Warlock of Oceans: My Poseidon System

Massive stone pillars lined the sides of the long nave, though several had collapsed, littering the ground with debris. The few that remained upright were cracked, their once smooth surfaces marred by the passage of time. Weeds and vines had found their way inside, curling around the fallen stone, reclaiming the space that had long been abandoned. The air inside the church was heavy, thick with the scent of rot and decay as if the very essence of the place had been corrupted over time.

As Cyrus and Athena moved deeper into the church, their eyes were drawn to the far end of the room where a large altar stood. The altar, which had likely once been a place of reverence, was now covered in dust and grime. Its carvings were faded and broken, but they still held a faint echo of the religious importance they once possessed. Behind it, towering windows of shattered stained glass let in fractured beams of light, casting jagged reflections across the altar.

But it wasn't the altar itself that drew their attention—it was the massive creature that sat beside it.

The creature was a grotesque parody of the toads they had encountered outside, but this one was different—larger, stronger, more monstrous. It sat with its legs crossed, hunched over, its large, muscular arms resting on its knees. Its leathery skin, a sickly mix of green and brown, glistened faintly in the dim light. The creature's head was hunched, massive jaws slack as it snored lightly in its sleep. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

Unlike the other toads, this one had a more humanoid form. Its torso was broad and muscular, covered in patches of rough, warty skin. Its limbs, while still toad-like, were thick and powerful, capable of delivering crushing blows. But what was truly menacing was the longsword it held in its grip—a weapon that dwarfed the creature itself. The sword's blade was tarnished and covered in grime, yet its sheer size made it a terrifying weapon. If the creature were to swing it in this enclosed space, there was no doubt it could tear the entire church down in mere moments.

Cyrus's eyes narrowed as he instinctively realized what he was looking at. This was no ordinary monster—this was the boss of the floor. The sheer presence of the creature made it clear that it was leagues beyond the toads they had fought earlier. Its hulking form radiated a sense of dormant power, and despite its slumber, the threat it posed was palpable.

Athena, standing beside him, followed his gaze. Her expression was calm but serious, clearly recognizing the danger they were facing. She whispered softly, barely audible, "This is the true danger of this floor."

Cyrus didn't respond, but his instincts flared. Every fiber of his being was telling him to tread carefully. The creature's enormous sword twitched slightly in its sleep, and for a moment, Cyrus imagined the devastation it could unleash in this confined space. The slightest wrong move could wake it, and a fight here would likely bring the entire church crumbling down around them.

As they stood in the shadow of the sleeping giant, the dilapidated interior of the church seemed to grow even more oppressive, the weight of what lay ahead sinking in.

'I'm pretty confident I can beat pretty much every monster in this dungeon across all floors that these adventurers have cleared… yet, I've never felt such an overwhelming sensation of dread.'

The stillness of the dilapidated church was abruptly shattered as the giant toad monster snapped awake. Its heavy, muscular form jerked upright, and the soft snoring that had filled the air was replaced by a low, guttural growl. Cyrus and Athena froze as the creature's massive eyes blinked open—two globular orbs, one fixing itself on Cyrus while the other slowly, unnervingly, swiveled to focus on Athena.

For a brief, heart-stopping moment, the room seemed to hold its breath. The creature's gaze was penetrating, its eyes reflecting a dark intelligence, a sense of weight and danger that pressed down on them like a physical force. Cyrus felt an icy dread coil in his chest. His instincts screamed at him, warning him of the imminent threat. Every fiber of his being told him to brace for a deadly battle, one that could tear the entire church apart if the creature so much as moved.

But then, just as quickly as the fear had gripped him, it began to fade. The intensity in the toad's eyes slowly dimmed, the sinister gleam receding as if some unseen force was pulling it away. Its massive, amphibian face relaxed, the growl dying in its throat. Though it remained alert, its once menacing presence became subdued, as if the creature had suddenly lost all interest in aggression.

The light in its eyes, which moments ago had burned with feral focus, flickered and dulled. It was still alive, still watching them, but the palpable threat it had carried with it seemed to dissipate. It no longer looked at them with the malice of a predator cornering its prey. Instead, it seemed almost… passive.

Cyrus blinked, his heart still racing from the initial surge of fear, but he could feel the tension in his muscles slowly unwinding. He glanced at Athena, who remained calm, her expression unreadable. The toad monster, though still gripping its enormous longsword, made no move to attack. It simply sat there, its massive bulk shifting slightly as it adjusted its posture, regarding them with a strange, almost disinterested passivity.

"What… just happened?" Cyrus murmured, his voice low as he struggled to make sense of the sudden change. It was as if the beast had awakened from a nightmare only to fall into a state of apathy. The atmosphere in the church, though still heavy with the scent of decay, felt far less oppressive now.

Athena's eyes narrowed slightly, observing the creature with quiet contemplation. "Perhaps it senses something about us," she whispered, though even she seemed unsure. "Something that makes it unwilling to fight."

Cyrus wasn't certain what had caused the shift, but he could feel the danger had passed, at least for the moment. The toad remained still, its massive eyes tracking them as they stood in the ruined church, but it did not act, did not move. It was alive, yet its threat seemed to have vanished, leaving only a strange sense of peace in its wake.

Cyrus glanced over at Athena, his brow furrowed in confusion as the massive creature continued to sit passively near the altar. Something didn't feel right about any of this, and the strange shift in the toad's behavior only deepened the mystery. He turned to her, unable to shake the feeling that there was more to the situation than either of them realized.

"What is that thing, really?" Cyrus asked, his voice a mixture of curiosity and wariness. He wasn't expecting a clear answer, but something about the toad felt too unnatural, even for this dungeon. His instincts told him this was no ordinary boss monster.

For the first time since they had met, Cyrus saw Athena hesitate. She swallowed hard, her normally composed expression faltering as her eyes darted toward the creature before quickly returning to Cyrus. The shift in her demeanor was subtle but unmistakable—nervousness. It was the first sign of real negative emotion he had seen from her, and that alone set off alarm bells in his mind.

She was uneasy.

"I... I don't know," Athena admitted, her voice quieter than usual, tinged with uncertainty. She seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment, her gaze flickering back to the creature by the altar. "It's unlike anything I've encountered before. I've been through countless dungeons, seen all manner of creatures, but this…"

Athena took a slow breath as if trying to steady herself. "One of my skills… it's been showing me dreams. Dreams that led me to this place, to this floor. I didn't know why at first, but when I saw this church… this creature…" She trailed off, shaking her head slightly, the uncertainty plain in her eyes.

Cyrus watched her carefully, noting the tension in her posture. She wasn't lying—that much he could tell. But the fact that even she didn't fully understand what they were dealing with made the situation all the more unsettling. Athena was someone who exuded calm confidence, and yet here she was, visibly nervous.

"My dreams…" she hesitated, then continued, "They were guiding me here, but they never told me why or what this is." She glanced back at the toad, her voice wavering slightly. "I just know I was meant to come here. To see it."

Cyrus' gaze returned to the massive creature. Whatever it was, it was clearly beyond the scope of a typical dungeon boss. And the fact that even Athena, with all her knowledge, couldn't identify it only added to the gravity of the moment.

"I've never been one to trust in dreams," Cyrus muttered, keeping his eyes on the toad. "But if they led you here, there's got to be a reason. And I doubt it's a good one."

Athena nodded, her expression still tense. She didn't seem eager to stay in the church much longer, and Cyrus could hardly blame her. Whatever this creature was, it held a strange, quiet power that neither of them fully understood. But one thing was clear: this was no ordinary floor, and this creature was no ordinary foe.