Chapter 36: CLASH WITH THE HYDRA
"I’ll try this again," he muttered, a fierce grin forming. "With enough force... this blade can cut through anything."
Raito gritted his teeth and raised his dagger high. With a sharp breath, he swung down with all his might.
But before the strike could land, another Hydra head surged toward him. He reacted instantly—dropping into a crouch as the massive jaw swept past overhead and slammed into the wall behind him, shaking the entire chamber.
Seizing the opening, Raito drove his dagger upward with full force, aiming for the soft spot beneath the creature’s scales. The blade struck—metal screeched against armor—but it didn’t pierce.
"What...?!" His eyes widened. "Even with Minotaur Strength—I can’t cut through?"
He pushed harder, muscles burning. The dagger refused to sink in.
"This blade’s supposed to pierce anything," he growled, frustration rising in his chest. "But it can’t even scratch an Hydra’s scale?"
A deep rumble echoed above him. The Hydra had realized where he was.
With a bone-shaking hiss, it raised its neck high—then brought it crashing down toward him like a hammer.
"Damn it!"
Raito rolled away just in time, the impact splitting the floor where he’d stood. He barely caught his balance before another head swept sideways, the force of it slamming into his chest and throwing him hard against the dungeon wall.
He gasped, pain lancing through his ribs.
"No... this isn’t good," he muttered, forcing himself up. "It’s like none of my skills can even touch it."
His eyes darted toward the lake where the Hydra’s body lurked beneath the water, hidden and untouchable.
"What should I do...?" he whispered, voice trembling with equal parts fear and fury.
The Hydra’s strike landed with bone-shattering force.
Raito’s vision blurred as he was sent flying, slamming hard into the dungeon floor. The impact made the ground tremble.
[System Alert – AP Reduced: -100]
Pain exploded through his body, his chest tightening as a red warning flashed before his eyes.
[Critical Damage Detected]
[Auto-Heal Initiated – 140 LP Consumed]
Raito groaned, clutching his ribs. "Damn it... that hit almost shattered me."
The healing light flickered over his wounds, sealing them halfway before fading. He barely had time to breathe before one of the Hydra’s heads turned sharply, locking its six glowing eyes on him.
The monster hissed and lunged.
Raito reacted instinctively—he leapt high, using the momentum to land atop the creature’s massive head. The scales felt slick beneath his boots as he steadied himself, gripping his dagger tight.
"The eyes... that’s the weak point," he muttered. "If I can blind it—"
He raised his blade, ready to strike, but the Hydra whipped its neck violently. The sudden motion sent him tumbling through the air. Before he could recover, the creature’s other head slammed into him mid-fall.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the stone beneath him.
[System Alert – LP Reduced: -300]
"Ah—damn it!" Raito hissed, clutching his side. "That impact... my bones—"
He struggled to move, pain pulsing through every limb. "If it weren’t for my LP system, I’d already be dead..."
[Healing Available – Cost: 200 LP]
He accepted the prompt immediately. A faint green glow wrapped around him, mending fractures and bruises.
"My LP’s dropping fast... I can’t afford another direct hit," he muttered through clenched teeth.
The Hydra’s shadow loomed over him again. All three heads reared back, venom dripping from their fangs.
Raito bent low, muscles coiled. As the nearest head lunged sideways, he sidestepped sharply, grabbing hold of its scales and pulling hard, redirecting its strike into the dungeon wall.
The impact echoed like thunder. Stone shattered. Dust filled the air.
Raito exhaled sharply. "That’s right... hit the wall, not me."
The Hydra’s three heads hissed in unison, pulling back as if reevaluating their prey.
It was smart. Too smart.
But Raito was smarter.
They seemed to realize it too, their movement changing—more cautious, more deliberate. Then, all three heads tilted upward and opened their mouths at once.
A thick, green gas poured out, spreading like fog through the air. The dungeon filled with the venomous haze in seconds, burning the stone where it touched.
Raito’s eyes widened. "That’s—venom gas," he muttered, recognizing it instantly. "I’ve read about this... but poison doesn’t affect me anymore."
[Skill: Poison Immunity – Active]
The gas rolled around him, stinging his eyes but doing no harm. The Hydra’s heads watched him carefully, expecting him to collapse. When he didn’t, they hissed in confusion.
Raito smirked and charged forward, cutting through the green mist.
One of the heads lunged, fangs snapping shut. Raito jumped back just in time—the jaws clamped together with a thunderous crack, splintering the stone floor.
As the Hydra recoiled, he darted forward again, thrusting his dagger straight into its open mouth. The blade sank deep into flesh before the monster reared up, roaring in pain.
The violent motion flung Raito upward. The Hydra opened its maw wide beneath him, ready to swallow him whole.
"There’s no way I’m dying like that!" Raito shouted.
As he fell, he twisted mid-air and drove both daggers down with everything he had. The blades pierced into the scales near the creature’s mouth, anchoring him in place.
The Hydra screamed and thrashed, shaking violently. Raito pushed off, rolling across its slick scales before leaping down toward the ground.
But another head came from the side—too fast to dodge.
BOOM!
It slammed into him mid-air, sending him crashing into the lake below.
Cold water engulfed him instantly. Raito gasped, but caught himself, forcing his lungs to stay still. Hold your breath... stay calm...
Above him, the Hydra’s shadows loomed. All three heads plunged into the water, searching for him.
"No... this is bad," he thought, clenching his fists around his daggers. "Underwater, it has the advantage."
He looked up through the murky depths as the Hydra descended, jaws wide.
"But if it’s coming down here..." His expression hardened. "Then I’ll end it down here too."
Beneath the dark water, Raito could barely see more than shadows and light. The surface rippled faintly above him, the Hydra’s massive form cutting through the depths like a serpent from a nightmare.