Chapter 39 - Everything Is Too Easy

As Naruto ventured deeper into the cavern, the ground suddenly trembled with greater intensity. From multiple tunnels emerged a larger group of the dinosaur-like creatures, nearly fifty of them. These ones were different – standing at least fifteen feet tall, their armor plating thicker and more pronounced, with spikes protruding from their shoulders and backs.

"Ah, the bigger siblings have arrived," Naruto observed calmly, noting how these creatures moved with even more coordination than the previous group. They spread out in a practiced formation, some taking high ground on the cavern walls while others moved to flank him.

The monsters unleashed a coordinated assault. Those on higher ground began ripping out and hurling massive boulders, while the others charged from multiple directions. Their attacks carried enough force to level entire buildings, the air itself distorting from the sheer power behind their strikes.

Naruto merely watched, almost curious, as their attacks slowed and stopped before reaching him. "You know," he mused, "I should probably conserve energy for later..." He raised his hand casually, "Let's try something basic."

"Curse Technique: Blue."

The space around several monsters suddenly warped. Before they could react, they were violently pulled toward a single point above Naruto's head, crashing into each other with devastating force. As they struggled to separate themselves, Naruto made another subtle gesture.

"Reverse Curse Technique: Red."

The clustered monsters were instantly blown apart by an overwhelming repulsive force, their massive bodies slamming into the cavern walls with such impact that the entire structure shook. The remaining creatures paused, showing the first signs of hesitation.

The remaining creatures, despite their hesitation, let out collective roars and charged forward – their survival instinct overwhelmed by their programmed aggression. This time, they tried to attack in smaller groups, perhaps hoping to avoid being caught in another mass manipulation of space.

"At least they learn," Naruto commented, almost appreciatively. With minimal movements, he continued alternating between Blue and Red, creating points of attraction and repulsion throughout the cavern. The monsters found themselves being pulled and pushed in deadly patterns, their massive bodies becoming weapons against each other.

Those that tried to escape the spatial manipulation were quickly caught in new fields of force, their attempts at strategic retreat proving futile. Within minutes, the entire second wave had been eliminated, their bodies dissolving into mana particles that filled the air with a ethereal blue glow.

Naruto lowered his hand, scanning the area with his Six Eyes. He could sense even stronger presences deeper within the gate.

The cavern suddenly shook violently, the tremors far more intense than before. Naruto's Six Eyes detected massive movement ahead – the magical signatures were overwhelming in number and power. From every direction, they emerged: hundreds of the dinosaur-like creatures, each standing over eighteen feet tall. Their armor plating had evolved further, now covered in crystalline formations that pulsed with magical energy.

"Three hundred," Naruto counted casually, as the monsters surrounded him in a display of coordinated movement that would have intimidated any normal hunter. These creatures moved with frightening speed despite their massive size, their steps barely touching the ground as they circled him.

Without warning, they attacked simultaneously. The sheer force of three hundred enhanced beings moving at once created a vacuum effect in the cavern, the air itself seeming to compress from their movement. They attacked in layers – some launching crystalline projectiles from their armor, others using their enhanced speed to create sonic booms as they charged, while the rest coordinated to attack from every possible angle.

"Now this is more like it," Naruto said, his voice carrying a hint of appreciation. "But still..." He raised both hands, his eyes glowing with power. "Hollow Technique: Purple."

The combination of attraction and repulsion forces manifested as a devastating wave of destruction. The purple energy spread outward in a perfect circle, erasing everything it touched. The monsters' enhanced speed and strength meant nothing against this technique – their bodies simply ceased to exist as the wave passed through them.

Those few that managed to avoid the initial wave found themselves caught in a complex web of spatial distortions as Naruto casually manipulated the remaining space around him. Blue pulled them in, Red threw them apart, and Purple erased them from existence.

The entire encounter lasted less than a minute. Three hundred enhanced monsters, eliminated with such efficiency that it seemed almost anticlimactic. The cavern, now significantly larger from the effects of Purple, was littered with dissolving mana particles.

"Their evolution was impressive," Naruto noted, observing the last few particles fade away. "But..." His eyes focused on the path ahead, where he could sense an even more powerful presence. "The real challenge is waiting."

The air grew heavier as he walked forward, the magical energy becoming more dense. Whatever awaited him in the depths of this gate was clearly on a different level entirely from these preliminary forces. But Naruto's expression remained calm – after all, he hadn't even begun to use his real power yet.

Naruto stepped into the final chamber, his footsteps echoing across a vast expanse that dwarfed anything he'd seen in the gate so far. The chamber stretched upward into darkness, its ceiling lost in shadows, while polished black stone walls seemed to drink in what little light existed. Streams of ethereal blue energy pulsed through crystalline veins in the walls, casting an eerie glow across the chamber floor.

The air grew thick with magical energy, making each breath feel heavy and charged. At the chamber's center, emerging from a pool of swirling green energy, rose the dungeon's true master. Unlike its predecessors, this being's very presence commanded attention. Its massive frame, easily reaching twenty-five feet in height, was covered in bio-organic armor that shifted and pulsed with internal energy. Crystalline spikes protruded from its shoulders and back, each one thrumming with concentrated power. Its eyes, burning with intelligence and malice, fixed upon Naruto.

Without warning, the creature's chest plates split open, revealing a complex network of organic missile launchers. The air crackled with energy as hundreds of crystalline projectiles launched simultaneously. Each shard glowed with intense power, leaving trails of green energy as they streaked through the air. The barrage was so dense it turned the air itself into a wall of deadly projectiles, each carrying enough force to punch through reinforced steel.

Yet, inches from Naruto, every projectile slowed to a crawl before stopping completely, suspended in the air like frozen raindrops.

The boss monster's eyes narrowed, and its body began to change. Its armor plates shifted and realigned, forming new patterns as waves of energy pulsed through its frame. With frightening speed for something its size, it crossed the chamber in a single bound. Its fist, now covered in crackling energy, struck forward with enough force to create a visible distortion in the air.

The impact against the invisible barrier protecting Naruto generated a shockwave that rippled through the chamber. Cracks spider-webbed across the black stone walls, and loose crystals shattered into dust. Yet Naruto remained unmoved, watching with calm interest.

Frustrated, the creature unleashed a new attack. Its mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing rows of energy-infused teeth, and released a beam of concentrated power. The beam was wide enough to engulf Naruto's entire form, its heat so intense it turned the air to plasma and melted the stone floor beneath. The chamber filled with blinding light as the attack continued for several seconds.

When the light faded, Naruto stood untouched, the ground around him transformed into molten rock that quickly cooled into glossy black glass.

The monster's intelligence showed in its eyes as it processed this failure. Its body began to transform again, growing larger as its armor became denser. The green energy coursing through its form deepened to crimson, and the very air began to warp from the heat radiating from its body. Now standing thirty feet tall, it slammed both fists into the ground.

The entire chamber shuddered as waves of crimson energy pulsed through the floor. Pillars of crystalline power erupted from every direction, each one aimed at Naruto from a different angle. The attack turned the chamber into a deadly geometric pattern of energy beams and crystal spears, all converging on a single point.

Yet again, everything stopped short of reaching him, creating a perfect sphere of suspended attacks around his position.

A sound of pure frustration echoed through the chamber as the boss monster realized the futility of its attacks. Its eyes, now burning with an almost desperate rage, fixed on Naruto's calm expression.

"Impressive display," Naruto finally spoke, his voice carrying easily through the chaos. "But perhaps it's time I showed you what real power looks like."

The monster's only response was a roar that shook dust from the distant ceiling, but there was something new in its voice now – a note of fear.