Chris and Momo entered the third floor, which stretched out before them as a vast, barren desert. The sun blazed overhead, casting waves of heat across the golden dunes. The only traces of vegetation were a few lonely cacti scattered here and there, their shadows sharp against the sand.
"So, what do you think, Momo?" Chris asked, scanning the horizon with narrowed eyes. "Snakes or scorpions… or maybe both?"
Momo tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment, then raised three fingers.
Chris gave a short chuckle. "You think both? Yeah, you're probably right. Remember, I'm only going to be backing you up — you've got to secure the kills."
Momo gave a small, determined nod. Together, they trudged across the dunes until the sand beneath their feet began to shift. Chris's expression hardened. All around them, the ground rippled — and then four massive brown serpents erupted from below, their cobra hoods flaring and their red eyes glinting menacingly in the sunlight.
Chris quickly raised his watch. "Appraisal."
The screen flickered to life:
Giant Sand Cobra
Classification: Elite Enemy
Worth: 2 Levels per Kill
Description: Massive sand Dwelling Serpent's that lie in wait to ambush their prey.
Chris let out a low whistle. "Hey, how about that? It got more detailed. I appreciate that it just tells us how many levels you get when you kill it — which means I was right about the worth of elite enemies. So area bosses must be worth five."
The watch beeped and displayed a message:
Functions are being consistently patched and updated to better assist users.
Chris grinned. "Cool. Thanks for the info."
He immediately cast Slow on two of the cobras that were slithering toward them, while Momo sprinted toward the slowed pair. Chris conjured Fireball after Fireball, launching them at the two remaining cobras to keep their attention on him. He dodged and weaved between their strikes, the sand exploding around him with every near miss.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Momo running back. She leapt onto one of the serpents, wrapped her arms around its neck, and squeezed with monstrous strength until a sharp crack echoed — the massive creature collapsing lifelessly into the sand.
Chris was still dodging the last cobra's snapping jaws when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Momo pointing at his axe. Curious, he handed it over.
Without hesitation, she charged straight toward the thrashing serpent, climbed its coiling body, and hacked mercilessly at its head until it finally went still.
When the last echo of battle faded, Chris gave her a proud smile and patted her head. Momo smiled faintly in return, her expression one of quiet satisfaction.
As she watched curiously, Chris began dismantling the cobras, carefully harvesting their hides, meat, fangs, bones, and venom sacs before storing them all in his inventory. "We'll see what your level's at when we reach the end of this floor," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "For now, let's press on."
Momo nodded, and the two continued walking until they came upon an oasis — crystal-clear water surrounded by lush palms and a sense of false serenity.
Chris frowned. "If I were an idiot, I'd say this was a rest point. But it's so obvious it's a trap."
Right on cue, eight blood-red camels with glowing eyes and flaming breath came charging over the dunes.
Chris raised his watch again.
Infernal Camel
Classification: Elite
Worth: 2 Levels
Description: A species of demonic camel that eats human flesh and can emit flames.
"Well, that's lovely," Chris muttered dryly.
He started to raise his hand to cast Slow, but before he could, Momo stepped forward. Her tail glowed, and a concentrated pink energy beam burst forth, instantly reducing the nearest camel to a bloody mist. She turned and fired again — three more beams, three more explosions of gore and fire.
Chris blinked, momentarily stunned. "Oh, fuck. I forgot your race could do that. And part of me thinks you just remembered you could do that."
Almost on cue, Momo's watch beeped.
Ability Reacquired: Tail Laser
Cost: 50 Mana per Shot
Mana at 0
"Huh. Well, it was pretty powerful," Chris said, a grin tugging at his lips.
He cast Slow on the remaining four as Momo sprinted forward. Chris followed up with a barrage of Blades, each spectral weapon slamming into the camels and crippling their movements. Momo swiftly dispatched the first two, but the final pair retaliated with a burst of flame, sending her flying backward.
The attack scorched her skin, and she gritted her teeth through the pain as her watch beeped again.
HP -50
Momo staggered, then steadied herself and charged once more. When she reached the nearest camel, she leapt high and unleashed a spinning kick so powerful it sent the creature crashing into a palm tree — the impact shattering bones and rupturing flesh in an instant.
"Well, that one's not getting back up," Chris said, watching the lifeless body slump to the ground.
He barely finished the thought before the last camel, battered and enraged, lunged at Momo with all its remaining strength. Chris fired another Blade to finish it off, but to his surprise, Momo caught the spectral weapon mid-flight.
Spinning it in her grasp until she held it by the hilt, she dashed forward with incredible speed and met the charging beast head-on — her strike clean and precise. The camel's head flew from its shoulders in one smooth motion, the body collapsing a moment later into the sand.
Chris lowered his hand, a proud smirk forming on his face. Momo stood amidst the fallen monsters, calm and poised, the faintest trace of satisfaction glimmering in her purple eyes.
Chris brought Momo over to the spring and gently helped her wash off the blood and gore, noticing how the burns on her skin were already fading away before his eyes. Once she was clean, he opened the shop tab and bought her some fresh clothes — a simple pink tank top and a red skirt — then added a chainmail vest and a pair of sturdy leather boots and gloves for protection.
As Momo changed behind a nearby tree at his insistence, Chris scrolled through the weapon selection, mumbling under his breath. "Maybe something small and light…"
A light tap on his shoulder made him pause. Turning around, he saw Momo standing there, shaking her head firmly. Her expression was focused, and she began miming swinging a long pole, then raising it like a flagstaff.
Chris blinked in confusion for a moment, furrowing his brow. "Are you saying you want a polearm?"
Momo nodded aggressively, her face brightening in excitement.
"Okay, okay, here," Chris said with a small chuckle, purchasing a basic iron halberd and handing it to her. Momo's smile widened with satisfaction as she tested the weapon, giving it a few clumsy swings before nodding in approval.
"I hope she'll be okay using that," Chris murmured to himself as they set off again, moving over dune after dune through the endless golden expanse.
Eventually, they spotted the exit door far in the distance on a massive sky-colored wall breaking the horizon. Chris would've kept walking if not for the sight between them and their destination.
Hundreds of enormous scorpions were scattered across the sands, their claws clacking and tails arched menacingly. Behind them and under the shade of a massive tree loomed a towering creature with the upper body of a man and the lower half of a snake. Its serpent half was green and long, scales glistening in the sun, while its human half bore patches of the same green scales across tanned skin. It had slitted yellow eyes, sharp fangs, and a long black ponytail that swayed as it shifted. Four arms extended from its torso, each holding a curved blade.
Chris lifted his wrist and said, "Appraisal, please. And if you can give me a head count on the scorpions, I'd appreciate it."
The watch beeped and displayed:
Giant Desert Scorpion
Classification: Common Enemy
Worth: ⅕ Level
Description: Massive venomous scorpions with tough exoskeletons, razor-sharp pincers, and quick stingers.
Quantity: 300
Naga
Classification: Floor Boss
Worth: 5 Levels
Description: Half-man, half-snake. Possesses human-like intelligence, venomous bite, and lightning-fast reflexes.
Chris exhaled slowly. "Okay, having you fight all that solo is a little much… so let's do this."
He opened the shop tab again and quickly bought fifteen mana potions, handing one to Momo. "Drink up, Momo. We're gonna have you rain death from above until these things close in."
Momo eyed the potion with visible hesitation, then reluctantly drank it. When she finished, she stuck her tongue out and made a disgusted gagging noise, scrunching her nose.
Chris chuckled. "You're becoming a lot more expressive — your intelligence must be coming back fast. Hopefully, you relearn speech soon."
He handed her another potion, and after she forced it down, her watch beeped.
MP at 100
"These are only worth fifty Mp," Chris muttered. "But they cost, like, two hundred bucks in the shop… oh well." He handed her two more bottles. "You can do it."
Momo pinched her nose shut and chugged them, her face scrunching up in frustration. The moment she was done, she pointed her tail toward the massive swarm and fired a supercharged beam. The pink blast cut through the air like a laser, vaporizing dozens of scorpions in a single hit. Without hesitation, she fired again — and the sea of monsters was reduced to a scorched wasteland of twitching bodies.
Chris blinked. "Wait… you can charge it? Does it cost more mana?"
Momo nodded and showed him her watch. Her MP had dropped to zero.
"So the charged version costs a hundred instead of fifty? Makes sense, I guess." He raised his wrist again and cast Slow down the path the remaining scorpions were crawling through. Then he shoved more MP potions into Momo's hands.
She sighed in defeat, drinking them all before firing again — repeating the cycle until the last scorpion fell motionless.
"Good job, Momo," Chris said, scanning the sands. "It's weird though — the naga didn't come after us. You'd think he'd charge with his minions instead of waiting for us…"
He trailed off, eyes darting across the dunes. "…Wait. Where'd he go—"
Before he could finish, Momo tackled him down the slope just as the naga erupted from the sand behind them, its four blades slashing through the air where they'd just been. Chris and Momo tumbled down the dune, sand flying, until they landed by the large tree the naga had been under before.
Chris gritted his teeth, brushing sand off his clothes. "Okay, so he circled behind us while we were distracted… clever dick."
Momo sprang to her feet, halberd ready, while Chris hurled a barrage of Fireballs. The naga hissed, its scales blistering as flames struck its arms. Momo charged forward, her movements a blur of speed and purpose. She leapt just in time to avoid the whip of its tail and brought her halberd crashing down onto one of its burned arms — severing it cleanly.
The monster shrieked in pain, striking back with its other blades, but Momo deflected one, sparks flying as metal met metal. She twisted her halberd, shoving the creature back before slashing across its chest, then ducked under another swing and hacked off a second arm.
Seizing the opening, she lunged forward, tackling the naga to the ground. Standing over its massive, writhing body, her eyes cold and focused, she raised her halberd high — and with one clean motion, chopped off its head.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Momo calmly stored the creature's massive blades in her inventory, mimicking the way she'd seen Chris do it, then ran over to him with a bright, proud smile.
Chris grinned. "Damn. Aren't you the little powerhouse? By the time we're done with this dungeon, you're gonna be something terrifying." He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Alright, let's check your stats."
He pulled up her stat page:
---
Name: Momo Belia Deviluke
Race: Ghoul – Level 89
Job: None
Health: 3625
Mana: 2150
Strength: 213
Perception: 90
Endurance: 218
Charisma: 89
Intelligence: 93
Agility: 198
Luck: 203
Skills: Two-Handed Weapon Mastery (New)
Abilities: Instinct, Chlorokinesis, Slow Regeneration, Tail Laser
Spells: None
---
Chris's eyes widened. "Holy shit — you're already almost there! And awesome, you got your first skill. Must mean your intelligence finally meets the conditions to get and use skills. But… I'm confused. Shouldn't you be smart enough to speak?"
Momo nodded several times.
"Then why don't you?" Chris asked.
Momo pointed to her throat, then made an 'X' with her fingers.
"Are you saying your vocal cords are too damaged?"
She nodded again.
"Well," Chris said softly, "let's hope your next evolution fixes that. Come on."
He pushed open the massive stone doors, and together they stepped through — Momo following happily beside him, her halberd gleaming under the fading desert light.