Chapter 158
Leading his familia along the winding path on the 19th floor, Draco and his group soon arrived at a peculiar open area that resembled a mini rainforest, complete with swamp-like properties.
The vibrant greenery enveloped them, and the air was thick with humidity.
Above, arching wooden pathways loomed, adorned with various plants that dangled precariously over the lush ground below.
Several of these paths likely led to uncharted territories within the dungeon, which Draco planned to investigate later.
Armed with a map of explored areas on the middle floors, he knew precisely where to go next.
The reason Draco had chosen this particular area was clear: it was a prime training ground for his familia.
Only three types of dungeon monsters spawned here: Lizardmen, Gun Libellula, and Dark Fungus.
This unique combination offered an excellent opportunity for his familia to hone and possibly unlock new, unique development abilities.
The Lizardmen, humanoid creatures with shimmering red scales, excelled in melee combat, wielding weapons known as metal flowers as both swords and shields.
The Gun Libellula, resembling dragonflies, specialized in long-range attacks, launching projectiles from their abdomens.
Lastly, the Dark Fungus, a mushroom-like monster, released poisonous spores when threatened.
These monsters were not beyond level 2, but would present a challenge similar to what his familia had encountered on the 16th floor.
The key difference lay in the diversity of the creatures and their sheer numbers.
Recognizing this, Draco decided to split the group into teams to boost efficiency while increasing the challenge.
The first team consisted of Eleni, Nikolaos, and Vasiliki, with Vasiliki as the team leader.
The second team comprised Michalis, Clair, and Dimitra, with Dimitra taking charge.
Finally, the last team was made up of Draco and Vasileios.
Upon hearing the team assignments, a look of pity crossed the faces of the others as they regarded Vasileios for being paired with Draco.
On one hand, being with his brother ensured his safety; on the other, it meant that he would be the prime beta tester for whatever plans Draco had in mind.
Draco, however, believed that grouping together for every monster was unnecessary.
The area was vast and teeming with monsters, allowing them to engage individually without relying on his detection skills.
His objective was to accelerate their growth, and he had no intention of coddling them.
As long as they didn’t teeter on the brink of death, he planned to let them find their footing.
Everyone needed to be at least level 3 or more for him to have peace of mind during the evilus eventual attack.
‘Sigh, I can only pray that we aren’t unlucky enough to be on the extermination list of the evilus’ Draco thought.
He knew just how dangerous the evilus members could be, they were a crazy bunch, willing to sacrifice their souls for their cause.
Even summoning a juggernaut was just the tip of the iceberg to the level of their madness.
“Alright, everyone set off,” Draco instructed, content with the team arrangements.
Although he considered setting quotas to foster competition, he ultimately decided against it.
He recognized that competition could lead to rash decisions and accidents, especially since they were still acclimating to the 19th floor of the dungeon.
As the various teams ventured into the thickets of greenery, Draco turned to Vasileios, a sly smile creeping across his face that sent a shiver down the younger boy’s spine.
………………………………………………………
Somewhere deep within the forest of the 19th floor, the atmosphere crackled with tension.
Eleni, Nikolaos, and Vasiliki crouched behind a dense cluster of thick ferns, their eyes trained on a group of lizardmen that loomed nearby.
The vibrant greens of the foliage stood in stark contrast to the sinister crimson scales of the creatures.
Their reptilian eyes glinted with a sliver of intelligence, and the metallic flowers they wielded sparkled ominously under the dappled blue light filtering through the canopy.
“Stay low and watch our flanks,” Vasiliki whispered, her staff drawn and crackling with energy.
“We need to take them by surprise.” she muttered.
After splitting up, Vasiliki’s team had quickly encountered the group of lizardmen, prompting them to hide and assess their surroundings before preparing an ambush.
It was their first encounter with this monster, and charging head-on would be reckless.
“Right behind you,” Nikolaos replied, gripping his spiked maul tightly, his muscles tense with anticipation.
“Let’s break their formation. Vasiliki, can you freeze some of them in place?” Eleni asked, her eyes darting between the lizardmen.
“Leave it to me. But remember, you two should save your skills; I need you both to be able to fight all day,” Vasiliki responded, focusing her energy.
She closed her eyes, drawing upon the elemental forces surrounding her.
Frost began to swirl at the tip of her staff, forming delicate tendrils of ice that sparkled with latent power.
As the lead lizardman sniffed the air, its tongue flicking out, sensed their presence, causing Eleni to take a deep breath.
“Now!” she shouted, springing from her cover, not wasting time since they had been discovered.
Like a coiled spring, Nikolaos surged forward, swinging his maul with all his might.
The lead lizardman barely had time to react before the resounding thud echoed through the clearing, sending the creature sprawling.
Vasiliki unleashed her magic, a frigid blast erupting from her staff.
The icy wave enveloped two more lizardmen, their scales hardening into a glistening shell of frost.
Although she had hoped to ensnare more, but they had scattered just before her spell hit.
“Tsk! Only two are immobilized! Keep moving!” she urged, her keen eyes scanning for additional targets.
Eleni charged past the frozen foes, her blade glinting as she expertly sidestepped a lizardman’s thrust.
With a swift, fluid motion, she slashed across its chest, the blade biting deep into its flesh.
The creature hissed in pain, staggering back, but Eleni pressed on.
“Nikolaos, to your left!” she shouted, her instincts on high alert as she turned to face another assailant.
“I’m coming!” he bellowed, crashing into the fray with unyielding force.
He swung his maul again, catching a lizardman who had attempted to flank Eleni.
The creature flew several feet, crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.
“They’re tougher than they look!” he grunted, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“But not tougher than a Minotaur!” he observed.
“Just keep them occupied!” Vasiliki called out, conjuring another ice shard that she hurled toward a charging lizardman.
It struck the creature in the shoulder, causing it to stumble.
Observing her surrounding, Vasiliki quickly noticed another lizardmen group quickly approaching, they were small in numbers, but were still a threat.
“We can’t let them join together!” Vasiliki yelled alerting the others.
But as Vasiliki spoke, a lizardman raised its metallic flower shield, deflecting her icy projectile, Its baleful gaze fell upon her, hissing angrily.
“Eleni, cover me!” Vasiliki commanded as the lizardman lunged at her.
She was focused intently on stopping the lizardmen reinforcements that had emerged unexpectedly, unwilling to activate her defensive passive skill, which would drain her mind quickly.
“Not today!” Eleni shouted, intercepting the lizardman with a swift strike that caught it off guard.
“We won’t let you lizards near her!” she muttered.
“Thanks, Eleni!” Vasiliki replied gratefully as she conjured a semi-circular protective barrier of ice around herself, to split the other group.
“I’ll keep casting; just make sure they don’t get too close!” she instructed.
Eleni nodded, mindful of her position relative to Vasiliki.
Without Vasileios to tank and draw aggro, everything felt a bit precarious.
As the battle intensified, Eleni found herself surrounded.
The lizardmen advanced, their metallic flowers glinting ominously.
“Nikolaos, I need backup!” she shouted, parrying a strike aimed at her midsection.
“I’m coming!” he bellowed, crashing into the fray once more.
With brute force, he swung his maul, knocking two lizardmen to the ground, allowing Eleni a moment to breathe.
Vasiliki, sensing that they were nearing victory, gathered her energy and unleashed a chilling blizzard that swept through the clearing.
Ice and wind howled as shards sliced through the air, striking the remaining lizardmen and leaving them disoriented.
“Now’s your chance!” she urged, her voice elevated above the chaos.
Seizing the opportunity, Eleni and Nikolaos quickly dispatched the remaining lizardmen, their teamwork shining through in the heat of battle.
As the last creature fell, they began gathering magic stones and dropped items while Vasiliki took a moment to meditate, a way to quickly recover her mind.
There was no telling when they would be ambushed, keeping her on edge.