NOVEL NEXT Chapter 117: {[Hellish Sphinx (A++)]}
"This is…"
It didn't take a genius to figure out this 5th Floor was the last and final floor of the Oracle Sphinx's Pyramid. In other words, what resided here was none other than the Hellish Sphinx.
Confirming his suspicions, Cassius glanced at the system tag of whatever slept before him. This was when he noticed something very strange. The system tag… it was not there.
"Wait, a snake head…? It's a Sphinx, ain't it?"
Cassius, now confused, looked away from the snake head, attempting to locate the true boss. However, it was sometime during this period of searching that he felt a peculiar sensation breeze down his spine. The airflow of the area had inexplicably changed, and he had no idea why this had happened.
That was when he saw it…
Looming over his head, a great beastly face appeared. Its sharp teeth were massive, its savage eyes glowed with an animalistic nature, and its fiery red mane framed its femininely sculpted blocky features. If not the Hellish Sphinx, then what else could it be?
"The Hellish Sphinx… Then, that snake—"
The moment these words left his mouth, that "snake head" lifted up off the ground before whipping around to a bobbing stance right beside the Hellish Sphinx's intimidating face. It stared at the ant-like human below, its size dwarfing the human more than ten thousand to one. At this level of relativity, even a small piece of its luscious flame-like fur would be larger than the tiny human.
"That town-sized snake head was just… a tail…?" Cassius murmured with a tinge of disbelief. "I see…"
Observing the behemoth's system tag, he saw:
{[Hellish Sphinx (A++)]} - (Unique Boss Monster)
—[As the one who guards and stands at the very top of the Oracle Sphinx's Pyramid, the Hellish Sphinx also serves as the last line of defense for any who wish to break past the Gate of HELL and officially embark on a perilous journey through the blistering 1st Floor of HELL.]
—[The Hellish Sphinx, a Demon variant not yet consumed by the demonic intent to kill all, is known as the 'Most Laid-back Demon you'll ever meet.' That is, assuming you correctly answer all three of her riddles.]
—[Yet, as a powerful Demon older than many civilizations, the Hellish Sphinx's riddles are normally considered impossible to answer. In almost all cases, this will lead to the brutalization of the one who answered incorrectly.]
—[To defeat this unfathomable existence, one must either answer all three of her riddles correctly or try their luck at killing her. But be warned, the Hellish Sphinx, when angered, can become far more powerful than she first appears. If it really comes down to it, one is recommended to flee as soon as the riddles are answered wrongly.]
Cassius, now getting a good look at this breathtaking entity, realized that the sheer size of her was equivalent to one-third of the total space available on the 5th Floor. Simply put, she was unbelievably massive.
Though, in this current moment, Cassius could hardly relax his nerves enough to truly register the grandiosity of this existence. He looked up, only to take another glance at her system tag and see a flashing red hue. Which, for him, meant certain death.
'Even after leveling up since coming to this Pyramid, I still can't achieve a yellow danger rating for the Boss Monster? Just how much stronger could something in the A++ Rank possibly be…?'
The moment Cassius thought those words, he immediately regretted them, for a stifling pressure dropped down on the entire 5th Floor. It instantly achieved levels of stuffiness that left even the sadism-trained protagonist gasping for air. It was so bad that, if not for all the resistance Skills he had been passively leveling up, his lungs would've been toast, and he himself cooked.
That was when he heard it—a voice.
Instead of leaving directly through the Sphinx's lips, it resonated with the area and rebounded off the walls with a laced feminine tone. To him, however, it bled his ears like the trumpets of death beckoning him to the true Gates of HELL:
"Human, three riddles you will answer. Answer one wrong, your death shall await. Answer all three right, your day shall return."
"Are you prepared to hear the riddles, human?"
After a brief pause, Cassius turned his head up to meet the piercing crystalline eyes of the domineeringly aloof Sphinx. "I am ready for the riddles," he responded, deciding to play along with things for now.
The ancient and rich feminine voice reverberated once more, bouncing off the walls of the enclosed chamber:
"Riddle 1: The Eternal Cycle," began the Hellish Sphinx."
"I am the beginning of the end,
And the end of time and space.
I am essential to creation,
Yet I consume all in my embrace.
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What am I?"
"...This riddle… I don't know it…'
Cassius stood there in mock silence, finding it difficult to believe that he had never heard a single peep about this riddle before.
'...If I can't make use of my own memories, then I'll just need to figure it out myself. But what is the beginning of the end and yet also the end of time and space? And how can it also be essential to creation…? I just don't understand…'
Suddenly, a light bulb flashed inside of his head.
"E!" he answered, confident in his single-letter response.
'E is the beginning of the word "End," and it's also the last letter of "space." Furthermore, it is an essential letter in the word "creation,"' thought Cassius. 'And on top of that, it consumes both the first and last letters of "embrace," therefore making it the only plausible answer. It has to be "E"!'
The Hellish Sphinx's irises glazed over then returned to normal. She shook a little, responding, "Correct."
"Riddle 2: Keeper of Secrets," she started again, giving no respite to the human."
"I am always hungry,
I must always be fed.
The finger I touch,
Will soon turn red.
What am I?"
"This one is…"