Chapter 158: False Rankings
Before Seraphina could continue, a bottle of water was tossed toward her at a lazy pace, followed by a low groan that escaped from somewhere behind them.
Walking forward with an awkward sway, the Mistress of Waves halted in front of the two of them, one hand resting against her waist as she spoke in a casual tone, "What are you worrying so much about, Captain? We should be grateful that once a monster is defeated, it does not get respawned by the dungeon itself. If that were the case, things would have already turned into a complete disaster, you know."
Seraphina caught the bottle without much reaction.
Valric, however, turned to give his comrade a long and cold stare, his displeasure clearly evident as he said, "That was rude of you, Tina. She is not accustomed to such behavior. Apologize right now."
Valentina scoffed openly, her expression unrepentant as she replied, "And why should I? The Captain does not seem bothered by it at all. So why are you getting so worked up over nothing, hmm?"
Valric responded by giving a light punch to her head, or rather to the brim of her hat, his voice carrying a sharp edge as he muttered, "You?"
Opening the bottle with a calm motion, Seraphina raised it slightly as she spoke, "That is enough, both of you. I will try to accommodate such behavior, so do not mind me. So... tell me, Valentina, this water would not happen to originate from your magic, would it?"
Valric blinked several times in quick succession, clearly caught off guard.
The Mistress of Waves stared at her blankly for a moment before scoffing once more, "Oh, absolutely not. How could you even think that way, Captain? I would never dare to. I am fully aware of the punishment associated with food adulteration, after all."
Valric let out a deep sigh before offering a faint smile, "She is joking, Tina."
Valentina tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering across her face, "Is she? Her expression looks completely indifferent to me."
By the time Seraphina finished drinking the water, Mistwalker finally approached the leaders, her steps light and confident as always, and as usual she made no attempt to start a conversation on her own, her presence quiet yet unmistakable.
Closing the bottle, Seraphina asked in a cold and steady tone, "Have any of you ever considered what becomes of an S-Rank monster after it evolves?"
Valric answered almost immediately, his voice thoughtful, "S-Rank is regarded as the highest classification we have established for monsters. Even if we speculate, there may not be a definitive answer we can reach yet."
Valentina let out a short chuckle as she spoke, "I have not really thought about it before. Could it not be possible that they do not become anything else, or that evolution simply stops at that level?"
Valric shifted his gaze toward her before shrugging lightly, his response carrying a hint of dry amusement, "That assumption would be incorrect. Monster ranks were assigned by humans based on observed capabilities, not by the dungeon itself. As such, it cannot be assumed that S-Rank represents an absolute limit of their growth. Have you forgotten how many times you have cursed the people responsible for creating the ranking system, Tina?"
Valentina scoffed.
Valric paused for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the dim corridor stretching ahead of them, before he continued in an even and composed voice, "Regardless, S-Ranked monsters in this particular dungeon actually begin appearing from the thirtieth floor, which is rather rare if one were to hear of it elsewhere, but judging by our town's position and circumstances, it is considered fairly normal by outsiders. However, if we attempt to categorize them based on our actual combat experience and accumulated knowledge, then the difference between monsters of the same rank on the upper floors and lower floors becomes far greater than it initially seems."
He lingered briefly, his expression darkening as his voice sharpened and turned cold, a faint shadow passing across his face as he continued, "What I am trying to say is that... a lower-floor, lower-ranked monster is often far stronger than a higher-floor, higher-ranked monster. The rank itself is false in terms of strength, it exists merely to attract attention from adventurers of other towns and nothing more. Then again, who would be foolish enough to overhaul an entire ranking system just to accommodate a single dungeon, anyway? Dungeons have always been mysterious by nature, after all."
Seraphina's eyes widened, if only slightly.
Truth be told, she had never known of such a fact until now. It was true that she was aware this dungeon differed from others, which was not unusual when it came to dungeons in general. She had also heard that higher-ranking monsters appeared on higher floors here, something that seemed plausible on the surface. Still, she had never truly considered the logic behind the monster ranking system itself, or perhaps she had never needed to.
After all, this dungeon had existed for a long, long time, while she herself had been stationed here for only three years, and nothing out of the ordinary had occurred until the demon appeared, so it was never her concern to begin with.
Moreover, the dungeon and everything related to it was mostly handled by the guild, and she learned only what the guild deemed necessary to share. The guild had no reason to disclose more information when everything had been proceeding smoothly. Perhaps the people of this town had grown so accustomed to their surroundings that unexpected developments no longer registered as something worth worrying about.
'These lunatics are really going to drive me mad one day... for certain.'
Touching her forehead, or rather where her forehead would have been beneath her helmet, Seraphina released a quiet sigh before speaking in a calm yet commanding tone, "I understand. If what you are saying is true, then the boss would certainly rank up through its evolution, however it would merely grow stronger to the level of a far lower-floor boss. Or rather, it would become comparable to the fortieth-floor boss, the Duel Wielder."
Valentina lightly touched her chin and pondered for a moment before replying in her usual even yet faintly playful manner, "Huh? In that case, the dungeon would likely grant the creature several powerful abilities at once, much like the Duel Wielder. Still, it would be impossible to predict those abilities in advance. If I had to guess, one of them would probably be related to evading magic spells at best, considering its minions were already capable of doing something similar. Huh, what exactly was it again? Ah, right, I remember now. Because of a certain someone, we missed the perfect opportunity to properly observe their abilities, didn't we? If we had, that information would have been extremely useful right now, wouldn't it? What a shame."
Mistwalker remained completely still as if she heard nothing, almost resembling a stone statue, as though she were not even present with them at all. One could only assume that she had appeared solely to listen to their plans, to ensure nothing was mishandled, and nothing more.
Valric cast his comrades a cold glance, prompting Valentina to avert her gaze as though she had said nothing at all.
'It was a wise choice to ask them directly.'
Seraphina shifted her gaze toward Valric and shrugged with practiced indifference before speaking, "It would not matter either way. Sir Valric, pray tell, would it be possible to face the creature alone?"
Valric shook his head slightly, his expression composed as he answered smoothly, "No, it would be impossible to win under normal circumstances. However, if it were you, Captain, then I believe you would have a chance against it at the very least. Even so, I would not recommend such a course of action, as it would likely turn out far more dreadful than you imagine. Back then, even with our full party, we barely managed to win against the Duel Wielder, or rather, escaping alive would be a more accurate description. Of course, things are different now. With time, we have grown stronger, and we also have a powerful ally such as yourself. Therefore, if the worst comes to pass, we will break formation if necessary."
Seraphina chuckled, "There is no need. I have no intention of battling it alone anyway, or at least not by conventional standards."
---
After their brief rest had come to an end, the group of adventurers began to march forward once more, their movements steady and disciplined, yet almost peaceful in an unsettling way, since not a single monster had ambushed them so far, just as the leaders had predicted earlier.
Even so, that did not mean they had lowered their guard in the slightest. In fact, they were more cautious than ever before, because the deeper they progressed, the more the corridor itself began to feel strangely different from before.
The walls were covered in thick moisture that slowly dripped downward in a steady rhythm, and even the stone floor reflected that same damp presence beneath their boots, making it feel as though rain had fallen here not long ago, even though such a thing should have been impossible on the first floor of a dungeon.
Along with that unnatural dampness came an eerie sensation that grew heavier with each step they took, now that everyone had fallen silent and the only sounds that remained were the faint clinks of armor and the soft shifting of weapons, while some among them could not shake the feeling that they were being watched by unseen eyes, a presence that sent an involuntary shiver crawling down their spines.
Kael walked at the rear of the group, his expression largely unreadable as usual, which was to be expected since he was meant to be a combatant here, yet up until now all he had done was stand still, observe, and move forward with the others. Although only around two hours had passed since they entered the dungeon, the lack of resistance made him feel uneasy, because... wasn't this quest becoming far easier than it was supposed to be?
'Ah, I'm bored as hell...'
Almost as though something had responded directly to his thought, an eerie shriek suddenly rang out from somewhere ahead, its sound echoing through the corridor and lingering far longer than it should have, as though it were calling out to them deliberately.
'The same thing... not again—'
Before he could finish that thought, the floor beneath their feet shuddered violently without warning, the sudden tremor forcing him to sway as he struggled to maintain his balance, nearly losing his footing before catching himself at the last possible moment.
'Is that creature trying to dig through the floor or something, since the ground shook that much?'
Fortunately, that did not seem to be the case, since the shaking abruptly stopped and nothing emerged to pursue them, allowing the group to continue onward until they finally reached the teleportation circle ahead.
The corridor leading to it was tall and wide, yet only barely sufficient to allow something the size of a Goblin King to pass through, though now its doorway appeared broken and battered, as though something had torn at it violently or attempted to carve its way through by force.
While the creature they were facing was indeed capable of digging, the material of the walls themselves was of such high quality that breaking through them would have been impossible, or perhaps monsters were simply restricted from damaging them, since this passage served as the only route between floors and functioned as a resting area for adventurers, at least according to common understanding. Such a place was never meant to be accessible to monsters, yet due to the dungeon's distorted ecosystem, that rule no longer fully applied.
Even so, the ecosystem had not completely collapsed yet, or rather, a full-scale outbreak had not occurred, meaning some of the dungeon's original restrictions were still in effect, which explained why the creature had been unable to break through the walls. The same could not be said about the floors themselves, which were far more vulnerable in comparison.
'Even if it did manage to get out, how would it even move through the corridors anyway? It would find itself completely restricted in movement, practically immobilized. Wouldn't that actually work in our favor instead? Then why did Seraphina choose to confront it directly instead of ambushing it? What the hell is she thinking?'
"So, this is where the boss lay, huh?"
"Look at the mess that thing made trying to break out."
"It must really be furious."
Seraphina let out a quiet sigh as her hand came to rest on the hilt of her sword, her expression cold and composed behind the visor of her helmet, while she spoke to the other leaders in a calm voice, "The creature seems to have sensed our approach, just as we expected."
Valric, standing some distance behind her, replied in an equally calm tone, "Deceiving the perception of a creature of this caliber was never realistic to begin with, so our options were limited in the end. Shall we proceed, then?"
Seraphina stepped forward into the hall, her cloak swaying softly behind her as she spoke without hesitation, "I'm expecting a warm welcome."
In the very next moment, her eyes widened, if only slightly.
Soon after, the rest of the group followed her inside, and the instant they crossed the threshold, their expressions changed dramatically, some faces going pale and stiff, others losing the ability to speak altogether, while a few felt an intense chill run through their entire bodies.
"W-what the hell?"
"Are... are we really supposed to fight this monster?"
"W-we can't..."
"What the hell is that thing?"
The leaders, however, remained stunned rather than shaken, not because they felt nothing, but because they were managing to hold themselves together far better than the rest.
Seraphina drew her sword, the sound of steel echoing through the hall as she spoke coldly and without hesitation, "Snap out of it, all of you. Hesitation is not permitted here, and I forbid it outright. Do not forget that this is not the end, but merely the beginning of the long journey that awaits you ahead. If you wish to live, if you wish to see your families again, then fight back, and I will ensure that every one of you leaves this battle alive."
'I will try.'
At the far end of the vast hall stood a towering and grotesque creature, its black fur thick and unnaturally long, each strand clearly visible to the naked eye, resembling thin needles with sharp edges at their tips, each one nearly as long as a person's finger.
Its body was distorted, yet it possessed a vaguely human-shaped torso, with both its arms and legs ending in mole-like claws, except that they looked less like natural nails and more like clusters of glistening daggers. Its face was even stranger than expected, since unlike its minions, it bore three star-shaped formations made entirely of writhing tentacles that covered its entire face, two concealing what should have been its eyes and the third forming its mouth, which revealed needle-like fangs whenever it parted.
The creature was not only eerie in appearance but overwhelming in scale, standing nearly five meters tall as it loomed over the adventurers with ease.
It let out a piercing shriek, and with it came a violent shockwave that swept through the hall, sending dust and debris swirling into the air.
This was a monster unlike anything any of them had ever encountered, and although the boss they were expecting was meant to be around four meters tall, this one was noticeably larger, yet there was something undeniably strange about it.
'It does not matter… the hall is spacious, but insufficient for the creature to move freely or leap without restraint, which means it is being suppressed. Perhaps we can win… if everything goes according to plan.'
…However, things never went as planned.
And they did not this time either.
---
(Chapter Ended)