Several days later.
Floor 50
[Mission: Clear Rank C Dungeon]
[Dungeon Floors: 49/100]
[Play Points Earned: 1460]
[Play Points: 815]
Sirem took several steps back; a trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth.
The situation was dire, yet she did not let her guard down, keeping her combat perception constantly active.
Her beautiful, sensual body felt heavy.
And the enemies seemed to be getting faster.
"If not for the mana marks Vivian managed to place on the enemies, this would be nearly fatal." Sirem knew it; the difficulty was undeniable, and she had already been struck several times, though she had managed to avoid any lethal blows.
By now, the mana marks—initially visible only to Vivian—were visible to everyone.
Vivian was protected by three golems: two were humanoid golems of Rank C+, and the third was a Rank C crab golem.
She drank a mana potion; her beautiful face was pale from the exertion.
Margaret remained calm, watching the mist intently.
Because she possessed such mastery over magic, Margaret only expended mana the moment she cast a spell; consequently, the mist could not drain much mana from her.
This time, Margaret had impaled the red-eyed golems with dozens upon dozens of purple magic spears; the summoned spears did not vanish, owing to the high quality of the magic imbued in each one.
The beautiful witch was preventing many of the red-eyed golems from regenerating.
Liam, who was suppressing his power to Rank C+, had no rivals within that same rank; however, the golems were numerous, and they were displaying a high level of coordination.
Furthermore, positioned right behind the three bubble-spewing Rank C+ Crab Golems, there was a humanoid-sized golem that had remained inactive until now.
"That must be this floor's final boss," the thought crossed Liam's mind.
The slashing motions Liam made with his hands swiftly sliced through the golems, but with three Crab Golems generating those regenerative bubbles, the other golems proved to be a persistent nuisance that refused to stay down.
"This can't be my limit; I need to grow stronger." Liam circulated mana throughout his body.
He activated spells to boost his movements at the perfect moment.
Bang!
A crater formed in the ground at the spot where he had leapt.
Hundreds of straight lines of mana—some parallel, others perpendicular—shot out through the mist.
The sound of hundreds of golems being sliced apart and crashing to the ground was unmistakable.
Liam moved with lightning speed; three more slashes, and the Rank C+ Crab Golems were severed.
Bang!
Blood!
Boom!
Margaret's eyes widened; her violet eyes flashed for an instant, and she seemed able to see through the mist.
Liam wiped the blood from his mouth; he had been slammed against the rock wall. He knew that had he not used defensive spells to withstand the impact of the blow, his injuries would have been far worse.
[Crab Prince: Rank C+]
"If *that* is Rank C+, I still have a lot to perfect." Liam had been caught off guard by a sudden, lightning-fast strike from a Golem that had previously remained dormant.
He shook his head and, with precise slashes, cut through the white projectiles speeding toward him.
"I was a fool; I must never let my guard down." Liam realized he had become overconfident at some point.
Yet, he was determined to improve and correct his shortcomings.
The two adversaries lunged at each other, locked in a fierce battle between beings of Rank C+ power.
The mist was gradually clearing as well.
The sounds of battle echoed throughout the area.
The floor, walls, and ceiling shook.
Meanwhile, the three beautiful women focused on eliminating the Golems they were fighting as quickly and efficiently as possible.
...
The battle between Liam and the C+ Rank Golem lasted nearly an hour.
It was a long fight, during which Liam also had to remain vigilant against attacks from lower-ranked golems.
The humanoid golem—clad in armor resembling a crab's exoskeleton—fell to the ground, decapitated; the sound was sharp and brief.
Liam breathed heavily; throughout the battle, he had held back his C+ Rank power, yet he could sense his skills gradually improving.
There was blood on his face.
It was flowing from a cut on the right side of his forehead.
He had also taken blows to parts of his body concealed by his clothing.
He glanced at the three women; they would continue fighting for a while longer.
Then, he leapt toward the ceiling and struck down the red-eyed golems that were still trying to attack him.
...
Vivian had sat down while continuing to control the golems she was manipulating; using the compass's power had exhausted her. Yet, her golems kept attacking the enemies and protecting her.
The magical spears impaling the red-eyed golems vanished, along with the golems themselves, which could no longer regenerate.
Sirem's battle against several golems raged on, even as she panted from fatigue and her muscles ached.
It took a few hours for the fog to clear completely and for the floor to be definitively conquered.
[Mission: Clear Rank C Dungeon]
[Dungeon Floors: 50/100]
[Play Points Earned: 1500]
[Play Points: 855]
After Margaret collected the cores, she approached Liam, who was washing his face with water from the lake.
"Husband, we can move on to the next floor now."
The next one would be a rest floor.
He glanced at the two women; one was sitting on the ground, while the other was lying down.
"Let's give them a chance to catch their breath." He knew they had pushed themselves hard, especially after he had faced that golem which hadn't gone down easily.
"As you wish." Margaret walked over to where the other two women were.
Liam clenched his hands into fists and then spread his fingers; his hands ached a little, but he knew he would recover with some rest.
About three hours later, Liam and the three women headed toward the next floor.
The place was different; the lake was still there, but now there were flower gardens stretching out in various directions. Parts of the floor were paved with marble, and the ceiling featured crystal lamps and tunnels with entrances marked by inscribed magical symbols.
Lush trees still lined the edges of the vast floor, yet they seemed to exude an unsettling aura.
"It looks like the dungeon's 'Hell Mode' begins after this point," Liam murmured.
"Ugh!" Vivian was slightly startled by Liam's words.
Sirem simply shook her head; her body ached, and all she wanted to do right then was rest and think of nothing else.
"Margaret, the tents, please," Sirem said to the beautiful witch in a weary voice.
It didn't take long for Margaret to conjure up the tents; both Sirem and Vivian walked toward them, and once inside, they lay down to sleep.
Liam walked toward the area where the trees stood; he was intrigued by the source of that unsettling feeling.
Margaret decided to walk alongside him, and together they explored the area.