NOVEL WEB Chapter 198: Raul's Scream!
Chapter 198: Raul's Scream!
To Luke's surprise, they didn't encounter any 'abnormalities' on their way.
The reduced number of monsters made their journey to the entrance of the 'Cadmus Spring' cavern surprisingly easy.
"The target is inside. But, let's confirm the battle plan first," Luke said, halting Ais and the others as they approached the narrowing passage.
"Our goal is to obtain the spring water. So, it's inevitable that we'll have to face the dragon monster, Cadmus."
"Dragon... you mean the guardian monster that has strength comparable to Floor Boss...?"
Hearing Luke's words, Lefiya instinctively tensed up.
"Is there... no way to avoid it?"
It wasn't cowardice on her part.
After all, Cadmus possessed strength comparable to Lv6 monster.
For Lefiya, a Lv3 adventurer, confronting such a powerful monster would be akin to suicide.
"Unfortunately, most 'Treasure Guarding Monsters' rarely stray far from their protected treasures."
"But, you don't have to worry too much. Ais and I will handle Cadmus."
Luke reassured the pale-faced, orange-haired girl.
"Lefiya, you're not in charge of fighting. Your task is to collect the spring water. Tiona and Tione will protect you, so don't be so afraid."
"Y-yes, I understand."
Luke's words had a calming effect.
Lefiya, who was relieved to hear that she wouldn't have to fight such a powerful monster, was visibly relaxed.
After finalizing their strategy, the group moved towards the cavern entrance.
Reaching the entrance, their formation shifted at Luke's signal.
Luke, who had been at the back, moved to the front, followed by Ais.
Tione and Tiona flanked Lefiya, positioning her in the middle of their protective formation as they brought up the rear.
Everyone moved silently, following the walls as Luke, at the forefront, peeked into the cavern.
As long as he confirmed the dragon monster's status and location, their battle would commence instantly.
The four girls behind Luke held their breath, a thick tension spreading through them.
Even Tiona, usually the most talkative, remained silent, ready for action at any given moment.
However, they all waited for Luke's signal.
However, instead of giving them a single, Luke walked directly into the cavern.
His sudden action startled the girls behind him.
"Wait! Wait?! Luke, what are you doing?!"
As they caught up to him, the girls saw the situation inside the cavern.
"Wh-what's going on here?"
"It's... destroyed?!"
Ais and the others stared in disbelief at the scene in front of them.
Scattered trees, less dense than a forest, filled the cavern. But none were intact; all were broken or crushed.
The ground and walls also seemed ravaged by some force, riddled with cracks and pulverized into fragments.
Most importantly, traces of destruction were scattered throughout the scene.
Some areas showed dead trees that had turned deep purple, emitting black smoke and a pungent, indescribable odor.
As Ais and the others followed Luke deeper into the cavern, their expressions turned into a mixture of confusion and heightened vigilance.
But, in the midst of the devastation, only one area remained untouched.
At the cavern's deepest part, a mysterious spring, glowing with a deep blue light, slowly accumulated in a depression filled with flowers and vegetation.
However, strangely a large pile of dust/ash lay before the 'Cadmus Spring'.
"Is that... the dragon monster's corpse?!"
The astonishing amount of dust was almost equal in size to the dragon monster's massive body as they remembered it.
So, looking at the monster's remains, devoid of its magic stone, Luke and the others stopped.
"Could another Familia have defeated the Cadmus before us?" Lefiya asked cautiously.
Luke shook his head at such a normal reaction.
"The number of teams capable of reaching the 51st floor is limited. At least, I haven't heard of any expeditions conflicting with ours."
Luke was far more informed than he used to be.
Moreover, let alone conflicts, other teams would even actively avoid the Loki Familia's expedition periods.
After all, this was an unspoken agreement in Orario, a preparation every Familia made before embarking on expeditions.
"There's more..."
Ais crouched down.
She reached into the dust and pulled out an object buried beneath.
"The dropped item hasn't been recovered."
Ais held up a piece of golden, shimmering hide.
'Cadmus Hide'
This was a rare drop item, its value enough to equip an entire large-scale team.
It was a treasure worth millions, or even tens of millions of valis.
The fact that such a valuable loot hadn't been recovered was highly unusual for adventurers.
"Hurry up! Quickly collect the spring water, and let's return as soon as possible," Luke said, seemingly remembering something as he addressed Lefiya.
While Ais and the others collected the 'Cadmus Hide' and fragments of the discolored trees to report to Finn, Lefiya, with her backpack, also collected a considerable amount of spring water.
Usually, the Cadmus Spring Water would be consumed by the guarding dragon monster as soon as it emerged, so only a small amount could be collected from the Cadmus Spring.
But now, with the troublesome dragon monster gone, they could collect a full supply.
Lefiya, with a complex expression, placed the bottles filled with Cadmus Spring Water into her backpack.
"It looks like we don't need to visit other springs."
"Yeah..."
If they had known it would be this easy, sending just one team would have been enough.
The eerie environment prompted Luke and the others to leave the cavern immediately after completing their task.
Their formation returned to its original state, with the amazoness sisters leading the way.
As they walked, they discussed the cavern's miserable state.
"Tione, what do you think?"
"Logically, it should be the work of another monster, but..."
Tione hesitated, leaving her sentence unfinished.
The dragon monster, Cadmus, that claimed the area around Cadmus Spring Water as its territory, was a rare 'species' of monster within the dungeon and a powerful 'Treasure Guarding Monster'.
And, it was probably the strongest monster on the 51st floor.
In fact, if the strength of Floor Boss wasn't considered, Cadmus would be one of the top monsters among all those monsters discovered so far.
'Abnormal situation.'
Listening to Tione and the others, Ais silently muttered the phrase her goddess often used.
The number of monsters on their return journey was unusually low, as if something had already cleared the floor.
Just as Luke and the others were heading towards the 50th floor...
"AAAHHHHH——!!!"
A sudden, heart-wrenching scream pierced the air, reaching the ears of Luke and the others.
The familiar voice made them hurriedly sprint forward.
"That voice just now was...!"
"Raul!!!"
---
Read more than 20 chapters in advance, with pictures, to enhance your reading immersion:
patréon.com/tom22
Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.
---
For Audiobook:
youtube.com/@animefic22
---
(Note: Apple charges 30% more if you buy a Patreon membership through the iOS app. So, I suggest using a web browser to buy the membership cheaply from Patreon and then using the app to read. Finally, thanks for your support!)
(Please vote for more chapters! If this fanfic gets more than 700 powerstones, then I will upload bonus chapters! Also, don't forget to leave a review and comment below.)