Ancient Minotaur Habitat (3)

This is more distracting than I thought.

I don’t know exactly how it works, but every time I look around, the white ears twitch.

The problem was that the hearing option of the rabbit ears was more useful than expected.

It detected crises several times while we were moving to avoid elite monsters.

Was it the developers’ malice that made the Minotaurs’ footsteps so quiet for their size?

– Nianbakh killed the prince and fled.

– He planned to take his wife and daughter far away.

– But the poison had already started to eat away at his heart, and the pursuit team had arrived nearby.

– Eventually, Nianbakh entered a cave and hid behind a magic cloak.

– The pursuit team couldn’t find Nianbakh.

From the point after the mid-boss, the monsters’ specs increased exponentially.

We had to deploy both of our party’s guards just to tie down one elite monster.

With such a subject and not a small number, we were pushed to the point where combat was virtually impossible.

Fortunately, we didn’t need to kill all of them.

In Infinity Black, there are no dungeons that are absolutely impossible to clear.

Especially regarding specs, it was even more lenient.

The general theory is that as long as weapons can pierce them, it’s possible to clear.

Sending out such strong enemies doesn’t mean we’re meant to fight them in the first place.

Showing one at the beginning was probably intended to make us check the power difference.

So what we found was this ‘magic cloak’ from the story.

“Can’t we go a bit further in?”

“This is my limit too. Ouch, don’t push.”

“Shh, quiet. They might hear our voices.”

“Uurgh……”

A cloak that completely blends with the surroundings to avoid monsters’ gazes.

It must have been what Nianbakh used with his family.

However, our number was five.

Moreover, because Soolbbang and Uncle Dulgul were so big.

The space to hide was very cramped.

Elderin’s chest was squished against my cheek.

It felt like a soft cushion enveloping me. The situation was so tight like a rush hour subway that I couldn’t move away.

I was forced to keep my mouth shut because if I said anything, our lips might touch.

‘The smell of skin… Ugh, everyone’s too close.’

Dulgul’s thigh was pressed against my side.

It seemed like Soolbbang was behind me, but I couldn’t see exactly what was touching where.

Probably his thigh? It’s better for both of us to think that way.

Moreover, the halfling Sansae was under me, so my waist was bent.

The posture of bending my waist awkwardly between two people… there was a strangely suggestive position that came to mind.

When my thoughts reached that point, my face became hot.

“Da-eun, are you very uncomfortable?”

“No. I’m fi… ne.”

I have to endure.

If I turn my head now because I’m uncomfortable, it would look like I’m shaking my head in Elderin’s bosom.

If I move my body the other way, it would be like rubbing my butt against Soolbbang.

In this no-win situation, the high sensory synchronization rate was also a problem.

The body temperature touching my skin, the sound of party members’ breathing was too clear.

Especially the breath near my ear was problematic.

Every time I heard tense breathing, my ears twitched.

When the breath came in, it gave me goosebumps and made my toes curl up tightly.

I had to barely suppress my body that wanted to shiver.

How many minutes had passed like that?

The footsteps of the elite monsters gradually faded away.

Only after closing my eyes and measuring the distance again could I speak with confidence.

“Hwaak! N-now it’s okay. They seem to be gone, so let’s move quickly?”

I immediately pushed away the men attached behind me.

After looking around, I quickly moved forward, not wanting to show my face.

As I moved away from people, my head cooled down a bit.

Enough with the distracting thoughts!

Now it’s time to fulfill my role as the party’s scout.

This entrance has become much more complex inside.

The early part was almost straight, but this time there were several branching paths.

If we search each one, we’d have to stay up for several nights.

But the dungeon’s story is provided to reduce such trial and error.

Imagination is needed.

What would I have done if I were Nianbakh?

‘I need to protect my wife and daughter from the pursuers. Then of course, I should hide them in the deepest place.’

This cave must have been straight like we first saw.

The dungeon must have been created by gradually expanding from the center where the family was.

There would have been a need to deceive the eyes in preparation for when the pursuit team entered.

Since important facilities are difficult to move, the side paths that looked like they might have something were likely all traps.

Especially the elaborately decorated spaces were too artificial.

Like a mimic that eats greedy elves, they would bare sharp teeth the moment you approach.

“Let’s go this way.”

Alright. I made a decision.

The most common-looking place. Yet the path with the most years of wear.

How long had we been boldly moving forward?

In the last room, there was one large creature befitting a final boss.

It looked like an octopus that came up from hell.

* * *

“Gawol! Tentacles on that side!”

“I see it. What the hell is that thing?”

A dark purple leg aimed at me and flew in.

No. Maybe calling it a tentacle like Soolbbang is correct.

When the octopus-like leg swung, sticky liquid dripped down.

It left traces as if following the trajectory of its movement.

The strength of the tentacles is not to be underestimated.

Just passing near me, it felt like the wind pressure could blow my body away.

Every time it hit Soolbbang’s greatsword or the wall, shockwaves echoed through the cave.

However, the real problem wasn’t the power.

The others don’t seem to think much of it…

But I found those tentacles particularly physiologically disgusting.

The slippery and sticky appearance really made me not want to touch them at all.

“Hiiieek!”

I unknowingly screamed when my body touched it.

I needed to stab it with my dagger, but hiccup!

Goosebumps ran down my back, and I almost missed the timing.

This won’t do.

Focus.

This boss has a total of 13 long, thick tentacles.

The eye in the center of the body was obviously a weak point, but it didn’t look easy to attack.

There were several bundles of small tentacles clustered near the body.

[‘Whisper of the Black Moon’ effect is applied.]

[You receive beneficial effects on all attack power, movement speed, and counter judgments.]

[Some skills are enhanced and…]

Behind me, moving along the wall, a tentacle crashed in with a loud bang, sending rock fragments flying.

I waited for a moment at the right time.

I used the tentacle that was stuck in before me as a slide.

As expected, the sensation is horrible.

An unidentifiable chill running from my buttocks up my spine.

I wanted to wash off the mucus soaking my clothes immediately.

I’m someone who can more or less catch bugs in my rented room.

So I thought I was still the same as before when it came to ‘being scared’.

But I had no resistance to this, and had to grit my teeth and endure.

“Ughhhh……”

While I was shuddering and riding the tentacle.

The party members weren’t just standing idle either.

Elderin’s flames cleared the way, and Sansae’s vines tied and fixed the tentacles.

Just as I was about to jump towards the monster’s eye, the inside of the tentacle bundle moved disgustingly.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s dangerous.

As soon as I switched to defense with my dagger in front, hideous spikes rose up.

From what I could see, they were long and curved.

The structure reminded me of a scorpion’s tail or a chain sword.

It wasn’t an attack that could be avoided with just one or two dodges, so I first deflected it with my dagger.

“Ungh!”

Even though it was judged as a parry, my wrist almost bent.

If I hadn’t used my unique buff, the force might have taken my arm right off.

Moreover, acid must have splashed as the stockings on my thigh melted.

The unexpected attack threw off my timing.

It was impossible to destroy the eye before another tentacle approached.

I calmly retreated and called for the person I needed.

“Uncle! Guard!”

“Uh, y-yeah!”

A clumsy answer. But the reaction came back sharp as a knife.

The berserker supported the flat axe blade with one hand.

The moment I landed on the axe blade as if sitting down, the uncle threw me back with all his might.

My body rushed forward with a dizzying sense of speed.

Perhaps because I had gotten close to the eye once, the monster seemed to have selected me as the most threatening enemy.

‘That shouldn’t be the case.’

While I’m the best gamer in this party, I’m not the one with the strongest firepower.

Just as all sorts of tentacles reached to wrap around my limbs.

I quietly gave up on attacking and melted into Sansae’s shadow.

A red magic circle spread out where I had just been.

[A party member is casting the area magic ‘Prometheus’s Fire’.]

[Warning: You have been designated as a coordinate target. Move away from the target point. You may receive fatal damage.]

[Caster: Elderin]

In this game, those who focus on firepower are usually mages, and among them, fire mages are particularly outstanding.

A huge sphere of fire condensed for a moment and then returned, and a violent shock shook the entire battlefield with a boom.

On the opposite side, the greatsword warrior advanced into the empty heat.

Several tentacles were cut by the sharp sword strike, but there were still many left.

Because he went in too deep, the greatsword warrior’s defense was destroyed in an instant.

Soolbbang’s body flew miserably and crashed into the cave’s outer wall.

He didn’t die.

That was enough.

The body that had melted into darkness once again rode the wind.

I’m not an assassin so incompetent that I can’t eat a meal set before me like this.

Two daggers simultaneously stabbed the monster’s eye.

“Let’s never see each other again, you disgusting bastard.”

The small tentacles gently wrapped around my arms and then- sruuur.

They fell asleep, leaving only sticky mucus behind.

[You have defeated ‘Dalnerion’, the master of the Ancient Minotaur Habitat.]

[Dungeon cleared. Check your rewards.]

[You can enter the special area ‘Cradle of Delusion’ by achieving the essential conditions.]

[Be careful. The powerful guardian ‘Father’ is waiting in the Cradle of Delusion.]