing the scroll once more, "Oh, it's called, Material Manipulation, it helps you modify the object in your hand. The most I can do on a club is turn it into a mace though"

A club into a mace? That seems like quite a leap forward in my opinion...

"Just give me the night, and then we'll consider it tomorrow"

*

<Ding! You cultivated 1,704 units of Magical Essence in 7 Hours of sleep!>

*Your Sponser is getting angry that you aren't progressing yet, so he added something to your side quest...* [Forgot about him?]

No, I only have only one quest... and I won't be enjoying my 'Sponser' expediting it.

<You must complete your quest, Reach Cultivation Rank 3 in a week or suffer the death of Sasha>

'Woah woah! I wan't compensation!'

*The sponsor puff his cheeks but he is required to give compensation*

'Gimme 10,000 Magical and 20 Dollars for when I kill the Manticore, more information on the Manticore, 5 gold coins on the spot, and a boost on the Perk, Material Manipulation when I get a Manticore head.'

*Your Sponser laughs at how cheap you are*

5 gold coins appear in my palm and I open my eyes with a satisfied expression.

I walk out of my 'tent' to run into a pair of large comfy boobs, fighting the instinct to not poke them, I take a step back and look up, "Good morning, Violet, how are you doing an such a fine morning?"

"Are you ready to begin training?" She asks, looking down.

"Actually, I really need to kill a Wyvern or a Lesser dragon first, and kill 38 more Drowned, then we can go back to training." I say, honestly, I'd much rather train with Violet, but I don't really want to die.

Violet nods sadly, wanting to make her feel slightly better I ask, "Would you like to help me find a Manticore?"

Someone lightly taps my shoulder and I turn around, to see Sasha pouting, "Why haven't you been paying attention to me?"

I pull her into a kiss. Our tongues twirling before pulling out, "Because I know you will always be there for me~" I then pull her into another kiss, probably making Violet jealous.

"Of course I would be... *And Violet would as well...*" She mutters, I hear but pretend to not.

I pull away, turn to the horizon, and announce, "So today we are going to hunt a monster called a Manticore, which are located near mountainous regions... Hey why don't we make this a competition? Whomever finds a Manticore gets to sleep with me tonight! On your marks! Go..?" I look to where Violet and Sasha where once standing only to see dust, well... I never told them where to find me so I might as well get back here. I wonder how I'm going to call them back when they find the beast...

"AND COME BACK BY LUNCH!" I yell at the top of my lungs.

I wonder how badly they're gonna cheat. Hopefully they don't torture anyone...

*

<Lunch time>

I'm wondering if they even heard me... No! They must've! I must practice for my fight with the Manticore! Cause I feel like it will be much less willing to die, fortunately I think water illusions will be highly effective on it.

"Master! I found a Manticore! There is one roughly 15 minutes flight away!" I'm assuming Violet says, before the bush ruffles and lo and behold, there was a Violet, her wings folding away.

"It's only cause you are a dragon and can fly that you beat me..." Sasha grumbles before popping out of the bush as well.

"Hey girls! Want to have lunch or would you like to go Manticore hunting first? I heard they have delicious thigh meat!" They do right? Last I checked they were lion's and lion's are exotic, and everyone knows that exotic things always taste delicious! [This is a myth, my proof, Caviar]

"Did you make anything?" Sasha asks.

I totally forgot... but I can't tell them that, "Uhhh... we have some of yesterday's deer if your hu-"

Violet cuts me off, "Master shouldn't stoop to leftovers, Sasha should have it though, shes a dumb mutt after all."

"Am NOT! Also, I can't believe you cut off Commander like that! People used to get severely punished for doing something like that!" Sasha turns to me and winks, I respond by making my 'furious' face.

But to my surprise, Violet's eyes look in expectation of a punishment, thats sad... didn't think she was like that, "Haiz... we will decide your penance after this" I already have some ideas though.

"OK... lets go hunt some Manticore, however I'm going to attack first, is that CLEAR!?" They both nod in affirmation and Violet starts to transform into her dragon form.

I never stop marveling a dragons beauty... Violet now 50 feet tall, maybe 15 feet wide, with a wingspan thrice that, and all in purple, also her eyes are Violet when she is in that form, brighter than her scales though.

As we climb onto her back she begins to flap her wings experimentally before taking off.

*

As we arrive the landscape wasn't what I would call 'Mountaineous' but maybe it's cause I lived in a very 'Mountaineous' area in my last life and the system told me the Realm of Hou had a pretty low average elevation.

Anyway there was clearly a Manticore down there, so I silently motion for Violet to put me down. When we finally reach the ground Sasha and I get off, walking to the Manticore until we were a bowshots distance, Violet still in the sky waiting in case we need backup.

I close my eyes and begin to enhance my sword before I ask Sasha to make a water illusion on its other side to cover it's advance.

When I see a large wave form I charge at the Manticore, my bright green sword moving straight at it, still under panic, the Manticore doesn't even notice me until I jab my blade into it's neck and I hear a ding.

<You have killed your first Manticore! Here is your reward as agreed>

<Ding, you have recieved 10,000 Magical Essence, 20 Dollars, and more information on the Manticore>

I click, <View new information and a new window pops up, showing me,

{ .... (Already Read Data)

They use brute strength as well as a weak flame as their weapons usually using the flame to distract the opponent before jumping on them once their flame dies. An easy way to counter this is to take a potion of fire immunity or keep your distance. Their reaction is slightly better than the average human, nothing their hunter can't outmatch however.

The Wyvern has a thick skin that unless you have a heaven-grade sword, or a scapel, you will surely not penetrate. However, there are 2 weak points on a Manticore, one at at the bottom, if you here you must fillet the Manticore, using it's own momentum to kill it. The second one is more rare and only the most veteran Manticore killers know of, right on their foreheads, due to how the eyes are positioned giving them a (near) 360 degree range of sight their eyes are places like a fishes, but have eyelids stopping them from seeing their nuzzle. You must position either a heavy polearm or longsword in front of them and attract the Manticore into that direction, don't worry about anything else, they will run into it by themselves... usually.

(Compilators Note - Even though no sources have mentioned this, I don't think it's the best idea to attempt taming this beast) }

Interesting, then how did I manage to kill the Manticore with just the neck? Well... maybe its due to the weapon being enhanced to extreme sharpness. That would make sense...