NOVPUBAs Logan continued slicing through the remains, he noticed Murk growing steadily with each chunk absorbed. The strange slime was now nearing level sixty—an absurd rate of evolution considering the short time they'd been on this floor.
The last chunks of the mini-boss twitched weakly, its stinking flesh hanging by threads. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
"How about you swallow the rest?" Logan called out, watching Murk swell. "It's barely a match for you now."
The bloated slime jiggled in response before rolling forward with determination, absorbing the final hunks of corrupted sludge monster into its expanding mass. Its surface rippled, then stilled, as if digesting the battle inside its body.
Then came a second tremble—this one deliberate. Murk began to condense, shrinking and tightening its form. Logan blinked in surprise as the horrid stench that had clung to everything since they'd arrived started to fade.
He inhaled cautiously—twice—and then smiled.
"Well done, Murk," he said, genuinely impressed. "That's what I like to see. You cleaned up better than expected."
[Yes, can do this now, I feel full and stronger]
He glanced around the ruined chamber. "Alright, we're done here. I think we've got time to hit two more floors before heading back. What do you all think?"
The others didn't respond with words—but one voice rang clear in his mind.
[Want to be level 80!] Wyver roared through the empathic link, his frustration evident by the tone in its mental voice.
The frost drake was currently level 78—just shy of the next evolution threshold.
"I know, I know," Logan replied, raising his hands with a grin. "But remember, you won't be able to leave the labyrinth if you stay here and no one takes you back."
He gave Wyver a suggestion they could work with. "Still, I think we can push you to 79 today. After that, I'll give you those water crystals we've been saving. They should be enough to get you over the edge."
The thought made Logan curious—what would Wyver evolve into next? The drake had always been powerful, but his lineage had shown signs of hidden potential. Just like Scorch, Luna, and Kryst before him, there were possibilities waiting, he might even get his second dragon soon.
"I'm looking forward to that," Logan muttered under his breath, his gaze shifting toward the staircase leading further down.
The labyrinth still had more to offer.
All they had to do now was wait for the loot to appear.
Logan figured it would take a few seconds—maybe a minute at most. But nothing happened.
"…What?" He frowned, glancing around the sludge-filled chamber. "Hey, Murk. Don't tell me you ate the loot?"
The one-meter blob jiggled excitedly.
[Got stronger! There was reward for me!] Murk replied through the empathic link, oozing with joy.
Logan blinked. "Wait, what?! Why didn't you say anything?"
He sighed, already pulling up the creature's status screen. But the moment his eyes landed on the numbers, he nearly fell off his feet.
"Level sixty-eight?! What the hell did you eat to gain that many levels?!"
[It was stone. Yummy and full of energy!] Murk replied proudly, still wriggling in place as if doing a little victory dance.
Logan rubbed the back of his head, stunned but smiling. "So... it was a reward tailored just for you, huh? Guess the labyrinth's got a sense of humor."
He hopped back onto Elarion's back. The unicorn snorted lightly and summoned glowing platforms of light beneath his hooves, helping it avoid the small steps of the long staircase leading to the next floor.
Gaia, on the other hand, was having trouble with the stairs—each step required him to stabilize his massive roots before shifting his weight downward. It was slow going, but Logan didn't rush him. The ent's size made travel awkward, but once battle began, there was no better frontline wall.
As they reached the next floor, Logan braced himself for another sludge-ridden nightmare.
To his surprise, the scene had changed.
A massive river cut through the middle of the chamber, its waters shimmering with mana-tainted reflections. The terrain was uneven, split by jagged stone ridges and patches of marsh-like grass. Strange aquatic Nagas began slithering along the water's edge. These were unlike the ones before—more fishlike, with scaled fins and gill-ridges lining their necks.
But that wasn't all.
Foliage stirred near the tree line. Logan spotted shifting petals and pulsing vines—plant-type monsters. Some resembled giant, carnivorous flowers with twitching stamen-like feelers. And for the first time since entering the labyrinth, airborne threats began to emerge.
From a distant hive-like mound came a deep, reverberating buzz. Massive bees—each as large as a wolf—took to the air. Their yellow-and-black forms zipped through the trees, their stingers acting like curved spears.
Logan's eyes narrowed.
"Alright, divide and conquer," he ordered quickly. "Wyver—those giant bees are yours. Watch out for their stingers—they might be venom-tipped. Stormwing—target the new Nagas. Wait until they're near the water; this might amplify your attacks."
He turned toward his sludge monster. "Murk, assist Gaia. Focus on the flora and any chimera reinforcements."
Each command was met with a roar, a shriek, or an enthusiastic cry.
Wyver launched upward, wings spread wide as he flew straight toward the oncoming swarm. With a flick of his tail and a flap of his power wings, he cast Icy Dominion, coating the air around him in an aura of frost. Then he activated Polar Rift, summoning a spiraling vortex of sub-zero wind that encased several of the bees mid-flight. Their wings iced over instantly, sending them crashing to the ground like shattered glass.
But for every one that fell, two more appeared.
Logan counted at least thirty buzzing specs heading toward them—and that was just the beginning.
"Keep your distance, Wyver," Logan warned. "If there is a common theme it would be that all these creatures contain some kind of poison."
Down below, Stormwing circled the river, his wings charged with crackling voltage. The moment the aquatic Nagas drew close to the surface, the Thunderbird unleashed a barrage of Storm Suppression, bolts arcing across the water, sending shrieks of pain into the air.
Meanwhile, Gaia finally finished descending, his roots spreading instantly into the moist ground. With a grunt, he activated Root Bind and Terra Shockwave, slamming the earth and sending shockwaves through the plant-monsters closing in.
Beside him, Murk rolled forward like a filthy cannonball, flinging chunks of corrosive sludge toward the nearest flower beast. It sizzled on contact, the petals withering in seconds.
[Squishy plants! I like this floor!] Murk announced gleefully through the empathic link, bouncing forward as he released a Stench Burst that coated a trio of chimera in foul-smelling gas. Their movements faltered, and Gaia's roots struck next—crushing them before both the plants or chimeras could adapt.
