As Prince swam back into the area the shark had prowled, he tried his best not to run into any squids and avoid any he saw.
Killing them would give him no experience, and only serve to waste his energy and strength. He needed all of it if this boss was E-Grade. He couldn't afford to waste any energy.
He swam past a squid, crouching behind a building, and continued swimming onward.
Eventually, he spotted an abandoned mall, surrounded by empty parking space. A few cars were still parked.
Prince realized that people, maybe a lot of people, must've been stuck here when the dungeon spawned. But this place was so high-leveled that they would die instantly.
Prince was lucky. He was spawned in a dungeon that started from level 1, giving him an edge and boost over others. Not too weak that it meant nothing, but not too strong that he would never be able to conquer it.
The aura of the final boss, the Giant Squid, spread out from the mall, a malevolent presence that made the hairs on the back of Prince's neck stand.
Prince paused, staring down at the mall. A broken sign decorated its front: Lenox Mall.
Prince took a deep breath. Then he kicked off, his cape fluttering behind him. He felt like Superman, a bit. Prince entered through a broken door, landing in what seemed to be the lingerie section of a store.
He was here now. The Giant Squid already knew something was in its lair. It could sense Prince's aura, bigger than it had been at the same level.
A tentacle nearly as thick as Prince was wide slammed through the transparent door, shattering it. The tentacle reached around, slamming against an empty register, and then shot toward him.
Prince went the other direction.
He shot away, spinning toward the ceiling. He threw a punch, breaking through it and exiting the store, now in the upper floor and in a new store. Prince punched at the wall, exiting that store.
The tentacle shot toward where he had just been, making the water ripple from the speed.
Now out in the open, Prince turned to finally gaze upon the form of the Giant Squid.
In the very center of the mall, where there was a giant circle of space that allowed upper floor viewers to watch the lower floor, floated a squid.
The squid was a dark red in color, and the thickness of its body almost filled the circle fully. Tentacles sprawled from it, crisscrossing through every store, like it had been built along with the mall.
The light from the outside shone through the giant windows that covered the mall, illuminating the monster in a deadly glow.
Giant Squid - Level 50
Giant Squids are one of the most dangerous animals in the sea. They are considered lesser variants of Krakens, as some are able to reach the D-Grade or evolve into a Lesser Kraken and stay in the C-Grade. They have the same strength in each one of their limbs.
The squid somehow kept afloat. Strange, because without swimming, squids would sink to the bottom of the ocean.
The squid stared at Prince.
Prince stared back.
The squid made the first move. A giant tentacle burst through a gaming store, falling towards him to swat him out of the open water.
Prince activated everything he could. Warrior's Will roared to life. He raised his hand, channeling his Dao of Martial Arts as he swung his hand at the approaching limb.
You have acquired the skill: Hand Blade (I) (Active)
[Normal] Hand Blade (I) (Active): Channel your Essence to create an invisible blade around your hand. Add compatible Dao for more power.
Nice.
Prince's hand met the tentacle. He expected weak defense…
His attack didn't even reach the halfway point, stopping immediately. Blood, however, did leak out into the water.
The tentacle slammed Prince into another store. He crashed into a clothing rack, bending the metal.
Prince groaned. The power behind that attack has been insane.
"Okay. No more joking." Prince got to his feet. Thankfully, that wasn't an actual serious attack. He wiped some blood from his nose.
"[THE ODDS ARE] FUCKING [AGAINST ME]!" Prince's roar was primal as he shot out of the store. He turned to the annoyed squid, his feet skidding along the floor, which was hard to do underwater.
Prince pushed off, speeding toward the squid. He pulled his hand back, the boost from The Odds Are Against Me powering his muscles.
Prince pushed with all he had.
"THUNDEROUS PALM!" Prince's palm shot outward. The water heated. The Dao boomed.
Thunderous Palm (I) has evolved into Thunderous Palm (II)
Thunderous Palm (II)(Active): Concentrate your Essence into a deadly palm strike akin to clapping thunder, distilled with understanding.
A giant, golden phantom palm slammed into the front of the Giant Squid. It collided with the bridge walkway behind it, sending up clouds of smoke.
The palm had been multiple times larger than Prince and had followed him completely. The palm dissipated, the attack finished. Prince looked on in surprise at the little crackles of lightning left by the attack.
Its description hadn't changed.
Prince then finally focused on what his strike had actually done to the thing. It had done… Absolutely nothing.
The Giant Squid had no bones. It was soft and squishy. Him crushing it wouldn't work unless he had insane force that would pop it like a balloon.
"Damn…" Prince grunted.
Suddenly a mass of tentacles wrapped around his body before Prince could blink. They constricted around him like a snake, intent on crushing him.
Prince groaned. He didn't even have time to use his E-Grade defense.
Suction cups stuck to his skin, meaning that even if he tried to get out, they would leave wounds. He glared right at the squid.
"Fuck it…" Prince gasped. His muscles spasmed. His bones began to fracture.
The squid was taking its sweet time. It seemed to enjoy this.
Prince's mind was racing. If he didn't do something…
He would die here.