Chapter 122: Naga Prince (2)

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Naga Prince (2)

Gareth’s strike team and Squad 07 fell into a rhythm of terrifying efficiency, striking in a seamless tag-team rotation across the flooded plaza. Whenever Prince Kael’shasz turned his four arms to crush Gareth with a sweeping trident strike, Gareth would step back into a parrying guard while Caelen, wielding Edge of the First Warden, lunged in from behind to carve deep kinetic wounds into the boss’s exposed back.

The moment the Naga Prince whirled around in fury to swat Caelen away, Princess Lyra’s radiant longsword or Seraphina’s long-range alchemical bursts would force him to pivot again, allowing the frontline fighters to rotate cleanly out of reach.

Trapped in a relentless cycle of alternating aggro and calculated retreats, the giant field boss struggled to defend against attacks coming from opposite directions. His twin tridents grew heavy, his lightning sputtered into harmless sparks, and his massive cobalt-and-gold frame began to stagger under the combined pressure.

With one final, blazing lunge from Lyra’s radiant blade and a devastating downward cleave from Caelen, Prince Kael’shasz’s health bar shattered completely to zero.

The massive serpent crashed into the ankle-deep tide, sending a heavy spray of water across the ruined marble floor. But before his body could dissolve into fading mana motes, the Prince’s reptilian eyes flared with a sickening, violent crimson light.

With his dying breath, Kael’shasz raised a clawed hand and drove it straight into his own chest, triggering a forbidden blood sacrifice.

"You may slay this prince... but the deep tide will devour your flesh!" he gargled in a chilling death rattle.

A wave of murky, blood-red mana violently detonated outward from his dying core. Before either team could leap clear, the dark mist split into glowing serpentine brands that darted through the air, burning themselves deep into the skin and armor of every adventurer present.

A system alert flared ominously across Rowan’s vision: [Curse Received: Naga Mark of the 6th Floor].

The crimson mark throbbed against his flesh with a faint, rhythmic pulse. For as long as they remained on the 6th floor, the brand acted as a blinding beacon in the dark. The moment any Naga creature came within 15 meters of a marked adventurer, the monster would instantly lock onto them with absolute, violent aggro—bypassing line-of-sight and pulling entire rooms directly onto the party.

Gareth winced, rubbing the raw, glowing mark on his wrist with a grim frown. "A parting gift from royalty... We’re going to be absolute monster magnets for the rest of this floor."

Rowan glanced down at the glowing serpent emblem etched onto his forearm, then adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat with a cool, unbothered smirk as he rested his hoe against his shoulder. "Saves us the trouble of hunting them down. Let’s gather the boss loot, and we’ll plan our next move."

***

Gareth led Squad 07 through a series of narrow, dry aqueduct passages high above the flooded plaza, guiding them into a hidden, vaulted alcove carved deep into the ancient temple wall. It was the secure base camp Gareth’s team had been using for the past two days—shielded from view and well above the waterline, keeping them temporarily safe from any wandering patrols drawn by their pulsating Naga Marks.

Once inside, Gareth unrolled a heavy leather tarp across a flat stone altar and laid out the five spoils harvested from Prince Kael’shasz’s remains.

The air inside the hideout immediately grew thick with the hum of rare elemental energy. At the center lay a pristine Level 15 Naga Prince Boss Core, pulsing with a vibrant, deep-sea azure glow. Flanking it were two heavy, iridescent Royal Naga Scales, each as broad as a knight’s buckler and harder than tempered steel. Beside the raw materials rested two remarkable pieces of equipment: the Royal Naga Spear, its shaft wrapped in polished coral with a tip crackling with static electricity, and the Royal Naga Scepter, topped with a gleaming sapphire that amplified elemental mana flow.

"As agreed—sixty-forty," Gareth said, gesturing to the weapons. "The Spear and Scepter both carry high-tier enchantments with massive bonus stats for physical damage and spell amplification. Given their immediate combat utility and market value, taking both weapons constitutes our sixty percent share."

Gareth carefully slid the Boss Core and the two Royal Naga Scales across the altar toward Rowan. "Which leaves the core and the scales for Squad 07. Pure, high-grade crafting components."

Rowan scooped up the Level 15 Boss Core, feeling its concentrated mana reverberate against his palm before storing it alongside the scales in his domain storage. For Rowan, raw high-rank materials and a field boss core held far more long-term potential than pre-made equipment—especially for expanding his farm domain’s mana density or nourishing high-grade aquatic crops.

"Fair deal," Rowan said, adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat with a satisfied grin as he rested his trusty hoe back over his shoulder. "Both sides walk away with exactly what they need."

Gareth smiled, slinging the newly acquired enchanted spear onto his back while his mage secured the scepter. "Good doing business with you, Rowan. Now, we’d better stay sharp—with these marks burning on our arms, the rest of this floor is about to get very chaotic."

With the loot divided and the glowing Naga Marks throbbing against their skin, remaining in a single large party was no longer a tactical advantage. The red brands pulsed like synchronized beacons; together, their combined mana signature would pull half the floor’s patrols straight to their location in a relentless tide.

Gareth strapped the Royal Naga Spear securely across his back, turning to Rowan with a crisp nod. "If we march as eight, we’ll trigger every elite patrol in this quadrant at once. We’ll take the high stone aqueducts toward the eastern ridge. Your squad should stick to the lower flooded channels toward the south. That way, we split the incoming aggro and carve two clean paths through the floor."

"Works for us," Rowan replied smoothly, resting his trusty hoe over his shoulder.

Behind his relaxed demeanor, Rowan’s mind was calculating every angle. Gareth had been pragmatic and professional while Prince Kael’shasz was still breathing, but floor adventurers were notoriously volatile. Greed had a way of festering once the immediate boss threat vanished, and a pristine Level 15 Boss Core tucked inside Rowan’s inventory was a massive prize for a Level 13–16 squad that still held the raw level advantage. Splitting up wasn’t just about dividing the Naga patrols—it was about eliminating the risk of a gauntleted backstab the moment Squad 07 let their guard down to rest.

Caelen subtly shifted his weight to Rowan’s left, his hand resting lightly near the hilt of Edge of the First Warden, clearly picking up on his leader’s unspoken caution. Up on the ledge, Mirei kept her bow relaxed but ready, her sharp eyes tracking Gareth’s scout, who lingered a second too long near the hideout’s exit.

Gareth didn’t push his luck. With a final wave, The Silver Crest melted into the shadows of the high stone archways, their red marks flickering through the upper columns before fading into the distance.

Rowan waited until the echoing footfalls faded completely before turning to his team. "Mirei, keep your eyes on our rear trail for the next two miles. If Gareth’s team decides to double back and hunt our mark once the Naga patrols thin out, I want to know long before they get close."

Adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan led Squad 07 down into the mist-draped southern channels. "Let’s move. We’ve got a whole floor of angry Nagas to outmaneuver."