Chapter 26: Popping Candy
The Snobtrox moved toward the floor platform, still thirty meters away. If they were normal-sized, they’d cross that gap in a couple of minutes. But with those massive bodies, one wrong leap meant falling straight down into the swamp.
The Gnoblins were tangled up in their own mess. They were at least ten meters behind, crawling along the branches like snails. Climbing was not natural to them, unlike those monkeys ahead that could deep-throat their own noses.
After seeing the beasts lurking beneath the swamp, the Gnoblins were shitting themselves. If you can’t see what’s coming, how the hell are you supposed to fight? After that first assault, only two thunder eels and five razor piranhas were left, who were stalking the Gnoblins, waiting for them to drop like apples.
They inched their way forward, but things never go as planned in a place like this. Just a few meters in, the vine one Gnoblin was using for balance snapped with a taunting twang. He wobbled, trying to regain his balance, but all that shaking only made it worse. The branch gave way, and he started falling.
He howled in midair, claws flailing for anything to grab, but it was like the whole swamp distanced itself from him. Meanwhile, the eels started circling below the falling meat, ready to roast it for good.
He crashed into the swamp, vanishing beneath the murky surface. Both eels shot toward him, one coiling tight around his neck, the other locking down his legs. They unleashed their Thunder Bind skill at the same time. Piranhas kept their distance, not wanting to get zapped, while the Gnoblin got double shock therapy.
Bubbles swelled on the surface as the Gnoblin sizzled below, paralysed and anchored under the water. After the skill ended, the piranhas wasted no time, tearing into him while he couldn’t even twitch. Only after they’d had their fill did his chewed-up, lifeless body finally bob to the surface.
The other Gnoblins gulped at the sight of their brother, but there wasn’t shit they could do. All they could do was press on, but more carefully this time.
A few more minutes passed by before the Snobtrox reached near the floor platform. They didn’t directly step onto it, as it would take them to the next floor the moment they did. They waited for the rest of the trash to reach them first.
Meanwhile, Gnoblins were still a good ten meters behind, and on the way, two more had turned into fish food. Now only six were left, dragging themselves toward the center.
On the third floor, William watched the show unfold below. His face had finally unclenched as half the Gnoblins were down, and Cent with others, could probably deal with the rest. The only headache left was those smart-ass monkeys. If he had to take on all three at once, with their bullshit skills, he’d be screwed.
He already had a plan, and judging by the grin on his face, it was anything but adequate. He’d been waiting for the perfect moment, but now it wasn’t about the perfect moment, it was about his only chance before the rest of the climbers regrouped and came to the third floor.
With that in mind, he teleported to the second floor. The instant he landed on the platform, eyes of all three Snobtrox snapped in his direction. Seeing a lone idiot, they growlled, ready to rip him to shreds.
The nearest one took the lead, wanting to show off by soloing him. He leapt towards William and used Screeching Shockwave skill midair towards the platform.
A bone-rattling screech echoed through the floor, and the air shimmered with raw power as the shockwave barreled toward William. He didn’t even flinch, just shifted to a defensive stance and raised his sword by its flat side.
When the shockwave slammed into him, his arms shook from the force. The blades took most of the hit, but not all, the bastard’s skill still sent pain shooting through his body. He grit his teeth as crimson blood trickled from his ears.
William didn’t bother waiting for the pain to fade. He instantly pulled ten small red seeds from his inventory and lobbed them straight at the Snobtrox’s gaping mouth. Yeah, those were the same, Imp’s explosive seeds.
He hadn’t come to the second floor alone. Lumina and the Imp had been hiding behind him from the start. Thanks to Lumina’s buff, he’d survived the earlier shockwave, and Imp was here to make the seeds go boom. Good thing her seeds didn’t explode on contact, or she’d have been blowing the tower nonstop.
Her skill, ’Cinder Burst,’ worked like a trigger. As long as she was close enough to the seed, she just had to activate her skill for them to explode, and she didn’t even have to throw them herself.
Nine of them entered Snobtrox’s mouth and went straight down its throat, while one smacked its dick-shaped nose and plopped into the swamp. With seeds in place, William yelled, "Blow ’em up!"
Before the Snobtrox could even choke, the Imp triggered her skill. The seeds went off, like some dragon version of popping candy. If it was only one seed, it wouldn’t have killed a high-rank climber but nine detonating from the inside? That was an overkill.
The instant the seeds exploded, chunks of flesh and gore soaked with blood splattered across the swamp as its corpse crashed down with a wet splash.
All this happened fast. The other two Snobtrox had been waiting to see their brother’s first kill in the trial, but instead, they got blood fireworks. Rage lit them up, and they charged the platform to avenge their fallen comrade.
William’s head was still spinning, and he couldn’t hear shit, thanks to that bastard’s screech. His eardrums were fucked. The two Snobtrox barreled toward him, but instead of bailing back to the third floor, he stayed there as he had one more trick up his sleeve.
He activated Danger Sense. Blood pumped faster, the dizziness vanished, and suddenly the world snapped into focus. As the Snobtrox closed in, William pulled his old common-rank sword from his inventory and hurled it with all he had at the Snobtrox at the front like a javelin.
Blinded by rage, the Snobtrox didn’t even see the sword heading towards him. The sword hit right at his thighs, sinking deep into flesh. He howled, crashing into his buddy behind him, and the two oversized bastards tumbled into the swamp.
While the Snobtroxs were being played, the Gnoblins finally crept near the center. They froze as they saw both Snobtrox flounder in the muck while another lay dead near the platform, and William stood there like some final boss.
The drenched Snobtrox stood up, swamp water streaming off its hide. The sword was still wedged in one’s thigh, and it screeched in agony trying to yank it free.
William gave every last climber one last look with a taunting grin. "Well, that’s all, folks!. See you on the next floor." With a flick, he teleported back to the third floor.
