Chapter 73 - A Productive Run
SLASH! BOOM! PHUCK—!
The next day, with the five of them free after class; they met up at the entrance of the dungeon and immediately entered as a party after checking their equipment.
Zion, Cindy, Cordelia, and Crystal were given the special right to enter as well when Vael informed the staff guarding the place that they would be his party members.
The guard on duty had scanned Vael’s silver plaque, verified his master clearance code, and registered the four names onto the temporary expedition ledger without a single complaint.
And right now—The five of them are on their way to the 2nd floor.
The monsters on the first floor posed no threat to them, Zion’s sword just sliced through them like he was cutting a butter, Cordelia’s water whip lashed and killed the monsters from a distance, she’s a really good all-rounder.
Whenever a pack of goblins or mutated bats attempted to swarm the narrow stone pathway, Zion simply stepped forward, swinging [Excalibur] in broad, heavy arcs that bisected the creatures before they could even screech.
SLASH!
Directly behind him, Cordelia moved with practiced noble grace, snapping her wrist to send a pressurized coil of water slicing through the air. Her water whip swept across the cavern ceiling, plucking lingering ambush bats from the air and snapping their nodies mid-air with lethal precision.
WHAP--BAAM!
Cindy sneaks behind monsters that were aggro by the two, stabbing the back of their heads and killing them swiftly and silently, she handles the ambushes as well.
Moving like a quiet ghost in the shadows of the rock walls, Cindy monitored every blind spot along their path. The moment a monster turned its attention toward Zion or Cordelia, she appeared behind it in a blink, driving her sai straight into the base of its skull before slipping back into the dark before the body even hit the ground.
PHUCK!
Then finally, Crystal and Vael support the three from the back.
With her magic, Crystal makes sure no monster reaches and harms them, she blasts them away and finishes the fight.
Positioned near the rear of the formation, Crystal chanted short, efficient incantations, releasing sharp bursts of wind and concentrated force whenever a stray creature tried to flank their sides. Her spells blew back any rogue monsters, slamming them hard against the damp cavern walls so the frontline could finish them off effortlessly.
SWAAAHHH~FWOOOOSH!
While Vael, because he couldn’t use projectiles—he just buffs the others and uses his ice abilities to bind them. He was also in charge of protecting Crystal who wasn’t good in close combat.
He also sneaks behind the monsters and debuffs them, sapping away their strength, speed, and even senses sometimes.
Holding [Frost] in his right hand and his silver dagger in his left, Vael maintained a sharp vigil right beside Crystal. Since his ice ability lacked long-range projectile forms, he focused entirely on field control and tactical support.
Whenever a cluster of monsters charged their formation, Vael stomped his boot onto the ground, spreading a thin sheet of frost across the cavern floor that instantly froze the creatures’ feet to the stone.
FSSSSZZZHH!!!
At the same time, he channeled his specialized cold aura, sending subtle ripples of chilling mana through the air that seeped into the monsters’ muscles. The chilling effect sapped their physical strength, dulled their reflexes, and slowed their movements to a crawl, turning them into easy targets for the vanguard.
"The stairs to the second floor are just ahead!"
Zion called out, wiping a trace of monster blood off his blade as he looked down the wide stone staircase descending into the dark subterranean depths.
"Everyone, check your mana reserves before we step down,"
Vael instructed, his voice calm and steady as he kept his eyes on the rear passageway. He was the one that lead the group here again.
"The second floor has much higher monster density, and the creature types shift from basic beasts to armored variants."
"My mana is completely full."
Crystal stated, adjusting her staff with a firm grip.
"I haven’t used anything significant yet."
"I am good to go as well,"
Cordelia added, coiling her water whip neatly around her wrist.
"Same here!"
Zion grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet with pure excitement.
"Let me take the lead once we step off the stairs!"
"Don’t rush in blindly, Zion,"
Cindy reminded him quietly, emerging from the shadow of a nearby boulder.
"The second floor corridors are narrower, which makes front-line positioning much more crucial."
"Got it, got it!"
Zion laughed, heading down the wide stone steps first.
The group followed him down, leaving the damp dirt tunnels of the first level behind as the ambient environment shifted dramatically.
The air grew significantly colder and heavier, carrying the metallic scent of iron and damp stone. The ceiling opened up into massive, high-arched natural caverns illuminated by faint clusters of dark purple glowing crystals embedded in the rock.
SWOOSH—!
The second they stepped off the final stair onto the uneven floor of the second level, a low, collective growl echoed through the wide cavern chamber.
-GRRRR...?
-KRRRRR...
Emerging from behind giant stalagmites and rocky mounds were dozens of Kobolds wearing leather armors—monsters twice the size of standard Goblins, wielding heavy rusted swords and crude iron shields.
"That’s a lot of targets!"
Zion exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he drew [Excalibur] with both hands.
"Remember the formation!"
Vael called out, stepping up right behind Crystal.
"Zion and Cordelia take the center line! Cindy, watch the high ground on the left ledge! Crystal, prepare wide-area knockbacks! I’ll lock down their vanguards!"
"On it!"
Zion shouted, charging forward like a golden bullet.
BAM—! CRACK!
Zion slammed his heavy sword straight into the iron shield of the lead Hobgoblin, the sheer physical momentum shattering the crude metal and sending the massive creature tumbling backward into three others.
"Water Arc: Serpent Lash!"
Cordelia called out, her voice ringing clear through the cavern.
F L I I I S H—!!!
A massive blade of pressurized water erupted from her whip, sweeping across the right flank of the incoming horde. The sharp water arc sliced through their wooden clubs and knocked a dozen Hobgoblins off their feet.
-Grrr... WROAAAR!
Taking advantage of the front line’s advance, four agile Shadow Crawlers—spider-like beasts covered in obsidian scales—leaped down from the dark ceiling ledges, dropping straight toward Crystal!
"Crystal, don’t move!"
Vael barked out instantly.
TAP-CRACKLE—!
Vael didn’t hesitate for a single millisecond. He stomped his right foot onto the stone floor, channeling a massive wave of frost mana into the ground beneath the leaping beasts.
CRASH!
Four thick pillars of jagged ice shot straight up from the floor, catching the Shadow Crawlers mid-air and freezing their limbs solid before they could even reach Crystal’s position.
"Wind Gust!"
SWAAAHHHH~!!!
Crystal reacted smoothly, raising her staff and releasing a powerful blast of compressed wind that shattered the frozen beasts into harmless icy fragments.
"Thanks, Vael."
Crystal called out, offering him a quick, appreciative nod.
"Keep your focus on the center."
Vael replied calmly, his eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield with absolute precision.
Seeing a second wave of heavy Kobolds attempting to re-form their line to overwhelm Zion, Vael activated his stealthy debuff skill.
FZZZZSH—!
He glided across the slick ice path he created, moving like a blur through the chaos until he appeared directly behind the Kobold commander.
FWIP—STAB!
Vael then drove the tip of his silver dagger to the creature’s spine, instantly injecting a concentrated pulse of numbing cold mana straight into its nervous system!
-GAH?!
The Hobgoblin commander shuddered violently as its body went completely stiff. The dark purple frost spread across its torso, draining its physical strength by more than half and clouding its vision with absolute cold.
And before the commander could even turn around, Zion’s golden blade came sweeping through the air, finishing the weakened monster in a single, decisive stroke!
S L A S H!
"Nice setup, Vael!"
Zion yelled out, laughing as he pivoted to face the remaining foes.
"Don’t get careless."
PHUCK!
Cindy’s quiet voice echoed from above as she dropped from a high rock ledge, plunging her daggers into the neck of another flanker before springing back to the safety of the shadows.
CLANG! SWOOSH! BOOM—!
For the next two hours, the five-member team operated like a perfectly oiled machine, clearing cavern chamber after cavern chamber on the second floor.
Zion’s raw, overwhelming offensive power combined effortlessly with Cordelia’s mid-range crowd control to hold a solid front line.
Cindy kept their blind spots entirely clean, executing any archers or flankers before they could set up an ambush.
Meanwhile, Crystal ensured no enemy wave could ever collapse their spacing, using her wind and force magic to push back any group that tried to rush them.
And right in the center of it all was Vael.
He managed the entire battle space with terrifying efficiency—binding dangerous foes in place with frost, protecting Crystal from close-range threats, and constantly applying crippling debuffs that turned tough elite monsters into helpless targets for Zion and Cordelia.
By the time the cavern fell completely quiet, the wide chamber floor was littered with dissolving monster remains and sparkling mana crystals.
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
"Phew!"
Zion let out a long breath, sheathing [Excalibur] back at his waist as he wiped a trace of sweat from his forehead.
"That was amazing! We cleared the entire eastern sector of the second floor in less than three hours!"
"Our coordination is significantly better than it was during the initial evaluation test."
Cordelia noted, neatly coiling her water whip while checking her mana levels.
"Everyone understands their role much clearer now."
"That’s mostly thanks to Vael’s field management,"
Crystal pointed out, looking over at Vael with genuine respect.
"He stopped every single ambush before it could reach the backline, and his debuffs made those heavy Hobgoblins feel like they were moving in slow motion."
"It’s just the most efficient way for me to contribute."
Vael stated simply, sheathing [Frost] and sliding his silver dagger into his belt loop.
"Since I don’t have heavy long-range destruction spells, controlling the pace of the fight is my job."
"And you do it ridiculously well."
Cindy chimed in, stepping out from the shadow of a stalagmite with a small pouch filled with low-grade mana crystals collected from the fallen monsters.
"Here’s the loot from this chamber. The second-floor drops are much higher quality than the first floor."
Vael took the pouch, checking the glowing crystals inside before nodding approvingly.
"We’ll divide the mana crystals evenly once we return to the surface."
Vael told the group, looking around at everyone’s physical condition.
"Our mana reserves are still at about sixty percent, but we shouldn’t push deeper into the third floor today. It’s better to end our first group run on a clean victory."
"Agreed."
Cordelia nodded in complete concurrence.
"I have family matters to attend to later this evening anyway, so wrapping up now is ideal."
"Same here."
Crystal added, adjusting her robe.
"This was a very productive run."
"Alright then!"
Zion grinned, pumping his fist in the air.
"Let’s pack up and head back to the portal gate!"
With satisfied smiles on their faces, the five party members turned around, walking back up the stone staircase toward the surface, completely victorious in their first official dungeon farming expedition.