Chapter 524 - 523: Monster’s Lair

Chapter 524: Chapter 523: Monster’s Lair

Next, the group stood around the Dwarves’ long table and began to eat.

They had spent most of their journey eating things from the Undercity, so they still had enough rations and fresh water in their packs.

The Tritons also had some strange food in the conch shells hanging from their bodies, which they said was a type of air-dried snail meat.

Colin ate a piece. It felt like a salty piece of rubber. After a few chews, the dense snail meat broke down into distinct fibers. It didn’t taste very good.

The group huddled in the Royal Armory, gnawing on their bland, tasteless food to fill their empty stomachs.

When it was time to sleep, Colin lay in his sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling above.

For some reason, he didn’t feel nervous at all.

Half a year ago, if Colin had known he was about to attack a monster’s lair, he probably would have been too nervous to sleep. After all, it was anything but safe.

But now, his mind was filled with thoughts of what kind of equipment could be made from the Aboleth, and what treasures might be in its lair. It was as if he wasn’t heading into a great battle, but to a victory that was already foretold...

And speaking of which, he realized it had been a long time since he’d thought about whether he should run during a mission.

’Maybe this is the confidence of the strong,’ he thought.

’Of course, it goes without saying that countless "strong" people have died from such confidence. I don’t know if this change in me is for the better or for the worse.’

With these complicated feelings, Colin slowly drifted off to sleep in his sleeping bag.

「The next day, the group packed up and left the Royal Armory.」

Before leaving, Donkexes asked the Fishmen if they needed to put on the Scale Armor from the armory, but they politely refused.

It made sense. Most underwater creatures weren’t in the habit of wearing Armor. Besides the inability to smelt iron on a large scale under the sea, it was probably also because wearing Armor would restrict their movement in the water.

Led by Dorn, the party left the Dwarven ruins and followed an underground passage to the level above.

After advancing through the swamp for some distance, Dorn stopped.

The rest of the group behind him also halted.

Colin glanced around. They were in a narrow tunnel. From ahead, the continuous sound of flowing water could be heard, and a faint, fishy stench filled the air.

"The area around the reservoir is just ahead," Dorn said quietly, turning back. "If we go any further, we’ll likely run into enemies."

"Then let’s begin," Colin said.

He and Donkexes began their Spellcasting. A faint silver light appeared above the heads of Colin, Kase, Donkexes, and Langgrin. The Magic’s Spiritual Light slowly sank into their scalps, forming a protective membrane around their brains.

[Intelligent Barrier] took effect. Mind Control would now be far less effective against them.

"We don’t have much intel," Colin said. "We’ll have to play it by ear from here on out."

"We know what we’re doing," Langgrin said, drawing the Battle Axe from his waist.

Dorn grumbled, "Honestly, if we charge in and only see a few octopus-faces, I’ll be thrilled."

Just as they were speaking, a fish head suddenly poked out from the passage ahead.

Dorn threw a Spiritual Dagger with a flick of his wrist.

The Dagger sank right into the center of the fish head. The two dead-fish eyes on its head suddenly dimmed, and the Kuo-toa collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

"For the Shadow Anvil Clan!" Langgrin roared, charging forward. He kicked the fallen Kuo-toa aside and rushed out.

Colin drew his Elf Giant Sword and followed close behind. Kase also picked up his Giant Axe and joined them. The others followed these three, with the Fishmen instinctively positioning the Casters in the middle of their formation.

The moment he charged out of the cave entrance, Colin saw a flowing underground river.

On both sides of the river were paths covered in wet cobblestones. The paths weren’t very wide, barely enough for five people to walk abreast.

"The reservoir is on the other side of the river! We need to find a path or a passage across!" Dorn shouted from the rear. "Just keep running forward! Even if there’s a tunnel under the water, we can sense it!"

’They can even sense that? Are stones their relatives or something?’

Colin and the others charged forward on the slippery cobblestones.

The sound of countless splashes filled their ears. SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH.

Countless furious Kuo-toa clambered up the banks and rushed toward them. They wielded weapons like Person-Catching Forks and Short Spears but wore no armor. At most, they clutched slimy Shields in their hands.

Orelia didn’t break stride as she recited a prayer.

The moment the last syllable fell, the Leaf Hammer in her hand erupted with light.

Golden rays of light tore the surrounding darkness to shreds.

Under the effect of [Daylight], no evil could hide. The malevolent creatures that had spent their lives hiding in the dark were thrown into disarray by the light. Bright light was their natural enemy.

At the same time, Donkexes took out the Spellbook from his waist.

Pumping his short legs, he began Spellcasting while sprinting forward. Sparks of electricity flickered at his fingertips and rapidly condensed in the air.

CRACK!

A white bolt of lightning screamed down the path ahead.

Arcs of electricity connected every Kuo-toa that had climbed onto the bank, instantly clearing the cobblestone path in front of the party.

In that instant, Colin could vaguely see some of the branching arcs of electricity strike the nearby river. A few Kuo-toa standing in the water convulsed twice and then collapsed into the river.

"We need to conserve our Magic!"

Donkexes shouted after casting the spell.

Colin quickened his pace and charged forward with the others.

Two Kuo-toa led the charge toward them.

As he sped up, Colin raised his blade high, twisting his waist to build up power.

The moment the opponents entered his attack range, he uttered a Spell and, using the force of gravity, brought his blade down. As expected, a diagonal arc of fire slashed through the two Kuo-toa.

Short Spears, Shields, chunks of flesh, bones...

Before this single strike, none of it made a difference. Everything was sliced in two in an instant, as if the sword were cutting through butter.

After swinging the sword, Colin felt that the grip on the hilt was strange.

He looked back and saw that a slimy fragment of a Shield was stuck to his blade. He had to spare a moment of his attention to pull the annoying piece of trash off.

Kase immediately pushed forward to take his place.

Roaring, he activated [Frenzy]. His powerful arms swung the ridiculously large Giant Axe, carving a path ahead of them.

"Here comes the Dwarf!" Langgrin, closest to the river, bellowed as he smashed a Fishman’s jaw with a punch, then followed up with a backswing of his axe that shattered another Fishman’s head.

Taking advantage of the brief respite, Colin glanced back to check on the rest of the party.