Hitman with a Badass System
chapter-1208

The colossal rock statue of Edros, now animated and wrathful, towered over the adventurers with a menacing aura of raw power. It swung its enormous club with devastating force, each blow causing the earth to tremble and sending shards of rock flying in all directions. The adventurers, though initially taken aback by the sheer might of the statue, quickly rallied and launched a counterattack.

Elrion and Lysandra, both agile and quick-thinking, utilized the dense forest to their advantage. They leaped from tree to tree, dodging the statue's crushing blows with grace. Facing the rock statue, Lysandra fired a volley of arrows, each one striking the statue with precision. Elrion, with his metallic wings in his armor glinting in the starlight, dove in and out, slashing at the statue with his long sword, each strike accompanied by a burst of golden energy.

The other adventurers, fueled by fear and adrenaline, attacked with whatever weapons they had at hand. Some used the discarded weapons of their fallen comrades, launching a barrage of attacks at the statue. The sounds of metal clanging against stone, the shouts and curses of the fighters, and the groans of the wounded filled the air.

"Damn it, this thing's tough as nails!" shouted one of the adventurers as he swung his axe at the statue's leg, only to have it bounce off harmlessly.

"We need to find its weak spot!" yelled another, narrowly dodging a swing of the statue's club.

Meanwhile, having retreated to a safer distance, Michael and Gaya used their Mark 3 grappling hooks to ascend to a higher vantage point in the trees. From there, they observed the battle unfolding below.

"This is insane," Gaya muttered, watching as another adventurer was swatted away like a fly by the statue.

"Yeah, but look at them go," Michael replied, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "They're not giving up. There's gotta be a way to bring that thing down."

As the battle raged on, Elrion and Lysandra continued to showcase their exceptional combat prowess. Elrion, with his sword glowing a bright gold, managed to slice off a chunk of the statue's rock arm, causing it to momentarily stagger. Lysandra, synchronizing her movements with Elrion, aimed her arrows at the newly exposed crevices in the statue's rocky exterior, her shots finding their mark with deadly accuracy.

Below them, the adventurers were coordinating their efforts more effectively now, inspired by Elrion and Lysandra's bravery. "C'mon, you big pile of rocks, fall already!" shouted a burly warrior as he and his companions charged in, swinging their weapons with all their might.

Watching the scene unfold, Gaya couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline. "We should be down there, helping them," she said, her hand gripping her bow tightly.

Michael, however, remained focused, analyzing the situation. "They're doing better than expected," he noted. "But this thing is not just a mindless statue. It's fighting with a purpose, almost like it's... testing them."

The rock statue of Edros, with its immense size and brute strength, proved to be an unstoppable force. Its movements, though seemingly sluggish, were deliberate and devastating. Every stomp of its gigantic feet caused the ground to quake, throwing adventurers off balance and into the path of danger.

One particularly gruesome moment saw a group of adventurers attempting to flank the statue, only for it to suddenly swing its massive arm, sweeping them off their feet. Their bodies were flung against the trees with sickening thuds, bones snapping on impact.

Yet, Michael didn't share her idea. Instead, he frowned, deep in thought, as he observed the ongoing chaos below them. "It's too obvious," he finally said, his gaze still fixed on the ape statue and its glowing heart. "Silvaris wouldn't make it that straightforward. There's got to be a catch somewhere."

Gaya nodded in agreement, understanding the complexity of the situation. "You're probably right," she admitted, "Silvaris loves his tricks and traps. We need to be smarter about this."

After watching the battle for a few more minutes, Michael decided to use one of his drones for a better perspective. He willed a drone to hover above the adventurers and the ape statue, careful to remain unnoticed. Through the drone's feed projected in his mind, Michael surveyed the chaotic scene, his attention shifting between the brutal attacks and the environment.

When the ape statue paused to open its chest again, unleashing another round of freezing frost balls, Michael froze the feed and zoomed in on the creature's back. The ape's gigantic form, with its large muscular back and exaggerated buttocks, dominated the screen. He scrutinized every detail, searching for anything unusual.

Then, as the statue stood still, firing its frost balls, Michael noticed a faint glimmer in the most unlikely of places — embedded within the crack of the ape's buttocks. Zooming in further, his suspicions were confirmed. There it was, a dimly shining metal key, cleverly hidden and only visible when the ape ceased its movements to attack.

Looking at the key, he couldn't guess whether to laugh or cry. "Of all the places to hide a key," he muttered to himself. He shook his head in disbelief, amused and slightly disgusted by Silvaris's bizarre sense of humor.

Suppressing his urge to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, Michael turned to Gaya, trying to keep a straight face. "So, I have good news and bad news," he began.

Curious and unaware of the peculiar location of the key, Gaya responded, "Alright, hit me with the good news first."

"The good news," Michael paused for dramatic effect, "is that I found the key to the treasure chest."

"Great, so what's the bad news?" Gaya shrugged.

"Well," Michael hesitated, "the bad news is that the key is..." He paused again, searching for the right words. "The key is in the ape's butt."

Gaya's initial reaction was one of confusion. "Oh... wait, what?!" she exclaimed, her face a mix of shock and disbelief.

Struggling to maintain his composure, Michael pulled out a mirror and transferred the drone's image of the key's location onto it. "See for yourself," he said, handing her the mirror. On the other hand, Gaya stared at the image with her eyes widening. "Fucking hell, how are we supposed to take the key from the ape's ass?" she blurted out, her voice rising in frustration.

Michael's face turned a shade redder as he tried not to burst into laughter. "We're not taking it... Remember how your armor can make you invisible? So, it's your job."

Gaya's face contorted in disgust as she struggled to form a complete sentence. "I... you... invisible or not, that's just... disgusting!" she stammered, clearly appalled by the task ahead.