Chapter 105: Vampire Bats
After taking a minute to enjoy the beautiful scenery, Leo said, “Alright, let’s finally start hunting some monsters for real. We cannot allow our rank to drop any lower.”
“Before we go, let me give you a brief explanation about the monsters dwelling in this place.” Nina suddenly said.
“First is the Stone Lizard. They’re giant lizards that can use earth magic. When they see an enemy, they will cover their body using earth magic, increasing their defense significantly. Then there’s their rock spits. Just as its name implies, they will spit rocks at you. Don’t underestimate this attack because it can easily put a hole in your body. They will lean their heads back a little before they use this attack, so make sure you keep an eye on its movements.”
“Next are the Vampire Bats. They are usually found on the ceiling. When they attack, they will dive down like an eagle right before it catches its prey. However, that’s not what’s dangerous and annoying about them. These flying bastards will drain your mana if they damage you and it’s not a small amount, so make sure you don’t let them get close.”
“Last but not least, Crystal Golems. Magic spells are ineffective against them because their bodies are made from Magic Absorbing Crystals. I avoided them the last time I was here so I don’t know much about their attacks.”
“Magic Absorbing Crystals? Is that what they use to make Magic Absorbing Dummies?” Leo asked.
“Yes, among other things.”
“Then I should probably gather some of their material.” Leo mumbled to himself.
Sometime later, they entered the cavern and began looking around for monsters. Even though the cavern was underground with no source of sunlight, it was not completely dark in there for some reason.
It didn’t take long before they encountered their first B-Rank monster in this cave, and it was a group of Vampire Bats.
There were three of them in total, each the size of an adult bald eagle, their height around 30 inches with a wingspan of around 7 feet. Their wings also looked quite sharp, especially the edges.
Nina quickly summoned her skeleton mages to try and shoot them down because they were flying in the air at a height that Leo couldn��t reach with his sword.
However, the Vampire Bats were very agile with quick reaction times, allowing them to react and dodge the projectiles.
“Wait, Nina. Stand next to me and let them come down.” Leo said to her a few moments later.
“Alright…” Nina didn’t question his decision and immediately unsummoned the skeleton mages before hiding behind Leo.
Shortly after the skeleton mages were gone, the Vampire Bats flew into action and plunged at Leo and Nina with the tip of its wings pointing in their direction.
Leo waited until the Vampire Bats were close enough before he suddenly moved.
He swung his sword at the Vampire Bat in the front, slicing right through its wings that were as strong as steel, almost as though it was nothing more than a piece of paper.
The other two Vampire Bats were shocked when they saw how effortlessly Leo seemed when he killed their companion, but they were already in a diving motion and almost in front of Leo because they all moved at the same time.
After killing the first Vampire Bat, Leo immediately maneuvered his sword for the second strike, then the third, and in the blink of an eye, Leo had cut down all three Vampire Bats.
Due to his passive skill ‘Weak Enhanced Senses’, he was able to see the Vampire Bats movements very clearly and even time his attacks with their movements perfectly.
“Wow, their wings are as sharp as a sword…” Leo inspected their corpses after killing them.
And he continued, “I’m actually kind of curious… Will their mana draining effect work even if they’re dead? If so, how much mana will it drain?”
“The draining effect works even if they’re dead.” Nina said.
“As for how much it will drain… Why don’t you try it for yourself?”
“Is it safe?”
“As long as you have enough mana.” She nodded.
“Alright, I’m going to try it.” Leo couldn’t resist his curiosity and deliberately made a small cut on his finger with the Vampire Bat’s wing.
He then watched as his mana decreased from 17,000 to 7,000 in the blink of an eye.
“Holy shit! That drained half of my mana!” Leo immediately stepped away from the Vampire Bats with a shocked look on his face.
“Now you know firsthand why they’re so dangerous.”
“…”
Leo stared at the Vampire Bat’s wings with a pondering face.
“Hey, do you think it’s possible to make a weapon using their wings?” He suddenly asked.
“Huh?” Nina looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“If I can turn their wings into a weapon, I’d have a mana draining weapon!”
Nina pondered to herself for a moment before speaking, “I think it’s possible. After all, it’s common practice to use monster parts to create artifacts with certain effects and attributes. The Magic Absorbing Dummy, for example, is made mainly from Magic Absorbing Crystals, which can either be mined from caves or harvested from Crystal Golems.”
“However, you’ll need a lot of materials to create a weapon.”
“That’s great! How many do you think I will need to craft a weapon?” Leo then asked.
“A few thousand at the very least,” she immediately responded.
“F-Few thousand at the very least…?” Leo was taken aback, as he was not prepared to hear such a large number.
“I was thinking a few hundred at most, but to think it’s a few thousand…”
“If it’s that easy to craft a weapon, there would be an abundance of them by now.” Lilith chuckled.
“I guess I’ll have to give up on crafting a weapon for now, but I will still collect their wings just in case I need them. I can probably turn them into throwing stars or something.” Leo said as he severed the Vampire Bats’ wings before tossing them into his Spatial Ring.