"What was that?"
As the screams died away and the smoke and dust from the explosion began to disperse, Alishe and the others immediately spotted a skeletal, lizard-like monster clinging to the distant mountainside. It was their first time seeing a monster like that, and combined with the oppressive atmosphere around them, someone from the Justice Goddess Familia could not help crying out.
"Quiet," Alishe hurriedly said, but it seemed to be too late. The monster on the wall turned its gaze toward them, and an unnatural blood-red glow flickered within its empty eye sockets. That eerie light sent a chill through Alishe and the others' hearts.
Under that gaze, Maryu of the Astrea Familia immediately began chanting. A massive fireball then shot swiftly toward the unidentified monster. At the same time, Alishe and the others watched it with wary expressions. Then the monster flashed with light, and the fireball that struck it immediately flew back at an even faster speed.
The situation left Alishe and the others with no time to react. Strictly speaking, there had not been much wrong with their response. Faced with an unknown monster that was obviously powerful, it was perfectly normal to test it with ranged magic. Against ordinary Dungeon monsters, that method would naturally have worked. But the monster they faced now was Destroyer Zagnate, a specialized monster designed to counter adventurers—a first encounter killer.
Back then, the Zeus Familia had also been thrown into confusion upon their first encounter with Destroyer Zagnate. The reason they had not suffered major casualties was because the Zeus Familia had many powerful members. Above the Champion, they even had a Hero—the Boss of the Zeus Familia.
Strictly speaking, there had not been much wrong with Alishe and the others' response. They could only be said to