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Chapter 45: Poison Worms (Irregular)
Tsuna, having utterly eradicated the Spirit with his [X-Burner], slowly lowered his hands.
"Phew…"
Confirming that the monstrous entity was gone for good, he let out a long breath and relaxed his stance.
"Does this mean we've officially cleared the 59th Floor?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Having finally defeated the undisputed strongest entity on the floor, Tsuna wanted confirmation that their objective was complete. Overwhelmed by what he had just witnessed, Finn could only offer a vague, stammering reply.
.....
Following Finn's orders, the vanguard packed up and left the 59th Floor to regroup with the standby team waiting on the 50th Floor.
During the long trek back, not a single person spoke. The sheer, apocalyptic shock of the [X-Burner] had burned itself so deeply into their minds that no one knew what to say.
Upon rendezvousing with the rest of the Familia on the 50th Floor, they took a brief rest to patch up before the entire expeditionary force began the long march back to the surface.
"Hey… what exactly happened down there?"
As they walked, Aki quietly leaned over and whispered to her peer, Raul. The vanguard members were exuding such an intense, unapproachable aura that the standby team had been too intimidated to ask questions, plunging the entire group into awkward silence.
"What happened, you ask…?"
Raul tried to formulate an answer, but he quickly realized it was impossible to explain that catastrophic spectacle to someone who hadn't seen it with their own eyes.
"I guess you could say Tsuna did something completely beyond human comprehension… again."
Realizing words would never do it justice, Raul settled for the simplest truth. Sensing she wasn't going to get a clear answer, Aki dropped the subject, and the Familia fell back into heavy silence.
.....
Five days after departing the 50th Floor, the expeditionary force reached the lower floors, making it halfway back to the surface.
"What's that?"
"A scream?"
"What the hell is going on back there!?"
Tsuna, Ais, and Bete, who were positioned near the front of the formation in a massive open cavern, suddenly heard chaotic screaming erupting from the rear guard.
"Finn, make the unit run!! It's a Poison Worm swarm!!"
Gareth, who was holding the rear, sprinted forward with a look of absolute panic. Pouring out of the tunnels behind them were hundreds of grotesque, purple, maggot-type monsters, each roughly thirty centimeters long. The supporters in the back were scattering in terror.
Tsuna and the vanguard instantly drew their weapons and engaged the repulsive creatures.
"Tsuna, be careful!! Poison Worms secrete a hyper-lethal toxin!! It even works on people with poison resistance!!" Ais warned him frantically, providing the tactical data he lacked.
Poison Worms were infamous. Unlike monsters that relied on physical violence, they specialized exclusively in abnormal status attacks. They were considered one of the highest threat-level monsters in the dungeon because of this specific trait.
When adventurers leveled up, they sometimes acquired 'Development Abilities'—specialized, passive skills that differed from basic stats like strength or agility, manifesting based on an individual's unique experiences. One of these was 'Abnormal Resistance,' which granted the user a high tolerance to poisons.
However, the ultra-potent neurotoxin secreted by the Poison Worms completely bypassed and overpowered the Abnormal Resistance ability.
Damn it!!
Tsuna watched in horror as dozens of Loki Familia members collapsed, writhing in agony as the purple toxin ate away at their nervous systems. He gritted his teeth in extreme frustration.
This wasn't a Monster Party. While the sheer volume of monsters was similar, the spawn radius was entirely different. A Monster Party was highly localized to a specific room or corridor. This swarm was pouring in from everywhere, infecting the entire floor.
It was a full-blown Irregular.
"We push straight to the 18th Floor!! Drag anyone who can't walk!! All hands, run!!"
Their magic swords and potions were already nearly depleted from the war with the Spirit. Judging that fighting a protracted battle against a hyper-lethal swarm would only result in a massive body count, Finn ordered an immediate, unconditional retreat. Hearing his command, the adventurers abandoned the fight and focused entirely on escaping.
.....
Despite being hounded by the Irregular swarm, Tsuna and the Familia successfully broke through to the safety point on the 18th Floor.
However, the cost was severe. One-third of the entire expeditionary force had been incapacitated by the Poison Worms. The only silver lining was that, miraculously, there had been zero casualties.
They had immediately set up a makeshift camp, laying the poisoned, groaning adventurers out on bedrolls.
"We managed to reach the 18th Floor, but…"
They had escaped the immediate physical threat, but the poison was still actively destroying their comrades from the inside. The crisis was far from over.
"Is there no cure?"
"It's not impossible… but to cure a toxin this potent, we either need to return to the surface and buy a massive stock of specific antidotes, or bring Airmid down here."
"Airmid?"
"It's the name of the top Healer in Orario. She belongs to the Dian Cecht Familia. Her high-tier healing magic is potent enough to neutralize Poison Worm venom," Gareth explained.
"But Airmid is a healer, not an active combat adventurer. Escorting her down to the 18th Floor would be incredibly difficult," Riveria added.
"So our only option is to go back up and buy the antidotes?"
"That's correct. But antidotes for Poison Worm venom are incredibly rare. Amassing enough to treat this many people will take a significant amount of time. We only have one choice," Finn said grimly.
"Will their bodies hold out until then?"
"My detoxification magic can temporarily suppress the symptoms and slow the spread. They shouldn't die before we get back."
"I see…"
Tsuna let out a breath of relief, thankful that even though his comrades would have to endure agonizing pain until the medicine arrived, they weren't going to lose their lives.
Wait a minute…
Just as that relief washed over him, a sudden realization sparked in his mind.
Don't tell me…
Tsuna lowered his gaze, staring intently at the ring on his right hand.
"I… might be able to detoxify them."
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