Capcom Tradition, Boss Rush

The long underground river leading to the Land of Convergence, discovered by the Hunter's Guild, was, strictly speaking, more like some kind of narrow, elongated cavern with undercurrents.

For medium-sized dragon beasts with even a little bulk, its dimensions were already extremely restrictive. Moreover, sharp protruding Dragon Crystals lined both sides and the ceiling in place of stalactites. Without tough scales, there was no way to squeeze through unscathed.

However, judging by the impact marks found at the scene, some thick-skinned monsters had still ventured deeper into the core area ahead of them. Their bodies had worn down those sharp corners, giving the less hardy monsters a chance.

It couldn't be helped. Even with deliberate interception operations, some fish would inevitably slip through the net.

Of course, that might not have been a good thing for them.

After being broken down in Miasma Canyon and purified along the way, the underground river was exceptionally clear. Yet more than twenty small boats were packed onto its surface, carrying the forty members Cheng Tian had assembled for this mixed raid dungeon.

It was called a forty-man raid, but the actual number was far greater.

Aside from players, hunters, and mages, there were Martian mercenaries, Palicos, and a small number of attendant pets. Every boat was crammed full, and more than a dozen had been built on short notice because the transport ship simply did not have enough small boats.

Compared to the pitiful numbers in the original work—only the Azure Star, the Great Commander, the cats, and the Wyverian hunter—the people present numbered more than ten times as many. Moreover, at Cheng Tian's request, they had not brought a random assortment of gear and weapons. Instead, everyone had deliberately adjusted their equipment into three categories: melee squad, ranged squad, and support squad.