CHAPTER 137: 137 - LABYRINTH OF THE NURTURER [8]

Inside the labyrinth, just forty-six hours after Raven and the others entered...

And they are already standing at the entrance of the 5th floor!

They had just gone through the long, grueling paths of the 4th floor, and now, without giving themselves too much time to rest, they stepped inside the 5th floor.

But as soon as the group crossed into the new level—

""!!!""

-Spsshhhhlll...

They immediately caught sight of something terrifying.

A massive squid, towering at an overwhelming thirty meters tall, loomed in the distance!

Its body radiated a menacing purple sheen under the faint light of the labyrinth.

And it was only about a hundred meters away from them!

Luckily, despite its size and terrifying presence, the monster hadn’t noticed Raven and the others just yet...

"Be quiet everyone..." -Eve

"Careful..." -Alec

Tap- Tap- Tap-

So the group immediately but carefully hid themselves behind a huge rock situated conveniently near the entrance of the 5th floor.

Their breaths grew quieter, their steps lighter, as if even the sound of their hearts might alert the enormous creature.

Looking at the Giant Squid again, the others immediately came to the same chilling conclusion; this was no ordinary monster— this was the floor’s mini-boss!

The Four-Eyed Giant Squid had eight disgustingly long arms that twitched and writhed on the sandy ground, and four bulbous, unsettling eyes that rolled and darted restlessly.

Its eyes never stopped moving, darting everywhere as though it was constantly searching for intruders or prey.

=====

[The Four-Eyed Giant Squid]

Rank: D

Strength: D++

Agility: D-

Stamina: D

Intelligence: E-

[Skills]

Water Cannon Lvl.4

Water Manipulation Lvl.5

=====

"Fucking hell..."

Raven stared at the status window of the monster, his jaw tightening.

Seeing those stats appear before his eyes forced the words out of his mouth in a low curse, one he hadn’t even realized he’d said aloud.

But that wasn’t the only problem waiting for them.

Surrounding the mini-boss were dozens upon dozens of [E] rank monsters called Siyokoys...

These Siyokoys were hideous, humanoid sea monsters. Their slimy green skin was coated in scales as tough as armor. Their limbs were webbed, their fins cut through the water with ease, and their grotesque faces gave off an aura of violence.

They were at home in the water, capable of fighting and breathing in it as naturally as humans did in the air. Each of them could freely cast Water Bullet at will, making them a deadly swarm to deal with.

And there were not just a few of them— there were more than forty Siyokoys gathered around the Giant Squid like its loyal guards!

So, upon seeing this dangerous situation unfold in front of them...

Raven and the others quickly began gathering information about the floor, carefully scouting and investigating their surroundings while keeping themselves hidden from sight.

And these were the details they managed to piece together:

"The theme of the fifth floor resembles a beach. The ground is covered in sand, and there are rock formations scattered everywhere, some small and some big enough to hide behind." -Adelle

"And in the very center of the floor lies an enormous lake. It’s incredibly deep, and that’s where the mini-boss resides most of the time..." -Adelle

"This floor feels designed specifically for a raid-style battle, forcing us to fight against monsters in their natural territory." -Raven

"So unless we take down that Giant Squid, we won’t be able to advance to the next floor." -Raven

After analyzing everything carefully, Raven and the others began piecing together a strategy to clear this dangerous level.

"So, what’s the plan?"

Alec finally asked, his voice steady but his eyes sharp with anticipation.

"We deal with that monster, and go to the next floor."

Eve’s answer was casual, almost cold, but her tone carried a weight that made the others nod subconsciously.

"How are we gonna do that?"

This time, it was Aoi who asked. Her voice carried concern, and her eyes searched for reassurance from Eve.

The others also turned to Eve, waiting in silence for her to respond.

"..."

Eve remained quiet under their gazes, her lips pressed together, as though she was carefully measuring her words.

After a few long seconds, she finally opened her mouth.

And then, calmly, she told the others what she had in mind—

...

...

...

"That’s simple, but it could work."

Curtis was the first to speak after hearing Eve’s plan. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t sound doubtful.

"Well, there’s no need to overcomplicate things when the goal is straightforward."

Eve’s calm voice followed.

"I agree."

Raven backed her up immediately, his agreement short but decisive.

"Anyway, keep this in mind. The ground here is sand, so movement will be slower than usual. If you’re not careful, you’ll waste stamina or even lose balance at the worst possible time."

Adelle reminded the group firmly, her eyes sharp.

"We got it, thanks."

Alec answered on behalf of everyone, giving her a quick nod.

"So, shall we start moving?"

When Aoi asked that question, everyone instinctively shifted their eyes toward Eve.

Eve, however, turned her gaze to Blake.

And feeling her eyes on him, Blake turned his head and met her stare.

"You ready?"

Eve’s voice was low but firm.

"I’m kinda nervous, but yeah— I’m set to go."

Blake answered with a small nod.

"Everyone else?"

After checking Blake, Eve asked the rest of the group.

"I’m always ready." -Curtis

"If this drags on any longer, I’ll just do it myself." -Raven

"I’m actually excited to fight, to be honest..." -Alec

"I’m good to go too." -Adelle

"Me too." -Aoi

Each one of them gave their confirmation, their determination filling the air.

"Then let’s go."

And with that— the group started their mission...

The mission to hunt down the Four-Eyed Giant Squid

...

*****

-Spphssss.

-Spphssssh...

The Four-Eyed Giant Squid made unsettling noises, each sound echoing faintly in the vast chamber.

-Shpphss.

Its days were always the same— long, uneventful, and monotonous. There was nothing new to its existence.

The only pastime the Giant Squid had was to toy with the Siyokoys that surrounded it, tossing them around and treating them as playthings. But eventually, even that grew boring.

-Shpphss...

So the Giant Squid found itself wishing, for once, just once— that something interesting would break the monotony.

"Hey, you octopus!"

And that was when it finally heard something.

-Shpsh?

The Giant Squid turned one of its many eyes toward the sound.

There, standing boldly only an arm’s length away, was a human carrying a massive shield.

It was Blake...

-GRAAAHHH!!!

-GRAAAHHHAH!!

The Siyokoys shrieked and immediately charged toward him upon spotting an intruder!

-...

But the Giant Squid itself did not move right away. It only stared at Blake curiously, as if trying to decide whether he was a threat or just a distraction.

"I said..."

"HEY, OCTOPUS!!!"

SWOOSH-

STAB!

-Sphhg?!

Blake suddenly threw a dagger, and it stabbed straight into one of the Squid’s tentacles.

The Giant Squid didn’t take any real damage, but irritation flared through it.

-SQAAAAAA!!

The Squid roared furiously and immediately stretched out all eight of its grotesque arms.

SWOOSH- SWOOSH-

SWOOSH- SWOOOOSH–

And then, it attacked Blake!

Seeing all eight arms whipping toward him at once—

Blake broke into a grin!

"[Absolute Defense!]"

He shouted as he activated one of his defensive skills.

And just as the monstrous arms were about to slam into him—

FWISH-

Blake dashed forward instead!

"[Shield Bash!]"

He exclaimed as he unleashed another skill!

BOOOM—!!

The impact of Blake’s shield colliding with the Giant Squid’s limbs created an explosive shockwave!

S W O O S H~

The blast of power sent sand blasting upward, filling the air and creating a massive smokescreen.

The sheer force of the clash even swept away eight Siyokoys, crushing them instantly under the pressure!

-SHPS...?!

The Giant Squid groaned in pain, retracting its heavily damaged arms. The tips of its long limbs were torn and battered.

-...

It immediately looked toward where Blake had been a moment ago, but the dense wall of sand obscured everything.

Then suddenly—

SWISH- SWISH-

SWISH- SWISH-

Four arrows shot out of the smokescreen like streaks of light!

And they were aimed directly at the Giant Squid’s eyes!

-Squii?!

The Giant Squid raised its two thick tentacles to block them.

SWOOSH–

But right before impact, the arrows shifted course!

FWOOSH–

Then twisted again in midair!

PHUCK- PHUCK- PHUCK- PHUCK-

All four arrows bypassed the tentacles and struck each of the Squid’s eyes directly!

-SQUAAAAAA!!

The Giant Squid screamed, its furious roar shaking the sandy ground.

SWISH-

At that moment, four figures rushed out of the smokescreen!

"Nice job, Aoi."

"Hey guys, where did Blake go?"

"Ugh, it’s so frustrating that Blake keeps calling this thing an octopus when it’s clearly a squid."

"Shut up, you weirdo."

It was Eve, Alec, Raven, and Curtis!

(And yes, they spoke in that exact order.)

Anyway—

The Giant Squid now realized it was not facing a lone human. Its many eyes glared as it understood multiple enemies had come to fight it.

Immediately, it activated its skill Water Manipulation...

SWAAAAAHHHHH—!

And from the massive lake behind it, the Squid summoned a raging tsunami, using nearly thirty percent of the water stored in the floor!

A towering wave rose, twenty meters high and twenty-five meters wide... And it was crashing straight toward Eve and the others!

Seeing the colossal wall of water bearing down, Raven quickly glanced at Curtis while they were sprinting toward the Squid.

Curtis caught Raven’s look and scowled.

"What?"

"Deal with that tsunami."

Raven ordered without hesitation.

"HAAAA?!"

"Why would I?!"

Curtis demanded, glaring at him.

"Because you’re a water element user."

Raven answered flatly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Curtis’s face twisted in annoyance.

"Even if that’s true, why should I—"

"Can you take care of that tsunami, Curtis?"

This time, it was Eve who spoke.

"But of course, anything for you."

Curtis’s response was immediate and full of confidence.

"Then, please take care of it for us." -Eve

"Gladly." -Curtis

"This fucking bastard..." -Raven

’This is stupid...’

Alec thought bitterly as he watched the ridiculous exchange unfold even while a tsunami barreled toward them.

Moving on...

Curtis received his order from Eve, and without hesitation, he acted.

"[Swift Movements]"

He activated his speed skill.

With his sword drawn tight in his grip...

FWISH-

Curtis propelled himself forward like a blur, cutting across the sandy floor with terrifying speed!

FWOOSH- SWIISH-

He even avoided the Siyokoys who tried to intercept him!

Because the Giant Squid was still reeling from its damaged eyes and injured arms...

SWAAAH-

Curtis slipped right past its guard unnoticed!

And before long—

Tap-

He reached the base of the towering tsunami.

"What a beautiful wave."

Curtis muttered, his voice calm.

"Too bad it was made to harm me and Eve."

With a small smirk, Curtis bent his knees.

BAM!

Then he leapt ten meters into the air, rising to meet the middle section of the monstrous wave!

"Water Manipulation, huh..."

S L A S H—!

His sword swept horizontally with sharp precision.

SPLASH!

The tsunami was cut in half— cleanly, horizontally!

And that wasn’t all...

SLOOSHHH–

CRACKLE- CRACKLE-

The lower half of the wave instantly turned into ice, frozen solid by Curtis’s control over water!

"I can manipulate water too. Well enough to turn it into ice."

Curtis declared to himself.