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The group had reached an unknown area after using the key dropped by a named enemy. They moved ahead, excited about what they would find, defeating any enemy that got in their way…

“…It’s a dead end.”

Until Frey announced that with disappointment.

The way there had seemed complex, involving swimming through completely waterlogged passages and various turns, but overall it was still a linear path, leading to a large hall with a pedestal in the middle. But that only made it more ominous.

“It truly feels like something is about to come out…”

It was the perfect place for a side boss to appear, so Crim carefully examined their surroundings while making sure everyone else remained alert as well.

“So what do you think, should we do it?”
“Yes. The entirety of this area was locked behind a key, there has to be something here.”
“I see… Everyone, make sure you’re ready to fight at any moment now.”

With both Crim and Frey making up their minds, everyone else followed their instructions and checked their equipment and prepared consumable items.

After some tense moments…

“…Nothing’s happening?” Unable to bear with the silence anymore, Freya asked with a bit of confusion, tired of holding her shield forward for so long.

“Hmm… Maybe there’s something we need to interact with to trigger the fight. Like that there.”
“Well, at the very least, I doubt there’s no way this place is empty.”

Still wary, the group approached the pedestal at the center of the hall. It resembled a half-sphere with a tilted, stretched-out cube embedded inside it. On one corner of the cube was a red crystal.

The crystal, though darkened, shimmered with a blood-red gleam. Its many facets made it appear almost spherical. Pulses of light radiated from the pedestal, flowing along vein-like patterns that vanished into the floor.

Crim scowled seeing what the viewers were trying to hint at, but she could also feel the pressure from her friends, silently telling her to do it as she was the leader, and definitely not because they did not want to touch that pedestal.

With no option, she reached forward…

Splat!!

“…ghHYAAAH?!!!”

An instant before her hand touched it, the crystal erupted, shooting out something red, as if it had detonated. Crim yelped in surprise and leapt back instinctively, her heart racing.

The crystal kept releasing those red, writhing strands, which began coiling and wrapping tightly around the pedestal.

“Is…is that safe?”
“Ew…they look like gross veins…”

The younger members grimaced in disgust at the pulsating strands, squirming and throbbing like living tissue. Their description was disturbingly accurate—it looked as if a creature was being rebuilt from the inside out, with all its exposed veins and fibers on display.

Then the floor itself began to shift as something immense started to rise from beneath it.

Its body appeared incomplete, with the red strands leaving jagged gaps that revealed the space within. It had absurdly small limbs, dangling uselessly, making the entire structure seem both grotesque and comically absurd. At the center of the mass, the crystal pulsed brightly, glowing like a single, unblinking eye—a giant spherical golem hovering ominously in the air.

The chat exploded with wild comparisons, all desperately trying to make sense of the unsettling creature, which looked like a monstrous eyeball turned into a floating golem.

Everyone in the group froze, paralyzed by the eerie sight. Then the crystal in the golem’s core began to glow even brighter.

“..! Retreat, everyoneee!!”
“Kyah?!”

Shouting that, Crim grabbed Freya’s hand and began running away. The rest of the group also snapped out of their trance and followed suit, sprinting to escape the looming danger.

Just as they started to flee—

Pew~

A high-pitched noise echoed through the hall. It wasn’t very loud, but it was precise. The beam shot through the air—and purely by chance—pierced through a carp merman who had just entered the area. A massive hole opened in his chest, killing him instantly.

“Hie—”

Everyone else was still focused on the golem, but Crim saw the gruesome sight unfold before her. Her face went pale, and a weak whimper escaped her lips.

“B-B-But… it’s just one beam cannon… right? Just one. We can deal with that… definitely…”

“Ahh, shut up, Crim! Stop raising more red flags!” Crim tried to convince herself she would be fine, but Frey knew she was only jinxing herself.

And almost on cue, multiple smaller golems began emerging from the hall’s center. Each one looked like a miniature version of the larger golem, with glowing red crystals embedded within them.

The sight sent a wave of terror through the group.

“Huh?! How is this my fault?!”
“We don’t have time for this!”

Crim was getting infuriated by the comments, but Frey quickly reminded her of their current situation. The smaller golems were beginning to radiate with an ominous red glow, indicating that more beams were about to fire.

“…RUN!!”

Crim shouted, her voice filled with panic. Her face was ghostly pale as every member of Lua Cheia scattered in all directions, each one desperately trying to avoid being caught in the deadly red beams.