Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 949: Medusa’s lair Part 1

Medusa’s workshop in the Pegasus had become just like Luna’s room after their expedition, not just because it was filled with blueprints hastily taped in the walls and the floor was carpeted with trash, but also because she only got out for short bathroom breaks. She went from a dead end on her career to a myriad of possibilities thanks to the discoveries made when studying the ancient ruins of Chicén Itzá.

All she had for breakfast, lunch and dinner was Cheeky chicken and continued working even while eating. Her effort was commendable just as her dedication to her studies, but it didn’t come from a place of self improving or even curiosity, but from the fact that humanity was hard pressed on time to either make a ground breaking discovery or perish.

Knowing what she now knew, creating new artifacts was only feasible as long as she was willing to sacrifice something of equal value in return. In the case of the ’Red thread of fate’ it was a portion of her ability along with an equal portion of Luna’s and Nika’s abilities, though the loss was only temporary and they were able to not just recover fully but even improve after that.

Replicating that without the risk of someone becoming powerless was too much of a risk and she also didn’t know if an artifact could become cursed by mistake. Or that was what she thought before, because now she knew that all living beings were actually ’biological fields’ she also grasped the process of an artifact being born.

"If an inanimate object is under the constant influence of biological fields, there is a chance it will become an artifact. Now all I have to do is calculate the probability of it happening in order to create a controlled way to..." She spoke out loud then proceeded to mumble her findings only to herself until she fell into silent contemplation.

Whether or not she was able to create an artifact was one thing, but if she was unable to properly anticipate what effect will it have it would only be a loss of flux energy and a waste of time. Even if the artifact she hypothetically created was powerful, it would be useless if they didn’t know what it did, dangerous even. And unfortunately, Uriel was the only one who could anticipate it.

"At least structures are easier to understand...," She pondered as she gazed at the blueprints on the wall, particularly at a rather large one with intricate wiring and complex design. There were also several other blueprints that rooted out from the main one, but they were much more simple and easy to understand. "now all I need is to start construction." Medusa fell once again into silent pondering but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Medusa?" Emma cautiously asked.

"Did we arrive? Just give me an hour to wrap up." Medusa replied in a rush.

"Actually, we arrived yesterday and we’re only waiting on you."

"Yesterday!? Why didn’t you say so before!" Medusa hurried out causing Emma to frown at her sight. Her disheveled hair and unkempt appearance were one thing, but she also reeked.

"Wouldn’t you like to take a shower first? You’re meeting your mom today after all." Emma spoke pinching her nose which informed Medusa that even though it felt like a day, more than a week had passed. For that same reason, she decided to use the bathtub instead of the shower as she also desperately needed some rest.

She had worked so hard on her task that she had completely overlooked the personal matter she was about to head into and didn’t have enough time to even feel anxious about it. Had it been her past self, she would have spent the entire week obsessing over what would happen and what to do, but in that entire week she didn’t spare a single thought to it.

"Whatever happens, will happen." She muttered to herself after climbing out of the bathtub and enveloping herself on a soft robe. She had to pick her outfit as best she could to give a good impression to her mother, though she didn’t know what kind of person her mother would be as she only knew what Luna and Uriel told her about the mythical monster and none of those could be counted as trustworthy sources. novelbuddy-cσ๓

"Make sure to hire only the best engineers for the project and also to compartmentalize everything so they don’t figure out what they’re building." Medusa said to Emma before turning away to face the dungeon that could spell her doom, her reconciliation with her origins or both.

The dungeon entrance was located high in a mountain, in a cave that seemed completely ordinary though for hundreds of years no human that entered it had come out alive which is how it managed to remain completely a secret, but Medusa took it as a warning of the dungeon’s difficulty.

She wasn’t worried about her strength, though, as she knew she could probably deal with a horror level cryptid by herself. After all, now she perfectly controlled her power and after all her years of training added to her experience as a hunter, she had earned the right to be confident in her abilities. As an engineer, she was also well suited for solo exploration in dungeons as she was able to detect traps even in Chichén Itzá which Uriel classified as the most difficult dungeon they encountered so far.

What worried her was that although all of that was true, it would be her first time exploring a dungeon by herself without any sort of backup. Even retreating would not be an option as it quickly turned back and left after dropping her off.

"I’ll be fine, everything will be fine, this is just another dungeon." She gulped down a lump of saliva before setting foot inside the cave and immediately realizing the exit had been sealed. Not by rocks or a door, it was more like it just never existing. Just one step inside the dungeon entrance and her back was already against cold solid rock.

Medusa clapped her cheeks as if to wake herself up, reassuring herself that even though the exit was now sealed, retreating was not an option from the start and she shook off her head along with her fears.

The cave or rather, the dungeon was a dark tunnel made of uneven rocks but she could smell some moisture and could even heard water dripping somewhere in the distance. Her crimson eyes gleamed enough for her to be able to see up to three meters from her position which was way more than any normal human being and even most hunters considering how the cave itself was in complete darkness, but she still decided to light up a flare. It would usually be considered a mistake when entering a dungeon to casually light a flare as it would draw the attention of all enemies nearby without fail, but her eyes already glowed enough to mark her as a target and she figured she had nothing to lose. After confirming that the tunnel was straight and long, Medusa decided to also lit her gas lantern as it would provide her a more reliable source of light.

Medusa then started walking thinking of all the things she should have thought before entering the dungeon, like what to do when she met with her mother and what to say. All while casually disarming traps along the way.

"Interesting... a trip wire." She said as she knelt down in front of a thin tread trying to figure out if it was a trigger to activate another trap or if that was the trap itself. Unable to figure it out, she rummaged her toolbox and grabbed a reinforced alloy pliers which she used to cut the wire.

After heaving a relieved sigh when nothing seemed to happen, she continued on her way along the tunnel encountering some obvious traps such as pressure plates, pit falls and such. Instead of scared, she felt reassured by the presence of traps as she would feel way more anxious if things were too easy. Not that walking in a narrow tunnel was easy, but that was only due to her unusual height and the bulk of her equipment and didn’t have much effect on the dungeon difficulty itself.

This last part, though, turned out not to be true as she encountered the first enemy. A half human half serpent creature rushed in towards Medusa bearing claws and fangs in a menacing way.

"I bet Sam would’ve loved this place." Medusa chuckled as she confirmed the enemy was a female due to her naked torso, but the funny thought soon disappeared when she realized that although the enemy didn’t seem to be strong, her body was perfectly suited for close quarter combat in a narrow passage such as the tunnel.

The worst part had yet to come as the moment the cryptid neared Medusa’s position it was also revealed that she was immune to her ability as it didn’t so much as flinch when she used her petrifying glare.

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