Chapter : 709

Princess Iris stared at the giant monster. Gargantua stood in the center of the ruined underground laboratory. The Solurius Behemoth looked terrifying. It was a massive mountain of rusted steel and thick metal plating. Toxic green sludge dripped constantly from its armor.

The glowing green core pulsed on its chest. The light blinded the room. The toxic radiation hissed loudly in the air.

The 13th Unit was stuck. Their standard attacks did nothing. Laxmi threw her brightest fireballs. The toxic sludge absorbed the flames instantly. The fire turned into useless gray smoke. Naomi swung her twin silver daggers with all her speed. The blades bounced right off the solid steel hide. The impact only caused orange sparks to fly into the air.

Direct combat was a total failure. The monster was immune to normal magic. It was immune to physical strikes.

Ken Eliot sat on a broken piece of concrete near the wall. He wore his baggy navy blue sweatpants. His white dress shirt hung untucked over his belt. He slumped his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He reached his hand into his plastic bag. He pulled out a bright red gummy worm. He tossed the candy into his mouth. He chewed it lazily.

"This is a massive puzzle boss," Ken stated casually. He swallowed his candy. "You cannot just hit a puzzle boss. The game developers make them invincible. It forces the player to use the environment. You cannot just spam the attack button. I really dislike puzzle bosses. They require too much thinking. Thinking burns too many calories."

Sayma stood a few feet away. The intelligent Vice-Captain heard his mumbling. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She opened her neat notebook. She clicked her silver pen rapidly. Click. Click. Click.

She looked at the giant monster. Then she looked at the cracked floor tiles. She processed Ken's silly video game logic. She translated it into actual battle tactics.

"Ken is correct," Sayma announced politely. Her voice was very clear. "We cannot target the creature directly. The toxic radiation field dissolves our magic before it hits the armor. We must target the environment instead. The floor does not have a toxic shield."

Princess Iris turned her head. Her violet eyes widened slightly. She understood the strategy instantly.

"If we change the ground beneath its feet, we can trap it," Princess Iris deduced smoothly. She raised her silver rapier. The holy light from her core shard shined brightly. "We can restrict its movement. Zinia! Can you alter the floor?"

Zinia cracked her muscular knuckles. The strong earth mage grinned a wide, tough grin.

"I can alter the floor," Zinia declared loudly. "I will put this ugly scrap pile in a solid box."

Gargantua took a massive step forward. The concrete floor shattered. The entire laboratory shook violently. The monster raised its giant, sludge-covered arm. It prepared to swing at the 13th Unit.

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"Now, Zinia!" Princess Iris commanded.

Zinia stomped her tough combat boots onto the ground. She slammed her large hands together. She channeled a massive amount of earth magic.

"Stone Barricade!" Zinia roared.

Thick slabs of solid gray rock ripped out of the floor tiles. The rocks shot straight up into the air. They formed a tall, solid wall directly in front of the giant monster. Gargantua swung its arm. The metal fist smashed into the rock wall. The wall cracked, but it did not break . The beast stopped moving forward.

Zinia did not stop there. She stomped her boots again.

"Earth Trench!" Zinia shouted.

She focused her magic on the ground beneath the monster's feet. The solid concrete floor split wide open. The dirt underneath separated. A very wide, deep trench formed in a perfect circle around Gargantua.

The monster tried to take another step. Its massive right foot stepped into empty space. The giant steel boot sank deep into the trench. The beast stumbled slightly. It planted its left foot to catch its balance. The left foot also sank into the deep hole.

Gargantua was trapped in the dirt. Its massive legs were stuck inside the deep trench. It tried to lift its feet, but the hole was too narrow.

"I have it boxed in!" Zinia reported proudly. Sweat dripped down her forehead. "But it is very strong! It will break the trench walls soon! It will climb out!"

"It will not climb out," Princess Iris stated firmly. She looked at the fire user. "Laxmi! Do not aim at the monster! Aim directly at the dirt inside the trench! Melt the ground!"

Laxmi punched her open palm. Bright orange flames roared to life around her hands. She loved this plan. She grinned a wild, excited grin.

"I am going to make a massive puddle!" Laxmi cheered happily.

Laxmi ran forward. She stayed outside the monster's striking range. She pointed both of her hands downward. She aimed straight into the deep trench around Gargantua's trapped legs.

Laxmi unleashed a continuous, massive stream of bright orange fire.

The fire did not touch the toxic green sludge. The fire hit the broken concrete and the loose dirt inside the hole. The heat was intense. The air inside the laboratory rippled from the high temperature.

The dirt began to glow bright red. The rock started to bubble. The sheer heat melted the earth instantly. The dirt turned into liquid magma. Then, Laxmi stopped her fire magic. The cold air of the biological laboratory rushed back in. The magma cooled very rapidly.

The dirt inside the trench hardened. It transformed into smooth, solid, slick glass.

The entire trench was now a giant, slippery glass bowl.

Ken Eliot watched the teamwork from his broken piece of concrete. He slipped his hands deep into his baggy sweatpants pockets. He drooped his shoulders. He smiled a goofy, relaxed smile.

"This is a flawless strategy," Ken analyzed casually in his mind. He pulled out another gummy worm. "They applied a massive terrain debuff. The boss is now standing on an ice level. Ice levels have zero friction. You cannot run on ice. You just slide around and crash into walls. It is a very funny game mechanic. I love watching bosses slip."

Gargantua let out a loud, mechanical screech. The monster did not like being trapped. It tried to pull its right leg out of the hole.

Its giant metal boot scraped against the new glass surface. The glass was perfectly smooth. There was zero friction. The monster's foot slipped violently to the side.

Gargantua lost its footing. The massive beast wobbled awkwardly. It tried to plant its left foot to regain balance. The left foot also slipped on the smooth glass. The monster looked like a giant, clumsy metal toy. Its huge arms flailed in the air.

"The trap is working!" Sayma announced politely. She clicked her silver pen. "The creature possesses immense physical mass. Its center of gravity is compromised. It cannot generate enough friction to climb out of the glass trench."

Naomi stood near the edge of the trap. She watched the monster slip and slide. Her green eyes turned sharp. She gripped her silver daggers. She saw something very important.