192. Turn the Tide

The Naga, Lamia, and Lizardmen were entangled, pointing their weapons at each other.

The Gorgons and Serpents, having lost control over the monsters due to the frenzied song Joshua played, had turned the heart of the snake nest into utter chaos with their reckless collaboration.

Thanks to that, we could advance much more comfortably, dealing with monsters that weren’t solely targeting us but were instead driven by pure rage.

“We’ve caught Medusa!!!”

Ulysses, protected by Chloe, fully unleashed his thorn vines.

The thorn vines sprouting from the ground relentlessly stretched out, binding Medusa, who had been disrupting Fria, while Logie dashed forward, unleashing holy power.

While those three held Medusa down, I charged toward the Gorgon.

A massive serpent covered in dark brown scales, with arms and a grotesque appearance as if a Lamia had been enlarged.

I sprinted toward the monster that had tormented our party throughout our journey in the snake nest.

“Kyaaaa!!”

The Gorgon, noticing my presence, immediately bared its fangs and slithered toward me as if gliding across the ground.

Though it was approaching at an incredible speed, I was faster.

‘If I get hit properly, I’m dead.’

The Gorgon’s size was almost comparable to a tour bus. If I were to take its charge head-on, I might’ve been knocked out instantly.

Its massive body and immeasurable length meant I had to be extremely cautious of its body slams and tail strikes.

‘At least one thing’s in my favor…’

Its intimidation had no effect on me.

The Gorgon’s eyes, which were meant to instill fear and paralyze its opponents, couldn’t surpass the Dragon Eye of Intimidation I possessed. In fact, it was the Gorgon who flinched under my gaze.

With its movements slowed and fully exposed by my Insight Eye, I activated Kairan’s ability, Instant Acceleration, and easily dodged the Gorgon’s charge.

‘This is doable!’

I had been unsure whether I could take it down alone. But now that I was facing it, it seemed manageable.

The Gorgon’s long-range detection was useless against me, my intimidation overpowered its own, and my speed-boosted by Kairan’s Instant Acceleration and my Insight Eye-overwhelmed it.

On top of that, its greatest weapon, the ability to control the monsters in the snake nest, had been nullified by Joshua.

‘There’s no way I can lose…!’

It had been stripped of all its weapons, while I now wielded what it once possessed. Losing here would make me a complete idiot. There was absolutely no way I could lose.

Recalling the experience of simultaneously killing the Minotaur and the Chimera, I realized there was no reason to be afraid-no reason at all.

The Gorgon was, in truth, no more than a Minotaur-tier threat. Kairan had simply been unlucky enough to encounter the Mains and die. It wasn’t that Kairan had lost to the Gorgon itself.

“Huaaaa!!”

My senses distorted from the sudden acceleration, but thanks to the months of training I’d undergone with the Three Evil Women in my dreams, I could control even this heightened state with ease.

Surrendering to the warped sense of speed, I began carving into the Gorgon’s flank.

“Hueek…!!!”

I swiftly changed direction and drove my dagger into the Gorgon’s body.

I possessed Kairan’s ability-Dagger Master.

This ability allowed me to teleport any dagger I owned into my palm at any time, eliminating the need to retrieve it manually. Using my Insight Eye to evade all of the Gorgon’s attacks, I continued stabbing my daggers into its body.

Once I had embedded a considerable number of daggers, I activated Dagger Master.

‘Retrieve!’

Over twenty daggers returned to my hand in an instant.

The moment Dagger Master activated, all the daggers lodged in the Gorgon’s body were forcibly pulled out. By the time I stored them all in my inventory, the Gorgon was bleeding profusely.

After all, anything forcibly yanked out tends to gush blood.

Instead of a slow trickle, draining its blood in an instant left the Gorgon disoriented.

“Kyaaaaa!! How?! My ability-!!”

“Huh?”

The Gorgon writhed in pain, screaming that its ability had been stolen.

“That was Kairan’s ability, you filthy monster bitch!!”

How dare it claim my comrade’s ability as its own?

Unforgivable. I’ll rip its damn head off.

“Die!!”

I climbed onto the Gorgon’s bleeding body.

Like an eel dragged out of water, it thrashed violently, but I held on tightly and shoved my hand into the wounds left by my daggers.

‘Got it!’

The moment my hand entered its body, my victory was assured.

Though my hand was half-crushed inside the Gorgon’s flesh, I ignored it. A mangled hand was no big deal. It hurt like hell, but as long as I regenerated it using the Giant’s Stomach, it’d be fine.

“Here we go!!”

From my half-crushed fingertips inside its body, the blades stored in my Dimensional Pouch spilled out.

In an instant, the Gorgon’s torso swelled up like a hose with a blocked outlet, unable to release the pressure. Soon, its skin began tearing apart from the sheer volume of objects inside.

“Kyaaaaaaa!!!”

With the Gorgon’s dying scream, its body burst open. Swords, axes, and spears spilled out from its ruptured form.

“Haa… That’s more like it.”

I was never afraid of the Gorgon to begin with. What scared me were the Mains of the 7th Floor.

“Shion!! Did you take down the Gorgon?!”

“Yes!!”

I shouted back in response to Helena’s call.

Helena didn’t seem interested in helping beyond hunting Serpents.

Probably for my growth.

I had expected as much, so it didn’t bother me.

I just needed to do my part properly.

‘Alright. Now I need to take down Medusa and the Mains…’

So, what’s the easiest and fastest way to kill Medusa and the Mains?

‘Skin Theft.’

Panting heavily, I activated Skin Theft on the dying Gorgon.

In an instant, its skin split open, creating a gap to slip into. I hurled my body toward it.

‘So this is Skin Theft!’

The sensation of seizing another’s body was overwhelming, as if the Gorgon’s form and mine were merging into one.

‘This is like…’

I became the Gorgon.

A true fusion had occurred, and I realized that while in this state, I could use all of the Gorgon’s abilities.

In short, not only did I gain its vision, but I could also fully control its monster manipulation.

“Kyaaaa!!!”

The problem was that all the wounds I had inflicted on the Gorgon were now transferred to me.

Though I had stolen its body, I also inherited all its injuries. The excruciating pain and unbearable agony left me nearly senseless, triggering one of my abilities automatically.

‘Desperate Resistance.’

This was another skill Kairan had possessed.

A skill that granted a last-ditch chance to survive when on the brink of death.

It was more of a passive skill. Wasn’t this originally a set with Skin Theft?

To use Skin Theft, you had to nearly kill the target, but stealing such a body would naturally leave you on the verge of death too.

Desperate Resistance existed to prevent that.

Though it had a cooldown, with this, I could use Skin Theft without fear of dying.

“Kyaaaa!!!”

My wounds began to heal. At the same time, I felt an intense hunger and mindlessly devoured the monsters scattered around me.

My recovery speed doubled. The Giant’s Stomach had fully activated.

“Joshua!! Stop the frenzied song!!”

“Huh?! What the-?! You turned into a snake?!”

“I said stop playing!!”

“Got it!!”

As Joshua’s performance ended, the Naga, Lamia, and Lizardmen began regaining their senses.

“All of you, charge at Medusa.”

I issued the command, and the nest’s monsters turned toward Medusa at my order.

This was the result of combining the Gorgon’s control and the Dragon Eye of Intimidation. The monsters of the snake nest had completely fallen under my dominion, and now they raised their weapons against Medusa, the nest’s original ruler.

“What the hell…?!”

Ulysses looked up at me in awe. Even Chloe, who had been protecting Ulysses from the monsters, stared at me in disbelief, while Logie, unusually, smiled and lowered her hammer.

“Everyone, go after the Mains. I’ll handle Medusa.”

Ulysses, Chloe, and Logie, who had been restraining Medusa, stepped back. Even Fria, who had been blocking Medusa’s curses, left to assist Maximus, Male, and Joshua in dealing with the Mains.

Now, only I, hundreds of monsters, and Medusa remained.

“Kyaaaaa!!!”

Medusa unleashed her Petrification Curse at me.

The problem was-curses didn’t work on me.

“Are you stronger than the Evil Women? No, you’re not.”

No, you’re not. So why are you spewing curses and throwing a tantrum?

Useless. Unless it’s the Loa of the 8th Floor, most curses up to the 7th Floor are blocked by my contract with the Three Evil Women.

Unless it was a top-tier entity rivaling an Ancient God, nothing could curse me.

“Confiscate the Petrification Curse.”

I lunged and grabbed Medusa by the head.

Now, it’s a real brawl.

Let’s see who kills who first.

I have hyper-regeneration, your greatest weapon-the Petrification Curse-doesn’t work on me, and I’ve absorbed all your underlings.

I’ve taken everything you had, but this is still a fair fight.