Subjugate Goliath!
Roy wasn't surprised when the panel popped up. A Floor Boss was one of the Dungeon's special monsters—if the system didn't react, that would be strange.
Goliath's respawn interval was two weeks.
Since most Familias exploring the middle and lower floors rested in Riviera Town on the Eighteenth Floor, and Goliath sometimes blocked the route leading there, adventurers would band together to subjugate it.
Now that the system prompt had appeared, it meant Goliath had already spawned—and hadn't yet been defeated.
Roy hurried Ryuu along into the Seventeenth Floor. What greeted them was a massive white wall. Unlike the previous floors, the scenery was extraordinarily grand.
Immediately after, they ran headlong into another party—over twenty people wearing matching uniforms. If it wasn't the Apollo Familia, who else could it be?
"Astraea Familia!"
The other side noticed Roy and Ryuu as well, and cries of alarm rippled through their ranks.
Many members showed traces of fear on their faces—the events of that day were still vivid in their minds.
Their captain, Hyakinthos, looked especially grim. Though his physical injuries had been healed, the psychological scars ran deep. The so-called rising star had been crushed to the ground by Gale Wind, utterly powerless to fight back.
Roy spotted Daphne among the Apollo Familia's ranks. Poor kid—she still hadn't managed to escape after all.
Even though he'd helped her get away that day, there was no way those bloodsucking hounds would give up. For their patron god Apollo, they would chase her to the ends of the earth.
That said, Roy was only interested in annoying them a little.
Daphne noticed Roy and Ryuu too. She silently lowered her head, her eyes dull and lifeless.
Looking at how fully armed the Apollo Familia was, Roy asked, "You're here to subjugate Goliath too?"
"So what if we are?" Hyakinthos forcibly tore his gaze away from Gale Wind.
Roy smacked his lips. A whole bunch of experience thieves had shown up. The Floor Boss Goliath was equivalent to a defense-specialized Lv.4 monster. A Lv.3 Hyakinthos leading more than ten Lv.2 members had a high chance of taking it down.
At the same time, Hyakinthos and the others seemed to realize that Roy and Ryuu were here for the same objective.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Running into each other like this wasn't unusual. After subjugating Goliath, adventurers would report the information to the Guild. Based on Goliath's regeneration cycle, others could accurately time the next hunt.
Both parties had chosen the same window.
The magic stones and drop materials from a Floor Boss were extremely valuable. In the Dungeon, adventurers fighting over monsters was common practice—at times like this, it came down to whose fist was bigger.
As for cooperating and splitting the loot?
Impossible. If they could defeat it on their own, why would they give up half the spoils?
On the surface, Roy's side had a Lv.4 Ryuu. But the Apollo Familia dared to challenge a Lv.4 Goliath, so they clearly weren't afraid of a Lv.4 opponent.
This wasn't like their previous unexpected encounter.
Hyakinthos had brought all of the Apollo Familia's elites. Everyone was fully equipped, standing in tight formation, ready for battle.
If the two sides really clashed, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Rumble—!
While they were locked in a standoff, time didn't wait. Amid thunderous noise, the ground shook. The white wall trembled violently, cracks spreading across its entire surface.
The wall shattered. Rubble crashed down, and from within stepped out a small giant, standing a full seven meters tall—far larger than any other monster. It was easily the biggest Dungeon monster Roy had seen so far.
The Apollo Familia members didn't need mentioning—shock was written plainly on their faces.
Ryuu, however, remained calm. She had defeated it several times in the past with her former comrades—nothing new to her.
The Seventeenth Floor Boss—Goliath!
Roy shouted toward the opposite side, "Hyakinthos, one minute. We each get one minute. Whoever kills Goliath, it belongs to."
Hyakinthos pondered for a few seconds, then made a swift decision. "Fine—but we go first!"
"Deal." A strange glint flashed through Roy's eyes.
"All units, advance!"
At Hyakinthos's command, the Apollo Familia surged forward. They had all heard the agreement—only one minute. Tight schedule, heavy task.
Their formation had already been carefully planned before descending.
Three or four vanguards raised heavy shields and pushed forward from the front.
The mid-line rushed in to surround and attack Goliath.
The mages in the rear began chanting spells, and at the very back stood a healer.
They even assigned several rear guards to watch for contingencies—mainly keeping an eye on Roy and Ryuu. Not that they could stop them if the two actually moved.
"Do you think they can take it down within a minute?" Roy asked Ryuu in a low voice.
Ryuu's sky-blue eyes swept over the Apollo Familia. Their formation was complete, but they lacked experience dealing with Goliath. With the one-minute limit… "Thirty percent success rate."
Roy smiled in satisfaction. As long as they couldn't instantly kill Goliath, he had nothing to worry about.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The vanguards held the front while the back line unleashed a barrage.
The Apollo Familia's mage squad released their spells in unison—mudslides, flames, raging winds, all kinds of supernatural forces crashing down onto Goliath.
Explosions blackened its skin.
Goliath lived up to its reputation as a defense-specialized Floor Boss. After tanking over a dozen spells, it had only suffered superficial damage. Ordinary blades left no marks at all.
The main force was undoubtedly the Lv.3 Hyakinthos.
"I am love, the cherished child of light. This body I offer to my sun!
I am sin, the envy of the wind. Call forth a raging gale upon me!
Unleash—Firewheel Throw! Come forth, west wind! Crimson Radiance!"
"Variant Magic—Zephyros!"
Hyakinthos loudly chanted his spell. A massive ring of light formed in his palm, radiating searing heat, and he hurled it toward Goliath.
Boom!
The ring of light cut through the air. Goliath raised an arm to block, and a shrill sound rang out—like a chainsaw. One of the giant's arms was severed, crashing to the ground and turning to ash.
Hyakinthos's expression darkened. It wasn't enough.
Goliath seemed enraged. Its jet-black gemlike eyes turned blood-red, and its remaining arm swept sideways, smashing into the Apollo Familia's vanguards and sending them flying.
Chunks of debris rained down among the mage squad. Screams echoed as many were injured.
Hyakinthos shouted toward the healer at the back, "Hurry up and heal them! What are you doing?!"
As a newcomer and only Lv.1, Daphne hadn't joined the fight. Instead, she was protecting the party's healer—Cassandra.
Startled by Hyakinthos's reprimand, the timid blue-haired girl was so frightened she nearly dropped her staff. Fear filled her eyes as she looked at both Hyakinthos and Goliath.
"Time's up. Switch!"
At that moment, Roy's voice rang out.