The following morning, the rhythmic sound of synchronized footsteps echoed across the training grounds of the Starlight Court.
"On the thirteenth and fourteenth floors, the environment changes significantly."
Lyu stood before the group, her wooden sword held level as she pointed toward a simplified map spread out on the table.
"Starting from this zone, the Dungeon begins to manifest its unique characteristics—vast natural caverns and monsters capable of utilizing ranged attacks."
Su Lun studied the markings on the map intently. According to Guild records, Floors 13 through 24 were known as "The First Deadline." From the Middle Floors onward, monsters began to possess ranged capabilities akin to magic.
"There are three primary threats." Lyu's fingertip traced several icons on the map. "First, the massive caverns produce echo interference and limited visibility. Second, the monster known as the 'Hellhound'—"
Alise cut in, her expression grave. "Also known as Black Dogs. They can spit magical flames. Guild statistics show that seventy percent of total party wipes on Floors 13 and 14 over the past six months were caused by them. Even a Level 2 adventurer can be turned to ash if hit directly."
"Third," Lyu pointed to another marker, "the Al-mi'raj. A rabbit-like monster. They look cute but are incredibly belligerent. While considered one of the weakest monsters in the Middle Floors individually, their threat level rises to Level 2 when they gather in swarms."
Leaning against the wall, Kaguya added, "Furthermore, records indicate that the Minotaur—considered one of the strongest monsters of the Middle Floors—appears on these levels as well."
Lyra raised a small hand. "The Minotaur's potential stats represent the pinnacle of Strength and Endurance among Level 2 monsters, though their Agility is relatively low."
Su Lun committed this information to memory. After three months of training, he understood the fundamental difference between the Upper and Middle Floors.
"Our goal today is to explore the first half of the thirteenth floor and familiarize ourselves with the new environment and monsters," Lyu said, rolling up the map. "If we encounter a pack of Hellhounds, avoid being surrounded in open areas. If we meet Al-mi'raj, maintain formation; do not give them the chance to split us up."
"Understood!" the group responded in unison.
After pushing through the Dungeon for three hours, they encountered their first engagement.
It wasn't Hellhounds or Al-mi'raj, but a familiar face—eight War Shadows slowly "stood up" from cracks in the rock and shadows on the ground. However, in this vast space, their tactics had evolved.
"Watch out. They will use sound to locate us," Lyu warned in a low voice. "Spread out!"
Before she had even finished speaking, two War Shadows began to move. This time, it wasn't a close-quarters ambush. They darted through the shadows, emerging from behind stone pillars fifty meters away to hurl blades of black energy.
A ranged assault.
"Defend!" Ardee lunged forward with her shield raised. The energy blades slammed into the surface with a piercing, tearing screech.
Alise and Lyu moved simultaneously. Alise charged straight ahead to draw the frontal fire, while Lyu vanished into the periphery, flanking to cut down the throwers.
Su Lun quickly assessed the situation. The vast space meant that spell range was no longer an issue, but the targets were scattered.
"Magic Missile—Metamagic: Distant Spell!"
Three missiles shot out, crossing a distance of seventy meters thanks to the metamagic effect, and struck a War Shadow just as it was preparing its second volley. The auto-homing property of the missiles was a massive advantage in this environment.
At the same time, he raised his left hand. "Mage Hand!"
An invisible force gripped the rubble at the feet of another War Shadow and yanked! The monster lost its balance, its throwing motion interrupted.
Alise's sword had already cut down two War Shadows in front of her, and she turned to support Lyu. Kaguya appeared atop a cluster of stone pillars seemingly out of nowhere, her long blade flashing as she cleaved a War Shadow in half that had been trying to ambush them from above. Lyra's arrows followed like shadows, sealing off the monsters' escape routes.
Two minutes later, the battle was over. All eight War Shadows were annihilated without dealing any effective damage.
They delved deeper.
About an hour later, they heard something. It wasn't from the shadows, but a low whimpering echoing from the depths of the cavern, accompanied by the sharp sound of claws scraping against rock.
Four dark-red, canine monsters stepped out of the darkness, fanning out in a semicircle.
Hellhounds.
They were sturdier than the pictures in the records; their shoulder height reached a man's waist, and their muscles were knotted with power. Sparks didn't just fall from their muzzles—a faint red glow could be seen deep within their throats.
"Keep your distance. Don't let them surround us," Ardee commanded calmly.
The team retreated slowly, maintaining a circular formation. The Hellhound pack pressed forward, letting out threatening low growls. The leader was the largest, with several crisscrossing scars on its brow—a battle-hardened veteran.
Just as the two sides were posturing, several white and yellow blurs leaped down from the fissures in the cavern ceiling—Al-mi'raj! Their target was clear: the adventurers.
Four Al-mi'raj landed precisely on the team's flanks, hurling their small hand-axes simultaneously! Their targets weren't Ardee in the front, but Lyra and Su Lun in the rear!
"Cover them!" Lyu's figure blurred instantly. The speed bonus from her Aero Maneuver allowed her to reach them first, her wooden sword tracing a dizzying arc to intercept two of the flying axes.
Alise was equally swift; her blade flashed, severing the third axe. Simultaneously, facing this sudden assault, the "Adversity" condition of her Seika No Saki skill triggered, granting her high-stat corrections that allowed her to maintain perfect balance and posture even as she parried.
However, the fourth axe took a cunning angle, flying straight for Su Lun's face—
"Shield!"
A translucent forcefield expanded instantly. The axe struck the shield and spun away.
"Counterattack!" Ardee barked.
Almost before the command left her lips, Lyu and Alise were already moving. Lyu streaked forward like the wind, her sprint so fast she left afterimages. Her wooden sword let out a sharp whistle, its attack power soaring with her speed as she targeted the nearest Al-mi'raj.
The rabbit monster raised its hand-axe to block, but the force behind the wooden sword was beyond its imagination—the axe was sent flying, and the sword's momentum continued unabated, striking the monster's skull.
Crack!
The sound of splintering bone was unmistakable.
Alise's blade light swept in from the other side. Facing multiple enemies, her Seito Seika skill began to take effect, amplifying her close-combat capabilities. She didn't chant, but a faint crimson flow swirled around her blade, gathering strength for the next eruption. The second Al-mi'raj tried to roll away, but Alise's sword-tip followed like a shadow, piercing it through the back.
The remaining two Al-mi'raj saw the tide turning and tried to flee, but Lyra's arrows sealed their path. Kaguya emerged from the shadows, letting out a low shout:
"Calamitous Equinox Flower!"
The long blade in her hand transformed into five intersecting flashes of light—five blade-shadows that simultaneously covered the evasion space of both monsters!
A flash of steel, and the fight was over. The entire sequence took less than five seconds.
During this time, the Hellhounds moved.
Ignoring the fate of the Al-mi'raj, they seized the moment of the team's counterattack to breathe fire simultaneously! Four fans of flame swept in from different angles, attempting to box them in.
"Create Water!" Su Lun tapped his staff repeatedly. Several curtains of water expanded in the path of the flames. Though they were instantly vaporized, they successfully blocked the first wave of heat.
"Break formation! Take them down individually!"
Ardee pressed forward with her shield, tanking the flames as she charged the nearest hound. Lyu and Alise split left and right. Lyu accelerated again in mid-sprint, her wooden sword piercing straight for a Hellhound's throat.
Alise chanted loudly: "Burn, burn, burn—Flame, grant me your full power!"
The magic Agaris Alpenbroel activated! Searing flames wrapped around her limbs and her sword, Red Order. Her speed spiked as she dragged trails of fire across the battlefield. Kaguya circled around the rear like a ghost, utilizing her Gokō. Her five slashes weren't aimed at a single point; instead, she skillfully sealed the retreat of the last Hellhound, targeting its leg joints to cripple its movement.
Su Lun stayed out of melee, raising his shortsword. "Grease—Metamagic: Distant Spell!"
The ground beneath the Hellhounds became treacherous. One hound slipped while breathing fire; its trajectory veered off, interfering with its companions' vision instead. Lyra's arrow shot precisely into an open maw, piercing the throat.
A minute later, the battle was over. Four Hellhounds were annihilated, and the team was unscathed.
Alise's flames gradually flickered out. She flicked her sword and grinned. "Our coordination is getting smoother and smoother."
The next three hours of exploration were unnaturally quiet. They encountered three more groups of Al-mi'raj and two more packs of Hellhounds, but they were small and easily handled. Occasionally, the roars and running footsteps of monsters echoed from the depths of the cavern, but there were no large-scale ambushes.
"It's too quiet," Kaguya whispered during a rest stop. "It feels like... something is clearing the field."
Ardee nodded. "I feel it too. Starting from an hour ago, the monster density has dropped significantly. This isn't normal."
Lyu looked toward the depths of the cavern, a look of vigilance in her emerald eyes. "The smell of blood... it's thick, coming from that direction." She pointed toward the heart of the cavern, where the darkness was so dense it seemed to swallow the light from their magic stone lamps.
"Proceed, but be ready for combat at a moment's notice," Alise decided. "If it's another Familia fighting, they might need support. If it's..."
She didn't finish, but everyone understood the subtext—if a powerful monster was hunting other monsters, the danger would be far greater.
Around 3:00 PM, they reached the source of the scent.
It was a chamber larger than any they had seen before—over three hundred meters in diameter and nearly a hundred meters high. Countless stalactites hung from the ceiling, the smallest the size of a carriage. The ground was littered with jagged stalagmites and fissures.
And in the center of this space... were corpses.
Over thirty Hellhound carcasses were scattered about, along with a dozen Al-mi'raj. All the bodies shared a common trait: magic stones were scattered everywhere, and the bodies had been violently torn apart, as if ripped open by sheer, massive force.
"This is... a massacre site," Lyra's voice was tight.
Lyu knelt to inspect a Hellhound corpse. "The wounds are irregular, not caused by a weapon... it looks more like they were shredded by brute force. And judging by the coagulation, they've been dead for less than an hour."
"Something is hunting other monsters here," Kaguya gripped her hilt. "And... it's hungry."
Just then, Su Lun's Detect Magic sensed a powerful aura—coming from behind a massive rock at the far end of the chamber. The aura was violent and unstable, like a volcano on the brink of eruption.
"Over there," he pointed toward the rock.
Almost simultaneously, heavy footsteps echoed from behind the stone.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Each step caused the ground to vibrate slightly. Then, the figure emerged.
A Minotaur.
But it was fundamentally different from its kin. This Minotaur was breath-takingly massive—standing over five meters tall with muscles so gorged they nearly tore through its hide. Its skin was a mottled pattern of dark red and pitch black, like congealed blood and charcoal. The twin horns on its head were twisted and deformed into hideous bone spurs half a meter long. Its eyes were a murky amber with narrow, vertical slits for pupils.
It carried no weapon, but its claws—each seventy centimeters long and glinting with a metallic sheen—were its deadliest tools. Most terrifying was the aura it radiated; it wasn't the typical ferocity of a monster, but a pure, naked desire for slaughter.
"An Enhanced Species Minotaur..." Lyu's voice was low. "A complete form... and it just finished a massive hunt. It's at its peak strength after feeding."
Through his Detect Magic, Su Lun saw a light that was almost blinding—the intensity of this monster far exceeded any enemy they had faced before. It even surpassed the variant dragon.
"Potential stats..." Ardee gritted her teeth in assessment. "At least Level 2 peak... possibly even Level 3."
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Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (43 Chapters – Ongoing)
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