Inside the dim labyrinth corridor, hurried footsteps overlapped and echoed, ensuring that this grand escape continued in the present continuous tense.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"
Behind the fleeing group of elite members from the Loki Familia, countless yellow-green worm monsters continued to emit harsh, metallic screeches while pressing against one another as they surged through the corridor, setting off a stampede-like roar.
"Roar!"
"Awoo!"
"Guga!"
During the escape, various monsters emerged along the path. Some were Black Rhinos, others were Deformis Spiders, and there were also large snake-like monsters. However, the moment they appeared, they were not only left far behind by Leon and the others, but were also swallowed up without a second thought by the worm monsters madly surging from behind, turning what should have been their grand entrance roars into miserable shrieks.
The worm monsters pursued Leon's group, devouring every monster they encountered along the way. Whether it was a Black Rhinos, a Deformis Spider, or a large snake-like monster, all were swallowed whole. Their flesh dissolved within the worms' bodies at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving only magic stones to enter the worms' bellies as they met a wretched demise.
"Captain! Are you guys alright?!"
At this moment, Tione finally found a spare moment during the frantic escape to ask Finn, her voice urgent and hurried.
"We're fine," Finn replied. His small frame ran right at the front of the group. Even while fleeing, his voice did not lose its composure as he spoke. "But Raul's situation is a bit bad."
Only then did everyone notice that Raul, who was being carried on Bete's back, was not only emitting bursts of black smoke and a foul stench all over his body, but his skin and the equipment he wore were also entirely dissolved, assuming a wretched state of purple laced with black.
Seeing a senior familia member who usually looked after him quite well reduced to such a miserable state, Leon felt his heart tighten.
He pulled a Panacea out from the waist pouch behind him. Without a second thought, he directly popped open the stopper and poured it over Raul's body.
The elixir took effect immediately, restoring Raul's gradually dissolving skin bit by bit. This caused the previously dying man to stop groaning; his head slumped to one side as he lost consciousness and blacked out.
"Was he directly hit by that dissolving liquid?"
Tiona spoke up with a trace of anxiety.
"Yes," Finn nodded, responding. "We defeated a Cadmus Dragon beside the Cadmus Spring, gathered the spring water, and encountered that horde of monsters on our way back to camp. After attempting to engage them in combat, our weapons were dissolved by that liquid."
"Raul killed one of those monsters, resulting in the monster exploding on the spot, drenching Raul entirely in the dissolving liquid from within its body."
"Having lost our weapons and having no way to kill the monsters, we had no choice but to choose to run."
As Finn explained this, everyone finally noticed that whether it was his spear, Gareth's battleaxe, or even Bete's metal boots, all had actually vanished completely.
Their weapons had been dissolved. Raul's backpack as a supporter had not been spared either; as he was drenched entirely in the dissolving liquid, it was ruined on the spot.
That backpack did not merely contain the water from the Cadmus Spring; it also held spare weapons and elixirs for replenishment.
Having lost these, Finn and the others were fundamentally incapable of fighting, and they could not even administer treatment to Raul, leaving them with no choice but to flee with him.
At this moment, Bete, who was carrying the unconscious Raul, wore a sour expression, looking as though he desperately wanted to berate Raul. However, seeing that Raul had already lost consciousness, he could only curse under his breath a couple of times, his face grim as he kept pace with everyone's flight.
"Looking at you guys, you encountered that kind of monster too, right?"
Gareth inquired in a deep voice while running, receiving nods from Leon and the others in return.
But now was not the time for conversation. The horde of worm monsters behind them was still continuously closing the distance, and some had already raised their upper bodies, opened their oral cavities, and spat out dissolving liquid.
"Turn left ahead!"
Finn immediately issued an order. Everyone turned without the slightest hesitation, rushing into a narrow, one-way path.
"Sizzle..."
A large spray of dissolving liquid instantly splattered across the location where everyone had been standing before turning, dissolving the ground and walls there.
"Right turn! Left turn again! Choose the third path!"
Finn continued to deliver instructions, causing everyone to duck consecutively into paths that grew increasingly narrow.
This Pallum captain had actually fully memorized the structure of the 51st floor, which was larger in scale than the entire territory of Orario, without even looking at a map, forcing one to marvel at him.
The paths he selected were not chosen at random either. The narrowing paths would cause the worm monsters continuously attacking from behind to become increasingly crowded, until ultimately only a single beast could rush at the very front, while those behind were completely unable to squeeze through.
Beholding this, Leon's mind stirred.
"Light of the Heavens, Sword of the Stars."
He chanted a brief incantation mid-run, causing a brilliant magic circle to manifest beneath his feet, while a shooting star surfaced within his hand.
"Meteor Dance!"
Turning around and reaching out, Leon unleashed the shooting star within his hand toward the worm monsters behind him, causing the star to abruptly expand the moment it flew out, transforming into a thick pillar of starlight sufficient to fill the entire narrow path as it blasted into the worm monsters.
"Boom!!!"
The thick, pillar-like shooting star pierced through the bodies of the worm monsters, and with undiminished momentum, went on to pierce through one squeezed-together worm after another all the way to the rear, clearing the path.
"Good!"
Seeing this scene, Gareth instantly bellowed in approval.
"I see, that kind of monster is a type specialized against close combat."
Finn's eyes also lit up.
A dissolving liquid sufficient to dissolve first-tier equipment, coupled with the trait of exploding upon defeat—this was an ability completely targeted against close combat.
Although the worm monsters could also spray dissolving liquid from a distance, dodging this liquid was not too difficult. Agile rear-guards could completely utilize a kite-and-fire strategy to output attacks and defeat the worm monsters.
Regrettably, the quantity of those worm monsters was simply too vast. Just after a massive swarm was cleared out by Leon, new ones immediately squeezed their way forward, rushing into the path with a rumble to close in on the group once more.
"Leon!" Finn directed with immediate decisiveness. "Continue to chant your magic. Judge the timing of your attacks yourself, but you must retain over half of your Mind!"
"Lefiya, prepare the elixirs. Replenish the stamina of whoever lacks it; give priority to providing Leon with magic elixirs!"
"Everyone follow my orders, prepare to turn ahead!"
Evidently, Finn already possessed some strategy to contend with this situation.
Naturally, everyone harbored no doubts regarding the Pallum leader's words, and began to move.
"Meteor Dance!"
Calculating the remainder of his Mind, Leon began to chant his magic, shooting out thick shooting meteors that blasted consecutively toward the rear.
"Boom!!!"
The thick, pillar-like shooting meteors were akin to light racing through the corridors. Amidst the roaring sounds, it was unknown how many worm monsters' bodies they pierced through, causing them to entirely disintegrate into fragments and explode.
Dissolving liquid splattered everywhere, causing corroding sounds and black smoke to emerge from all directions.
Under Finn's direction, Leon and the others rushed into a vastly spacious chamber.
"Stop!"
Finn spoke up. Everyone instantly halted their steps, spreading out into a battle formation.
"We will intercept that horde of monsters right here and finish them off all at once!"
Finn deployed the group in a chilly voice.
"We will buy time. Leon and Lefiya, unleash your full strength and utilize magic of the widest range and highest firepower!"
This was also the most common tactic utilized when encountering group battles within the Dungeon.
Only the wide-area annihilation magic of mages could resolve a large number of monsters all at once, settling the most common monster-siege situations within the Dungeon and completely securing victory in a large-scale battle.
Precisely because of this, magic was the ultimate trump card, and mages were so highly esteemed.
"Easy for you to say. Without even our weapons, how are we supposed to buy time?"
Bete set Raul down for the time being, baring his fangs as he uttered extremely displeased yet practical words.
"I don't want my beloved weapon to get dissolved!"
Tiona looked even more resistant, coming just short of shielding her large dual-blade, Urga, behind her back.
This was a first-tier weapon valued at 120 million Valis; if it were dissolved, she would be heartbroken to death.
"I still have some spares here."
Tione, however, produced several kukris, handing them over to the individuals who had lost their weapons.
Because the manufacturing method was simple and the materials were not too difficult to obtain, though the cost was not considered cheap, it was still far more inexpensive compared to other first-tier armaments. Tione had prepared quite a few of these kukris as backup weapons, which was also the reason she was willing to use them as throwing weapons.
"What use is this crap?!"
Bete cursed loudly, but still accepted the kukri, using it with extreme reluctance.
"Feather-light, hard to get used to."
Gareth also weighed the kukri in his hand, his brow furrowing tightly.
"Finn, use this."
Ais, meanwhile, handed her Desperate Sword over to Finn.
"An unbreakable weapon?"
Finn understood her intent instantly, accepting Ais's sword while turning to hand the one-handed sword he had just retrieved from Lefiya's backpack over to Ais.
Accepting the sword, Ais glanced toward the rear.
Over there, Leon was drinking a magic elixir to replenish his Mind, while Lefiya was gripping her staff tightly, her face pale.
"I... I..."
She was very nervous, and very panicked.
Finn evidently intended to rely on her and Leon's magic to completely turn the tide. If she blundered at a time like this, what would happen?
The moment she thought of the kind of consequences she would face if she messed up, Lefiya instinctively began to breathe rapidly.
"Lefiya..."
Seeing that the elf girl's state was amiss, Ais wanted to say something, but did not know how to say it.
She had never been an eloquent person to begin with; quite the contrary, she was incredibly clumsy with words. Asking her to say something at this moment to alleviate Lefiya's tension was simply too difficult for her.
"You can do it."
Ais could only think to say this.
As a result, before she even had the chance to utter this sentence, Ais sensed something, abruptly raising her head to look toward the entrance of the chamber.
"Boom!"
Over there, following a burst of roaring, countless worm monsters rushed inside.
Their harsh, metallic screeches echoed within the chamber, ear-piercing and unpleasant, making one unable to resist furrowing their brows.
The worm monsters scrambled to rush into the chamber, and some even ruptured their own bodies due to trying to squeeze inside, leaking bodily fluids that caused black smoke to rise from wherever they touched.
That sight—resembling a burst abscess from which internal maggots surged out all at once—was no longer merely causing physiological discomfort, but was causing one's entire mind and body to reject everything about it.
"Disgusting things!"
Bete was the first to rush out with a distorted expression, his speed as fast as a bolt of lightning.
"Let's go, Tione!"
"You don't need to tell me!"
The Amazon twins also turned into afterimages one after another, rushing out.
"I leave the defensive line on this side to you, Gareth."
"Always leaving the troublesome matters to others."
Finn tossed out a sentence before displaying his agile movements, gliding out soundlessly, causing Gareth to mutter with a face full of dissatisfaction.
"Leon lad! Lefiya! Begin chanting!"
Dissatisfied though the dwarf warrior was, he still blocked the path in front of Leon and Lefiya, safeguarding the unconscious Raul by his feet along the way.
He would serve as the final defensive line, ensuring the safety of the wounded and the rear-guard.
As for Ais, though she felt somewhat worried about Leon and Lefiya, she still utilized her iron-like will to force herself to divert her attention, rushing out just like everyone else.
Then, she chanted the words laced with power.
"Awaken."
That was the trigger utilized to activate supernatural power.
"Ariel."
The power known as magic took form at this very instant.
In a flash, the atmosphere discernible to the naked eye began to flow, transforming into bursts of swirling wind that enveloped Ais's side.
Ariel—this was precisely the sole magic Ais could utilize, and the powerful force she relied upon to make a name for herself.
This was an wind-attribute enchantment magic. By wrapping wind force around her body or weapon, it could assist her attacks, increase her speed, or strengthen her defenses, and could even accomplish brief airborne flight, making it an all-purpose magic that excelled in both offense and defense.
Ordinary enchantment magic could only strengthen capabilities to a limited extent; unless it was an enchantment magic requiring a long chant or an exceptionally long chant, it was impossible to exert too great an effect. However, Ais's Ariel was an exception. Relying on merely a super-short chant, it could exert a powerful efficacy sufficient to contend against a Floor Boss, already vastly exceeding the scope of ordinary enchantment magic.
Precisely because she possessed such a powerful magic, Ais could claim a title that even Level 6 or Level 7 adventurers failed to obtain while still at Level 5, being hailed by people as the strongest female swordsman in the city.
Once this magic was activated, Ais could stand on equal footing with Level 6 adventurers. If one only considered pure status values, even Finn and the others might not necessarily be able to best her in this state.
At this moment, Ais activated this magic—which appeared exceptionally rule-breaking in the eyes of ordinary people, being no different from a cheat—and carrying the howling wind, rushed into the horde of worm monsters.
The one-handed sword in her hand was also enveloped by the wind, hacking into a worm monster and cleaving it in two with absolute ease.
"Bang!"
The worm monster cleaved in two exploded on the spot, drenching Ais in dissolving liquid.
However, this dissolving liquid was deflected away by the wind wrapped around Ais's body, failing to touch even the one-handed sword in her hand, no longer able to exert its terrifying corrosiveness.
With the protection of the wind, Ais finally no longer needed to fear that dissolving liquid, and had even less need to worry about her weapon being dissolved.
For this reason, Ais had handed her beloved sword with the unbreakable attribute over for someone else to use.
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