Death Talon Dungeon

|Arthur|

We advanced into the ominous Death Talon Dungeon, every adventurer in our group brandishing their weapons and even the smug conjurers wiping the arrogance from their expressions. It was our team's inaugural expedition into the dungeon, and the danger level was palpable.

Gary, our leader, cautioned us as we began our cautious journey. "We're entering the first floor, so stay alert. The scouts reported that we'll encounter C-class Dark Bats and B-class Bat Queens at the outset, so keep that in mind."

Suddenly, Gary halted and released a bolt of lightning that struck a bat, causing it to fall lifeless to the ground.

In an instant, we all became hyper-vigilant, drawing our weapons, preparing for battle. I unsheathed my trusty teal blade, Dawn's Ballad, as Evelyn, our S-class adventurer, cast a protective spell that encased us in a translucent blue dome.

I drew on my inner strength, channeling fire mana from my core to augment the power of my blade, turning the teal hue a lethal shade of blue. With a flick of my wrist, I sent a burst of flames towards the bats, causing them to shriek as they burned.

Luke seized the moment, swiftly cutting through the bats with his long white sword, taking advantage of the chaos.

Crackling sounds diverted my attention, and I witnessed Gary using his lightning magic to annihilate the creatures, not even requiring his sword.

'What a monster,' I thought to myself, marvelling at his mastery of his powers.

The conjurers in our group launched their spells in unison, obliterating the remaining bats with ease.

Gary's icy voice snapped me back to the present. "Let's continue," he said, his demeanour revealing nothing of his inner thoughts or emotions.

I covertly examined Luke, noting his impressive strength while ensuring he didn't catch me. The rest of our party moved in silence, aided by the hushed steps enabled by Evelyn and Gary's wind magic.

As we progressed, I observed that Evelyn possessed dual elemental abilities, making her an even more formidable adversary.

Suddenly, a powerful noise erupted from behind us. A blur of motion streaked towards Evelyn, a beast so fast that its body was a mere blur to me.

Although Evelyn's automatic defensive barrier sprang up, the beast sliced through it effortlessly, charging towards our powerful conjurer.

With a sharp click, Gary's sword cleaved the beast in half, saving Evelyn from certain doom.

"Thank you, Gary," Evelyn breathed heavily, still reeling from her close brush with death.

He merely grunted in response, his demeanor stoic and resolute. "Stay alert," he commanded. "We're facing Sonic Hawks now."

My ears pricked at the mention of the A-class beasts with AA-class Aural Eagles as their leaders. I activated Thunderclap Impulse, slowing down the world around me.

The Sonic Hawks hurtled towards us like tiny missiles, but this time, our party was prepared.

Evelyn conjured a triple shield blue-green dome around us, providing a protective barrier against the onslaught of the Sonic Hawks. Jasmine unsheathed her daggers, green wind mana swirling around her body as she deftly repelled the flying beasts.

"Note, support Jasmine," Gary commanded, just as I sliced a beast in half. With a sharp nod, I quickly sprang towards the rear, cutting down a beast that was about to attack Jasmine.

Oliad and Gerald launched their spells non-stop, struggling to keep up with the blistering speed of the Sonic Hawks. However, Gary and Evelyn masterfully directed the party, keeping us in perfect harmony as we defended against the attacks.

"Luke, Note, switch positions," Gary ordered. "Prisa, heal Luke. Oliad and Gerald, focus on the rear. Evelyn, focus on the front. We have incoming."

I was impressed by the precision and clarity of his commands. Gary seemed to be anticipating several moves ahead at every moment, and I doubted I could have done a better job than him.

As I moved to the front to exchange positions with an injured Luke, I asked, "What happened?"

"That happened," Gary replied, pausing to point towards three massive beasts looming ahead of us.

My eyes widened in alarm as I beheld the Aural Eagles.

The Aural Eagles were massive, dwarfing us in comparison. Their presence alone commanded respect and authority, and their glowing green and silver auras indicated that they were far from ordinary creatures.

"Support Note and me while we take on these three," Gary commanded, his lightning armour crackling with power.

I could feel the intensity of the situation rise as I channelled more wind mana to help me move faster. Gary drew his sword, the blade surrounded by lightning and sound magic, and charged towards the Aural Eagles.

The beasts let out an ear-piercing shriek before diving towards us in a synchronized attack.

Gary stepped forward, executing the second movement of the Keiki Style: Horizon Splitting Slash. His sword slashed through the air, sending a powerful wave of energy towards the beasts, keeping them at bay.

Seeing my chance, I leapt towards the eagle that had distanced itself from the other two. My sword glowed with a bright white light as I infused it with frostfire.

The eagle tried to flee, but lightning snakes coiled around its body, trapping it. With a swift strike, I sliced off its wing, causing it to scream in agony.

Gary had taken care of the other two eagles, and as the beast writhed in pain, I finished it off with a lethal strike to its neck.

"Good work," Gary said, impressed by my quick thinking.

The battle wasn't over yet as more Sonic Hawks appeared on the horizon. Without missing a beat, Evelyn and I took care of them, dispatching them with ease.

As the last beast fell, Gary announced that it was time for a break. We had reached the end of the first floor, and it was time to rest before continuing our journey.

|Gary|

After successfully harvesting the beast cores, we were left with an impressive collection: forty C-class cores, thirty B-class cores, twenty-five A-class cores and three AA-class cores. The value of these cores was not to be underestimated, as they could fetch a high price on the market depending on their level.

In fact, the profits from selling beast cores alone could often surpass the value of any treasures found within the dungeon. Even parties who were unable to clear a dungeon could still come out with a considerable sum from the cores they collected.

I mentally calculated the potential earnings from our haul. A single high-quality A-class core could fetch more than a platinum coin, while an AA-class core could go for several platinum coins, even up to nine or ten in some cases.

With our collection, we could potentially earn almost sixty platinum coins, a substantial sum by any measure.

However, the distribution of the earnings wouldn't be even. With two S-class adventurers, two AA-class adventurers, and four A-class adventurers, it was clear that a simple one-eighth split wouldn't work.

Instead, I figured that the S-class adventurers would receive half of the earnings, while the remaining half would be divided between the AA-class and A-class adventurers, with each group receiving half of their respective shares.

It was a fair and practical system that acknowledged the skill and contribution of each member of the party.

I cleared my mind of distractions and refocused my attention on the task at hand: clearing the dungeon.

"I'll take care of storing the beast cores since you've all counted them. There's no point in trying to deceive you," I said, and they reluctantly agreed to let me keep the cores in my ring.

"According to the scouts, we'll encounter even stronger beasts ahead. There will be AA-class Wind Wyverns, AA-class Aural Eagles, and finally the boss, an S-class Sky Griffin," I informed the group.

"Our formation will be similar, but Note and I have better synergy, so Luke will move to the rear with Jasmine. Evelyn will take the front position among the conjurers and focus on attacking, rather than creating barriers. Oliad and Gerald will handle defense initially," I directed.

Everyone nodded in agreement, especially Luke, who had been replaced by Arthur after getting injured. It was a blow to his pride, but he remained determined.

"Let's move out," I announced after everyone had rested sufficiently.

With steely determination on their faces, we proceeded to the next floor.

As we left the first floor, I sensed a slight easing of tension among the group. However, a feeling of unease still lingered in the air, and it wasn't long before a barely audible click and whistle caught my attention.

Reacting quickly, I drew my sword and stepped in front of Prisa, who was caught off guard. My katana moved in a blur as I deflected the projectiles aimed at her, the sound of metal clashing against metal ringing out in the dimly lit corridor.

"Th-Thank you," Prisa stuttered, visibly shaken by the attack. Even in the dim blue lighting, I could see the color drain from her face as she looked down at the pointed spikes that lay harmlessly on the ground beside her feet.

"There shouldn't be any traps in a newly discovered dungeon," Gerald said, picking up one of the spikes to examine it. He looked puzzled.

"I don't think these were traps, but rather strategically placed mana beasts. And that doesn't bode well for us," Oliad added, noticing the faint scuttle of small beasts on the walls.

"But those beasts weren't mentioned in the scouting report," Arthur pointed out.

"Scouting reports are never completely accurate," I reminded them.

"Stay alert, everyone," Evelyn cautioned, kicking the spikes aside.

"Oliad, Gerald, conjure a moving barrier around us," I ordered. A translucent green barrier appeared around us, moving with our steps as we proceeded cautiously down the hallway.

Thankfully, we made it to the end of the hall without encountering any more traps or surprises.

Navigating the cavern, we were met with an unexpected obstacle. Holes, drilled haphazardly into the walls, peppered the space, and our team was immediately cautioned to avoid them.

"Stay clear of those holes," Gerald warned, "they're geysers that shoot scorching hot streams of gas. You'll want to keep a safe distance."

As if to underscore his words, the cave began to tremble and the jagged stalactites overhead shook precariously. Suddenly, a colossal form burst from the ground, eliciting gasps of shock and terror from our team.

"That wasn't in the scouting report," Oliad said, his voice betraying unease.

The creature was worm-like, but its girth could easily swallow any one of us whole. With a hide glowing a fiery red and rows of sharp teeth encircling its gaping maw, the length of its body, still mostly buried underground, was impossible to determine.

"Gigantic Earth Worm, AA-class beast," I whispered, recalling the monster from my reading.

We readied ourselves for an attack, but to our surprise, the creature simply burrowed back underground, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

"It's not interested in us," Luke noted, studying the hole the worm had left behind with his orange eyes.

As we cautiously proceeded, the red beast continued to burrow through the walls, creating more holes in all directions, but never confronting us directly.

We found ourselves in a precarious situation as the giant worm continued to burrow holes all around us. "Are we just going to stand around watching the worm dig or are we going to go?" Oliad asked, breaking the tension in the air.

"Evelyn, erect a wave barrier now!" I commanded the S-class conjurer. Though confused, she complied, and a barrier formed around us just in time.

The holes, the ones that were there from the start and the new ones created by the worm, began to tremble before releasing a fiery torrent of deadly gas. "Damn it," I cursed, realizing that the giant worm was creating the holes to kill us, and we had let it happen.

Evelyn and I combined our barriers, forming a dual-layered mana dome to protect us from the blast of mustard-yellow gas that bombarded us. Just as we thought we were safe, the worm charged at us from the side, breaking through the barrier and attacking Gerald.

I tried to rush to his aid, but the recoil from the attack knocked me back. I quickly created an earth wall to protect him, but the beast chomped into him, causing the sickening sound of bones crunching to resound in the tunnel.

In a flash, I activated the third movement of the Keiki Style: Void Step. My body blurred as I shot towards the AA-class beast, my katana pulsing with blue lightning as it sliced through the worm's hard earthen skin. Luke and Arthur followed my lead, striking the injured beast with their flaming swords until it finally died.

But the victory was bittersweet as we turned to see Gerald's lifeless body lying on the ground. Prisa tried to heal him, but it was too late. Tears streamed down her face as she realized he was gone. 'Too slow!' I thought, berating myself for not acting fast enough to save him.

"Shit!" Oliad cursed, his frustration palpable. Gerald was an AA-class adventurer and a valuable member of our team. Losing him was a major blow to our group.

"Let's move out!" I ordered as everyone remained silent.

"Gary is right, we need to move before another eruption occurs. That giant worm beast is making more holes. I don't think our barriers will hold for another wave," Evelyn stated as the party slowly moved.

We cautiously made our way through the large cavern, our eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I caught sight of a powerful mana beast in the distance.

"Boss!" I exclaimed, feeling my heart rate pick up.

The creature had the head of an Aural Eagle, the wings of a Wind Wyvern, and the black body of an Inferno Midnight Lion. Its aura was so strong that it felt suffocating, even from this distance. To its side, I could see three Aural Eagles and two Wind Wyverns, all working together and obeying the S-class beast's commands.

"This won't be easy," I said, turning to face my party. "I'll take on the boss. The rest of you, play defensive. Don't take any risks. Wait for me to kill that beast before we move any further."

I knew that this would be a challenging battle, but I was determined to see it through. As I began to approach the creature, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Little did I know that this was just the beginning of our struggles.