Chapter 181: The Worst of the Worst
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 181: The Worst of the Worst
Something had awakened, and the Serpent’s Nest trembled in its wake.
“Is it a Cataclysm?!”
“No! Something is on the move!”
“What do you mean, ‘something’?!”
Ulysses proposed the grimmest possibility.
“There is a high probability that it is the master of the Serpent’s Nest.”
“Then, could it be...?”
“It seems Medusa has awakened and begun to move.”
The faces of the party members turned pale at the suggestion that Medusa, who should have been in the boss room, was now roaming the field.
A boss monster had emerged into the open. To make matters worse, this was the Serpent’s Nest—a place twisted like a complex maze.
If they were to cross paths unexpectedly, the side that was ambushed would likely suffer fatal wounds first.
“Medusa is considered to be on par with the monsters of the 7th Floor. Furthermore, she isn't exactly small. If we encounter her in these passageways, the narrow space will put us at a disadvantage. It would have been better to strike while she was still in the boss room.”
“Didn’t you say she uses curses?”
“That’s right. She possesses the Petrifying Eye; if you make eye contact, it’s instant death! That’s why, as Ulysses said, fighting in a wide-open space is much more advantageous for a large group like ours. The narrower the space, the higher the chance of accidentally meeting her gaze.”
“...For now, let’s find Jack. We’ll locate him and get out without encountering Medusa.”
“That would be best. It is dangerous when unforeseen circumstances continue to pile up.”
Ulysses was right.
In the Labyrinth, the moment a plan starts to go awry, it is best to stop the raid and retreat immediately.
A plan falling apart means the situation has begun to spiral out of control. If this persists even for a short while, there is a high chance the party will break and face total annihilation.
This held true no matter how many Platinum Badges were present. A single moment of carelessness could lead to death.
After all, every member of the party except for Abram had already experienced death in the Labyrinth.
They were all Platinum Badges, yet despite their rank, various circumstances had led to their deaths on the 5th Floor Underground, only to be resurrected by Zion.
Because of this, they sensed that something was going terribly wrong and that they might be wiped out. Having experienced death once, they were more sensitive to the creeping dread.
“Hahaha! Everyone, don’t look so miserable! Let’s go! I sense a presence over there!”
“Joshua, is that true?”
“Yeah! My Soundwave Detection was a success! I can hear the rhythm of battle coming from that direction! It sounds like our friend Jack is fighting?!”
Zion was surprised to learn that Joshua possessed Soundwave Detection.
In Olivia’s case, she had lost her sight as a side effect of Soundwave Detection. However, Joshua could see perfectly fine.
‘I’ll ask about that later.’
Of course, there was no time for questions now.
They had to rescue Jack quickly and escape the Serpent’s Nest for the time being. The party needed to regroup; encountering the boss in their current state would be a death sentence.
“Jack!!! Where are you?!”
“Over here! Help me!”
“Damn! It’s Lamias!”
Jack was surrounded and under attack by Lamias. The Hypercube was flying around him, intercepting the Lamias' attacks and killing them, but it wasn't enough.
“Over here—!! You fishy snake bastards—!!!”
“Guh...!!!”
Maximus unleashed a roar toward the front, and the half-human, half-snake Lamias reacted to his provocation.
The problem was that Jack was also within the range of the roar, and the sheer force of the shout caused him to faint.
“Ah! Sorry! I failed to control my strength!”
“Kill the Lamias first! Abram! Prepare your healing magic!”
“Yes!”
Ulysses quickly shot out Thorn Vines to snag the fallen Jack and pull him toward the party, while Abram finished his preparations to cast healing magic on the unconscious boy.
Meanwhile, Zion was repeatedly trying to establish a connection.
“Why isn’t it working...?!”
The Spirit Chain connected to Kairan, who had gone to hunt the Gorgon, had been severed at some point.
“Could it be...?”
Zion considered several worst-case scenarios.
Once a Spirit Chain is bound, it is incredibly difficult to break or undo. Therefore, once the chain is set, the connection usually persists even if the target dies.
Roy was a clear example. No matter how many times Roy died, he could be resurrected because he was bound by the Spirit Chain.
Anticipating this, Zion had brought about three Golems in his inventory before entering the Serpent’s Nest, just in case someone died. He intended to immediately pull their soul and place it into a Golem to keep them useful.
‘But for the Spirit Chain to be completely severed means Kairan’s soul has been annihilated. Or, someone intentionally broke the link between Kairan and me.’
Either Kairan’s total soul extinction or the interference of a third party.
‘Then who on earth killed Kairan and broke the Spirit Chain?’
There were no monsters in the Serpent’s Nest capable of such a feat. Therefore, it had to be the work of an entity from outside the nest.
Jack’s presence made the possibility of a third party from outside the nest much more likely. Since Jack had crawled in from the Empire, there was no reason to believe no one else had entered.
“Zion! What are you doing?!”
“Chloe. I think we’re truly fucked.”
“Why?! What could be more fucked than our current situation?!”
“The Lamias are swarming in!! The Serpent has released the snakes!!!”
“I think Kairan is dead. To be precise, my connection with her has been severed. It’s the work of a third party. There’s a high chance someone else is in here besides us.”
“What?!”
“That woman is dead?! Dammit, that crazy bitch! She went off on her own to catch the Gorgon and finally kicked the bucket!”
“Maximus! Keep your eyes forward!”
“Let’s take Jack and retreat for now. The difficulty of the Serpent’s Nest has spiked too high!”
“Jack! Are you awake?”
“Ugh... Yes...”
“Then run! We’re retreating!”
Abram cast a Barrier toward the charging Lamias to block their advance, and Zion suppressed those who managed to slip through with his Dragon Eye of Suppression.
Taking advantage of the brief opening, the party ran toward the exit.
They intended to escape through the entrance they had opened, and though it was unfortunate, they planned to abandon Kairan.
It was then. They felt someone’s gaze upon them.
Zion and the party realized it. The Gorgon was watching them. Furthermore, their location had been completely compromised.
Rumble—!
“It’s the Gorgon!”
The Gorgon revealed itself in front of the party as they ran toward the exit.
Boasting a massive size that filled the entire corridor, the Gorgon appeared, leading a horde of Naga, Lamias, and Lizardmen.
Snakes poured down from holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Behind them, Medusa and the Serpent were in pursuit. In front, the Gorgon and her subordinates blocked their path.
“What a sight, seeing you all trembling like that.”
Kairan, donning the guise of the Gorgon, looked at Zion and his party and laughed.
They didn't know she was Kairan yet. So, as long as she played the part of the Gorgon to the end, she could attack them without her identity being discovered.
Even if one of them managed to escape this place alive, they wouldn't realize she was still among the living.
“Let’s kill our way through!!!”
Unaware that their opponent was Kairan, Maximus and Chloe charged forward. Simultaneously, Joshua began to play his music, while Ulysses and Abram held back the Serpent approaching from behind.
The Gladiator Brothers intended to quickly deal with the Gorgon and escape.
“Kiyaaaa!!!!”
“Don’t bother struggling, you snake-head!!!!”
“Kill it! Kill it now!”
Maximus swung his mace, smashing into the Gorgon’s torso, while Chloe thrust his sword between the parted scales.
Zion fended off the Nagas that tried to attack the Gladiator Brothers while they were occupied.
While the two focused on the Gorgon, Zion handled the remaining monsters. Hundreds of monsters swarmed Zion, and he killed them even as he was bitten and torn.
Dealing with a horde suited Zion better than fighting a mid-boss class monster.
Between his Demon Eyes and the Giant’s Stomach, he could heal his wounds by killing and consuming the monsters.
“Kraaaa!!!”
Zion was reminded of the Underground City Campaign. He had fought to the death like this back then, too.
He drove his spear into the heart of an approaching Naga and swung his hammer in the same motion, crushing the head of a nearby Lamia.
Lizardmen lunged from behind, tearing at Zion’s shoulders and flanks to drag him toward death, but Zion chewed and swallowed the head of a venomous snake rolling on the floor to heal his wounds.
Bone spears pierced his legs, and blades transfixed his back.
Yet, Zion did not die. The Fruit of the Giant he had consumed after killing the Giant had turned his body into an undying, immortal vessel. As long as he could consume the flesh and blood of monsters, he could recover from any wound.
“Are you lot stronger than a Giant?! No, you’re not!!!”
With his eyes half-glazed, Zion killed, ate, and killed the swarming monsters.
Gradually, his reason evaporated, leaving only instinct, and as it did, his Demon Eyes shone even more intensely.
A Demon Eye exerts its greatest power as its master draws closer to death.
The Demon Eye of Insight read every movement of the monsters, and furthermore, the Dragon Eye of Suppression instilled the terror of death into them.
It was to the point where even Kairan, who was fighting the Gladiator Brothers, felt a chill of fear.
‘That brat was this strong?’
Kairan had underestimated Zion.
She had thought his skills were below hers and that she could kill him whenever she pleased.
Of course, her belief that she could kill Zion hadn't changed. However, she now felt that to kill that "Little Giant," she would have to be prepared to suffer a fatal wound herself.