Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: First Named: The Blood Angler (1)
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Screeeech!
"Hah."
After entering the citadel and taking down the chimeras that appeared sporadically, I quickly noticed something different from other Elite Dungeons.
"All the monsters are chimeras."
An Elite Dungeon named the 'Citadel of Aspero'.
My guess is that this dungeon, much like the forward base, is a stronghold for the demon race. Aspero is probably the name of the demon who rules this place.
But there were no ordinary demons in sight. The only things roaming inside the citadel were chimeras.
From the dog-like chimeras I saw at the forward base to flying types and even bipedal ones. Was this less a demon's citadel and more a chimera's?
Chimeras, lacking intelligence, couldn't possibly have a structured system. They had no set patrol routes and didn't call for allies. Thanks to that, the path to the first tower wasn't difficult.
Before long, I reached the shortest of the three towers I had seen from the outside.
The space inside the tower was quite wide. It was clearly large enough to be a fitting arena for a named monster battle.
"Looks like the first named battle will happen here."
I gripped my sword tightly and tensed my body.
The first tower wasn't that tall—about three or four stories in real-world terms. However, the ceiling on the first floor was incredibly high. It seemed each floor was designed with ample vertical space.
When I finally stepped fully inside the tower, an unexpected sight unfolded before my eyes.
"Gasp."
Squirming, writhing. That would be the perfect way to describe it.
From floor to wall, packed tightly together, were hundreds, thousands of eggs filling the entire level. No, were they even eggs? Cocoons?
Some looked like actual eggs, while others were fleshy masses in the shape of eggs.
They were connected to a vast, thin layer of flesh spread across the floor, squirming together as if they were a single organism.
The entire space was damp and humid.
I cautiously approached them, organizing my thoughts.
Countless eggs and cocoons. A humid tower interior. A citadel filled with chimeras.
Putting it all together, it wasn't hard to deduce the meaning of the sight before me.
"A chimera hatchery."
So, this is where the chimeras are mass-produced.
The lower levels of the other two towers probably look similar.
However, I couldn't find entrances to the medium and tallest towers. It was designed so that you could only move to the next tower via a bridge connected to the top of the shortest one.
Opposite the entrance I came through, I could see a staircase leading to the upper floor of this tower. To get there, I had to pass through the space filled with chimera eggs.
With this kind of level design, there was one predictable pattern. If I got too close to a cocoon on the verge of hatching, it would trigger all connected chimeras to awaken at once.
If so, this section was actually more dangerous than the named monster. No matter how much stronger I'd become, it was uncertain how long I could last against such a massive number of chimeras.
How should I get to the stairs?
Poke, poke.
I poked a small, isolated egg near the entrance. Judging by its pale color and small size, it didn't seem like it would hatch right away.
"Oh."
As expected, poking the small egg didn't cause it to hatch.
Then, what about the cocoons?
I cautiously approached a large cocoon that was a little separated from the others.
Screeeech!
When I was about three meters from the cocoon, a chimera hatched. A single flying chimera, which looked somewhat like a bat, flew swiftly toward me.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
I lured the chimera toward the entrance, dealt with it, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew, that was a surprise."
It has more HP than I thought. It was even tougher than the chimeras outside.
I see, so this section wasn't designed for me to wake them all up and fight.
Only then could I grasp the overall structure of the level at a glance.
The eggs and cocoons were indeed packed so tightly there was no room to step, but there were also sections where relatively smaller eggs were clustered together.
These clusters of smaller eggs formed a path that, conveniently enough, led all the way to the stairs for the next floor.
"Aha."
I just have to map out the aggro range of the cocoons about to hatch and follow the path of small eggs to the upper floor, making sure not to enter it.
Although it looked incredibly bizarre and dangerous, when you looked at it this way, it wasn't a difficult section at all. In fact, avoiding the scouts at the forward base was harder.
The layout might change on future runs, but based on the current arrangement of cocoons, I should be able to get to the stairs easily.
I started walking with vigor.
Thump, thump, walking confidently.
No, I should still be careful, just in case.
Tiptoe, tiptoe.
"Made it."
I safely passed the stairs and ascended to the tower's upper floor.
Just as I thought, the shortest tower was composed of an upper and lower level.
If the other towers are all like this, the trash mob sections will be easy to get through.
On the upper floor of the tower, the countless eggs and cocoons from the lower level were gone.
A clean space. But the humid air remained.
This must be the first named monster's lair.
Given the structure of a dungeon filled with chimeras, it wasn't hard to guess what form the named monster would take.
"Something like that."
I stared up at the high ceiling.
There, I caught a glimpse of a monstrous creature's form, hidden in the darkness.
Kaaak.
A low, monstrous cry echoed.
The forms and cries of chimeras varied depending on what creatures they were based on. But the cry I just heard sounded just like...
"Something out of a kaiju or dinosaur movie."
Mhm, I nodded in understanding.
Just as I reached the center of the tower's upper floor, the shape in the darkness moved.
Thud.
A giant, red mass of flesh appeared before my eyes in an instant.
"Oh."
I thought it sounded like a dinosaur roar from some movie, and it really does look like a dinosaur, doesn't it?
Its two massive legs were planted firmly on the ground, and a long, powerful tail supported its body, providing balance.
The only difference from a dinosaur, however, was the lack of forelimbs. Had they atrophied? Being a chimera, it wasn't necessarily based on a dinosaur.
Its body was like a dinosaur's, but its head was reminiscent of an anglerfish. Its jaw, filled with sharp teeth, looked ready to crush and tear apart anything that entered it.
What a bizarre creature. Anyway, since its head is like an anglerfish, should I just call it that?
I soon confirmed my thought was correct via the named monster status interface that appeared before my eyes.
The giant anglerfish, now fully revealed, let out a monstrous roar.
Kaaaaaaak!
[First Named]
[Level 40 Blood Angler]
[HP 4,000,000 / 4,000,000]
*
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
I excitedly unleashed Starfall Slash at the giant anglerfish's torso. Just as expected of a giant named monster; unlike a swift humanoid like Zarkan, it made for an excellent punching bag.
Kaaaak!
The anglerfish shrieked, opened its massive mouth, and slammed it down toward me. *Crash, crash!* Moving quickly, I had no trouble evading the barrage of bites.
It was trying to swallow my small body in one gulp. Its sharp teeth also looked perfect for chewing me to bits.
Judging by the attack's form, it was unblockable. And it was quite fast. But not so fast that I couldn't dodge it.
On its next slam attack, I tried a counterattack, moving behind it.
Clang!
The moment I used the counter, I blocked the anglerfish's tail as it swung around instantly, breaking into a cold sweat.
It was a similar attack style to the first named monster in the Tomb of the Lesser Demon, the wyvern. But unlike the wyvern, which turned its whole body to swing its tail forward, this thing swung its tail without even looking back at me after I got behind it.
A rear attack pattern, huh? This is similar to the demon.
Anyway, as long as I know about it, it's not a threat.
The early phase is for reconnaissance. I'll check its normal patterns one by one.
The anglerfish, having locked onto me again, suddenly coiled its body tightly.
A body spin pattern.
Clang!
As I used Guard, two powerful impacts struck my sword in quick succession.
Two full rotations. A perfect pattern to trigger a Just Guard.
Kaaaaaaak!
The anglerfish opened its massive mouth again and slammed it down at me. *Crash, crash!*
I can't let any attacks hit. In this game, once you're in an Elite Dungeon, HP doesn't mean much. It's just the difference between dying in one hit or being left near death.
I'll deal damage while dodging its normal patterns and hold off on using counterattacks for now.
The anglerfish coiled its body tightly again. It was the wind-up for the two-rotation pattern.
Clang!
I blocked the first rotation, raising my sword at the perfect moment.
I used a counter to dodge the second rotation.
Having successfully triggered a Just Guard, a faint light enveloped my body. At the same time, empowered by the Vigor buff, I shredded the anglerfish's torso with starlight.
Th-th-th-thwack!
Kaaaaaaak!
Scars were carved into its blood-red body, and the named monster's HP dropped rapidly. The anglerfish screamed in pain.
[First Named]
[Level 40 Blood Angler]
[HP 3,054,516 / 4,000,000]
Its normal patterns are easy. It's nothing compared to a foe with diverse patterns like Zarkan.
But it was about time to prepare for its special patterns. I paused my relentless assault, tensed my body, and calmly continued to slash at the anglerfish.
The moment the named monster's HP dropped to 75%, its movements changed, just as I expected.
Kaaaaaaak!
"Huh."
The anglerfish suddenly turned its back to me.
Thump, thump, thump.
The anglerfish, having instantly distanced itself from me, began to effortlessly scale the wall, belying its massive size.
Before long, its body was stuck to the ceiling.
I watched the scene, my mouth agape.
Aha, so that's how it got up there and stuck to the ceiling.
But more importantly, if it's stuck to the ceiling, I can't attack it, can I?
It's that pattern again. The nasty kind where, during a special phase, the named monster can attack freely while I have to run around like my feet are on fire.
"Th... This is ridiculous!"
I stamped my feet in frustration.