[Chapter 68: Between Water and Mist]
The sharp ping of another severed connection echoed through Searanox’s mind, a cold reminder of his dwindling assets. His two drones—the units tasked with clearing the right flank of the dungeon—had finally met their end. This second layer of the amphitheater-like dungeon was proving to be a different beast entirely. The threats here were escalating at a rate the first level had only hinted at, forcing a shift in his tactical approach.
An hour passed in the rhythmic, quiet hum of his Tech-point regeneration. To Searanox, the time felt utterly wasted—an agonizing inefficiency that gnawed at his patience even as his physical body remained perfectly still. Every moment spent in inactivity was a drain on his most precious resource: time. It was a mandatory concession to the limits of his current TP consumption rate. When his reserves finally topped off at 681/681, he pushed himself up from the cold stone floor, feeling the damp chill of the cavern seeping through the joints of his armor.
He did not bother with the treacherous walk to the rocky edge. Instead, a travel drone materialized beneath him, its flat, metallic surface rising from the stone with a soft, graviton hum. He settled onto the platform as it lifted into the air, its glide appearing smooth and steady despite the turbulent atmosphere of the cavern. The distance from one edge of the layer to the other was deceptive; the vast expanse of water and jagged stone stretched for hundreds of meters. This basin, a massive reservoir of dark water and slick rock, spanned the entire length of the cavern—a testament to the dungeon’s colossal, almost impossible scale.
The travel drone came to a halt at the edge of a 5-meter drop that led down to the second layer. Searanox gazed down at the sprawling, mist-shrouded platform below. With a flick of his intent, four new drones materialized in the air beside him: three assault-class offensive drones and a single, heavy-duty defensive drone. Their polished metallic forms gleamed dully in the cavern’s dim, ambient light. With a silent mental command, he sent them descending into the swirling, misty depths below.
Less than a minute passed before the first flashes of crimson and violet energy illuminated the lower platform, cutting through the haze. Through the shifting fog, Searanox could make out the hulking, chitinous forms of crabs, their heavy carapaces glistening with moisture. They were the same type of Shoreclaw Scuttlers he had encountered previously, their movements aggressive and territorial as they charged toward his advancing drone line.
From his elevated vantage point, Searanox raised his magitech rifle. He sighted a target, and a violet beam lanced down to strike one of the scuttling monstrosities. The shot connected with a sizzle of burning shell, but as his drones pushed deeper into the cavern’s interior, the skirmishes drifted beyond his effective firing range. The distant, flickering flashes of energy soon became his only window into the progress of the fight below.
He remained exactly where he was, a silent observer perched upon the precipice. There was no tactical logic in descending yet; there was no reason to make himself a vulnerable target when expendable machines could perform the labor. To Searanox, a drone was a resource—its eventual destruction was a calculated expense in the pursuit of an objective. His own death, however, would be an unacceptable failure.
`Been there, done that, don't recommend.` He thought grimly, watching his drones coordinate their movements like a seasoned team of adventurers in the distance.
After twenty minutes of careful observation, Searanox directed his travel drone to descend into the lower layer. The mist spray from the five massive, thundering waterfalls was omnipresent here—a thick, swirling fog that obscured his vision beyond a few meters. The drone’s flat surface grew slick with heavy condensation as it cut through the humid, saturated air.
Just as the drone reached the perimeter of the second layer, Searanox saw that his units were already heavily engaged in combat with another Tidal Revenant. This specimen, however, was fundamentally different from the ones he had fought before. It exuded a faint, ethereal glow and appeared to wear a suit of armor composed of solidified water that shifted and rippled with its every movement. From this closer vantage point, what he had initially dismissed as tangled kelp or seaweed was revealed to be fragments of bleached bone and rotting flesh suspended within its translucent, watery body.
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A System window materialized in his field of vision, confirming his grim assessment:
The Greater Revenant was significantly larger than its lesser counterparts, its humanoid form more defined and imposing. The water comprising its body appeared clearer—almost pure—which somehow made the rot suspended within it seem even more menacing. Its attacks carried significantly more kinetic force, and its shifting water armor deflected nearly half of the beams fired from his drones.
Even so, his machines methodically wore the creature down, though the victory was not without cost. As the Revenant finally dispersed in a final, violent burst of pressurized energy, Searanox noted the structural failure of several drones in the exchange. The overhead cost of this dungeon was mounting rapidly.
He watched his remaining seven drones as they advanced slowly, their weapon systems primed. The mist made it difficult to maintain visual locks, and the deafening roar of the waterfalls drowned out any other sound. After a few minutes of tense silence, a group of four Tidal Revenants emerged from the mist, their glowing forms moving with an eerie, liquid grace. They were all Greater variants, and they charged toward the drone line with surprising speed.
Searanox's drones opened fire immediately, their violet beams cutting through the mist to strike the Revenants. The undead entities returned fire with their own localized magic, launching spears of corrosive water that splashed harmlessly—though noisily—against the energy barrier of the defensive drone.
The fight was more intense than he had initially expected. However, after analyzing the first encounter and discovering that the central corpse was the entity's Achilles heel, the battle became a matter of clinical execution: break the water armor and destroy the structural integrity of the bones within.
The final blow landed, and a cascade of notifications flooded his interface:
"Holy SHIT!" Searanox screamed, his voice echoing off the cavern walls as he read the staggering amount of experience points he had just received. "I MAY WHAT?!"
After nearly falling off the travel drone in his excitement, he forced himself to take a deep breath to calm down. He placed a mental pin in the duplication reward, pushing the overwhelming thought aside to be dealt with once he was in a safe zone.
He guided the drone down to a small, isolated island located safely in the center of the lowest layer. In the very middle of the island sat a swirling, iridescent portal. A few meters in front of the exit stood a familiar-looking treasure chest. It was crafted from sleek, dark wood that had been polished to a mirror-like perfection, accented by ornate and flawless silver inlays.
Upon opening the lid, he found a deep black velvet pillow glistening a deep blue in the few stray rays of light that penetrated the mist. On it lay several items: a lodestone, three E-Grade Skillstones, a Level 15 Item Voucher, and a small leather pouch containing fifteen silver coins.
He swept the rewards into his item storage ring and was about to step toward the exit when he froze mid-step. A cargo drone appeared suddenly beside him and vanished into the churning water surrounding the island. Almost a minute later, it resurfaced, carrying an ornate silver-blue shield which it placed carefully on the ground in front of him.
Searanox slowly lifted the shield, feeling its weight.
He examined the artifact in his hands. It was a round shield, approximately seventy centimeters in diameter. The base was constructed from a single piece of polished, deep-blue, coral-like metal that felt unnaturally light. The front was dominated by a central, raised boss made of a solid, mother-of-pearl material, meticulously engraved with a swirling, hypnotic vortex pattern. The outer rim was reinforced with a band of tarnished silver, etched with faint, almost invisible tidal sigils.
This, too, vanished into his storage ring. Dazed by the sheer volume of thoughts and rewards racing through his head, it took him a few more minutes to collect his composure. Finally, he turned toward the portal and made his way back to the exit, leaving the mist and the roar of the Tidal Terrace behind him.
