Chapter 33 - [Wolf's Den (5)] [Strange Monster]

The wounded explorer's head jerked towards me, their ravaged face contorting into a grimace of pain and effort.

As I took a step closer, the explorer's eyes, or rather, the empty sockets where their eyes had once been, seemed to bore into mine, filled with a desperate, pleading intensity.

Their mouth opened, revealing shattered teeth and a tongue that seemed to be struggling to form words.

"W...w...water," the explorer stammered, their voice barely audible. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should help this stranger.

But something about their desperation struck a chord within me. I carefully reached for my bottle and held it to the explorer's lips.

As they drank, I asked, "What the hell happened here?"

The explorer's body shuddered and convulsed, their twisted limbs jerking spasmodically.

They tried to speak, but their words were barely intelligible. I leaned in closer, my ear inches from the explorer's lips, as I strained to catch their words.

"B...l...ac..k m...o...ns...te...r, t...en...ta...cl...es," the explorer stammered, their voice barely audible. "E...e...eyes...everywhere..."

Their words sent a chill down my spine. What kind of monster could inflict such horrific injuries? And what did they mean by tentacles and eyes everywhere? And black monster?

The explorer's words tumbled out in a tortured, stuttering cadence, each syllable a struggle to articulate. "I...t kill...ed e...ve...ry...on...e," they stammered, their ravaged face contorting in a grimace of anguish.

I nodded somberly, my mind racing with the implications. "I see," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

The explorer's words confirmed my worst suspicions: that there was indeed something in this portal that surpassed the danger level.

L Most likely a Level 3 monster, one that had proven too powerful for even a group of seasoned explorers.

A shiver ran down my spine as I realized the gravity of the situation. Shit, I need to get out of here, I thought, my hand instinctively tightening around the hilt of my sword.

Turning back to the explorer, I offered what little comfort I could. "Don't worry," I said, my voice firm but gentle. "I won't let your deaths be in vain. I'll report this to the association."

As I turned to leave, the explorer's voice stopped me. "P...le...ase te...ll m...y da...ug...ht...er I l...o...ve he...r and th...at I'm s...orr..." Their voice trailed off, the words dying on their lips as they succumbed to their injuries.

I turned back, my eyes meeting the explorer's empty sockets. "I see," I muttered, my voice barely audible. His daughter, huh? I thought, a pang of sorrow striking my heart.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what lay ahead. "I'll try my best," I promised, my voice firm and resolute.

As I emerged from the cave, the gruesome scene I had witnessed still lingered in my mind like a festering wound.

The image of the mangled bodies, the ravaged faces, and the desperate, pleading eyes of the dying explorer refused to be extinguished.

My thoughts were consumed by the haunting question: "I wonder if the association's boss room team knows what's going on."

Just as I was lost in thought, Ella's feminine robotic voice pierced my mind, her words laced with an urgent warning.

[Highly unlikely—Ryuk, move!!]

The sudden interruption sent a jolt through my system, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

As soon as Ella's warning registered, I sprang into action.

Without hesitation, I launched myself to the side, my body arcing through the air as I desperately sought to avoid the unknown danger.

Time seemed to slow as I hung suspended, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum.

Then, in an instant, the world erupted into chaos.

The ground I had been standing on mere seconds before exploded in a shower of dirt and debris.

A long, black, fluid-like tentacle slammed into the earth, sending shockwaves through the air.

The sound of the impact was like thunder, a deafening BOOM that shook the very foundations of the earth.

As I landed awkwardly on the rocky terrain, I spun around to face the source of the destruction.

My eyes widened in horror as I beheld a creature that defied all logic and reason.

The "thing" before me had a fluid, amoeba-like body that seemed to shift and writhe like a living shadow.

Its body was a deep, foreboding black, and it was covered in ominous, glowing eyes that seemed to bore into my very soul.

Ancient, runes-like markings adorned the creature's body, pulsing with a malevolent energy that seemed to sear the air around it.

The creature's very presence seemed to darken the air, casting a pall of dread over the entire landscape.

I stood frozen, my mind reeling in terror as I realized that I was face to face with a monster from my deepest nightmares.

As I stood frozen in terror, my mind racing with the implications of the creature's presence, I inwardly commanded Ella to display the monster's status.

The information flashed before my eye, a grim and unforgiving litany of statistics that seemed to seal my fate.

______________________________________________________________________

Name:?????

Race:??????

Level: 3

STR: 70

AGI: 65

DEF: 70

INT: ??(Locked)

______________________________________________________________________

My heart sank as I took in the creature's level: 3.

A cold, clammy dread crept up my spine as I realized the enormity of my situation. I was utterly, completely, and totally fucked.

This thing was a behemoth, a monster of unimaginable power that had already proven itself capable of slaughtering an entire team of experienced explorers.

My mind recoiled in horror as I contemplated the creature's stats.

A strength of 70 meant it could crush me with a single, careless swipe of its tentacle.

An agility of 65 meant it could dodge my attacks with ease, its fluid body weaving and flowing like a living thing.

And a defense of 70 meant that even if I managed to land a hit, it would barely register as a scratch.

I was cooked. I was done. I was a dead man walking.

The creature's very presence seemed to darken the air around me, casting a pall of inevitability over my fate.

I was about to become just another statistic, another casualty of this monster's relentless rampage.