Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Ekaitz Deep Sea Dungeon Conquest (8)
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"Up to here."
"If we cross this point, we'll get attacked."
We returned to the spot where we had been ambushed. I spotted half of Sharp's body rolling nearby and let out a deep sigh.
"Please wait a moment."
I found the clock flower I had dropped during the ambush, picked it up, and knelt on one knee on the ground. Then I took out a handful of sea moss I had prepared in advance, placed it on the floor, and used [Breath of the Forest].
-Swooooosh...
The sea moss began to creep and grow, slowly covering the ground.
"...What are you doing?"
"I'm searching for a safe path."
Finding a safe path with a kraken right ahead might sound insane.
But a safe path does exist.
This sea moss I had torn off is the proof.
"There's not much, but sea moss grows on the floor around here."
"And?"
"Sea moss has incredible reproductive and adaptive abilities. All it needs is seawater."
"..."
"Plus, there are no creatures here that eat sea moss. So it's practically the perfect place for it to thrive..."
I continued, watching the sea moss spreading across the floor.
"But there are spots where no sea moss grows at all."
Just as I said, the sea moss was avoiding certain areas as it grew.
"This is just my guess from here on."
"I'm listening."
"The kraken's tentacles are laced with poison. It's not lethal, but it's enough to dissolve sea moss."
"Then..."
"Yes. The places where no sea moss grows are where its tentacles pass. It's probably hiding its body under the floor."
Once the sea moss had grown enough, the paths where tentacles had slithered became even clearer.
Messy traces, like a snake had crawled through.
"It'll be safest to stick to the walls."
I pointed to the walls and floor thickly covered in sea moss. When I used [Forest's Blessing], a purifying power infused the sea moss, giving off a faint glow. It made spotting safe zones much easier.
"I'll take the lead from here. Follow exactly in my footsteps. Oh, and Lloyd..."
I pulled the shadow cloak from my subspace ring.
"It's a cloak that erases your presence. It has some weight, but it'll help."
"..."
Lloyd draped the shadow cloak over himself without a word. His body slowly melted into the deep sea darkness, as if swallowed by it.
I activated the [Leaf Step] skill to lighten my steps and took the lead. As we moved forward, stepping only on the plush sea moss, no 'ambush' came. My guess had been spot on.
'Good. If we keep this up, no one's guts will get ripped out again.'
We headed toward the dungeon's core. Since we had to stick strictly to the sea moss patches, our pace was quite slow.
'Still, with some luck, we might make it back before the clock flowers wilt completely.'
It took more than twice as long as expected to reach the core.
Not only did we have to step only on sea moss, but midway through, the corridor structure turned into a maze.
Of course, the sea moss kept us from getting lost.
We just ignored and bypassed any paths without tentacle tracks.
'Passing through the maze just like that—unexpected bonus.'
If we'd had to navigate the maze properly, it would've taken far longer.
I followed the faintly glowing sea moss diligently until I stopped just before a very shallow ledge.
'Shamanism?'
The sea moss wasn't crossing the ledge. Not due to poison. This was likely because a completely different space lay beyond.
Just like in the mine dungeon, the odds were high this was some kind of 'double dungeon.'
The kraken might be waiting the moment we entered.
"Shh."
I signaled quietly to the party following behind, then crossed the ledge with extreme caution. And...
"...!"
The sight before me was nothing short of astonishing.
* * *
The interior looked like a grand temple. Towering pillars lined the space, overwhelmingly majestic. But the once-grand scene had worn away over centuries of neglect, now exuding a sinister aura instead. Scattered bone fragments, rusted weapons, and unidentified corpses littered the floor.
But what truly shocked me was something else.
"..."
Thorn octopuses and deep-sea eels.
No—thorn octopuses and deep-sea eels with human heads.
I nearly screamed. If Lloyd hadn't clamped his hand over my mouth, I might have really let out a yell. I steadied my breathing and carefully pried his hand away. My heart was still pounding, but running away wasn't an option.
'I wouldn't have been this shocked if the kraken had been here instead.'
These weren't mermaids or even chimeras—they were crudely made monstrosities. Definitely not ordinary monsters. Who the hell made these? The sheer malice made my stomach churn. Horrifying.
Octopus humans? Human octopuses? What do you even call them? Fortunately, they hadn't noticed us yet.
The thorn octopus human gripped a thick sword in its two longest tentacles, while the deep-sea eel human had yellow electric sparks flickering along its body from torso to tail. The eel human swam slowly, patrolling the area, while the octopus human kept slicing at something.
-Thud!
-Slice!
-Thud!
-Slice!
The chilling sounds echoed repeatedly. I didn't even want to imagine what it was cutting.
"There are too many for a frontal assault. Especially the deep-sea eels..."
I hesitated, unsure if 'human' even applied.
"...eel humans will be extremely tricky to deal with."
They'd spew electricity, putting sword-wielding Lloyd and Elle at a disadvantage.
"I'll scout and see what they're doing."
"Alone is dangerous..."
"No, alone is safer. With this cloak."
I took the shadow cloak back from Lloyd and draped it over my shoulders. My body quickly blended into the deep-sea darkness.
In the center stood a massive altar, with a gigantic statue behind it—shattered beyond recognition of its original form. Even ruined, its size was immense.
'What the hell is that?'
Security was especially tight near the altar. Two eel humans circled it widely, scanning the surroundings, while four octopus humans with especially large swords took turns butchering something right in front of it. Whatever it was seemed tough; each full swing produced those gruesome sounds.
'Where's the kraken, anyway?'
I'd assumed it was the dungeon's master, but no tentacles in sight. Weird. Isn't this the core? Did we take a wrong turn? But we'd followed the tentacle tracks clearly. The sea moss wouldn't lie...
As I hid behind a pillar's shadow to observe the altar more closely—
"...!"
I spotted 'it.'
* * *
-Grrrrrind...
Two massive full moons rose.
-Kuuguugugu...
No, they weren't full moons.
Horizontally slit red pupils!
'Kr, Kraken...!'
A normal person would've been frozen in shock. But my [Bane of Evil] title granted stun immunity, letting me move freely.
Fortunately, it wasn't looking at me.
"Everyone, get out of there!"
It was eyeing the party at the entrance.
Thanks to my shout, Lloyd barely dodged a tentacle. Elle and Roschanak were knocked backward by the shockwave as it slammed into the floor.
-Kieeeek!!!
-Tzzzzzt!!!
The thorn octopus and deep-sea eel humans I'd alerted twisted their bodies, emitting eerie cries.
Not just them.
-Grrrggrrr...
The kraken's eyes shifted toward me too.
'Damn it.'
The shadow cloak was perfect for stealth, but only until detected. My shout had basically revealed me... I quickly shed the cloak, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring.
'Eyes first!'
-Whiiiiiish!!!
The arrow flew fast but was blocked by a tentacle. The second and third met the same fate. They embedded deeply, but the kraken extended others as if unscratched.
-Boom!!!!
The solid floor shattered. A split-second later, and it'd have been my body. I rolled across the ground and drew another arrow. Locking eyes with those moon-sized orbs sent chills down my spine, cold sweat trickling.
-Bam!!!!!!
-Swish!
-Boom!!!!
-Hop!
Tentacles alternated slamming where I'd been. I dodged them by a hair, rolling and rolling across the floor. Like a rat trapped on a deadly dartboard. Only after the floor was nearly pulverized and dust filled the air could I hide amid the chaos and catch my breath. Damn it, where's the entrance?
"Kyaaaaah!!!!"
That scream—definitely Roschanak's. I rushed toward the sound. There...
"Ro, Roschanak?"
There stood Roschanak, who had cleanly bisected a thorn octopus human's torso. Her face flushed red as if about to cry, she ran to me and hugged me tight. Behind her rolled the gruesomely severed head and tentacles of the octopus human. Wait, such a huge scream—I thought something terrible happened...!
Roschanak buried in my arms wailed through sobs.
"Th-that, that thing! It, it came at me!"
"Y-yeah, yeah..."
"I hate it! Gross! Disgusting! Scary!"
"...Well, for something scary, you did pretty..."
Well done killing it? I swallowed the rest and patted her back.
"Good job, Roschanak."
"Hic... sniff..."
"Sorry."
"...Huh?"
"We need you to handle more scary stuff."
I grabbed her shoulders and turned her around.
-Kyaaaah!!!!
"Kyaaaaah!!!!"
-Boomboomboom!!!!!!!!!!