"Snake, pack them up."

When Ark pointed to the items gathered at his feet, Snake extended its tongue and swallowed it all. The trash piles that were swept in with the torrent were fairly profitable. Various kinds of seaweed, Merpeople items, recovery potions, Pearls and other random drops. Thanks to that, the bag he had completely emptied in Nodelesse had become quite hefty.

An exceptional amount of monsters had been guarding the pile of junk, but now, even if 5 or 6 of the dungeon's monsters rushed him, he could easily defeat them.

The advantage of a Dark Walker's Dark attribute was the stat increases, which allowed him to pose to be a higher level than he actually was, and thanks to it, he could gain additional EXP from defeating monsters at least 5 levels higher than himself with the same amount of effort. The applied additional EXP was 10% per 5 levels. The monsters he encountered in Gallic's stomach were on average, 10 levels higher.

The additional EXP was a whopping 20%! To maximize the effect, Ark only slept for 2 hours a day and worked hard to level up. Thanks to this, Ark's level increased by another 10 in a week.

"Status window."

Character Name

Ark

Race

Human

Alignment

Good +50

Fame

520

Level

62

Profession

Dark Walker

Title

Cat Knight, Caretaker

Health

1,305

Mana

730 (+100)

Spiritual Power

100

Strength

176

Agility

196 (+17)

Stamina

246

Wisdom

25

Intelligence

141

Luck

41

Flexibility

14

Art of Communication

18

Affection

18

Special Stat: Knowledge of Ancient Relics

35

Equipment Effects

Black Bear Mouse Leather Armor: Agility 2, Frost Resistance +20

Cat Paws: Attack Speed +10%, Agility +15, Critical Hit Rate +10%

Crystal Golem's Head: Mana +100

*All abilities will increase by 20% in the dark.

* You have the ability to hide in the darkness (Duration time 10 minutes. Cancelled if you get into combat).

* Resistance Fear, Darkness, Blind, and Charm spells is increased by 50%.

*You can bring out the true abilities from all types of tools.

Thanks to steadily raising his Stamina, his Health was now over 1,300. With the 100 additional Mana from the Crystal Golem's Head, his Mana was 830! It was enough to use Dark Blade 8 times consecutively if he didn't use his Familiars.

Since his level passed 60, his hunting efficiency decreased because he was no longer able to receive 10% additional EXP.

"I didn't notice when the bonus was there, but when it disappeared, it doesn't seem like the experience is increasing. Well, since my level rose enough and the bag is almost full, it should be about time to start finishing the quest."

He still hadn't found a clue about the quest.

The White Whale's stomach was far more complicated than he expected. The long passageway was straight for the most part, but if he strayed a little it soon became a maze-like terrain. The phlegmy cell-like walls twisted and tangled, and there were places looking exactly alike no matter where he went. Some areas activated traps such as acid one from the stomach.

At first, everything was interesting, but after a week had passed, the dungeon covered in dark red flesh began to be stifling and suffocating.

'Anyway, I need to find the place where I can end the quest.'

Ark walked forward.

Ark could approximately guess where the place related to the quest was located.

He had thoroughly combed through the lair for a week, but the sole place Ark hadn't gone to was the lair of the Great Worms.

Ark had avoided fights with the worms to the best of his ability so far. But now, Ark was also level 62. With the additional bonus of the darkness attribute, he was at a level where he can somehow fight them.

Ark passed through the narrow passageway and came to a wide area. In a plaza-like space covered in red membrane, scores of worms were squirming.

Ark took out his pot, boiled soup, and drank it.

Spicy Flavor Seafood Soup

Health +100, Attack and Defense increased by 20% for 30 minutes.

The Seafood Soup, which could only be made once Survival Cooking reached Intermediate, had the best effects out of all the food Ark learned. In addition, it didn't have the aftereffects that normally goes hand-in-hand with good effects. But it required relatively rare seaweed and shellfish, so he couldn't eat it often.

Energy rose after drinking the soup. After also feeding Skull, he lured the worms one by one.

Even though he'd raised his level and was even enjoying the effects of the soup, the worm felt as strong as ever.

If Dedric would turn into a bat and draw its attention, it'd be much easier. After fighting difficult enemies without him, Ark came to know how much of big a help Dedric had been. But no matter how regrettable it was, he had no desire to use a Familiar who wouldn't listen. Dedric still needed to have his behavior corrected.

'Although its stats grew a lot while Dedric is being locked up...'

Skull had now grown to level 20, but its usefulness was still much lower compared to Dedric. Its movements were slower than Dedric, and it often ran about in confusion when the battle started because it wasn't smart. Moreover, its stats also rose in the wrong places, such as Wisdom or Luck, so its Stamina was low. If the opponent was the worm, it'd be hard for Skull to withstand one or two hits.

However, Skull had endless loyalty.

When Ark was in the worst-case scenario, Skull died for him without hesitation. Users actually don't feel pain when taking a hit. However, it was set so NPCs or monsters felt pain equal to reality and possessed fear of death.

It was the same reason why Dedric was getting beaten up by Ark and suffering. But no matter how well trained the pet or Familiar was, there were almost no cases where they would die in their master's place.

It was only possible because Skull was dull and had strong loyalty.

'Skull is my additional health.'

Skull's real role was to die for Ark in the worst situation.

Skull also understood its role. If Ark's Health fell below 10%, Skull went in front of him without any orders. Then, with his stats raised significantly by the Indomitable and Undying, Ark let loose a Counter Attack or Dark Blade at the worm and killed it.

Skull also barely endured one or two hits.

If the critical hit or Dark Blade missed by some chance, then Skull would be inevitably force recalled. However, thanks to the experience Ark had gained underwater, the precision of his techniques had risen enormously and skill failure was very low.

The first time is always difficult.

'The worm has strong attack power, but its attack method is a repetition of a simple pattern.'

After killing a few worms, he got the hang of it. He just barely won against the first two, but as he kept fighting, he had more Health left. Later, he was able to win with at least 30% Health left.

'If the worm was not a large monster, I could probably defeat two of them at once.'

A large monster had the ability to cancel many kinds of additional effects with a high probability. If not for it , it would be possible to fight several of them with consecutive kicks and sword strikes, similar to what he did with the Crabs or Sharkmen.

Using the same method, all the worms were defeated in a span of half a day of hunting.

"You did well."

As Ark patted his head, Skull rolled around to show its happiness. Skull became a more praiseworthy rascal in Ark's eyes.

Even though he'd almost died a few times, if Ark patted it on the head once, it'd be completely okay. As Ark gazed proudly at Skull, Snake glared at Skull with a nasty look. It was something he'd found out just recently, but since Snake thought of Ark as its parent, it was especially prone to jealousy. If Ark favored another Familiar for even a moment, it would soon grow sulky, wrap itself around Ark, and behave annoyingly.

Well, though he'd gotten used to it now so it didn't bother him as much...

In any case, after clearing the worms Ark began to really explore. Once he went to the opposite side, the entire space reverberated, going boom, boom.

"It's the sound of a heartbeat. Is Gallic's heart on the other side?"

Just then, Snake suddenly teared up and spat something out with a cough.

It was the Compass of the Sea Emperor.

The compass vibrated as it emitted light to match the sound of the heartbeat. Because of it, it seemed like Snake couldn't endure it and spat it out.

"This is definitely the place where the quest will be solved. But where exactly do I need to go?"

No matter which direction he looked they were all blocked. Then all of a sudden, the passage from the crystal pillar came to mind.

If you want to see me then close both of your eyes.

'If there's some kind of trick here, then it's definitely the hint.'

Ark stood still and closed his eyes.

As he did so, the sound ringing through the whole space gradually died down. Then at some point, the sound focused in one direction. As if the hand mirror was being led by the beating sound, it vibrated to one side.

'Is it this way? But it's blocked...'

Ark placed his hand on the wall and moved. Then the wall shrank away as if it was surprised and a path appeared.

It was also the same afterwards. As he moved along the path, he closed his eyes and stretched his hand towards the direction of the sound whenever he reached a dead-end. Then a path appeared on its own. After walking for a few minutes or so, a place flashing with scarlet light came to view.

In the center stood a stone statue in human form. It held an oval stone fragment in its hand. The stone fragment looked like it had been split somewhere, it had an aura so black that he could visually confirm it was being emitted.

"Found it. This is definitely the item she held and disappeared!"

When Ark quickly reached out towards the stone fragment-

The stone statue's eyes flashed as it raised its head and let out a piercing scream.

"KYAAAAAA!"

"Eh, wh-what?"

Spiderweb-like cracks spread on the stone statue. Then, as if it were erupting, it scattered all around and the sight of a jet-black figure emerged. As a whole, it looked similar to the Reaper he'd fought in the Shadow Forest.

It had an enormous body big enough to completely fill the space. A demon with its eyes covered by a black cloth and draped in a black mantle. Behind it, black hair writhed all around like living snakes. Completely black, even the skin was as cracked as an old tree was black.

- Boss monster Adelaine has appeared!

Quest has been updated.

The Guardian Deity of the Merpeople, Gallic → Encroaching Darkness

At the end of your exploration of White Whale; Gallic's stomach, you have finally arrived at the destination. The source of the strength that filled Gallic's stomach with darkness and revived monsters as undead was at its heart.

It's certain the darkness caused Gallic to lose his mind. You must defeat the evil being Adelaine, born from the root of darkness, and return Gallic to normal.

Difficulty: +E

The quest was updated with the warning message.

The difficulty was a whopping +E!

'To think there'd be a boss monster even inside a whale's stomach!'

Suddenly, the drooping hair spread out like tentacles and closed in to attack Ark.

Ark quickly moved his feet to avoid a tentacle. He blocked it as if it were a Jellyfish's tentacle.

An electrifying fear scintillated through him. Even though he'd blocked it, his Health went down by 200.

"Eyes of the Cat!"

Adelaine's health and level came up.

It was a monstrous 100 level boss monster.

Warning bells of an impending crisis flashed across inside Ark's head.

"No way, I can't win with my current level even if I were to die and revive again!"

If you don't want to die, you have to accurately estimate the gap between you and your opponent's strength in an exchange of blows.

Once the fight with the enemy started, it wouldn't be easy to escape. Since one would have to take damage from two or three backstabs while running away with back turned. If one felt he had to run, the secret to surviving was to escape with a little extra Health left.

There was the definite level difference, but more importantly, if he suffered a chain attack from many tentacles, he'd only be able to endure for a few seconds.

Ark shouted as he spun around, "Skull, stop him!"

Pow-pow-pow!

Skull courageously leapt forward, but it was immediately recalled when it was struck by 3 tentacles. Ark had lost 200 Health because of this attack, but it also bought him a few seconds.

"Sorry, Skull. There was no other way."

Ark held back the tears and madly ran to the exit.

Now there was no choice.

First he needed to get out of the exit and bide this time...

It would take a long time, but he could raise his level to 80 by hunting worms exclusively within the White Whale's Labyrinth. With the darkness effect bonus, he might be able to fight Adelaine somehow.

Ark dodged the lashing tentacles and opened the exit by extending his hand.

But while he was running madly, the whole dungeon suddenly shook as a howl rang out from behind him. For looking behind, Ark's face paled.

Adelaine screeched as it swung its tentacles towards the wall.

Every time it did so, the flesh of the wall fell in clumps.

The shaking of the labyrinth was due to Gallic being unable to endure the pain and ran amok. But there wasn't enough time to feel sorry for Gallic's pain.

Destroying the walls with monstrous strength, Adelaine was closing in on Ark. Adelaine was truly the manifestation of horror itself.

'Holy shit, it's moving really fast...!'

Every time the tentacles whooshed in with the sound of the wind and grazed the back of his head, Ark's hair stood on its end.

'Dammit, I thought it wouldn't follow me if I got out of the heart!"

He was mistaken. Adelaine intended to follow him to no end.

Ark estimated that even if Adelaine followed him, its gigantic body would be slowed down by the walls.

If he took that chance to completely break away from its view and put a some hundred meters between them, the in-combat state would be cancelled. Then he intended to hide with 'Stealth'. But rather than breaking free, Adelaine was actually closing the distance while destroying the walls and chasing him.

It was as if a message of despair was popping up before his eyes.

'Dammit, am I going to die like this?'

Stat loss! In addition, he had to explore the dungeon from the beginning. But that wasn't all! Dying against a boss monster increased the probability of dropping equipment items. And monsters also picked up items if they saw them.

What if he dropped Lancel's Sword and Adelaine picked it up? The result would be him having to use a crappy sword until he defeats Adelaine.

'No way! Even if I die, I'm going to run until the very end! Let's see how far you'll follow!'

Ark ran through the heaving Gallic's stomach without rest.

Just then, something flashed across his mind as he passed a fork in the path.

'Wait, this way has always been... of course! Maybe with this method...?'

Ark, who had combed through the labyrinth's terrain, realized a hidden method to turn the tide.

'Would something like that be possible? No, whether it's possible or not isn't important. The only thing I can do right now is to bet everything on this method!'

Ark stopped abruptly and twisted his body.

Adelaine quickly swung its tentacle.

Ark dodged the tentacle and ran towards Adelaine. Then, when he was up in front of its nose, he rolled on the ground. As the tentacle grazed his side, he received enormous damage. However, Ark didn't fight back.

Ark sprang up and passed Adelaine, then ran in the opposite direction. Then he leapt into the fork he'd passed earlier. It was a plaza filled with ankle-deep water.

Ark stepped over the piles of trash strewn around as he moved to the center of the plaza, then turned around. Adelaine was pounding into the plaza.

Ark grinned as he muttered, "Now, let's see if I die or you die."

"KYAAAAK!"

Adelaine ran in shrieking, but stopped. When its feet touched the surface, acrid smoke rose with a hiss. Too late, Adelaine realized it was in some kind of danger and tried to back away. But Ark wasn't going to let it escape for he had lured it in with such difficulty.

"Getting in is easy but it's not so easy to get out. Snake, Shield!"

As if Snake had been waiting, it spat out a tattered shield.

It was the crappy Shell Shield he'd found in a trash pile. But right now, this shield was his only lifeline.

Ark took the shield and positioned it above his head like an umbrella, then swung at the wall with his sword. The space rocked wildly, closing the entrance and exit. Adelaine screeched in confusion as it flailed its tentacles, but it just blocked the entrance more solidly each time it did.

Simultaneously, a shower rained down from above their heads.

KWAAAA!

- Shield's durability has dropped by 10!

- You took acid poison damage. Damage 50!

When the shower came down, it pierced holes on the shield. Even if a small droplet dripped onto him, his Health dropped steadily.

It was an obvious result. The liquid raining down like a shower was stomach acid!

The place Ark had entered was no other than Gallic's stomach.

Once Ark stimulated the stomach, the surprised sphincter blocked the entrance and exit, pouring down acid.

'I'll be in for it if it doesn't die. Either we die together, or you die alone!'

Adelaine was directly covered in the acid shower.

Its swaying mantle was covered with holes, and tentacles were also breaking off strand by strand. Adelaine thrashed about madly, once its Health has decreased to about 50%, it approached Ark. However, with each step it took, a malodorous smelling steam rose as Adelaine's Health dropped.

It certainly wasn't a relaxing situation for Ark.

"Restoration magic! Restoration magic! Restoration magic!"

Ark repaired the shield without rest as he drank recovery potions. Even so, his Health dropped steadily.

'From now on I'll fight patiently!'

By the time Adelaine crossed the stomach and reached Ark, it already had less than 10% of its Health left.

Adelaine shrieked in rage as it raised its tattered arm.

Ark used his trump card.

"Summon Familiar, Dedric!"

"Ack! Ma-master?"

Dedric let out a confused screech as he was summoned.

"Ma-master, please forgive..."

"Shut up and do everything you can to block that guy. If you do a good job then I'll forgive you!"

"Huh? Really?"

Without even knowing what was going on, Dedric replied with an emotional face. Then he immediately turned into a Bat and rammed himself into Adelaine's face.

But Dedric was forcefully recalled after just a few seconds of being baptized in acid.

"Arghh, it's hot... Master... you... promised."

It was a brave end.