Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Exploring Megalok

“Hey, lousy seal! You call yourself the King of the Sea, but you can’t even catch one thing like that!?”

“The strength I drew out last time still hasn’t recovered, du!”

“Then how did you catch Sharkrak?!”

“I didn’t catch it, du! That thing ate it, du!”

“Huh?”

It seemed that once its eyes rolled, it did not care whether something was part of its lake family or not.

That was why the gathered monsters had scattered too.

BANG!!

“Gyaaaaaaaak!”

“Duaaaaaagh!”

Megalok burst up through the nearby ground.

This thin layer of ground did not seem to be a problem for it.

I examined Megalok with Evil Eye.

I had wondered how it was pinpointing our location from underwater, and it turned out it was detecting vibrations and heat.

I lowered my eyes and checked the size of the ground Megalok had just broken through as it leaped out.

As long as we were outside that range, we were safe for now.

‘The time it took after its first jump before it surged up again was roughly one minute. When there are multiple sources of vibration and heat on the ground, where it will surge up is unknown.’

After organizing the information I needed and forming a plan.

Rustle, rustle.

I took the Miniature Watcher out of my bag and installed it on a rock.

[Miniature Watcher has been installed! Please set a target!]

“Everything that enters its field of view.”

[Target has been set! From now on, it will fire lasers at all objects entering its field of view!]

[The Miniature Watcher boasts a faster rate of fire than the existing Watcher! However, please be careful, as lasers will not fire for a while if it overheats!]

“Boss! What’s a miniature laser going to do against that thing?! It won’t work!”

Hahahaha! What is that tiny thing?! Is he a comedian?

It’ll be nice and warm, at least!

“Attach this to the fishing float. If we lose that, all of us become fish food.”

“Waaaah, yes!”

How many seconds passed after I handed over Thunder Bait?

Megalok, which had soared into the sky, disappeared back into the lake.

One minute from now, it would burst out again.

I started the stopwatch on my wristwatch.

Screech.

I hit the brakes.

We had reached outside the attack range I had confirmed earlier, based on the Miniature Watcher.

“I attached it! But Boss?! Why are we stopping?!”

“This is the maximum range of the fishing line.”

“Huh? We should keep running and escape through the exit, so what do you mean, fishing line range?! Hey, seal! You say something too!”

Ddurk.

“This crazy seal fainted again!”

“Aris. Hurry and wake Poporu up, then throw everything you can grab in front of the Watcher. We need to overheat it within 40 seconds.”

Perhaps because she knew the situation was urgent.

Aris no longer objected.

Instead, she slapped Poporu across the face with great force.

“Stop! Fainting already!”

“Dduak?!”

“Hey, you crazy seal! Wake up and throw stones!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Aris and Poporu, sweating coldly, threw everything they could get their hands on.

Thanks to that, the Watcher began firing lasers without pause and quickly started heating up.

Pfft, hahaha! What are those guys really doing!? Even escaping right now wouldn’t be enough, but they’re throwing stones!

My stomach is really splitting! Where did the guy who hyped him up as the Labyrinth Destroyer go?

These idiots! Just become fish food!

I checked the watch while finishing my casting preparations.

Ten seconds left.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

At the vibration felt beneath her feet, Aris clenched her teeth.

This time, they were truly screwed.

They had somehow survived last time, but this time, they were truly going to die.

Judging by the vibration, it was right nearby.

Running away now was impossible.

It was definitely going to be a fish-food ending.

“Suuuuu.”

Three seconds left.

I calmly exhaled and began the countdown.

One.

There were two heat sources on this ground. Us and the Miniature Watcher.

If one judged only by temperature, the Miniature Watcher was higher, but that was not especially meaningful.

Megalok did not identify targets based on how high or low the temperature was.

It merely chose one among targets that possessed heat.

Two.

I cast the fishing rod toward the place where the Miniature Watcher stood.

Either the Miniature Watcher or us. A fifty-fifty chance.

But I did not doubt it.

At least inside the Labyrinth.

Three.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH!!!

Because the Goddess of Luck was on my side.

The ground beneath the Miniature Watcher shattered, and Megalok revealed itself.

The corners of my mouth rose high.

At the same time, a tremendous thrill climbed up my spine and struck my brain.

I could not tell what this thrill was, but it was maddeningly electrifying.

Megalok swallowed the Miniature Watcher along with Thunder Bait, which was hanging from the fishing rod.

“Huuuuuuuu!”

I exhaled the breath I had been holding and raised my middle finger at Megalok as it surged upward.

Since it had lost beautifully in a fifty-fifty gamble, it was time to pay the price.

“Get lost already, you tuna bastard.”

How many seconds passed after I finished speaking?

CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE!!!

The swallowed Thunder Bait exploded, and a massive lightning current erupted.

The lightning swallowed Megalok in an instant and roasted it black.

At the thousands of sparks flashing without pause, Aris and Poporu opened their mouths.

Kuhuuuh...!

This is insane!!

The Constellations that had been babbling about how we were guaranteed to become fish food also quieted down.

I felt it again, but I really liked this moment when the Constellations were forced to shut their mouths.

Beneath the flashing light, Aris looked up at Boss Ryu Jin.

Because she had watched from right beside him, she knew.

Ryu Jin had been nervous until the very moment Megalok burst out.

Enough that the hand holding the fishing rod trembled faintly.

In other words, Ryu Jin had not known where Megalok would burst out either.

Even so, he had bet his life on that fifty-fifty chance.

Even though he was not a demon who would be reverse-summoned and wake up again after dying, he had bet that single life of his.

‘He isn’t sane...!’

How insane did someone have to be, how much did someone have to believe in themselves, to make such a thing possible?

She could not even begin to measure it.

BAAAAAAANG!!!

The properly roasted Megalok crashed onto the ground.

Hissssss...

Judging by its whitened pupils, even its eyeballs had been properly cooked.

DING!

[Megalok, Lord of the Lake, has been fried by tremendous lightning!]

[The lake loses its lord and collapses, destroying Basement Floor 5 of the Labyrinth!]

[Floor 5 of the Labyrinth is regenerated, and ownership is transferred!]

[Player Ryu Jin becomes the new lord of Floor 5 of the Labyrinth!]

[Settlement will begin once you return to the Personal Lobby!]

---

I reached out toward the thoroughly roasted Megalok.

Mm, it had finally cooled down a little.

Poporu grabbed its jaw, and I grabbed the roof of its mouth, then pulled with all our strength.

Riiiiip!

Its mouth opened wide, and well-cooked white flesh burst out.

“Whew.”

After wiping the sweat from my forehead, I took a headlamp out of my backpack.

Why was I doing this instead of going to the Personal Lobby and receiving my reward after destroying the floor?

There were two reasons.

First, I had to retrieve the Miniature Watcher.

I had obtained it and used it for the first time today, so I could not send it off like this.

And second.

Item Search, Evil Eye’s Unique Ability, was pointing inside Megalok’s stomach.

I did not know what kind of item it was, but it meant something was there.

“Boss! Wouldn’t it be better to cut open its belly after all?! Going in through the mouth feels kind of wrong!”

“The flesh and fat are too thick, so we can’t. If I try to cut through it with a paring knife, it’ll take all day.”

“What about making the seal break it? He took down a Titan last time too!”

“He’s recovering with difficulty, so it would be a waste to use that on a monster that’s already dead. But you’re talking a lot today, Aris.”

“Hehe, was I? I was just wondering why you always take me with you when you go into places like this!”

I stared fixedly at Aris.

They said to keep friends distant, but enemies close.

Aris di Carsia, the very embodiment of treason DNA.

While I went inside the mouth, she might untie the rope from the stake.

‘No way. Absolutely not.’

After firmly securing Aris at my side, I grabbed the rope and began descending.

The outer flesh was evenly cooked, but the inside was completely charred black.

“Why does it smell delicious?”

“Isn’t that because it is delicious?”

A savory fragrance that salted mackerel could not even dare approach.

I was seriously considering it.

Whether to go out and try eating some.

“Huh? There it is!”

I pulled out the Miniature Watcher lodged in a corner.

I had worried it might have burned together with Thunder Bait’s explosion.

Fortunately, aside from being a little scorched, it was intact.

Squeak, squeak.

After wiping it clean with Aris’s clothes, I put it into my bag.

Gulp.

‘He’s crossing the line.’

Aris’s steamed-bun fist trembled.

But what could she do? She had to endure it.

Once they got out, she would beat up the seal instead.

Step.

How long had we walked through the blackened stomach?

A light became visible beyond.

“It looks like it’s inside!”

“We’ll have to cut it open.”

After identifying the proper location with Evil Eye, I inserted the paring knife.

When I cut near the heart, a small orb popped out.

“Ooh?!”

Without even being told, Aris quickly ran over and picked it up.

Why did an auto-looting pet come to mind?

DING!

[You have acquired an Unstable Random Skill Enhancement Stone!]

Grade: Unique.

It levels up one of your owned Class Unique Skills by two stages!

It is in an unstable state after being struck by a strong electric current! Please handle it carefully!

It was an extremely simple explanation, but it was enough to make me shout, Nice.

The levels of Unique Traits and Unique Skills did not necessarily rise just because a player leveled up.

They only rose when specific conditions were met, but since those conditions were not specified, it was rather difficult and ambiguous.

Because of that, there were quite a few complaint posts on Labyrinth Site saying that even after gaining 50 levels, the desired skill’s level had not risen by even 1.

After carefully putting it away, I pulled on the rope I had used to descend.

“I shall pull you up, du!!!”

Poporu, a small but strong friend.

Even though I was staying still, my body rose quickly.

Escape was completed far faster than the descent.

When we came out of the mouth, Poporu sniffed.

“My lord, du, you smell delicious, du.”

“Really?”

After going in and coming out, the smell had soaked in properly.

“Hmmm.”

I rubbed my chin and looked at the well-cooked flesh.

“As expected, we should try eating it, right? Let’s play rock-paper-scissors. The loser eats first. Rock-paper-scissors.”

Since there was no way I would lose, I played casually.

“Shiiit!!”

Aris, who had lost alone, walked toward Megalok with the paring knife.

At times like this, it felt like she was unusually unlucky.

“They say the head meat is the tastiest.”

“Really? I’ll try it!”

She stabbed the knife deep into the place we had opened earlier and skillfully carved off one piece.

Aris swallowed dryly, then carefully ate the flesh.

Stab!

After chewing for a long while, she stabbed the knife in again.

Seeing Aris repeat that several times, I quickly moved.

I had wondered why she was not saying anything, but it was because it was delicious and she was trying to eat more by herself.

“Is this another betrayal, du!? Whenever you open your eyes—Dduak?!”

At the flesh that entered his mouth, Poporu’s pupils dilated.

“It’s incredibly delicious, du!”

“Oh.”

I quickly reached out to have a piece too.

At that moment.

DING!

[The Unstable Random Skill Enhancement Stone breaks!]

[The Enhancement Stone is used, and one of your owned Class Unique Skills is enhanced!]

DING!

[Unique Skill Reset - Value / LV1 is enhanced and reaches LV3!]

[The grade of items that can be reset rises from Normal to Unique!]

Chapter 27

Exploring Megalok

“Hey, lousy seal! You call yourself the King of the Sea, but you can’t even catch one thing like that!?”

“The strength I drew out last time still hasn’t recovered, du!”

“Then how did you catch Sharkrak?!”

“I didn’t catch it, du! That thing ate it, du!”

“Huh?”

It seemed that once its eyes rolled, it did not care whether something was part of its lake family or not.

That was why the gathered monsters had scattered too.

BANG!!

“Gyaaaaaaaak!”

“Duaaaaaagh!”

Megalok burst up through the nearby ground.

This thin layer of ground did not seem to be a problem for it.

I examined Megalok with Evil Eye.

I had wondered how it was pinpointing our location from underwater, and it turned out it was detecting vibrations and heat.

I lowered my eyes and checked the size of the ground Megalok had just broken through as it leaped out.

As long as we were outside that range, we were safe for now.

‘The time it took after its first jump before it surged up again was roughly one minute. When there are multiple sources of vibration and heat on the ground, where it will surge up is unknown.’

After organizing the information I needed and forming a plan.

Rustle, rustle.

I took the Miniature Watcher out of my bag and installed it on a rock.

[Miniature Watcher has been installed! Please set a target!]

“Everything that enters its field of view.”

[Target has been set! From now on, it will fire lasers at all objects entering its field of view!]

[The Miniature Watcher boasts a faster rate of fire than the existing Watcher! However, please be careful, as lasers will not fire for a while if it overheats!]

“Boss! What’s a miniature laser going to do against that thing?! It won’t work!”

Hahahaha! What is that tiny thing?! Is he a comedian?

It’ll be nice and warm, at least!

“Attach this to the fishing float. If we lose that, all of us become fish food.”

“Waaaah, yes!”

How many seconds passed after I handed over Thunder Bait?

Megalok, which had soared into the sky, disappeared back into the lake.

One minute from now, it would burst out again.

I started the stopwatch on my wristwatch.

Screech.

I hit the brakes.

We had reached outside the attack range I had confirmed earlier, based on the Miniature Watcher.

“I attached it! But Boss?! Why are we stopping?!”

“This is the maximum range of the fishing line.”

“Huh? We should keep running and escape through the exit, so what do you mean, fishing line range?! Hey, seal! You say something too!”

Ddurk.

“This crazy seal fainted again!”

“Aris. Hurry and wake Poporu up, then throw everything you can grab in front of the Watcher. We need to overheat it within 40 seconds.”

Perhaps because she knew the situation was urgent.

Aris no longer objected.

Instead, she slapped Poporu across the face with great force.

“Stop! Fainting already!”

“Dduak?!”

“Hey, you crazy seal! Wake up and throw stones!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Aris and Poporu, sweating coldly, threw everything they could get their hands on.

Thanks to that, the Watcher began firing lasers without pause and quickly started heating up.

Pfft, hahaha! What are those guys really doing!? Even escaping right now wouldn’t be enough, but they’re throwing stones!

My stomach is really splitting! Where did the guy who hyped him up as the Labyrinth Destroyer go?

These idiots! Just become fish food!

I checked the watch while finishing my casting preparations.

Ten seconds left.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

At the vibration felt beneath her feet, Aris clenched her teeth.

This time, they were truly screwed.

They had somehow survived last time, but this time, they were truly going to die.

Judging by the vibration, it was right nearby.

Running away now was impossible.

It was definitely going to be a fish-food ending.

“Suuuuu.”

Three seconds left.

I calmly exhaled and began the countdown.

One.

There were two heat sources on this ground. Us and the Miniature Watcher.

If one judged only by temperature, the Miniature Watcher was higher, but that was not especially meaningful.

Megalok did not identify targets based on how high or low the temperature was.

It merely chose one among targets that possessed heat.

Two.

I cast the fishing rod toward the place where the Miniature Watcher stood.

Either the Miniature Watcher or us. A fifty-fifty chance.

But I did not doubt it.

At least inside the Labyrinth.

Three.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH!!!

Because the Goddess of Luck was on my side.

The ground beneath the Miniature Watcher shattered, and Megalok revealed itself.

The corners of my mouth rose high.

At the same time, a tremendous thrill climbed up my spine and struck my brain.

I could not tell what this thrill was, but it was maddeningly electrifying.

Megalok swallowed the Miniature Watcher along with Thunder Bait, which was hanging from the fishing rod.

“Huuuuuuuu!”

I exhaled the breath I had been holding and raised my middle finger at Megalok as it surged upward.

Since it had lost beautifully in a fifty-fifty gamble, it was time to pay the price.

“Get lost already, you tuna bastard.”

How many seconds passed after I finished speaking?

CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE!!!

The swallowed Thunder Bait exploded, and a massive lightning current erupted.

The lightning swallowed Megalok in an instant and roasted it black.

At the thousands of sparks flashing without pause, Aris and Poporu opened their mouths.

Kuhuuuh...!

This is insane!!

The Constellations that had been babbling about how we were guaranteed to become fish food also quieted down.

I felt it again, but I really liked this moment when the Constellations were forced to shut their mouths.

Beneath the flashing light, Aris looked up at Boss Ryu Jin.

Because she had watched from right beside him, she knew.

Ryu Jin had been nervous until the very moment Megalok burst out.

Enough that the hand holding the fishing rod trembled faintly.

In other words, Ryu Jin had not known where Megalok would burst out either.

Even so, he had bet his life on that fifty-fifty chance.

Even though he was not a demon who would be reverse-summoned and wake up again after dying, he had bet that single life of his.

‘He isn’t sane...!’

How insane did someone have to be, how much did someone have to believe in themselves, to make such a thing possible?

She could not even begin to measure it.

BAAAAAAANG!!!

The properly roasted Megalok crashed onto the ground.

Hissssss...

Judging by its whitened pupils, even its eyeballs had been properly cooked.

DING!

[Megalok, Lord of the Lake, has been fried by tremendous lightning!]

[The lake loses its lord and collapses, destroying Basement Floor 5 of the Labyrinth!]

[Floor 5 of the Labyrinth is regenerated, and ownership is transferred!]

[Player Ryu Jin becomes the new lord of Floor 5 of the Labyrinth!]

[Settlement will begin once you return to the Personal Lobby!]

---

I reached out toward the thoroughly roasted Megalok.

Mm, it had finally cooled down a little.

Poporu grabbed its jaw, and I grabbed the roof of its mouth, then pulled with all our strength.

Riiiiip!

Its mouth opened wide, and well-cooked white flesh burst out.

“Whew.”

After wiping the sweat from my forehead, I took a headlamp out of my backpack.

Why was I doing this instead of going to the Personal Lobby and receiving my reward after destroying the floor?

There were two reasons.

First, I had to retrieve the Miniature Watcher.

I had obtained it and used it for the first time today, so I could not send it off like this.

And second.

Item Search, Evil Eye’s Unique Ability, was pointing inside Megalok’s stomach.

I did not know what kind of item it was, but it meant something was there.

“Boss! Wouldn’t it be better to cut open its belly after all?! Going in through the mouth feels kind of wrong!”

“The flesh and fat are too thick, so we can’t. If I try to cut through it with a paring knife, it’ll take all day.”

“What about making the seal break it? He took down a Titan last time too!”

“He’s recovering with difficulty, so it would be a waste to use that on a monster that’s already dead. But you’re talking a lot today, Aris.”

“Hehe, was I? I was just wondering why you always take me with you when you go into places like this!”

I stared fixedly at Aris.

They said to keep friends distant, but enemies close.

Aris di Carsia, the very embodiment of treason DNA.

While I went inside the mouth, she might untie the rope from the stake.

‘No way. Absolutely not.’

After firmly securing Aris at my side, I grabbed the rope and began descending.

The outer flesh was evenly cooked, but the inside was completely charred black.

“Why does it smell delicious?”

“Isn’t that because it is delicious?”

A savory fragrance that salted mackerel could not even dare approach.

I was seriously considering it.

Whether to go out and try eating some.

“Huh? There it is!”

I pulled out the Miniature Watcher lodged in a corner.

I had worried it might have burned together with Thunder Bait’s explosion.

Fortunately, aside from being a little scorched, it was intact.

Squeak, squeak.

After wiping it clean with Aris’s clothes, I put it into my bag.

Gulp.

‘He’s crossing the line.’

Aris’s steamed-bun fist trembled.

But what could she do? She had to endure it.

Once they got out, she would beat up the seal instead.

Step.

How long had we walked through the blackened stomach?

A light became visible beyond.

“It looks like it’s inside!”

“We’ll have to cut it open.”

After identifying the proper location with Evil Eye, I inserted the paring knife.

When I cut near the heart, a small orb popped out.

“Ooh?!”

Without even being told, Aris quickly ran over and picked it up.

Why did an auto-looting pet come to mind?

DING!

[You have acquired an Unstable Random Skill Enhancement Stone!]

Grade: Unique.

It levels up one of your owned Class Unique Skills by two stages!

It is in an unstable state after being struck by a strong electric current! Please handle it carefully!

It was an extremely simple explanation, but it was enough to make me shout, Nice.

The levels of Unique Traits and Unique Skills did not necessarily rise just because a player leveled up.

They only rose when specific conditions were met, but since those conditions were not specified, it was rather difficult and ambiguous.

Because of that, there were quite a few complaint posts on Labyrinth Site saying that even after gaining 50 levels, the desired skill’s level had not risen by even 1.

After carefully putting it away, I pulled on the rope I had used to descend.

“I shall pull you up, du!!!”

Poporu, a small but strong friend.

Even though I was staying still, my body rose quickly.

Escape was completed far faster than the descent.

When we came out of the mouth, Poporu sniffed.

“My lord, du, you smell delicious, du.”

“Really?”

After going in and coming out, the smell had soaked in properly.

“Hmmm.”

I rubbed my chin and looked at the well-cooked flesh.

“As expected, we should try eating it, right? Let’s play rock-paper-scissors. The loser eats first. Rock-paper-scissors.”

Since there was no way I would lose, I played casually.

“Shiiit!!”

Aris, who had lost alone, walked toward Megalok with the paring knife.

At times like this, it felt like she was unusually unlucky.

“They say the head meat is the tastiest.”

“Really? I’ll try it!”

She stabbed the knife deep into the place we had opened earlier and skillfully carved off one piece.

Aris swallowed dryly, then carefully ate the flesh.

Stab!

After chewing for a long while, she stabbed the knife in again.

Seeing Aris repeat that several times, I quickly moved.

I had wondered why she was not saying anything, but it was because it was delicious and she was trying to eat more by herself.

“Is this another betrayal, du!? Whenever you open your eyes—Dduak?!”

At the flesh that entered his mouth, Poporu’s pupils dilated.

“It’s incredibly delicious, du!”

“Oh.”

I quickly reached out to have a piece too.

At that moment.

DING!

[The Unstable Random Skill Enhancement Stone breaks!]

[The Enhancement Stone is used, and one of your owned Class Unique Skills is enhanced!]

DING!

[Unique Skill Reset - Value / LV1 is enhanced and reaches LV3!]

[The grade of items that can be reset rises from Normal to Unique!]