Reincarnated as a Mushroom?

Chapter 17: The Storm Hawks Wrath

The environment carried substantial pressure. The battlefield's remnants remained visible across the ground where crushed plants mixed with broken rocks and persistent dust particles refused to disappear. Yuno stayed concealed while his body shook from the effort to understand what was happening. His fear of the mages had already reached its peak before something even more threatening appeared.

A dreadful force stood as an imposing presence above all of them. Yuno initially doubted whether the sound was genuine or simply a wind illusion. A deep piercing cry cut through the sky with a metallic tone. The sound cut through the air like metal and made his nonexistent body tremble.

The two mages froze in place. Their faces which had shown confidence before now displayed clear signs of discomfort. The two mages raised their eyes to scan the sky for the source of the noise. The mage with long hair tightened his fists.

"Tch. The long-haired mage spoke quietly to his companion "It's here before its expected arrival time."

His bald companion cursed under his breath. "Damn mercenaries must've failed. We had given them substantial payment to maintain that thing under control.

Yuno carefully moved his position to see past the broken rock that concealed him. His eyes tracked their line of sight until he saw the sight which paralyzed his entire body.

A colossal creature flew through the sky while its shadow passed over the clouds. The descending creature revealed its distinct features after it descended from the sky. The creature possessed enormous wings which spread out while its feathers displayed an unnatural shimmering effect. The flames that covered its body were not mere decorations but an integral part of its structure as the creature beat its wings. The bird focused its eerie luminescent eyes on the mages descending below.

A system notification appeared before Yuno's eyes.

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📜 SYSTEM MESSAGE 📜

🔥 [Fire-storm Hawk] LV.47 🔥

⚠️ Appraisal Failed ⚠️

🔒 Level is too low!

⚠️ Appraisal Failed ⚠️

🔒 Level is too low!

⚠️ Appraisal Failed ⚠️

🔒 Level is too low!]

---

Yuno's entire body stiffened. Level 47?! That was more than double his current level! Even the mages, who were much stronger than him, seemed wary of the creature.

A gust of hot wind blew through the battlefield as the Storm Hawk let out another screech, its body diving lower. The long-haired mage instinctively raised his staff, a flickering shield of ice forming in front of him. His companion did the same, though sweat dripped down his bald head.

BOOM!

A fiery explosion erupted as the Storm Hawk crashed onto the ground, sending flames and debris flying in all directions. The force of the impact hurled rocks and dirt into the air, briefly obscuring everything in a thick cloud of dust.

Yuno didn't dare move. He didn't even breathe.

As the dust began to clear, he could make out the forms of the two mages. Their ice shields had barely held up against the initial attack, but cracks had already formed in the thin barriers. The bald mage gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath as he glanced at his mana reserves.

"I'm almost out of mana," the long-haired mage admitted, his voice strained.

The bald mage's eyes darted toward his bag. "We need to recover. I'll cover you while you drink a potion."

The long-haired mage didn't hesitate. He reached into his robe, grabbing a small vial filled with shimmering blue liquid. But before he could even bring it to his lips, the Storm Hawk moved again.

With a speed that didn't match its massive size, the bird lunged forward, its talons glowing with raw heat. The long-haired mage barely had time to react.

A sharp sound tore through the air.

SLASH!

The world seemed to freeze for a moment. Yuno's eyes widened in horror as he saw what had happened. The long-haired mage's body had been sliced clean in half. His torso slid off the lower half of his body, blood spraying into the air.

His eyes remained wide with shock, mouth open as if he wanted to say something. But no words came. His upper body hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Yuno's entire mind went blank. He couldn't even process it. One second, the mage had been standing there. The next, he was nothing but a broken corpse on the ground.

The bald mage's eyes widened in pure horror. "J-Jero…?"

But the Storm Hawk wasn't done. The massive bird let out a screech, lowering its head. In one swift motion, it snatched the fallen mage's upper body into its beak and swallowed him whole.

The bald mage stumbled backward, his face turning ghostly pale. His breath came out in ragged gasps.

"Y-You damn monster…!" he spat, but his voice trembled.

The Storm Hawk turned its glowing eyes toward him, its beak dripping with fresh blood. It wasn't satisfied. It wanted more.

And the bald mage knew, he was next.

The bald mage's legs trembled as he stared at the Storm Hawk. The blood of his companion still stained the ground, fresh and steaming from the beast's attack. His mind screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move.

The Storm Hawk flapped its massive wings, sending out another burst of heat that made the air shimmer. The temperature around them was rising, and the mage could feel his skin burning just from the proximity.

He knew one thing for certain—he wouldn't survive another direct attack.

His mind raced. His mana was depleted. His stamina was nearly drained. He had no time to chant a spell strong enough to fight back. His only hope was in the emergency supplies he carried.

His hand shot toward his robe, reaching for his last resort. A teleportation scroll? No, too slow. A defensive artifact? Useless against something this powerful. His fingers brushed against the cold surface of a glass vial, and his eyes widened.

Yes. This might work.

The bald mage yanked out a high-quality potion and uncorked it in one fluid motion. Just as the Storm Hawk lunged toward him, beak wide open to swallow him whole, he threw the vial's contents down his throat.

A rush of raw energy surged through his body. His burned skin began to heal, his muscles no longer felt weak, and most importantly, his mana pool was replenished.

His eyes gleamed with newfound hope.