The Yeti Lord and the Crystal Scorpion
Passing the 75th floor where traces of hunters from ten years ago had been discovered, they arrived at the 76th floor.
Here, they found the floor lord.
It was the first SS-rank monster Nix had encountered since Arde and Snow.
"Grrr—"
A silver-furred ape-like monster, apparently an advanced form of the yeti-type.
Its size was smaller compared to Nix's, but that was only relative— it was still larger than most massive monsters.
Above all, the aura it exuded was far from ordinary.
[A new challenger?]
Just as Nix recognized it, the monster sent a voice directly into his mind, as if it recognized him too.
The voice reverberating in his head felt strangely familiar, catching him slightly off guard.
[Can you speak?]
[Hmph. Of course.]
It snorted dismissively before asking again.
[So, intruder from the outside. Are you a challenger?]
There was no real hostility in the monster's voice.
Nix confirmed it with his seventh Magic Eye as well.
[I have no intention of fighting if I don't have to. I'm just passing through.]
[I see.]
The monster nodded indifferently and withdrew its aura.
Nix followed suit, fully retracting his own subtly emitted pressure.
The faint tension that had lingered dissipated in an instant.
[Not a challenger, but a wanderer, then. Where are you headed?]
[Down below. As far as I can go.]
[Impressive.]
The monster murmured in quiet admiration before asking,
[How long do you plan to stay?]
[Not long. I'll leave as soon as I find the path.]
[I see. I recommend staying quietly while you're here.]
With that, the monster leaped away.
Nix watched silently as it vanished over the mountain ridge in an instant.
Their first meeting—with a hint of regret but mostly relief—came to an end.
Contrary to his initial plan of not lingering long, Nix ended up staying quite a while on the 76th floor.
A blizzard, now all too familiar, raged outside.
In human form, he quietly sheltered in a cave.
That's when the monster found him.
[Your form has changed. You've gotten smaller.]
[I couldn't fit in the cave in my true form.]
The monster nodded at the blunt fact. "That makes sense."
Then it plopped down with a thud.
The cave, which had felt spacious, suddenly felt crammed.
Not just a feeling—it was literally true.
[So, what brings you here? I've been staying quiet, as you suggested.]
[Even a normal wanderer like you can't be left unchecked when you're this dangerous. I'm the ruler of this land.]
—More than that…
The monster eyed Nix for a moment before speaking.
[You look like those I saw before.]
[You've seen this form before? When?]
[It's from a long time ago. Back when my grandfather still ruled this land. A bunch of small ones like you came swarming in.]
The monster parted the fur around its neck, revealing a large, long scar.
[This wound is from back then. If it weren't for my father, I wouldn't be here now. Small, but terrifying things.]
The monster shuddered, recalling the memory.
'Definitely Seong Jae-myeong and the other hunters. They made it this far.'
He had suspected as much when he found traces on the 75th floor, but it seemed Seong Jae-myeong and the hunters had survived for quite some time.
More than that—they had kept pushing forward.
Toward the unknown depths no one knew about.
[Do you know anything else about them?]
[It was so long ago, I don't remember much. Things were chaotic. But one memory stands out vividly.]
[What was it?]
[One small one with a pair of swords sliced my grandfather's and father's throats.]
From the monster's tale, Nix understood.
The "small one" it mentioned was none other than Seong Jae-myeong.
There had been no other hunter back then who wielded dual swords.
[Don't you want revenge? With your power now, you could easily do it.]
[My grandfather and father were simply weak. There's no need for me to avenge them. The weak dying is natural. Besides, I have no intention of leaving this land—it's been guarded by my ancestors.]
[I see.]
They exchanged a few more words after that.
Unlike their initial wariness, the conversation revealed the monster to be decent company.
Despite its fierce appearance and massive bulk, it was surprisingly pure-hearted.
Like Arde, it gently cared for the monsters under its command.
Yetis were pack-dwelling monsters by nature, so it was only natural.
For the record, its name was Bayaba.
The conversation that began with the storm lasted until it subsided.
As Nix learned about Bayaba, it learned much from him in turn.
About what lay in the floors above, and that there were diverse zones beyond the Snow Mountain Zone.
He also fully informed it about the hunters from the past and their dangers.
Of course, no current hunters could reach this depth yet, but one never knew when another like Seong Jae-myeong might appear.
Bayaba needed to know about them too.
This was Nix's way of repaying the monster's initial goodwill.
[Farewell then, Nix. Make it to the end and return.]
[See you later, Bayaba.]
The farewell was brief.
Leaving Bayaba behind, Nix stepped through the warp gate to the next floor.
The 77th floor.
This one had a floor lord too.
Another SS-rank monster, like Bayaba.
Were the labyrinth's depths truly this extreme?
He was encountering monsters of a level rarely seen outside, one after another.
Monsters that could cause an uproar in the outside world just by appearing.
At this rate, it was impossible to predict when hunters might fully conquer these depths.
Not unless SS-rank hunters became as common as current S-ranks.
It would take at least half a century, maybe more.
In any case, the new SS-rank monster Nix faced after Bayaba was a gigantic scorpion.
Not the desert scorpions he'd seen before—this one's body gleamed with crystal.
A completely new type of monster.
Crystal Scorpion, perhaps?
Recalling his encounter with Bayaba, Nix approached cautiously.
As expected of a high-rank monster, it could communicate telepathically.
The problem was, unlike Bayaba, it wasn't friendly at all.
[An intruder! Dare to trespass my domain! I'll tear you into a thousand, no, ten thousand pieces!]
It snapped its massive claws menacingly.
Even after Nix explained he was just passing through, it refused to listen.
[No questions! You set foot on my land without permission! Atone with your death!]
His hope for a repeat of Bayaba's encounter was misplaced.
A twinge of regret mixed with anticipation and excitement.
Truth be told, since meeting Bayaba, he'd subtly hoped for this.
Conversation was fine, but with monsters, it was combat that truly thrilled.
Nix charged mercilessly at the aggressive foe.
His first battle against an SS-rank monster.
He had plenty of experience fighting scorpion-type monsters.
Back in the Desert Zone, they'd been one of his most frequent opponents.
Some had even been worthy adversaries at the time.
So he figured this one wouldn't be too tough.
A scorpion was still just an insect, no matter how evolved.
That's what he'd thought.
Until it actually hit him.
True to its SS-rank status, it was no easy opponent.
Its raw power was inferior to Nix's, but that was far from all.
Its razor-sharp claws and venomous tail stabbed mercilessly, threatening to pierce even his durability. Its sleek, crystalline body was incredibly tough, resisting scratches.
A pure physical brawl wouldn't end quickly.
And worst of all, its crystal body reflected magic.
Eight bolts of lightning magic flash—and rebound.
Bolts scatter in all directions.
[You dare enter my land with such feeble power?! Die a thousand—no, ten thousand deaths for your crime!]
Its telepathic roar buzzed in his mind as glittering ice shards, sharp as crystals, shot toward him.
Each was large, but their pointed tips were deadly.
The fifth head urgently activated its Magic Eye to halt the shards.
[That guy's no joke!]
[SS-rank is on another level. No kidding.]
'Shut up and focus on the fight.'
The heads' voices only added to the chaos amid the frenzy.
Its physical prowess was superb, but reflecting magic outright was absurd.
A true SS-rank monster.
Worthy of being a deep-floor lord.
[I'm no mere beast! How dare you mistake me for one! Pay with your life!]
Enraged by the misunderstanding, the scorpion—no, scorpienne—unleashed a barrage.
The fourth and fifth heads dodged alongside Nix, drawing deep breaths.
They exhaled, infused with mana to the limit.
Three breaths of different elements poured toward it.
'Don't give it a moment's rest. Focus on physical attacks.'
[Hungryyy—…]
With the right head's quiet mutter, meteors began raining from beyond the sky.
Physical-force meteors infused with mana should overwhelm even it.
Boom—crash!
Nix held his breath, watching the now-familiar meteor shower.
Its voice echoed from the erupting pillar of fire.
[How dare you scar my beautiful body! Unforgivable!]
[Hmph— as if you'd ever forgive me! You've piled sin upon sin—death's all you deserve! Idiot?]
A frustrated 'Eek—!' rang out in response to the left head's snide remark.
As expected of its monstrous durability, it still had mana to spare after such an assault.
'Then we'll just have to try harder.'
Certain magics reflected outright, so they couldn't be used recklessly.
Heads vulnerable to reflection would handle close combat or Magic Eyes, while others cast spells.
Regrettably, Nix's poison attribute was ineffective too, forcing him into melee.
'Use the Magic Eye first… No, given its nature, it might reflect that too.'
Uncertain, but he wouldn't risk it on that slim chance.
As the meteor barrage waned, he lunged at the emerging foe.
Several heads followed.
[I'll rip you apart! Shred you to dust!]
The frenzied monster swung its claws wildly.
The ground shook, and an avalanche tumbled from the nearby peak, but their battle raged on.
An SS-rank monster—a formidable foe, yet utterly exhilarating.
The relentless fight lasted three days and nights.
As always, the victor was Nix.
【Defeated the 77th floor area boss, Crystal Scorpion 'Nedard'.】
【Some stats and skills have grown.】
【The 77th floor area boss position is now vacant.】
【Will you become the 77th floor area boss?】
He ignored the quiet system prompt, as always.
His current focus was the shattered corpse of Nedard.
Its once-beautiful body lay in ruins, scattered across the ground.
In the end, it couldn't live up to its own words.
[Hmph—shred to pieces, my ass! The pieces were you, not us!]
With the left head humming cheerfully in the background, Nix examined Nedard's corpse.
Given its toughness, he wondered if even he could properly digest it.
[Main body, how about just the magic stone?]
'For growth potential, eating the whole body would be better than just the stone.'
[But realistically, there's no way to eat it properly. We smashed it over three days—what now?]
'If I can just swallow it, Gluttony should handle the rest.'
[…Right. Utterly illogical, main body. But no better option.]
After brief consultation with the ninth head, Nix devoured the corpse cleanly.
As expected, it was rock-hard, so he swallowed without chewing.
He was used to gulping things whole anyway—no discomfort.
【Absorbing the magic stone of the SS-rank monster, <Crystal Scorpion>…】
【From the <Crystal Scorpion>'s magic stone, absorbing some skills and stats…】
…….
Various status notifications rang in his mind.
Checking them one by one, he moved.
His wounds had regenerated upon consuming the magic stone, but after three nonstop days of battle, rest was needed.
He'd recuperate for a while, then press on.