—
“Will, do you see that? Use your proud Extre Fla teor!”
“I see it, I see it—”
“Alright…”
“Imprint our fate, burn our souls, sear our lives—this is Extre Fla teor!”
Will chanted the incantation, aiming at the eye of the massive ice lizard that lay sluggishly on the ground, barely moving most of the ti.
The mont he finished the chant…
Ti seed to slow down. The world in Will’s eyes beca sluggish, as he watched the coin in his hand launch forward—
This ice lizard was incredibly troubleso!
The most frustrating part was…
Its entire body was covered in thick, crystalline armor.
But…
For so reason, this icy armor had been ticulously “sculpted” to look like ordinary ice armor!
At first glance, both Will and Shuna had misjudged it!
They had assud this ice lizard was no different from the smaller ones they had encountered, thinking its armor was made of regular ice that could be broken with fire magic.
But they were wrong…
This ice lizard was likely so kind of mutated variant, deserving of the na “Crystal Ice Lizard.”
In that case…
It was hard to determine in a short ti which type of attack would be most effective against this crystalline armor. The only option was to use the “underpowered team’s thod for dealing with ice lizards.”
Target its weak spot!
That weak spot was…
Its eyes.
No matter what, when its eyes were open, they were unprotected.
Lizards, whether in dungeons or the outside world, were like that.
With his strategy decided, Will’s Extre Fla teor shot out of his hand like a teor, powerful and precise, piercing straight through the lizard’s right eye—
Boom—
The explosion of the Extre Fla teor blended with the sound of the massive ice lizard collapsing.
Then, the enormous creature slowly disintegrated into dust.
“Good… good… whew…”
Without Shuna’s blessing to support him, Will was already out of breath after just one cast. He could barely stay upright and collapsed to the ground, sitting down.
Don’t ask why he used this spell again.
He had spent years mastering it, and even now, he had refined it into a version with increased power but reduced energy consumption.
For an ancient spell, reaching this level of proficiency was already impressive!
Most professors studying ancient magic (Leah excluded) would consider themselves lucky to even understand the incantation in their lifeti, let alone cast it.
“You look exhausted. So, how does it feel to experience a real boss fight?”
Shuna walked over.
Will had thought…
She might cast a mana-replenishing blessing or a fatigue-reducing spell on him, but…
She didn’t!
Instead, she walked over…
And handed him a towel to wipe his sweat.
“Exciting doesn’t even begin to describe it… Three minutes ago, when it slamd its claw down—if… if you hadn’t stepped in to block it for … would I have died?”
“Correct!”
“You… you hesitated for a mont, didn’t you? About whether to save ?”
“Not at all.”
Shuna scratched her head.
“By the 40th floor, you’re finally encountering elite monsters that genuinely challenge you—by ‘challenge,’ I an the kind that almost sends you to the afterlife.”
“You’re deliberately making dance on the edge of death.”
“Exactly!”
Shuna nodded without a hint of embarrassnt.
However…
Will clutched his pounding heart. The adrenaline rush he had just experienced was sothing he hadn’t felt in a long ti.
Actually…
This wasn’t what he had imagined dungeons to be like.
He had thought it would be like a ga, where everyone had their roles: the damage dealers dealt damage, the healers healed, and the boss’s health bar steadily dropped until the fight was over.
At worst, if sothing went wrong, one party mber might “black out” on the status screen—but as long as the prep work and post-fight recovery (i.e., logistics) were done properly, there would be no real issues.
But…
He had missed one key point.
Planning a perfectly safe dungeon run, smoothly clearing it or even achieving a one-shot kill, was indeed the daily routine of dungeon adventurers.
But monts like this—teetering on the brink of danger, pulling off a desperate counterattack, and exploiting a weakness for a decisive blow…
Were also part of the adventure!
For most adventurers, this was their “life,” not a carefully curated progression ga.
They had to be prepared, but they also had to face life-or-death risks.
And…
Will had never dared to act as the main damage dealer against such a powerful elite monster before. Although Shuna had blocked one fatal attack for him, he had still succeeded this ti.
“Alright, alright, stop reminiscing. You probably need the crystal ore this thing dropped, right?”
“Crystal ore? What crystal—wait, oh, right?!”
Will scrambled to his feet and practically crawled over to the ice lizard’s remains.
In an ice-elent dungeon—especially one as rare as this—an elite boss’s loot…
Was exactly the material Eir needed for her shield!
Even without his Task System on hand, Will had morized what each person needed. He knew exactly what to look for.
Although this crystal’s physical toughness made it less effective at resisting magic, it was perfect for use as a shield’s outer layer, even if it wasn’t suitable as a core defensive material.
Finding the outer layer alone was already incredibly lucky!
“The quality is excellent. No… not just the quality—the rarity of this material is the main thing. We couldn’t even break it after all that fighting.”
“Right?”
“Oh! Wait, that reminds —there’s sothing else I need to retrieve…”
Will began searching the area frantically.
The coin.
Extre Fla teor always required a dium to cast.
However, unlike the disposable coins he used to make, he now borrowed witch coins from Leah.
Retrieving them was a bit of a hassle, but their durability made them invaluable for dealing with tough enemies.
“Is this… a coin? Wait, why does an Entark coin have a witch’s face on it?”
“Oh, this is sothing Leah gave .”
“Leah? Oh, the short witch you’re always talking about?”
“I’ve ntioned so many things about her—why is the only thing you rember that she’s short?”
Will tilted his head.
“Well, her magical expertise is impressive, and she’s done extensive research on ancient magic. She also has lots of tools. I’ve told you all this before—this is one of her tools!”
Shuna crossed her arms, listening, and nodded.
“Alright, alright.”
Will couldn’t shake the feeling…
That Shuna always seed a bit impatient whenever he ntioned soone else.
As expected…
As expected!
A prodigy like her must feel sowhat stifled working with the still-developing mbers of Morning Star.
“Don’t worry, Shuna. Trust , given ti, those three will beco incredibly strong. As the team leader, I promise you—I’ll turn this team into a super S-rank squad that can keep up with you!”
Shuna gave him a look that seed to say, That’s not what I ant.
“Ambitious goals… are a good thing, I suppose.”
—
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