Dungeon, 27th Floor.
After a day of travel, Cain and the others found a temporary resting area.
After clearing out the wandering monsters nearby, the group gathered around a campfire and enjoyed dinner.
"Phew~ I'm full."
After eating her fill, Tiona held her stomach with a satisfied expression and spoke.
"Even though we're here exploring the Dungeon, I feel more comfortable than when I'm on the surface."
"I agree that it's comfortable, but it's still far more dangerous than the surface."
Lefiya did not completely agree with that statement.
Unlike Tiona, who loved fighting, she preferred a more stable and safe environment.
Thinking of this, her gaze subconsciously drifted to the side.
"Cain, are you really planning to challenge the Labyrinth King?"
Cain sat beside a small stream scrubbing a pot.
"Yeah. Didn't I already mention it while we were traveling? Only fighting a Labyrinth King can provide enough training value."
"That's true, but with just the few of us facing a Labyrinth King..."
Lefiya hesitated.
The Labyrinth King is a special monster that only spawns on specific floors of the Dungeon.
Compared to ordinary monsters, the respawn cycle of a Labyrinth King is extremely long, and its strength is correspondingly terrifying.
On the same floor, the combat ability of a Labyrinth King is usually two to three levels higher than that of ordinary monsters.
Taking the Water City as an example, the Labyrinth King "Amphisbaena" that appears here possesses ability values roughly equivalent to LV5.
Under normal circumstances, with the lineup of Cain's team, defeating an LV5 enemy would not be too difficult.
However, fighting inside the Water City was a completely different matter.
By utilizing the terrain advantage, the danger level of Amphisbaena would increase even further, making the battle even more troublesome than fighting an LV6 opponent.
As an LV3, Lefiya had previously participated in subjugating Amphisbaena.
But every time, the operation had been led by Finn and the others.
Thinking carefully, this was the first time they were attempting it with a five person party that only had three First Class Adventurers.
Seeing through her worry, Cain patted his chest confidently.
"Relax, Lefiya."
"I'm not stupid. I've already thought through everything you're worrying about."
"In fact, defeating the Labyrinth King will be quite simple for us. It's not as difficult as you think."
Of course, even if they could not win, it would not be a serious problem.
If they could not defeat it, they could simply retreat.
As long as the escape route was planned in advance, they could withdraw to the 28th Floor for refuge.
They could hide there for a few days until the Guild received the news and sent a stronger expedition team to deal with the situation.
"And honestly, this is also a good opportunity to accumulate achievements."
"Defeating a Labyrinth King with only five people is an accomplishment no matter how you look at it."
"When the time comes, you can all return and break through your limits, giving Finn and the others a surprise."
A surprise? More like a shock.
Thinking about Finn and the others' usual reactions, Lefiya's expression became a little complicated.
However, after Cain's confident explanation, the pressure in her heart eased considerably.
"By the way, Lefiya."
At that moment, Cain spoke again.
"Do you feel any physical discomfort, or are you experiencing any hallucinations?"
"No."
Lefiya answered instinctively.
But she quickly realized something was wrong.
"Wait, Cain! You didn't poison the food again, did you?!"
"Ehe~"
Lefiya: "..."
Her blood pressure began to rise.
...
The night passed quietly, and the next day arrived.
After resting for the entire night, Cain and the others felt completely refreshed and resumed their activities.
However, calling it "exploration" was not entirely accurate.
As First Class Adventurers, Tiona and the others frequently passed through the 27th Floor.
The only person who truly needed to familiarize himself with the terrain and monster ecology here was Cain.
And as a certain shameless cheat user, his combat ability was further amplified on the 27th Floor.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed through the area as Cain smashed his fist into the Waterfall basin.
Golden lightning wrapped around his fist exploded outward instantly, turning into countless arcs of electricity that surged in every direction, devouring the monster horde.
"Refreshing!"
Cain smiled with satisfaction as he gathered all the monster materials floating on the water's surface and tossed them into a sack.
The Water City really was an excellent place.
By releasing a small amount of electricity, the environment would kindly reward him with a large number of Magic Stones and monster materials.
Boom!
Perhaps sensing Cain's malicious behavior, the Water City suddenly roared as the ground began to tremble violently.
"Cain! It's coming!"
Tiona warned from behind.
Of course, even without her warning, Cain already knew what was happening.
Throwing the sack aside, Cain looked toward the waterfall ahead.
Beginning from the 25th Floor, the Great Waterfall cascaded downward in stages until it reached the 27th Floor.
At that moment, the enormous flow of water suddenly appeared to split apart, slowly parting from the center toward both sides.
Within Cain's field of vision, a gigantic two headed serpent monster nearly twenty meters tall slowly emerged.
ROAR!!!
As soon as the two headed serpent appeared, it raised both heads and released a deafening roar that echoed across three floors of the Dungeon.
However, at that very moment, more than a dozen metal marbles sliced through the air and descended from different angles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosive impacts struck Amphisbaena, forcing the massive creature to stagger backward.
But in the next moment, the two headed serpent regained its balance.
Both heads glared furiously at Cain.
"Only minor damage?"
Seeing that the scales of Amphisbaena had only developed several cracks, Cain spoke with slight disappointment.
He had originally intended to take advantage of the monster's entrance moment to launch a surprise attack and severely wound it.
But now it seemed the ambush had failed.
The destructive power of the Marble Sword Technique was still somewhat insufficient.
"Be careful! It's coming!"
Lefiya's voice sounded from behind.
Within the depths of the Waterfall, Amphisbaena's left head opened its massive mouth.
In the next instant, azure flames burst outward.
Wherever the flames passed, even the water's surface began to burn, producing massive amounts of steam.
Facing such an attack, Cain and the others, who had already prepared themselves, naturally would not confront it head on.
"Lefiya, I'll leave the covering fire to you."
After dodging the flame breath, Cain activated Current Propulsion and entered the State of Selflessness. His figure blurred as he charged directly towards Amphisbaena.
Boom!
Golden electric current exploded beneath his feet. The moment he stepped onto the surface of the water, the explosive force propelled him forward at incredible speed.
A chain of thunderous impacts followed as he sprinted across the water, kicking up trails of spray while rapidly closing the distance.
Noticing Cain approaching, Amphisbaena reacted immediately.
Its left head continued spewing flames toward Lefiya and the others in the distance, while its right head opened its enormous jaws and lunged forward to devour Cain.
Facing this terrifying attack, Cain's expression remained completely calm.
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Takemikazuchi!
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted as a massive column of water dozens of meters high burst into the air.
Without holding anything back, Cain unleashed his full strength in his very first strike.
His figure appeared instantly above Amphisbaena's head.
A cold flash of steel streaked through the air.
The sword worth one billion Valis finally revealed its fangs, slicing through the scales of the Labyrinth King.
In the next instant, Amphisbaena's enraged hiss echoed throughout the entire floor.
...
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