Chapter 60: A Solo Challenge?

At the edge of the cliff, the flames from the explosion spread out in waves.

The members of Loki's Familia, seeing the sudden appearance of the sea of fire, almost lost their minds, one after another.

Especially Raphi, watching Rie and Ais being engulfed by the flames, stumbled and nearly fainted.

Fortunately, Finn and the others held everyone back, or they would have rushed over.

"Those two are fine!"

As Rivelia's words echoed, two gusts of wind blew away the flames, revealing Rie and Ais flying out of the fire, riding the wind. They looked a bit disheveled but had no obvious injuries.

"Mr. Rie! Miss Ais!"

Raphi was overjoyed, and the others were relieved as well.

However, Rie and Ais stared straight ahead, their expressions turning serious.

Just as Raphi was about to run over, the two stopped her.

"Don't come over, Raphi."

Ais called out to Raphi without turning her head.

"What, what's going on?"

Raphi had to stop and stood there in shock.

At this moment, Rie's voice finally sounded.

"Something big is coming."

His voice was calm and composed, but the content made everyone's hearts tighten.

It wasn't until a while later that everyone understood what Rie meant by "something big."

"Bang!"

It was the sound of a thick arm emerging from the bottom of the cliff and smashing into the cliff face.

The flat arm seemed to be supporting something, allowing a massive figure to slowly climb up from the bottom of the cliff, coming into everyone's view.

"——"

At this moment, all the adventurers present lost their voices.

Upon closer inspection, it was a giant monster, about six meters tall.

The monster, like the worm monster, had a yellow-green body and flat arms, but its overall shape was very different.

For example, the upper body, which bulged like a small mountain on the worm-like lower body, was no longer beast-like but had smooth, curved human-like features.

For example, the flat arms, which previously only had the outline of fingers, now resembled manta rays or fans, with two pairs on each upper arm.

Several tube-like organs hung from the back of its head, and its yellow-green body was splashed with colorful patterns, with no discernible order. The vibrant colors extended to the face, which had no nose, eyes, or mouth, only an outline that suggested a female face.

Its appearance was like a worm that had metamorphosed into a butterfly, with a strange beauty.

However, this beauty was marred by the large, ugly, purplish-black abdomen that bulged without any smooth lines.

"■■■■■■■■■■——!"

The female-bodied worm monster climbed up from the bottom of the cliff, like a newborn hatching from an egg, and let out a high-pitched, excited scream.

The sound made several men and women present feel physically uncomfortable, causing them to vomit.

"What is this!?"

"Does the Dungeon have such monsters!?"

Tiorna and Tione screamed in horror.

"Disgusting thing!"

Bert spat.

Finn, Rivelia, and Gries' faces turned serious.

"This isn't good."

Gries' low murmur reflected the thoughts of most people present.

Not only because a super-large monster, comparable to a Floor Master, had appeared, but also because of the unmasked malice it exuded.

After the scream, the female-bodied worm monster moved.

It spread its four flat arms as if to embrace someone gently.

But with this movement, a shower of seven-colored particles fell from its embrace.

There was no doubt that this was the cause of the earlier explosion.

"Quick, retreat!"

Finn ordered in a sharp voice, making everyone's faces twitch as they turned and ran without hesitation.

"Ais!"

"Uh-huh!"

Rie and Ais also chose not to resist, retreating rapidly.

The seven-colored particles, like pollen, rained down, covering the entire cliff.

Then——

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang——!"

A violent explosion occurred without a doubt.

All the pollen that touched the ground or the debris of the campsite turned into small, powerful bombs, exploding one after another.

Flames surged, heat waves rolled, and the fiery explosion, like a red tide, swallowed everything in its path, destroying everything.

Under such a massive explosion, the cliff top finally collapsed, turning into a landslide.

The adventurers of Loki's Familia could only dodge and jump among the landslide of rocks and debris. Some stepped on fragments of the cliff, some slid down the edge, pursued by the landslide, and some even jumped down without hesitation. If it weren't for the assistance of first-class adventurers like Finn, many of the lower-level members would have certainly perished.

"Raphi!"

Ais, wrapped in the wind, flew through the air and caught the falling Raphi.

As for Rie, also wrapped in the wind, he used the power of [Wind Spirit Dash] to briefly fly in the air, leaving the rescue to Finn and the others, and instead charged towards the female-bodied monster, cutting through the flames.

The female-bodied monster, with its numerous warts and multiple arms, moved like a spider demon, clearly unwilling to let anyone escape. It chased after the adventurers while the landslide rushed down the cliff, raising its upper body and opening its mouthless face.

A powerful corrosive liquid was immediately sprayed by the female-bodied monster.

The scale and speed were far greater than those of the previous worm monsters.

If the corrosive liquid of the worm monsters was a high-pressure water gun, then the female-bodied monster's spray was a high-pressure water cannon.

Many members became the targets of the water cannon, watching in fear as the corrosive liquid approached.

Seeing this, Rie immediately began a short incantation.

"[Liberated Light Arrow, Sacred Wood Bow, I am the Archer]."

"[Defend, Fairy Archer]."

"[Pierce, Arrow of Certainty]."

"[Arcing Ray]."

The certain light cannon was released, catching up to the water cannon at an astonishing speed.

"Bang!"

The light cannon and water cannon collided, exploding.

Rie used magic to intercept the female-bodied monster's corrosive attack.

"Zzzz——"

An unusual dissolving sound echoed from the cliff face and ground where the corrosive liquid exploded, creating large holes wherever it touched.

Under such corrosion, the rock walls became riddled with holes and collapsed, making the landslide even larger and emitting black steam.

"Saved!"

The members who narrowly avoided the corrosive liquid let out sighs of relief.

"Quick, move!"

Rie shouted at them.

"Yes!"

The senior members, without realizing it, followed Rie's instructions.

This was a change brought about by strength.

While even the higher-ups of the Familia had to flee, Rie came alone to fight the monster and protect them. This alone earned him the respect of everyone.

However, the crisis was not over.

"Rumble——"

The female-bodied monster, seeing its attack blocked by Rie, changed its target to Rie. Its massive body moved like a train charging forward.

"Bang!"

Just as Rie was about to act, the female-bodied monster swept its flat arm, hitting Rie and sending him flying.

"Mr. Rie!"

Raphi, held by Ais, couldn't help but shout.

The others turned pale.

"Despite its large body, it's so agile?"

Finn frowned deeply.

It was well-known that large monsters had a common weakness: they were not good at precise movements.

The female-bodied monster, however, had no such weakness. Its massive body could change direction flexibly while charging, and its flat arms had a wide range of motion, capable of swinging in dizzying patterns and striking like whips, without the usual disadvantages of a super-large monster.

Of course, the most terrifying thing was the corrosive liquid.

The dissolving liquid that could corrode and collapse a cliff was something that, except for Rie and Ais with [Wind Spirit Dash], no one else could withstand.

This was the most troublesome part.

Because of it, even a 6th-level adventurer like Finn was rendered useless.

Weapons would be corroded, and even if an attack was effective, it would be corroded, completely blocking the possibility of close combat. This made it impossible for experts like Finn and Gries to close the distance, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.

Normally, a rear guard magic user like Rivelia could still be useful.

But now, seeing the size of the female-bodied monster and its large, bulging abdomen, Finn had reason to believe that if Rivelia used magic to attack the monster, it would certainly self-destruct when it fell, just like the previous worm monsters.

And how much corrosive liquid would such a large monster contain when it self-destructed?

Finn seriously doubted that the surrounding area would be covered in corrosive liquid when the monster exploded.

In other words, if they killed the monster, everyone present would likely die.

This was truly a problem.

"We can only retreat."

Finn made this decision.

Until——

"[Arcing Ray]!"

A light arrow shot from a distance, hitting the female-bodied monster clinging to the cliff face, knocking it to the ground with a loud thud.

Rie, covered in wind, flew over and directly collided with the female-bodied monster.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, Rie transformed into a tornado, pushing the female-bodied monster away from the battlefield.

"Rie!"

Everyone shouted in surprise.

Finn also understood Rie's plan.

"Does he intend to take the monster away from this area and challenge it alone?"

New book, seeking support! Seeking recommendations! Seeking collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)