Up until the 90th Floor, there was only one Floor Boss for every ten floors. In the Deep Floors, however, a Floor Boss lurked on every single level.
That was the primary difference between the lower reaches and the Deep Floors.
Floor Bosses were Magic Beasts that possessed overwhelming power in exchange for being tethered to a specific area. Why they were unable to leave that range remained a mystery, but there had never been a single report of one breaking its boundaries. As a result, it was common knowledge among Explorers that these beasts were simply biologically incapable of leaving.
And yet, despite being far from its Boss Area, the Black Dragon stood before us as if it belonged here.
How?!
The Black Dragon unleashed a deafening roar and dove toward us while we were still paralyzed by confusion.
"Tch!"
Derrick instinctively stepped forward and braced his shield.
"—! Philly! Prioritize Derrick! Cast every buff you’ve got on all of us!"
"............Ah,............"
Philly didn't move. She just stood there, shell-shocked, her eyes vacant.
"—! Forget the buffs! Everyone, dodge!"
I scooped Philly up and hauled her away from the impact zone.
If Orun were here, he would have predicted my command and buffed Derrick before I even opened my mouth. Why couldn't an Enchanter who was supposedly superior to Orun do what he did?
The Black Dragon slammed into the ground on all four legs with terrifying momentum. The shockwave from its landing caught me in the back, sending Philly and me tumbling through the air.
I managed to break my fall, but a mass of flames was already closing in. It was the dragon's follow-up.
I lunged out of the way, but the searing heat left light burns across my skin. I immediately scanned our surroundings. Anneri was safe.
Over there, Luna was rushing to Derrick’s side and casting Recovery Magic. I couldn't see the extent of his injuries from this distance, but he appeared to be conscious.
"Oliver-san! We need to buy time to retreat! We don't stand a chance like this!"
Luna screamed for a withdrawal. She was right. With our Defender out of commission, we couldn't hope to fight the Black Dragon properly.
"Damn it... I guess we have no choice. Philly, can you move?!"
"Y-yes. I'm sorry."
The shock of being blown away seemed to have snapped her back to reality.
"Apologize later! First, buff us! Then regroup with Luna!"
"Yes!"
Philly immediately cast a buff on me.
I began drawing the mana from the air, focusing it into my blade. Mana is typically invisible, but as it condensed into a single point, a faint, golden, flame-like aura began to envelop the sword.
A rare few among humanity possess special powers known as Abilities. An "Ability" is a general term for a category of power distinct from both human magic and the spells used by Magic Beasts.
My Ability was 【Mana Convergence】.
It was a simple power that allowed me to gather ambient mana into one point. However, when I released that concentrated energy all at once, the resulting shockwave possessed destructive power that surpassed even Special-grade Magic, which usually required a lengthy incantation.
"Heavenly Flash!!"
I swung my gold-clad sword downward. It was my ultimate technique—releasing the gathered mana from my blade as a concentrated slash.
I would take its wings and ground it! We had proven during our last subjugation that the Black Dragon's combat capability plummeted once it lost its ability to fly.
The golden slash struck the Black Dragon’s wing, erupting into a massive shockwave. With this, it wouldn't be able to pursue us as we fled.
"—What!?"
When we defeated the Black Dragon before, my Heavenly Flash had completely erased its wings. But this time, not only were the wings still intact, the beast hadn't even suffered a significant wound.
"How... why...?"
"Oliver, look out!"
I thought I heard Anneri’s voice.
"Gah...!"
My mind had gone blank at the sight of my strongest move failing to leave a scratch. Before I could process it, the dragon’s tail whipped around with eye-blurring speed, catching me mid-air and sending me flying.
"...Cough, cough."
I hit the ground hard, unable to break my fall, but Philly's buffs had saved me from a fatal blow. Anneri was attacking in my stead, but her spells lacked the necessary punch; the Black Dragon didn't even seem to notice them.
Fortunately, I had been blown back toward Derrick and Luna. I managed to receive Luna’s Recovery Magic.
"...Oliver-san, let's use the 'Door of Caprice.' We'll end up having to fight a different Floor Boss, but it's a thousand times better than facing this dragon!"
Luna made the suggestion while she treated my wounds.
The "Door of Caprice" was a Magic Tool that could only be used inside a Great Labyrinth. It forcibly connected the space where it was used to another location, allowing for immediate transit. However, the destination was entirely random, and it was guaranteed to lead to a Boss Area outside of the Deep Floors.
Normally, there was no reason to use a tool that dropped you directly into a boss fight. But the bosses on those floors were decisively weaker than the Black Dragon. Even if we were in a slump, this party could still handle a Floor Boss from the lower levels.
"I understand."
Feeling my strength return, I pulled a glass bottle filled with white smoke from my Storage Magic Tool.
"I'm using the 'Door of Caprice'! Everyone, jump in!"
I gave the order and smashed the bottle against the ground. White smoke billowed from the shards, and the very air began to distort.
Just as we prepared to dive into the rift, the Black Dragon slammed its front claws into the earth. The impact caused the ground to heave and buckle, cracking the floor beneath us.
We all lost our balance, falling to our knees. Taking advantage of our stumble, the Black Dragon lunged forward in an ultra-low-altitude charge.
Driven by years of survival instinct, every one of us threw ourselves aside to avoid the dragon's rush.
The Black Dragon charged straight into the spatial distortion.
Swallowed by the rift, the dragon vanished from our sight. Silence reclaimed the cavern, making the life-or-death struggle of a moment ago feel like a fever dream.