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Chapter 71: Monster Banquet
"Stone-Throwing Infant Apes. They should be Level 2."
"Watch out for their ranged attacks."
Aiden instantly recognized the monsters from his memories.
Just as his words fell, the three Stone-Throwing Infant Apes let out ear-piercing shrieks. Their thick, muscular arms reached down and hoisted millstone-sized boulders. Spinning powerfully to build momentum, they hurled the massive rocks. The three boulders tore through the air with a howling screech, crashing toward the party from three different angles.
"Gospel!"
Aiden stepped forward. The invisible sonic bombardment precisely intercepted the incoming boulders in mid-air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three deafening explosions echoed as the boulders shattered into countless jagged fragments, scattering harmlessly across the cavern.
However, this was only the beginning.
While their attention was drawn to the apes, a pitch-black silhouette slipped silently from the shadows nearby. Wielding a massive scythe taller than a person, it carved a cold, deadly arc straight toward Hyacine at the rear of the formation.
"Look out!"
Robin's telepathic warning arrived at the exact same moment as the assailant's strike.
It was a bizarre monster in the shape of a young girl, with flowing, snow-white hair and golden eyes devoid of all emotion. She wore a strange, gold-trimmed black outfit with an extremely short skirt, exposing pale, bloodless thighs. The sheer size of the giant scythe contrasted sharply with her slender frame, radiating a suffocating, lethal pressure.
Clang!
Tifa appeared in front of Hyacine in the nick of time, raising her gauntlet-clad hands to block the heavy, crushing blow.
Amidst the screech of colliding metal, Tifa felt a tremendous force crash into her. The ground beneath her feet spider-webbed with cracks, and she was forcibly pushed back half a step.
What incredible strength! Tifa thought, her heart skipping a beat.
Though she had successfully blocked the strike, the monster's sheer power far exceeded what a normal creature of its level should possess.
"That's a Guardian Zombie. It should also be Level 2. Its strength and endurance are likely very high, but speed is its weakness," Aiden warned, instantly recognizing the creature that had ambushed Tifa.
A fierce, close-quarters skirmish erupted.
Thanks to their tacit teamwork, the four of them managed to dispatch the new monsters without any major casualties. However, the encounter gave them a brand-new understanding of the Fourteenth Floor's peril. Whether it was the ranged harassment of the Stone-Throwing Infant Apes or the overwhelming frontal pressure of the Guardian Zombie, these new Level 2 monsters were leagues above the Hellhounds and Almirajes they were used to.
Little did they know, this was merely an 'appetizer' prepared by the Dungeon.
The true 'surprise' lay just ahead.
After navigating a long, narrow rocky corridor, the path suddenly opened up before them. A massive, circular cavern resembling an ancient Roman colosseum revealed itself.
The moment they set foot into this expansive area, the sheer malice of the Dungeon descended without warning.
"Awoooo—!"
"Roar!"
"Keeeee—!"
From dozens of tunnel entrances dotting the surrounding walls, countless pairs of crimson, pale, and golden eyes ignited simultaneously. The dense cluster of glowing dots looked like the merciless gaze of the abyss opening its eyes, instantly transforming the open clearing into a cage of despair.
A wave of monsters like they had never seen before poured from the tunnels.
Over a dozen fire-breathing Hellhounds and stone-axe-wielding Almirajes formed a dark tide, leading the first wave of the charge.
Behind them, eight Whopperflowers of varying colors silently breached the surface. Frost, lightning, and scorching heat began to gather in an instant, locking their deadly magical fluctuations onto the four tiny figures in the center of the arena.
Up on the higher rocky ledges, five Stone-Throwing Infant Apes seized the high ground. Shrieking shrilly, their bulging arms hefted millstone-sized rocks, ready to unleash a devastating barrage.
And at the very forefront of the monstrous tide, three Guardian Zombies advanced with steady, lethal strides, forming a triangular formation. Their golden eyes remained devoid of emotion, their pale thighs looking exceptionally eerie in the dim light.
Flanking them, two Tepetlisaurus Whelps lowered their bodies. Their cyan-grey dragon scales glinted with a metallic sheen, their vertical golden pupils filled with pure savagery as dangerous low growls rumbled from deep within their throats.
It was a monster banquet.
A banquet of despair meticulously orchestrated by the Dungeon.
"…The situation has exceeded our expectations. Tifa, prepare to defend. Hyacine, ready your healing. Aiden—"
Robin's voice echoed through their telepathic network, carrying a trace of unprecedented gravity.
"Leave this to me," Aiden interrupted, his voice cutting through with absolute finality.
His gaze turned freezing cold in an instant, stripping away his usual gentle demeanor. Training? Personal growth? In the face of an absolute survival crisis, those concepts could be temporarily tossed aside.
Right now, his only concern was how to lead his family out of this death trap alive.
"Ride Upon This Wheel of Flame!"
He activated his trump card without a second of hesitation.
The ultra-short chant finished in the blink of an eye. Raging flames erupted from his body like an exploding volcano, engulfing him completely. The surrounding air warped violently from the sudden spike in temperature. The spare longsword in his hand let out a strained wail as the blade was superheated to a glowing, translucent red.
"Listen to the starry aria that weaves fate!"
Almost simultaneously, Robin made her decision. Her clear, ethereal chant rang out on the battlefield for the very first time.
"Let melody be the stairway to transcend the barriers of mortality!"
As she chanted, a beautiful singing voice echoed out of thin air, matching Robin's tone perfectly. With her eyes gently closed and her silver-purple hair fluttering without wind, a complex magic circle unfurled beneath her feet. Countless starlight particles swirled around her, as if she had summoned the entire night sky into the deep, dark underground.
"Now, soar into the firmament with me—"
Her eyes snapped open, and she extended a slender finger, pointing directly at Tifa beside her.
"Vox Harmonique, Opus Cosmique!"
A brilliant torrent of starlight surged directly into Tifa's body.
Tifa felt an indescribable, explosive surge of power flood every corner of her being, so intense it felt like she might burst. Her Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility… all of her basic stats began skyrocketing at an incomprehensible speed.
Under the torrential wash of this power, the absolute barrier of her Level 1 status was violently shattered.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted from Tifa, sending her long black hair whipping wildly in the wind. In that singular moment, her presence firmly stepped into the realm of a Level 2 adventurer.
Robin's face paled slightly. With her current Mind and mental stamina, she technically could cast her magic on multiple people, but the drain would instantly bleed her dry. By focusing solely on Tifa and relying on the mana and mental recovery provided by her Overture of Inebriation skill, she managed to strike a delicate balance—allowing Tifa to maintain her Level 2 status for a prolonged period.
Right now, that was more than enough.
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