Once we closed about half the distance, the enemy’s form finally came into focus.
"An Earth Dragon, just as I thought. Selma-san, what’s the call?"
Now that the enemy's identity was confirmed, I deferred to Selma-san for our tactical approach.
The Earth Dragon resembled a wingless, quadrupedal dragon. It was a massive creature, averaging about four meters in length. Despite its bulk, it was surprisingly nimble. However, its scales were relatively soft compared to other dragon species.
"It looks like that’s the only magic beast in the immediate area. Orun, can you keep up with its movements?"
"No problem."
The Earth Dragon was certainly fast, but its reaction speed wasn't particularly remarkable. Besides, the creature was already wounded from Rain-san’s opening salvo. As long as we maintained the initiative, we could handle it.
"Good. Orun, Wil—take it down. Rain, keep constructing your spell formula as a safety net. If the frontline struggle drags on, switch to an assist for Rain's attack. I’ll time the activation. ……[Vanguard Up]."
Following her orders, Selma-san cast a buff on Wil. [Vanguard Up] was a complex support spell that involved the parallel construction and simultaneous activation of five of the Six Basic Types—excluding [Magic Up].
I followed suit, casting a [Quadruple] [Agility Up] on myself.
The Earth Dragon noticed us just as our buffs took hold. Having recovered slightly from its initial wounds, it retaliated by firing a Mana Bullet.
"I’ll take the lead! Orun, flank it!"
Wil shouted as he dashed toward the beast, once again neutralizing a Mana Bullet with his Twin-bladed Sword mid-stride. Since I was taking a wider flanking route, Wil naturally made contact first.
The Earth Dragon lowered its head and lunged at him.
"Easy now... just stay right there!"
Wil didn't simply block the charge. He parried the strike with one side of his Twin-bladed Sword, using the momentum to swing the opposite blade down with a heavy thud, slamming the Earth Dragon’s snout into the dirt.
He’s good!
I couldn't help but admire the move. It was a brilliantly refined, fluid motion.
I closed the remaining few meters, preparing to launch my own assault—when I suddenly sensed a surge of bloodlust from behind.
I instantly kicked off the ground, vaulting into the air just as something whistled directly beneath my feet. Spinning mid-air, I spotted a turtle-type magic beast—a Hide Turtle—blending into the environment.
The Hide Turtle was a meter-long creature found throughout the Lower Floors. As its name suggested, its shell and skin could shift colors to match the surroundings. It was a predator that specialized in ambushes. Its low attack power was its only saving grace, but "low" was a relative term; a well-placed hit could still inflict injuries severe enough to sideline an explorer. When they appeared alongside other beasts, they were a nightmare to deal with.
I didn't even notice it. They really are masters of camouflage.
While still in the air, I fired three [Rock Arrows] at the turtle. All three struck home, but they shattered against the creature's reinforced shell without piercing it.
That was fine, though. Seeing my [Rock Arrows] explode against thin air would be enough to signal the rearguard that an enemy was lurking there.
Leaving the Hide Turtle to the others, I created a platform using [Mana Convergence]. Using the mana foothold to pivot, I lunged toward the Earth Dragon at high speed. Wil was doing a perfect job of maintaining the beast's hate; it was completely oblivious to my presence as I entered its blind spot.
"[Strength Up], [Technical Up], [Sharpness Up]!"
I stacked my own buffs and gripped my sword with both hands. Aiming for the section of scales already scorched and melting from Rain-san’s [Explode], I unleashed a devastating diagonal slash. A split second before the blade bit into the hide, I triggered [Impact].
The Earth Dragon was bisected in a single stroke.
"You cut that thing clean in half...?" Wil muttered, his voice caught between awe and exasperation.
The Earth Dragon dissolved into a black mist, leaving only a Magic Stone behind.
I didn't pause to celebrate. I immediately turned my attention back to the Hide Turtle. A cloud of white smoke was already billowing around it. In the next breath, the turtle was frozen solid. Rain-san followed up with a volley of [Fire Javelins], piercing the frozen shell and reducing the creature to mist.
"Nice work, Orun. I didn't think you’d split a beast on this floor in one go! So that was the [Impact] everyone’s talking about? That's insane."
Wil walked over, offering a grin.
"I could only focus on the strike because you were holding its attention, Wil. Besides, your defense was incredible. Everyone knows how hard Twin-bladed Swords are to use, but you handled it perfectly."
He was a Defender who specialized in parrying and counterattacking. A "Counter-type," so to speak. By parrying rather than taking the full force of a blow, he reduced the shock to his own body—an approach I hadn't considered before.
"Well, I put in a lot of hours. I realized that if I just fought normally, I’d never be able to protect my teammates. There’s no point in blocking an attack if the impact leaves you stumbling. I spent a long time searching for a style that let me take a hit and stay standing. This is where I landed."
Wil’s eyes went a bit distant as he spoke. I’d heard rumors about how their former ace, Albert-san, had passed away. If the rumors were true, Wil must have spent the last year in a desperate, singular pursuit of strength. He wouldn't be standing here today if he hadn't.
We were sharing a brief moment of camaraderie when Wil and I both suddenly backstepped in perfect unison. A massive distance opened between us just as a Mana Bullet shrieked through the space where we had been standing.
As it turned out, there was a second Earth Dragon.
It was roughly fifty meters to my left. The creature had been submerged beneath the earth, poking its head out the moment I finished off the first one.
Magic beasts typically target the largest concentration of people. We had intentionally left ourselves vulnerable to lure the attack away from the three in the rearguard. Of course, with a Defender like Wil present, it might have targeted us anyway, but it was better to be sure.
『Orun, Wil, thanks for the save.』
Selma-san’s voice echoed directly in my mind. This was her unique ability, [Telepathy]. I’d first experienced it during our strategy meeting, but it was still impressive; her voice was crystal clear despite the distance.
『Don't mention it. Besides, Orun and I are perfectly in sync, aren't we?』
『I honestly didn't expect it to be lurking underground. I’m glad you reacted the same way, Wil. I was halfway through a support formula to bail you out, but I guess it was a waste of mana.』
『Hahaha! Sorry to disappoint!』
『Save the chatter for later. Orun, can you jump?』 Selma-san asked.
『Of course. Who do you think I am? I’m the Enchanter of the former Hero Party. My formula is eighty percent ready.』
『Reliable as always. Wil, take the front. Orun, take the rear. We’ll finish it with magic. You two just need to pin it down for a few seconds.』
『You got it!』
『Understood!』
While Selma-san finalized her spell, the other two rearguard members pelted the Earth Dragon with harassment magic, keeping it pinned and dealing chip damage.
『Alright, it’s ready! Wil, go!』
『Anytime!』
At Selma-san's signal, Wil raised his Twin-bladed Sword and vanished from the center of my field of vision, reappearing instantly in front of the beast. Seeing him move, I poured mana into my own completed formula.
"[Space Leap]!"
The world blurred for a fraction of a second. When the scenery snapped back into focus, I was standing directly behind the Earth Dragon.
[Space Leap] is a high-level support spell that allows the caster to teleport a target to a designated coordinate. However, it fails if the destination is occupied by another object, meaning you can't use it to telefrag an enemy. It is widely considered the most difficult spell to construct in the entire support repertoire—if Support Magic had rankings, this would undoubtedly be Special-grade. Even with my construction speed, it takes several seconds of intense focus.
It’s a powerful tool for a surprise attack, but the settings are so delicate that it's almost impossible to use in the chaos of a shifting battlefield.
I can pull off a [Space Leap], and yet I still can't use standard Advanced Magic...
Wil and I caught the Earth Dragon in a pincer, carving into its hide to keep it anchored to the spot. I didn't have the mental leeway to construct [Impact] so soon after a [Space Leap], but for stalling purposes, my standard strikes were enough.
『Launching attack magic. Countdown! Five, four, three—』
Selma-san’s voice rang in my head. I delivered one final deep gash to the dragon’s hind leg and leaped back.
As the count hit zero, the ground beneath the Earth Dragon liquefied into a swamp. The beast’s legs sank into the mire, and rising pillars of mud wrapped around its torso, binding it in place.
A moment later, a colossal bolt of lightning descended from the heavens with a deafening roar.
It was the lightning-type Special-grade Magic, [Mjolnir].
This wasn't like the quick-cast [Explode] Rain-san had used earlier; this was a full-power, high-tier spell. The swamp evaporated instantly, and the surrounding soil was flash-fried into glass. Even after taking the full brunt of the divine bolt, the Earth Dragon remained standing, though it was little more than a charred wreck.
Lucre didn't give it a chance to recover. Her [Ice Javelin] streaked through the air, piercing the dragon’s heart and finally reducing it to black mist.
"...Area's clear. Good work, everyone!"
Wil scanned the horizon, and seeing no further threats, he walked toward me with his hand raised.
"Yeah. Good work, Wil."
I met his hand with a high-five. For our first real fight as a party, I’d say we performed exceptionally well.
Notice: I’ve been aiming to post at least two chapters a day, but I’m starting to run low on my backlog. I’ll be slowing down the update pace for a while to keep things consistent. I apologize to everyone looking forward to the daily updates, and I appreciate your understanding!