Chapter 225:
Chapter 225:
Chapter 225:
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 Fusion
I entered the dungeon antechamber through the pitch-black refrigerator.
However, I found the monkey, frog, and slug, who I had left to guard the place, lying battered and bruised.
What? I can't understand what's going on…
There are no signs of disturbance in the dungeon antechamber. Since Ruu regularly cleans when she visits, it remains in pristine condition.
Yet, despite this…
"What happened here? What’s going on!!"
Impatient, I crawled over to them on all fours and shouted.
"Ugh… Ugii…"
"What? You were attacked by dungeon monsters?! No way! Those injuries, I can see your bones! Why didn't you escape before it got this bad?!"The bodies of the monkey, frog, and slug were covered in deep cuts, blood everywhere, and even their bones were visible.
"Guh… Gekoo…"
"What?! You couldn't leave because you had friends who couldn't escape? No way… Could it be?!"
I turned around abruptly, remembering the makeshift altar I had set up with a cardboard box, where I had enshrined moss-covered stone fragments. In my dreams, I had repeatedly seen the old hag and the Japanese wolf girl, and it seemed their spirits resided in those stone fragments, so I had enshrined them just in case.
"So… you were protecting those who couldn’t escape?!”
“Jubiii…”
The giant slug responded with a sound, as if to confirm my question.
Unbelievable…
These guys recognized the presence of the old hag and the Japanese wolf girl through some monster sense and considered them their friends, trying to protect them…!
I always thought these monkeys acted on my instructions for their own benefit. So I assumed they'd flee if things got bad.
But you guys…
“Uooh! What loyal friends you are! Hang on! I'll give you a healing potion right now!”
For these guys, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the healing potion I had saved for myself, even if I got shot. Damn! I’m weak to this kind of thing!
“Here, drink this… Hm, can’t drink? Okay, I’ll make it into a gel ball, one each. Here…”
I carefully placed the healing potion in a gel capsule and gently put it into their mouths, ensuring none was wasted.
“How is it? Feeling any better??”
“………”
Using my mucus skill, I created a protective layer to cover their wounds, then sealed it with a gum-like hard mucus. But even after giving them the healing potion and treating their injuries, their condition didn’t improve.
This isn’t good. They might die at this rate.
[[[Bang! Bang! Thud!!]]]
From the iron dungeon door the giant slug was holding down, loud noises and vibrations echoed.
“Be quiet, you idiot! You’re disturbing their injuries!”
[[[Bang! Rattle! Bang! Thud!!]]]
“Ugh! I’ll take care of this. You guys, stay here.”
“Ugi…”
(Damn it, who the hell did this to my precious subordinates! I won’t forgive you, I’ll tear you apart!!)
Filled with rage, I stood up, creating mucus around me.
I gently slid the monkey, frog, and slug away from the door of the dungeon's first underground level, then opened the noisy iron door.
“[Mucus Torrent]!!”
[[[Sploosh!!!]]]
Let me explain. Mucus Torrent is a grand technique that showers a massive amount of mucus. Its power is akin to a group of sumo wrestlers forming a scrum and crashing into anything, crushing everything in its path.
[[[(Thud!)]]]
Something collided with the [Mucus Torrent], making a muffled loud noise through the mucus.
“Die! I’ll kill you all…!”
In my rage, I followed the [Mucus Torrent] into the first underground level of the refrigerator dungeon.
…..
The monsters in the first underground level of the refrigerator dungeon were, incredibly, invaders.
Well, not exactly, but to my game-addled mind, they looked exactly like that.
In reality, it was a fused monster, a giant crab with a giant mussel on its back, filling the dungeon corridor.
(No way… Is this my fault…?!)
On the day the second dungeon stampede occurred, I set fire to the crab dungeon with gasoline as a precaution before leaving.
But I left before confirming if the fire had fully consumed it. If somehow the gasoline fire was extinguished, it wouldn’t be surprising if monsters overflowed from the crab dungeon.
[[[Clack… Wriggle…]]]
From beyond the mucus-filled corridor, the ominous sound of pincers and the sight of sharp tentacle scythes of the giant mussel-crab loomed.
Its silhouette looked exactly like an invader.
From the gap in the giant mussel’s shell, two snail-like eyes extended, looking at me arrogantly. It was infuriating.
(Can something like this happen in a dungeon stampede…?)
Two monsters fused. It was like a super robot feat achieved by seemingly unintelligent monsters.
It was astounding.
This way, the giant mussel was freed from its immobility. Though it wasn’t entirely immobile, removing it from its rock would prevent it from wielding its tentacle scythes effectively. Losing its pivot point meant it couldn’t exert force properly.
On the other hand, the giant crab, by carrying the mussel, gained long-reaching attack capabilities. Some crabs carry debris or anemones on their backs for protection, and this was exactly what it did.
Impressive… even though it's an enemy.
A win-win relationship with excellent effects. The giant crab might bear the weight, but the benefits outweighed it.
(This explains why the monkeys ended up like that…)
Individually, the monkeys might be stronger, but they were outnumbered and at a disadvantage in terms of matchups.
The monkeys’ attack methods were scratching, biting, and throwing poop. Scratching or biting wouldn’t damage the hard shell of the mussel or the crab’s armor.
Throwing poop was even more futile… Without super-hard green persimmons with steel-like strength and weight, they couldn’t penetrate the giant crab’s armor.
The same went for the fighter frog and giant slug.
They were basic infighters. Without getting close, they couldn’t attack. Thus, before closing in, they were sliced by the mussel’s tentacle scythes. Those deep cuts were all inflicted by the tentacle scythes.
Even if they got close, their grappling or crushing attacks couldn’t deal effective damage to the well-armored mussel-crab.
They fought, got wounded, and were pushed back to the dungeon antechamber…
“Damn! You’ve had your fun… Come on! I’ll take you on!!”
[[[Clack clack clack! Wriggle wriggle…!!]]]
At my shout, the mussel-crabs surged forward in a wave.
But this time, I couldn’t use fire, the effective attack method. I left the Fire Wand with Nina, so I couldn’t use [Chest Fire].
But I wouldn’t back down because of that.
If they were like high-defense tanks, I’d become an even stronger heavy tank!
“Hmm…! Come forth, [Soltech Shield]! And [Soldion Hammer]!!”
Roaring, countless scythe-like tentacles lunged at me. I blocked them with a massive rock salt shield, then charged straight into the mass of mussel-crabs.
"Uoooh! Shatter into pieces!!"
[Crack! Boom!]
The first mussel-crab at the front took the full brunt of my massive rock salt warhammer. The supposedly hard shell shattered into sharp fragments, piercing the giant crab below. The warhammer's downward swing then crushed both, leaving a smear mixed with the dungeon floor.
Legs and pincers exploded outward, impaling the surrounding mussel-crabs like arrows.
Heavy armor with high firepower. In this combat style, as a heavy tank, there's no way I'd lose to the medium tank-like giant mussel-crabs.
Hang in there, monkeys. I'll finish these guys off and be right back.