Chapter 160: This Damn Labyrinth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: This Damn Labyrinth
“Hey, Roland. You alright?”
“Never better.”
“Your nose is bleeding, though.”
“It’s a side effect of this young body. If I were in my original form, I could’ve gone at least thirty more rounds.”
Gadel, who had been standing some distance away, had tracked Roland’s approximate location by watching Yoo Eon’s movements. After Gerick used his Sound Wave Detection Skill to pinpoint Roland’s exact position, Gadel had moved in to retrieve him.
“So, what do you think? Does he have a chance?”
“I’m not sure.”
Gadel hoisted Roland onto his shoulder and asked if Yoo Eon could actually defeat the Megido Serpent, an Irregular Entity. Even Roland couldn’t say for certain.
However, he possessed the intuition of a veteran explorer built over many years—even if he currently looked like a young child.
“The Labyrinth decides. It decides who dies, where, and how.”
“…Tsk. Still got that bad habit of yours, I see.”
“Old habits die hard, even when you’re ten again.”
“Is time flowing backward for you or something?”
Despite his grumbling, Gadel agreed with Roland’s sentiment. Whether Yoo Eon lived or died here on the 30th Floor would ultimately be decided by the Labyrinth’s whims.
“Let’s just watch.”
Roland said, burying his face against Gadel’s back.
“Don’t wipe your nose on my robe. The color fades every time I have to wash it.”
* * *
—Cr-cr-crack…
A surge of power, unlike anything I’d ever felt, coursed through my entire body. Queen Arachne’s muscle fibers, which strengthened in proportion to the amount of mana circulating through them, writhed as if they were ready to tear apart anything they could get their hands on.
And there was something else.
‘What on earth is this?’
The Dragon Heart was throbbing more violently than ever before. As if to say that its previous performance had been mere child’s play, it incessantly gathered mana and pumped it throughout my body.
The Dragon Heart was a structure distinct from a Mana Core or a regular heart. The Blue-Horned Deer’s horn, which served as the vessel for this mana, was now burning fiercely, filled to the brim with Tenebrax’s violet-blue mana.
—Rumble…!!
The Megido Serpent prowled through the churning waters with a massive tremor. The current was fast and the surroundings were deafening, making it difficult to track the creature’s location. Suddenly, it appeared before my eyes, its maw agape. It gathered mana in its throat and spat it forward.
—BOOM!!!
A powerful water cannon, fired like a beam of light by the creature’s mana. Its power didn’t diminish just because it was underwater. In fact, in an environment filled with water, the serpent’s destructive power was significantly amplified.
“Ugh…!”
The mass of water, curving like a snake, struck me head-on. Carrying hard minerals and heavy stone fragments, it hit me with the force of a natural hydraulic cutter.
An indescribable impact slammed into the shield in my left hand. Despite Queen Arachne’s strength being heavily bolstered by the awakening of the Dragon Heart, it was all I could do to hold the shield forward with everything I had.
‘Where’s the next one?’
Queen Arachne’s short-term Future Sight, the Umbra Valkyrie’s weakness detection, and the Direwolf Alpha’s mana-sensing vision all opened simultaneously.
‘Left…!’
I moved quickly, kicking through the lake water by swinging my tail, which I had crudely fashioned to mimic a fin. With my increased strength, I could move fast even underwater… but ultimately, this was the creature’s domain.
High-pressure cannons curved in unpredictable directions, and the crushing pressure of the water constantly hindered my movement.
If I couldn’t get close, I couldn’t attack. I had no idea what kind of backlash the Evil Eye’s beam would cause here. A Fireball seemed equally problematic. In that case…
‘I still have the Lizardman’s spears.’
Lizardmen were naturally aquatic creatures. The spears crafted from their molted scales were shaped to maintain speed and travel straight even underwater.
“Hup…!”
I attempted a spear throw for the first time in a while. I drew a Lizardman’s spear from my fingertips and aimed using the vision enhanced by Future Sight and weakness detection.
—CRASH!!
The Lizardman’s spear tore through the current with a loud roar. But a spear from a low-grade monster was just that. As it tried to pierce through the water that ground everything in its path like a blender, it was instantly pulverized.
While I was fumbling, the Megido Serpent continued its assault. However, as my strength returned, I was able to use Future Sight to read the trajectory of its attacks to some extent.
—Rumble…!!
Even as we entered each other’s attack range, the stalemate continued, with neither of us able to land a decisive blow.
‘Wait, maybe this will work…’
I unfurled my wings, which I had tucked away as they were useless for swimming. Then, using my mana-enhanced strength, I rapidly churned the lake water, releasing a dark, murky purple dye into the depths.
‘I don’t expect this to kill it, but…!’
It was the toxic spores of the Poison Mushroom. I didn’t know if they would function properly underwater, but they had been enhanced by the mana of a high-ranking monster. You never knew. Moreover, the darkening lake water provided an effective smokescreen.
The downside was that my own vision was obscured, but the creature wouldn’t be able to pinpoint my location either.
‘It’s working.’
As the surrounding water turned purple, I could finally see how the currents were moving. I swung my tail fin in the direction of least resistance, advancing while constantly staying out of the creature’s line of sight.
When the distance between us was barely a hundred meters.
‘It’s a gamble. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, no harm done…!’
I conjured several extremely empowered Fireballs behind my back. The moment the high-heat Fireballs touched the lake water—
—BOOOOOOM!!!!!
An explosion massive enough to paralyze my hearing erupted, hurtling toward the Megido Serpent. I had my exoskeleton to shield me from the blast, but for the Megido Serpent, this water was its shield.
But what if I exploded the very water acting as its shield…!
—Grrrr…!!
For a split second, I locked eyes with the Megido Serpent. Reacting quickly, I opened the eyelids embedded with the Evil Eye, causing the creature to flinch for a moment. And that was more than enough.
—Whoosh!
Dozens of Fireballs erupted from my fingertips. The violet-blue flames were summoned underwater, becoming bright points of light before detonating.
— — — !!!!!!
Fortunately, I retracted everything before my gills could be cooked or my eardrums ruptured. By curling my body and bracing for the aftermath of the steam explosion, I minimized the damage.
What about the Megido Serpent?
‘Shit… did that even work?’
Seeing the scales on its snout scorched and peeling, it definitely took a hit… but the light in its eyes hadn’t faded. If I could repeat that attack three or four more times, I might deal significant damage, but the creature wasn’t stupid enough to let itself get hit by the same trick repeatedly.
Arachne’s webs were useless underwater. What about the Lich’s phantasm attack? I couldn’t control it properly yet, so it was too dangerous a gamble. I couldn’t even be sure it would work on the Megido Serpent.
For a creature that had gone berserk, this Megido Serpent was far too rational. It seemed to realize that I was currently pouring all my strength into just maintaining my physical form.
‘Let’s do this. This is the only way.’
I knew I could withstand the explosions to some extent. I just had to be careful not to let my gills get cooked by the heated water and keep my eardrums protected.
—Bang! Boom!!
Using the propulsion from the Fireballs detonating behind me, I launched myself forward. I sliced through the current with my Aura Blade, advancing rapidly. I didn’t forget to use Future Sight to dodge the serpent’s gaze while scattering toxic spores to create a veil.
The distance closed in an instant. Gripping my sword with all my might, I twisted my body and lunged with a powerful thrust.
—Squeltch!
The blade sank deep into the creature’s flank. As I twisted and turned the embedded sword, the Megido Serpent began to writhe in agony.
‘Hold on…!’
I retracted my shield and, with my free left hand, summoned the maw of a Colossal Croco—which possessed tons of biting force—and clamped down hard on the creature’s body. This allowed me to anchor myself perfectly, and I used my right hand to pull the sword out and stab it back in, over and over again.
The Megido Serpent swam with terrifying intensity. It twisted and turned its body as if trying to shake off a parasite, but I held on until the end.
Eventually, the creature slammed its body against the lake floor and began to rub itself against the ground…
‘Ugh…! My arm!’
My left arm was weaker than the crocodile’s biting force, and it was torn clean off. The current rushing into the raw skin felt like it was grinding away at the wound, slowing the healing process and causing blood to drain rapidly.
But this was fine. The more blood I lost, the more the Bleeding Berserk ability would activate.
—Flash!
A red magic circle began to glow on the left side of my chest. I felt a surge of vitality and strength coursing through me.
The creature had dug a deep trench by rubbing against the ground, leaving me buried in the silt. Fortunately, I was able to sprout Queen Arachne’s legs and pull myself out.
But the moment I poked my head above the churned-up earth.
‘What—’
—SLAM!!!!!!
Hard teeth collided with a bone-crushing force. The creature, which had been waiting for me to crawl out of the hole, had snapped its jaws shut the moment it saw my face, dragging me and the surrounding seabed into its maw.
—Cr-cr-crack…
The roof and floor of its mouth were densely packed with hard spikes. I couldn’t even retreat down its throat to avoid the teeth. The biting force of a massive sub-dragon species, whose body length exceeded hundreds of meters, was a monstrous power that couldn’t even be compared to a mere seven or eight-meter Colossal Croco.
—Grind…
The Arachne exoskeleton covering my body began to groan and buckle. The muscle fibers filling the inside of the exoskeleton strained desperately before snapping one by one, and strength began to drain from my body.
The teeth were hard. I could try to twist and pull them out, but in my current state, I lacked the strength.
Hundreds of teeth, sharp as honed awls, pressed down on my exoskeleton armor, digging into the joints.
“Aaaaaagh…!!”
I layered more exoskeleton onto my back to slow the crushing and extended both of my recovered arms forward, struggling to push back against the spiked roof of the creature’s mouth.
“Fuuuuck—!!!”
The teeth dug into my palms. But the pain wasn’t the main issue. I was losing the battle of strength.
I couldn’t stop the creature from closing its maw and turning me into a pincushion with its spiked palate.
The muscle fibers lost their strength, snapping one after another like the strands of a fraying rope.
—Snap…
Of the eight gills that had grown on my flanks, five lost their function after being tumbled around inside the creature’s mouth.
Oxygen was running low.
The remaining muscle fibers lost their power.
The exoskeleton was so compressed that I couldn’t summon new muscle fibers inside it.
Since we were so close, maybe this would work? I incessantly spat out Queen Arachne’s highly toxic paralytic webbing from my body.
No effect.
What about the Poison Mushroom’s toxic spores?
No effect.
Risking my own body being blown apart, I conjured Fireballs.
The Megido Serpent’s biting force lessened for a moment, but the damage to myself was too great.
The Evil Eye’s mana beam?
It melted a few teeth pointed at my face, but it didn’t have a significant effect.
So, what now?
‘I don’t have enough strength.’
There was no power left in my arms. Both arms were tattered, and the exoskeleton was cracked and splintered.
I couldn’t replenish the muscle fibers. Blood continued to pour out.
The activation of Bleeding Berserk was becoming meaningless. Ultimately, if I couldn’t supply oxygen to the muscles, no amount of enhancement would matter.
If only I had more arms.
That’s it.
“God dammit…!!”
Arms sprouted from my back. They were the arms of an Orc, lacking an exoskeleton or exceptional musculature.
It wasn’t enough.
Another Orc arm sprouted from my left flank. It began to push against the floor of the mouth.
One more from the back of my neck. It protected my neck from being pierced.
One more on the right flank. One more next to the left thigh.
One more from the stomach.
One more from the chest.
Through the activation of Bleeding Berserk and Arachne’s mana-muscle enhancement, the Orc arms were now capable of producing significant force. They began to sprout from all over my body.
I used Arachne’s eight legs as well. There was no more empty space on my body.
In that case, I would just sprout new arms on top of the existing ones.
—Cr-cr-crack…
The spiked roof of the mouth began to lift slowly.
“Gwaaaaaagh…!!!”
Dozens of arms sprouting from my entire body prevented the creature’s maw from closing.
I forced my prone body upright, and then again.
This time, my legs lacked the strength.
More legs sprouted.
Now that my limbs were holding firm, it felt like my spine was going to snap.
I added eight more powerful spines around my own. Now, oxygen was the problem. There were too many organs in my body consuming muscle power.
My nerves felt like they were on fire. Dozens of arms I’d never had before were all demanding commands from my brain, causing an overload.
Once the pressure was gone, the exoskeleton finally began to recover.
Arms upon arms, legs upon legs. My body gradually swelled in size, prying the Megido Serpent’s maw open with sheer mass of flesh. New skeletons grew over old ones, and layers of skin were added upon skin.
—Grrrr…!!
I digested the Wild Boar fat I had in storage, burning it for calories, and used the Snowfield Troll’s blood to restore my gills. The eight gills that had felt like too many now felt just right. I sensed the Megido Serpent’s panic.
I could feel it. The Bleeding Berserk ability had boosted my strength dozens of times over.
My head felt foggy. But surprisingly, it was still functioning.
—Rumble!!!
The Megido Serpent slammed its jaw against the ground, shattering the earth in an attempt to crush me, but I still had more arms to spare.
—Crack…!
Another arm grew over the newly sprouted ones. The corners of the Megido Serpent’s mouth, forced open to their limit, began to tear.
“I’ll make sure you never close your mouth again.”
In my right hand, which had recovered at some point, I held a greatsword imbued with a noble, flickering violet aura.
The limbs sprouting from all over my body hindered my movement, but it didn’t matter.
Just a light swing of my right hand would be enough to cut the creature down.
“Die.”
* * *
From within the Megido Serpent’s forced-open maw, a vertical strike occurred that seemed to split the very earth.
— — — — — — !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In a split second, a violet-blue strike passed through like a flash of lightning, and the long, massive body was split in two.
The strike was so powerful that billions of tons of lake water were cleaved in half, losing control and pouring out onto the land.
—Rumble…!!
The lake water, having lost its magical support, seeped back into the ground, leaving only the pathetic remains of the halved Megido Serpent behind.
From within the wide-open maw, something crawled out.
A grotesque tangle of various creatures’ arms and legs attached to a human body. A patchwork of flesh and bone.
“Phew. Nothing beats breathing with lungs.”
With a grotesque, grinding sound of bone and flesh, the dozens of limbs retreated back into Yoo Eon’s body.
He walked weakly and sluggishly to retrieve his left arm and the Colossal Croco’s mouth still embedded in the Megido Serpent’s body, absorbing them back.
Then, he began to crunch and swallow the Megido Serpent’s massive head.
“I guess I’ll just eat this from now on.”
Starting from the head, Yoo Eon devoured the entire long, worm-like body before lying down on the damp ground.
“This damn labyrinth. I survived another day.”