In the deepest part of the cave, a place where no detection device could find, the originally damp and stuffy air had become dry.
The further in they went, the more spacious the space became, and the human-faced insects disappeared.
An unusual dead silence filled the air, with a large number of mushrooms emitting a green glow growing from the cracks in the ground and rock walls, casting an eerie hue to illuminate the cave.
Milora and Ji Xue passed through the last section of the tunnel and suddenly arrived at a very spacious underground cavity.
A large number of glowing mushrooms and magic crystals exposed on the rock surface provided dim lighting.
The ground was covered with waist-high lush ferns, and there was no rotten smell here, only the fresh scent emitted by the plants, and the air was dry and refreshing.
“Stop, if you go any further, you’ll trigger the boss fight.
Let her set up an ambush, those mushrooms over there are quite suitable,” Milora said.
“Ji Xue, hold on, don’t move forward anymore.
You should set up an ambush here,” Milora instructed.
“Here?” Ji Xue followed Milora’s instructions and hid behind a large mushroom over three meters high, bending down to use the lush ferns on the ground to cover herself.
“Please, Ji Xue, as soon as I whistle, immediately launch a sneak attack on the boss’s weak point—the scar on its back.
Hit it as hard as you can.”
“Okay—huh!? Are we going to fight the boss directly?” Ji Xue asked.
“Yes!” Milora confirmed.
“That’s too reckless! It’s just the two of us—” Ji Xue protested.
“The more people there are, the harder this boss is to fight.
I’ll draw its fire, and you launch the surprise attack! If we fail, just escape immediately, don’t worry about me!” Milora insisted.
“How can I not worry about you? I think we should—” Ji Xue started to say.
“Shh!” Milora quickly covered Ji Xue’s mouth, and then Ji Xue felt it too.
A strange sense of oppression filled the underground cavity.
Milora gave her a look, and after hesitating for a moment, Ji Xue nodded, held her breath, and hid behind the large mushroom.
“The boss is just ahead, Milora, do as I say,” the system instructed.
“Understood, I must win this battle,” Milora thought.
“As long as you listen to me, everything will go smoothly,” the system assured.
Milora took a deep breath, drew her sword, and used the scout’s skill “Cat’s Foot” to silence her footsteps.
Under Ji Xue’s tense gaze from behind the large mushroom, she slowly advanced.
The other end of the underground cavity had no glowing fungi for illumination, leaving a vast shadow.
She moved slowly, slowly, slowly forward, approaching something under the shadow at the very end of the cavity, then threw a torch to illuminate it—
“This is…” Milora thought.
“Yes, it’s it…” the system confirmed.
In front of her was something like a statue.
Its body was humanoid, curled up, kneeling, covered in moss, vines, and dust, completely obscuring its true appearance.
It seemed to be a very tall and robust figure.
Milora held her short sword in a reverse grip for defense with her right hand, while her left hand reached into her waist pouch, clutching smoke bombs and incendiary bombs (using throwing items is a basic ability of scouts), and cautiously stepped forward, one step—
“Buzz!!!!!!!”
“!?” Milora was startled by a sudden piercing screech, and something flew out from the shadow behind the boss—
It was a fly! A very large fly, with a head twice the size of a human’s! Its lion-sized body was covered in coarse hair, and its wings were covered with intricately patterned mold!
Milora was shocked; this thing was truly disgusting! But the giant fly didn’t attack her; instead, it landed on the boss’s right shoulder, seemingly whispering something to it.
Then the boss shook off the dust and vines covering it and slowly stood up.
At that moment, the immense sense of oppression made Milora hold her breath.
It was an orc over three meters tall.
Wearing barbarian light armor covered in mold spots.
Its disheveled gray-white mane was intertwined with mycelium.
Its lion-like face was covered in moss, revealing only its dark beastly eyes and crooked mouth.
Its beast-like hands held a massive, heavy, rough, iron-like great axe.
The giant fly perched on its right shoulder, its large eyes emitting a gray-green light, acting both as its pet and comrade.
“This is…” Milora thought.
“It’s a formidable enemy,” the system confirmed.
Such killing intent, such dominance, far surpassed all the elite monsters of the Amana Forest—or rather, such a terrifying existence was completely out of place in the Amana Forest, fitting perfectly in a dungeon of the highest difficulty.
~~~~~~
Fly Hero Grelou was once a lion orc warrior of the wild Furry Tribe, known for his bravery.
He caught the eye of the Queen of Vomit under the God of Mercy and Life and married into the Plague Garden, becoming the queen’s consort.
After marriage, Grelou had to abandon the God of Courage and Martial Arts faith upheld by the barbarians, forcing himself to accept the blessings of the God of Mercy and Life, and as the queen’s consort, he fought everywhere.
He was also forced to change his carnivorous diet, turning to wild mushrooms as his main food, and to control his savage battle spirit, he carried the Fly Chancellor on his back, fighting in a more restrained and elegant manner.
The past is now a cloud of smoke.
Having lost the queen’s favor, he became weakened by the erosion of time underground, but still longed to regain his former glory through battle and pay homage to the Verden Ring.
~~~~~~
The boss named Grelou raised his great axe, his dark eyes blinked twice, needing to first understand the situation after sleeping for so long.
Just as he locked eyes with Milora—
“Smoke bomb, throw it at his eyes, then immediately create distance,” the system instructed.
“Understood!!” Milora threw the smoke bomb at Grelou, hitting him squarely in the face! Thick, ink-like smoke exploded, and she quickly retreated.
Grelou’s great axe swept through the air, missing her forehead by only a few centimeters, the wind pressure leaving a bloody gash on her forehead!
If she had been a bit slower, her shattered brain might have already been a stain on the great axe!
“Never engage head-on, fight and retreat!” the system warned.
“I, I know!” Milora took a deep breath and quickly retreated.
This was an opponent she absolutely couldn’t confront directly!
The airflow from the great axe blew away the smoke, and Grelou charged straight out.
Milora was about to roll to the side—when he suddenly leaped high, raising his great axe!
What’s he doing? Jumping down to smash? In that case, she should dodge backward—
“Quick, roll forward! Listen to me, now!!!” the system shouted.
Startled, Milora quickly complied! Just as she rolled forward, Grelou suddenly threw the great axe diagonally downward, the spinning axe gouging out a shocking crater! He then dove down, pulling out the axe embedded in the ground and sweeping it horizontally, a powerful combo that could crush a person into pulp! If Milora hadn’t listened to the system’s guidance and had retreated as she initially thought, she would have been shredded by now!
“Hiss…” Milora gasped, biting her lip, while Grelou said something in an unintelligible language, then swung his great axe and launched a fierce assault!
His moves were wide and powerful, full of strength yet not crude.
A single swing could instantly kill Milora, who could only use her high agility as a scout to maneuver around him—of course, the most important thing was the system’s guidance.
The system continuously calculated the force, speed, and angle of each of Grelou’s axe swings, always providing the most efficient instructions just before he attacked.
When to step, when to roll, when to position, when to crouch, when to jump, and when to throw smoke bombs or explosive bombs at him… each time was a close call! Milora’s heart raced almost to the point of explosion; she had to focus with all her might, as any mistake would mean certain death!
“He’s getting impatient, lead him towards Ji Xue to create an opportunity for her, be ready to signal at any time!” the system instructed.
“Understood!!” Milora thought.
