Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 219: Monster Hunting 5

It was almost time.

[So, I guess I need to start chuggin’.]

Walking forward, Aegis reached into her pouch, making sure she had everything she’d need. The path to the griffin was in plain sight, with the target’s most likely location up ahead, right in front of her.

[It’ll come down from the mountain, scoop up its meals, and go right back. I’ll catch it as it comes down.]

She glanced back. Without Ruby and Sapphire, Aegis was pretty well nerfed. She knew that. Which meant...

[I probably will have to use my Shadow Magic.] She stared at the village. [They probably won’t be able to tell from all the way back there, but it still feels like it could be a bad idea.]

Again, however, without her usual weapons, she would need it.

Aegis kept walking.

The village lights grew smaller behind her, shrinking into distant orange dots as she made her way toward the base of the hills. The grass here was tall, reaching up to her knees, and the wind made it sway back and forth like waves on a dark sea.

She stopped when the village was far enough that she could barely make out individual buildings.

[This should be good. Even if someone’s watching, they won’t be able to tell shadow magic from regular magic at this distance. Probably.]

It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was the best she could do. Fighting a griffin without her Charisma-scaling daggers was going to be hard enough. Fighting it without using all her tools would be suicide.

Aegis pulled the bait jar from her pouch.

The smell hit her immediately, even through the sealed lid. Pungent, earthy, with an undertone of rot that made her nose wrinkle. She’d helped make this stuff, watched Rosalie mix the bloodcaps and the animal droppings into a paste that smelled like death warmed over, and it hadn’t gotten any more pleasant since then.

[Here goes nothing.]

She unscrewed the lid and hurled the contents out ahead of her.

The bait splattered across the grass in a wide arc, glistening wetly in the moonlight. The smell intensified, carried by the wind, spreading out toward the hills like an invisible beacon.

Now she waited.

Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.

Aegis pulled out the first potion. Fire Resistance. The liquid inside was a deep orange color, almost glowing. She popped the cork and downed it in one go.

It tasted like burnt cinnamon and ash. Not pleasant, but not the worst thing she’d ever put in her mouth.

[Fire Resistance active. Good for about thirty minutes.]

Next was the Haste potion. This one was silvery, almost metallic, and it went down like liquid lightning. Her muscles tingled. Her heartbeat quickened. The world around her sharpened, colors getting brighter, sounds getting crisper.

[Haste active. Twenty minutes, give or take.]

She tucked the painkiller and antidote into her belt for easy access. Those were emergency supplies. If she needed them, she’d need them fast.

Forty seconds since she’d thrown the bait.

Fifty.

Aegis drew the blacksmith’s sword and held it ready at her side. Her eyes scanned the dark silhouette of the hills, searching for movement.

[Come on. I know you’re hungry. I left you a nice smelly present.]

Sixty seconds.

Seventy.

And then she heard it.

A distant screech, high and piercing, echoing down from the mountains. The sound of something big taking flight.

Aegis’s grip tightened on her sword.

[There you are.]

She could see it now. A shape against the stars, wings spread wide, descending from the peaks with terrifying speed. It was still far away, maybe a minute out, but it was coming.

Coming straight for her.

Aegis exhaled slowly, centering herself.

[Don’t panic. You’ve beaten these things in 2D hundreds of times. What’s it matter that it’s in 3D this time?]

Aegis unsheathed her sword and took a few swings. Not exactly an ideal amount of time to get used to a whole new weapon-type, but hopefully ten or so swings would be better than zero.

For a moment, she stopped.

[... What a ridiculous situation.]

Here she was, about to fight a very dangerous monster just for clout. Even the most degenerate of influencers wouldn’t think of such a thing.

The griffin landed thirty feet in front of her.

It was bigger than she’d expected. The game hadn’t really done it justice. Its body was the size of a horse, covered in tawny fur that transitioned to golden feathers around its neck and head. Its wings folded against its sides, each one easily twelve feet long. Its beak was curved and sharp, designed for tearing flesh, and its eyes, those piercing yellow eyes, locked onto Aegis with predatory focus.

[Griffin - Level 67]

[Okay. That’s... higher than the thunderbear.]

The griffin screeched, the sound splitting the air, and Aegis felt her eardrums rattle.

Then it charged.

It moved fast, way faster than something that size should be able to move. One second it was thirty feet away, the next it was on top of her, talons extended, beak open wide.

Aegis threw herself to the side.

The griffin’s claws tore through the space where she’d been standing, ripping up chunks of earth and grass. Aegis rolled, came up on one knee, and slashed at its flank as it passed.

The sword bit into feathers and flesh. The griffin shrieked and wheeled around, one wing sweeping toward Aegis like a massive feathered club.

She ducked under it, felt the wind of its passage ruffle her hair, and darted back to create distance.

[Okay. Okay, I can hit it. That’s good. Just need to hit it more.]

The griffin didn’t give her time to think. It lunged again, beak snapping at her head. Aegis parried, the impact jarring her arms all the way up to her shoulders, and the force of it sent her skidding back a few feet.

[Holy shit, it’s strong.]

She used Aether Step, blinking five meters to the griffin’s right, and came out swinging. Her blade caught its hind leg, drawing a line of red across the muscle.

The griffin screamed and spun, faster than she anticipated.

Its talons raked across her right shoulder.

Pain exploded through her arm. Hot and sharp, like someone had dragged a handful of knives across her skin. She stumbled back, gritting her teeth, and felt blood start to soak into her shirt.

[Shit. Shit shit shit.]

The griffin pressed its advantage, snapping at her again. Aegis ducked, slashed upward, and felt her sword connect with something solid. The beast recoiled, blood dripping from a fresh gash on its chest.

Two solid hits. One scratch on her.

[Not great, not terrible. I can work with this.]

The griffin circled her now, moving slower, more cautious. It had learned she could hurt it. That made it more dangerous in some ways, less predictable, but it also meant it wasn’t going to just charge in blindly anymore.

Aegis shifted her grip on the sword, ignoring the throb in her shoulder.

The griffin’s eyes never left her.

[Alright, you overgrown turkey. Round two.]