Enemies Encountered Again

Compared to the Black Rhino, the Deformed Spider is a different type of monster altogether.

The Black Rhino is characterized by its hardness; its tough hide is difficult even for ordinary level one adventurers to break through.

Don't be fooled by how easily Ais, Tiona, Bete Loga, and the others dealt with the Black Rhino as if it were nothing special. These individuals are not only among the top-tier Lv.5 fighters, but each possesses unique skills or abilities that allowed them to easily slice through the Black Rhino's tough hide. Ais, of course, is already the city's strongest female swordsman before leveling up, wielding a first-level weapon with indestructible attributes. With her monster-specific hunting swordsmanship, the sharpness of her strike alone is enough to cut through steel; the Black Rhino's hide simply cannot withstand such a blow.

Tiona's twin blades, Ullr, are nothing short of a murder weapon; calling them a meat grinder wouldn't be an exaggeration. Few monsters can withstand this weapon with their bare flesh. Furthermore, with all her abilities at or near-A level, even the toughest hides that ordinary level one adventurers can't easily break through are nothing more than a piece of cowhide in front of her.

As for Bete Loga, he was even more special.

Ais was able to cut down the Black Rhino as if it were a common monster because of her peak swordsmanship.

Tiona was able to kill the Black Rhino like a common monster because of her superior stats and weapons.

Bete Loga was able to kick the Black Rhino like a football because of two skills: [Lone Wolf Dash] and [Twin Wolf Pursuit].

The effect of [Lone Wolf Dash] is to increase walking speed.

The effect of [Twin Wolf Pursuit] is to enhance the "Strength" and "Agility" parameters when accelerating.

In addition, Bete Loga's "Agility" is the highest S, which makes his kicks incredibly heavy. Any large creature will be turned into a ball and sent flying by his kick, or even be directly kicked to pieces.

In conclusion, only these three could easily defeat the terrifyingly tough Black Rhino. An ordinary Lv.5 would have been utterly incapable. Take Raul, for example. He lacks magic and skills, and his development abilities are limited to "Hunter," "Abnormal Resistance," and "Escape"—abilities that offer virtually no combat advantage. Furthermore, his basic abilities are all at least C-level. Even if he reached Lv.5 and became a first-class adventurer, he'd likely struggle to defeat a single Black Rhino, let alone manage to cut down so many as if they were mere monsters.

This shows that the Black Rhino wasn't some weak monster; it was just that the first-tier adventurers of Loki Familia were too overpowered. As for the Deformed Spider, it wasn't as tough as the Black Rhino, but it was a killer in the shadows, a notorious assassin in the areas below the 51st Floor.

It can silently approach its target in the dark, or suddenly spit out spider silk to entangle the enemy and drag it into the darkness to devour it, or pounce on the enemy like the Grim Reaper and pierce its body with its sharp spider legs or fangs before the enemy can react. It especially targets weak points, either biting the head with its fangs or stabbing the heart or throat with its spider legs.

This monster is especially terrifying in chaotic battles, because it will strike when you are fighting other monsters or caught in the confusion, dragging you away and causing you to die without even seeing its face.

At that moment, beside the expeditionary force rushing through the rocky passage, breaking through the fierce attack of a group of Black Rhino, a group of Deformed Spider suddenly pounced on them without warning, their compound eyes flashing with a ferocious red light, silently attacking the group.

Unfortunately, they were unaware that there was a female swordsman in the group who was exceptionally sensitive to the aura of monsters.

At Ais's prompting, Finn quickly gave instructions.

"Ais, Tione, you two go! Don't let them slow us down."

Upon hearing this, the blonde, golden-eyed female swordsman and the Amazonian warrior wielding a recurve sword immediately rushed towards the group of Deformed Spider.

"Don't try to get in our way!"

Tione spun the recurve blade nimbly in his hand, drawing out a large arc of cold light as it slashed towards the Deformed Spider.

Without uttering a word, Ais flicked her silver military knife, unleashing a barrage of blades that swept across the sky, instantly unleashing nearly a hundred strikes at the monster.

"Plop!" "Plop!" "Plop!!"...

Under the sharp, swift slashes, the group of Grim Reaper hidden in the darkness were pierced through the chests, foreheads, and backs one by one by the cold blades, easily cut in half one by one.

Many Deformed Spider were still hiding in the darkness, spitting out spider silk to entangle Ais and Tione. Unfortunately for them, it was as if the two had night vision in the dark. They dodged all the spider silk with a swift movement, then rushed forward and, with a flurry of flashing blades, slaughtered the Deformed Spider, leaving none alive.

"Pretty!"

Watching the performance of the several clan officers while standing beside Finn, Tsubaki couldn't help but cheer.

Although she was also a Level 1 adventurer, she was ultimately a blacksmith, unlike the Loki Familia's officers, who had all trained and specialized in combat. So even from her perspective, Ais and the others' performance was quite amazing.

At least in terms of combat strength, Chun herself admits that she is inferior.

She had intended to draw her katana to help, but before she could even draw it, the Black Rhino herd in front of her and the Deformed Spider swarm beside her had already been swiftly dispatched by Ais, Bete Loga, Tiona, Tione, leaving behind only Magic Stone and dropped items scattered on the ground. Tsubaki's eyes lit up at the sight of the dropped materials, and she wanted to bend down and pick them up, but Finn pulled her back.

"There won't be another expedition team in this deep Dungeon besides us. No one will pick up these things even if we leave them here, so we can just pick them up on the way back."

This way, you can save backpack space, avoid adding luggage, speed up your pace, and avoid wasting extra time on picking up items—a win-win situation.

Certainly...

"Is this based on normal circumstances?"

Leo, who had been running ahead with his head down, suddenly spoke up.

"What's the meaning?"

Lefiya Viridis, panting from running, asked in confusion.

"Don't forget what we encountered here last time," Leo said calmly. "With all these Magic Stone scattered around, it would be strange if they didn't attract those guys."

As soon as Leo finished speaking, a rumbling sound, growing increasingly urgent, came from the fork in the road ahead.

"Boom!"

A swarm of disgusting worms, their appearance unsettling, surged out of the intersection, writhing and jostling each other in a crowded passageway. They splattered the purplish-black corrosive liquid, which landed on the walls and floor with a sizzling sound. Yellowish-green clumps engulfed the entire wide passageway; their vibrantly colored surfaces, their wide, flat arms reminiscent of a manta ray, and their clusters of wart-like appendages pressing in, were enough to make anyone want to vomit.

"Yes, it's those new species!"

Raul let out a shout that was almost a scream.

"Is that the monster that caused your last expedition to fail, forcing you to join forces with us this time?"

Chun frowned as she looked at them. She had been curious about the rare materials that these monsters might drop, but now, seeing their unsettling yellowish-green appearance, all her interest vanished.

As for the others, their gazes suddenly sharpened.

"Everyone, equip yourselves with indestructible weapons!"

Finn gave the order without hesitation.

"Change formation! Tiona, retreat! Ais, cover!"

The group immediately demonstrated exceptional professionalism, obeying orders without the slightest hesitation and changing positions.

As Ais, wielding an indestructible weapon, passed by Tiona and switched places, she chanted softly.

"[Wake up.]"

A stream of air suddenly drifted in from all around and wrapped around Ais's delicate body.

"Ais! Give it to me!"

Bete Loga, continuing to run forward, shouted, causing Ais to reach out and transfer the wind wrapped around her to the werewolf youth's feet. The silver metal boots were immediately enveloped in the airflow, and the topaz on them absorbed the power of the wind and made it their own.

Die!!!

Bete Loga, his legs wreathed in hurricane energy, drew the Roland Twin Blades from his waist and roared as he charged forward with Ais. "Roar! Ro...

The familiar, broken gong-like sound finally rang out, and one after another, worm-like monsters charged forward like chariots, raising their upper bodies, opening their mouths, and spitting out purplish-black liquid guns that emitted a foul stench.

Seeing the dissolving liquid that had once filled them with such fear, Lefiya Viridis couldn't help but swallow hard, Alicia gripped the longbow at her waist tightly, and Raul trembled all over, almost instinctively turning tail and running away.

There was nothing he could do; he'd been drenched from head to toe in the dissolving liquid of those worm monsters right here last time, his entire body corroded, and he nearly died.

Recalling the pain of that time, the feeling of his entire body being burned as if it were about to rot, Raul's face turned pale.

In contrast, Ais and Bete Loga's fighting spirit only grew stronger.

The corrosive liquid that was coming towards them was deflected by the wind wrapped around the two of them, and it all splashed to the side.

Braving the corrosive liquid, the two protected their entire team and charged straight into the worm swarm.

"Bang!!!"

Bete Loga kicked out first, like a missile, instantly blasting the giant worm at the front of the pack apart, sending yellow-green chunks of flesh flying everywhere. The dissolving fluid accumulated inside the worm was also blasted apart by the shockwave, completely unable to reach Bete Loga.

"Pfft!!!"

Ais unleashed a sharp, powerful slash at the line of worm-like monsters, just as she had done with a single blow to decapitate the Giant Flower monster in the food warehouse on the 24th Floor. The slash, accompanied by a loud cutting sound, sliced through the worm-like monsters for over ten meters, severing all their warts in its path. "Roar! Ro...

Many of the worm monsters let out bloodcurdling screams, but Ais and Bete Loga not only did not stop, but instead increased the speed of their sword swings. Bete Loga used both hands and feet, his silver double blades flashing wildly, and his metal boots on his legs spinning like foot knives, either severing the worms' bodies or kicking their skin apart, extremely violently.

Ais transformed into a storm of swords, slashing wherever she went. Often, she would have already dashed to the next location, leaving behind a trail of severed limbs and blood that splattered in mid-air, lingering on the ground.

The wind around them perfectly blocked all the dissolving liquid, ensuring that the others following behind them were not touched by it. "Leo!"

Finn, wielding the Roland Spear he'd pulled from Alicia's backpack, pierced a small worm that'd been missed, shouting as he did so. Leo, meanwhile, was already poised to strike.

"[Light of Heaven, Sword of Stars.]"

A magnificent magic circle unfolded beneath their feet, emanating Starlight. Vast spiritual power was refined into Demonic Power, which exploded with tremendous force, instantly attracting the attention of all the worm monsters.

But by the time they realized what was happening, Leo's artillery barrage was already in place.

"[Meteor Dance]!"

As the short ode was completed, countless Starlight transformed into shooting stars, scattering across the sky.

Meteors rained down, streaking across the sky and illuminating the darkness. As if guided by their own will, they bypassed Tiona and Tione, who were fighting the Deformed Spider, and Ais and Bete Loga, who were entangled with the worm monsters. Under the watchful eyes of Finn, Riveria Ljos Alf, Gareth, and their supporters, they struck the worms one by one with a deafening roar.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!!"

A massive explosion suddenly occurred in the wide rock passage, causing a tremendous tremor.

Countless meteors either pierced through, exploded, or shattered the worms, continuously evaporating these worm monsters amidst the deafening explosions.

Before the worm monsters could even scream, a large area was instantly wiped out, and even the dissolving liquid was evaporated.

Leo's magic, once unleashed, yielded results far greater than those of Ais and Bete Loga.

"This... this is supposed to be a super short lyric poem? You must be kidding me!?"

Chun, who was seeing such an exaggerated scene for the first time, gaped and almost lost her composure.

Leo had used this magic before during the expedition, but the consequences were far worse than what was happening now. "Wow, such powerful fire..."

Lefiya Viridis felt a sudden sense of defeat, realizing that her prized magical power had been utterly defeated by Leo's spell, which he could chant with a mere utterance.

"His ability to use magic has also improved."

Riveria Ljos Alf saw more in Leo's control over the magic.

Despite the massive bombardment, she was still able to control the magic without harming Ais and Bete Loga, who were trapped in the monster horde. She bypassed her companions and precisely struck only the targets she needed to aim at. This control over magic far surpassed Lefiya Viridis's, was almost on par with her own, and even exceeded her in terms of agility.

"Now's the time! Break through!"

Finn's calm and composed voice made everyone realize what was happening.

So, the group quickly crossed the area and traversed the battlefield scattered with stardust.

We're almost there at the entrance to the 52nd Floor.