This feels more awkward than I thought it would.
I don’t know exactly how it works, but every time I tried to survey my surroundings, white rabbit ears twitched.
The problem was that the rabbit ears’ enhanced hearing turned out to be surprisingly useful.
During our movement to avoid elite monsters, it alerted me to danger several times.
Was the quiet-footed minotaur the developer’s恶意 (malice)?
– Nianbach killed the prince and fled.
– He intended to leave with his wife and daughter for a distant place.
– However, the poison had already begun to eat away at his heart, and the tracker squad had arrived within striking distance.
– In the end, Nianbach entered a cave and hid behind the magic cloak.
– The trackers were unable to find Nianbach.
From the point of surpassing the mid-boss, the specs of the monsters skyrocketed geometrically.
To restrain a single elite monster, we had to commit both of our party’s guards.
With such overwhelming numbers, we were practically pushed into a situation where engaging in combat was impossible.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to eliminate all of them.
In Infinity Black, there aren’t any dungeons that are absolutely impossible to clear.
In particular, it was especially lenient about specs.
First and foremost, the rule was that as long as your weapon could scratch the enemy, you could clear the dungeon.
The fact that such powerful foes were introduced wasn’t indicative of an intent for us to fight them.
Putting out a single enemy at the start might have been a way to gauge our power gap.
So, the thing we found within the story was this “Magic Cloak.”
“Could you not go just a little further in?”
“I’ve reached my limit. Ow, don’t push.”
“Shh, quiet. Our voices might be heard.”
“Ugh…”
A cloak that could perfectly assimilate with the surroundings to evade the monster’s gaze.
It was the item Nianbach had used with his family.
The only issue was that our group consisted of five people.
Coupled with Soobin’s and the muscular Dolgyul ajusshi’s large frames.
The hiding space was extremely cramped.
Elderlyn’s breasts pressed against my cheek, flattening them.
A warm cushion-like sensation enveloped me. Like being squeezed in a crowded subway train, I was packed in, unable to detach myself.
The moment I opened my mouth to say something, I felt our lips might touch, so I was forced to keep silent.
‘The smell of flesh… Ugh, everyone is too close.’
Pressed against my side was the thigh of the Dolgyul ajusshi.
I could tell it was Soobin near my backside, but I couldn’t see exactly where and what was touching.
It was probably somewhere around the thigh, right? Let’s just assume so for both our sakes.
And beneath me was the halfling SanSa, bending me forward at the waist.
The awkward posture between the two of us brought to mind a suggestive stance.
Just thinking about that made my face heat up.
“Da-eun, are you uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s… alright….”
I had to endure it.
If I turned my head now and said I was uncomfortable, I’d end up wagging my head from side to side inside Elderlyn’s embrace.
Moving my body in the opposite direction would mean grinding my rear against Soobin.
Our current situation was even worse due to the high sensory assimilation rate.
The body heat touching my skin, the clear breathing of my party members, were all too vivid.
Especially the breathing near my ear was problematic.
Each nervous breath made my ears perk up.
When I could feel their breath, an unsettling sensation caused my toes to curl tightly.
I barely managed to stop my shaking body from trembling.
After what felt like a few minutes,
The footsteps of the elite monsters gradually faded.
Only after further estimating the distance with my eyes closed, could I confidently say something.
“Hyaak! It’s over. It seems they’ve left, let’s move quickly!”
I immediately pushed away the men right behind me.
After quickly checking the surroundings and not wanting to show my face, I stepped forward quickly.
As I distanced myself from the others, my mind cleared somewhat.
Enough with the distracting thoughts!
Right now, it’s my job to act as the scout for this party.
This route has become much more complex internally.
The early part was almost in a straight-line shape, but this one is split into several paths.
Searching them one by one would probably require staying up for several nights.
However, the dungeon provides us with stories to minimize such trial and error.
Creativity is necessary.
If I were Nianbach, what would I have done?
“I need to protect my wife and daughter from the trackers. Naturally, I would hide them as deep as possible, wouldn’t I?”
This cave was likely in its original straight-line shape at first.
The dungeon would have expanded around the heart of the family’s location.
He would have had every reason to prepare to confuse the trackers when they came.
Important facilities are always hard to relocate, so any side paths designed to look like something meaningful are highly likely to be traps.
Particularly, spaces that are overly extravagant seem forced.
Like a mimic that eats greedy elves, the moment you get close, they’ll reveal their sharp teeth.
“Let’s go this way.”
Good. Decision made.
The most common-looking place. The route that has the most ancient traces.
After how long since we advanced daringly forward.
In the final chamber, there was a large figure worthy of the title of the final boss.
It looked like an octopus that had risen from hell.
—
*
“Ga-wol! Watch out for those tentacles over there!”
“I see it. What kind of monster is this?”
A leg—or perhaps it’d be better to call it a tentacle, like Soobin’s—of a deep purple color lunged at me.
No, it’s not really a leg. The tentacle swung around, with a sticky liquid splashing everywhere with a “splat.”
It left traces wherever it moved.
The strength of the tentacles isn’t something to be underestimated.
Even passing near me seemed to generate enough pressure to send my body flying.
Each time it collided with Soobin’s great sword or a wall, the cave echoed with a “boom.”
However, the real problem wasn’t its power.
While the others didn’t seem to mind much, I had a visceral aversion to these tentacles.
The slimy, sticky appearance made me not want to touch them at all.
“Kiiiiiiiiii!”
Involuntary screams escaped me when it touched my body.
I needed to stab it with my dagger, but my stomach churned!
The chills that ran down my spine nearly made me miss my timing.
This can’t happen. Focus.
This boss had a total of 13 long, thick tentacles.
The eye in the center of its body was obviously a weak point, but it didn’t seem easy to target.
The monster’s body was surrounded by numerous clusters of smaller tentacles.
[“Receiving the effects of ‘Whisper of the Black Moon’.]
[All attack power, movement speed, and counterattack assessments have been positively affected.]
[Some skills have been enhanced…]
Behind me, a tentacle smashed into the wall, causing fragments of rock to fly everywhere.
Stopping briefly at the right moment, I waited.
I used the tentacle that had lodged itself into the wall as a slippery slide.
As expected, the sensation was horrifying.
An indescribable chill traveled from my buttocks up my spine.
I desperately wanted to wash off the slimy liquid soaking my clothes.
Even I, who can usually handle bugs in my dorm without much fuss, thought I’d be okay with my fears like before.
But it seems I had no tolerance for this and had to clench my teeth in order to endure.
“Urghhhhh…”
While I was shivering climbing the tentacles,
The party members weren’t idle.
Elderlyn’s flames blazed a path ahead, and SanSa’s vines tied up the tentacles to hold them down.
Just as I was about to leap towards the monster’s eye, the inside of the cluster of tentacles began an unpleasant wriggling motion.
Whatever it was, it seemed dangerous.
Switching to a defensive stance with my dagger at the ready, monstrous spikes suddenly shot upwards.
At a glance, they were long and curved.
The structure reminded me of a scorpion’s tail or a chain sword.
Since it wasn’t an attack that could be avoided with mere dodging, I struck it with my dagger once.
“Eeep!”
Even with a successful parry, my wrist almost bent from the shock.
If I hadn’t used my inherent buffs, my arm might have been dislocated.
The acidic fluid splashed, burning a hole in my thigh stockings.
Unforeseen attacks caused me to lose my timing.
Before another tentacle could come close, it was impossible to smash the eye.
I retreated carefully while calling out the assistance I needed.
“Hey there! Protection!”
“Eh… o-oh right!”
Though his response was awkward, his actions were swift.
The mighty warrior braced a wide axe blade with one hand.
The moment I landed on it like a seat, the ajusshi used all his strength to throw me again.
With dizzying speed propelling my body forward.
Just being close to the eye made it seem like the monster had marked me as the most threatening enemy.
‘Not good.’
Though I’m the one with the most game knowledge in this party, I’m not the one with the strongest firepower.
Just as various tentacles reached out to ensnare my limbs,
I calmly abandoned my offense and dissolved into SanSa’s shadow.
In my previous position, a crimson magic circle unfolded.
[A party member is casting the wide-area magic ‘Prometheus’s Fire’.]
[Warning: You’ve been designated as a coordinate target. Evacuate the area. You may suffer fatal damage.]
[Cast by: Elderlyn]
In this game, wizards that prioritize firepower are common, and among them, fire sorcerers particularly excel.
A massive sphere of fire condensed and then exploded, reverberating with a loud bang and shaking the entire battlefield.
From the opposite side, the greatsword warrior advanced amidst the dissipating heat wave.
Several tentacles were sliced cleanly by the sharp blade, but there were still many left.
Due to venturing too deep, the greatsword warrior’s defense was instantly shattered.
Soobin’s body was flung helplessly against the cave wall.
But he’s not dead.
That’s enough for now.
The shadow, which had blended into the darkness, once again took to the air.
I am not such an incompetent assassin that I can’t capitalize on a meal set before me.
Both of my daggers simultaneously pierced into the monster’s eye.
“Let’s not meet again, you disgusting creature.”
The small tentacles gently coiled around my arm for a moment – and then they dissolved, leaving behind their sticky residue.
[Defeated the master of the ancient minotaur domain, ‘Dalnerion’.]
[The dungeon has been cleared. Please confirm your rewards.]
[Completion of necessary conditions allows access to special area ‘Cradle of Despair’.]
[Caution: In the Cradle of Despair, a powerful guardian ‘Father’ awaits.]
