"Go for it! Black Demon Sword!"
"So cool, Cursed Abyss!"
After mastering the "turn your back on the world" technique, Hogni began to thrive under the praise. With him leading the way, the Blank team advanced at lightning speed.
The 11th floor was quickly cleared by the high-level adventurer. Lily was drenched in sweat, scrambling to pick up dropped items. Level 6 destructive power was terrifying some monsters turned to ash before their magic stones could be harvested, while others shattered along with their stones.
"Wait...wait for me!" Lily shouted frantically, using hands and feet to gather spoils as fast as she could.
Normally, collecting so many items and magic stones would be cause for joy, and she'd usually sneak a little extra for herself. But now…
"That's a Level 6! He can sense even the tiniest movement. If I'm caught, I'm dead no one can save me!"
"What's scarier is… these people actually tricked a Level 6 adventurer into working for them! How… how is that possible…"
Lily couldn't find words to describe the squad's audacity. She hypnotized herself repeatedly: I'm just a working dog… a working dog…
As they followed Hogni toward the 12th floor entrance, shouts rang out ahead:
"It's a baby dragon! The baby dragon has hatched! Run!"
Fleeing adventurers streamed into view, chased by a black phantom in the sky spewing flames.
"Finally showed up."
Sora's eyes lit up with excitement as he spoke to Hogni, who faced away from them:
"Leave the next one to us."
Hogni's nonchalant posture stiffened for a moment. What am I doing here again? Oh right… I was supposed to recruit students, but somehow became someone's apprentice…
Embarrassing…
Thankfully, no one could see his face. He lifted his chin slightly, hands behind his back, and declared in a pretentious tone: "Begin your performance!"
Sora set down his backpack and pulled out various "props" to distribute to the team.
"Stick to the pre-planned strategy."
"Got it."
Everyone nodded. Though the black cat considered herself an expert, she was far from Blank's level and Dekomori fought mostly on instinct. They took their positions without delay.
Soon, the young dragon soared out of the thick fog ahead.
Shiro, drawing on knowledge from the school district, relayed information to the team:
"Though called a baby dragon, its wingspan is an estimated 7.56 meters it's a rare flying monster. What's more, it has a trait rarely seen in dungeon creatures: dragon breath!"
"This draconic flame can melt adventurer armor easily; even enhanced gear won't save you from being reduced to ash."
"It's the first monster we'll face that can wipe out an entire team once we enter the middle floors."
Thanks to this aerial threat, adventurers on this floor had suffered heavy losses most fled at the first sight of it…
The baby dragon spotted new prey, and faint flames glowed in its mouth.
"A monster is still just a monster! Without intelligence, it's no different from pre-programmed code."
Sora pulled out a flag woven with fire fairy essence and raised it high.
"We have gear specifically to counter fire!"
With Shaka's connections, this special armor crafted from fairy essence and magic was nearly costless to obtain. A single piece of Fire Fairy Essence Cloth sold for 98,000 Faris; the flag alone would be worth over 200,000!
As Sora explained, the cloth was elemental-specialized armor that negated most corresponding elemental damage.
The crimson fabric met the dragon's breath head-on, dispersing the flames and drastically reducing their power.
"Shiro!"
"Here."
The magic gun in Shiro's hand tracked the dragon's movements, her eyes calculating complex trajectories.
Bang, bang bang!
Three consecutive lightning shots blocked the dragon's flight path, pinning it in mid-air. One grazed its wing lightning paralysis impaired its ability to fly.
"Black Cat!"
The black cat spread her arms, and black wind swirled around her, dark power rising like a raging python. The dragon was engulfed in cursed poison winds; white smoke rose from its body as its skin ulcerated.
At Level 2, Mamenosuke's magical power was on par with the dragon's, making the effect remarkable.
"I'm coming! Take this death blow!"
Dekomori jogged forward, swinging her hammer hard and throwing it. A large wire mesh was tied to the end, soaring into the sky with the hammer but it landed on the dragon's head off-target.
"You idiot you missed!"
The black cat panicked Dekomori's role was critical.
"No, I didn't."
Shiro pulled the trigger again, a bullet severing the mesh from the hammer. The net unfurled, weighted at the edges and crackling with lightning it wrapped around the dragon perfectly.
Lightning interference from the mesh prevented the dragon from flapping its wings, pulling it crashing to the ground.
"Mobility disabled Phase One complete."
"Begin Phase Two!"
Shiro blew on her gun's muzzle and began chanting incantations rapidly.
The dragon flapped its wings in frustration and opened its mouth to breathe fire only to be cut off.
Miko charged forward. Unlike the others, she had no powerful magic or combat skills only the ability to see the eyes of the dead.
Skill: Dead Eye
- Can be activated at any time.
- Allows the user to see and communicate with spirits of the dead.
- Can observe targets, mark them, and visualize potential future death states.
A weakened version of Cassandra's prophetic dreams while others see full visions, Miko only sees snapshots. The death images she observes are just one of many possibilities; she can only try to guide events toward or away from that outcome.
Miko visualized the dragon wrapped in the electrified net, its jaws pierced by a longsword. Despite her inexperience in combat, she grabbed her weapon and charged forward to complete the vision.
Shiro extended her hand, chanting briefly: "[Dead Eye] This attack will hit!"
A strange magic spread out as Miko thrust her longsword forward piercing the dragon's jaw before it could unleash its breath.
Shiro drank a spiritual elixir; targeted prophecy consumed massive amounts of magic power. She raised her gun and fired a barrage of miniature lightning bolts at the mesh.
Crackling arcs filled the air, and the smell of roasted meat wafted up. But as a Level 2 [pseudo-floor master], the dragon still struggled, letting out unwilling roars.
Sora clapped his hands: "All set. Time to test our theory."
He pulled a large can of unknown liquid from his backpack, approached the dragon, sliced open its scales with a short sword, and injected the liquid with a syringe. The struggling beast quickly weakened and collapsed.
Sora nodded in satisfaction, clenching his fist: "Alright everyone let's do this together."
Hogni stared in shock as a group of girls swarmed the dragon, swinging their fists wildly. When their hands hurt, they stomped on it instead. The black cat healed any injuries they sustained so they could keep going.
The dragon rolled its eyes and stuck out its tongue, completely dejected. The team only grew more excited as they went.
According to Shaka's theory, defeating monsters too easily would reduce experience gains since the body received no training. Relying on others to subdue foes or fighting playfully wouldn't boost ability points either.
So this final phase was purely for show they'd already restricted the dragon's movements and completed their objectives, but now they created the appearance of a "hard-fought battle."
In short: move the necessary physical exertion to the end instead of enduring it during combat. Stats improved through training and growth injuries built durability, movement built agility, and so on. Monsters and achievements only accelerated the process.
Sora grinned: "Where there are rules, there are loopholes… that's gamer 101."