Chapter 55: The Descent of Blood and Iron

Summer’s descent toward the Abyss Boundary was a violent, unrelenting trail of blood and shattered bones.

She did not wander aimlessly or hide in the shadows. Every monster, mutant, and corrupted beast that entered her line of sight was cut down without a second thought.

Her Iron Brawler Gauntlets tore through tough scales, thick hides, and armored shells, channeling her corrupted mana into devastating physical impacts.

As her level rose, her movements grew sharper and far more refined. The initial clunkiness of her newly evolved body had vanished completely, replaced by fluid lethality.

Along the massive root highways, she occasionally crossed paths with small groups of human challengers.

Because those humans froze in absolute terror and did not dare raise their weapons against her, Summer simply ignored their presence.

She had no interest in wastefully hunting weak humans when her mind was focused entirely on clearing the dungeon and growing stronger.

It was during these brief, tense sightings that some of the men who eventually joined Ophiliya’s group had spotted her.

Back then, they had watched from afar in silence, terrified by the pale, ruby-eyed zombie who moved through high-level monster territory as if taking a peaceful stroll.

Now, after hearing from Maya and Ophiliya that this very monster had allegedly lured their young miss into a deadly trap, those same men were consumed by righteous anger.

In their blinding rage and desperate desire to earn the favor of a Seven Palaces heir, they completely forgot one fundamental truth.

The zombie girl was not merely surviving the dungeon run alone. She was systematically wiping out every single creature in her path.

That severe lapse in judgment was a mistake they would learn the hard way in just a short while.

Summer smashed her gauntlet through the chest cavity of a massive, armored centipede, tearing out its glowing mana core in one swift motion.

The long, multi-legged monster collapsed onto the mossy bark, its body twitching weakly before turning into dark ash.

A sharp blue window instantly expanded across her vision.

[You have leveled up!]

[Level 25 (0/25000)]

Summer paused her steps, her dark ruby eyes fixing on the floating numbers.

"Huh?" Summer muttered softly, her brow furrowing in slight annoyance.

The experience points required for her next breakthrough had increased by almost ten times compared to her previous level.

[From Level 25 onwards, the experience points required to level up will scale drastically with your current tier!]

The system’s voice chimed in her head, offering a prompt explanation.

[Furthermore, as your level exceeds the average level of the monsters in this layer, the experience yield from weaker creatures drops significantly.]

[An Elite Mutant that previously granted you four hundred experience points will now only give you fifty points.]

[Normal mutated monsters will yield only one-third of their original value.]

"Oh," Summer said flatly.

She stared down at her blood-stained gauntlets, processing the math in her mind. This sudden shift made leveling up through hunting low-tier prey an incredibly tedious task.

If she wanted to maintain her rapid growth rate, hunting small pythons and armored centipedes on the upper root paths was no longer viable.

She needed much stronger targets, creatures with higher levels, advanced skills, and rich mana pools.

And those powerful monsters were lurking down in the deepest sections of the canyon.

Without hesitating, Summer picked up her pace. Her Swift Strider Boots blurred against the mossy wood as she sprinted downward, vaulting over colossal root intersections and plunging deeper into the dense green fog.

Three clung tightly to her neck, its small eyes scanning the mist while letting out quiet, eager squeaks.

After descending hundreds of meters down toward the roaring red river, the thick fog around her suddenly gave way to an open, hollow chamber formed by four massive tree roots converging.

In the center of this damp, moss-covered chamber sat a terrifying creature.

It was a colossal, toad-like monster the size of a two-story house. Its skin was covered in pulsating, bioluminescent purple warts that leaked thick droplets of sizzling corrosive acid.

Between its eyes, a crystal horn glowed with bright, crackling blue lightning.

Summer immediately activated her inspection skill to view its full details.

[Name: Corrosive Thunder Toad]

[Evolution: Elite Mutated Beast]

[Racial Traits: Corrosive Acid Body, Lightning Crystal Horn]

[Class Skill: None]

[Level: 30]

[HP: 12000/12000]

[MANA: 880/880]

[STR: 95 | AGI: 82 | CON: 105 | INT: 88]

[SKILLS: Toxic Acid Rain, Lightning Discharge, Tongue Lash, Mana Shockwave]

Summer’s eyes sparkled with faint excitement as she read the panel. A Level 30 Mana-Blessed creature with attributes near one hundred was precisely the high-grade target she needed to test her current combat power and harvest massive experience points.

The giant toad turned its glassy, yellow eyes toward Summer. The moment it registered her presence, its throat expanded violently, emitting a deafening, bass-heavy croak that shook the surrounding wooden walls.

BOOM!

A wave of blue lightning erupted from its horn, tearing through the damp air straight toward her.

Summer stepped forward, her feet locking firmly onto the root surface as her corrupted mana flared outward in a dark red aura.

She slammed her left gauntlet forward, unleashing an Earth Wall directly in front of her.

CRASH!

The bolt of lightning struck the rising stone barrier, shattering it into tiny, glowing pebbles. Before the dust could clear, Summer erupted from behind the rubble like a dark projectile.

She closed the distance in less than a second, her Swift Strider Boots leaving deep cracks in the mossy bark beneath her feet.

The Corrosive Thunder Toad reacted instantly. Its mouth flew open, and a thick, muscle-bound tongue whipped through the air like a bloody spear, aimed directly at her chest.

THWACK!

Summer caught the lightning-fast tongue with her bare right gauntlet, the sharp iron spikes digging deep into the monster’s wet flesh.

The toad croaked in sudden shock, attempting to yank its tongue back, but Summer’s grip was like an iron vise. She planted her feet, swung her entire body around, and forcefully slammed the multi-ton monster side-first into the giant tree root wall.

BOOM!

The impact shook the entire chamber, sending loose bark and glowing mushrooms showering down from above.

The massive explosion of noise and violent mana fluctuations echoed far beyond the hollow chamber, traveling straight up the wooden tunnels toward the higher root bridges.

A few hundred meters above, Ophiliya’s group suddenly came to a halt.

"Did you hear that?" one of the male warriors asked, his hand dropping instantly to the hilt of his sword.

Vespera raised her hand, signaling the fifteen-man squad to stop moving. Her sharp eyes turned toward the dark, misty tunnel leading further down into the Abyss Boundary.

"High-tier corruption activity," Vespera reported calmly to Ophiliya. "Along with heavy physical impacts. Someone or something is fighting a powerful monster directly below us."

Ophiliya’s lips curved upward into a cold, arrogant smile. Her blonde hair fluttered slightly as a sharp frost aura began to circulate around her body.

"It’s her," Ophiliya stated with complete certainty, her pale hand tightening around her ornate rapier. "No ordinary human survivor down here fights with such barbaric, heavy force. She is right below us." ℴ

Beside her, Maya felt her heart race with dark anticipation. She tightened her grip on her healing staff, her eyes gleaming with unchecked greed.

’She is already engaged with a high-level monster,’ Maya thought, her mind calculating the scenario rapidly. ’By the time we arrive, she will be wounded and exhausted. This is the absolute best chance to steal the final strike!’

"Spread out silently," Ophiliya commanded the fifteen warriors, her cold voice ringing with absolute authority. "Block all exit routes from that chamber. We will surround her while she is occupied with the beast."

"Understood, Young Miss!" the men whispered back in unison, their faces filled with eager, bloodthirsty smiles.

With Vespera leading the way in complete silence, the hunting party crept down the root path, following the roaring sounds of battle straight toward Summer’s location.