Dungeon (2): Hordes of the Consciousness Amalgamates
The air itself seemed to tear apart with an overwhelming explosion that cleaved through the dungeon's darkness, reverberating everywhere.
———!!
Immediately after, a massive boulder hurtled in at insane speed.
Thud!!
The ground screamed like it was alive as the roar split the air. The rock smashed into the floor with a thunderous crash, and the shockwave caused part of the ceiling to collapse, sending huge temple fragments cascading down like a waterfall.
"Ngh!"
A choking cloud of dust billowed out in all directions. The gritty dirt stabbed at my lungs, blocking my vision, and every breath tightened my chest like a vice. Amid my ragged breathing, I tried to assess the surroundings.
Debris from the fallen ceiling littered the area, and the floor was cracked like a spiderweb.
"……."
I quickly pulled my collar over my mouth and scanned around. A gigantic boulder had completely blocked the passage, and the corridor had crumbled behind it. Scattered stone fragments lay across the fissured floor, and even nearby structures were cracked from the impact.
"Is everyone okay?!"
Lucy shouted urgently before the dust even settled. Gasping voices echoed from here and there.
"I'm fine! But Master—!"
"Cough, cough! I'm okay too!"
My throat was raw from inhaling dust, but no major injuries. A quick look around showed everyone else seemed unharmed too. Still, I couldn't let my guard down. This wasn't just an accident.
"What the hell happened…?"
Varis gritted his teeth, looking around. Elisha brushed dust off herself with a flustered expression as she stood.
"No way it was just a natural rockfall, right?"
Her voice carried anxiety laced with near-certainty. And that anxiety soon became reality.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Vibrations. The floor trembled faintly. As they grew stronger, everyone's eyes locked in one direction.
"…What is that?"
Varis gripped his sword, turning his head tensely. Then,
"Guys! Over there!!"
Lucy pointed into the darkness. As the dust settled, what emerged was something indescribably grotesque.
A hulking, muscular body. A hideous form like multiple human faces fused together. Red eyes embedded across its face gleamed ominously in the shadows. It glared at us, slowly revealing itself.
"This… looks really dangerous?"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Ugh…."
Melina instinctively nocked an arrow, Varis tightened his grip on his sword, and Elisha swallowed hard with a tense face.
"That's……a Consciousness Amalgamate."
Lucy muttered through gritted teeth from within the group.
"Way more dangerous than any orc. Don't let your guard down for a second!"
The monster shuffled forward, its muscles spasming irregularly, bulging like they might burst.
"Don't worry, everyone! If we all team up, at least one of us can make it out alive!"
Lucy gripped her staff, trying to rally them with encouragement that we'd handle it together.
"————!!!!"
But in the next instant, a roar echoed. A scream that tore at the ears, freezing the heart.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
This wasn't mere vibration. The floor began to writhe like it was howling.
"……."
What unfolded was a truly horrifying sight.
"Huh…?!"
As the monster screamed, the floor split, and something crawled out from the cracks. One. Two. Three. No—dozens.
Twisted, warped bodies emerged one by one. Jagged teeth protruded irregularly from their mouths, their unnaturally long, slender limbs reminiscent of insect legs. Bloodshot eyes glowed red as blood in the dark, radiating a predator's madness as they eyed their prey.
They slithered toward us in bizarre contortions, their movements like an unknowable dance that induced extreme revulsion.
"Ugh… there are this many?!"
Lucy swallowed and stepped back, her voice laced with shock. Her fingertips trembled faintly, her grip tightening on her staff.
The monsters closed in, tightening their encirclement. Their sharp claws scraped the floor with eerie sounds, filling the space with ear-piercing groans. The cold stone wall at our backs warned there was no retreat.
No escape. Only one choice: fight.
"Hold the line! Don't break formation!"
Lucy's desperate shout carried urgency. But the monsters lunged all at once, shaking the earth.
"————!!!"
Horrific shrieks filled the air. Grotesque forms surged forward amid a sinister aura slicing the air.
"Devour the earth in bitter cold, halt the flow of time, freeze all in your grasp. Show those who block my path the abyss of winter!"
"Ice Age!!"
⟨ Ice Age ⟩
Elisha reacted first. As her incantation completed, frigid air exploded outward. The temple floor froze instantly, ice crystals expanding in a flash. Sharp frost spread rapidly, blanketing everything in pure white.
"———!"
The monsters screamed as their ankles froze. Some slipped and fell, others thrashed with legs trapped in ice. Their rampage halted abruptly, shifting the battle's flow.
"Nice one, Elisha!"
Lucy praised her, raising her staff high. Its tip glowed ominously, intense heat enveloping the space.
"Fire Burst!!"
The chantless powerful flame spell erupted like a lava wave. Flames spread across the ice, engulfing the monsters. The air warped with heat, the stench of burning flesh rising as their forms were consumed.
"Perfect, that should do it!"
Her confident voice rang out. But her smile didn't last.
"……What?"
Where the flames died down, twitching monster forms remained where charred corpses should have been. Not a scratch from the fire. They still glared with bloodshot eyes.
"They took that and are fine…?"
"No way… are they stronger than last year?"
Lucy's voice wavered.
"———!!"
But that was a mistake. The flames freed the ice-bound monsters. Black smoke rose, melted ice wetting the floor. Warped forms emerged from the blaze.
"I'll handle it!"
Melina stepped forward calmly, her blue eyes gleaming coldly.
"Haat!"
As she drew her bow, the arrow glowed green, splitting into multiple paths mid-air. They streaked toward the monsters, leaving trails of light.
"———!!"
The monsters shrieked. Some staggered off-balance. Thick smoke rose from arrow impacts, flesh rotting away.
"Did it work?"
But soon, they rose again, ignoring the pain.
"What?! Even this didn't work?!"
Melina's face hardened. Even her special magic arrows hadn't dealt decisive damage.
"Urgh!"
Then Varis swung his greatsword. His heavy strike cleaved horizontally toward a monster.
Boom!
But the monster countered with inhuman strength. A long arm whipped like a lash, sending Varis flying.
"Guh…!"
He rolled to absorb the impact, but his breathing was noticeably labored. These monsters were bigger and stronger than orcs—head-on was suicide.
"Master! Stay back!"
Eily stepped up last. Whoosh! She wove through the monsters with graceful movements, like dancing rather than fighting—fluid yet sharp.
"Hmph!"
Her sword flashed, tracing light. Ankles, solar plexus, heart—vital spots precisely targeted.
Thud—!
A monster punched out. Eily spun aside gracefully, dodging the massive blow. Her sword gleamed like a flash.
Stab.
One monster collapsed with her blade deep in its face, crashing with earth-shaking impact.
"———?!"
She pierced another's knee next. As it knelt unbalanced, she severed its neck in one motion.
"Eily, you've gotten a lot stronger…."
Elisha muttered through gritted teeth. She hated admitting it, but couldn't deny Eily's skill.
"Nice, Eily! Keep pushing!"
Varis shouted, quickly regaining stance. The tide began to turn.
"We can do this…!"
Senior Lucy murmured hopefully.
Thud!
But in that instant, it plummeted again. A massive shadow sliced through the air.
"Huh? Eily! Watch out!"
Lucy's warning echoed. While Eily focused ahead, another monster hurled a huge rock.
"Ah!"
She twisted instinctively. She avoided a direct hit, but fragments pelted her, shockwaves slamming her body.
Thud! Thud!
She tumbled across the floor multiple times before stopping. She managed to steady herself, but her heavy breathing was visible. Her attacks were strong, but the enemies' power was greater.
The monsters' predatory eyes gleamed again.
"Eily, you okay?"
"Lady Lucy… yes… somehow……."
The front line crumbled anew. Overwhelming numbers pressed the allies into a corner.
Lucy bit her lip hard.
"Luisil… I didn't know the ones you sent would be this strong…!"
Her voice dripped hatred at the name. Her eyes twisted with deep disgust and resentment.
"————!!"
The monsters' roars shook the temple. The horrific sound made me want to cover my ears, but there was no time.
"No way out…."
Lucy racked her brain desperately. Finally, she decided. She pulled a scroll from her bosom, its surface etched with a faintly glowing blue magic circle.
"Everyone! Fall back! We can't fight here anymore!"
A portal scroll. Unfurling it would at least get them out. She infused mana without hesitation.
But—
"———!!"
The monsters accelerated madly, as if refusing escape. They charged Lucy like lightning.
"Ugh…!"
A massive fist reached her face. It seemed everything would end in seconds.
But—
"……Huh?"
It didn't happen. More precisely, I stopped it.
"———?!"
The monster made a hideous noise laced with shock. I leaped forward, blocking its attack. But I didn't just block.
The sword in my hand pierced its arm in an instant.
"Hoo."
I exhaled shortly. The sensation at my fingertips was simple. Whatever resistance it offered didn't matter to me.
"A-Arnold…?"
Lucy called my name in disbelief. But I ignored her, gripping harder.
"——!!"
The amalgamate crumbled. An enemy even Varis couldn't handle fell in a moment—like a fake, like paper.
"———…."
But more amalgamates swarmed behind the fallen one. Their bloodshot eyes flashed at me.
I swung my sword lightly.
Splash—!
Dark red blood arced through the air. The massive forms toppled, upper bodies severed, like puppets with cut strings.
"What… what was that power…."
Lucy murmured in awe and horror. But instead of answering, I advanced again.
"————!!"
Shrieks erupted everywhere. I sensed hostility, rage, anxiety, fear.
"…Hoo."
There were still many enemies. My only weapon was this one sword. But that was enough.