Just as monsters from the 13th Floor onward began wielding ranged attacks, the Guild's standard information warned that from the 19th Floor, the Great Tree Labyrinth, a new threat awaited.
Namely: most monsters hatched in these floors carried abnormal attacks.
Poison, sleep, hallucination, paralysis… and so on.
Because these status ailments were notoriously difficult to counter, many adventurers of Dungeon-exploring Familias, upon reaching Level 2, often swallowed their pride and chose "Abnormal Resistance" as their first Development Ability, even if it meant passing over a rare skill.
After all, unchosen Development Abilities didn't vanish. If one was confident in their talent and uninterested in side specialties, they could wait until reaching Level 3 to finally seize a rare ability.
At the end of the day, ordinary adventurers aren't like me. We only get one life, and if you lose it, everything's over.
At this moment,
"Cast magic!"
BOOM!
The expedition had only just arrived on the 19th Floor. Their formation hadn't yet fully spread out. So when the rookies, on their first expedition, made a poor judgment call and unleashed a flood of excessive spells, chaos erupted within their own ranks.
And then,
Crack~
The very first enemy they encountered here, a Swallowtail Dragonfly, its pale purple chitin over a meter long, was struck by multiple spells at once. It exploded midair, body torn apart, and turned to ash before it even hit the ground.
The rookies who'd fired off those spells wore smug smiles. A few boasted to each other. Others snuck glances at the commanders, hoping their "prowess" had been noticed.
The meaning of those glances was obvious.
So eager to show off that they're forgetting this is an expedition, not a contest…
Looking closer, the Swallowtail's remains bore burn marks, frostbite, and cuts, proof of clashing elements.
Veteran eyes like Riveria's saw it instantly.
"Multiple conflicting elements. Their spells weakened each other."
From the center of the formation, she offered her cool assessment.
"Not only that…" Finn's gaze swept the jungle canopy. "That racket will have drawn in the nearby monsters."
"Hmph."
Gareth the dwarf sighed heavily. "As I thought… these green saplings need a lot more training."
Hearing the Three Commanders, the younger adventurers wilted.
"We were the same back then."
"Yeah."
"Though Tiona was even worse, she just charged."
"Hah, I remember that. Couldn't even catch her. In the end, Gareth had to cleave the path shut with one swing just to stop it."
"And then we had to take a huge detour afterward…"
"Ehehe~"
The Level 4s, Alicia, Raul, Anakitty, laughed nostalgically, while Tiona scratched her head and stuck out her tongue, playing innocent.
The rookies sobered quickly. They were embarrassed, yes, but not broken. Within seconds, their eyes shone with firmer resolve.
Gareth's right. They are good seedlings.
The Loki Familia's atmosphere, as always, nurtured growth.
But in any large group, there were always a few who couldn't, or wouldn't, sync with the rhythm.
Like a certain silver-haired werewolf…
"Tch."
Hands shoved in his pockets, he clicked his tongue, clearly about to spit out some tsundere remark meant to annoy.
And then,
BZZZ~ BZZZ~
The sound of wings thundered from all around.
"They're coming."
Finn's quiet warning cut through the noise. Then, with crisp authority:
"Level 5 and higher, close in around the supply convoy! Level 4s and Level 3s, take the front lines with the Level 2 vanguards and intercept! Mages and archers, be ready to fire! Hold your assigned defensive positions, do not repeat the mistake of breaking formation!"
"We'll clear this wave first, then fully spread the formation as planned."
"Understood!"
Guess some lessons only stick once you learn the hard way… though maybe that sounds harsher than I mean.
Either way, after one mistake, the rookies now held formation with much greater discipline.
On Aether's side, however, Lefiya was the worst off, pale and trembling. Lulune had to guide her further back.
Luckily, with the formation still tight and Finn's command holding steady, the rear was secure.
With Finn and the others here, the backline is safe for now. And with that reassurance…
Aether (Renjiro) glanced at Lumine. Their infinite mental link carried a wordless agreement.
Let's start recording the experience values from these first encounters.
Right.
================
From Aether's knowledge, the first seventeen floors had been predictable.
Goblins dominated the first five floors. Eye-Frog Archers on the fourth. Killer Ants on the seventh.
The tunnels there created stable chamber habitats, so until the 10th Floor's White Mist Withered Woods, the chance of random swarms was low.
But here in the Great Tree Labyrinth, rules shattered.
Bugbear Bears, Mad Beetles, Fighting Boars, Swallowtail Dragonflies, Lamias… even rare Firebirds.
Some came from deeper floors. Some didn't even spawn nearby.
But the noise of the expedition had roused them all. Within hundreds of meters, monsters were converging.
They shrieked, flapped, and charged in a flood.
The Dungeon itself was a living, treacherous entity.
And this was its first trial for the expedition.
==========
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