Chapter 194: Shadow Nimbus
Martin swam through the canal’s violent current without slowing down, following the voice deeper into the darkness. He was still convinced Angel was calling for him, and that thought kept him moving before he could stop and question whether any of it made sense. If it really was her, then his baby girl needed him, and nothing else mattered.
Rias remembered what Elisebeth had told her about Angel and how early Martin had found the dragon turtle in the game. She understood why he had rushed off without warning, but that did not make him any easier to keep up with.
Martin had already equipped his Broodtide Set, and with his blessing letting him breathe underwater, he moved through the canal with ease. Rias had neither advantage, so she opened her equipment menu and selected her new Shadow Nimbus Set.
Black mist spread over her body, then tightened against her skin as layers of dark cloth and leather formed around her. A high-collared combat top covered her flat chest, while fitted leggings wrapped around her legs and reinforced sections protected her thighs and knees.
Slim boots enclosed her calves, and narrow belts settled around her waist and hips, carrying small pouches and slots for throwing weapons. The whole outfit had the sleek, dangerous look of an assassin touched by dark magic. It was light, flexible, and clearly meant for someone who relied on speed and precision instead of standing still and taking hits.
The set did nothing to add curves where Rias lacked them, but the way it hugged her lower body made that easy to overlook. The dark material clung to her hips and outlined her plump ass, giving the practical combat gear far more sex appeal than it had any right to possess.
Wisps of black cloud appeared around her next, circling her arms, waist, and legs in loose, uneven patterns. They sometimes gathered behind her in the shape of a ragged cloak before drifting apart again.
One of the clouds rose toward her face and curled around her jaw before spreading across her lips. It thickened into a smooth mask of living shadow that hid the lower half of her face without making it harder to breathe.
At the same time, the dark aura pouring from the set swept her hair straight back and held every strand away from her face. With the mask, the altered shape of her hair, and the cold presence surrounding her, almost nothing remained of Rias’s usual appearance. Even someone who knew her well might have needed a second look to recognize her.
When she reached toward one of the other clouds, her fingers passed through it without resistance. They were part of the Shadow Nimbus Set’s full-set effect, although the skill tied to them was still unavailable. That did not matter right now. The large increase to her Dexterity was much more useful while she was trying to catch Martin.
He had already disappeared beneath the surface, so Rias filled her lungs and dove after him.
Her new gear made a difference right away. The fitted material cut down on drag, allowing her to kick harder and move with the current instead of constantly fighting against it. The black clouds followed close behind, stretching into thin trails of darkness through the murky canal.
The deeper she went, the harder it became to see. The last traces of light faded overhead until only dark water and the occasional outline of submerged stone remained. Thankfully, Martin’s marker stayed visible on her minimap.
Many players would have struggled to follow someone using nothing more than a moving icon and an incomplete map of the area, but Rias had always possessed a strong sense of distance and direction. She adjusted whenever Martin changed course, slipped between broken chunks of masonry, and used every point of Dexterity her new set provided.
How deep is this canal?
Her oxygen meter reached zero before she found an answer.
Her HP began to fall, and the muscles in her chest tightened around her empty lungs. The game did not produce real pain, but her body still reacted to the lack of air. Every instinct urged her to give up the chase and claw her way back to the surface, yet she forced herself to keep swimming.
Martin finally glanced behind him and noticed her struggling several yards away. His expression changed at once. He turned around, swam back to her, and held out his hand.
Rias grabbed it, and he pulled her through the current toward a narrow opening in the canal wall. The passage sloped upward and led into a shallow pool inside a dark tunnel. The moment they broke the surface, Rias sucked in a desperate breath.
"Sorry about that," Martin said while she struggled to fill her lungs.
There had been no genuine pain, but her body had still convinced her that she was suffocating. For several seconds, she could focus on nothing except the cold air rushing into her chest.
Martin felt terrible watching her recover. He had been so focused on the voice that he had not noticed her behind him until her HP had already started dropping. Thankfully, he had found the tunnel before anything worse happened.
"It’s fine..." Rias said once she could speak again. "You followed the voice, right? Is it here?"
Martin nodded. "Yeah. It’s here."
Rias studied the tunnel around them. "It doesn’t seem wide enough for Angel to get through."
Martin’s mouth tightened because she was right. Angel could never have squeezed through the opening, much less followed the narrow slope this far.
The passage did not even look like a natural part of the canal. It resembled an old sewer, complete with a dry walkway running beside the water.
"I mean..." Martin gave her an embarrassed smile. "We’ve already come this far. We might as well check it out, right?"
Rias climbed onto the walkway while water ran down the tight fabric of her new set. The dark clouds returned to circling her body, briefly gathering around her hips before drifting away again.
She rolled her eyes. "Right."
They continued deeper into the tunnel, prepared to encounter monsters, traps, or anything else that might explain the mysterious voice. Instead, a brilliant blue light flared ahead of them without warning.
Martin raised his arm, but neither of them had time to react before the light swallowed their vision. The tunnel vanished behind a wall of white, and a new system window opened in front of them.
[You have discovered a hidden path to the Level 60 Hidden Dungeon: Monster Hunter Academy of the Endless Rain.]
The ground disappeared beneath their feet, and the dungeon pulled them inside.
—
"HELP ME!"
Martin and Rias fell through a curtain of blue light and landed on something broad, hard, and strangely familiar. A soft sapphire glow pulsed beneath their feet, and when Martin looked down, he immediately recognized the thick crystalline shell.
It was far larger than he remembered. Angel’s back had grown wide enough to carry several players with plenty of room left over. Heavy layers of luminous blue crystal covered her shell, while deep sapphire veins glowed beneath the surface and brightened in a slow, steady rhythm.
"Angel?"
The enormous creature shifted beneath them, and a massive head rose beside the shell. Sheets of seawater rolled down her smooth blue skin, revealing delicate lines of light across her cheeks and neck.
Two blunt, dragon-like horn stubs had grown from the top of her head, and their tips gave off a faint blue glow. Angel was nearly the size of a small house now.
Her crystal armor looked strong enough to withstand siege weapons, and the thick legs hidden beneath the waves carried far more power than before. She should have looked ancient and majestic enough to make anyone think twice before approaching her.
Then she looked at Martin with the same wide sapphire eyes she had always possessed, and her young, harmless expression ruined the effect at once.
Martin’s shoulders relaxed. "There’s my baby girl."
Angel’s eyes brightened at the sound of his voice, but the reaction lasted only a moment. She suddenly remembered something and turned her head away.
Rias pushed herself upright and surveyed the dungeon. An endless ocean stretched in every direction beneath a dark sky heavy with rain clouds.
Waves rolled across the surface, and distant lightning briefly lit the horizon, but there was no land in sight. Without Angel beneath them, they would have fallen straight into open water without knowing what waited below.
"Wait, I hear the voice too," Rias said. "Was that really Angel?"
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