CHAPTER 54: A BAILOUT

A bailout. That’s what this is. Still, I welcomed it. Wasting no time, I activated my new skill. I felt a warm sensation flow from my abdomen to my eyes, and then I saw... numbers. Just like when I activated weapon stats, the stats of everything became visible to me.

I was able to see just how powerful the hydra really was. I also saw what skills it had. But what caught my eye was something else.

Just below the water’s edge were shimmering blue crystals I hadn’t noticed before. It was also showcasing its stats, along with a special attribute it had.

THRASH!

The hydra struck again, splashing up a wave of muddy water. This hydra was really something—all the mud and water it splashed up was a distraction so it could attack without being seen, like a silent predator.

Its fangs snapped at me through the wave of muddy water. I dodged the attack and went for one of the growing blue crystals. Immediately, a system notification popped up.

[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE OBTAINED MANA STONE]

Looking at the stone with my appraisal skill, I saw that it held a special attribute. I used Hephaestus’ Claim to steal the attribute and Goldy Craft to pass the attribute to the Middle Finger. The blade glowed with a faint blue light as a slightly transparent aquatic coat enveloped it.

[The Divine Level skill, Water Slash, has been passed to the Middle Finger as an attribute.]

A divine-level skill wasn’t worth much, but it was still something. The system had warned me before that mana stones grant little power. The best method was through soul extraction.

The skill offered a long-range attack in the form of a Water Slash. An attack of this level wouldn’t even be able to penetrate the Hydra’s scales. Just like the basilisk, the only weakness of its body was its giant slitted eyes.

The problem with this creature was that it had seven heads—a total of fourteen eyes. It would be impossible for me to blindside it.

Its speed was far greater than mine, plus it was able to deliver consecutive attacks, one after the other, with its seven heads. The only reason I was able to keep up with it was my eyes; I could analyze its movements and predict its attacks before they even happened.

I was in awe of the way it fought; every move it made was calculated, all designed to lead me into a trap. I was at my wit’s end trying to match it. With every move we made, the water became more muddled—so much so that it was impossible to see beneath the surface.

In the chaos of our battle, I slipped beneath the water, perfectly concealing myself. The area where we were was too shallow for it to submerge after me. It waited, its seven heads scanning.

During the entirety of our battle, I observed how it fought. I knew its attack pattern—for example, I knew if I attacked at this angle, it would respond with this head. It fought within a certain tempo; all I had to do was throw it off.

I activated my new skill, Water Slash, and aimed it at its middle head. The attack rippled through the air and struck its left eye. The middle head was the primary one it used to attack.

I wasted no time after this attack and went for the same head I had just struck. It hesitated for a second, then attacked with another head; its attack was sloppy and awkward.

I ducked beneath the attack, and with the fire essence on the Middle Finger activated, I slashed its head off. Its whole body convulsed and it released a scream that shook the terrain.

In that instant, it felt like the moisture was being sucked out of the air. My instincts kicked in, and I grabbed the head I had just severed. A swirling mass of water formed at the tips of its mouths.

The blast toppled trees and left a scar on the terrain that ran for miles. In the chaos of their attack, I managed to make my escape with the severed head tucked under my arm.

The hydra’s head had a skill I desperately wanted. I used Hephaestus’ Claim to steal the skill and add it to the Blade of Calamity.

[The skill: Poison Decay has been added to the Blade of Calamity]

[Description: A slow-acting poison that decays living tissues from the inside out]

As I stopped to rest, something flitted and landed on my shoulder. It was one of Luna’s curses. Without giving me time to think, it flew off and hovered in the air, as if it wanted me to follow it.

It led me to the hut where the others were staying. The hut was in a swampy area covered by trees as tall as skyscrapers. The stench there was foul, but it was perfect—it could hide our scent from the hydra.

They were all waiting for me outside when I got back. They inquired about the head of the hydra I was carrying, to which I answered,

"It’s our food."

Luna and Kiki didn’t seem excited by the idea, but Ms. Cole was quick to agree.

"It’s not that strange to resort to eating monsters whenever you’re trapped inside a labyrinth. It’s actually quite common."

Both girls weren’t convinced by this, but they didn’t have any choice.

When night fell, I used the Blade of Calamity to skin the head of its scales and my Tempered Heat skill to cook it. I shared it evenly among us. The meat was tough and a bit hard to swallow. As for the taste, it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t bad enough for us to throw up.

"Tomorrow, our primary focus is to search for the other students," Ms. Cole said, her face pale and sweating profusely.

I figured her wound had something to do with that. The girls nodded in agreement with her proposition.

The hut we were staying in was rather large; in fact, I don’t think it was fit to be called a hut—a lodge would be a more appropriate name. It had wooden furniture inside, including tables and chairs. I counted three bedrooms in total—each having at least five bunk beds.

Ms. Cole suggested that we all sleep in the same room since it was safer.

When I finally got some time alone with her, I inquired about her wound. She tried to play it off as just a scratch, but I saw through her guise. I convinced her to show it to me, and she lifted her shirt to reveal her wound.

The flesh around her wound was charred and still slowly bleeding. I traced my fingers across it, causing her to squirm.

"A hydra couldn’t have caused this," I said in a serious tone. "What really happened?"

She gave me a forced smile and laid a hand on my cheek.

"It wasn’t their fault," she said in a tone dripping with regret. "When the hydra attacked, the students panicked, and I got caught up in their attack." she chuckled as if she found the whole thing amusing.

"We’ll make it out of here, Liam. All of us. I know we will."

She spoke with confidence, as if she believed without a shadow of a doubt that what she was saying was true. She spoke like a teacher assuring her frightened student that everything would be fine.

But that wasn’t the case. Deep down, she wanted me to be the one to assure her. It was shameless, but her eyes told me so—she wanted me to comfort her, to tell her the words she was telling me, and so I obliged.

I cupped her face so she could feel my warmth, stared her in the eyes, and said the words she most wanted to hear.

"I’ll make sure everyone is safe. You don’t have to worry about anything; I’ll take care of everything."