Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Goo! Ugh—Gahh ...

"—Aa ...

The cries of the man and the fetus rang out simultaneously.

The object is not a monster, but a "fusion" with humans.

The "Treasure Pearl Fetus" can parasitize any monster. Asphie witnessed this "possibility" with an extremely high probability of coming true, and faced with the scene unfolding before her eyes, she was momentarily unable to think or act normally.

Vein-like tendrils extend from the point of fusion at the chest. The fetus's "tentacles" spread throughout the man's body, mercilessly devouring his flesh and beginning to "change his original appearance."

The man's right arm was swollen to an unsightly degree.

Its left arm stretched out like a whip, losing its human form.

Its legs rotted and fell off, turning into slug-like feet.

As if absorbing the man's cursed bodily fluids, the vein-like structures turned purplish-black. Only then did the "fetus" let out a scream. However, once the veins transformed into constantly throbbing, pitch-black blood vessels, even the pearl stuck to its chest was stained with darkness.

Baka's body emitted nauseating sounds, as if flesh and blood were being mixed and bones were being crushed, as it was being modified at an alarming speed. Using a body with "mysterious" developmental abilities—comparable to that of high-level adventurers—as a medium, a powerful being was born.

The members of the Loki Familia and the Hermes Familia turned deathly pale. The Amazon twins groaned in disgust, the dwarf hero narrowed his eyes, and the Omnipotent One's lips twitched.

The saintess, witnessing this "blasphemy against life," turned pale as she gripped her staff.

"Ugh, ah, ah, ah, ah... gaa, ah, ah, ah... ah ah ah ah ah ah...!!"

The erosion reached the brain, and the man's face was transformed into a monstrous appearance.

When the right eye flipped over completely, bleeding and becoming unrecognizable, only the left eye, marked with a "D," remained unchanged, as if in a state of ignorance and obsession.

His bloodshot left eye twitched nervously as he glared at the bewildered "enemy."

Just before the "self" named Baka Perdix melted away, it left behind its final will:

"Die here... Adventurer! Aa ...

With a piercing scream that tore through its throat, its body swelled and grew larger.

Transform the entire body into a colossal being that transcends the human race, becoming a true alien.

A man who inherited the bloodline of the master craftsman Daedalus, and raised a "monster" in his heart, has become a true "monster" and confronts the adventurers.

Illustration 55002

"All personnel, raise your weapons!!"

A command, sharper than thunder, echoed through the hall.

Illustration 59065

Controlled by the fear generated by biological instinct, the band members snapped back to reality upon hearing Finn's shout, their limbs trembling.

They encountered the courage of the "heroes," suppressed their inner fears, and raised their weapons against the repulsive "monsters."

"Goo ...

The monsters' cries, devoid of human language, reverberated against the adventurers' skin.

The existence that was once Baka Perdix has been completely transformed into a monster.

Its right arm was swollen and enlarged, its left arm had turned into long tentacles, and its legs looked like a slug.

Should its head be described as a collection of countless white insect eggs? Within this utterly repulsive part, only the irrational left eye, marked with a gleaming "D," shines brightly. Dark veins crisscross every corner of its whitish body, creating a terrifying and eerie contrast. Its height is roughly estimated at over five meters, comparable to a large-sized creature.

The consequences of offering one's physical body to the "precious fetus" are imminent.

If it were to be named, it would be the most straightforward "Baka Monster".

His excessive pursuit of his "long-cherished wish" led him to abandon even his human body, making him the embodiment of obsession with Daedalus.

"How disgusting, how disgusting, how disgusting—!! I don't want to use the Great Dual Blades <Ulga> to cut that thing anymore—!?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Or are you going to just punch it!"

"I don't want either of them!"

Despite their constant bickering, Tiona, wielding the great double-edged sword Urga, and Tione, holding a pair of recurve swords Zoas, kept their eyes fixed on their target. They maintained the utmost vigilance towards the "unknown" enemy they had never faced before.

Not long after, the "Baka Monster" suddenly froze for a moment, and then started moving again in one breath.

"It's coming!"

As if passing by Asifi's warning, he launched an attack with his left arm.

The pale tentacles, wrapped around black blood vessels, were raised high and slammed down.

Faced with the attack that pierced the center of the hall, the Loki Familia and the Hermes Familia split to the left and right, while Lulune, who had just been communicating with someone using her "Eye Crystal," also dodged in panic.

Just as the hall began to shake violently, the vanguard group took the lead and charged at the enemy.

"Roar!!"

"Baka Monster" let out a cry based on a man's vocal cords and raised its swollen right arm to swing at the band members.

The right arm is gourd-shaped, but its hidden power is extremely ferocious.

It not only shattered the stone slabs on the ground, but also unleashed spiderweb-like cracks, causing the faster members of the group who were about to slash at it to stumble a few steps. The monster simply retracted its left tentacle and swung it wildly, driving them out of its embrace.

"Ugh...!?"

"Falgar, Sean! Leave the vanguard to the Loki Familia! We'll focus on providing support, with Merry at the center!"

Just as the tiger-man and the elf members were also thrown back, Asphie threw three bottles of explosives..

Three red lotuses burst forth in full bloom. Although they only inflicted minor injuries, they still created an opening.

With cover from another faction, Tiony and Tiona broke through the black smoke of the explosion and approached the enemy like wild beasts.

"It's so slow!! Tiona, push it up!"

"good--!"

Tiony realized that the enemy's legs, now transformed into flanks, lacked decent mobility, so she let Tiona strike first.

As she engaged in battle, she raised the enemy's right arm high and hurled Urga at him.

"!?"

A startlingly heavy sound rang out, and the powerful charge was stopped.

The powerful force coming from her hand made Tiona's eyes widen for a moment, but she then laughed.

"Grace is... way better than you—!!"

With a twisting motion of her waist, she lifted her opponent upwards as instructed.

The massive right arm was struck above the head, and the "Baka Monster" was knocked back by the recoil, allowing Tione to immediately slash at it with his sword.

"Go to hell!"

The two Amazons intended to use their twins' combined efforts to swiftly defeat their opponent...

"!!"

Finn, feeling a "sting" in his thumb, cried out faster than anything else:

"Tione, Tiona, get away from it!"

"!?"

Finn's unexpected instructions made Tiony and the others think they had misheard, but according to the rule of thumb, they obeyed without hesitation.

Then, in the instant after the two made an emergency dodge...

creak creak!

The black blood vessels that covered the monster's entire body bulged and made an unsettling sound.

“——————”

All the high-level adventurers in the hall, those who had crossed countless lines between life and death, felt the same chill.

The next instant, the monster's blood vessels ruptured, and a torrent of blood rained down everywhere.

"Huh?!"

"Hmm—!?"

Tiona and Tione, who were closest to it, managed to dodge the attack while maintaining the prestige of first-class adventurers, but the other vanguard members became the victims.

"Ughh ...

People who were splashed by the radiating black rain cried out in pain.

First, the skin splattered with the black blood rain began to smoke, then instantly turned purplish-black. Blood flowed from the victims' eyes, noses, and mouths as they struggled in agony. There was no distinction between the Loki Familia and the Hermes Familia. They collapsed to the ground, rolling around and howling wildly.

The sudden turn of events left Tiona and the others momentarily stunned.

"Poisoned!? No... could it be a 'curse'!?"

Asphie stared wide-eyed at the sight of her companion's miserable state, a state that defied description with words like "immediate effect."

Regardless of whether they had learned any "abnormality resistance," everyone developed symptoms equally. The "Omnipotent One's" analysis jolted the Loki Familia members back to reality. They sprinkled their anti-curse "secret medicine" on their companions, but...

"Ughh ...

"No, ineffective!? Even the 'secret medicine' specifically for resisting curses can't break the spell!"

Their incessant vomiting of blood elicited piercing screams from the group members.

Tiona, Tiony, and even Finn were all frozen in place for a moment.

Amid, who was waiting in the rear, also forgot to breathe.

An extremely powerful "curse".

Even the floor where blood dripped emitted black smoke, causing the "Baka Monster," which filled the hall with miasma, to spray black blood again.

A chain of mournful cries erupted among the avant-garde.

The adventurers dragged their companions, whose bodies were convulsing uncontrollably and who were on the verge of death, away from the black rain. However, the enemy's shrapnel was not so easy to deal with; they managed to carry their immobilized companions and dodge it. The radiating, continuous black rain left many severely wounded, unable to fight any longer.

The encirclement built around the monster collapsed instantly.

"【Dia‧The Blooming of the Pear Tree】!"

At this moment, Amid activated "magic" through "high-speed chanting".

Pure white light shone down on those who lay down, purifying and protecting them.

The injured stopped convulsing instantly, and the adventurers, who had been bleeding profusely, coughed repeatedly. Even their injuries were healed, and their faces showed expressions as if they had just woken from a nightmare.

"It can be cured with... with Amid's 'magic'!"

"But wouldn't that be...!"

Compared to Tiona, who was calling out with peace of mind, Tione's tone was full of worry.

Only the city's most skilled healers can cure him.

In other words, this is essentially a "one-hit kill".

Without Amid, the battle lines cannot be maintained; once Amid is gone, defeat is inevitable.

"Protect Amed!"

Finn immediately issued instructions.

The members forming the human wall responded to his top priority order with all their might, forming multiple shields to protect the healers of the [Deankait Familia].

Then the hellish scene played out again.

"Wa ...

The cursed shotguns raged wildly.

Without regard to front or rear, the monster unleashed jets of liquid that reached the entire hall in all directions, forcing those unable to escape to endure pain that seemed otherworldly. The mages who were weaving incantations fared the worst, unable to dodge immediately as they were sprayed with the horrific curse, crying out in agony.

"Aa ...

"Merry!"

The dwarf mage preparing for the bombardment of the Hermes Familia also screamed in agony, only to be immediately protected by a tiger-man who raised his great shield.

"The speed of full recovery healing can't keep up...! Commander Finn, I can't heal everyone in time!"

Amid, who was raising her staff to cast a spell, showed signs of anxiety for the first time.