Chapter 21 Almost A Picnic
Our team, Labyrinth Conquest Team, consisting of 11 people, along with the 4 members of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] we're escorting, has been making incredible progress.
The reason for this is probably because Eva Kirke brought a powerful magic tool that sets up a barrier, and the Storage Rings we all received.
We can set up a safe camp inside the labyrinth, and we don't need to carry a lot of luggage, so even with 4 non-combatants, our burden is significantly reduced.
And with 11 Expert Explorers, our exploration of the lower and middle floors is almost like a picnic.
On the other hand, we had to work hard to regain our tense atmosphere, which had become too relaxed.
We fought enemies one by one, excluding the guardians, and none of our members (except the escorted ones) would struggle against monsters below the 30th floor.
So, after reaching the 21st floor on our first exploration, we took a 3-day break, and then aimed to reach the 31st floor in 2 days on our second exploration.
Probably, my fellow clan members and I could have continued exploring without any issues. That's how easy this exploration was.
But the escorted ones were different. Only Ryan had trained and had some physical strength, but he was still at a normal person's level. Just walking inside the labyrinth was exhausting for him, both physically and mentally.
That's why we took a 3-day break ―― to let the escorted ones rest.
And so, we began our second exploration, taking a break in between.
On the first day, we reached the 26th floor as planned.
From the 21st to the 25th floor, we were in the dense forest layer, which was an extremely unpleasant environment, but we didn't have any problems advancing or fighting. Everyone agreed to hurry up and push through as fast as possible.
The guardian of the 25th floor was a giant ape, accompanied by its monkey minions.
I, Logan, Io, Ail, Fiona, and anyone else could have taken them down solo, but we decided to work together to annihilate them quickly and escape the dense forest.
My Continuous Blade rained down, while Fiona activated her Sword Dance and unleashed a flurry of Flying Slashes. Logan released his Flying Dragon Sever, and Io carved through the air with his violent magic. Before I knew it, Ail had already plunged his short sword into the giant ape's heart.
The battle time was probably less than a minute.
The members of the "Iron Wall Alliance," who were protecting Eva, were watching our battle with their eyes wide open in amazement.
It was indeed a one-sided fight, almost pitiful. But I didn't have any regrets about it.
Anyway.
It was the second day of our exploration.
From the 26th to the 30th floors, the environment was like an underground temple, known as the Underworld Floor. Only undead monsters appeared. However, when we entered the wide open space instead of the corridors, we were attacked by a large number of undead at a high probability, making it a troublesome floor.
It was on this Underworld Floor that I first met Fiona, but now that's just a bad memory... not at all. Even thinking about it now, Fiona's crazy behavior still gets on my nerves.
However, since then, both Fiona and I have greatly improved our skills.
Fiona's growth, in particular, was remarkable. She could now take down undead monsters that would have killed her before, all by herself.
And we were about to fight against Lich, the guardian of the 30th floor.
As for me, I, Logan, Io, and Ail all had the strength to defeat Lich solo.
With my current abilities, I could take down Lich with a single blow using one of my hidden techniques.
Logan could break through the undead army head-on and strike Lich down.
Io could annihilate the army with his wide-range magic and then take down Lich.
As for Ail, he could easily slip past the army undetected using his Stealth skill and strike Lich. Probably, Ail had the best compatibility against Lich.
Fiona, however, had never defeated Lich solo before.
That's why. Fiona stood in front of the guardian and said,
"Leave this to me."
"...You're gonna do it alone?"
I couldn't help but confirm, even though it was obvious.
It's not like it's impossible, but it's definitely tough for Fiona. The compatibility between 'Sword Dance Maiden' and Lich is good, but that's because it's a setup that utilizes the characteristics of 'Sword Dance Maiden' Jobs.
If she fails to execute it properly, she'll be crushed by the undead army in no time.
But Fiona nodded strongly with a determined expression, showing no intention of backing down.
"Of course, I can do it."
I was a bit worried, but I had Logan and the others here with me. If things got tough, it wouldn't be hard to jump in and help.
Thinking that, I decided to leave it to Fiona.
"Hey, Fiona! Are you serious?!"
"Of course, I'm serious. I can do it, don't worry."
Eva opposed her, but Fiona pushed through with confidence.
The members of the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫ also opposed her, saying it was reckless, but Fiona pushed through and challenged Lich alone.
The deepest room was beyond a massive door.
Fiona opened the door and entered alone, while the rest of us watched from outside.
The moment she entered the vast room, Lich, who was waiting on the other side, summoned countless undead using Necromancy magic ―― [Summon Legion Undead].
Fiona, on the other hand, didn't close in on the approaching undead. Instead, she maintained a certain distance and began to dance.
She activated her Sword Dance Maiden skill ―― [Sword Dance] ―― and used [Flying Slash] to take out the undead while keeping her distance.
The aura blades released from her dual swords grew stronger with each strike, increasing in power. At first, she could barely take down one undead, but soon she was taking down 2, 3, and eventually 5 undead with a single [Flying Slash].
However, the enhanced power from [Sword Dance] had its limits.
It's likely that the growth rate of the 'Sword Dance Maiden' job and the proficiency of [Sword Dance] determine the upper limit. For Fiona right now, this is the upper limit that can be strengthened with [Sword Dance].
The number of [Flying Slash] attacks released from the dual swords is high. The number of undead decreases rapidly, but...
Necromancy magic――[Summon Legion Undead]
With an enormous magical energy that seems almost infinite, Lich can replenish the undead as many times as he wants.
No matter how many times we defeat them, it's endless. If it becomes an endurance battle, defeat is inevitable.
However, the true value of 'Sword Dance Maiden' lies here.
The moment [Sword Dance] reaches its maximum strengthening, Fiona activates a second skill.
To activate this skill, the prerequisite is to maximize [Sword Dance].
Sword Dance Maiden skill――[Dance of the God Offering]
The moment it's activated, all strengthening from [Sword Dance] is reset. But it's not just a meaningless reset. The results of [Sword Dance] are offered to the gods, and in return, Fiona's entire ability is temporarily strengthened by the gods' blessing.
Whether or not the gods exist is irrelevant, but at least this skill has that effect, without a doubt.
And again, Fiona activates [Sword Dance] to strengthen her sword techniques.
She uses [Sword Dance] to activate [Dance of the God Offering], and then activates [Sword Dance] again. By repeating this cycle many times, she can strengthen herself multiple times, which is the greatest strength of the 'Sword Dance Maiden' job.
Of course, there are also drawbacks.
One is that the strengthening from [Dance of the God Offering] lasts for about 20 minutes. Although the strengthening can be stacked multiple times, it will gradually disappear after 20 minutes, so it's not possible to stack it indefinitely.
And then there's the consumption of magical energy.
[Dance of the God Offering] itself can be activated with a small amount of magical energy, but [Sword Dance] continuously consumes magical energy, making it very draining. Moreover, if she repeats it multiple times, even Fiona, who uses [Flying Slash] frequently, will quickly run out of magical energy.
――However, this problem was solved by her equipment.
The twin swords Fiona wields are both special magic swords with unique powers. Among them, the right sword's name is 'Magic Eater', and its ability is to absorb the magical energy of defeated enemies and return it to its wielder.
In other words, by defeating enemies, she can recover magical energy.
In a situation like this, where there are countless weak enemies, she doesn't have to worry about running out of magical energy.
About 17 minutes had passed since the battle began, just before the initial [Dance of the God Offering] buff wore off.
Fiona, who had stacked multiple buffs, finally launched a full-scale attack.
"――Haaaaaaa!!"
Fiona, who had summoned 2 swords with her Sword Technique [Dancing Aura Sword] beside her, charged into the undead army, heading straight for the Rich at the very back.
She swung both twin swords wildly, unleashing [Flying Slash] attacks. The 2 aura swords danced freely, cutting down the undead. With her physical abilities, senses, reaction speed, and aura control all boosted, it was impossible for the undead to stop Fiona.
Even if she took a few attacks, Fiona, who had stacked so many buffs, wouldn't be defeated; she wouldn't even flinch.
This was the proof of a talented individual, the strength of a Unique Job.
A recreation of the heroes who once existed.
Fiona overwhelmed the majority with her crushing power, breaking through the thick shield of the undead army.
When she finally reached the Lich, her entire body was covered in countless bruises and scars, but she was still unhindered in battle.
The Lich pointed its staff at Fiona, casting its first attack magic.
Dark Magic――[Dark Lance]
Dark Magic――[Dark Javelin]
Dark Magic――[Dark Bullet]
In an instant, countless magic spells were unleashed. A dark spear with mass appeared from beneath Fiona's feet, and multiple dark javelins were fired from Lich's side. Fiona dodged them with swift footwork, but then dark bullets rained down on her like a storm.
However, Fiona, who had dodged them using [Speed Step], finally caught up to Lich within striking distance.
Sword Dance Maiden Skill――[Dance of the Final Flash]
An intense sword dance was unleashed. The aura blades released from the twin swords were sharper than [Flying Slash]. The sword flashes seemed to carve into the air, leaving behind a residual glow that remained on the spot, and by the time it faded, the blades had already sliced through their target.
This powerful attack skill converted the enhancements accumulated from Fiona's [Dance of the God Offering] into attack power.
When the residual glow disappeared, Lich was left in a state of being sliced into pieces by multiple slashes, unable to do anything.
"Did she win..."
I let out a deep sigh, confirming that the undead army had been sent back as particles of light.
When I came to, I found myself holding the hilt of a sword, so I gently released it.
"Were you that worried about your disciple, Aaron?"
"Io..."
Io Suleiman, the sage, approached me with a sly grin.
I couldn't help but scowl at the old man's underhanded insinuation.
But, since people like him would only get more persistent if I denied it, I decided to agree with him straightforwardly.
"Yeah, she managed to win somehow, so I'm relieved."
"Is that so..."
As expected, Io looked disappointed.
This old man is a pain in the neck when he's got free time.
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