The Underground Giant (1)

「Act 4, Chapter 3, The Underground Giant」 of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

When Ian and Kaya defeated the final boss of 「Act 4, Chapter 2, Food Chain」, the giant demon manifested from beneath the earth, exchanging the surrounding terrain for its body. It looked like it was buried alive.

The giant's skin itself was level 190.

Reflecting on my gameplay memories, it seemed as though the demon was designed in such a way that one couldn't beat him unless they engaged him from within his own body.

By delving deep into the giant's inner structure, one could confront Elphelt's main body, which was level 145.

In comparison to the challenges faced in the first semester, it did not pose an exceptionally high difficulty level. The patterns were monotonous at best, and the fight itself felt more like a build-up to Dark Kaya, which was truly excruciating.

Well, that shouldn't be a problem for me, considering I was stronger. Nevertheless, if Ian were to die today, this world would unconditionally meet a bad ending.

Kuuuuuuuuu───!!

"Not again!"

The ground shook once again. For a moment, I almost fell, but I quickly steadied myself and continued running through the eerie darkness of the passage.

'A second earthquake already…!'

The second earthquake signaled the beginning of 「Act 4, Chapter 3, The Underground Giant」, and by now, the giant's gaping maw must have burst through the surface, devouring Kaya in a single gulp!

For the record, the underground giant was a deformed creature with a disproportionately small head and an obscenely large body. Of course, a giant was still a giant, no matter the size of its head. Its head alone would have a diameter of approximately five meters.

「Clairvoyance (Neutral Element, ★7)」

I used [Clairvoyance] to observe the situation with Ian and Kaya and as expected, a massive sinkhole had opened up on the ground.

Fortunately, Ian managed to avoid the sinkhole's range, but it seemed Kaya had already fallen into its depths.

At this point, Kaya's body would start to resonate with Elphelt's blood mana, straining her body in the process. Her blood would boil, her blood circulation would accelerate, her body temperature would rapidly rise, and she would eventually lose consciousness. This was the process of becoming a blood wizard, a practitioner of blood element magic.

Moreover, Elphelt's minions would then capture Kaya and take her to their master.

The mana radiating from the underground giant's skin distorted had the characteristic of distorting mana of the outside world. The performance of that bastard's skin was extraordinary. It was likely that it was now rendering the entire Elt Island communication network practically severed.

In the end, Ian wiped away his cold sweat and steeled his resolve with a determined expression.

'No! Wait!'

My desperate plea couldn't reach Ian.

He fearlessly plunged into the sinkhole, behaving like a damn protagonist!

"This is insane!"

I screamed, running forward with all my might.

Surely, Elphelt's minions would be lurking within the giant's body. There was no way Ian could survive!

"Hey! Answer me! What the hell is going on?!!"

Will you just shut the hell up?

After about ten minutes, Lisetta and I finally reached the enormous sinkhole.

The red mouth of the hole caught my eye. This was the underground giant's maw. Soon, the giant would close its mouth.

'Ugh!'

Ten minutes. I was ten minutes late. I need to catch up to Ian quickly! I didn't even have time to put on the camouflage disguise I bought at the unmanned shop. It was a garment that could completely conceal my identity when combined with the camouflage cloak.

Lisetta was gasping for air beside me. It seemed she was struggling to keep up with my pace.

"Ha, you asshole… you're damn fast…"

I ignored Lisetta's comment and jumped straight into the giant's mouth.

Ssshhh─

My body began to slide downward along what appeared to be a tongue, continuing through the passage that was most likely the throat.

The slimy touch was extremely unpleasant. If I had to give a comparison, it felt like going down a waterslide that could break me down into simple sugars.

Thanks to the poncho raincoat-like camouflage cloak, my backside didn't come into contact with the giant's filthy saliva.

As I continued to descend down the throat, surrendering my body to gravity, the slope gradually became more gentle. It was because the giant was lying in a tortoise-like position with its head protruding upward.

Finally, I passed through the throat.

"Ugh."

I landed lightly, my feet touching the flat, reddish surface. It felt unpleasant, sinking into the ground as if it were a mat, despite the fact that I was wearing shoes.

The red walls of the giant's interior shimmered as red mana floated into the air, glowing like fireflies.

The colors were beautiful. Even the different forms of mana were sparkling like jewels mixed with golden threads.

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the inside of the underground giant had a perfect blend of beauty and grotesqueness. The vivid realism brought out its eerie beauty even more distinctly.

By the way, the underground giant had no disguise. So, what was the true identity of this giant?

To use an analogy, imagine the underground giant as a colossal robot, and Elphelt as its pilot. The twist here was that this giant was actually Elphelt's own body, and that bastard was the core of this giant.

From my perspective, every inch of it fulfilled the conditions to trigger [Hunter]. However, if I went on to cause a rampage within it, a protective barrier would be cast over Elphelt. It was a defense mechanism of sorts.

With each additional layer of the barrier, the giant's defensive power would increase dramatically.

In other words, using the wide-range attack [Frostfire] or indiscriminately casting magic in all directions would be nothing short of hastening a bad ending.

'Anyways, I made it inside…!'

Though it was delayed, I succeeded in entering the giant's body!

Now, I had to chase after Ian quickly!

And just as I was about to move my feet with those thoughts in mind…

"Yuck!!! It's dirty-!!"

A grumbling voice began to resonate from the back of the giant's neck and slide down its throat.

Kwoong!!

"Uwah!"

"Ugh!"

Lisetta's body suddenly slid out, and like a bowling ball hitting the pins, it forcefully collided with my body.

I instinctively clung to Lisetta for a moment as a sense of pain and dizziness washed over me. We both rolled and writhed on the squishy, reddish surface, groaning in discomfort.

"Ugh…"

"Ah!"

For a moment, I genuinely thought my back had snapped.

Argh, it hurts so much…

"Where are we?!"

Lisetta jerked her head up towards the red ceiling in terror before quickly straightening her upper body.

"Heh, unbelievable…"

In the end, that girl chased after me…

I let out an irritated sigh and stood up, starting to run inside the space.

"You asshole, where do you think you're going?!!"

Lisetta chased after me, shouting threateningly. I had expected as much.

As I ran, a vast space greeted me. A large amount of of red mana grains floated around the interior of the giant's body.

Red flesh stretched like chewing gum, connecting the ceiling to the floor. There was a path that branched out into different directions.

Where are you, Ian?

I activated [Clairvoyance] and quickly scanned the area.

'Found you!'

Oh, Jesus Christ!

Surprisingly, Ian was holding his own! He was narrowly defeating Elphelt's minions using their weakness, the light elemental sword!

'That's it!'

You're growing as well, Ian!

I breathed a deep sigh of relief…

'No, ugh…!'

Eventually.

Ian, caught off guard, succumbed to the magic of Elphelt's minion and fell unconscious, blood pouring from his head.

Damn it…!

"Hey!!"

Lisetta was chasing after me as expected. Still, it was a relief that she didn't use magic to stop me.

I read her thoughts with [Psychological Insight], I instinctively realized that she knew about the situation and was acting accordingly. She wasn't brainless.

Lisetta and I quickly reached the space where Ian was. Ian was slumped unconscious against the wall made of the giant's flesh.

'It's not too late!'

Phew, you idiot protagonist. I'm glad you're safe… I thought my heart would stop!

[Boooong, boong─────♪]

In front of Ian, a bizarre-looking demon was humming and stomping its feet with a strange rhythm.

It was a slender, elongated pink elephant that stood on two legs. It seemed to be about three meters tall. Its head, made of pink skin, scattered red mana powder intermittently. Its mouth was torn to extend to its ear with a clown-like smile.

[Buoh?]

The elephant demon turned its head towards me and Lisetta. Its eyes, pitch-black and large enough to resemble aliens, sent chills down my spine.

[Fall] Lv: 90

Race: Demon

Elements: Darkness, Fire, Blood

Danger: High

Psychology: [Wants to dance with your guts.]

Elphelt's minion, Fall.

Inside of the underground giant's body were these elephant demons spread out here and there.

The creature danced, wriggling its body. Its thick feet, contrasting with its slender body, wiggled like worms.

[Dance, buo-o-ok───?]

The bastard asked with a dull voice. It was a proposal to dance together to a single song.

By the way, it wasn't a proposal directed at me. The creature was referring to my guts.

It would rip out my internal organs, cover its entire body with them, and then dance.

"What the…"

At the sight of that grotesque figure, Lisetta shook her head in confusion. Her mind couldn't keep up with the incomprehensible situation.

Zzingg- With a buzzing sound, a crimson magic circle conjured in the air, aimed at us. Fall's magic had set its sights on us.

In an instant, the magic that flowed from it caressed my skin and passed by.

"…Hey, move aside. That's not an elephant you can handle."

Lisetta must have realized the danger posed by Fall. She tightly gripped the studded rod-shaped magic weapon, Rock Bat, in both hands.

When she tried to step forward in front of me, I extended my arm to block her.

"What are you…?"

I have to kill Elphelt quickly, save Kaya, and get the hell out of here.

Lisetta would only get in the way.

[The demon has been recognized as an enemy.] [The unique trait [Hunter] is activated!] [The level and stats are temporarily greatly enhanced!] [The skill tree temporarily becomes +10!]

My body became as light as a feather. I could feel the surge of mana that would allow me to cast large-scale spell at a moment's notice.

First, I had to save Ian and get the situation under control. I could deal with the aftermath of revealing my identity to Lisetta later.

I reached out my right arm towards Fall and conjured a pale blue magic circle in the air. It was the magic circle for [Ice Spear].

I formed a moderately sized [Ice Spear]. However, it contained an extremely dense and potent concentration of mana. The dense, pale blue mana swirled around the center of the [Ice Spear].

My aim was precise.

Just as Fall raised its elongated trunk to cast its spell…

I unleashed the [Ice Spear].

「Ice Spear (Ice Element, ★4)」

Pshhhhh───!!

Hwaaaaaaaaa────!!

[Buooooooh───!!!]

It happened in an instant.

The [Ice Spear] cut through the air like a bullet, piercing Fall in the blink of an eye.

The spot where the [Ice Spear] passed was engraved in the air as its traces of coldness took the form of flames. The wind pressure followed and spread out in the aftermath.

Fall's upper body was hollowed out, as if a cannonball had blasted through it rather than a spear.

Just like that, it was over.

And Fall…. helplessly fell to the ground, a thud echoing through the space.

[On the shell… dancing…?]

Soon, Fall's figure uttered a faint voice before turning to ash and disappearing.

The [Hunter] trait was released and my body felt heavy again. The concentration of my mana drastically decreased.

It was strange, but I still couldn't get used to it whenever the [Hunter] trait was released…

"You… Your mana just now… What happened…?"

Lisetta's voice trembled with astonishment.

I turned my gaze towards Lisetta. She stared at me with an expression of disbelief, clearly confused.

[Lisetta Lionheart] Psychology: [Can feel your mana and is confused by it.]

It was the expected reaction. I had grown tired of it.

Once we entered the giant's body, we couldn't escape until I defeated Elphelt. This place was not a safe haven by any means, as I didn't know where and how enemies ranging from level 85 to 100 would emerge.

Even if Lisetta was level 98, she was still in danger of dying if she kept fighting similarly leveled enemies.

In other words, she was safest by my side.

"Lisetta."

"Huh, what…?!"

"Don't get away from me. Unless you want to die."

The curious look on Lisetta's face was gone. She remained tense, showing only a guarded expression.

She isn't replying. People can be so indecisive.

"Eden."

I summoned my small golem familiar, Eden.

"Lift him up. We're moving."

Eden raised his right arm and responded with a booming sound, then began to increase in size.

Boulders formed from thin air and clung to his body. Then, Eden transformed into a two-meter-tall golem and began to emit a masculine voice.

[Kyu, kyu─!]

Eden lifted the unconscious Ian in a princess carry.

I started to move along with him.

"Hey… Wait! Explain yourself!! Who the hell are you?!"

Lisetta followed after me.

She persistently questioned me for a while, but I remained silent. I couldn't think of anything to say in response after all.