Chapter 136: The Forbidden Zone of Flesh and Blood! A Madman Who Associating with Monsters!
Dungeon, Floor 24, The Great Tree Labyrinth.
This was a natural maze formed by the intertwined roots of giant herbaceous plants, and Arthur's party was currently navigating through tunnels made of these colossal tree roots.
On the walls, lush moss glowed with a faint blue light, replacing the usual phosphorescent stones and providing the only light source in this desolate place.
After passing through several empty tunnels, the path ahead suddenly opened up, leading them to the Gemstone Giant Tree area.
Pushing aside large, shimmering leaves, a Guardian Tree Dragon, coiled beneath a giant tree, abruptly appeared deep within the shadowy labyrinth.
The monster's crimson eyes immediately locked onto Arthur, but the dragon, which should have launched a fierce attack driven by instinct, merely growled and bared its fangs, showing a hint of hesitation.
Arthur met its gaze, a playful curve forming on his lips.
"Consider yourself lucky; I don't have time to play with you today."
He left those words hanging, took the lead, and walked straight towards the crossroads behind the Gemstone Giant Tree, completely ignoring the Guardian Tree Dragon.
A hint of surprise flashed in Asfi's eyes, but her actions were swift and decisive. She immediately led three small teams to follow him, safely passing through an area where a fierce battle should have erupted.
Upon reaching the crossroads, the amount of moss drastically decreased, and the light grew even fainter.
In the darkness, countless shadows stirred, revealing a horrifying horde of monsters that completely filled the wide passage, their dense numbers making one's scalp tingle.
Arthur gazed into the distance, the playful expression on his lips growing more pronounced.
"This is what they call a monster surge? Are all the monsters on Floor 24 gathered here for a meeting or something?"
The others looked down at the endless sea of monsters below, which roared and jostled frantically but strangely refused to leave the passage by even half a step.
For a moment, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding what was happening.
Asfi observed for a moment, then suggested,
"Lord arthur, should we clear out this batch of monsters first?"
"No need."
Arthur shook his head indifferently, his gaze shifting away from the chaotic monster horde below.
"That black-robed Magus said the source of the disturbance is in the food storage. Unless we deal with the source, monsters will just keep pouring in endlessly."
Upon hearing this, Lulune, who was responsible for route planning, quickly pulled out a simple map from her small satchel.
"Floor 24 has three food storage areas, located in the southwest, southeast, and due north. Which one should we go to first?"
"North."
Arthur's answer came without a moment's hesitation.
"This..." Asfi's delicate brows furrowed slightly, "May I ask the basis of your judgment?"
"My intuition has never been wrong."
Arthur confirmed the direction, and with a swift movement, he dashed towards the northern tunnel, where a faint glow continuously stretched.
Seeing this, everyone looked at Asfi in unison.
The versatile woman, accustomed to all sorts of unexpected situations, sighed helplessly and could only give the order.
"Everyone, follow! Maintain formation!"
...
The deeper they went into the northern area, the more monster hordes fiercely charged out from the side paths.
Arthur led the charge, and wherever his crimson flame slash passed, monsters were reduced to charcoal, leaving nothing behind.
Asfi and the others were practically relegated to the role of support staff, cheering him on from behind.
When the tunnel's ceiling and walls were stained with an ominous reddish hue, they knew they had reached an extremely deep part.
Arthur was the first to rush out of the passage, and the sight before him made his pupils contract sharply.
The cave exit was completely blocked by an enormous wall of flesh!
Green flesh gleamed with a nauseating greasy luster, its swollen surface pulsating rhythmically like a heart, constantly devouring the surrounding rock walls.
This sense of defilement, which originated from the same source as the new type of monsters, intensified the chill in Arthur's eyes.
Asfi and the others, who arrived shortly after, saw this bizarre living flesh wall, and the team immediately stirred into a commotion.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
"It's so disgusting, like a living tumor!"
"Could it be... Farga, Sean, take two teams to the other tunnels..."
"No need for such trouble."
Arthur interrupted Asfi's attempt to split forces and explore.
He casually walked up to the flesh wall, and a pungent stench assaulted him.
He raised his hand and gently pressed it against the surface of the flesh wall; a warm sensation and a heartbeat-like pulsation emanated from his palm.
"After the worms and the man-eating flowers, your appetite seems to be growing larger and larger."
"Everyone, step back!"
Before he finished speaking, a scorching wave of heat violently spread from Arthur's body, and the surrounding temperature rapidly soared!
The most timid Lulune covered her head with both hands, her voice trembling with fear.
"Lord arthur! This is the Tree Sea Tunnel! It'll collapse! Please be careful!"
The Crimson Dragon's Roar and the White Azure Breath violently exploded!
An earth-shattering roar echoed through the tunnel, making everyone's eardrums ache and forcing them to retreat repeatedly!
Arthur shook off the lingering flame light from his sword and looked up at the fiercely burning flesh wall.
Under the sweeping flames, a charred passage had already been blasted through!
"This thing has extremely strong regenerative abilities, so everyone stick close!"
A vortex of air condensed beneath his feet, and the strong wind propelled his body forward like a cannonball!
Rushing into the cave, his eyes met with a murky green, as if he had entered the stomach of some giant creature.
'Something is covering the Dungeon!?'
This terrifying thought appeared in everyone's mind.
Before anyone could ponder further, Arthur, who was at the very front, loudly warned,
"Enemy attack! Everyone, on guard!"
Countless man-eating flowers, hidden in the folds of the ceiling, twisted wildly, opening their four-lobed mouths and spewing highly corrosive dissolving fluid!
Arthur's body overflowed with surging crimson magic. He raised his palm high and suddenly clenched his fist!
Mimicry: Overlord Heavenly Star!
Gravity suddenly changed!
The scattered dissolving fluid instantly reversed, and along with the man-eating flower clusters, rubble, and green flesh that were firmly rooted to the ceiling, they were all crushed into a rapidly spinning sphere!
Asfi and the others looked up at the cave ceiling, disfigured by the Heavenly Star's tearing, their initial tension from having just readied their weapons completely gone.
Lulune patted her chest, still shaken, and mumbled softly,
"Thank goodness, this one is much smaller, and we're in a cave now..."
"Where are you all looking?!"
Arthur stood at the very front, throwing the Heavenly Star towards the blocked cave entrance without looking back, his voice like muffled thunder.
"The enemy attack I spoke of, it's them!"
A white-haired, white-clad man rushed out from deep within the food storage, and with his bare flesh, he actually punched the incoming Heavenly Star!
Amidst flying flesh and shattered rocks, he forcefully stopped the small Heavenly Star with sheer brute strength!
The opponent shook his rapidly regenerating hand, and a muffled, challenging voice emanated from beneath his dark, skeletal helmet.
"Get out of the way, don't disturb her feeding."
Behind him, dozens of humans in long black robes raised their weapons and charged out frantically!
"Humans?!"
Asfi and the others cried out in shock.
Isn't this an anomaly in the Dungeon?
Why are there humans involved?!
Unlike the others' surprise, Arthur's gaze was fixed on the white-haired man leading the charge, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
The other black-robed figures were indeed human, but within the leader's body, there was a colorful magic stone, just like in the female monster!
"The one leading them, he's mine!"