Chapter 138
A few seconds earlier.
While Kiriya was tearing through the monster swarm, a long, narrow shadow had quietly crawled across the ceiling, stopping barely a dozen meters above him.
It had the body of a snake and four clawed legs, with dark green skin that looked almost like moss.
At a glance, it resembled an overgrown, stretched-out lizard.
A Peluda.
It was one of the stronger monsters of the lower floors.
As a dragon species, it had excellent vitality, speed, and explosive power. It could fire poisonous needles, breathe flames, and handle both close combat and ranged attacks with ease.
More importantly, it was hiding in Kiriya’s blind spot.
He could not see it from where he stood.
The Peluda waited until Kiriya’s attention was focused on wiping out the monster horde, then struck.
At almost the same moment Finn shouted his warning, a dense spray of thin poisonous needles shot toward Kiriya like rain.
The needles tore through the air at high speed, producing a sharp, piercing whistle.
The next moment, Kiriya was riddled with them!
Blood burst from his body, splattering across the ground around him.
"What?!"
Bete and the others’ expressions changed at once.
One moment, Kiriya had been sweeping through monsters like an unstoppable force.
The next, he had been turned into a pincushion!
The sudden contrast made their stomachs drop.
Ais stepped forward, ready to sprint in and help him, but before she could move, Finn placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait."
His voice remained calm.
"But... he’s hurt."
Ais sounded anxious.
Peluda venom was powerful and vicious.
Even upper-class adventurers had trouble enduring it, and Kiriya had been hit by far too many needles. Even if he survived, he would have been badly injured.
And with the Peluda still right there, doing nothing would be the same as watching him die.
Bete, Tiona, and Tione also looked at Finn in confusion.
Their captain was not a cold person.
He had been chatting and laughing with Kiriya not long ago, so why was he suddenly acting so... unmoved?
"He’s fine."
Finn’s expression did not change.
A second later, the blood-soaked "Kiriya" disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
Ais and the others froze.
Even the Peluda on the ceiling froze. Its savage face showed a strangely human look of confusion.
Then Kiriya appeared in front of it.
Electricity crackled around him as he raised his sword with both hands and thrust straight toward the Peluda’s heart.
The Peluda reacted fast. Its tail swept out like a steel whip, striking Kiriya with a sharp sonic crack.
But the moment it hit him, Kiriya’s body burst apart like a popped soap bubble.
An afterimage.
"Hinokami Kagura: Fake Rainbow."
"Hinokami Kagura: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance."
Kiriya’s blade flashed several times in quick succession.
The Peluda’s head and four limbs were severed cleanly, and its body vanished into smoke with a dull pop.
"Phew, thank goodness."
Seeing Kiriya finish off the enemy safely, Tiona and the others finally relaxed.
But before that relief could settle, their hearts jumped again.
Rumble!
The ceiling suddenly exploded!
A huge black shadow shot out from the broken stone, opening a massive maw as it lunged toward Kiriya, trying to swallow him whole.
It was a bad omen.
Literally.
The monster was known as Bad Omen, though its proper name was the Great Serpent’s Maw.
Standing five meters tall and stretching over ten meters long, it was one of the largest monsters outside of the Floor Bosses.
Its huge body gave it tremendous strength, and its powerful muscles gave it terrifying burst speed.
Add in its ability to burrow through the Dungeon’s rock layers, and it became especially dangerous when ambushing prey.
Unfortunately for it, this time its prey was Kiriya.
During these fights, Kiriya had kept Energy Perception active the entire time precisely because he was guarding against sneaky bastards like this.
Bad Omen might have thought it was hiding well, but under Kiriya’s perception, it was as obvious as a fly on a bald head.
He had been ready for it from the start.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique."
With a thought, Kiriya’s left arm turned into a thick log and shot forward several meters, ramming straight into Bad Omen’s open mouth and down its throat.
"Ghh—!"
Bad Omen tried to cry out, but the thing lodged in its throat blocked the sound.
Having something that thick forced down its throat was bad enough, but the wood was still growing.
The monster’s tail slammed against the ground again and again, shaking the floor like an earthquake.
The pain drove its ferocity to the surface, and it looked ready to fight Kiriya to the death.
Its intention was too obvious.... Kiriya saw through it immediately and smiled.
"Wood Release: Cutting Technique."
Sharp stakes burst from the thick log all at once, piercing Bad Omen from the inside out until it looked like a living mace.
The monster managed only one short, muffled cry before its body went limp and collapsed onto the ground, completely dead.
A moment later, it vanished, leaving behind a fist-sized magic stone.
Its brief life had taught everyone present a valuable lesson... food carries risks, bite with caution!
"Ah, thank you, nature, for your generous gift."
Kiriya picked up the magic stone, looking quite pleased.
Then his back suddenly grew heavier, and Tiona’s bright voice rang beside his ear.
"Hello, handsome! Long time no see.... Did you miss us?"
"Tiona, that’s rude," Tione scolded as usual. "You’re lucky Kiriya-kun reacts fast. If he had attacked on instinct, you’d be dead."
"What’s the problem? We’re on the same side, right, handsome?"
Tiona leaned closer to Kiriya’s ear as she spoke.
Feeling the girl’s long, athletic legs against him, Kiriya naturally had no reason to object.
"Of course, of course. I’m happy to see you again, so why would I blame you? Are you all heading back?"
"See?"
Tiona proudly raised her chin at her sister and received an eye roll in return.
"That’s right," Finn said, stepping forward with a greeting. "We gained quite a bit from this expedition, so it’s time to return and recover."
Then he added, "Would you like to come with us?"
"I’d be happy to."
Kiriya did not refuse.
He had been in the Dungeon for half a month this time. Hestia was probably getting impatient by now.
He needed to get back and comfort his little goddess before she started causing trouble!