Chapter 194: Another Threat.

There were far too many for Jake to count.

His eyes swept across the cavern, and what first looked like dozens quickly became hundreds.

And the farther he looked, the more he realized that even hundreds might be an underestimate.

The sight of so many Nagas moving together was enough to make Jake’s scalp tingle.

It was like watching an entire army of fish monsters suddenly come to life.

Jake’s expression became increasingly serious.

"So many..."

He had already known there were nagas somewhere in these tunnels.

But seeing their true numbers was something else entirely.

Whatever was happening in this cavern, these nagas were clearly gathering here for a reason.

And Jake had a very bad feeling about what that reason might be.

Aria soon moved beside him and carefully peeked out from behind the entrance.

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the scene below.

"...There are so many."

Jake nodded slowly.

"Yeah..."

Even from this distance, the sheer number of nagas was overwhelming.

Aria tightened her grip on her sword as she continued watching them.

"They are all moving toward the same place."

Jake followed her gaze.

She was right.

Despite the chaos, the nagas weren’t moving randomly.

They were gathering somewhere deeper inside the cavern.

And whatever was waiting for them there was clearly important enough to bring this entire swarm together.

The two of them went quiet for a moment.

Then Aria suddenly raised her hand.

"Jake..."

Jake followed her gaze.

"What is it?"

She pointed toward the deeper part of the cavern.

"Look there."

Jake narrowed his eyes.

At first, all he could see was the endless movement of the naga swarm.

But then... he noticed it.

His expression slowly changed.

Among the countless nagas sat a creature that towered over the others.

Unlike the roughly human-sized nagas around it, this one possessed a massive humanoid body covered in thick scales and bulging muscles.

Its enormous legs were heavily muscled as well.

Even while sitting, it looked like a small boulder surrounded by ordinary nagas.

Around its thick neck hung a strange ornament made from dark metal, bone, and polished stone.

Strange markings covered its surface, giving it an almost ceremonial appearance.

Its monstrous fish-like head was even more intimidating.

As sharp teeth filled its wide jaw, while several ridges and fins extended from the sides of its skull.

And there is a long scar ran across one side of its face and over one eye, leaving that eye permanently closed.

But what caught Jake’s attention most was what lay beside it.

... It was two swords.

One was a massive heavy blade, thick and broad enough to resemble a greatsword.

It looked like a weapon meant to crush anything in its path through sheer weight and power.

While the other was its complete opposite.

It was long and slender, with an elegant, narrow blade that looked almost delicate compared to the massive weapon beside it.

Yet something about it made Jake instinctively feel that it was far more dangerous than it appeared.

The two swords rested beside the giant naga as though they belonged to it.

Jake stared at them for several seconds.

Then his eyes narrowed.

’Two swords...?’

A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind.

’Don’t tell me that giant naga actually uses both of them?’

The more Jake observed the giant naga, the more uncomfortable he became.

At first, he had assumed it was simply a larger and stronger version of the ordinary nagas.

But now, he wasn’t so sure.

There was something about the creature that felt different.

It was too... calm.

Despite the countless nagas moving around it, the giant naga simply sat there, quietly observing the cavern with its single open eye.

But at that moment, it suddenly reached its hand forward and grabbed one of the naga.

The naga struggled, but the giant naga didn’t care and opened its huge mouth and... bit its head off.

CRUNCH!

Seeing this, Jake’s eyes darken as even his instincts were telling him one thing right now...

"That thing... it’s definitely not an ordinary monster."

Then Jake glanced at Aria, because she had suddenly gone quiet.

"Aria? What’s wrong?"

His voice was soft, not wanting to disturb her focus.

Aria didn’t turn to look at him.

Her gaze remained fixed on the giant naga below, or more specifically, on the two swords resting beside it.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

Her voice was unusually solemn.

"Those two swords... They are Enchanted Artifacts."

Jake’s expression changed the moment he heard her words.

"Enchanted Artifacts!?"

He turned his gaze back toward the giant naga, his eyes widening in surprise.

After all, he had already gotten a taste of how strange and powerful the abilities of an Enchanted Artifact could be.

Jake’s expression became even more serious.

He had already noticed that the two swords were unusual, but he hadn’t expected them to be actual Enchanted Artifacts.

Aria had already told him about enchanted artifacts.

They were basically pieces of equipment forged with a skill imbued into them.

Which meant...

This giant naga possessed two additional unknown abilities that he would have to be extremely cautious of.

’Then fighting that thing is going to be far more dangerous than I thought.’

Jake’s thoughts quickly settled on the safest option.

’We should avoid confronting that thing.’

There was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

They had no idea what abilities those two Enchanted Artifacts possessed, and the giant naga itself was clearly far stronger than the ordinary nagas surrounding it.

For now, their best option was to stay hidden and follow the naga swarm.

If they were lucky, the nagas would eventually lead them to another exit.

Jake glanced at Aria and lowered his voice.

"For now, we follow them silently."

Aria nodded.

Neither of them wanted to risk attracting the attention of that giant naga.

However... neither Jake nor Aria noticed the small, strange naga perched high on the cavern wall.

It was hidden in a narrow crack between the rocks, its body almost completely blending into the darkness.

Unlike the countless nagas below, this one wasn’t moving with the swarm.

It was watching.

Its strange four black eyes remained fixed on Jake and Aria as they stood near the entrance.

For several moments, the creature remained completely still.

Then its head slowly tilted.

The small naga opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

And Jake suddenly felt a strange sense of danger.

Then he looked around.

"What was that...?"

But before he could find anything, the creature suddenly raised its head.

"SKREEEEEEEEEE!"

A piercing screech exploded through the cavern.

The sound was so loud that it echoed from every direction, shaking the entire cavern with its sharp cry.