Chapter 78

"Huff, huff, huff," Vasileios panted heavily, trying to catch his breath as another hell hound charged at them. His voice echoed with concern. "Isn't this too much, Draco nii?"

Kaguya, standing beside me, voiced her doubts. "Isn't this a bit too intense?"

"No," I replied, narrowing my eyes, determined to push them further. "They need more pressure."

Kaguya sighed, still skeptical. "But still..."

I interrupted, trying to ease her worries. "They have salamander wool equipped, plus we're watching. What could possibly go wrong?" Maybe my approach was too heavy-handed, but I believed it was necessary for their growth.

As I glanced at Vasiliki, her smile during the fight caught my attention. "Is she having fun?" I muttered to myself. It seemed that she was genuinely enjoying herself. Being a mage at heart, she found pleasure in discovering new ways to apply her magic in combat.

Just as the first wave of hell hounds was defeated, another wave consisting of fifteen more spawned from the dungeon. Although I was tempted to intervene, I decided to observe how they would handle it. Encounters like this were routine on these floors.

Vasileios banged his shield, diverting the attention of the hell hounds towards himself. This strategy would cause the monsters to cluster, making it easier for Vasiliki and Dimitra to use their magic.

I noticed Dimitra already chanting her spell upon seeing the increased number of enemies. While using her magic was effective, she seemed to be relying on it too heavily.

She had forgotten that after this challenge, they still had to face the Minotaur held by the Astraea familia members behind me. Utilizing her magic here would limit their options for the upcoming fight.

However, her recent acquisition of magic and limited mental capacity explained her oversight. Additionally, I had given each of them three potions each. One stamina, mind and health potion. This would be all they get for each day. I also didn't want them to turn out like me and rely on potion. A habit I needed to break soon.

"He he he," I chuckled, contemplating how they would handle the Minotaur after exhausting themselves dealing with the hell hounds. It would certainly be intriguing to watch.

Kaguya interrupted my thoughts, surprising me. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing much," I replied, gesturing towards the Minotaur. "Just thinking about how they'll manage after wasting their spells here."

She questioned me further. "Are you perhaps enjoying this?"

I paused, contemplating my answer. Was I truly enjoying this? After a moment of silence, I reluctantly responded. "I think so," I muttered quietly. I then redirected my focus to the battle unfolding before me.

The hell hounds had amassed around Vasileios, their fiery breath proving difficult for him to withstand. Fortunately, Vasiliki's ice magic minimized most of the damage, enabling Vasileios to endure the assault.

Dimitra's spell crackled with power as she unleashed it from her bow. Swiftly, it struck a hell hound, its lightning properties taking effect.

The electrical current jumped between hell hounds, paralyzing them and potentially causing internal damage to their cores. This was a valuable discovery worth further research.

Despite her lack of magic potency, Dimitra's spell worked in synergy with her pincushion skill, adding extra damage.

Dimitra's spell had proven effective, taking down a considerable number of hellhounds and leaving the rest paralyzed. The melee fighters wasted no time, seizing the opportunity to eliminate the remaining threats.

Amidst the chaos, Vasileios showered Dimitra with praise for her assistance, while the others followed suit, replenishing themselves with potions. However, I knew there was no time for rest. There was one final challenge awaiting them before they could retreat to the comfort of the 18th floor.

"Unleash the Minotaur," I said to Iska, fully aware of the risks involved. Although I had stationed some Astraea members to guard our supplies at camp, I had brought enough members to aid my familia in their training.

"Roger that, me lord," Iska replied eagerly, but the response prompted laughter from the other Astraea members.

"Me lord, eh?" they chuckled, finding it funny. Fatigue consumed me as I wearily reminded them to focus.

"Yes, me lord," Lyra responded, her tone laced with sarcasm.

Moooo!!!!

The deafening roar of the Minotaur jolted my familia members into a heightened state of alertness. "Fight," I said, fixing my gaze upon them and the members of the Astraea familia.

"Tsk, does he plan to kill us?" Michalis muttered under his breath, unaware that I had overheard.

A smile crept across my face as I glanced in his direction. It was apparent that if my familia didn't dispatch the Minotaur swiftly, the dungeon would continue to spawn additional monsters. I had no intention of interfering or revealing this fact unless they were on the brink of defeat.

"Vasileios!" Nikolaos bellowed, snapping Vasileios out of his shock-induced stupor.

"Oraaaaa!" Vasileios roared, pumping himself up and positioning himself to withstand the Minotaur's onslaught. It appeared they planned to employ the same strategy as before, but I doubted it would be that easy.

"Speaking of the devil," I muttered to myself, noticing that additional hellhounds had spawned. I was intrigued to see how they would handle this new development.

"Hey, aren't they in a pinch now?" Kaguya asked me, her voice tinged with concern.

"Yeah," I nonchalantly replied.

"Shouldn't we do something?" she pressed.

"No, let's just watch," I replied, maintaining my calm demeanour.

The Minotaur observed my familia members, seemingly assessing them. Eleni turned to me, silently pleading for assistance with the newly spawned hellhounds. However, I had made up my mind not to intervene at this juncture.

With a fierce charge, the Minotaur targeted Vasileios, unleashing its level 2 strength, poised to reduce him to mere pulp.

Meanwhile, the hellhounds surrounded the others, ready to unleash their deadly flame breath attacks.

"Nikolaos, Eleni, with me!" Vasiliki commanded, her voice carrying urgency. "We will handle the hellhounds, so you guys focus on dealing with the Minotaur."

Vasiliki distanced herself from the group, beginning her incantations. There was no need for a detailed plan; my familia knew what to do instinctively.

Without hesitation, both Eleni and Nikolaos diverted the attention of the hellhounds, guiding them toward Vasiliki. They sustained injuries in the process, but the salamander wool helped mitigate some of the damage.

With a decisive tap of her staff upon the ground, Vasiliki established her domain, granting her the ability to wield ice spells within its borders. The strain of maintaining the domain weighed heavily on her mind.

"Now, die, you mutts!" Vasiliki declared, pouring every ounce of her concentration into her domain, intensifying the potency of her spells. The effects of her magic and skill became evident, rendering her virtually untouchable within her icy sanctuary or so it looked.

The hellhounds became sluggish, the chill seeping into their bones. They attempted to resist with their flames, but to no avail.

Vasiliki soon stopped the effects of her spell to conserve some mind for anymore unforeseen enemy's. The hellhound were now nothing but mere frozen statues which Eleni and Nikolaos proceeded to smash with their weapons.

After which they would go help with the minotaur currently being kited by Vasileios, but the dungeon was about to make things a lot harder for them.

As the tension soared, I could only hope that their combined efforts would be enough to overcome this formidable trial.

The situation grew increasingly intense, with the sound of clashing weapons and the chaos of battle raging on.

The distress in their voice matched the emotions stirring within me, as I watched my familia struggle and endure. But deep down, there was a glimmer of satisfaction, knowing that they were growing stronger with each challenge they faced.