A common aquatic magic creature that inhabits the muddy ground beside ponds or watersides.
They camouflage half of their bodies in the mud as stones, lying in wait to assault unsuspecting prey.
Omnivorous, they pose no threat if not approached, but once their pincers latch onto prey, they will not let go until they've alternately snipped their prey into bite-sized pieces.
An adult can grow to the size of an average human, its pincers strong enough to sever a grown man's thigh.
"Is it over there..."
In the distance, the shimmering surface of a small plains' pond reflected the last gleam of the setting sun.
The location was also mentioned by the two kind-hearted girls to the Hero, not to pinpoint where to kill magic creatures, but to remind her to avoid this area.
The two recently discovered mud crabs rank as the most powerful magic creatures on this prairie.
Though not terribly strong, they still couldn't be compared to Goblins, so adventurers would warn each other to make sure newcomers knew to stay clear of this place.
The Hero swallowed hard and stealthily approached the pond.
She soon identified her target.
At first glance, they were easily overlooked, but a closer look revealed two stones that stood out, probably the backs of the mud crabs.
The bluish-gray shells gleamed toughly in the sunset, making the Hero doubt the effectiveness of her fists.
Like yesterday, she carried no weapon, relying only on her fists, which seemed unlikely to crack open those hefty shells.
Yet, transforming into the Big Snake seemed no more capable of suffocating them...
[Hero's Next Action—]
1. The usual, throw rocks
Strength: 18 (Crab Claw Piercing +2)
Constitution: 15 (Crab Shell Armor +3)
The two mud crabs, about half the Hero's height and peacefully half-buried next to the pond, were perfectly still like stones.
Despite their level surpassing that of the surrounding low-level area, they were not seen as threats by adventurers due to their nature of not assaulting humans unless ventured too close.
With slow movements, they lived off of ambushing animals that came to drink from the pond.
As for those who didn't do their homework and disregarded warnings, if not here, their end elsewhere was inevitable; let them be.
"Indeed, there are two..."
The Hero's heartbeat quickened; facing Goblins she could ignite with righteous fury, but with ordinary magic creatures, her determination wasn't as steadfast.
However, with only two crabs, even if defeated after transforming, escaping should still be possible, right?
"Alright, here goes!"
The Hero took a deep breath, transformed, shaking off her dress.
A primal urge instantly filled her mind, and a Green Snake burst out from behind a stone, assaulting the two mud crabs.
[Hero LV9 (Green Snake)]
Beast Spirit Magic Power: 190 (current Boss battle consumes 5 per turn)
[Hero's Assault (Agility +28)]
D100+28=d100(61)+28=89
[Mud Crab's Counterattack (Perception less than a third of Hero's Agility, -30, D2)]
2d70=d70(7)+d70(5)=12
Blissfully settled by this pond, the two had no way of dreaming—although they don't dream—that one day they would be attacked out of the blue by a Big Snake,
after all, crabs typically aren't part of a snake's diet.
But a Hero bereft of reason and overwhelmed by animal instinct would not spare these two sluggish mud crabs.
The Green Snake swiftly approached a crab, coiled, and lashed out. Its tail, like a steel whip unstitched, hit the immobilized mud crab with a fierce sound of tearing air.
[Hero's Stealth Attack successful, activated Skill: Sacrifice]
[Mud Crab suffered instant-death damage]
[Hero killed Mud Crab LV9]
Like a supersonic whip shattering a rock, the snake's tail instantly smashed the bluish-gray shell, scattering the crab's messy insides all around.
After all, this was the periphery of a city, only the lowest-level magic creatures inhabited, and if any high-tier demons emerged, they would be promptly handled by the Adventurer Guild and the City Guard.
While low-level monsters remained a considerable danger to the average person, with proper preparation, hunting them was relatively easy.
Only after its mate fell dead did the other mud crab finally react; extracted itself belatedly from the mud, and angrily swung its pincer at the Big Snake.
[Hero's Dodge (Stiffened from Sacrifice, no Agility bonus)]
The crab's attack wasn't particularly fast; these creatures were not known for agility.
But the Big Snake, who had just delivered a lethal strike to one crab, found itself frozen in place.
The agonizing pain from the tail caused the Green Snake to tense up, momentarily unable to move.
Its attack had been akin to using flesh to whip stone; phenomenal in effect, but greater force meant greater reaction, pain was expected,
and the stiffness from the full-force attack left her no choice but to watch helplessly as the crab's pincer closed in.
[Hero's Dodge Extreme Failure! The Hero was caught by the crab claw]
[Mud Crab's attack dealt maximum damage, causing Armor Break to the Hero]
[Mud Crab inflicted 20 points of damage on the Hero]