WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 121: Brawl

"One, guard the RV. Don't interfere," Ben ordered.

Without waiting for a response, he kicked off the ground, the earth cracking beneath his feet as he launched forward. The pickaxe in his hands glinted under the lake's eerie light, raised high and aimed straight for the Lady of the Lake's glowing eyes.

The guardian didn't flinch. "Foolish choice, traveler," she said coolly.

Then she moved. Despite her massive, bulky form, she flowed across the water like smoke, one tentacled limb whipping around. She spun—yes, spun—and twisted her body with perfect control, redirecting Ben's attack with fluid motion.

BAM!

Her tentacle snapped upward, striking his wrist at just the right angle. The pickaxe was knocked out. Before Ben could recover, another limb hooked around his ankle and yanked Hard.

CRASH!

He hit the water like a stone, sinking several feet before kicking his way back to the surface. The moment his head broke through, she was already there.

The Lady of the Lake dropped onto him with terrifying speed, striking with heavy blows.

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Ben grunted as a heavy strike slammed into his shoulder, forcing him backward. He swung his pickaxe, but she ducked under it effortlessly, twisting her body mid-air and countering with a strike to his chest that sent him skidding across the water's surface.

He gritted his teeth. 'She's fast. Too fast for her size.'

He jumped again, grabbing for her with his appendages, trying to lock her down. She weaved through them, fluid as water itself, using his own force against him. Every time he tried to grapple, she slipped free—like wrestling a current.

Ben's body twisted mid-fall, muscles coiled, eyes blazing. He wasn't done yet.

Behind him, one of his appendages shot out like a whip—snagging the pickaxe as it tumbled through the air. With a fluid motion, it arced around and hurled the weapon back toward the Lady of the Lake, aiming for her exposed flank.

She sensed it. Her body shifted seamlessly, one tentacle rising and clanging against the pickaxe mid-swing, knocking it aside. The force of the clash sent a burst of mana rippling across the water.

Without pause, she retaliated. Another tentacle lashed out, thick and fast like a battering ram.

It struck Ben squarely in the chest—or so it seemed. Her eyes widened a fraction as his body dissolved into vapor, vanishing like mist hit by sunlight.

"An afterimage—?"

The next moment, Ben appeared directly above her—his form shimmering back into existence, crouched atop her head.

"Gotcha." His foot slammed down, kicking her full-force in the forehead.

SPLAAASH!

Water erupted around them in a massive wave as the Lady of the Lake's massive body was driven partially beneath the surface. Ripples exploded outward, soaking the distant shoreline.

She recovered instantly, her tentacles flaring out like angry serpents, spinning her upright. Her glowing eyes narrowed—no longer amused.

Ben landed a few meters away, water dripping from his coat, pickaxe twirling once before locking into his grip. He grinned, breathing hard. "Didn't expect that one, did you?"

To pull off the surprise attack, Ben had activated the Mana Displacement Organ—a rare body part he'd gained from the Phantom Ravager. It allowed him to shift the flow of mana within his body, tricking the senses of even the most mana-sensitive beings. The Lady of the Lake had fallen for it—if only for a second.

But even that wasn't enough.

After trading blows with her, Ben had started to notice something. Every time she redirected his attacks, her mana surged—shifting focus to specific muscle groups right before the motion. When she attacked, the flow surged into her limbs, empowering the strike. Her control was flawless.

And that was why her hits felt like hammers. That was why despite being stronger he was still beaten. 'If it weren't for her mana manipulation,' Ben thought grimly, dodging a sweeping tentacle. His lips curled into a tight line. 'I should've asked Elvira how to do this too.'

A sudden rumble pulled him out of his thoughts.

The lake's surface began to churn—rippling outward from the Lady of the Lake's position. Mana surged through the water, glowing brighter by the second.

All around the shoreline, the beasts that had watched now roared in panic. Clawed feet scrambled against the wet earth. The entire lakeside erupted into chaos as the creatures fled in every direction.

Ben's eyes snapped back to the center of the lake. Water coiled upward around the Lady's form, spiraling into a swirling cocoon of liquid mana, shielding her body as her power rose to a level that made the air itself hum.

He could feel it. Her mana was rising at alarming rate "Not on my watch!" Ben snarled, pushing off the ground with explosive force.

As he closed the distance, the cocoon of swirling water around the Lady twisted—and part of it broke off.

WHOOSH!

A tendril of water whipped outward, spiraling mid-air before condensing—solidifying. The liquid hardened like glass, reshaping itself into a humanoid figure, tall and lean, with fluid limbs and glowing purple veins pulsing through its transparent body.

The elemental's face was blank, but its eyes glowed with the same light like the purple fish. It than moved.

Ben's swing came in hard—but the elemental bent unnaturally, like its spine was made of liquid. The pickaxe missed by inches, whistling past its head.

Then the creature struck back.

CRACK!

A water-forged fist smashed into Ben's ribs, sending him skidding across the lake's surface, feet digging trenches in the shallows as he ground to a stop. He barely caught his balance before the elemental came at him again—arms shifting into blades mid-swing.

Ben snarled, shifting his stance. "You fucking fishes!"

Two appendages burst from his back, moving like spears—one striking low, the other curving overhead. The elemental twisted between them, but Ben was already reacting, slamming his foot into the ground and launching himself forward.

They clashed —blade meeting fist, appendage slashing through watery limbs.

The elemental's body reshaped constantly, turning arms into shields, then blades, then whips. Each form flowed seamlessly into the next.