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Normally, they wouldn't begin evading until the attack was practically on top of them and they could sense the imminent threat. Every previous trip through this sector had been a nerve-wracking nightmare, constantly terrified of taking a direct hit and dying on the spot. But now? The mont the monster began charging its attack, a bright red circle warned them exactly where it would hit. With their speed, dodging it felt effortlessly graceful.
It was exhilarating!
Monts later, over a dozen wyverns shrieked as they surged up through the freshly blasted crater. But the Mage Squad had been waiting for them. The second the wyverns entered their optimal strike zone, a torrential barrage of fire and frost magic completely obliterated them mid-air.
"What a thrill."
Watching the spectacle unfold, Lucian felt his blood pump with excitent. It perfectly mirrored the massive raid battles from the MMOs he played in his youth, stirring up deeply buried mories and a profound sense of nostalgia. Even though he was rely observing the formation rather than directly commanding the attacks, the visceral thrill remained the sa.
"Thrilling, isn't it? You actually have a pretty solid aptitude for being an adventurer," Alfia remarked, offering a rare smile.
She wasn't talking about his magical talent, but his sheer ntal fortitude. Looking at her from this angle, Lucian caught a perfect view of her profile. Her smile was remarkably captivating. Several hours blurred past, and they finally broke through to the 58th floor.
Alfia had engaged several tis during the descent. A single cast of Gospel was enough to instantly tear the flesh from the bones of any beast blocking their path. She hadn't engaged in lee combat once, but Lucian knew full well that a pri Alfia was an absolute terror in close quarters, easily capable of crossing levels to fight a Level 8 hand-to-hand. Because the monsters on the 58th floor had been preemptively wiped out during previous crater-drops, they only encountered two more Valgang Dragon bombardnts before safely crossing the floor.
Compared to the hellish nightmares of their past descents, this push had been so absurdly smooth that it left a few of the veterans looking visibly dazed.
"We finally made it," the Empress announced.
Stepping onto the 58th floor, a collective sigh of relief echoed through the ranks. From here on out, they no longer had to constantly worry about artillery blasts erupting from under their feet. However, the mont they arrived, a biting chill seeped into Lucian's bones.
"Feeling cold?" Alfia asked, setting him down.
"A little."
The mont his boots touched the ground, a comforting sense of stability returned. A soft light flared across his body, and his pitch-black clothing shifted into a deep crimson. Instantly, a wave of warmth enveloped him. Alfia looked at him, her expression shifting into one of subtle bewildernt.
"My Sli Armant is alive. I altered its elental affinity, so it's currently functioning exactly like a layer of Fire Spirit Gear," Lucian explained with a smile.
The Sli Armant leveled up simply by passively absorbing ambient mana. Over the past few weeks, it had naturally evolved into a Level 4 entity. Categorized as an enhanced species, its raw combat stats easily rivaled a standard adventurer. When worn as clothing, it was more than capable of warding off the lethal cold of the upcoming floors.
"Ridiculous," Alfia muttered after a long pause, managing to squeeze out a single word.
They had reached this depth before, so they had stockpiled an imnse amount of high-tier Salamander Wool and Fire Spirit Gear—including a customized set specifically for Lucian. But looking at him now, it was entirely unnecessary.
"Three-minute rest! Everyone, equip your Fire Spirit Gear! Prepare to move out into the Glacier Territory!"
The Empress's command instantly wiped the relief from everyone's faces, replacing it with grim determination. They had escaped one hell, only to plunge directly into another. It wasn't as violently explosive, but it was suffocating and omnipresent. From the 59th floor onward, the Dungeon transford into a completely different world: the Glacier Territory.
Freezing glacial rivers crisscrossed the landscape, and the extre sub-zero temperatures severely hampered mobility, freezing joints and dulling reaction tis. Overall, it was a far more lethal environnt than the Dragon's Pot. Without high-tier Fire Spirit Gear, even a first-tier adventurer would freeze to death, let alone suffer catastrophic drops in combat efficiency. The chill Lucian felt was simply the residual frost drifting up through the tunnels into this floor. The monsters residing on the 58th floor were almost entirely fire-attribute dragon species, effectively making them immune to the ambient cold, though they never dared venture deeper.
The true cold of the 59th floor could freeze the blood of a first-tier adventurer in minutes. Because the Glacier Territory was so absurdly dangerous, the Zeus and Hera Familias strictly required a joint alliance to even attempt an exploration. Standard protocol dictated establishing a forward operating base on the 50th-floor safe zone, and only adventurers Level 5 or higher were authorized to step foot inside the ice fields. But thanks to Lucian's map and radar, they had boldly brought the entire expedition force this ti.
"Move out."
During the break, the Empress glanced at Lucian. Seeing that he hadn't bothered to equip the standard-issue Spirit Cloth and was relying entirely on his own custom gear, she didn't press the issue. In this environnt, even she had to be hyper-vigilant; she couldn't afford to babysit him constantly. The formation advanced, pushing through the final tunnel before stepping into a breathtaking world of ice and snow.
Everything was utterly pristine, carved from translucent crystal. The howling winds bit deep into their bones, making several adventurers shiver uncontrollably. The pale, rushing rivers echoed softly, crafting an illusion of serene beauty. But beneath that breathtaking exterior hid a lethal nightmare. The army pressed forward in total silence. Unlike the others, who were bundled in thick layers of heavy gear, Lucian casually strolled through the blizzard, completely immune to the freezing temperatures. Though the Sli Armant looked like a stylish coat, it was actually a symbiotic second skin perfectly sealing him from the elents, completely shielding even his eyes behind a transparent, unnoticeable mbrane.
Whenever a monster spawned, silent commands were relayed instantly through Lucian's network. Once again, the sheer convenience of his magic left everyone in awe!
"Ice Sirens spotted moving ahead!" a scout reported through the voice channel.
Everyone's attention snapped to the red blips on their minimaps. Similar to the half-fish creatures found in the Water Labyrinth of the 25th to 27th floors, these monsters were aquatic hybrids. However, they were divided into two distinct variants: rmaids and fishn. The rmaids possessed a human upper half and a fish tail, while the fishn had a fish-like upper body supported by human legs.
Compared to the variants in the Upper Floors, the Ice Sirens looked remarkably different. They radiated a far more terrifying aura, yet their humanoid halves were hauntingly beautiful, almost entirely shedding the grotesque, gory aesthetic common to most Dungeon monsters. The fishn, on the other hand, were monstrously ugly. But they possessed the ability to walk on land and were entirely immune to the frost.
Their combat prowess was horrifying. The greatest danger they posed was their attempt to drag adventurers into the glacial lakes—a guaranteed death sentence as the freezing waters would instantly paralyze them.
"Firebolt!"
The mont the monsters entered striking range, the Mage Squad unleashed a devastating volley of rapid-fire incantations. They prioritized heavy artillery suppression to break the enemy ranks before allowing the vanguard to engage in close-quarters combat. The fishn charged the frontlines recklessly, while the Ice Sirens subrged in the frozen rivers fired high-pressure streams of freezing water. A single hit would instantly encase an adventurer in solid ice. At the sa ti, the Sirens lunged from the waters, desperately clawing at anyone who got too close, trying to drag them into the abyss.
After repelling the ambush, the group pushed forward until they finally reached the end of the standard 59th-floor route: the domain of the Floor Boss.
"All Level 5 and below adventurers, Support Squads, Healers, and the Mage Squad—halt your advance here. Level 5 and above, step forward. Prepare for the Boss Subjugation!"
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