Chapter 54: Daisytown Dungeon (3)

Three days after entering the dungeon.

The storm subsided, and the day to enter the mermaid nest arrived.

Only Team C and minimal security remained on the island; everyone else would dive underwater.

The command team distributed combat support items from each guild.

Ion equipped a mouthpiece for 100 hours of underwater breathing and a full-body dive suit to regulate pressure.

“Ugh, this is too tight. Hey, Argen, hook my back!”

“Do it yourself.”

“My arms can’t move—it’s too snug.”

“Then no need to hook it. You’ll just flail those useless arms and get killed by a monster.”

“Cold, man, cold. Are all sonic skill users as icy as you? What’s so hard about hooking a buddy’s suit? Skully, you do it. Press till it clicks.”

Clack-clack-clack.

The palm-sized skeleton climbed Uiji’s body, diligently fastening hooks. Ion, curious, asked, “Is that skeleton diving too?”

“Of course. This guy loves water. It curls into a ball under extreme pressure, but it’s fine up to 10 km—1,000 atmospheres. Impressive, right?”

Clack-clack.

Uiji patted Skully’s skull, and it clattered happily. Ion imagined diving with Sansevieria but gave up, knowing it wouldn’t withstand the pressure.

While others suited up, Ion slipped the bat out, pressing a finger to his lips to signal silence, then tucked it into his backpack.

“Protect Sanse.”

“…”

The bat nodded, and Ion zipped the bag. Leaving Sanse at camp felt uneasy, but bringing it was impossible. He had to trust the protective Hunters’ shields and the chimera.

Prepared Hunters gathered at the island’s edge.

“Keep less than a meter from the person in front underwater. Keep comms on. Red light is for emergencies only. Team A, dive!”

Splash! Splash! Hunters plunged into the sea.

Ion dove into the dark blue water.

Ignoring the swaying currents, he descended 100 meters quickly. Unlike the stormy surface, the deep sea was calm and serene.

Swish, swish!

Except for the mermaids darting past.

At 100 meters, as if waiting, hundreds of mermaids attacked.

“They’re greeting us. Kill them all!”

Underwater combat began.

The dive suits, made from metagril resin mixed with dungeon byproducts, had pressure and temperature regulation, communication, and strong defense. But against S-rank monsters, that defense was useless.

“Argh! My suit’s torn! Temperature control’s busted!”

“Damn it, watch their claws! The suits can’t handle them!”

Mermaids moved faster underwater, while Hunters were restricted. Just a year and a half post-Cataclysm, most lacked deep-sea combat experience and floundered like novices.

Slash, screech! Each mermaid pass tore suits at the sides, backs, and thighs. Their serrated fins and sharp claws drew screams.

The dark blue sea began turning red.

Injuries piled up before reaching the nest.

These Hunters weren’t so unskilled as to be overwhelmed, but fighting to kill without damaging Solminium led to this.

At this rate, fatalities were possible.

Finally…

“Attack with full force! Forget Solminium damage!”

Kaboom!

Hyaaak!

“Die! Die!”

Boom, whoosh!

Flashes of skills and items erupted. Hunters chugged potions, fighting fiercely. Maddened mermaids, even while dying, slashed suits with limbs and tails.

When the battle ended, the area was littered with mermaids—crushed, organs spilling, dead in gruesome heaps.

An immediate injury check revealed two critical cases: one with a torn shoulder and arm, another with a pierced side. Both used return stones.

Those with irreparably damaged suits were sent up with the few intact Solminium scales.

Only ten combatants remained: three S-ranks, seven A-ranks.

“Keep moving,” Elliet ordered.

She deemed them sufficient. The remaining Hunters, confident in their skills, followed without complaint.

Ion, trailing, thought, Spec-1 Team’s better than these guys. Teamwork aside, their individual stats are higher… Level 4 personal reward boosts?

Even accounting for items, Spec-1’s individual skills surpassed these Hunters.

Spec-1 wouldn’t have been this disorganized. They’d have secured more Solminium too.

Ion, planning the Demon King subjugation team, compared Hunters diligently, unaware of what was coming.

After several battles, only mermaids appeared as S-rank monsters. Hunters sent secured Solminium to the base camp via transfer items and inventory trades while advancing.

The mermaid nest at 700 meters was a cave. Inside, water dropped to waist level, offering solid ground for fighting.

Mermaids, with sturdy legs, lived here.

Hyak! Kyaaak! Spotting intruders, they charged, their scales glowing deep purple.

“We’ve lost too much Solminium getting here. This is the only place with mermaids, so fight without damaging them. Earth’s future depends on us. Remember that!”

Onil’s voice, quiet until now, sparked the battle through comms.

Elliet used Allak Tetraport. Boom! Boom! Boom! White tetraports rose, encircling the Hunters—a sturdy barrier neither side could easily cross.

She followed with Foam Wave.

Shwaaa! A massive wave rose outside the tetraports. Unlike natural waves, this mana-driven wave was dense and bright white.

It crashed against the tetraports, and mermaids touched by the white foam froze, limbs paralyzed.

Grk, grk. Eyes bulging, they couldn’t move.

Kyaaak! Hyaaak!

Other mermaids pierced their necks—controlled by Yorick’s Circus.

“Kill them! Die! Kill! Die and kill! Hahaha!”

Uiji, always unhinged, seemed truly mad using his skill.

Unlike their flashy combat, Dam Daon’s invisible, odorless hypnosis skill quietly drove dozens to suicide.

Kyaaak! Some mermaids breached the tetraports. Ion swiftly stabbed their eyes, planting vine seeds between scales in gaps of the tetraports. Seeded mermaids staggered and fell, trampled by others leaping forward.

Crunch! Ion threw a dagger, piercing a neck. No need to retrieve it—it vanished and reappeared in his hand.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Mermaids, realizing the barrier was the issue, attacked the tetraports. Each claw and punch broke one down.

“The barrier’s going down. Prepare! If you can’t handle it, use a return stone!”

No one used a stone, readying for the onslaught.

Then…

Whoosh. Hyaaaak!

Something shot in from outside, snatching three mermaids at once.

“What was that? Anyone see it clearly?”

“Something’s outside! A monster in the cave!”

“It was a tentacle with suckers! Damn it!”

As if mermaids weren’t enough, another monster appeared—with giant tentacles.

Grrrrk…

A pinkish body emerged outside. A massive eye scanned the cave, chillingly assessing its prey.

Another tentacle shot in.

Boom!

One strike shattered the tetraports and collapsed the cave. Several mermaids died, spines snapped. The tentacle wrapped around the dead.

Crunch, munch.

The giant monster devoured them. It had teeth.

Never seen before, but the Hunters instantly knew this S-rank monster’s name.

“Kraken!”

Mermaids were bad enough, now a Kraken.

“Everyone, scatter! Deeper inside!”

“Going deeper risks the cave collapsing! Better to return and regroup!”

Not everyone followed Elliet’s order.

“Retreat with a Kraken in front of us? Nonsense. I’ll take the title of first Kraken slayer!”

A Hunter threw a weapon at an incoming tentacle. Its hooked end pierced the slick surface. Using the attached rope, he vaulted over the tetraports.

“Damn it, Simon! No!” Elliet shouted.

Confident, Simon pressed his palm to the tentacle, unleashing a skill. Crackle! Blinding electricity sparked.

His electric shock skill, effective against marine life, fueled his arrogance.

But…

“What… how?!”

The tentacle was unscathed, still slick, the giant eye staring.

Grrrr.

“Help… Argh!”

Suckers on the tentacle swallowed Simon’s ankles. He thrashed, but they held like a swamp, pulling him deeper. Unable to reach his return stone, his hands were caught too.

Boom! Bam! Bam!

The Kraken slammed him against the cave’s ceiling, walls, and floor.

Flesh, blood, and bone fragments flew.

Soon, only his severed ankles popped out, rolling across the cave floor.

The sight crushed the Hunters’ morale.

Two more tentacles shot in, the Kraken swinging them to destroy everything.

“Argh!”

Hyaaak!

Humans and mermaids alike panicked in the crumbling cave. Suits, barely holding, broke further. Elliet shouted urgently, “Use return stones!”

“What about the ones above?”

“They’ll use theirs if we don’t return. Get your stones out… huh?”

As they agreed to retreat…

“This… what?!”

“What’s this…!”

Hunters froze, staring into space.

…?

Ion, planning to stay and kill the Kraken alone, tilted his head.

Staring blankly like that… familiar.

Spec-1 Team looked the same before the Giant appeared in Monity Dungeon.

Ion realized like a bolt.

They’re seeing a system window…!

Calmly, he asked Uiji nearby, “Hey, you seeing the same message?”

“Y-yeah… says Earth’s entering Level 7…”

“…”

Damn it. Level 7 now?

That meant the next entity…

Demonkin.

Ion’s expression hardened.