"ROOOOOAAAARRRR!"
A roar burst through the chamber.
The members of the other adventuring parties, who were a step slower than Ronan's group, felt the sound hit them like a physical blow. Every adventurer in the chamber turned toward the same direction, their faces filled with shock.
Under everyone's gaze, the thick mist at the entrance to the next tunnel churned violently, as if something huge was forcing its way through.
Then, a huge scaled head with dull amber scales broke through the mist.
It had a tail covered in thick armor scales, sharp claws that looked strong enough to tear through steel, and rows of sharp fangs that made everyone break into a cold sweat.
"An Infant Dragon!!!"
An adventurer screamed the monster's name.
"This is unexpected."
Seeing this, even Ronan couldn't help but twitch an eyelid. He clicked his tongue and whispered:
"We didn't even have to look for it. This Infant Dragon appeared right in front of us. Wow."
Ronan almost wanted to give it a thumbs up and say, "Impressive."
This four-legged monster was a member of the dragon species, known as one of the strongest monster races. Although it had no wings, its powerful body was covered in hard scales. It was clear at a glance that it was far more dangerous than an Orc.
Just by standing there, it made the surrounding adventurers tense up.
The Infant Dragon's red eyes looked around constantly. It seemed to be choosing its next meal.
"The chance was so low, and yet we actually ran into it?"
Not just Ronan, but even Jeanne and Rose, who usually stayed calm and steady, looked surprised.
They had talked about wanting to experience the power of a dragon now that they were on the 12th Floor, but they hadn't actually taken it seriously.
This was because the chance of an encounter was extremely low.
In the vast 11th and 12th Floors, encountering an Infant Dragon, which was both a rare species and a dragon, was not just rare. It was like finding treasure by accident.
Of course, that was only if you ignored the piles of reports in the Guild's records about low-level parties being crushed by them.
...
Before Ronan and his team could move...
"ROAR!"
With a violent roar, the Infant Dragon attacked.
It went after the closest target first. Its massive tail swept across the ground and slammed into a Pallum adventurer who reacted a little too slowly, sending him flying.
Before anyone else could react, the man hit the wall. He coughed up blood, his head slumped, and his eyes rolled back. He fainted instantly.
Seeing this, Ronan and his team looked at each other and reached an agreement immediately.
"This is a rare chance. Let's take it down."
If money was right in front of them and they had the power to take it, why would they let it go?
Before he finished speaking, Ronan was the first to jump down the stairs. He stayed low and ran fast. His eyes under the hood became focused, completely different from his usual look. He pointed his staff forward, using his Mind to guide Magic into the crystal at the tip.
Ronan narrowed his eyes, which were glowing with Magic. He reached his left hand forward to protect the head of the staff. He shifted his feet to the side, stood firm, and began charging his power.
Jeanne shouted:
"I will take the lead. Rose, take the front. Lorie, keep it busy from the side. Aura, prepare your Magic. Ronan, give us fire support!"
Jeanne and Rose moved quickly, passing Ronan and charging straight at the rampaging Infant Dragon.
"Howl, storm!"
"Gale Chant!"
Lorie followed closely behind, not wanting to be left out. She finished the short chant, and her Magic took effect. Her golden hair flew in the wind as her speed suddenly rose, and she quickly caught up to the other two.
The wind brushed against Ronan's face. Ronan smiled and instinctively glanced behind him.
Ancient hunger buried beneath the fertile soil! Entwine, Thorns of Ever-Green! Feed on pain, sing with their cries!
Within this prison...
Lorie was already moving. So Ronan glanced out of the corner of his eye. As expected.
Aura was standing behind him to the side. Her arms were spread wide, and her solemn chant began to ring out.
At that moment, the team's attack on the Infant Dragon began.
"Cinder!"
Ronan's Magic hit first. Before Jeanne and Rose could reach the target, a blast of flames struck it accurately.
Sizzle.
Sparks scattered across the scales, but Ronan knew his Magic hadn't caused much trouble for the monster.
However, it was enough. Cinder had taken hold.
Ronan pulled up his mask. It covered his face and helped protect him from the heat and the flames.
Then, as his Mind surged, the magic crystal on his staff suddenly glowed brightly.
"Fireball!"
A burning fireball shot out from the staff and slammed into the Infant Dragon's scales.
Before the flames finished spreading, Ronan had already aimed again.
"Fireball!"
Another fireball followed the first one, striking the same area and forcing the dragon's body to twist.
Ronan did not stop there. He kept casting, sending one Fireball after another into the Infant Dragon.
Shoom, shoom, shoom, shoom!
A series of burning fireballs shot out from the staff one after another, forming a bright line of fire.
A second later, while the onlookers stared with their mouths open, the nonstop explosions swallowed the Infant Dragon's massive body.
"Holy...!"
Several adventurers cursed at the same time.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Flames surged and heat spread out. One explosion followed another. The heat distorted the air. Combined with the constant blasts, the scene showed the raw force of Magic.
The nearby onlookers had never seen Magic used like ordinary strikes before.
"Gods... What kind of crazy casting speed is that? Is he using Magic like a normal attack?"
An Elf adventurer who looked like a Mage whispered to himself in a daze.
This ridiculous sight gave the surrounding adventuring parties a small taste of what a Mage could do.
"That's... that's absurd."
"Am I dreaming?"
"The fireballs were in a line just now!"
"Was that an illusion?"
"Damn, which Familia does this party belong to? Why don't I recognize them?"
"Shh, do you want to die? Look at their teamwork and skill. Especially those two vanguards and that insane Mage... that's at least a Level 2 party, maybe even higher..."
"Let's move away. Didn't you see what happened to that unlucky guy earlier?"
"Right, don't let them misunderstand. Interfering with another party's fight in the Dungeon is a major taboo!"
"Yeah, yeah, let's get out of here."
Ronan had no time to listen to the talk. His eyes were locked on the smoke rising from the explosions.
Pain.
The Infant Dragon had barely emerged before Ronan's fireballs tore into it.
The barrage drove it back before it could even settle into the fight.
"ROOOOOOAR!"
As the smoke cleared, the Infant Dragon's battered state was clear for all to see.
It no longer looked powerful. Most of its scales were pitted, charred, and curled. Under the broken scales, its vulnerable flesh was exposed. It rolled across the ground in a mess, scraping its claws against the stone as it tried to stand.
The angry monster pushed itself up. It stared with its red, violent eyes at the person who caused this. But it was met with Ronan's mocking gaze.
"Gold!"
A flash of blue hair appeared. Rose rushed in front of the Infant Dragon. As she ran, she held her left hand to her chest and shouted her prayer.
Golden light wrapped around Rose, raising her Abilities and strengthening her defense.
In an instant, she moved even faster.
Rose stepped in under the dragon's jaw. Her shield stayed close to her body, guarding against its claws, while her sword shot upward.
Her one-handed sword stabbed directly into the Infant Dragon's eye.
Before it could scream in pain, the Infant Dragon shook its head wildly, trying to throw Rose off.
Jeanne followed immediately. Her armored boots slammed into the ground, and she leaped into the air. The spear in her hand pierced the monster's other eye, which had already been scorched by a fireball.
"ROOOOOOAR!"
The pain of both eyes being destroyed, plus the burns all over its body, turned the Infant Dragon's roar into a miserable scream.
But obviously, a monster's scream wouldn't get any sympathy. At this moment, Lorie followed up with a serious look. Her sword flashed again and again. She moved left and right during the blind dragon's wild counterattacks, distracting it while adding new wounds.
As more wounds appeared, the heavily injured Infant Dragon became even more crazed. It attacked everything it could touch.
"Everyone be careful! The monster is at its most dangerous stage right now!"
Ronan's eyes sharpened. He provided support with Magic while shouting a warning.
"Understood!"
The three of them answered at the same time.
...
Clang, clang, clang.
Rose stood right in front of the Infant Dragon with her shield on her left arm. She blocked every attack from the monster.
The dragon's claws scraped across the shield, throwing sparks into the air. Its fangs snapped toward her head, but she shifted half a step and forced its bite away with the edge of her shield. Its tail swept in from the side, heavy enough to break bones, and Rose planted her foot into the ground before taking the blow.
The pure white light on her shield trembled, but it did not break.
Not only that, Rose caught every opening and counterattacked with her sword. Every strike left a deep wound on the Infant Dragon.
Steel Knight took effect with every counterattack, making Rose's sword faster and heavier each time she answered the dragon's blows.
No matter how violent the Infant Dragon's attacks were, Rose stood firm. She was the perfect example of a strong vanguard.
Jeanne, leading the attack from the front, was also unstoppable. Her spear moved quickly, leaving countless holes in the monster's massive body.
Ruler's Verdict was already weakening the dragon, making each opening easier to punish.
Jeanne used those openings without hesitation. She slipped past the dragon's claws, stepped under its neck, and drove her spear into the wounds left by Ronan's fireballs. Each thrust tore deeper into the flesh under the cracked scales.
With Lorie moving and keeping it busy from the sides, the Infant Dragon's resistance grew weaker and weaker.
Lorie did not stay in one place. Wind wrapped around her body as she darted between the dragon's legs and tail. Every time the monster turned toward Rose or Jeanne, Lorie slashed at its legs, forcing it to stumble and lose balance.
Ronan's team was taking control.
However, the stubborn life force of a dragon species kept it struggling. It refused to fall.
Even with its eyes destroyed, its scales split open, and blood spilling from its wounds, the dragon kept swinging its claws and tail. Every movement was slower than before, but each attack was still strong enough to kill a careless adventurer.
At this point, even Ronan started to doubt things. Is this really Level 2? That doesn't seem right.
Thinking this, he frowned and looked at the Infant Dragon very carefully.
"Something's not right..."
"It's still too stubborn..."
His intuition warned him that something was wrong, but no matter how much he looked, he couldn't find the source. Finally, he had to push his doubts down and focus entirely on the fight.
With everyone working together, another ten minutes passed.
"Fireball!"
Ronan, who now had a stable position to attack, reapplied the Cinder effect and fully charged every fireball. He calmly waved his staff, pouring explosive power onto the Infant Dragon that was being held down by the vanguards.
Every few seconds, another explosion tore into the Infant Dragon's damaged body.
Its movements became visibly slow, stiff, and distorted.
Seeing that the enemy was in its final struggle, Ronan knew the time had come. He gave Aura a look.
Aura nodded heavily with a solemn expression.
Suck the surging heat!
Drink the fading light!
With your life force...
Water my body! Nourish my soul!
Just as Aura was about to chant the final name of the Magic...
Crack! Crack! Crack, crack, crack!
The walls and floor of the chamber began to crack in large areas, just as Ronan expected.
"Heh, I knew it."
Ronan sneered. "It always does something at the moment victory is close and people are most relaxed."
After saying that, he waved his hand sharply toward Aura.
At the same time, Aura's chant reached its peak:
"Harvest Feast Carnival!"
Rumble!
The ground of the chamber shook. Countless vines and roots grew out of the floor. Under Aura's control, they tightly wrapped around the Infant Dragon and the large pile of other monsters that had just appeared, turning them into giant cocoons. The vines drained the life force and Mind from these creatures.
"Roar!" "Squeak!" "Ribbit!"
Whether it was an Imp, an Orc, a Goblin, a Frog Shooter, or a Killer Ant, no matter the monster, once they were bound by these vines, they could not escape. They became food for Harvest Feast Carnival.
"Phew."
Ronan breathed in. He pointed his staff steadily at the core of the Infant Dragon, which was still thrashing inside the vines. The crystal on the staff glowed intensely, and a full-power fireball that had been charged to its limit shot out.
The firelight reflected in his eyes as the dragon struggled in the vines.
Ronan's smile widened.
"But..."
His lips curled into a victorious smile, and he spoke loudly:
"To celebrate our victory, did the Dungeon send us a huge gift?"
"Ladies, it's party time!"