Chapter 35 - The Monster of Desire
’Disgusting.’
Jhin inhaled deeply and frowned.
The deeper he went into the tunnel, the more the sticky air wrapped around his lungs.
It made him feel unpleasant.
’There’s blood mixed in the air.’
Scattered like trash on the ground were pieces of someone’s body.
The broken and battered walls showed the traces of what had happened.
Even without having to look closely, he could tell what had gone down here.
Walking beside him, Caleb wrinkled his forehead and said,
«What kind of bastard is this Trigger anyway?»
Jhin answered honestly.
«I don’t know.»
«...You don’t know?»
«Yeah. Triggers are just like Grids.
When they swallow the Dungeon Flower, the form they take depends on the desire they have at that moment.»
That’s why they were particularly tricky opponents.
’There’s no set strategy.’
Every person harbors different desires.
Someone short wishes to be tall.
Someone overweight dreams of losing weight.
When such things manifest into desire, they mutate into the form of a ’Grid’ or a ’Trigger’ that fits it.
«Until you go up against them directly, you can’t know anything.»
If they had information about what kind of person the infected used to be, maybe they could have guessed.
But the Dungeon Disease at Stoneveil city Station had infected an unspecified crowd.
There was no particular information to pin down.
’Besides, it doesn’t even seem like the Trigger is someone from Stoneveil city Station.’
Before even entering the station, they had discovered traces of battle outside.
Hadn’t Jobe also mentioned that the monster first appeared outside?
Only afterward had the people inside started mutating.
The Trigger was an outsider.
’In the end, someone deliberately put the Trigger into Stoneveil city Station.’
Jhin narrowed his eyes.
He couldn’t figure out the specific traits without knowing the monster’s desire, but there were things he could roughly guess.
The mana it had scattered around.
He estimated it using Soft skills.
’The level must easily be over 100.
Pretty much the level of a mid-boss in a D-grade dungeon.’
He had been hoping it would just be something like the E-grade boss, Wilow King.
But already, he was feeling weary.
He couldn’t afford to lower his guard.
’In terms of stats, I shouldn’t lose. But...’
Exodia wasn’t a game where you simply won by having a high level, or by having good stats.
Though his original level was only 40, he had the strength to fight level 100 monsters.
Each monster had its own characteristics.
Depending on the buffs that manifested or the circumstances, even a low-level monster could sometimes become far stronger.
And as for this one...
’Its stats must be heavily skewed.’
Monsters driven only by desire tend to grow with grotesque stat distributions.
Someone obsessed with being taller might pour all their stats into ’Strength’ and ’Endurance,’ turning themselves into a giant.
A dangerous, reckless choice.
’A double-edged sword.’
The overall balance would be terrible, but in one area, it would become a monster that broke the norms.
That’s why, even though Grids were generally weak, they were tricky to hunt.
«Jhin.»
A sharp voice — Millie.
Among them, she had the best eyesight and the sharpest senses.
She was the first to notice the ominous presence approaching from beyond the tunnel.
Jhin turned to face forward.
Out of the darkness, a huge shape was approaching, lit up by the large, flickering red lantern.
The monster’s size was much greater than a bear’s.
Jhin focused on its body.
«...Its sagging flesh looks like a slime.»
«I think I know what its desire was.»
«Me too.»
The monster’s grotesquely bloated flesh sagged down to the ground.
Its legs and other parts couldn’t even be seen, buried under the folds.
Yet somehow, it was still walking — in a way, it was impressive.
And then he met its eyes.
From those eyes, a cold, chilling feeling radiated.
Pure madness.
When he met the gaze of a being that was driven only by desire, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
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A Stage 4 Dungeon Disease patient.
The Trigger had appeared.
Jhin frowned deeply as he took in the monster.
’...It’s huge.’
Its massive size made it feel like the tunnel was filled completely.
Every step it took made the ground tremble.
At this point, it would be impossible not to understand what its desire had been.
And the Trigger kept flicking its tongue, endlessly repeating the same words.