Live Dungeon! Chapter 367: How to Break an Organ

"I must say, it’s been underwhelming so far," Xeno muttered.

"Yeah… but something about it gives me the creeps," Hannah replied, eyes narrowed.

Xeno had drawn the aggro first and was still untouched, soaring through the air with ease. Hannah, flying beside him, was focused entirely on reading the monster’s movements. Yet the Corroded Elder Dragon had only unleashed its corrosive breath so far, easily avoided by retreating into the air. Its lumbering motions were slow, almost laughably so.

"[. "

"[. "

Diniel’s arrows pierced bone with pinpoint precision, while Leleia’s Spirit magic engulfed the Dragon’s body in flames. But even under this assault, the creature showed no reaction. Instead, a thick, dark-red ichor began to ooze from its bones. The liquid flowed freely, undeterred even by fire, gradually staining the Dragon’s entire body in a sickly, blackened hue.

Then, something changed.

"What is that…?" Korinna whispered.

As the blood swirled around the Dragon’s left breast, she heard a steady, pulsing throb. It was not one of her usual hallucinations. It was no phantom echo conjured by her sensitivity to death. This was real. The Corroded Elder Dragon’s hollow chest now housed a beating heart.

The instant the heart fully formed, the Dragon reared back and released a thunderous roar. It was not like the vengeful bellow from before, but something vibrant and alive, like a newborn declaring its presence to the world. Blood, bright and arterial, exploded outward, the droplets spraying through the air. A few of them twisted mid-flight, rising diagonally up toward Xeno.

"Tch…!"

In midair, he had no way to brace himself. The droplets solidified into jagged crimson spears in an instant, hurtling toward him. He managed to raise his buckler just in time to deflect a direct hit to the face, but the impact still sent him reeling backward.

"Looks like it can control its own blood now. Should we start blasting?" Diniel asked.

"…Not yet. Let’s study its attacks first," Korinna said.

"We waste too much time, and it’ll just regenerate the rest of its body. You saw how fast it rebuilt that heart."

Even now, thin red lines traced across the Dragon’s massive frame, pulsing as if invisible veins coursed through its body. Within, blackened blood began to gather once more, slower than before but unmistakably aiming to regenerate some other vital organ.

"If Hannah can’t do her job, none of us can hold out. We need to force it to commit to more attacks," Leleia said.

"Then let’s start by clearing that mess."

Even as she spoke, Diniel loosed an arrow with surgical precision, shattering one of the blood spears still pursuing Xeno. The weapon burst apart into powder and rained to the ground, rendered inert. But others remained, streaking toward him with unrelenting momentum.

"Hmph. What a hassle," Xeno grumbled. "[!"

With the brief window Diniel had created, he unsheathed his short sword and cleaved several more spears from the air, each cut leaving behind a silver flash of combat aura. At the same time, Korinna’s preemptive [ took effect, knitting together the bruises and cuts he’d taken.

"Here comes the main body!" Hannah warned.

The Corroded Elder Dragon, now drawn by Xeno’s [, surged forward. Its movements grew faster with every heartbeat, its growing vascular system pumping dark blood through limbs that once barely moved. As it raised a massive front claw to swat him out of the air, the motion was no longer sluggish… but still, it was just about as fast as an unboosted Mount Golem.

Xeno dodged the sweeping strike, grimacing at the grotesque limb. Blood, not muscle, seemed to be animating it. Its arteries bulged, and its bones creaked beneath the strain.

Then the claw hit the ground. A loud crack split the air as the limb struck stone, and the veins within it burst. A spray of blood exploded upward in violent arcs.

"I knew it!"

Anticipating the trap, he weaved through the air as thorn-like blood crystals erupted from the ground, aiming to skewer him mid-flight. Just as suddenly as they had formed, the crimson spikes began to melt, retreating back toward the Dragon’s underside in liquid form.

"Diniel," Korinna called calmly. "Avoid targeting the areas with those veins. Focus on the heart first."

"Yeah, if I hit the wrong place with [, we’re all dead. I’ll use [."

Should one of the veins rupture, blood would attack whoever held aggro, currently Xeno. Therefore, instead of a high-powered burst, Diniel fired arrows in pairs. A typical Archer might shoot two arrows in quick succession, but Diniel's arrows flew as if guided by invisible strings, perfectly aligned, streaking directly towards the Corroded Elder Dragon’s heart. Only an Elf like Diniel, possessing decades of experience, a honed physique, and an intimate mastery of her Archer skills, could execute such a flawless double shot.

"Ah."

Despite her machine-like precision, avoiding every one of the creature’s myriad blood vessels proved impossible. A few strands tore loose mid-flight, speckling the fletching with dark blood. Nevertheless, the arrows maintained their momentum; the first plunged into the heart with a solid thunk, and the second followed a breath later, striking the identical spot.

"What a drag…"

Activating [ mid-flight, Diniel observed the arrows' trajectories, making minute adjustments as she calmly loosed shot after shot. She occasionally incorporated elemental arrows. Those infused with Lightning Magic Stones possessed such potent force they could be mistaken for actual, sky-rending lightning bolts.

"Man, she’s as ruthless as ever," Hannah muttered, watching the arrows traverse the battlefield like comets. "She doesn’t even need any extra skills to make her shots that fast. It’s like watching a monster disguised as a woman…"

Diniel's unassuming frame and usually indifferent demeanor made her appear frail at first glance, yet she wielded her jet-black bow with practiced ease. This was likely attributable to her high proficiency with the bow, but fundamentally, it was enabled by her basic muscle strength. After all, its bowstring was so impossibly taut that even Leleia, despite her chiseled core and defined abs, had found it challenging to draw.

Hannah considered herself quite strong among the female Explorers. During her tenure with Ealdred Crow, she rarely lost any contests of leg strength.

However, after joining Absolute Helix, that confidence began to wane. Even Korinna, who by the numbers was the party’s weakest in raw strength, had built a surprising amount of muscle from years of dedicated physical labor as a nurse. She was even stronger than Tsutomu, a fully grown man. And in terms of sheer power, Amira easily outclassed the entire team. It prompted Hannah to question the validity of the old 'women are weaker than men' notion.

"Hannah, have you finished assessing its patterns?"

Korinna’s voice jolted her from her reverie. She had become so engrossed in a contemplation of muscles and comparative strength that she hadn't noticed her focus wavering. Startled, Hannah flinched, instinctively unfurling her blue-feathered wings before directing her gaze back to the Corroded Elder Dragon.

"Y-Yeah, I think we’re good to swap Tanks anytime. For now, its attacks are manageable… but I don’t think it’s gonna stay like this forever."

She had, in truth, managed to decipher most of the Corroded Elder Dragon’s attack patterns. The creature itself posed minimal threat… at least for the moment. The true danger lay in its manipulation of blood, yet even this, upon closer examination, was not as erratic as it initially appeared. The majority of its assaults manifested as needle-sharp sprays or projectiles, lacking sophisticated homing capabilities or extensive range. The only genuine obstacle thus far had been the initial auto-tracking blood spears.

Furthermore, Xeno had deliberately absorbed a few hits to gauge the damage, but Hannah was certain he could have evaded them had he chosen to.

Still, no one presumed the boss monster of the hundredth layer would remain so docile. Even Hannah sensed it. The beast was undergoing evolution. Its blood vessels were proliferating. More organs were developing. With each passing minute, its strength amplified.

Korinna considered Hannah’s analysis thoughtfully and narrowed her eyes, fixing her gaze upon a section of the Dragon’s body that pulsed subtly during its reformation.

"Judging by that shape… I’d say it’s forming a liver now."

"The liver?" Hannah tilted her head. "…Uh, what’s that, again?"

"Well, speaking in terms of food, it's the part that has a distinctively rich, earthy flavor. I quite enjoy it, actually."

"Ahh… that. I know it's supposed to be nutritious, but I’ve never been a fan, honestly."

Hannah stuck out her tongue, recalling the metallic tang of liver on her palate.

"Anyway, the monster only began employing blood-based attacks after its heart regenerated," Korinna continued her explanation. "It's just a theory, but… I believe every time it regenerates an organ, it acquires a new ability."

"So if it grows a liver, what does that mean?"

"Well, there's no certainty, but... the liver's primary role is detoxification. It's possible it could develop immunity to poisons or other status ailments."

"If that's the extent of it, then it might not be too detrimental, right?"

"Perhaps," Korinna responded with caution. "However, until we ascertain the function of each organ as it regenerates, diligent tracking of their order and effects is crucial. Ideally, we would target the heart for destruction... but it seems unlikely we'll have that opportunity anytime soon."

Diniel and Leleia persisted in their focused assault on the heart, making sure to avoid drawing Xeno's aggression. Their strikes were effective, inflicting visible damage upon the throbbing organ with each hit, yet not enough to disrupt its steady beat. The colossal heart, composed of resilient, fibrous muscle tissue, appeared to pulse with increased vigor at every contraction. If they could manage to annihilate it, the Dragon's blood attacks would likely cease. Nevertheless, achieving that objective would demand considerable time.

"That being said, I might actually be of assistance this time around."

"Oh? That's unusual," Hannah remarked, raising an eyebrow. "You sound remarkably confident that this plan will succeed."

"While variations may exist across different species, I possess considerable knowledge regarding internal organs. Based on its appearance, this boss's organs fall within the scope of my identification capabilities. That alone provides us with a viable strategy." Her expression brightened, clearly pleased at the prospect of being useful, especially on this significant milestone layer. "I'm no world-renowned surgeon capable of saving countless lives, but I've observed enough patients to grasp the intricate structure of the human body. And if I understand how to construct it, then I can certainly deduce how to dismantle it."

"...R-Right."

Overcome by a hint of unease at Korinna's unsettling zeal, Hannah couldn't help but subtly shift away, offering a strained smile.