Meanwhile, on the adventurers' side, Riezel's group charged through the blazing wall of flesh and emerged into the passage leading toward the Pantry.
As soon as they broke through, they scanned their surroundings and began surveying the terrain, soon discovering that beyond the blazing wall of flesh, the rocky passage had completely changed—everything had turned into green, fleshy walls.
Yes, the walls, the ceiling, even the floor—all of it was the same, a glistening, pulsating green surface.
A nauseating stench filled the air, causing the beast-humans to groan in pain one after another, while the others, though not as affected, still felt sick to their stomachs, as if they had stepped inside the body of some colossal creature.
Many felt their scalps crawl, their instincts screaming to turn back at once.
"This place is..."
At the front, Ais noticed wilted flowers blooming along the walls and ceiling.
Although withered, those flowers still bore colorful petals that immediately reminded her of the man-eating flower monsters she had encountered during the Monster Feria.
"So it really is... connected to those man-eating flowers..."
After confirming her suspicion, Ais turned to tell Riezel—only to see him gazing upward at a pale flower above, a faint smile curving his lips for some reason.
"Riezel?" Ais called out in confusion, prompting Riezel to lower his gaze.
"Hmm? What is it?" Riezel asked calmly, his expression unchanged.
"...Did you find something?" Ais asked tentatively.
"More or less." Riezel replied casually. "Don't worry about them. As long as we keep moving forward, they'll show up."
Before Ais could respond, Asfi spoke up first.
"They? Who are you talking about?"
"Who else? The masterminds behind all this, of course." Riezel answered with a shrug. "Let's go—no point in keeping them waiting."
With that, he took the lead, striding into the green, fleshy passage that felt like the inside of some living organism.
Seeing this, the others hesitated, especially the members of the Hermes Familia.
Feeling the soft, decayed texture squish under their boots, they instinctively recoiled from the idea of walking deeper inside.
In the end, Ais was the first to follow him.
"Hahh, let's go too." Asfi sighed, finally giving the order.
Having no choice, the members of the Hermes Familia swallowed their nausea and reluctantly moved forward, advancing in silence through the foul, fleshy passage, the quiet so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Over time, the growing tension began to gnaw at Ais and Asfi, and without realizing it, Ais gripped the hilt of her sword, while Asfi's hand tightened under her cloak around a hidden item, both growing increasingly cautious.
Only Riezel remained calm and collected, as though everything around him—the grotesque walls, the stench, the uncanny silence—was nothing but superficial theatrics unworthy of his concern.
It had to be said that his composure did much to steady the others' nerves.
Needless to say, when the leader remained that calm, those who followed naturally drew courage from it.
Before long, not only Ais but even Asfi and the other members of the Hermes Familia unconsciously began treating Riezel as their de facto leader, keeping close behind him.
However, several branching paths soon appeared ahead of them.
"Which way should we go?" Asfi asked, turning to Riezel.
Riezel raised his hand and began chanting a magic spell without answering.
"Extend Magic - Lead of Yatagarasu."
As his magic activated, a three-legged crow materialized before them.
It was the same magic Riezel had once used in the ancient ruin of the Reinnail Clan—a magic spell that could guide its caster along the shortest path to the heart of a labyrinth.
Naturally, such magic did not exist in this world, so when the three-legged crow emerged from the magic circle, the group froze in shock.
Some members of the Hermes Familia even thought a monster had appeared and instinctively drew their weapons.
"Wh-What is that thing?"
Ais and Asfi didn't unsheathe their blades, then exchanged uneasy glances as they stared at the strange creature.
"Go." Riezel ordered curtly, ignoring everyone's confusion.
In the next moment, the crow took flight, choosing one path while disregarding all the others.
"Let's follow it." Riezel said calmly and set off after the crow.
"..."
In the end, the others said nothing.
Questions swirled in their minds, yet none dared to speak them aloud as they followed Riezel, keeping pace behind the crow.
Even though the crow didn't fly fast—so slow that even a Level 1 beginner adventurer could keep up—it never hesitated, gliding smoothly through the labyrinth and always picking the right turn without pause.
Thanks to this, Riezel's group advanced toward the Pantry with astonishing speed, though the deeper they went, the thicker the stench became.
Breathing the foul air, Ais and the others could feel that their destination was close—the Pantry, the heart of this strange incident, was right ahead.
Soon, they would uncover the truth behind it all—unless something stopped them.
*SCREEEEEECH—!!!*
A thunderous roar shattered the eerie silence as, from ahead, the enemies finally revealed themselves.
A horde of man-eating flower monsters, slithering like giant serpents, surged forward out of the darkness, dragging their long bodies as they lashed their tentacles wildly.
They were gaudily colored, their mouths brimming with sharp fangs, their slimy bodies gleaming under the dim light, and every roar and charge shook the air with frightening intensity.
*Splurt!*
Flying in front, the three-legged crow was the first to be caught—snapped up in an instant by the leading creature and crushed between its jaws.
"Man-eating flowers!"
Ais skidded to a stop, her boots scraping the fleshy floor, and without a moment's hesitation, she drew Desperate and assumed a battle stance.
"Enemies incoming! Prepare for combat!"
Asfi's voice rang out as she barked orders, prompting the members of the Hermes Familia to brake hard and quickly form their battle lines.
Among them, only Riezel remained unshaken.
Seeing the wave of man-eating flower monsters rushing forward, roaring as they charged, he didn't slow down—instead, he smiled.
"Can't sit still anymore, huh?"
Murmuring to himself, Riezel kept advancing, his hand slowly resting on the hilt of his thin, crystal sword—Fool.
*SCREEECH—!!!*
Having devoured the crow, the leading monster lunged at him, bellowing as it lashed out with a frantic flurry of writhing tentacles.
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Its whiplike tentacles slammed repeatedly into the ground and walls, echoing through the tunnel in a thunderous rhythm—although they couldn't break through the flesh-covered walls or floor, the sheer force stirred up waves of wind and dust.
Ais and the others came under attack as well, each reacting in their own way.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Ais leaped across the ground, dodging the tentacles' relentless strikes while her silver sword flashed, slicing them down one after another without mercy.
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Meanwhile, the vanguards of the Hermes Familia—those bearing shields—formed a wall at the front, blocking the tentacles' assault with dull, pounding thuds.
"Asfi! They won't break!"
Some vanguards wielding hammers and clubs cried out in frustration, for no matter how hard they struck, the tentacles barely reacted.
"Kyaaa!"
Meryl, the pallum mage, began chanting a magic spell, but the moment magical energy gathered, a dozen tentacles turned toward her, forcing her to stop mid-chant and dive aside in panic.
"Don't use blunt weapons! And don't cast magic carelessly!"
Ais's shout rang clear—firm and sharp, her usual awkwardness gone.
"They're highly resistant to blunt attacks! Even a First-Class Adventurer would have trouble hurting them! Only sharp weapons can deal real damage!"
"And they react violently to magical energy—they'll immediately target the source!"
"Use blades—their magic stones are in their heads!"
With that, Ais moved first—her figure shot forward like an arrow, piercing straight through the head of one of the man-eating flower monsters and shattering the colorful magic stone inside.
*SCREEECH—!!!*
In that instant, the man-eating flower monster let out a shriek before crumbling into dust.
"Vanguards, take the offense and switch out your blunt weapons! Mages, hold your chant and stay on standby!"
Asfi swiftly issued new orders, and the members of the Hermes Familia followed, switching weapons and striking back.
One by one, blades pierced through the monsters, cutting down the wave of creatures that flooded the passage.
Ais danced through the man-eating flower monsters, leaping from walls to ceiling to floor like a spirit riding the wind—her silver sword flashing again and again, weaving a storm of swordlight that sliced the monsters into countless pieces.
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, an explosion erupted behind the horde of man-eating flower monsters, drawing everyone's eyes toward it.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
[Support me and read next chapters early at: patreon.com/VALRRR]