Moon's Labyrinths

Zzuh-uhk!

The Leviathan opened its huge mouth. Each of its teeth was larger than an adult human, and the sight of it looked menacing. However, the teeth weren’t a threat to Sungyoon's party at that moment; the threat was something else.

A bluish substance started to appear within the monster's mouth.

The party didn’t have the time to say anything. Sungyoon grabbed Emily, and Tim grabbed Grace. Then they sprinted away.

Puh-uhng!

An enormous and violent stream appeared from the monster's mouth. It was just water. However, it was a pressurized, unending stream of water, and thus, the water turned into a calamity.

Koo-oo-oong!

It felt as if the entire labyrinth was shaking.

The water breath landed behind Sungyoon’s party, and the destructive capability of the attack made them shudder with fright. They could imagine what would have happened had they been hit by the attack.

“Where should we go?”

Tim desperately looked around as he tried to find a refuge.

“Let’s get behind one of the water drops in the back!”

“W-will that stop the water breath?”

Emily was being carried around like luggage by Sungyoon, and she asked worriedly.

“We have no choice!”

The water breath was much faster than them, and at this rate, they would be swept up in the crazy current. Moreover, Sungyoon knew he was right.

‘Even if the water breath is powerful, the mass and size of the water drop...’

The four of them hid behind a water drop.

Puh-uh-uhng!

The water breath reached the water drop that the party was using as a shield. The water drop violently shook, and the party heard the mermen scream.

As Sungyoon had expected, the water breath couldn’t pierce through the water drop, and the water current tapered out.

The party let out a sigh of relief. Until now, the water drop had been the habitat of the mermen, and those monsters had used it to torment Sungyoon’s party. However, that same water drop looked like a trustworthy shield to them now.

“Why is that here? A Leviathan should be living a bit deeper into the Great Labyrinth. Isn’t it on the same rank as the Behemoth?”

Tim ranted.

Behemoth.

It was the monster that Sungyoon and Grace had defeated in London. However, Sungyoon and Grace weren't under the delusion that they had defeated the real Behemoth. The Connectors and the Behemoth alike suffered a reduction in power on Earth, and they knew that the effect was more adverse on monsters.

Sungyoon’s party was stronger than before, and they had a perfect structure. Yet, they knew it was highly likely that they would lose against a Behemoth at its full power.

“Sometimes higher rank monsters occupy higher floors if the floor has ideal living conditions for the monster. Moreover, the amount of magical energy here...”

Grace waved her hand through the air to feel the ambient magical energy.

“This floor has enough magical energy to support a Leviathan. Moreover, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to say that the Leviathan has made this floor its home because it likes the water drops.”

“Shit!”

Tim sounded nauseated as he spat out his word.

“Get away from the water!”

Hearing Sungyoon’s sudden shout, everyone moved away from the water drop without thinking. Sungyoon had already summoned his sword, and he stabbed it into the water.

Kahhhhhhhk!

Several mermen quickly ran away.

“They are a pain in the ass.”

Tim needlessly swung his ax at the water drop, and the water sloshed.

As the party drove off the mermen, the Leviathan shut its enormous mouth and moved in earnest.

Soo-roo-roo!

Its snake-like body coiled like a spring.

Pah-ahng!

When it uncoiled, an abrasive and violent sound rang out. The Leviathan flew through the air and entered a water drop.

Splash!

Its destination was the water drop where Sungyoon and the others were hiding. Despite its enormous body, it moved swiftly and gracefully inside the water.

“Shit!”

Tim, who had retreated a bit to observe the Leviathan, became alarmed when he saw what the Leviathan had done.

“It moved to this water drop in front of us!”

Tim smacked the water that they were using for cover.

Keeeeeeek!

Kahhhhhhk!

Splash! Splash!

The mermen started jumping out of the water drop, and the party quickly got ready to fight them. However, the mermen didn’t even pay attention to Sungyoon’s party and dashed toward a different water drop.

“We should get moving too!”

Sungyoon realized something bad was about to happen, so he gestured with his hand. However, the Leviathan moved before they could.

Puh-uhng!

“Ooh-ahhhhk!”

“Kyahhhhhhk!”

The Leviathan was already near the party, and it shot out of the water like a bullet.

Its massive body brushed past them.

Crunch!

Kiehhhhhhhhhk!

The huge monster ruthlessly bit a merman that had been running away in front of Sungyoon’s party. It swallowed the merman whole as it moved into a different water drop nearby.

“Is it gone?”

“Not yet.”

He could see the Leviathan leisurely changing direction inside the water drop.

It once again tried to rush them. Sungyoon’s party desperately tried to dodge, but the huge monster moved too fast.

Puh-uhng!

The Leviathan’s body shot out of the water once again. Sungyoon quickly raised his shield as he pushed Emily to the side, outside of its attack range. The Leviathan’s body bent a little, then it violently twisted its body as it slammed Sungyoon’s shield.

Boom!

“Koo-oohk!”

Puh-ung!

The Leviathan sent Sungyoon retreating into another water drop.

“Mr. Sungyoon!”

Emily’s scream couldn’t penetrate the water.

Sungyoon looked around the water. He had been pushed very far into the water drop by the momentum of the Leviathan's attack, and he could see his party members' worried looks from afar. Sungyoon waved his hand once to signal that he was ok, then his eyes moved toward the Leviathan.

The Leviathan changed its direction a short distance away. Sungyoon’s shield spun as it displaced the water around it.

Koo-oh-oh-oh!

The monster opened its mouth wide and charged at Sungyoon. Sungyoon threw his halberd and ax, but the water pressure killed the power behind the weapons. The Leviathan didn’t blink an eye as it deflected the weapons and swam straight toward Sungyoon.

Boom!

‘Koo-oohk!’

Sungyoon barely blocked the attack with his shield. The water hindered his movements, while it was the home ground of the Leviathan. The Leviathan fluidly moved as its steel-like scales traveled like a bullet.

The Leviathan kept on tormenting Sungyoon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It kept ramming into him with an overwhelming force.

Sungyoon became the leaf lost in the wind as his body suffered abuse after abuse. His shield arm was slowly turning numb.

Puh-uh-uhng!

Its powerful tail rammed Sungyoon into the floor.

Koo-oo-oong!

Pain ran up his back, and the water couldn’t completely reduce the impact of his fall. When Sungyoon was slammed into the ground, Tim was about to rush into the water droplet. However, Sungyoon stopped him with a gesture of his hand.

Zzuh-uhk!

The Leviathan was trying to end Sungyoon. It opened its mouth as it swam toward Sungyoon for the final blow. Sungyoon’s eyes shone. His cape emitted light as it morphed into four wings.

Too-hwhak!

Sungyoon streaked through the water.

‘Thankfully, it works underwater.’

Sungyoon successfully dodged the Leviathan’s attack. However, this was only the beginning for him. He then moved his hand.

Puh-uhng!

Stalagmites surged up from the ground. The water pressure didn’t bother it as the sharp pillars of rock stood tall. The Leviathan couldn’t decrease its speed, so it was about to ram itself into the stalagmites.

However, it was laughable to think that a spell of that level could significantly damage it. The Leviathan knew this, so it snorted and didn’t slow down. It just planned on turning its body at the last moment.

It would destroy the stalagmites and chase after Sungyoon. Unfortunately for it, stalagmites weren’t the only thing that Sungyoon had prepared.

Boom!

The gravity changed, and the violent increase in gravity created a downward pressure. Of course, gravity magic wouldn’t work on the Leviathan either, but Sungyoon wasn’t using his magic on the Leviathan, which had strong magical resistance.

He had used it on the water about the Leviathan.

Ggoo-uhhhhhhhhhhh!

When an extreme water pressure started to press down on it, the Leviathan panicked. It squirmed its body, but the water pressure kept pressing down. Moreover, it was already traveling at an extremely high speed.

The Leviathan crashed into the stalagmites straight on.

Koo-ahhhhhhhh!

Its scales broke, and its flesh was crushed.

Sungyoon exited the water as he watched the Leviathan thrash.

“Mr. Sungyoon!”

His party members had been helplessly watching from the sidelines. They immediately ran toward him. As if to greet the outside air, Sungyoon took a deep breath. The others thought he was gasping in pain from a wound, so their faces turned pale.

“A-are you ok? We should heal…”

Emily started to inject her magical energy into her Gem, but Sungyoon waved his hand at her.

“I’m not seriously hurt. Please save the spell.”

Emily stopped.

“Did you kill it?”

Tim watched the Leviathan thrash its body.

“No. A low-level spell like that can only damage it a little bit. I probably pissed it off more.”

As he spoke these words, Sungyoon glanced at the Leviathan. Tim was astonished.

‘As expected, he's amazing.’

What would he have done if he was in the same position as Sungyoon? Tim was confident in his defense, so he would probably last longer than Sungyoon. But what good would be his awesome defense in the water?

Moreover, Tim’s defense wouldn’t stand a chance against a foe like the Leviathan. He could struggle, but in the end, those large teeth would rip him apart. On the other hand, Sungyoon had survived while fighting the Leviathan on its home ground. On top of that, he had dealt a big blow to the Leviathan before exiting the waters.

Tim felt his admiration for Sungyoon surge again.

“It’s coming!”

As red blood leaked out into the blue water, the Leviathan’s eyes turned violent. It charged at Sungyoon’s party. The party hadn’t been mindful of their surroundings because they were fighting a fierce battle against the Leviathan. They didn't have to either, as the Leviathan had scared away all the mermen.

Unbeknownst to the party, a group had secretly surrounded them. This group was very careful since they didn’t want the Leviathan to change its focus onto themselves. Still, they had to prepare for the possibility of Sungyoon escaping the water drops even if it was unlikely. Therefore, they had made their encircling net airtight.

Plu-El and Aruwen were toward the back as they watched their men get into position.

“Ughhh!”

Aruwen groaned. His gaze was planted on the battle between the Leviathan and Sungyoon’s party.

“I felt this way last time, but they are really powerful.”

Aruwen looked disgruntled by this fact, but Plu-El was truly impressed.

This environment was favorable to the Leviathan, yet Sungyoon’s party was holding up very well against it.

“Should we call them the Royal Gem user and his party members?”

“Hmmph!”

Aruwen snorted.

His stomach ached from jealousy.

This inferior being had awakened the Royal Gem. It angered Aruwen, but he couldn't deny that this man was fighting an awesome battle with the Leviathan. Even with a lot of warriors at his side, Aruwen couldn’t guarantee a victory against the Leviathan.

The more he saw him, the more Aruwen disliked this man.

However, Aruwen soon calmed his heart as this would be the last time that man could run wild like this.

“Who cares? They are humans that we have to kill.”

Murderous intent shone in his eyes.