The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 10

Basilisk. It resembles a giant lizard, but the comparison ends there. Its skin is incredibly tough, impervious to most spears and swords, and it possesses immense strength. However, the Basilisk’s greatest threat isn’t its physical prowess.

The true danger lies in the deadly poison constantly secreted from its teeth and breath, and its petrifying gaze that hardens flesh upon eye contact. These two factors amplify the Basilisk’s threat far beyond its physical capabilities.

“Are you familiar with the Basilisk?”

“Of course. You know knights of the Terra Barrier [a defensive line or region] are required to study certain texts.”

‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.’ While that exact saying might not exist here, the sentiment remains. Unlike ordinary soldiers, knights are surprisingly diligent in their studies.

They need to understand the characteristics of the monsters they face, their strengths and weaknesses, effective responses, and attack patterns. If some are confident enough to survive without this knowledge, that’s their choice, but in my opinion, Duke Jik is the only one on the Terra Barrier who can afford such recklessness.

“Still, let me reiterate, just in case. Three things to watch out for: the petrifying gaze, the poison, and the tail. A hit from that tail won’t just leave a bruise, and those jaws can easily sever a person. Everyone remembers the strategy, right?”

“Don’t worry. We value our lives. You went over it last night. We only fight battles we can win, and we can definitely win this.”

“Hearing you say that is reassuring. Renil and I will assist as best we can, so please give it your all.”

The legacy of our predecessors wasn’t limited to mages. While mages focused on creating advantageous situations, knights concentrated on one thing: killing monsters.

Their swords evolved to kill monsters more efficiently, and the accumulated experience led to optimal hunting methods for each creature. They honed their skills in actual combat while practicing combined tactics and defending the barrier. So, while the Basilisk might look down on many monsters, this is a battle where it can’t afford to be careless.

“No other monsters are visible nearby.”

“They seem to have fled to avoid the Basilisk’s hunt.”

“That’s fortunate for us.”

Crunch- Crunch-

One of its most threatening features, the giant jaws, clamped down on its prey. The corpse was torn into pieces and crushed with each movement. It was too mangled to identify, but judging by its size, even a decent spear or sword wouldn’t have penetrated it. Yet, before the Basilisk’s jaws and teeth, even tough skin was like paper. The thought of being caught in those jaws sent a shiver down my spine.

“My wisp and I will draw its gaze. Avoid direct eye contact, and you can withstand the poison unless you’re directly bitten. If you feel anything abnormal, trust your comrades and retreat. Mr. Ild will provide detoxification. And I trust there won’t be any idiots so focused on attacking that they miss the tail. Understood?”

“Yes!”

The Basilisk’s poison is so potent that even inhaling it can be fatal, and its petrifying gaze contains enough magic to turn the body to stone and kill if encountered up close. From a distance, it would only stiffen the body, but being unable to move while facing the Basilisk is a fatal risk.

However, that’s a concern for ordinary people, not for us, who possess dozens or hundreds of times more magic, surpassing their limits.

The poison spewing from its glands is threatening, but bearable as long as we aren’t directly bitten and injected. The petrifying gaze will only slightly slow our movements unless we meet its eyes directly.

Of course, if we do meet its eyes, our bodies would stiffen, if not instantly turn to stone, and the Basilisk’s powerful jaws would try to tear us apart. We can’t let our guard down.

“Sir Morito, Sir Wisp.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to cast a spell on you. Your movements might become a little faster, so be aware of that.”

“I already received Haste from Mr. Ild. I appreciate the thought, but save your magic.”

“It’s alright. It’s my unique magic, so it won’t interfere with Mr. Ild’s.”

Drawing the Basilisk’s gaze is dangerous. If we’re careful of the tail, we have to face the mouth, its biggest weapon besides poison and magic eyes. No matter how skilled they are, the probability of surviving a bite is close to zero.

Still, hoping to be of some help, I was about to engrave Bo (保 – to protect) on their armor and bodies when I paused.

‘What should I engrave?’

Sok (速 – speed), Min (敏 – agility).

Both engravings enhance movement speed, but there’s a slight difference: the difference between maximum speed and instantaneous speed. I chose Min (敏 – agility). To avoid attacks while drawing attention, instantaneous reaction speed is more important.

“Thank you.”

I’m not sure how effective it will be. I didn’t pour all my magic into it, and it’s the first time I’ve directly engraved it on someone else. As soon as I engraved it on Sir Wisp, the knights drew their swords.

“Let’s go!”

#

Morito and the knights faced the Basilisk like bullfighters facing a raging bull. While Morito and Wisp distracted it, the remaining knights stabbed their swords whenever an opening appeared. The Basilisk’s short legs couldn’t keep up with the knights’ nimble movements, and whenever the tail swung, the knights on the opposite side moved in unison, capitalizing on the time their comrades created.

The Basilisk’s body was so hard that even a sword imbued with aura [magical energy] could barely cut through its muscles. However, the sign of death by exsanguination [bleeding out] didn’t appear for no reason. No matter how large it was, it would eventually die if wounds accumulated.

Thwack-

‘I can’t let my guard down.’

This was possible because Morito and Wisp were holding the Basilisk’s attention. They were more focused and cautious than the others. A small mistake could lead to fatal consequences.

“Wisp! Retreat!”

There’s only one way to keep its attention: to be the biggest threat. So, there was a very good way.

Aim for the eyes, the Basilisk’s greatest weapon and only weakness. The problem is that it knows this and uses its eyes as bait. It would have been dangerous if he hadn’t spoken hastily just now.

‘Good. It’s going smoothly so far. Wisp’s movements are excellent. We can definitely win without casualties!’

They’ve been working together for one to five years, so I know their skills well. But today, Wisp’s movements were impressive.

‘Maybe it’s the effect of Renil’s magic.’

At first, I thought it was the Haste spell from Ild, but it was different. It wasn’t just faster movement, but improvements in dynamic visual acuity, reaction speed, and agility. Then, the Basilisk suddenly crouched down.

“Everyone get back! Venom spray!”

#

The battle was so fierce that it made my palms sweat. I was so focused on the movements, like watching a martial arts movie, that I forgot to breathe. I looked at Ild. My comrades were fighting for their lives, but Ild was also just watching.

“Mr. Ild.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t you need to help?”

“Don’t I need to help? Do you think I’m just watching?”

Then I realized that magic was constantly flowing from Ild’s hands, changing the area around the Basilisk.

“Wind!”

“If you noticed, lend me a hand. The venom spray will start soon.”

The poison from the Basilisk’s breath lingered. Despite the knights’ basic resistance, they had to breathe more heavily due to the intense movements. If the amount of poison in the air increased, they could be poisoned. I was creating wind to prevent poison from accumulating.

“Everyone get back! Venom spray!”

No sooner had Ild spoken than Sir Morito’s urgent voice rang out. At the same time, venomous smoke began to spew from the Basilisk’s body. The energy was so poisonous that it was easy to know how poisonous it was, as the inside could not even be seen.

However, Morito, knowing the Basilisk would emit venomous smoke when threatened, anticipated the spray. Fortunately, no one was caught in it.

Whoosh-

The rest was up to me and Ild. A strong wind swept through the Basilisk. It was venomous smoke, not poison flowing through the teeth. No matter how thick or poisonous, it had to be swept away. The Basilisk’s huge body would remain firmly on the ground even in a tornado, but the venomous smoke was different.

However, the Basilisk opened its mouth and rushed in as soon as the smoke cleared. I avoided it easily, but from that moment on, the Basilisk began to thrash around. The plan to attack while drawing attention was shattered, but the group moved on to the next stage.

Keeping a distance, waiting for the Basilisk’s stamina to run out, and preventing escape. I took out the pistol tied to my waist. Until now, I couldn’t use attack magic because the knights and Basilisk were too close, but now that we were trying to kill it by attrition, it was different.

“There’s no need. Sir Morito and the knights can kill it sufficiently. Don’t create variables with unnecessary actions.”

“Yes. I understand······!”

However, I hurriedly took out the pistol and fired. The Basilisk was rushing towards Sir Wisp, who had thrown himself to avoid the tail, with its jaws wide open. Sir Wisp hadn’t yet gotten up properly.

The bullet, imbued with magic, flew straight and hit the roof of the Basilisk’s mouth. The engraving was Go (固 – to harden). The Basilisk’s mouth began to harden as if hit by its own petrifying gaze.

“Heup!”

However, it only allowed a brief moment for the Basilisk, which had strong magic resistance. But the bullet had done its job. Sir Wisp safely pulled himself away, and the knights, pouring magic into their swords, climbed onto the Basilisk’s back, which was now exposed.

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 10 – End