Bulette

Bulette. An insectoid monster that lived in the southern regions, it was roughly five feet wide and could reach thirty feet in length. It possessed tremorsense, allowing it to detect slight vibrations within sixty feet. A bulette had a pair of massive jaws capable of biting through trees and tearing into prey. Its body also produced powerful acid that inflicted corrosive damage on enemies. They looked like enormous insects, with six to twelve slender legs tipped with sharp claws.

Bulettes could also launch a deadly spray of powerful acid at their enemies. If one failed to resist the acid's damage, the target would die on the spot!

Even if they survived by luck, their entire body would suffer severe corrosive damage.

And that was not the most deadly part.

More deadly still, bulettes were small pack creatures. Most moved in groups of two to five. They liked fresh meat, but they were also scavengers.

These creatures tended toward Neutral and rarely attacked on their own when they were not hunting.

But if one considered you food, your situation would become extremely dangerous!

There were not many bulettes.

They mainly operated in the southern regions and lived only in specific environments. Unless something happened, bulettes rarely left their usual territory. There were also basically no bulettes in the North, because they preferred damp, loose soil. The northern ground was far too hard due to the cold and simply unsuitable for bulette survival. That was also why the caravan guards had failed to identify the bulette!

"Leave this place first!"

Soren looked around and said gravely, "These monsters lurk underground. It's very difficult for us to detect them on our own."

"Everyone, don't split up!"

"Bulettes can sense our footsteps. They love picking off isolated prey!"

A piece of information surfaced in Soren's mind: the bulette's challenge data.

"Bulette."

"Challenge Rating 8, CR 10, possesses powerful acid spray."

"Highest attribute 20, lowest attribute 10, total attributes 80–90."

"Special Feats: powerful acid spray, corrosive damage, bite attack."

"Challenge difficulty: B+."

The bulette's Challenge Rating was even higher than that of an Abyss Marilith, because these creatures appeared and vanished unpredictably, could burrow underground, and always emerged in groups.

They had once been the professional killers of many Adventurers!

If a small Adventurer party came under their attack, the first round of powerful acid spray alone could kill members of the group.

Dealing with these insects required strong scouting and Listen abilities.

Otherwise, you needed Wilderness Survival to determine their location and avoid being ambushed.

Soren cautiously backed away.

The others seemed to realize the gravity of the situation as well. They drew their weapons and began retreating outward.

"Bulettes."

"Aren't they supposed to be rare?"

Soren carefully observed his surroundings while concentrating on the movements underground. Could the Bulette Rampage Incident have already been triggered?

"Damn it!"

"I killed these insects before, but I really never paid attention to when they went berserk."

"Or who completed the quest afterward!"

It was roughly around the same period.

Many major events had happened in this world, including the Skinning Incident, the Time of Troubles, the Ancient Red Dragon, the Giant Migration, and more. Soren simply had not had the energy to pay attention to such a minor matter as a bulette rampage. If the major events that had occurred in succession were ranked by level, the Skinning Incident was B-rank, the Time of Troubles was A-rank, and the birth of the Ancient Red Dragon was an A+-rank special event. As for something as minor as a bulette rampage, it did not even rank at E+.

Unless such an event happened right nearby, making it convenient for him to investigate and complete its quest.

Otherwise, very few people would deliberately pay attention to them.

However.

Bulettes were a very rare type of insectoid creature.

Dangerous as they were, they also possessed astonishing value!

Their shells were extremely hard and light. If a highly skilled smith handled them, bulette shells could be fashioned into armor comparable to Full Plate Armor, yet weighing only one-third as much. In many places, a suit of Bulette Armor could be worth as much as 3,000 Gold Dalers.

Even selling the materials directly could fetch 600 to 800 Gold Dalers!

But.

Only highly skilled smiths would buy them. They were useless to anyone else.

Bulette shells could only be crafted through special enchanting methods, and the resulting Bulette Armor was custom-sized. Therefore, if one could not find such a skilled smith, the only option was to remove the bulette's head shell. It was a natural +1 shield with impressive defense and corresponding Acid Resistance.

If they could kill a bulette, the reward might be even greater than killing a Marilith!

"Hiss!"

A strange sound suddenly came from the ground. As Soren and the others retreated, they saw a huge bulge rise from the grass by the roadside. Then a grotesque giant insect burrowed out from underground. It opened its mouth and pounced, biting a horse. In an instant, it tore off the horse's head. Great streams of blood gushed out, leaving only a dead horse with its head separated from its body.

Such powerful jaws!

Soren's pupils contracted as he swiftly ducked behind a large tree.

A bulette could use its powerful acid spray once per day. To low-level professionals, it was a killing move with power equivalent to Melf's Acid Arrow!

Several caravan guards nearby also scattered for cover and pulled out Heavy Crossbows.

"Cover me!"

The guard captain let out a roar and yanked the Longsword from his back. His body seemed to grow larger, and thick veins like earthworms rose along his muscular arms. His skin turned red from excessive blood flow. As he roared, another caravan guard rolled on the ground, raised a small round shield before his chest, and loaded a special crossbow bolt.

"Rage!?"

Soren's gaze sharpened as he muttered, "A Northerner Barbarian?!"

Boom.

A faint explosion rang out. The crossbow bolt struck the bulette and exploded immediately.

The bulette instantly turned its head toward the caravan guard. A series of clanging sounds followed. Aside from that explosive crossbow bolt, the other bolts all bounced off its shell. Only a few struck areas not protected by shell. As mentioned before, a bulette's shell was equivalent to Full Plate Armor, so the protection on its front was on the same level. Ordinary bows and crossbows were completely ineffective against it; only strikes to vital areas could deal effective damage.

Powerful Acid Spray!

A mass of thick, dark green liquid sprayed from the bulette's mouth. The caravan guard rolled away in a miserable scramble, but some of it still landed on him. The small round shield in his hand was easily corroded. The acid splashed onto his arm quickly ate through his Leather Armor, and wisps of green smoke rose from his flesh.

The caravan guard screamed in agony, gritted his teeth, drew his weapon, and cut a chunk of flesh from his shoulder!

Heavy Cleave!

The guard captain's eyes gradually reddened. His entire skeleton crackled loudly as he gripped his Longsword in both hands and leaped into the air, rising five meters high before bringing it down on the bulette's head!

Clang!

A sound like metal striking metal rang out.

The bulette let out a shrill screech, shaking its head as it rammed forward. The guard captain twisted aside to evade its fangs, then thrust his sword backward in a reverse grip.

The blade pierced a patch of weaker skin, and dark green fluid gushed out.

"A third-tier Warrior, a Northerner Barbarian!"

Soren had not expected the unassuming guard captain to have a professional level above ten. He spun his Scimitar once, then rolled out from behind the tree and ran around the bulette's line of sight from the side. The bulette had already used its powerful acid spray, greatly reducing the danger it posed to Soren. As long as he avoided its fangs, even taking one or two hits would not be fatal!

How could he pass up the chance to gain Slaughter Experience at a time like this?!

"Give me a crossbow!"

Soren let out a low roar. A nearby caravan guard reacted quickly and instantly threw the Heavy Crossbow in his hands over.

Whoosh!

Soren's fingers moved so fast they almost became afterimages. He loaded it in an instant and fired a bolt into the bulette's open mouth.

"Attack its lower jaw."

He tossed aside the fired Heavy Crossbow, gripped his Scimitar in one hand, and charged forward. As he passed the bulette, he suddenly bent his knees and slid beneath it, cutting a two-foot gash across the skin on its front.

Clang!

The guard captain still held the bulette's frontal attention. A pair of lower claws slashed across his chest. Fortunately, he was still wearing Leather Armor, and only a shallow bloody mark was left behind.

"Roar!"

A wild roar echoed out as the guard captain gripped his Longsword and brought it down fiercely, severing the limbs on one side of the bulette.

After passing the bulette, Soren planted one hand on the ground, rolled, and sprang to his feet without pausing for even a moment. He actually stepped on the bulette's back, took a running start, and leaped. The upright bulette stood nearly five meters tall, as high as a single-story building, with half its body still buried in the soil. Soren exerted force through his legs and launched himself upward, then gripped his Scimitar in both hands and thrust straight beneath the bulette's head!

"Die!"

Dark green blood sprayed out, and a burning pain flared across Soren's arm.

The bulette's huge body began to tremble, sway, and struggle, flinging dirt everywhere. Yet Soren did not retreat in the slightest. Instead, he clamped the bulette's head tightly between his legs to maintain his balance and fully exert his strength, then gripped the Scimitar's hilt with both hands and twisted hard! His expression became slightly savage as splattering blood fell over him, lightly corroding some of his clothes.

Boom!

A dull crash sounded.

The bulette struggled madly one last time before its enormous body collapsed.

Soren finally loosened the arm that had been gripping the Scimitar tightly. He lay on the ground, gasping violently. His arm was covered in bloody marks, and some of his flesh had already been burned by corrosion.

"It's finally dead."

He took a breath and stood up, only then noticing that while straddling the bulette's head, his thigh had been cut by the sharp edge of its shell. The wound was half a foot long, and blood poured from it in streams.

The battle had been brief.

Because a fight to the death could never be dragged out until one's strength was exhausted!

A caravan guard came over and supported the unsteady Soren. He took out some ointment, applied it to Soren's wounds, and said quickly, "Are you all right?"

"Take off your clothes first!"

"That liquid is highly corrosive. The master will treat you later!"

One seriously injured, two lightly injured.

After catching his breath, Soren tore off a strip of clothing and roughly bound his thigh before saying, "We leave now!"

"Bulettes live in groups."

"There should be other bulettes nearby. Our battle has already alerted them!"