I don’t know where this dungeon’s ceiling is or if it has one, but if I was on the surface, I should be reaching the atmosphere.
I keep going up as I head towards land.
It’s too soon to go down. They’re creating water in the air, and swimming from water to water. They’re fast, so I can’t gain distance.
If I go down, I’ll be in the range of their magic.
I see land. If I go there, I can shake them off.
Their magic fills the sky.
A big lake appears in the sky, but there’s a good difference in elevation between us, so it can’t reach me.
What’s their objective then, I wonder as they swim towards me.
If they’re creating water, they must have decided they can’t catch me. It makes sense, all but one of the frog women are approaching me.
The one left far away must be maintaining the magic.
The frog women move as if gliding on the water.
They raise their staves at the same time, and activate magic circles.
The spell makes water sprout from the lake like branches, which approach me stupidly fast.
Some branches split as they chase me, and their pointy ends carry a lot of killing potential.
More importantly, the frog women are riding them.
There’s a lake below, and they’re gaining height thanks to the water branches.
This is where the real attack starts.
It begins with a water bombardment.
I’m bombarded from all sides with something so solid you wouldn’t think it’s water.
I take aim and swing projectile slashes to bisect the bullets, but the water changes shape and comes after me in the shape of ice chakram.
I control the flow of magic energy to make the other water bullets hit the ice chakram, and as a result, they have more ice chakram.
I click my tongue a little, envelop the rising dragon chakram with wind, and throw them out to bring down the ice chakram.
The two types clash at high speeds. Sparks fly, adding color to the scenery as it passes by us. But I don’t have time to appreciate it, as the frog women use more magic.
I hear a kerororo sound as a large water ball enveloped in lightning is released.
The big water ball comes at me fast, but I can dodge it.
I dodge it like it’s nothing, but at the same time, the frog women dive deep into the lake.
I look at the water ball, and as it reaches where I’m going, it ruptures and sends ice bullets raining down with lightning.
I control wind to create air pressure and dodge them, but the magic is weak without the rising dragon chakram, and they get through the wind shield.
Then I think about using the magic mirror armor, but it covers too small of an area, and it would barely cover Fuuma.
I think about cutting them down with the greatsword of fortitude, but there’s so much I can swing away.
The water bullets don’t pierce the guardian beast armor, they stick to me, and roast me with crackling sounds.
My consciousness starts to fade, but I try my best to hang on and use Healing Magic. But the lightning attack doesn’t end there.
The water sticking to me shocks me again, and again.
My body is burned, and Healing Magic can’t keep up with my wounds. Eventually, they finally lose their effect, and the water sticking to me falls.
But it’s not over. There are still water bullets clad in lightning falling.
I use Parallel Thinking to control the rising dragon chakram and bring them to me.
That leaves me unguarded against the ice chakram, but I have no choice. I need to do something about the lightning water bullets, or I won’t have magic energy left to heal.
I control the rising dragon chakram, create an air current, and dodge all the falling water bullets.
But I can’t rest easy yet. The water bullets start gathering again.
Are they coming again, I think as I make the air current faster.
But rather than fly at me again, they explode at the same time in the air current.
The explosion is intense, taking away the air current and cutting my control of the rising dragon chakram. And it stops us on our way to land.
And the ice chakram are still coming.
I block with the greatsword of fortitude, but there’s only so much I can fling away with one hand. I start gliding to dodge, but the frog woman is waiting for me where I end up.
I regret the move and take a defensive position with the magic mirror armor, and an intense blow with her staff towards the lake makes me move on it like a stone skipping.
I look in the lake as I go, and see frog women coming to drown me.
If they succeed, there will be no saving me.
I hurry to use Wind Magic to flee up, but a frog woman uses her frog tongue to grab my leg.
The pain makes me wince, but it doesn’t shake me at this point.
I slice it with my greatsword of fortitude, and manage to escape up.
The frog woman in the lake screams as her tongue is cut, and if that makes their attacks more lax, then the pain in my leg is worth it.
I use Healing Magic on my left leg, and feel something odd on it that soon disappears.
Maybe there was some sort of poison on that leg.
The frog women are angry.
Maybe these monsters see each other as friends. It would make sense, considering they can talk.
If I knew how to cross the river and followed that closely, maybe this fight wouldn’t have happened.
Too late for that.
I don’t have a lot of magic energy left.
Even with Magic Energy Circulation, I’m using too much. If I use Limit Break Burst here, it won’t last a minute.
I use wind Magic to get away quickly, but it doesn’t look like they’re chasing me.
They’re healing their injured friend, but their anger was very real, so it’s strange that no one is coming after me.
But I’m not letting this chance get away.
I hurry to get away. Even if I have to use the magic energy I have left, I need to reach the shore now.
I can’t use it as well as Fuuma, but I use both wind to hit me and propel me, and also air footing to accelerate me further.
I’m not used to doing this, and it feels like the overuse of Parallel Thinking will fry my brain, but I manage.
At this rate I’ll be there in minutes.
If the frog women let me go, that is.
I feel magic energy heightening, reminding me of the giant kaiju.
I get flustered and look back, and see the frog women far away gathering to do something.
Their magic energy intensifies, and the atmosphere trembles as it takes form.
It’s light of water.
That’s the best way I can describe it.
This light of water expands while exploding, and will reach me in seconds.
I block it with the magic mirror shield, but I just can’t see that working. Even if I take the sea turtle from the Storage Space, I’ll be erased in the time that takes.
To be honest, it’s a miracle the magic mirror shield blocks it.
Still, this can’t go on forever.
Dammit, I mumble as I try my best to hold on, but the light’s pressure just intensifies.
I grit my teeth and use Limit Break Burst, and focus on my Toughness skill.
An explosion happens that could tear my body apart, and I’m blown away with no resistance.
I just hold Fuuma and wait for death, as I smack into the ground and roll on it a lot.
The ground.
I finally reached it.
The impact from smacking into it makes me let go of Fuuma, but I’m relieved to see it looks okay.
I’m not doing so well, but I managed to survive.
I have broken bones all over my body, damage to my internal organs, and my magic energy is empty, but I’ll manage.
I want to drink a potion, but my arms aren’t moving. My jaw isn’t moving either, so I couldn’t bite a potion bottle to drink.
If I recover with Magic Energy Circulation, I’ll survive with Healing Magic.
As I think that, Spatial Grasp picks up something approaching.
It’s them. The frog women are up there, despite this being land.
‘How dare you do that to my brethren?’
She says with bloodlust in her eyes, glaring at me as I can’t move.
Yes. Why did I think that wouldn’t happen?
There was no reason to think I would be safe on land.
It was no good. There was never a chance of escaping.
I curse to myself a few times, and my body shakes with frustration.
The frog women hold up their staves, and infuse immense magic energy like they want to leave not a hair of mine left.
I try my hardest to recover magic energy, but there’s no way that will be in time. They’re about to activate their magic… and stop.
Why? I hear one of them yell kerororo, the others do too, and they leave like they’re afraid of something.
…Am I saved?
I don’t know what happened, but the sky turns and closes into darkness.
Night has come to The Abyss.
Styx spirit (frog woman)
A spirit of the river Styx, which has a human body and frog head. It moves according to the will of Styx, and can control part of it, making it good at water magic.
Can curse opponents it touches with its tongue, and once touched, it’s hard to get away from it.
Large river Styx (river)
The river will let one cross if one asks and bows. If one provides an offering, it will call spirits to guide them to the other side. It will not allow anyone to cross without permission, or kill beings of the river. It is lenient enough to let it go once, if one is ignorant of this.
Haruto Tanaka (24+1)
Level: 39
Skills: Earth Magic, Trace, Healing Magic, Spatial Grasp, Toughness, Magic Energy Control, Physical Strengthening, Poison Resistance, Storage Space, See Through, Parallel Thinking, Sewing, Limit Break, Dismantling, Magic Energy Circulation, Consumption Reduction (Stamina), Wind Magic, Curse Resistance
Equipment: Greatsword of fortitude, guardian beast armor (modded)
Status: Fat (All abilities boosted)
Summoned beast: Fuuma
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Fuuma (Summoned beast)
Skills: Wind Magic, Toughness, Magic Energy Control, Physical Strengthening, Consumption Reduction (Stamina), Parallel Thinking, Limit Break, Healing Magic, Curse Resistance
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