Just like the previous transition between chambers, this one came on rapidly. The dirt tunnel changed in the span of a few feet from simple brown dirt to the rough, worked stone that pervaded the start and transition areas of the dungeon. It was oddly cool in these places, several degrees cooler than the open plains or the redwood forest, and slightly damp. I could smell it in the air; there was a dampness that had filled both of the strange stone tunnels I'd followed from one area to the next. I kept my aura senses retracted as I made my way deeper into the stone corridor. I had no desire for my senses to brush up against the nothing that existed outside the dungeon again. Once was more than enough.

  I emerged from the stone corridor into a chamber completely unlike the previous two. The previous two had been a mimicry of their environments. Spaces that looked open but were, in truth, just walled-in areas. I'd brushed briefly against those walls several times in the previous two chambers and retreated immediately. It was too similar to what I felt when expanding my aura sense in the corridors. The chamber I emerged into was a massive stone cavern. I could see rivulets of water running down the walls, glittering in the pale light that filtered in from a large crevice above. Everything was wet. I found myself standing in two inches of water as I entered the chamber, the echoes of fallen droplets ringing softly through the cave. That was not where my focus lay, however.

  My focus was on the massive lump of fur that lay curled in the water on the other side of the chamber. My aura flared out, bringing with it a wave of information as I targeted the mound of fur, which I suspected was the boss, with [Analyze]. For a moment, it felt like my [Analyze] had run into a wall as I struggled with the contest. After several long moments, I came away with victory, but not a complete one. I couldn't see any details, and one section was hidden from me completely. As soon as the information appeared in my mind, I figured out why.

  Spells? This thing has Spells?! The shock that rolled through me was potent. A monster that had Spells was not something I'd seen before. Hell, I hadn't even seen it on my own sheet; the section simply didn't exist for me. Maybe because I didn't actually have any Spells? I had no way of knowing. On top of that bombshell, this monster had nearly as much Charisma as I did; it was the single highest Charisma I had ever seen from a monster.

  A rumble shook the cavern as the mound of fur shifted around, moving to its feet. The beast was massive, bigger even than the largest manticore in the previous chamber. They had one thing in common, though. The lion's body was a shared feature between Manticores and Chimera, but that was where the similarities ended, however. Instead of a scorpion stinger or the lion's tail, one might expect to see, when met with the face of this monster, a green-scaled viper weaved into the air. Worse still, a black mound rose from the back of the Lion. The head and upper body of a goat rose up, releasing a bleat that echoed through the cavern. Had I been human at that moment, I might have been clutching my ears. As the monster rose to its feet, I saw it was actually stranger than I had imagined. It wasn't as if some madman had stitched the bodies of a viper and a goat to the lion. This monster was a walking horror show, a caricature of parts slammed together, however they would fit. Instead, it looked as if the front half of a Lion had grown outwards from the Goat's chest cavity, and now the goat was almost like a sort of grotesque passenger. The lion followed the goat's lead and let out an ear-shattering roar while I tried to formulate a plan of attack that went beyond hit the damn thing really, really, hard.

  The cavern was washed in red as a corona of crimson light surrounded the goat's head.

  That’s a spell being readied if I ever saw one. I darted away from the entrance to the corridor, moving swiftly along the wall of the chamber while the chimera began to prowl after me. Interestingly, it wasn't acting very aggressively off the hop, the way most monsters did. It seemed content to let the goat finish charging its spell. Which meant that was exactly what I didn't want to do. I fired off thick gobs of web directed at the goat. That move came a second too late.

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  The red light flared around the goat as its spell finished, and a lance of crackling flame formed before it. It hovered there for a single moment before it was launched in my direction. It annihilated my webs along the way as the bolt of fire crackled through the air towards me. I leapt to the side, nearly slipping in the water. I sloshed through the water that covered the floor of the cavern, sending mad ripples across the surface. I had no experience fighting in water, and I was rapidly discovering that even this small amount would take some adjusting to. Thankfully, my spider limbs were able to get a decent grip on the stone beneath.

  Mostly.

  I had no time to contemplate the lance of fire that came within inches of either skewering or charring me, or the way the fire seemed to linger on the stone of the cavern wall for a few moments. I wasn't sure which would actually happen, because the lion's patience had run out. The lion came charging across the cavern, sloshing water in every direction. I could see the viper tail poised above the goat and Lion, even as it ran in a full-out rush, it was poised and ready, just waiting for an opportunity to sink its fangs into me. I fired off web lines, yanking myself into the air, up away from the snapping jaws of the chimera's lion head. The viper lashed out with its venomous fangs as I passed nearby. I couldn't underestimate the length of it; it stretched out all the way to nearly double in length. It came within inches of sinking its fangs into me. I had no desire to test my carapace against its fangs or my [Venom Resistance] against its venom if I didn't have to. I had a feeling the chimera's viper head had some of the most potent venom I'd seen yet.

  I came down from the air, skidding, spider limbs skittering along the stone floor of the cavern beneath the water. The goat head was glowing again. This time, the corona that surrounded it was a silvery blue colour that lit the cavern with odd reflections off the water we stood in.

  Water this time? I took special note of the chimera possibly casting spells from multiple elements. The more elements the monster had access to, the more dangerous this battle became for me. If the monster was able to throw a few lightning bolts around, this fight would go from mildly hazardous to extremely dangerous in a heartbeat. Fried spider didn't sound appetizing, and I doubted I'd enjoy the process of becoming such a dish.

  I stared back at the chimera as it prowled along the edge of the cavern, the lion still snarling while the goat worked away on its newest spell. I was certain now that it was a water-based spell. My aura senses were running passively now, my aura blanketing the entire cavern. I activated my [Auric Armour]. I was going to have to close with the beast sooner or later. Right now, we were just probing each other, testing for weakness, looking for any chink in the other's armour we could use. It was a simple reality at this point: I would have to close in melee with the beast. I just didn't have the ability to strike it from range in any way that would matter, and I couldn't rule out the possibility that the chimera could fire weaker spells more rapidly; if it could, those fire spells would neutralize my webs by sheer volume of fire. That was, unless it didn't have much mana for spellcasting. I doubted that; my luck was nowhere near that good. Not my Luck, that was exceedingly high as far as I could tell.

  The goat head of the chimera finished charging its newest spell. It let out a loud bleat as the corona shrank down to the size of a marble before its head. The marble burst apart a moment later, and the cavern was smothered in seconds by a layer of dense fog that rolled across the floor of the cavern. Against anyone else, I had no doubt this would be a solid tactic. Sure, it took that chimera's ability to see as well, but compared to most human opponents, it likely had far better hearing and smell. I shut all eight of my eyes, bringing my aura senses to the forefront of my mind. The fog couldn't impede my aura. I could sense the magic in it, but it couldn't hide the blaring flame that was the dungeon boss from my senses. I felt the chimera approaching through the fog; it was silently padding closer but for the plop plop of its paws in the shallow water. I grinned on the inside; facial expressions were hard with spider mandibles. The beast lunged, I watched its aura ripple, and I was already gone. Flying into the air over the beast, I could feel a strange buildup in the chimera. Opening my eyes, I could see a strange purple tint to the fog.

  Another spell, it's casting another new spell. How many does this damn monster have?

  I wanted to curse; something about this spell felt different, more dangerous. My instincts screamed at me to stop the goat from finishing its spell. I would have to silence the goat.

  I fired web lines at the chimera, getting solid anchor points somewhere around the beast's mid back, right near the goat head. At that same moment, I clamped down on the chimera with my aura. It's Will pitted directly against my own. It was like slamming into a brick wall. I couldn't make it seize up like I had the weaker monsters from earlier chambers. The sudden blast from my aura made it hesitate, though, and the slowly rotating corona stuttered for a moment. A moment was all I needed.

  I ripped through the air, all eight spear-like limbs pointed directly at the goat head, simmering green from the power of [Venomous Strikes].

  Impact.

  I was right on target. My limbs pierced through its head, chest, and lower abdomen all at the same time. The goat didn't even have a chance to cry out as the purple corona rapidly dissipated. I wasn't going to be getting out of this unscathed, however. I struggled to extricate myself from the goat portion of the chimera while the lion bucked wildly, howling in again. The lion was distracted by the pain. The viper was not. Two searing hot lances of pain burned themselves through my thorax, the source, the viper with its pair of six-inch-long fangs buried in my hind parts. I hissed in anger, wrenching my forelegs free of the meat. I lashed out at the viper; it withdrew as fast as it had struck. Like lightning.

  Before I could strike again, I was tumbling from the chimera's body to the water ground below. I could feel the burning in my veins as my [Venom Resistance] battled against the viper head's venom. It was losing. Slowly, steadily, but it was losing. I grunted, rising from the water; it came out as another hiss. I was starting to really hate getting dosed with venom. It was probably karma for all the venom I used. Still.

  I lashed out with my fore legs as the chimera drew close again, tearing deep rents in its side. The chimera roared in pain, its lion head snapping at me with razor-sharp teeth. I barely dodged the attack, feeling the rush of air as its jaws closed inches from my face. The venom was spreading through my system, making my movements sluggish. I needed to end this fight quickly.

  I fired a burst of webbing at the chimera's eyes, temporarily blinding it. The beast thrashed wildly, its paws churning up the shallow water. I took advantage of its disorientation to leap onto its back, my spider legs finding purchase in its thick fur.

  The viper's head whipped around, trying to sink its fangs into me again. I grabbed it just behind the head with my mandibles, wrestling to keep its deadly fangs away. The lion bucked and rolled, trying to dislodge me. I clung on desperately, knowing that if I fell off now, I'd be finished. With a surge of effort, I wrenched the viper's head to the side and bit down hard. There was a sickening crunch as my mandibles crushed its skull. The serpentine appendage went limp, falling away uselessly. It was at that moment that I felt a ping in the back of my mind from the system. Strength surged back into my limbs, my body pushed back the effects of the venom, and the combination of my [Totem of Regrowth] and Vipera's [Root Regeneration] rapidly fixed the damage that had been done. My gaze flicked briefly over the system notification.

  You have Upgraded [Venom Resistance (Common)] to [Venom Resistance (Uncommon)].