Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part Two]

CHAPTER 215: Hocus-pocus & the Subterranean Fiend

With one final push, he broke through into a small pocket of air, his breath ragged as he gasped for oxygen. The chamber was tight, the walls slick with condensation. He barely allowed himself a moment's reprieve before diving again, plunging deeper into the unknown.

And then, he surfaced into something unreal.

A cavern stretched before him, its vastness staggering—at least 25,000 square feet of untouched, subterranean beauty. Several small, glowing pools dotted the floor, feeding into a forest that shimmered like something out of a dream.

The trees and undergrowth, sculpted from glossy blue crystal threaded with traces of violet and rose, pulsed with an eerie bioluminescence. Jagged crystalline formations jutted from the cavern walls and ceiling, scattering fractured beams of light like a thousand frozen stars suspended in the gloom.

DING!

[You have entered the Quartz Forest.]

Daisuke barely spared the notification a glance. He was already sprinting through the sea of shimmering crystals, his every thought focused on finding Tiphanna.

With a burst of momentum, he vaulted onto a narrow ledge jutting from the wall, scanning the landscape for any sign of her. But what he saw made his blood run cold.

DING!

[You have trespassed upon the territory of a most fearsome beast. Your life is now in danger.]

DING!

[The Quartz Forest's Guardian stirs from its slumber. Now it means to slaughter the intruder.]

Daisuke's breath hitched.

Without delay, he activated the Eye of Verity and nearly collapsed under the sheer force of what he perceived.

A fierce green aura roared to life like a feral beast, its oppressive weight crashing down on him like an avalanche. It clawed at his senses, suffocating, violent, primal. His gaze snapped to an elevated platform at the far end of the cavern—an enormous nest—where something stirred in the darkness.

DING!

[Cryosirentis | Lvl 57 | Field Boss | HP: 7669064/7669064]

A sickening chill crept up Daisuke's spine. His face paled, cold sweat beading along his brow before dripping from his chin.

Then—movement.

The beast's massive, soulless eyes locked onto him and an invisible force slammed into his chest like a hammer in response. The sheer pressure of its gaze alone sent a shockwave through his body, rattling his bones. His breath caught in his throat. His stomach lurched. And for a fleeting moment, he felt an overwhelming spell of nausea.

What the hell is that thing?! His mind reeled. So that diffused aura I saw... initially I thought it was the Treant's roots, but it was an entirely different Field Boss all along?

His gaze veered down to his stamina bar. 43%. His hands trembled. Is it even remotely possible for me to take this thing on with less than half—

A flicker of movement caught his eye.

Near the base of the platform, several monstrous plant-like organisms loomed—frightening, translucent creatures reminiscent of a Venus flytrap with writhing tendrils.

They were several times larger than the Seedreaper. But more importantly, Daisuke's focus zeroed in on the figure trapped within one of their maw-like enclosures.

Tiphanna.

His heart stopped.

"Ti-Tiphanna!" He bellowed, his voice hoarse with desperation. What the hell are those things? He thought while referring to the now updated Monster Guide Handbook.

DING!

[Slitherus]

[This parasitic plant extends its sinuous appendages beyond the cave, feeling through the water like a fusion of deep-sea siphonophores and creeping vines.

These tendrils ensnare fish, crustaceans, monsters, and even unsuspecting adventurers, dragging them into the depths for Cryosirentis to consume. In return, the serpent secretes nutrient-rich frost from its scales, which the Slitherus absorbs to sustain itself, eliminating the need for sunlight or soil.]

Daisuke scanned the enclosure.

The unconscious elf wasn't the only one trapped. Other aquatic and terrestrial creatures—some still alive, others long since expired—lay ensnared within the monstrous flora, awaiting their inevitable fate.

But Cryosirentis wasn't about to let him assess the situation at his leisure.

ROOOAAARRRRR!

The cavern quaked as a deafening bellow shattered the silence. The sheer force of the sound sent cracks splintering through the crystal formations, sending razor-sharp shards raining down like jagged knives.

Cryosirentis' serpentine form uncoiled, its elongated body—a fusion of an oarfish and a wyvern—glistened with an icy, metallic sheen. Its massive fins, reminiscent of wings, shifted with unnerving fluidity, and its long whiskers slithered through the air like searching tendrils. And then those hollow, abyssal eyes locked onto him—vast, soulless voids brimming with an unfathomable hunger.

Daisuke barely had time to react before its maw gaped open, rows upon rows of jagged teeth glistening with frost. Then an enormous pillar of ice erupted forward, hurtling toward him like a lance of frozen death.

BOOOOOOOOM!