95. The Armored Beast
Rangga’s group moved closer to the source of the sound while keeping their distance. Dust began billowing between the trees and grass.
As they got closer, the shape of a large creature behind the dust began to emerge.
Deri narrowed his eyes.
“That’s…”
Rangga watched as well.
In the middle of an open area, a Mechanical Ankylosaurus was being surrounded by several Pioneers they did not recognize. They wore equipment different from that of the Garuda group.
Deri turned to Rangga.
“What do we do?”
Rangga did not answer immediately. He watched how the Pioneers attacked and how the Ankylosaurus responded.
“Let’s watch first.”
“If they’re having trouble, then we’ll offer our help.”
Deri nodded and they moved a little closer but still did not enter the battle. In the middle of the fight—
“Dodge!”
One of the Pioneers shouted as the Ankylosaurus swung its tail.
WHAM!
The mechanical tail slammed into the ground with tremendous force. Dust and chunks of rock flew everywhere.
Two Pioneers who were too slow to dodge were caught by the sweep of the tail.
“AAARGH!”
Both were sent flying several meters and rolled across the ground.
“Get up!”
“Its hide is too tough!”
Another Pioneer drew his bow and fired several arrows at the Ankylosaurus’s head.
TANG! TANG! TANG!
All the arrows bounced off the thick armor covering its head.
“Useless! Don’t aim for the head!”
Another Pioneer tried attacking the side of its body with a spear. He ran closer and thrust his spear into a gap between the armor plates.
CLANG!
The spear only left a small scratch.
“Damn it! It didn’t even get through!”
The Ankylosaurus immediately turned its body.
“Behind you!”
The Pioneer tried to retreat but too late. Its massive tail swept toward them.
BRAAAK!
The ground shook again and several people jumped out of the way, while one Pioneer was struck by the tip of its tail and sent flying again.
“Don’t get too close!”
“Find its weakness!”
“Maybe its belly!”
Two people tried circling around the Ankylosaurus from opposite sides.
One of them waited until the creature was turning, then ran forward and slashed his sword at its belly.
CLANG!
His sword bounced off, and the Pioneer nearly lost his balance.
“What the hell?!”
The Ankylosaurus swung its tail again.
“WATCH OUT!”
He quickly rolled away.
BOOM!
The tail smashed into the ground exactly where he had been standing seconds earlier.
Dust obscured their vision and one of the Pioneers coughed while trying to see through the cloud of dust.
“We can’t get through its armor!”
“Then what do we do?!”
No one answered. They were beginning to realize that this battle was different from the creatures they had faced so far.
They had tried attacking the head, the sides, the belly, and even from behind. Nothing had produced any meaningful results.
Meanwhile, the Mechanical Ankylosaurus still stood firmly in the middle of the dust cloud, as though all their attacks were nothing more than minor annoyances.
One of the Pioneers gritted his teeth.
“At this rate, we’ll be the ones who go down first!”
Mayor Deri, who had been watching the battle all this time, finally shouted from his group.
“Hey! You guys!”
The Pioneers struggling to hold their ground immediately turned toward him.
Deri raised his hand.
“We can help!”
The group hesitated for a moment, but their situation was already becoming desperate. They eventually began retreating toward Rangga’s group.
Once they got closer, one of them asked warily,
“Who are you?”
Deri answered while keeping his eyes on the Ankylosaurus.
“We’re Pioneers from the Garuda Nation.”
The man gave a small nod.
“Sebastian. I’m from the Maple Nation.”
Deri nodded back.
“Alright, Sebastian. We’ll help you.”
Sebastian glanced at his companions. They exchanged looks for a moment before finally nodding.
Sebastian looked back at Deri.
“Alright.”
Deri then turned toward Rangga.
“Mr. Rangga?”
Rangga was still watching the Ankylosaurus slowly approaching them.
“The loot goes to them.”
He then pointed in another direction.
“But the mine is mine.”
Sebastian followed the direction of his finger. Behind several rocks, the ground was visible, with veins of mineral reflecting the sunlight.
A Vanadium Vein.
Sebastian observed it for a moment before nodding.
“Alright… We actually just happened to encounter that creature… I had no intention of taking the mine either.”
Rangga nodded.
“Deal.”
The Ankylosaurus drew closer, and Deri immediately raised his shield.
“Ready!”
Everyone took their positions again. Deri turned toward the Garuda group.
“Move.”
Then he pointed in different directions.
“Spread out!”
The Pioneers immediately moved into position and Rangga understood what Deri meant. He quickly ran sideways to get a clearer angle on the Ankylosaurus’s body.
Once he was close enough, Rangga’s eyes caught sight of the creature’s entire body.
A golden screen appeared before him.
MECHANICAL ANKYLOSAURUS ⭐⭐⭐
[TYPE: MECHANICAL HERBIVORE]
Description: A large mechanical herbivore with thick protective armor covering almost its entire body. It relies on its exceptional defense and a metal club-shaped tail to crush threats around it. Although its movements are slow, its durability makes it one of the most difficult mechanical creatures to penetrate on the savannah.
Weakness: Its movement speed is low. After swinging its tail club with full force, its balance is disrupted for several moments, opening an opportunity to attack the less-protected underside of its body.
Drops:
Impact Dampener
Flex Lining
Rangga quickly read the information, and his eyes immediately focused on the weakness.
“Mayor!”
Deri turned.
“Lure it into attacking with its tail!”
Fajar, who was already near Deri, immediately understood what he meant.
Deri nodded.
“Alright!”
He advanced first with his shield raised. Fajar moved in from the other side and The Ankylosaurus growled and began quickening its pace.
Deri slammed his sword against his shield.
CLANG! CLANG!
“Over here!”
Fajar attacked from the opposite side, while Rangga drew his bow from a distance.
Now they were no longer attacking blindly. They knew exactly what they were waiting for.
The tail swing and The Ankylosaurus swung its tail toward Deri and Fajar again.
BRAAAK!
The two blocked it with their respective shields, but the force of the impact still pushed their bodies backward and sent them flying several meters.
“Ugh!”
Fajar rolled across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
At the same time, the Ankylosaurus lost its balance for a moment after swinging its tail. Its underside lifted slightly, revealing a gap between its protective layers.
Rangga immediately seized the opportunity then he drew his bow and fired an EMP arrow.
Twang!
The arrow struck the underside of the Ankylosaurus.
But nothing happened. There was no shockwave, and its body did not stiffen. The Ankylosaurus merely shifted slightly before planting its feet firmly on the ground again.
Rangga furrowed his brow.
“Huh?”
Siska, who saw Rangga fire at the creature’s underside, immediately took advantage of the opening as well. She drew her bow and fired an explosive arrow.
Twang!
But her shot missed, and the arrow struck the ground directly beneath the Ankylosaurus’s belly.
BOOM!
The explosion sent dirt flying and lifted the Ankylosaurus’s body slightly off the ground.
Siska cursed.
“Ah, damn. My aim isn’t as good as Bang Rangga’s.”
But Rangga was focused on the explosion instead. His eyes narrowed.
He was no longer looking at the missed arrow and he was watching how the explosion from below had lifted the Ankylosaurus into the air.
Rangga began thinking.
“If it’s from underneath…”
Deri and Fajar finally got back up. Fajar was still holding his shield while catching his breath.
He looked at the Ankylosaurus, which was still standing firmly.
“It’s still alive?”
Deri also sighed.
“That attack barely affected it.”
Fajar looked at Rangga.
“Bang, that thing’s hits are no joke.”
Rangga continued watching the Ankylosaurus.
“Try it one more time.”
Fajar immediately stared at him.
“Huh? Again?”
Rangga nodded.
“I’ve got an idea.”
Fajar rubbed his chest, which still felt tight.
“Bang, seriously?”
“I blocked that thing with my shield earlier, and my chest still hurts.”
Rangga remained calm.
“That’s why we only need to do it one more time.”
“You and the Mayor lure it in.”
Deri understood what Rangga meant.
“Alright.”
Fajar looked at Deri, then back at Rangga.
“It better work.”
He raised his shield.
“This is still a human body, Bang.”
Rangga chuckled briefly.
“Yeah, so don’t die.”
Fajar shook his head and took a deep breath.
“Fine.”
Deri took his position in front again, while Fajar stood on the other side.
They exchanged glances before advancing together toward the Ankylosaurus.
Rangga drew his bow again. This time, he did not aim at the creature’s body.
He waited.
He waited for that tail to rise again, waited for the opening to appear, and waited for the chance to put his idea into action.