Chapter 274: [Freedom Dove] - Nerio’s part (26)
Ms. H had already become a massive crawling monster, inching closer and closer to the teachers’ dormitory area.
Like a giant slug, her enormous tongue swayed endlessly before finally pointing toward the gatehouse.
Beneath her tongue, a crack split open on that plump body of hers, revealing a gaping mouth large enough to swallow three people at once. From within came a thunderous voice:
"You little rats, I’ve seen you, I’ve seen you already!"
She sped up the moment she finished speaking, her gigantic body crushing the gatehouse. How could that tiny building withstand her weight? It was instantly reduced to rubble.
Yet inside, there was no one. Ms. H froze for a moment, her massive tongue groping around as though she couldn’t believe it.
Then her mouth suddenly opened wide, releasing a booming roar:
"You little rats, where are you? Where are you hiding?!"
Her body trembled, the ground and rocks beneath her crushed to dust, her tongue lashing wildly until the land beneath her became a barren patch. Only then did she turn away in fury, continuing her hunt for students who dared to break the rules.
Her tongue stretched out, clearly thrusting forward, but still slanted backward—ready to snatch up any slip-up from the students who defied her.
[This old hag is still terrifying, hahaha.]
[If this weren’t the teachers’ dormitory, she probably would’ve torn it down already...]
[This proves that Luis’s chosen path was right!]
[Even though this dungeon is challenging, aside from those artificial espers, everyone else has both brains and skills. I feel like they’ll still pull it off.]
[The central boss hasn’t even shown up yet, and some people are already bragging.]
[Hasn’t the main boss shown up? What other boss in this dungeon could surpass Nerio?]
[Hahaha, exactly, that’s hilarious.]
Susan’s group stayed hidden until Ms. H’s figure completely vanished into the pitch-black night, leaving only a faint stench lingering.
By now, Bella’s face was deathly pale. It seemed like she was using every ounce of her willpower to stop herself from vomiting on the spot.
Luis couldn’t help glancing at her, speaking softly:
"You alright?"
Bella shook her head. "Feels like I’m gonna die from this stench."
Which meant she was still fine. Luis pushed up his glasses without saying anything more.
At this moment, Nana and Sana appeared in the corridor. Letting go of each other’s hands, Nana quickly said:
"Aside from Mr. Smith, there isn’t a single teacher’s name in the list of teachers inside the dorm. They’re all just letters."
Sana also said:
"Mr. Smith is currently in Room 4 on the second floor."
Instinctively, Susan looked up. In her eyes, there was only the ashen ceiling above. If her guess was correct, the lit room must be Mr. Smith’s.
They tread lightly up to the second floor. The other rooms were tightly shut, their shabby doors and decayed frames making them look less like living quarters and less like anyone could be inside.
Even so, everyone kept their nerves taut. No one knew whether some monster might suddenly burst out from behind one of those decrepit doors to attack them.
But the path remained eerily smooth. Before long, they were standing outside the only door still illuminated in this place.
The group exchanged glances. Bella whispered:
"Things that go this smoothly are never really smooth."
[Haha, too true.]
[Anyway, there must be a reason Ms. H doesn’t dare step into the teachers’ dormitory...]
[The other monsters are just small fry—if this group barges in, it’ll only mean death.]
[Please, Susan is here. Don’t act like her abilities just disappeared.]
[But here, especially inside Mr. Smith’s room, he’s invincible. That’s the truth.]
[Props to Luis’s brain. You chicks can’t even begin to understand!]
At this moment, a key appeared in Nana’s hand—the key to Mr. Smith’s room.
Susan took it, but she didn’t rush to use it.
Mr. Smith might still be awake. If they really went inside right now...
Luis pushed up his glasses, his voice low and steady:
"Let’s go. We don’t have a way back."
They had been standing here for several minutes, even talking among themselves. If a monster was inside, it should have sensed them by now. Yet there wasn’t the slightest movement.
Either it was too weak to notice their presence... or it was giving them a chance to run.
But how could that be? That was absolutely impossible.
The more believable possibility was that the monster was so strong, it was confident they would never escape its claws.
Susan nodded, sliding the key into the lock.
"Click!"
The moment the key slid into the lock, a faint sound—so small it was almost imperceptible—echoed out.
Right after, the space before them visibly began to distort, the lock and key at its center.
The corridor vanished. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves inside a dim room lit only by the flicker of candlelight.
The room was messy, less than twenty square meters, with clothes hanging from hooks and a single bed.
At the far end of the room, a man was kneeling. The only light illuminating the room was a faint glow from before him.
[Ding! Congratulations, humans, you’ve unlocked a sub-branch! A dungeon within a dungeon! Successful entry grants you valuable information! Countdown: 10 minutes!]
[09:59]
Damian laughed boisterously:
"First time seeing something like this—and only ten minutes on the countdown?"
But his forced laughter did nothing to ease the suffocating tension.
Because right after the system’s words faded, the entire space turned unnaturally cold. A chilling air seeped straight into their bones, as though countless souls were crowding and wandering within the room.
"Forgive me... sob... if only I had cared more, if only I’d cared more for you, it wouldn’t have turned out this way... It’s my fault..."
"My daughter..."
The sobbing voice echoed. From his back, it was clear the man before them was Mr. Smith, his shoulders shaking violently as he wept.
Crack!
Suddenly, the sound of breaking bones resounded. Mr. Smith’s head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, facing the intruding humans directly.
But his face had no features. Instead, unevenly sized tentacles writhed and squirmed, like a mass of giant maggots.
Thick saliva dripped in strings from those enormous tendrils.
"It’s all because the students refused to follow the rules! Because of you! Because of you! Give me back my daughter!"
Mr. Smith roared. Immediately, the tentacles on his face seemed to gain awareness, lashing forward, their sharp tips piercing through the walls!
The humans dodged frantically, but it didn’t stop there. From Mr. Smith’s skin and clothing, countless more tentacles burst out, writhing and crowding the room.
In moments, Mr. Smith had transformed into a monstrous mass of tentacles, with no limbs remaining.
They crawled and writhed in every direction, so many that they blanketed the entire room. Their sharp tips suddenly stood erect, like a hedgehog with its spines bristling outward, filling the space—leaving no room to hide!