To break through the surprisingly solid door, I used a bit of strength, and the inside was a complete disaster.
There wasn’t a single intact spot, and the walls were cracked as if they could collapse at any moment.
When I touched it lightly, debris fell down.
[Oh wow]
[It’s all broken, haha]
[Are you really a Spearman?]
[Crabs and their Secret Place level, lol]
[Is the Second Prince dead?]
[But since the route is the same, I don’t think so]
That’s right. The route still had two options, just like when I rejected the Second Prince’s proposal.
There were probably one of two routes remaining.
It could end with the victory of me and the Crown Prince.
‘Or I could lose to someone in this place.’
Whoa.
“!”
I instinctively raised my Hammer.
The enormous Hammer boasted a destructive power while being able to defend a pretty large area as well.
A red flash shot out from the broken dark space.
The Hammer made of Shell was pushed back, and my body floated into the air.
[?]
[Is Crab shooting a laser beam, haha]
[Crab laser, whoa]
At the same time, another red flash shot out.
Blocking it was pointless.
‘Just like back then.’
In the 2-on-2 battle, just like the Shield Warrior, if you got hit, you were guaranteed to be airboned.
I turned the Hammer around and slammed it down into the ground.
The moment the dynamic of the Secret Place in the deep basement was set in motion, the debris that was on the verge of collapsing completely sunk down.
As the golden sandstone that filled the walls disappeared, what was revealed was a square space made of a red shine.
It was as if this very space was the Shell of the Crab.
Snap— with a sound like ‘Crab,’ a Claw suddenly lunged at my neck from the darkness.
Clang!
The speed was unbelievable, as if it were hard to believe I was moving a Hammer bigger than my body.
I swung the Hammer down on the Claw, causing it to lose one part and retreat.
“Blocking this, Crab?”
Thud…
Someone slowly walked out from among the debris.
A size and strength that couldn’t be compared to the other Crabs.
The broken Claw regenerated, and from its slightly different red eyes, red magical power seeped out.
This was definitely not a mere Crab, but a being from a completely different dimension.
“But the red eyes of the royal family, CrabNess, can’t be stopped—”
“What does it have to do with Karabus?”
“…What? What are you talking about, Crab? I only follow Lord Crabcrows, Crab.”
[?]
[Who is Karabus?]
Who are you?
Aren’t you the Emperor?
Wasn’t the Emperor some Gran whatever?
You don’t know, do you?
“Descendant… Did that guy have a descendant?”
That red eye and magical power definitely belong to Karabus, locked in the Hammer.
I’ve dealt with it for so long that there’s no confusing it.
Moreover, Karabus’s magical power is so rare that it became a subject of study for the Demon Race.
“I don’t need to know. Where’s the Second Prince?”
“How audacious, Crab. Do you dare to block the path of the rightful heir, Crabcrows?”
“The successor is enough with Crabnius.”
“You’re so full of yourself!”
[The red-eyed of the royal family, Crabness, opposes you!]
[It’s a boss battle. The route will be permanently decided based on whether you defeat this boss.]
[If you want a different route, leave the area immediately.]
It’s a boss battle.
So, that means the descendant of Karabus, not the Second Prince, is the final boss.
“I don’t know why this weapon has descendants.”
Swoosh.
“You’ll find out once you smack it.”
“Enemy of the royal family, Crab! Die, Crab!”
The hammer and claw collided.
■
Bang! Crack! Ka-bam!!! Boom!
“…Ugh, Crab.”
What a loser.
Crabcrows, the bloodline of the Emperor and the master of the Crab battling over there, was watching the situation through the ‘Reflective Water Mirror’ inside the Secret Place.
Crabness, the ultimate weapon of the Crabs said to exist before the Empire was formed.
In fact, even the name Crabness was given by the first Emperor who discovered it; nobody knows its true name or identity.
They just woke something that was sleeping.
Thus, Crabness, which had been the greatest force behind the Emperor’s empire-building, had not stepped forward after the Empire was fully established but lived on as the Empire’s blade…
“I’m losing.”
The Empire’s ultimate weapon is losing.
And to a little female who looks like a Mermaid at that.
Whether it’s a red beam, a giant claw, or a hard shell, it doesn’t matter.
That mystical beam filled with divine energy is blocked time and time again by the hammer, and the claw isn’t really making any impact either.
The hard shell could hold up at first, but as time goes on, more and more spots are breaking down.
Reviving life and using techniques akin to magic—all while meaningless.
The opponent isn’t just using a hammer either.
If the hammer is disadvantaged, it uses a spear; if the spear is disadvantaged, it utilizes mystical powers like wind.
The clear point is that the opponent isn’t completely superior either.
Because of that, I aimed to give most of the artifacts to Crabness…
Crack!
The opponent was a seasoned warrior, more experienced than Crabness, who had fought countless battles.
Crabness falls.
After some back-and-forth chatter, he suddenly stares into the void.
“…!”
It’s not an illusion.
He pierced through the ‘Reflective Water Mirror’ in its transparent state.
Cold sweat trickled down the shell of Crabcrows.
“Ha, haha, Crab.”
It’s over.
■
After capturing Crabness, I entered the inner sanctum of the Secret Place and found the Second Prince.
He seemed to have lost all sense of meaning, as he had disarmed himself completely before I arrived.
He probably hoped for mercy.
‘In my view, mercy seems pointless.’
Would Crabnius really forgive this bastard who drove his mother to death?
I doubt it.
“He will forgive, Crab.”
“…Huh?”
Crown Prince Crabnius gave a rather unbelievable response.
Given his past actions, it seemed impossible.
“Sure, he’s a scoundrel. But revenge at this point… doesn’t seem meaningful, Crab. I plan to strip him of all his might, including his claws, and send him into exile, Crab.”
“Ah, well, I’ve already removed the claws.”
After he tried to poison me, I had long since taken both pairs off.
I reckon it would be fun to make some dishes out of them.
“……”
“That’s unexpected. That wasn’t the attitude you displayed in the palace.”
The way he tore the throat of the Second Prince’s confidant in the palace was certainly not in line with his current demeanor.
I would never let him off so easily.
[Ah, lol, he definitely gets revenge]
[Lily would’ve turned into crab stew by now]
[For real, if it were Lily… Ugh, just imagining it is horrifying]
[Touching the parents is crossing the line]
[So now are we seriously cooking crab?]
[Honestly, if he’s done this much, shouldn’t the newly crowned emperor cook himself?]
[LOL, for real]
[Crab, haha]
“I too would have sought thorough revenge had I not been able to save him with the relics of the Secret Place, Crab. Now that my mother is safe, no further revenge is necessary, Crab.”
That’s what he said.
Well, he’s leaving, so he’ll manage on his own.
Not that I have any room to argue.
“More importantly, are you really leaving, Crab? We can offer you the best treatment possible, Crab.”
“I’m fine. I’ve gained everything I needed.”
From the moment I got Karabus’ hammer, I’d already maxed out what I could obtain in this dungeon.
An old grudge and my main weapon.
The seal hasn’t been lifted yet, but someday it will return to its true form.
[30 minutes left until the dungeon closes.]
[After the dungeon closes, you can choose rewards based on the items obtained.]
“Oh, by the way, the Emperor wants to see you.”
“The Emperor?”
[Oh]
[What’s he giving?]
[Let’s kill the Emperor.]
■
“Cough, Crab. Come in, Crab. Cough! Cough! Crab!”
“…….”
Even the cough is Crab.
What a fascinating race to behold.
The Emperor was lying on a bed surrounded by palace practitioners.
He was aged, but being of royal blood, he still held considerable size.
“Crabnius… I’ve heard about you, Crab. That guy is all… Cough, Crab!”
“Yes, Crab. The Second Prince is plotting everything and trying to bring me down, Crab.”
“I see… I was too caught up in my old glory, Crab… I couldn’t discern right from wrong, Crab.”
[But didn’t he go to the concubine because the Empress got sick?]
[Old glory, LOL ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[It ain’t glory if you dumped the Empress.]
[Dropped a sick wife to find a mistress = old glory(?)]
[Let’s just kill him.]
Cough!
“That aside… You are of the human race, Crab.”
“Yes. Your Majesty.”
“Indeed. Strong, Crab. You’re stronger than anyone I’ve seen, Crab.”
“Thank you.”
“…However, that weapon is quite dangerous, Crab.”
The aged Emperor glanced down at the hammer in my hand.
I had turned a relic from the Second Prince’s secret place, ‘Shrinking Pearl,’ into a size similar to a spear.
“Dangerous?”
“Actually, that weapon was the source of the power that surrounded Crabness you faced… Crab. Even the first Emperor tried to control that weapon, but it only triggered resistance and flew far away to the Crab Kingdom sealed with that power… You wouldn’t be able to handle it if you regain that power, Crab.”
[It sounds way better than I thought.]
[Isn’t it legendary-level? This feels right.]
[Why isn’t he coughing up the settings in the meantime?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Oh, the story has to be told, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[The story is definitely king.]
Handling it…
Karabus’s handling.
Hehe.
“It’s fine. It’s just a bunch of nothing.”
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