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

CHAPTER 216: Codependence - Cryosirentis & Slitherus

BOOOOOOOOM!

The ice projectile slammed into the wall—just microseconds after Daisuke leaped clear. Jagged shards of ice and stone flew in all directions from the explosion. He barely had time to register the crater where he had stood before the next attack came.

The fiend reared back, a massive sphere of water forming above its snout. It swirled violently before condensing into a pressurized orb. Then the creature's eyes flashed with malice as its neck jerked forward like a machine.

A high-pressured jet of water fired with terrifying velocity, whipping across the chamber like a searing blade. The attack carved through stone and crystalline trees like a guillotine, cleaving them as if they were made of wet sand.

Daisuke ducked, time slowing to a crawl as silver strands of his own hair floated in the air, severed by the near miss.

This is bad. His heart pounded wildly as he brandished his daggers. I can't afford to let this thing use its ranged attacks. Just one hit and it's game over. And I definitely can't drag this out like with the Treant—I don't have the stamina for that.

The beast lunged.

Daisuke darted toward it, closing the distance before it could unleash another devastating attack. Ice shards rained from its mouth in rapid succession. He dodged what he could, deflected others, and used Impeccable Parry to neutralize the rest.

But then—

A towering pillar of ice erupted from the ground, aiming to skewer him on the spot. Daisuke twisted, shards of ice scattering like pixie dust as his Impeccable Parry barrier scraped against the jagged surface.

Then—

SNAP!

The Slitherus plant imprisoning Tiphanna suddenly snapped its translucent jaws shut, sealing her inside. The air around her shifted. The unconscious elf stirred as a noxious fume began seeping in, the gas growing thicker by the second.

Daisuke's eyes flicked toward her just as she jolted awake. Disoriented, she blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Then the horrific realization struck.

She thrashed violently, palms slamming against the see-through walls of her prison. "WH-WHERE AM I?! HELP ME! PLEASE!" Her muffled screams barely reached his ears.

Daisuke's stomach dropped, his blood running cold. Didn't the Monster Guide say these plants fed their captives to the Field Boss? Then why—

His eyes snapped to another Slitherus. A skeletal corpse lay inside, its bones half-melted. His pulse thundered at the sight.

They don't always hand their prey over, he noted in alarm. Sometimes they just... digest them alive.

Time was against him. Rescuing Tiphanna was now a race, one he wasn't sure he could win. The odds of success were slim. The odds of both of them making it out alive? Even slimmer.

Still, he clenched his daggers and shouted, "I swear, I'm getting you out of there!"

Cryosirentis roared as if to challenge the bold claim, the sound rattling the cavern walls. Its scales gleamed as it lunged once more, its maw snapping just inches from his face.

SCREEEEEECH!

Daisuke spun, his daggers raking against its ice-laden hide as they passed one another.

[85 damage dealt.]

[78 damage dealt.]