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"Stop standing there—get to work!" Alex ordered, already crouching to pick up the magical stones.
This adventuring guild really had no support. It was such a pain.
After killing monsters, they still had to collect the loot themselves.
He made a mental note: next chance, he'd pay a visit to the Soma clan and drag that little human girl Lililuca over.
No respectable adventuring guild should be without backup!
It took over half an hour, but finally, everyone had gathered the magical stones.
The only problem: the stones in the water couldn't be collected—unless someone was willing to dive in.
Once all the stones were stashed in the Unlimited Sword Realm, the group pressed forward.
Two hours of fighting and trudging later, they arrived at the connecting passage between the 24th and 25th floors.
This stretch was the Water Paradise's great waterfall, known among adventurers as the Giant Azure Falls.
From the next floor onward, the terrain would become incredibly treacherous.
Countless water-type monsters awaited, too many to name!
Jumping off the Giant Azure Falls would drop anyone straight to the 27th floor.
Of course, if you weren't strong enough, the fall was a guaranteed death sentence.
And the 27th floor wasn't just any floor—it was the lair of the floor boss: the twin-headed dragon Anphis Bayena, Level 5.
Alex turned to Merlin. "Shield everyone and let's jump."
"Are we really doing this?" Merlin asked, clearly shocked.
"Time's short. This way we reach the lower floor faster," Alex said, already leaping.
One by one, the others followed.
Midair, Merlin cast her spells at high speed, enveloping everyone in protective bubble-like barriers.
After tens of seconds of free fall, they finally hit the water on the 27th floor.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
The impact sent water flying in all directions. The speed of their descent made the collision with the water deafening, and the waves even pushed back against them.
Cracks appeared along the shields, but fortunately, everyone was unharmed.
Alex floated atop the water using magic and asked, "Everyone okay?"
"All good!" Merlin said with a smile, waving her staff as she dispelled the barrier.
The moment the shield vanished, everyone except Merlin, Morgan, and Artoria plummeted into the water.
"Merlin, jerk! Wait until we're out of the water next time!" Loki slapped the water, spluttering.
"Oops! I forgot you guys didn't have the blessing," Merlin said sheepishly.
Merlin, Morgan, and Artoria were protected by the Lake Fairy's blessing—they could walk on water. The others, however, fell in the instant the shield disappeared.
"Merlin, give them a temporary blessing—something's coming!" Alex's face suddenly turned serious.
Merlin sensed movement in the water and immediately cast a water blessing over everyone.
It worked like the Lake Fairy's blessing but wasn't permanent.
The girls could now stand on water safely.
But the calm surface soon became turbulent, rolling into violent waves.
"What's happening?" Alysphire gasped.
"No doubt about it—that's the floor boss!" Alex's lips curved in excitement.
For normal adventurers, a floor boss was terrifying.
For him, it was a golden opportunity for glory—and experience points.
Hearing that, everyone except Loki, Merlin, Morgan, and Artoria went pale.
Loki's eyes lit up. "A floor boss? Then I can level up too!"
Boom!
Suddenly, the water erupted.
A massive shape surged from below—a creature resembling a plesiosaur, but with two heads.
Its heads looked like Western dragons, and its body was covered in crystal-like scales.
One head was red, the other blue.
"That's it—Anphis Bayena!" Loki exclaimed, checking the guild compendium.
Alex warned the group, "Be careful—each head has different abilities."
Everyone nodded, their expressions serious.
The twin-headed dragon fixed its gaze on Alex's group and roared from both heads before they could react.
The blue head spewed a stream of blue flames.
"Damn it—that's Cinder Azure Flame!" Alex cursed, dodging.
Halfway through his dodge, he remembered Alysphire and the others behind him.
At that moment, Merlin and Loki simultaneously cast protective shields, shielding the group.
The flames were partially blocked, though intense heat still seeped through, making their weapons scorching to the touch.
Loki quickly cast her ice magic to cool the weapons.
Morgan wasn't one to stay on the defensive; she launched magical attacks at the dragon.
Her staff flashed with beams of light, fired at high speed.
The red head countered, exhaling a cloud of red mist—its "Red Mist" ability, which nullified magic attacks.
"Magic won't work on it. To kill it, we have to go melee!" Alex warned Morgan, projecting a spear.
He then activated Fighting Spirit Infusion, boosting his physical abilities several times over.
His magic transformed into a visible aura of energy around him.
It was like a super Saiyan powering up.
With a loud crash, he stomped on the water, sending a tidal shock, and launched himself at the twin-headed dragon like a cannonball.
Artoria dispelled her Wind King Barrier, drew her holy sword, and charged at the other head.
Merlin shielded Alysphire and the others, placing them in a safe spot.
She then cast buffs on herself, Alex, Morgan, and Artoria.
Fully buffed, Artoria drew her holy sword and engaged in melee combat with the dragon.
Morgan smirked, transforming her staff into a spear, and joined in melee as well.
Everyone else was stunned. Loki, a pure mage, had no choice but to step back and become an observer.
Meanwhile, in the group chat:
Hestia: "Oh my, they reached the 27th floor in just one day—and they're taking on Anphis Bayena, a Lv5 floor boss! That's way stronger than a regular Lv5 monster!"
Butterfly Shinobu: "If they succeed, their stats will skyrocket!"
Yotsuya Miko: "Waaah... why isn't it me?"
Misaka Mikoto: "That monster's insanely strong!"
Tsunade: "It's strong enough to rival the tailed beasts in our world."
Esdeath: "It's about as dangerous as a super-species from our world. I want to hunt it so badly!"
Erza: "Its Red Mist skill is brutal against mages!"
Tokisaki Kurumi: "Looks like Alex and his three subordinates are doing all the heavy lifting this floor boss battle."
As the spectators watched and chatted, Alex's team struggled.
Red Mist nullified magic, forcing him into melee combat and severely limiting his power.
Previously, he could easily kill Lv4 Goliaths by combining multiple spells and magic.
Restricted to melee, he was effectively a Level 3 adventurer with expert combat skills.
Fighting Spirit bumped him to Level 4—but even then, he couldn't harm the twin-headed dragon.
The floor boss had insane magic resistance, super high physical defense, and regeneration.
He tried pulling the dragon into the Unlimited Sword Realm, but it exhaled Red Mist, instantly dissolving the barrier.
Even his projected weapons vanished on contact with the mist.
"Damn! This is messed up!" Alex shouted, blocking a tail swipe. The force sent him flying, legs slicing huge arcs across the water.
Artoria, the sword knight of the Seven Subordinates, handled one dragon head alone.
Merlin and Morgan kept the other head at bay, even holding the upper hand.
Alex quickly formulated a plan.
He pulled out extra real weapons and armor from the Unlimited Sword Realm—these weren't projections, but actual, tangible equipment.
He melted and reforged them using Alchemy Magic, creating a massive ten-meter-long greatsword and a ten-meter-long heavy blade.
"If projections get destroyed, then real weapons will do the job."
Alex enchanted the weapons to their maximum potential and prepared to strike.
Using her magic "Metal Manipulation," she controlled her sword remotely!
The massive blade swung under her command, slicing straight toward the two heads of the twin-headed dragon.
Seeing this, the dragon realized that these weren't illusions or magic—they were real weapons.
The blue head spewed out Azure Flame, attempting to melt them.
"Not a chance!" Artoria activated the Wind King Barrier, using gusts of wind to blow the azure fire aside.
The red head shot out Crimson Mist, aiming to break through the Wind King Barrier.
At the critical moment, Kuroki Maiya suddenly rushed forward.
She pulled Avalon from her own body and tossed it to Artoria.
Avalon had originally been meant to heal her, but her injuries had long since recovered. There was no reason to keep it anymore.
"Keep going!" Mai shouted at Artoria.
Seeing her sword's scabbard, Artoria instantly understood.
At the same time, the Wind King Barrier shattered under the Crimson Mist.
The Azure Flame surged toward everyone again.
Artoria stepped forward, holding the scabbard as a shield to block the flame!
This was a holy relic capable of withstanding even EX-class Noble Phantasms like Star of Creation that Divides Heaven and Earth!
With the flame blocked, Alex's sword strikes hit the dragon's neck.
Slash!
Both massive heads were severed!
"We did it!" Loki and the others watching from afar cheered.
But just as everyone exhaled in relief, Alex shouted, "Don't let your guard down—it's not dead yet!"
Sure enough, no sooner had he spoken than the dragon's tail lashed out like a whip, aiming straight for Artoria.
If it hit, she wouldn't just be injured—she'd be finished.
She wasn't a spirit right now; her body was vulnerable.
In an instant, Alex activated the Lingbo Weibu technique, rushing toward Artoria at impossible speed.
The tail was about to strike!
Faster!
Faster!
Alex screamed in his mind, forcing his potential to the limit.
In what felt like a single heartbeat, Lingbo Weibu evolved, ascending to a divine technique—the legendary Shrinking the Land: Divine Foot Technique!
One step, and the distance vanished!
Alex appeared in front of Artoria in an instant, scooping her up around the waist and teleporting away again.
The sudden scene shocked everyone.
Fortunately, Alex's reaction was perfect, saving Artoria just in time.
"Um… can you put me down now?" Artoria said, her cheeks slightly flushed as she looked up at him.
Her ahoge on top of her head twitched like a frantically spinning antenna.
"Right!" Alex's face matched her blush as he gently set her down.
No denying it—the Ahoge Queen's body was astonishingly soft, completely weightless in his arms. Hugging her felt incredible.
And the faint scent she carried… it was intoxicating.
Meanwhile, the dragon's attempted sneak attack had failed. Its tail thrashed wildly against the water.
Without its heads, it couldn't see and was striking blindly.
Just moments ago, it had tried to ambush Artoria because, before losing its heads, it had seen her standing there and hadn't moved.
"..."
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