Chapter 34: DEEPWATER ASSAULT
Raito slid under the giant scorpion, plunging his dagger deep into its soft underbelly. The creature shrieked, its massive body twisting violently as he sliced through its flesh. It stumbled back from the impact, retreating to put distance between them.
Raito stood, eyes locked on the monster, breathing heavily. With a sudden surge, he rushed forward. The scorpion lunged, pincers snapping, tail whipping—but Raito met the attack head-on, his dagger clashing against the armored segments.
Timing his move perfectly, he slashed along the scorpion’s thick neck. There was a sickening crack as the head fell to the dungeon floor. The body froze mid-motion for a moment, then collapsed and vanished into particles of light.
Raito bent over, chest heaving, then slowly straightened. A soft chime resonated in his mind, followed by a series of crisp notifications:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Level Up! — User has reached Level 5
Attributes Increased:
• Speed +10
• Dagger Mastery +20
• Physical Strength +30
New Skill Unlocked: Poison Immunity
Loot Acquired: Scorpion Stinger (can be used to craft weapons in Greed)
A faint, satisfied smile tugged at Raito’s lips. "Finally... no more poison to worry about. And this stinger... it’s perfect for my next weapon."
Raito glanced back at the spot where the scorpion’s massive body had been, now completely vanished as Greed consumed it. Only the glowing monster core remained. He picked it up carefully and stored it in his inventory box.
"I’ll keep this for now," he murmured to himself. "I’m not fully a hunter yet. And even in all the books I’ve read about monsters, I still don’t know how much it’s worth. I could sell it, sure... but that’s not my priority. I need to keep moving. Five monsters left. After that, I’m done."
He opened his status box, tapping on Greed, then selecting the Scorpion Stinger material. A crisp notification appeared:
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Do you want to craft the Scorpion Stinger into a weapon?
Accept / Reject
Raito tapped Accept without hesitation. "The process starts now," he said, closing the status box and moving deeper into the dungeon, his focus sharpened as the next challenge awaited.
As Raito advanced through the dungeon, he noticed another massive door ahead. Just as he reached for the handle, it creaked open on its own.
"What could be inside here? Another boss... or just a monster?" Raito muttered, his hand hovering over his daggers.
The door slowly swung fully open, revealing a chamber filled with glowing green particles drifting in the air. The faint luminescence cast eerie shadows across the walls. Raito stepped inside cautiously, taking in the strange, almost serene, beauty of the place.
But then, something caught his attention. "What... what is that doing here? Something isn’t right." He felt a chill that had nothing to do with the glowing particles.
From the center of the chamber, the water of a small lake began to ripple violently. Raito’s eyes widened as a massive figure emerged. Its head shook free of the water, revealing scales glistening in the green light. A venomous serpent—over twelve feet long—coiled menacingly, its jaws capable of swallowing a human whole. Raito immediately assumed a defensive stance.
"I’ve leveled up... maybe I should test my Level 5 skills. But no, this chill... I know something else is here," he muttered, his senses on high alert.
Suddenly, three more serpents rose from the lake, each just as massive as the first. Raito’s lips curled into a confident smirk. "Rank C monsters, huh? Should be easy..."
The serpents struck almost simultaneously, each hurling their heads forward like living spears. Raito moved with precision, dodging the first serpent’s bite and slashing at its side with his dagger. Another lunged immediately, forcing him to leap sideways, narrowly avoiding its venomous fangs.
He countered with a swift strike, embedding his dagger deep into the second serpent’s thick hide. The creature shrieked, thrashing violently and slamming against the stone floor, pushing Raito back slightly.
Before he could recover, Raito felt a sudden, crushing grip. Another serpent had latched onto his leg, biting fiercely and lifting him off the ground. He struggled as the creature shook him violently, the weight and force of it threatening to throw him off balance.
Raito’s leg throbbed violently as the serpent’s fangs pierced through it, grinding against bone. "Ah... what is going on? It wants to tear my leg off!" he shouted, pain surging through him.
The serpent thrashed, trying to rip him upward, but Raito acted instinctively. He raised his dagger and stabbed at its teeth repeatedly, forcing the creature to release its grip. Raito collapsed onto the ground, gasping.
[HEALING — 200 LP]
He immediately accepted the healing. A green light enveloped him, and within seconds, his leg was as good as new. "Ah... perfect. Now I have to watch every move," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Time to try some skills," Raito said. "System Voice, activate Shadowface."
In an instant, his form became invisible. The serpents flailed and lunged blindly, unable to sense him. Moving swiftly, Raito approached the first serpent at its side and slashed cleanly, cutting off its head. It vanished instantly, leaving only its glowing core.
He surged forward. The second serpent turned in shock, but Raito’s dagger, also invisible, struck with precision, severing its neck. Its head rolled to the ground, and it too vanished.
The remaining two serpents hesitated, glancing around in confusion. As they attempted to retreat into the lake, Raito pursued. He ran faster than the third serpent could react, his dagger slicing through its neck before it could reach the water. Its body dissolved into nothingness.
The fourth serpent lunged into the water, but Raito was faster. He leapt onto its back, gripping both daggers, and plunged beneath the surface. The lake was deep and dark, swallowing all light. Raito held his breath, moving carefully through the murky depths.
He stabbed relentlessly, each strike piercing the serpent as it thrashed to drown him. Finally, he reached its head and drove his dagger deep. The creature shuddered violently before vanishing entirely, defeated and consumed by Greed.
Breaking the surface, Raito gasped for air, his chest heaving. He lay flat on the ground, the adrenaline slowly ebbing. "Ah... that was close. Really close. But I did it," he whispered, finally allowing himself a moment of relief.