This is more bothersome than I thought.
No idea how this thing works, but every time I surveyed the area, the white ears perked up.
The problem is that the hearing ability of those rabbit ears was surprisingly useful.
While avoiding the elite monsters, it helped me sense danger multiple times.
Was the quiet footstep of a Minotaur the developer’s malice?
– Nianbah fled after killing the prince.
– He intended to escape far away with his wife and daughter.
– However, the poison had already begun to consume his heart, and the pursuers were closing in.
– In the end, Nianbah entered a cave and hid behind a magical cloak.
– The pursuers couldn’t find him.
Since the point past the mid-boss, the monsters’ specs skyrocketed.
We had to deploy two of our party’s guards just to restrain one elite monster.
With no mention of their numbers, we were effectively pushed to the brink of impossible combat.
Fortunately, we didn’t need to defeat them all.
In Infinity Black, dungeons that are absolutely impossible to clear don’t exist.
Especially regarding specs, they were fairly lenient.
As long as the weapons are at an adequate level, clearing is possible.
Sending out such strong creatures wasn’t meant to incite a fight.
The initial monster was likely released to check the power gap.
So I found this ‘magical cloak’ in the story.
“Can’t we go a bit deeper?”
“I’m at my limit too. Ugh, don’t push.”
“Shh, quiet. They might hear us.”
“Ugh…”
A cloak that could completely blend with the surroundings and evade the monsters’ line of sight.
It was likely a thing Nianbah would have used with his family.
But we were five in number.
And with Sulbbang and Dol-gwal’s large builds,
the hiding space was extremely cramped.
Elderin’s chest pressed against my cheek as it got squished.
It felt like a cozy cushion wrapping around me. Like a rush hour subway, it was too tight to escape.
The moment I tried to say something, I felt like I was going to touch lips and forced my mouth shut.
‘The smell of skin… Ugh, they’re too close.’
Beside me, Dol-gwal’s thigh pressed tightly against my side.
My butt seemed to be touching Sulbbang, but I couldn’t tell exactly where was where.
It was probably around the thighs? Thinking that way was probably beneficial for us.
To top it off, under me was the halfling, San-sae, making me bend at the waist.
The awkward position of bending sideways between two people… felt oddly suggestive.
Thinking about it made my face heat up.
“Is Da-eun uncomfortable?”
“No, I’m okay… really.”
I must endure.
If I turn my head now, it’ll look like I’m shaking my head from Elderin’s embrace.
If I move my body, it would be like rubbing my butt against Sulbbang.
In this dilemma, my heightened sense of blending in was also a problem.
The body heat touching my skin, and the breaths of my party members, were too vividly clear.
Especially the breaths near my ear were a worry.
Every time a tense breath was released, my ears perked up.
When the warm breath touched me, I felt a chill, and my toes curled tightly.
I had to barely hold back my trembling body.
How many minutes went by like that?
The footsteps of the elite monsters gradually grew distant.
Only after I closed my eyes and measured the distance could I speak with certainty.
“Whew! I think it’s gone now. Let’s move quickly!”
I immediately pushed the men behind me aside.
I surveyed the area and quickly moved forward, not wanting to show my face.
As I distanced myself from the others, my mind cooled a bit.
No more random thoughts!
Now it’s time to perform my role as the party’s scout..
This entry path had become much more complex inside.
The initial part was almost linear, but now various paths branched out.
If I were to search each one, I’d be pulling all-nighters for days.
But to reduce these trial and error moments, the story of the dungeon was provided.
It requires imagination.
If I were Nianbah, what would I have done?
‘I have to protect my wife and daughter from the pursuer. That means I should hide them in the deepest place.’
This cave was probably as linear as we first saw.
The dungeon was likely designed to expand slowly around the family in the depths.
There’d be a need to dazzle the eye in anticipation of the pursuers entering.
Important facilities are hard to move, so the side paths that appeared to have something were likely all traps.
Especially the extravagantly decorated areas felt too contrived.
Like mimics that devour greedy elves, they’d likely show sharp teeth the moment you got close.
“Let’s go this way.”
Alright. Decision made.
The most mundane yet timeworn path.
How long did I boldly move forward?
In the last room, there was a large creature, like a final boss.
It looked like a squid that rose from hell.
*
“Gawol! Tentacle that way!”
“I saw it. What is that thing?”
The deep purple legs targeted me and swooped in.
No, it might be better to call it a tentacle, just like Sulbbang.
When the octopus-like legs flailed, sticky liquid splattered down.
It left a trail following its movement.
The power of those tentacles was no trivial matter.
Just passing nearby, I felt like I could be swept away by the wind pressure.
With the impact each time Sulbbang’s great sword hit the wall, the cave shook with bang bang echoes.
But the true problem wasn’t the might of the attack.
While everyone else seemed unfazed…
I found that tentacle particularly repulsive.
It looked slimy and sticky, making me want to avoid touching it entirely.
“Urgh!”
When it touched me, I let out a scream instinctively.
I had to stab it with a dagger, but gulp!
A chilling sensation crawled up my spine, almost missing my timing.
This can’t happen.
Focus.
This boss had a total of 13 long and thick tentacles.
The eye in the center of its body was evidently a weak point, but attacking it didn’t seem easy.
There were plenty of smaller tentacles clustered near its body.
[You are under the effect of ‘Whisper of the Black Moon’.]
[You receive beneficial effects for all attack power, movement speed, and counterattack judgment.]
[Some skills are enhanced…]
The tentacles came crashing down behind me, smacking stone fragments with crash crash noise.
I paused for a moment at an appropriate timing.
Using a tentacle that had already struck first, I slid down it like a slide.
As expected, it felt horrifyingly awful.
A shivering uneasiness climbed from my butt to my spine.
I wanted to wash off the liquid staining my clothes right away.
I’m pretty good at taking care of bugs in my studio apartment.
So I thought I’d handle ‘fear’ the same as before.
But I guess I had no resistance against this; I had to grit my teeth and endure.
“Ugh…”
As I shuddered while riding the tentacle,
the party members weren’t just sitting idly.
Elderin’s flames cleared the path, and San-sae’s vines bound the tentacles in place.
The moment I tried to leap toward the monster’s eye, the tentacle cluster began to writhe ominously.
I had no idea what it was, but it felt dangerous.
As I shifted to a defensive stance with my dagger, a horrific spike shot up.
It appeared to be a long, curved shape.
It reminded me of a scorpion’s tail or a chain sword.
It wasn’t an attack that could be dodged with just a couple of evasions, so I first swatted at it with my dagger.
“Ugh!”
Even though I got a parry judgment, my wrist almost twisted.
If I hadn’t used a unique buff, my arm might have been severed.
Moreover, a corrosive substance splattered, melting my thigh’s stockings.
With the unexpected attack messing up my timing.
It was impossible to blind the eye before another tentacle got close.
I slipped away and called for the needed person.
“Hey, Old Man! Guard!”
“Uh, right!”
An awkward response, but the reaction was sharp.
The Berserker braced a wide axe blade with one hand.
The moment I landed on the axe, it flung me forward with all its might.
With a dizzying speed and an onrush of movement.
Maybe because I got close once, the monster seemed to select me as its most threatening foe.
‘This can’t be good.’
I’m the best at the game in this party, but I’m not the one with the strongest firepower.
As all sorts of tentacles reached out to entangle my limbs,
I obediently gave up attacking and melted into San-sae’s shadow.
Where I had just been, a red magic circle spread.
[Party member is casting the area spell ‘Prometheus’s Fire’.]
[Warning: You have been designated as a coordinate target. Evacuate the target area. You may take lethal damage.]
[Caster: Elderin]
In this game, fire mages usually harness firepower, and among them, flame mages are standout.
A massive sphere of fire condensed for a moment, then roared back, shaking the entire battlefield with a loud blast.
On the opposite side, the great sword warrior advanced into the hollow heat.
With sharp sword strikes, several tentacles were severed, but many remained.
Having gone too deep, the protection of the great sword warrior was instantly shattered.
Sulbbang’s body was poorly flung against the cave’s exterior.
He wasn’t dead.
That’s enough for me.
My body, which had melted into the darkness, swept through the wind again.
I’m not an incompetent assassin who can’t even feast on a laid-out feast.
Two daggers simultaneously stabbed into the creature’s eye.
“Let’s not meet again, you disgusting little brat.”
The little tentacles tenderly coiled around my arm— slither.
Only leaving behind the sticky slime as they fell asleep.
[You have defeated the owner of the Ancient Minotaur Habitat, ‘Dalenarion’.]
[Dungeon clear. Check your rewards.]
[You have met the requirements to enter the special area ‘The Cradle of the Fallen’.]
[Beware. A powerful protector ‘Father’ awaits in The Cradle of the Fallen.]
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