Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

15. Scylla

A beautiful young lady stood within the jail, her movements restricted by the shackles. She seemed miserable as she fought to go about. I have no idea why, but I began to recognize her based on her appearance. Although I'm pretty sure that this is the first time we've ever met in real life. And how in the world did I become acquainted with her...

"Yuki!" she exclaimed as she grasped the bars of her cage in an attempt to see me, only to be electrocuted as a result of her actions. In anguish, she winced as she attempted to gaze at me as if she were pleading for assistance. "Princess Yuki...

Because I didn't comprehend what she was saying, I gave her a perplexed expression. But my mouth went agape when I finally realized what she was talking about. Yuki, the Princess...! That was the name of the person in my dreams! Could she be referring to me...? Yuki is someone I've been thinking about for quite some time...but what does she have to do with me?

Before we could ask some questions, a force pulled us away from the room. The steel door automatically went back to how it was before we destroyed it, and for some reason, we've reached the bottom of the dungeon. We have no business being here! The one that will provide information to us is up there! But the force was too strong that I couldn't stop it. Damn, what the hell was that.

"We have to return back up-"

"No one's going back up."

I was holding onto the hilt of my katanas. I was prepared to defend myself against whatever it was. Even though her presence did not seem harmful, I still had to maintain my guard. NPCs have been given the ability to conceal their true intentions from players in order to avoid being killed. They can also hide their strength, even if they are very powerful. The reason I'm on edge right now is because of this situation. Currently, we're in the depths of a dungeon with just the four of us and an NPC. No one would ever know if this scumbag assassinated all of us!

I was startled when my ears began picking certain noises up. A faint wail was coming from someplace, and my ears couldn't stop twitching. That's definitely Scylla's voice I'm hearing right now, and it must be reverberating throughout the dungeon. Since the others didn't appear to be able to make out whatever she was saying, I had to act quickly. There is no indication that the NPC will allow us to view Scylla in the near future.

"The lost pearl of Orca Dungeon is in my possession, and I need your help to recover it. Because it is said to be located around this floor and is heavily guarded by a sea monster, which is why I am unable to get it," she informed us in a disinterested voice.

She is unquestionably knowledgeable with her knowledge of Scylla and her relationship with Yuki. Here is a reason to get worried since she should be an NPC who has traveled to Earth from another planet. She may be a shapeshifter or something, so I can't be too sure that she's from Earth. As long as we're here, we're not going to be able to put our full faith in her since doing so will very certainly lead to our doom.

I took a deep breath as I accepted the quest. As she previously said, she is not going to allow us to go back up. If we don't finish the mission, we'll most likely be detained here, unable to go back to the surface. We'll have to force our way out if she doesn't cooperate. Even if it means resorting to violence, that's what we're going to do! To get it out of here alive, we'll do everything it takes. We're not going to die in this ditch. There's no way in hell!

"Here's the detailed map of the dungeon. Hopefully, you'll be able to locate it. You must keep in mind that you will never be able to escape this location until you find it first. Thank you for your assistance."

She vanished into thin air as soon as she said it! That's really creepy. I'm getting goosebumps because of her. There are only a few things left for us to do! Those are to discover the pearl, figure out how to communicate with Scylla, and then flee. The power of telepathy, how I wish I had it. So that I could speak with Scylla without having to worry about any of these barriers. I'm still worried about her after seeing the circumstances that she was in up there.

The map showed the location of the most obvious place on the map, so I groaned as I got my katanas out and proceeded towards it. In an attempt to help me calm down, Freya took my hand in hers. I just can't seem to get myself under control. Why is my blood boiling? I have no idea. As for Scylla, I despise the fact that she's being held captive. My only hope of getting her out of the situation she was in or at the very least speaking with her is if I act quickly.

"Ivory, please take a deep breath. We're going to make it, trust me," Blake told me as he flashed a reassuring grin.

I smiled at him to tell him that I was okay. "I'm well aware of the situation. Anyway, don't forget to exercise caution because we are in an unfamiliar area. Not to mention, we don't know what we're up against. It might be some kind of aquatic beast."

"Hey..." Dylan whispered as he looked around. "In my opinion, the lady that appeared previously does not seem to be an NPC.

"Yeah. That woman's response goes to show that this is not the case. Because we assumed that the NPC was Scylla, there should be no one else."

"Because the dungeon is too dangerous, and that particular chamber was filled with some type of negative energy, which is why they chose to skip the mission," Blake told me.

"According to the maps, the sea monsters from this area include sea serpents, huge predatory fishes, sea dragons, and the deadliest of all is the Kraken."

"Please don't say such things," I told Freya.

There's no way a Kraken could possibly fit in this dungeon, so that's not going to appear. As I seized the initiative, I sighed and twirled my katanas backward. Some low-level enemies may lurk about here, ready to attack at any time, but they will be dealt with by the rest of the team as they see fit. I don't really see the point in paying attention to them. Freya, Blake, and Dylan can take care of them anyway, so I'm not going to bother with them.

When we eventually arrived in front of the large entrance, Dylan promptly slashed the door in two. I smiled, proud of him for easily getting rid of something that can't be destroyed by any other sword-users. Even I can't do that. Blake turned on the torches, and I raced into the room unhindered. The presence of anything dazzling led me to believe that it was the missing pearl. The cool air and the massive figure within, on the other hand, made my skin quiver.

It was a joke, but it was true! Who knew a sea serpent was lurking under the surface? As far as I know, Artemian sea serpents are not in any way interested in pearls. The only things that they are worried about are...food and clothing. But why the hell does it have the pearl? That's practically us, and we just straight up served ourselves in a silver platter. This one seems to be glad to see us as it rises from its bed with a ravenous expression was plastered on its face. Damn, how many centuries has it been locked in here for it to look this hungry?

"I see how courageous you are. That speaks volumes about you. I commend you for making it here..." says the serpent.

"Thank you," I said in response, remaining impassive.

"What?" Blake asked, perplexed. "Who the f**k are you talking to?"

I looked at him, feeling a bit ridiculed. Not again! Is it safe to say that I'm the only one who is able to hear the serpent's voice? Does that make me special or what? In any case, it won't make a difference to me since I'll be the first person in the history of the game to ever slay a sea serpent. Heh, I got another record to break. I'm not going to lie, but that's something I would like to brag about. Hmm, maybe I should flaunt its head when we get back to the surface. Perhaps that could scare my pursuers?

"You seem familiar..." the serpent muttered as it stared directly into my face.

I rolled my eyes. "Everyone says that. I'm beginning to get sick of those lines by now."

That's something I've heard numerous times, and I'm sick of hearing it! Anyway, I began gently filling my katanas with ice while the snake took its time encircling us. The atmosphere has become colder because of what I did, but I have no longer been influenced by this change. With flame moths already in the three's possession, I'm pretty sure that they will be quite fine for now. But I still looked back at them to confirm whether they were fine or not. They smiled at me as they gave me a thumbs-up.

Alright, then...

The moment I shut my eyes, it seemed as if I was being pumped full of elemental energy from all directions. It's been happening a lot recently, but my whole body was heating up as my eyes sparkled, especially my eyes. Ah, that feels good! I wore a snake when the snake was sliced in half as I leaped about. Freya was shooting long-range rounds while also defending herself, and the three of them did the same as she did.

With my superstrength ability now enabled, I was able to deliver a significant amount of damage, which took the snake by surprise. Heh. When I grinned and snapped my fingers, the ice flowers burst into flames, instantly freezing the snake. The dents on the walls served as footholds for my quick leaps. Aware that it wouldn't be enough, I tried to find more stable ones.

The power I generated with that leap was fueled by my foot strength, which I utilized to make magic circles all over the room. Thank goodness Blake and Dylan are now aware of my fighting technique since they will be able to navigate around them much more comfortably. Because if they hadn't, they would have perished as a result of the extreme cold conditions.

As soon as the snake came into contact with the circles, they detonated at the same time! A smirk appeared on my face when the serpent's screams resounded throughout the dungeon, causing the beings in the area to awaken. Heh, alright then. I guess it's okay if they want to get blown up the whole dungeon. I can teleport back to the surface with the help of these four in a matter of seconds anyway.

But I can't go on like this since we still have to figure out how to communicate with Scylla! It's possible that the whole dungeon may collapse if the explosions don't cease soon. s**t! My magic circles vanished just in time to prevent this floor from being blown up by the remaining magic circles on the floor. On the other hand, I did not give the snake any time to rest.

"Piercing snow..." I mumbled as I closed my eyes, forming ice out of the water all over the place.

While I'm fighting, the three have already found spots to stand. Although I'm sure they're having trouble matching my fighting style, they must put up with it in order for us to deliver the last blow. The serpent's weak point has already been displayed out in the open, and I'm certain that they have as well.

"You little brat..." the serpent murmured because my attacks kept on dealing too much damage on it.

"Freya..." I called out her name as a signal.

She instantly formed a protective barrier around me when she heard me. Dylan and Blake immediately began protecting themselves with their own barriers. I closed my eyes as I put my palm on the water, performing magic that I'd discovered lately. So far, this is the most powerful magic that I've found, but it's only possible due to the abundance of water that exists in this area.

"Beautiful and elegantly cast, with the snake inlaid with an eternal curse, and rendered as a broken statue, Rigid Glaze..."

I told the three to leave when the image of a snowflake emerged on the ground. They would get caught up in the explosions and die if they remained here any longer. I immediately struck the floor with my katanas as soon as their presence was no longer there. Just as the serpent was about to escape, hail began to develop from its tail, slowly freezing the serpent's whole body.

"Yuki, I see you are still such a pain after all. It's not hard to believe you could pull anything like that..." the snake whispered to itself while in the process of progressively becoming a statue.

"Freya!" I yelled her name at the top of my voice.

She was eager to arrive and take the memory of the snake using her ability. When Freya finally finished, I created a signal that was directed to Dylan and Blake. I need them to join me in destroying the serpent. While stabbing the sea serpent's frozen corpse, I closed my eyes, allowing the statue to crumble gently in my hands and on the floor. Maybe it knew something about Artemia's past after seeing Yuki in me. Although I feel a bit weirded out that people keep on calling me using that name, I feel like it was still a good lead. That means this Yuki person is well-known before. I think that's nice. We would be able to find more clues at this rate.

"Goodbye, sea serpent..." I whispered while watching it disintegrate slowly in front of me.

After it had dispersed, I picked up the missing pearl and headed back to the location where we had first seen the NPC. If she doesn't respond to my questions appropriately, I want to approach her with my katana. If she doesn't allow us to see Scylla, blood will undoubtedly stream from her eyes! Moreover, I can't guarantee that I won't completely demolish the dungeon...

It was my idea to say, "Let's go." "If you tell us no, we're not going to take it."