Chapter 308: The Ravine Predator

The stench of blood hit him first, sending a chill down his spine.

There were a lot of questions on Zich’s mind at this moment, but the most important one was: Why would someone create a floor like this? How did they expect a challenger to survive without any prior preparation?

He glanced down at the open maw and caught sight of a broken sword hilt stuck between two fangs. The sight only worsened his mood, as it was a clear sign that the owner of that sword might have been devoured by this monster as well.

Seeing that he was about to fall straight into the enormous maw, Zich immediately summoned Slimy.

A strand of Slimy’s white silk adhered to the nearby cliff wall and yanked him away from his original landing point.

A thunderous crash followed beneath him as the monster’s jaws snapped shut on empty air, its teeth smashing through the protruding rocks along the cliff.

Using Slimy’s white silk, Zich landed on a narrow rocky ledge, but his left shoulder struck the wall, causing him to wince in pain. The injury from the Twenty-Sixth Floor had yet to heal, and the collision had probably reopened the wound.

But he had no time to worry about it now.

Within the thick fog, the monster was already climbing up the cliff wall. Its enormous body was covered in thick gray and black scales, with a row of hooked claws lining its underside.

Suspended between the two cliff faces, its massive frame practically blocked the entire gorge.

[Twenty-Seventh Floor Trial: Kill the Ravine Predator.]

After reading the notification, Zich glanced at the rocky ledge beneath his feet, which barely had enough room for him to stand. His expression darkened.

Fight that thing here?

He didn’t even have enough space to dodge.

The predator soon climbed to the same height as him, but instead of lunging forward with its jaws open, it extended one of its hooked claws and dug into the underside of the ledge.

As it gradually exerted force, the stones near Zich’s feet began to loosen, and a crack slowly spread inward across the rock.

This thing was actually quite clever. It knew to destroy his foothold first.

Zich instinctively prepared to condense a Spirit Bomb, only to stop himself almost immediately. The distance was too close. Even if the explosion managed to injure the monster, the ledge beneath him certainly wouldn’t survive.

His gaze swept across the enormous beast’s head before finally settling on its broad back.

There was certainly enough room for quite a few people up there.

"Tiamant!"

A burst of black light appeared directly above the enormous beast. The gorge was too narrow for Tiamant to deploy freely, so she landed lengthwise on the predator’s broad back, her skeletal frame pressed low between the two cliff faces. There was only just enough room for her to settle before a heavy skeletal claw slammed down, forcing its massive body downward.

The hooked claw gripping the ledge was immediately forced to release its hold. The predator twisted its head around furiously, only for several bone chains to wrap around its neck before it could retaliate.

Taking advantage of the opening, Zich jumped onto its back.

Iron appeared beside him at almost the same moment, gripping its bone greatsword with both hands before driving the blade between two overlapping scales.

The enormous beast suddenly shook, and Zich had to grab onto Iron to steady himself. When he glanced back, the rocky ledge he had been standing on had already collapsed, with loose stones continuously tumbling into the fog below.

Good thing he hadn’t stayed there.

"Slimy, secure everyone. Iron, deal with its claws."

Undead Skeleton Soldiers appeared one after another, and strands of Slimy’s white silk immediately wrapped around their bodies before adhering to the predator’s back. Meanwhile, Tiamant kept one claw pressed against the creature’s back and maintained pressure from the front, preventing it from turning its head to attack.

Zich didn’t rush to make another move. Instead, he took a moment to assess the situation.

The creature’s scales were far too thick, so trying to hack through its back would hardly accomplish anything. However, since it was currently hanging from the cliff, it had to use its claws to hold onto something.

Iron had already moved toward one side, swinging its bone greatsword at the front claw embedded in the rock wall.

The first strike only left a wound, but the bone greatsword quickly descended again. The predator recoiled in pain and attempted to withdraw its claw, only for its body to slide downward. Left with no choice, it hurriedly tightened its grip on the rock again.

Seeing this, Zich finally had an idea.

"That’s it. Keep attacking like that."

For the next several minutes, furious roars echoed almost continuously throughout the gorge.

The predator repeatedly thrashed its body, attempting to throw the enemies off its back. Several times, it tried turning its head around, only for Tiamant to forcibly pull it back. Meanwhile, Iron and the skeleton soldiers seized every opportunity to concentrate their attacks on its front claws.

Throughout the confrontation, Zich kept a close eye on the condition of his summons. Slimy’s white silk snapped several times, but fortunately, it was quickly replaced, and none of them had fallen off yet.

The real problem was his mana.

Maintaining so many summons simultaneously, especially with Tiamant constantly wrestling against the enormous beast, was draining his reserves much faster than anticipated.

Zich took out one of the three mana potions he had obtained on the previous floor and drank it before putting the empty bottle away. Two remained. His gaze then returned to the creature ahead.

He had obtained those potions specifically for difficult situations like this. The potion helped replenish the mana consumed by Tiamant’s upkeep, but maintaining her was still far from cheap. Since he had already used one, he might as well make sure he cleared this floor.

Not long afterward, Iron finally managed to wound the predator’s second front claw.

However, the creature suddenly went quiet.

Zich had only just sensed that something was wrong when the enormous body beneath his feet abruptly tilted sideways, sending its entire back crashing toward the cliff wall.

"Hold on!"

Iron quickly retreated to his side, using its body to shield him.

In the next instant, the rocky wall slammed against Iron’s shoulder armor, pushing both of them toward the opposite side. Several strands of Slimy’s white silk snapped on the spot, and one of the skeleton soldiers lost its footing, tumbling straight over the edge of the predator’s back.

Fortunately, Slimy’s white silk was still attached to its body, preventing it from falling into the abyss.

The collision left Zich’s chest aching. By the time he raised his head, he could already taste blood in his mouth.

This damned thing was trying to crush all of them against the cliff!