Chapter 40

Chapter 040: The Wise Serpent of the Mangrove Swamp

With my head much clearer, I was rowing forward through the waterway when Radi pointed toward the rear of the raft and said,

“So what are all these?”

Where her gaze landed, there was a mountain of smoked meat stripped from the guild members’ backpacks after emptying them out.

Aside from that, there were all kinds of dried fruits, hard bread, cheese and nuts, Kokokura Eggs, and more….

When Radi showed interest in the Kokokura Eggs, I casually said,

“Want to try one? They’re supposedly rather popular among gourmets.”

“I’m not particularly fond of seafood. Besides, they’re frog monster eggs. That’s disgusting.”

Radi seemed reluctant, but perhaps her curiosity was piqued, because she picked up one Kokokura Egg and tasted it.

Of course, she immediately twisted her entire face and spat it out.

“Ugh, what is this?! It’s incredibly salty and fishy…! Is this really famous among gourmets?”

“Yeah.”

Of course, I never said those gourmets were people.

Radi retched several times in a row and rinsed her mouth with water, then glared at me and said,

“Ugh, it’s fishy… So why did you pack up even our emergency rations and come out here? Are you planning to lure monsters and make them fight the Kokokura horde?”

“Hmm… Something similar. Have you heard of a Layer Lord?”

“A Layer Lord?”

“Yeah. …You know each layer of this dungeon is like its own independent ecosystem, right?”

And a Layer Lord referred to a being that had adapted perfectly to that environment and climbed to the top of the food chain.

In other words, it was the apex predator that ruled the ecosystem of that layer, and a Boss Monster.

However, it was far too powerful to be called merely a Boss Monster, so people often attached the title ‘Lord’ to it as a form of respect.

“If you’re bringing that up now… does that mean a Layer Lord exists here…?”

“No, actually, I’m not sure either.”

“What? No, what does that…! What are we supposed to do if you don’t know that, Mr. Doran?!”

“I mean, what do you want me to do…? I really don’t know….”

The point when players, meaning myself, had played Velheim was two to three years after this dungeon had been discovered.

By then, the First Layer had already been fully explored.

I had pored through the journals of the advance parties who had led the dungeon raids at the time, but nowhere had I found a record of the First Layer’s Layer Lord being subjugated.

‘But it definitely has to exist….’

That meant it was either tucked away in a hiding place no one could find, or because it had a gentle personality and disliked fighting, it had moved to another layer along the way.

And if the Layer Lord existed now, I was certain it would be somewhere here.

Unlike the other areas, which had already been thoroughly uncovered, this place was in the middle of the wetland and was difficult to access. It was also unsuitable for bird beastkin to conduct aerial reconnaissance because of the fog and mangroves.

In many ways, it was an optimized location for a Boss Monster to make its nest.

And most decisively….

｢According to the rumors, eyewitness reports of a giant snake inside the swamp have been pouring in.｣

It was the Log Window message that had appeared when I reached Mistmire Wetland.

‘I desperately hope the adventurers didn’t just mistake a Green Anaconda for it….’

As I prayed earnestly, Radi opened her mouth with a worried expression.

“But… according to what you just said, wouldn’t it be a problem even if there is a Layer Lord here? At its root, it’s a monster, so of course we won’t be able to communicate with it. And no matter how much food we prepare, it has no reason to be friendly toward humans who invaded its territory….”

“Right.”

“……Then it’s suicide.”

“Well, that’s why I told you to prepare yourself. If you’re thinking of going back, I can turn the raft around even now.”

“Haa… Forget it. In this situation, we have to try anything we can. …If I sense the presence of a Boss Monster, I’ll tell you immediately.”

“That’s exactly it.”

I grinned and steered the raft aimlessly.

Judging from the characteristics of a Layer Lord that liked secluded places, the place where it would reside was likely the deepest part of this swamp.

After wandering through the waterways for around an hour or two, the island’s atmosphere abruptly changed.

The translucent water turned a deep olive color, and the stench of rot began to rise.

The fresh aquatic plants and lotus flowers had vanished before I knew it, and along the water’s edge, old trees with only bare branches remaining, as though something had swept over them, stood lined up like bones.

‘Looks like we’re getting close to the deepest part of the island….’

Did we find the right place?

Radi seemed to sense the gloominess as well, because she rubbed her shoulders and said,

“The atmosphere here somehow feels rather murderous… Sunlight barely reaches this place too, so it’s chilly.”

“You’re right… The plant species are a little different too.”

“Is this an old tree… no, the root of a giant tree? What is this? It’s completely white, and it’s lying sideways….”

“It’s better not to touch it. Plants that grow in places like this may contain all kinds of dangers.”

“Hmmm….”

After passing the grotesquely twisted old trees and going a little deeper, we reached a dead-end waterway.

Vegetation bent as though fleeing the sunlight formed a small circular swamp, and trees with distinctive patterns coiled around the area like a snake.

The moment I instinctively knew this was the optimal location, I stopped the raft in the middle of the swamp.

“Good… This place should be enough.”

“You’re going to try it here?”

“Yeah. It’s spacious, and the vegetation is thick enough to be comfortable… Doesn’t this look exactly like a place a Boss Monster would like?”

“It does. I’ll prepare paralyzing poison in case we don’t know what kind of monster might pop out.”

While Radi loaded a special bolt into her crossbow, I took the Naga’s Heart out of my backpack.

‘Please, I hope this makes it appear….’

When I soaked a large piece of the heart in blood and dropped it into the swamp, the Log Window updated.

｢Half of [Naga’s Heart] has been consumed.｣

｢Take caution! The sweet mana within the item attracts a powerful being!｣

‘Hmm…? It attracts a powerful being?’

The wording felt different from the message that had appeared when I used it before.

Maybe it was my imagination, but even the noise of creatures that had been calling noisily until just now had abruptly stopped.

It felt as though even the wind was holding its breath.

“Did it activate properly? This is actually better… H-Huh…?”

“Wait… Mr. Doran, something is strange…!”

Radi’s shout soon turned into shock.

That was because a powerful tremor, as though the entire swamp were about to overturn, slammed into the raft.

Rrrrrrrumble…!!

“Urgh…! Hold on tight!!”

As I grabbed the mast and held on, the water’s surface began boiling and splashed in every direction.

Each time a bubble burst, an unidentified foul, gamey stench filled the air, and the olive-colored water turned pitch-black in an instant.

But that was only the beginning.

The swamp itself pulsed like one giant living creature and began to thrash violently.

The water level of the swamp supporting the raft dropped in an instant, the mud on the bottom revealed its grotesque innards, and the land on the opposite side rose up.

While I endured the violently changing terrain with my whole body as it flipped like a seesaw, I saw it clearly.

The trees with distinctive white patterns that had surrounded the swamp were writhing and moving.

‘D-Don’t tell me what I thought were old tree trunks were actually the monster’s body…?!’

When my thoughts reached that point, I realized that I had been under an absurd misconception this whole time.

This pond was not its hiding place….

“The e-entire Mangrove Island… was its nest?”

“……!!”

Soon, the current converged as though it were being sucked into a single point, and one enormous head surged up through the water’s surface.

A white snake.

Its flicking tongue, pit organs, even the parietal scales covering its forehead were all dyed such a pure white that it hurt the eyes.

When its closed eyelids slowly lifted, the vertically slit pupils within stared at me.

Blood-red eyes, as though rubies had been embedded into them, where cruel intelligence flickered.

The moment I met that gaze, I realized in my bones that I had been reduced from a human being to a single bite of prey.

Above my dazed upward vision, notifications updated with unprecedented speed, as though they would pierce through the Log Window.

｢You have encountered Lv:??? Avos, Anaconda Lord, the Wise Serpent of the Mangrove Swamp!!｣

｢You have awakened the sleeping Boss Monster! The Wise Serpent, awakened from long slumber, is extremely hungry! …Was this a mistake?｣

｢The old master of the Mangrove Swamp slowly opens her eyes and faces you. She feels irritation, anger, and a little curiosity toward the humans who awakened her from her long sleep.｣

｢The unique effect [Wise Serpent’s Evil Eye] activates, restricting your actions! Your feet become heavy as stones!｣

｢You are covered by the giant snake’s gaze! Your limbs go numb, slowing your movements!｣

｢Your body is overwhelmed from facing a powerful monster! Skill activation probability decreases, and stats temporarily decrease greatly….｣

A mouse before a snake. Primal fear.

Dizziness rose, and the massive presence distorted my vision like a lens.

“H-Haha….”

My instincts warned me.

That was not a being I should be encountering right now.

No matter how much of a Boss Monster it was, something like this was openly moving around on the First Layer?

‘Seriously, Velheim, you insane fucking garbage game….’

As the enormous snake, large enough to coil around a sailing ship in one movement, instantly slid over the water’s surface and approached, every plan I had prepared so far was crushed to powder.

Amid the tension that numbed my entire body, as though it would crush every bit of air in my lungs, I bit my tongue and came to my senses.

｢You have neutralized mental corruption with pain!｣

｢A small, unusual gleam appears in the eyes of the Layer Lord looking at you.｣

｢However, this is not enough to draw her interest!｣

｢Remaining distance until being eaten: 15m >>> 7m｣

“I-I prepared food because I knew this might happen! Please partake of these and quell your anger…!”

I hurriedly took out dried meat and fruit and held them high.

However, the giant snake only looked at them indifferently and continued closing the distance without paying them any mind.

｢The Wise Serpent of the swamp looks at the food with little interest.｣

｢There is no reason to bother eating dried-up meat when a fresh, hot human overflowing with juices is right in front of her!｣

｢Remaining distance until being eaten: 7m >>> 3m｣

“Th-Then at least this… This is food we humans enjoy eating!”

｢You offer hard bread, cheese, and nuts as tribute!｣

｢However, the snake still seems uninterested. How unfortunate!｣

｢Remaining distance until being eaten: 3m >>> 1m｣

“Krgh…!”

I felt the threat to my life gradually tightening around my throat.

As if giving me no room to escape, the creature blocked my retreat with her long body and slowly approached.

Then how about this?

Creak―!

When I opened the bottle containing the Kokokura Eggs, a fishy scent spread through the surroundings.

These eggs were considered a delicacy among aquatic monsters.

More precisely, they were food that drove Green Anacondas wild.

The ‘gourmets’ mentioned in the item description also referred to snakes─

THUNK!

For an instant, an enormous tail flew in and knocked the bottle from my hand.

“…Huh?”

I stared at the glass bottle rolling helplessly across the raft.

Some of the eggs that had spilled from the bottle’s mouth softly scattered beneath the water, but the snake did not even glance at them.

Radi, who had been staring blankly at the sight, snapped back to her senses and turned to me with a tearful face.

“Wh-What do we do…?! I think we’re f-fu! fucked…! She has no interest in the bait at all!!”

“…Goddamn it.”

I clenched my lips and tore at my hair.

｢Remaining distance until being eaten: 1m >>> 0.09m｣

‘Damn it… Was I wrong?’

No, not yet.

“W-Wait…! Let’s resolve this through dialogue first!!”

As fear made my mind creak, I bit my tongue again and dragged my thoughts back.

Think. Think.

If I quietly backed away now, could I make this as though it had never happened?

Or should I truly rely on a 0.0001% chance and charge in like a madman?

In novels, this was when people dove into a monster’s mouth, tore up its innards, and escaped, but if I pulled that macho bullshit now, I would melt in powerful digestive fluid before I lasted three seconds.

A life-or-death situation.

Yet as I desperately turned my brain and searched for a way to survive, I faced one shocking fact.

A skill that had almost never been activated until now was glowing yellow.

[Speechcraft]

‘…What?’

Why is this activating now?