“This...”
When they saw the empty space in front of Pandora, not only was Lan Qingyou speechless, but even the noisy Alice went quiet.
The air was thick with awkwardness. None of the witches present knew what to say to comfort her.
“Um... maybe none of the monsters currently on the giant tree are a good fit for you. Why don't you wait a few more days? Perhaps some other flying monsters are still on their way because they had a long distance to travel?”
Though she really didn't want to speak up at a time like this, as the 'Boss,' Lan Qingyou felt she had to say something.
So, she managed to squeeze out those words.
Sigh... this damn burden of reputation.
Upon hearing this, Pandora felt like she was being patronized, but she chose to believe it anyway.
After all, Lan Qingyou's words weren't wrong.
Lan Qingyou didn't know exactly how large the Kalim continent was, but she could guess based on the fact that even 【The Fool】—that guy Hells Mo—and his Mapmaking Association still hadn't finished updating the map for the entire continent.
It was worth noting that this guy, who had a talent for running away, hadn't participated in any of the major events lately.
Therefore, it would definitely take time for those flying monsters to fly over after sensing the aura of the Perching Giant Tree.
With that understanding, Pandora simply took two steps back and walked out of the magic circle.
If she had to wait, she would wait. She had research to do anyway.
“Don't be discouraged, Pandora. There will definitely be flying monsters willing to respond to your summons later.”
“Right, right! Maybe it'll be something really powerful.”
“I think it's probably because there are no fire-type flying monsters on this tree. After all, Pandora is fire-attribute.”
“Oh! You're right!”
“How could fire-type monsters possibly live on a wood-type tree?”
Though it was awkward, after seeing Pandora's reaction, Alice and the others stepped forward to comfort her with one comment after another.
“Heh... heh... thanks...”
Despite being comforted, Pandora couldn't find it in herself to be happy.
After all, everyone else got something while she got nothing; it was certainly a bit of a blow.
It wasn't that she wanted to compete or anything.
It was just like drawing a lottery ticket when you felt one hundred percent certain you'd win, only to find out you were the only one who didn't. The sense of disappointment came from realizing the winning rate wasn't actually one hundred percent.
However, it was logical that fire-type monsters wouldn't appear on a wood-type plant. After all, the attributes clashed; if one landed, it might accidentally set the whole giant tree on fire.
“Look, what's that?!”
“Wow!!!”
“A monster! Another flying monster! Run!!!”
Just as Pandora was forcing a smile to deal with everyone's comfort, chaotic shouts came from the direction of the Typhon City commercial district in the distance.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind swept in, blowing away the hats of several witches whose hats didn't have anti-drop enchantments.
Even Lan Qingyou found it hard to keep her eyes open against the wind.
“What the—”
When the wind died down slightly, Lan Qingyou opened her eyes a crack and saw a single eye with a vertical slit pupil.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey... what is this?!”
Lan Qingyou stared at the creature in front of her, her mouth agape.
Huge!
That was Lan Qingyou's only sensation at the moment.
But if you were to ask who felt it most directly, it would definitely be Pandora's group.
Right now, they were all huddled together, staring at the creature before them.
Only then did Lan Qingyou realize that the eye wasn't looking at her at all; it was looking at Pandora and her friends.
The creature was four-legged and winged, covered in dark red scales. Orange-red flames flickered around its ears, and it had a thick, powerful tail with a trident-like fork at the tip.
It was about ten meters long and three meters wide. Its head alone was a meter across. It looked incredibly robust.
“A... a fire dragon?!”
“Dragon my ass, it's just a flying lizard.”
“It's a Fire Elemental variant. The species is called Salamander. It doesn't have a name yet.”
By this time, Lan Qingyou had already checked the creature with her Magic Eye. Finding no danger, she stepped forward.
A variant.
Simply put, it was an outlier within its species, an existence to be excluded from the group. Spoon's white mouse belonged to this category.
That was why a Fire Elemental, which should normally live in groups, would appear here alone.
As for which part was mutated, Lan Qingyou couldn't be sure. Perhaps... it was those wings?
After all, no other Fire Elementals had flown over except for this one.
Though she hadn't seen any other Fire Elementals to begin with...
“I see. How are its abilities?”
Pandora nodded as she looked at the Salamander, which seemed to be staring right at her.
“Three fire spells, two combat skills. All its attributes are over a hundred. It's about a year old, and it's female.”
“Then it's you...”
Pandora's eyes lit up. She hopped onto her flying magic broom and jumped directly onto the Salamander's flaming head.
Although the flames looked extremely hot, they were nothing to Pandora.
Her actions drew gasps from the witches below.
But after seeing that she was fine, they all let go of their worries.
They even saw the big guy narrow its eyes, appearing happy that she had chosen it.
“Wait, did this guy respond to your call too?”
“That shouldn't be possible, right? Didn't you say we could only call the monsters on the giant tree?”
The witches discussed this, then all turned to look at Lan Qingyou in unison.
They had been comforting her for not having a monster, only for her to end up riding a Fire Elemental—something that sounded high-end just by the name?
And its attributes were all over a hundred. By any measure, this thing was a powerhouse, right?
“Don't look at me. If I knew what was going on, would I be standing here looking stupid?”
Understanding what they were thinking, Lan Qingyou immediately threw her hands up in surrender.
What could she do? she was helpless too.
Yes... helpless.
After all, no one could have predicted things would turn out like this.
Sigh...
With a sigh, Lan Qingyou pulled out her notebook and recorded the monster she hadn't seen before. She would copy it into her Flying Monster Encyclopedia when she got back.
“Let's go.”
“Huh?”
While Lan Qingyou was still writing, Alice had already led the witches onto their flying magic brooms.
“You're leaving already?”
“Yeah, the group chat is blowing up. Everyone's been nagging us to get back soon.”
Alice spread her hands, looking at Pandora with a face full of helplessness.
...Blowing up?
That made sense.
If she saw one of her good sisters go out and come back with a ten-meter-long giant pet, she would probably go crazy too.
Rate on N.U.
