The bat that was looming above us seemed like a simple creature at first glance, but there was something deeply unnatural about it. It floated above us, its leathery black wings flapping almost soundlessly, as if it was trying not to be noticed.
But it wasn’t the wings that held my attention—it was the eye.
That massive, single eye took up most of its small body, grotesquely oversized and impossible to ignore. Its unblinking pupil felt like it was drilling into us, its gaze unwavering and unmoving. The light from the chandeliers reflected off the surface of the eye, giving it a glassy, liquid sheen.
On top of that, it looked as fragile as it was small. Normally, you’d expect a creature like this to have some kind of dangerous ability or something to make up for its tiny frame. But that wasn’t the case with the Eyebat. This monster wasn’t a fighter, a tank, or a ranged attacker. It had one job: scouting. Quick, silent, and unassuming, it was the perfect watcher, designed solely to detect intruders and alert its allies.
The Eyebat itself wasn’t much of a threat—but it was a warning. A signal that something far worse was coming.
The second monster on this floor.
And then it began.
The instant its massive pupil focused on us, it changed. The dark, round pupil at the center of its huge eye started to glow, shifting into a deep red. A shiver ran through me as the realization hit—I knew exactly what it was doing.
“Leon!” Lila cried out from her perch. “What’s happening?! Why is its eye glowing like that?”
“Get ready!” I said, snapping my head toward my slimes. “Formation! Now!”
The slimes obeyed instantly, quivering slightly as they moved into position. The Vanguards tightened their circle around me, their greatswords raised and ready, while the Rangers aimed their crossbows upward, waiting for my signal.
The ground beneath us began to tremble. At first, it was faint but it quickly escalated into a deep, resonating rumble.
Lila’s wide eyes darted around the room, her small hands gripping the edge of the pouch tightly. “What’s going on?!” she cried.
But I already knew.
My eyes scanned the hall, taking in the platforms, the statues, the towering pillars that framed the grand room. “It’s alerting them, Its allies. They’re coming.”
The trembling intensified, and then the statues began to move.
A shudder that felt like something settling after years of stillness. But then cracks appeared along their surfaces, faint but growing, spreading across the stone like veins.
The beast-like statues perched on the platforms and pillars started to shift, their rigid forms coming to life. What had once been seen as merely decorations now moved, their stone limbs cracking and groaning as they uncoiled.
One by one, their stone eyes snapped open. Their wings, once folded neatly against their backs, spread wide, sending small shards of stone tumbling to the floor.
“The statues…” Lila whispered, her voice barely audible. “They’re alive…”
“Not statues,” I corrected grimly. “Gargoyles.”
Stolen story; please report.
The second monster of this floor had made its entrance.
The gargoyles crashed down from their perches, slamming into the ground with enough force to send cracks ripping through the stone floor.
They were downright terrifying. Their stone forms were pure menace. Each one was about as tall as a man but had the bulk and weight of a boulder.
Their heads were a creepy blend of beast and demon, with sharp, stretched-out beaks and massive stone wings like a bird’s that looked strong enough to lift their heavy bodies into the air.
To make things worse, their long, pointed ears looked more like demon horns, and their claws—on both hands and feet—seemed forged by a blacksmith to be as razor-sharp as possible. They also had a tail that swung around freely, even though it was clearly made of solid rock.
Each movement they made was accompanied by the harsh scraping of stone against stone.
What made them truly terrifying was their endless stamina and over-the-top defensive abilities. These were stone statues brought to life—relentless and tireless. On top of that, they were massive stone creatures with insane physical defense and resistance to certain elemental damage like fire and lightning skills.
As one climbs the floors, the difficulty ramped up fast. We went from fighting goblins, rats, and spiders—creatures that had all sorts of weaknesses but relied on sheer numbers—to facing these stone gargoyles with high defensive perks, including physical damage reduction and resistance to fire and lightning, all thanks to their stone bodies. To make things worse, their heavy weight and sharp-edged claws gave them terrifying damage potential.
Luckily, compared to earlier floors monster, there weren’t as many of them. Right now, I was staring down three of them that where slowly approaching us.
The gargoyles wasted no time. As soon as they landed, their massive wings unfurled momentarily before folding back against their stone bodies, their claws scraping the floor as they advanced.
But I wasn’t about to let them make the first move.
“Shield-bearers, forward!” I commanded.
The six tank slimes, armed with their round shields, wobbled in acknowledgment before surging forward. They charged ahead, their shields raised and ready. With three gargoyles to contend with, I made a quick decision to split my tanks, assigning two to each opponent.
The first gargoyle lunged, its jagged claws swinging down with a force that sent a crack through the floor upon impact. But the two shield-bearers assigned to it were ready. They raised their shields in unison, the thick, gelatinous barrier absorbing the brunt of the blow.
"Good!"
The gargoyle snarled as it pulled back for another strike. It raked its claws downward in a vicious arc, aiming to slice through the tanks’ defenses. But the slimes were faster than they looked.
One shifted slightly to the left, drawing the gargoyle’s attention, while the other slid to the right, slamming its shield into the beast’s side.
The gargoyle roared as it staggered briefly. The slimes moved in perfect sync, rotating their positions like seasoned allies.
The second gargoyle, meanwhile, tried a different approach. It leapt into the air with surprising agility for something so heavy, its massive wings flapping once before it came crashing down, aiming to crush the one who orders the slimy creatures, me.
But I was undeterred. “Hold them there! Rangers, fire!”
The Rangers moved without hesitation, crossbows raised and ready. A volley of bolts streaked through the air, each one slamming into the gargoyle mid-flight. The sheer force behind them—equivalent to the impact of a greatsword—was enough to make the creature stagger. More bolts followed, hammering its wings relentlessly.
The gargoyle let out a screech of frustration, its flight now jerky and desperate as its wings crumbled under the onslaught. Piece by piece they shattered, robbing it of its aerial advantage.
With one last, flap, the gargoyle lost its balance completely and plummeted. It hit the ground, landing squarely in the middle of my waiting Vanguards.
“Finish it,” I commanded.
The Vanguards wasted no time. The nearest slimes surged forward, their greatswords raised high before crashing down. They struck from all sides, with coordinated flurry of attacks.
The gargoyle thrashed, its stone limbs flailing in a futile effort to retaliate. But the sheer power of the Vanguards’ blows was too much. Cracks webbed across its body, each strike driving it deeper into the ground until, with one final screech, the gargoyle shattered into thousands of tiny pebbles, reduced to rubble.
[Your slimes defeated a Stone Gargoyle. EXP +3.]
I let out a breath, a faint smile pulling at the corner of my mouth. “One down,”
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