Chapter 34: Tower of Trials 3

The other group ran through Zaine's group without noticing any of them.

Albus runs towards the girl held by one of the Giants and manages to snatch her to Amy to get healed.

Zaine and the Minotaur he spawned kept pushing through the place, clearing out all the Giants in his way.

'Adventurers have gone up to here. Will there be more up ahead?' Zaine thought to himself.

He decides to regroup with Amy and Albus. Returning, he sees Amy casting a healing spell on the abandoned adventurer girl.

Amy tries to heal the girl, not wanting anyone to die on her watch.

"Oh. her wounds start closing up, and her breathing seems to have stabilized." Amy held out a sigh of relief.

After checking up on her condition, It doesn't seem she will be up anytime soon, so Zaine summons an Ent to carry the girl back to floor 15, where it's safe.

The group continues to the Giant invested cave and plows through the remaining Giants until they reach floor 17.

They climb the tower. Floors 17, 18, and 19 contain hordes of monsters that they have faced before. They breeze through the floors with the help of Zaine's summon.

It seems as though the news of floor 15 has been deemed safe. The adventurers still have problems clearing the floor below, or maybe some have traveled far enough but got lost in the harsh terrain and countless monsters here.

Zaine is very lucky to have the map at his disposal. It's been the tool that helped them traverse the path swiftly.

"Finally, floor 20, what does this one have in store for us."

Zaine touches the door, preparing for battle.

{Would you like to enter (Hydra's Lair)?}

"Wait, before that." Zaine stops himself, which startled Amy and Albus.

Zaine reveals that the monster they're dealing with this time is a serpent-like water monster with three heads.

"The Hydra will first have three heads, but if we cut off one of its heads, it will regenerate the head and add another extra head. The only way to beat it is to get it into its final form when it has nine total heads. And the heads won't regenerate anymore." Explained Zaine.

They devise a plan to cut down the heads and enter the room.

The environment in the room changes to a swampy area, with trees reaching the rooftop of the place and sea creatures roaming the place while submerged in the water.

Zaine summons several Ents and commands them to build a stable platform on the water's surface, preventing them from falling off and getting wet.

A huge cove with a massive entrance on one of the sides can be seen in the middle of the room, where the Hydra dwells.

Zaine can see what looks like one of the heads poking out of the cove, checking all over the place for any intruders.

It seems to have not realized Zaine's group's arrival. Zaine and the others took this chance to strike first.

"Three, two, one..." Zaine whispered slowly to his group, signaling their engagement.

"NOW!"

Albus hands emit a bright light and aim them toward it.

Zaine summons a Minotaur and Cerberus, and they all hit the target, cutting off all three heads.

The impact of all three heads being cut made the Hydra enraged. It grows back to all nine, skipping all the previous phases and going straight into the final one.

It walks out of its cove, wreaking havoc across the place, spinning and using its tails to attack the surroundings and destroy the environment around it.

All nine heads are present. It can't regenerate anymore. Now begin the battle of attrition.

Several heads opened their mouth and started pointing their face towards Zaine. Fire comes out of their mouth. Zaine had told Amy about this pattern, and she deployed a shield just in time.

While some of the Hydra's head is distracted, the other head try their best to fight off the Minotaur and Cerberus.

Albus has hidden herself among the trees, using the invisible cloak she receives from Zaine at the beginning of the battle.

With only her arms transformed into her dragon form, she took one of the heads from the distracted Hydra.

It is no match with Zaine's group synergy, taking turns to attack the confused Hydra, slowly cutting the Hydra heads, one after the other.

With only one head remaining, the Hydra made a last-ditch effort. It opened its mouth for the last time. A green ball starts forming in its mouth and aims at Zaine and Amy.

"Watch out, Amy, it's acid!"

The Ents make a wooden wall in front of them, attempting to stop the acid from reaching them.

Zaine ran as fast as he could, hoping the skill would not happen. Amy and Albus were given a caution, but Zaine thinks this won't be necessary.

The acid melts anything in sight. If anyone got hit by it, it would mean instant death.

By doing this, the Hydra essentially commits suicide. After it has done the skill, the remaining acid would melt its body, killing itself.

"Fast run!" Zaine shouted at Amy.

The acid ball grows bigger and bigger.

The Minotaur Zaine summoned realized the danger and swung his axe, cutting parts of the Hydra's neck.

The cut is shallow, and Cerberus jumps in and helps to follow up on the Minotaur attack. It bit the neck, and the Hydra slowly grows limp as it collapses into the ground.

{Killed a Hydra}

{You Have Leveled Up}

{You Have Leveled Up}

{You can summon a Hydra}

{You received (Typhon Scales)}

"Huh?" Zaine looks at the lifeless Hydra and realizes that they have won.