Slum Frontline, Military Side
The military forces have advanced into the flooded area, with water reaching nearly knee-high, caused by the monsters. Over half the army has entered this zone.
Slum Frontline, Adventurer Side
Thanks to the experience of several major guild leaders, upon seeing the flooded terrain ahead, they quickly held a meeting and concluded to halt and observe the situation, keeping a distance of about thirty paces from the waterlogged area.
However, some lone adventurers—unaffiliated, arrogant, or greedy—ignored orders and ventured into the flooded zone to secretly loot monster remains or valuables from houses. Some even searched corpses, hoping for scraps of coin.
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Caverd, Leader of the 5th Suicide Squad, [Mad Bear Guild]
The [Mad Bear Guild] is a rival of the [Radiant Fang Guild] . Their assigned zone is in the middle of the slum, adjacent to the military forces.
When the order came to stop advancing due to suspicions about the flooded area, Caverd' s group sought permission from their guild leader and entered the waterlogged zone to search houses for valuables.
While searching, they found a black-haired child hiding in a trash-filled house, discovered because of blood floating in the water.
"Slave or slum rat? Get out here!" Caverd barked.
After his command, a child with black hair emerged, their face grotesque due to a missing portion of their mouth, exposing the inside. The gums were mangled, and several teeth were gone.
Elda, clutching her stomach, slowly stepped forward.
"Ugly as hell, almost thought you were a monster!" Caverd sneered.
His words drew hearty laughter from his subordinates.
"Trash like you slacking off, huh? Just one arrow wound and you' re acting all pathetic. Get to the frontline!"
But before he could continue, a subordinate interrupted.
"Wait, boss!"
"What?"
"Our guild thought they were here to wipe us out, but they' re actually looking for a kid. I just heard from the main team, and this black-haired kid might be the one the [Radiant Fang] guild is searching for."
"Huh? Why would those Radiant Fang losers want an ugly kid like this?"
After hearing the explanation, Caverd grinned widely.
"Then let' s sell her to that tiger bitch for a high price! Haha!"
"I wouldn' t, boss. Remember how they stole our target in the forest? And when we demanded our share, that crazy tiger woman beat us to a pulp!"
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The Truth
In reality, the 1st to 5th Suicide Squads secretly took on a beast-hunting quest. But when they fought, they were the ones hunted. Many teams lost over half their members; some didn' t have a single survivor.
While fleeing in disgrace, they stumbled upon Jaigia' s main team, who had just finished slaying another beast. The squads lured their target toward Jaigia' s team and fled back to the city.
Exhausted and battered from their own hunt, Jaigia single-handedly killed the beast, then had her team haul both carcasses to claim the rewards.
When the guild office sent someone to notify [Mad Bear] of a fine for failing the mission, the guild leader found out. After questioning, and due to their rivalry, he sided with his subordinates and sent them to demand a share of the reward as atonement for taking the mission without permission.
The result? They were brutally beaten, barely surviving. Luckily, being in the city and part of a major guild, Jaigia spared their lives.
Upon returning, their guild leader docked their pay for nearly a full year as punishment for failing to secure the share.
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"No need to sell her to them! Get the dog chain!" Caverd roared.
"Yeah, boss! Let that crazy tiger learn what loss feels like!"
"Haha! I can' t wait to see her pissed-off face. Hey, from now on, grab every black-haired kid you see!"
His subordinates responded with enthusiasm.
They didn' t even remove the arrow from Elda, instead forcing a collar on her and dragging her deeper into the flooded zone by a chain.
Already weakened and bleeding heavily, Elda only stood thanks to the lingering effects of Vaniu' s healing potions.
"Since the monsters aren' t showing up, let' s use this girl to lure them! Haha, I' m a genius!"
Finding a wooden pole in an open area, Caverd used a cheap knife to pin the chain to it. He then yanked the arrow out without breaking its head.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Elda' s wound tore open horrifically, blood gushing from both entry and exit points.
Despite her heart-wrenching screams, Caverd didn' t care. Worse, he kicked her and pressed her into the water, letting her blood mix with it.
Elda choked on the filthy water, the potions' effects fading.
"Come eat, monsters! Isn' t this your favorite? Though the blood' s a bit nasty, haha!"
At that moment, chaos erupted on the military side.
"See? It worked!" Caverd laughed.
Before he could boast further, high-ranking guild leaders from every guild shouted in unison:
"They' re here! Prepare to fight!"
Caverd pulled his foot off Elda, stepping back to use her as bait, drawing his sword to prepare for battle.
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Slum Rear, Military Side
Temporary Command Tent, Main Mission: Suppress Monsters and Secure the Dungeon
In truth, soldiers are better at fighting humans than monsters. Though they' ve trained to combat monsters, they can' t match adventurers who face them daily.
This led to a critical mistake.
Though knights received reports that adventurers hesitated to enter the flooded area, they quickly ordered a halt and sent scouts to investigate thoroughly.
After reports of strange noises on the walls with no findings, the order to retreat came swiftly.
But it was too late. Roars and screams echoed relentlessly.
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Slum Frontline, Military Side
After receiving orders to advance quickly without clearing the path, the army charged at full speed. But the closer they got to the dungeon, the slower their pace became due to rising water levels.
Initially cautious of strange monsters hiding in the water, they found nothing despite marching for a while.
The commander ordered reduced caution and increased speed to reach the dungeon entrance before the next wave of monsters emerged.
After more than half the army entered, the order to halt and thoroughly inspect the surroundings finally arrived.
Then, they heard strange noises from the walls—like something chipping away at stone.
But magical scans detected nothing, as the starfish-like monsters clung too high for detection skills to reach.
Even wall sentries, using their own detection skills, found nothing, as the monsters stayed midway—not too low or too high. They only sent reports to the temporary command.
The starfish monsters had spread across the city walls, from the dungeon' s entrance to nearly the city gates.
Shortly after reporting the strange noises, the starfish began their attack.
Using their teeth, they ground the wall into small pieces, swallowing them. Inside their stomachs, they mixed the stone with a sticky, fast-hardening mucus, forming basketball-sized boulders.
Then, they spat the boulders down.
When the commander looked up, he saw countless boulders raining down.
"Raise shields! Protect your heads! Find cover!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Splashing water, screams, snapping bones, and the sound of flesh being crushed filled the air.
Many were hit in the head, their skulls smashed like watermelons. Those struck in the torso either had their organs pulverized or were critically injured.
The gravely wounded sank into the water, drowning as they couldn' t stand.
Even shield-bearers who blocked in time—if their shields or skills weren' t strong enough—had their shields and arms shattered.
Those without shields scrambled to escape, some trampling each other to death.
The damage spread widely, wiping out nearly half the army.
Reports reached the rear, and reinforcements were sent immediately but were also pelted with boulders.
The reinforcements couldn' t reach the front and soon requested aid from outside the city walls to assist the wounded and dying.
At the frontline, Tier 8 monsters—lurking in the mud beneath the water near the dungeon' s entrance—began their attack.
These were Skewer Shrimp, massive shrimp as long and thick as a human arm. Their heads bore long, sharp, and sturdy spears, and their front legs were sharp, spear-like appendages instead of claws.
They moved swiftly through the water, quickly reaching the scattered, fleeing army heading toward the adventurer side.
At attack range, they launched from the water, skewering anything in their path.
Armor was useless. Slum dwellers and slaves were slaughtered instantly.
Those hit were pierced through, leaving holes the size of the shrimp' s body. Limbs were severed, and brains or organs spilled from the wounds.
The murky brown water turned deep red.
Though some fought back, slashing the shrimp mid-attack or smashing them before they could leap again, it didn' t improve the situation. The boulders kept falling relentlessly.