Chapter 336: Won

Chapter 336: Chapter 336: Won

Seraphina Sinclair was already using all her strength. Her current speed was the absolute fastest she could muster.

But the terrifying part was that Fayestar was somehow able to keep pace, staying neither too close nor too far behind.

Seraphina Sinclair frowned. A casual glance revealed a faint aura swirling around Fayestar’s legs.

’So Fayestar is even using an item just to keep up with me.’

This silent competition undoubtedly ended in Seraphina’s victory. Fayestar went back to grab the two who had fallen behind, and the group returned to the ore chamber where they had found the purification fluorite.

This time, there was no hesitation. After feeding the purification fluorite to their respective Sunflowers, the four of them set off again.

The mountain of flesh was still in the corridor.

But the creature seemed to be tied to the location of the safety helmet. The archway Seraphina had carved was still there, and the mountain of flesh showed not a hint of aggression toward the group, as if it had forgotten how it had lost that chunk of its body.

Lyra Lowell stood in the shadow cast by the wall sconce on the mountain of flesh. He couldn’t help but swallow hard as he looked at the three standing beside him. "This time... you’re not going to make me go first again, are you?"

No one answered, but the looks they gave him all said the same thing—’Who else?’

Lyra immediately looked utterly devastated. But perhaps he had been sent to scout ahead too many times on this journey, because he didn’t even utter a word of protest. He simply resigned himself to his fate and shut off his lantern.

Cradling the Sunflower in one arm and the safety helmet in the other, he took a deep breath. A low growl, like a warrior marching to his death, escaped his throat as he lowered his head and charged toward the gap in the mountain of flesh.

"Wait for me—"

The last of his words was swallowed by the soft, greasy wall of flesh.

A few seconds later, a short scream echoed from deep within the gap, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground. Then, the safety helmet came clattering out of the gap and rolled to a stop at Seraphina Sinclair’s feet.

The three exchanged a glance. Alaric Hawthorn shrugged and walked through the archway Seraphina had cut.

Lyra Lowell, clutching his bruised rear, watched wide-eyed as Alaric calmly walked out, instead of having to scramble through the mountain of flesh in a pathetic heap like he had.

His eyes bulged, and he nearly choked.

"You... you!" Lyra pointed a trembling finger at Alaric, his face a mask of grief and indignation. "Alaric Hawthorn! Why didn’t you say there was a door we could walk through!"

Alaric walked up to him, his tone flat and emotionless. "I’m not an idiot, after all. How would I know an idiot can’t even see a door?"

"I... I... You... You!!" The curses on the tip of Lyra’s tongue died under Alaric’s calm gaze, leaving only an aggrieved mumble. "Damn it..."

Fayestar went through next, with Seraphina Sinclair bringing up the rear.

After ascending the steps and pushing open the large door, they were met with a familiar sight.

Fayestar shot Seraphina a nonchalant glance. "Looks like... this is the ninety-percent outcome after all."

Lyra and Alaric hadn’t yet figured out what that meant and were about to step inside, still holding their Sunflowers.

The instant Lyra’s shoe touched the floor inside, the entire floor rippled as if it had suddenly turned into the surface of water.

A faint smile touched Seraphina’s lips as she retorted mercilessly, "As it turns out, my gamble paid off."

Before Fayestar could say anything, a sudden change occurred.

The spreading ripples abruptly froze. Then, the entire room began to shake violently, like a lake into which a giant boulder had been thrown!

The clear varnish on the walls flaked off piece by piece, accompanied by a constant RUSTLING sound.

Before these chunks of dust could even hit the ground, they were swallowed by waves that suddenly surged from the floor. Then... these waves shot up like flames doused in gasoline, growing wildly until they touched the ceiling.

It all happened in an instant. Lyra frantically pulled his leg back, lost his balance, and fell, sitting hard on the floor.

But the changes inside the room hadn’t stopped.

The waves, like an insatiable beast, licked madly at the four walls and the ceiling, devouring the peeling paint, the falling dust, and even the stale smell that permeated the air.

The once-solid floor was now as soft as the deep sea and as scorching as the surface of lava. Overlapping folds and surges twisted the entire space.

"Wh-what is happening?!" Lyra, collapsed on the floor, scrambled backward on his hands and feet, staring in horror at the tide that was about to crash against the doorway.

Alaric yanked him back, holding his long spear horizontally with the tip pointed slightly down. Facing the churning floor, his body was as taut as a fully drawn bow.

Fayestar stared intently at the center of the room, the spot where the ripples had first appeared and where the turmoil was now at its most violent.

She murmured, "Something’s about to appear..."

Seraphina stood by the door, her hand resting on the frame, quietly observing the hellish tableau before them.

Of course, she could sense the same thing Fayestar did.

A powerful aura emanated from the center of the room, where the waves had first emerged. Immediately after, the waves settled as if smoothed by an invisible hand, the violent undulations abruptly ceasing.

The churning floor slowly sank and resolidified, its color shifting from that of a normal floor to a nearly viscous, dark red.

Before it could completely settle, the dark red substance began to swell upward. As if sentient, it slowly molded itself, outlining a vague and massive silhouette.

Before Seraphina and the others’ eyes, the silhouette solidified, its surface developing a leathery texture, like a dry, cracked riverbed.

With a roar, several thick, sucker-covered tentacles slowly extended from around its body, lazily slapping the ground with dull, SQUELCHING thuds.

Its main body resembled a mountain of flesh. A fissure split open at its peak, revealing rows upon rows of sharp, spirally arranged teeth. A thick, green ichor dripped from the edges of the fissure.

The creature had no obvious eyes, but deep within the folds of its mountainous body, countless tiny points of light seemed to flicker, staring emotionlessly at the four people in the doorway.

A heavy pressure filled the air, which seemed to grow thick and viscous.

"The monster that brings the Embers..." Alaric’s voice was a little dry, and his fingers tightened their grip on his spear.

Lyra’s teeth began to chatter, and he could barely hold on to the Sunflower in his arms. "Is... is that the final boss? Wh-why is it so huge?!"

Fayestar’s expression, however, was grave. She frowned, drew a dagger from the small of her back, and held it in a reverse grip. As for the Standard Long Knife she had brought in, she tossed it aside as if it were trash.

’So she’s finally revealing her hidden weapon?’

Seraphina glanced over. The dagger was a C-level weapon!

But at this stage, that wasn’t so strange. After all, the monster before them was also a C-level monster!