Chapter 268: Reaching The Deepest Areas Of The Dungeon, Summoning The Two Bosses!

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Noir made a series of happy, playful sounds as Daniela rubbed his face and big, soft cheeks with both hands. He playfully licked her hands and face in return, his thick tail wagging so hard that it stirred the surrounding mist into small swirling currents. "Hehehe, you smell!" she laughed brightly, not minding the faint scent of swamp mud and lingering monster blood that clung to his dark fur.

"Maybe he’s due for a bath once we get out of here," Riven commented with a small, amused smile as he watched the affectionate pair. "Let’s keep moving. The two dungeon bosses are waiting deeper in the swamp."

"Oh! Okay!" Daniela replied with renewed energy.

After carefully retrieving every last item and core from the earlier battlefield, the four of them pressed deeper into the swamp. The ground grew softer and wetter with every careful step, the mud sucking at their boots, and the mist thickened until visibility dropped even further. Strange, low croaking sounds echoed from unseen places, and the air carried a heavy, damp chill that clung to their skin.

They encountered more Corrupted Dryads and clusters of Carnivorous Flowers along the way. All of them were quickly and efficiently dispatched by Noir this time. The wolf happily ate them one after another, transforming into a giant wolf head with enormous jaws that snapped shut.

"Burp." After Noir had his fill, he sat down heavily with a noticeably round and satisfied belly, looking rather comical.

"Alright, the young master has had his feast," Vladimir said with a wry grin, wiping a bit of residual blood from his sleeve. "It’s time for us to dispatch these final threats and find the core of this place."

"Indeed," Riven agreed, stepping forward through the ankle-deep water that rippled outward with each movement. "From what I’ve heard and from the records I managed to dig up, the two bosses of this dungeon live together in this swamp, and there is a special condition required to summon them properly."

"So they won’t come out to attack on their own?" Daniela asked, tilting her head curiously as she stayed close to Noir’s side.

"No," Riven shook his head. "You have to drop your own blood into the swamp water. That means that usually, when a bleeding person escapes a fight and falls into this water by accident, they will summon one of them... well, one of them at least."

"How do you summon both at the same time?" Vladimir asked, his interest clearly piqued as he scanned the murky surface.

"You have to drop the blood of four different people," Riven explained carefully, his tone serious. "Technically you cannot conquer this dungeon alone under normal circumstances... but I’ve brought all of you here for that exact reason."

"We’re only three though..." Daniela tilted her head again, counting on her fingers. "Unless...? Noir?!"

"Come here, boy," Riven called gently, crouching down a little.

Noir nodded and wagged his tail as he approached with trust in his eyes. Riven knelt in front of the large dog and spoke in a calm, almost apologetic tone. "Look, boy, I need to ask you a great favor... please give us a little bit of your blood."

"Arf?!" Noir gasped, his mouth opening wide in surprise. "Grouh?"

"It won’t hurt," Riven promised softly. "Just a tiny bit. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t necessary."

"..."

Noir eventually nodded with reluctant acceptance and offered one of his large paws. Riven used one of his sharp claws to tap it gently and precisely. A small amount of bright red blood fell into the swamp water with a soft plop that somehow felt louder than it should have in the heavy silence.

At the same time Riven also dropped some of his own blood from a small cut on his finger, followed by Vladimir, who did the same without complaint, and Daniela, who used a tiny sterile needle for the purpose so she would not have to injure herself roughly.

The mixed blood of four different beings fell onto the brown, stagnant swamp water and slowly began swirling into a vivid red spiral that glowed faintly beneath the surface, pulsing like a living heart.

Then... nothing. Nothing happened.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

A long silence stretched out, awkward at first, then increasingly annoying as the seconds dragged on with no response from the dungeon.

"Hey, nothing happened!" Vladimir finally roared in frustration, kicking at the water. "Why don’t we just burn this whole swamp and evaporate the water then?! Wouldn’t that be faster and cleaner?"

"Shut up for once in your life," Riven said calmly, raising one hand in a quiet command. "Listen carefully."

Everyone fell silent and focused exactly as he instructed. Indeed, a small rumble began growing louder and louder beneath their feet, vibrating through the thick mud and shallow water in steadily intensifying waves.

Small ripples spread across the water in every direction, growing larger and more chaotic, and then—

SPLAAAASH!

RUMBLE!

The ground shook violently and exploded upward with tremendous force. Large boulders and thick clumps of mud flew in every direction while water shot high into the sky and came crashing back down like a localized tsunami across the entire orchard-like section of the swamp.

"Woooaaaahhh!"

Daniela panicked and screamed in pure horror as the massive wave approached them, but Riven used his Psionic Powers without hesitation to lift her, himself, and Vladimir safely into the air with precise control.

Noir simply stood on a solid platform made of his own dense shadows that floated steadily above Riven’s head, his tail still wagging slightly despite the chaos.

"What the hell is this?! A tsunami? Who could survive this if they can’t fly or protect themselves?!" Vladimir asked in disbelief as he stared at the swirling chaos of water, mud, and debris below them.

"That’s exactly why they’re considered rather difficult bosses for their rank," Riven explained while scanning the misty, churning water with sharp eyes. "The environmental hazards are very annoying, and not many hunters bother to come here because of it. Most prefer safer, more straightforward dungeons."

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