Dungeon Raider System-Chapter 952: Almost human

"What is this? It is so good~!" The hideous creature who happened to be Medusa’s mother moaned in pleasure after slurping the Cheeky chicken noodles. In a sense, it wasn’t surprising that the famished cryptid enjoyed food so much yet Medusa couldn’t help but feel awkward. After all, her friends always scolded her for ’liking Cheeky chicken’ too much and she always ignored them, but now she could really understand where they came from.

"It’s Cheeky chicken." She said, taking a demure sip of her own cup.

"I just can’t get enough of it."

"I noticed." Medusa smiled wryly as she watched her supplies that were meant to last for a long expedition disappear in a single sitting.

When Medusa was a child, she didn’t know what a mother was or why did she need one. It wasn’t until she interacted with people her age that she realized there was an important part of her life missing. At first, she imagined her mother was on a business trip and would eventually return with many gifts, but as time passed she stopped indulging in such fantasies. Especially after Walter told her that her mother was sick which shifted Medusa’s daydreams to just meet her mother once in her life.

Her reunion with her mother was not like she pictured, but she couldn’t complain. Even if she turned out to be a cryptid, and a horror level one at that, she behaved like a regular person. Sure, she had weird fangs, gleaming eyes that could turn almost anyone into stone and possessed the enhanced regeneration common to cryptids, but she liked a good cup of Cheeky chicken just like her.

Other than that, they didn’t have much in common as Medusa found out after conversing with her mother for a long time. Medusa, the original, was born as a human being in the bronze age which Medusa only knew about thanks to Uriel’s long rants about archaeology. She was a simple minded woman who was picked to become a priestess at a young age due to her outstanding looks which allowed her to obtain a level of education rarely given to anyone, let alone women.

She learned how to read and write, basic mathematics and a few other topics, though she never had any interest in becoming a priestess or learning and she just enjoyed the perks of being considered pretty by all who looked at her. Things changed when other candidates showed up, but not in a bad way as the other priestess became the closest thing to a family the original Medusa ever knew.

She grew up to become the best suited candidate to reaching divinity, but the journey was perilous just as the painstaking trials she had to endure. But with her friends she didn’t feel her responsibility as a burden, but rather a privilege as she was able to know more about the world with what she deemed her family.

"And then they betrayed me and I became the first gorgon." Medusa’s mother let out a long sigh.

"Are there more like you? Like us..." Medusa corrected.

"I had two ’sisters’, other priestess who fell from grace and became similar to me, but they’re now dead. I only survived thanks to Walter, since warriors used to come to this cave to kill me which became a sacred trial. It happened all the time until Walter brought the coin you now have in your hand."

"This coin...," Medusa pondered as she looked at the large coin in her hand wishing she had learned more about artifacts, not only about their inner workings but also about their historic side. "hold on, when did he bring this coin? How old is he?"

"Walter? He’s from my time, he was a really handsome warrior," The original Medusa sighed with longing. "I don’t remember what was his name, it’s been centuries after all and he’s changed his name so many times..."

Speaking casually with her mother made Medusa realize many things, like the fact that she didn’t doubt for a second her statement that she lived in the bronze age or that her grampa was also from that time. Or that she enjoyed hearing the sound of her voice and even if she looked like a monster, she still tried hard to imprint her face in her mind.

The feeling she gave was completely different from that of any other cryptid she ever met as even her flux signature did not feel foreign but welcoming. It was a strange situation, especially when considering the power disparity, but Medusa felt safe the entire time and she also learned many useful things.

"So, grampa obtained the technology to found his company in this dungeon." Medusa mumbled to herself.

"At least that’s what he told me. He’s been traveling the world for a while now, searching for a way to release me from my curse, but nothing’s worked so far. From what I gathered the last time we met, he’s now desperate trying to find a weapon that can kill the ones who did this to me. I just wish he came to visit more often, he’s so old now..."

"Yeah... he’s doing well, though." Medusa lied through gritted teeth as she knew her grampa’s health had been declining to the point where he can’t even go far from a medical facility which is why he spends most of his time locked up in the Behemoth, the largest zeppelin ever built.

"Anyway, it’s probably time for you to go. Please come back again...please..." The cryptid sniffled. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

"I don’t plan on coming back ever again." Medusa replied and the gorgon’s reaction was as if someone threw a bucket of cold water to her face.

"I see, it’s not what I expected but I understand." She said with a wry smile encompassed by the unsightly fangs.

"You’re coming with me," Medusa’s smiled seemed brighter than her glittering eyes as she grabbed a soldering mask and brand new clothes from her backpack. "these are at least one size too small for you, but I think that will play in our favor."

Unfortunately for the gorgon, taking a bath was outside of the realm of possibility, but dressing up in new clothes made her almost feel like a human. Just as Medusa said, the clothes were probably smaller than what they should have been, especially after eating a large amount of noodles that allowed her to rapidly regain some weight.

The chest area seemed to want to burst and the same happened on the hips which gave her an exuberant look a human could hardly achieve. It wasn’t perfect, but taking a page from Uriel’s book seemed to work perfectly as it was proven the moment they reached a city.

"They’re looking at me too much, are you sure they don’t know what I am?" Medusa’s mother said in a whisper.

"That’s not the reason why they’re looking at you, trust me." Medusa giggled as she remembered her even being able to attend to class after faking her own death.

Once again, Medusa was correct as very few people even noticed the soldering mask. Most of those who looked at them would not care even if they were cryptids as their alluring figures along with their charm was enough not to just turn heads, but also to draw an amount of catcalling that bordered harassment.

The first megacity they visited was obviously Greece, which served them right as the sight of a modern city sprinkled with classical era monuments was the best of both worlds. Just looking around it was possible to notice the value the locals placed on culture and Medusa wished Uriel could be by her side as she knew he would appreciate it.

"That’s never going to happen." Medusa murmured as she shook off the painful feelings that came along wishful thinking.

Things were not much better for Medusa’s mother, who soon became overwhelmed by technology, people and pretty much everything inside the city which forced them to head out as soon as they stocked up on supplies.

Just as Luna and Uriel warned, the wilderness near Greece were incredibly dangerous and they had a long way ahead. The cryptids that showed up went from bull-like people to large monstrosities that would make any hunter fear for their life. But true to her name, both the hunter Medusa and the cryptid Medusa were able to breeze through hordes of cryptids with nothing but the equivalent to a mean glare.

Mother and daughter had fun despite their different circumstances, traveling on foot across Europe leaving stone sculptures in their wake. Medusa was having a blast and she also had the time to learn about the past. Even better was the fact that they earned so many flux orbs that they could leisurely spend whenever they reached a city, allowing them to live a lavish life making them both to almost wish their trip would last forever.

"I need to speak with your CEO." Medusa said in front of a counter.

"Many people do, just state your name and business and someone will come meet you... probably in a week or a month." The clerk replied after barely glancing at the two tall women in front of her.

"I’m here to cash in a favor in the name of Uriel Sage."

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