-Swish.

-Swish!

-Swish…

The parties entered the dungeon's dark entrance one by one and vanished in the darkness, only to appear in different places throughout the first floor.

Some arrived before the camps that were set by the association, while some fell into the monster nests that were still not taken care of.

Some fell before the dungeon boss rooms, and some were also fortunate… or unfortunate enough to appear around their destination, the place where the battle was going to take place.

"Ptsssssss…!"

The Naga, instantly sensing the many presences throughout the dungeon, was alerted instantly. She wrapped herself around the eggs and, at the same time, a chill spread throughout the dungeon.

The monsters that sensed this strange chill were mesmerised, as if having fallen in the grasp of the Naga's authority.

"WHAAAA…!"

Then, as if to have gone berserk, the creatures started running wild throughout the dungeon.

"Prepare for battle!"

"All units! Prepare the defenses!"

The mobs of lower levels, especially those around the Boss location, attacked all the adventurers indiscriminately.

They used all their powers from the start, not caring about anything like strategy, following their instincts, and following the command of a ruler that they cannot go against.

The creatures slammed into the defenses of the different parties and were slaughtered so easily that it seemed like a giant crushing ants under their feet.

But, there were too many of them…

"WOOOOOOO…!"

"GHHHHHHH!"

"BHWAAAAAA…!"

For every member of this raid team, there were about a dozen monsters available right in front of them.

The Naga was controlling them, and more and more were falling under its control as more time passed.

"Where is the Assault team captain!"

"They're near! We will deal with the others first!"

The members of the association that were guarding the place where the boss was were also tasked with dealing with every person who appeared there.

Reddy, taking charge of this area, had spread an artificial fog potent enough to put even a Rank-5 adventurer to sleep.

She made sure the formula would not affect Aria and the team, so they had practised this beforehand.

Having complete control of the dungeon came in handy at times like this. They have more control over the situation right now than they might have had if they had not prepared in advance.

The last two days were spent well for them… and even though there were some lucky people to have landed where the rest needed to reach, they had fallen to the fog now surrounding the boss zone.

"Hmmm?"

"Captain Arcage. What is…"

"...!"

But, they weren't the only ones who could produce a fog to make their plans work.

"The White Scale Naga is deploying its domain! All units! Activate the defensive barriers!"

The Naga that they were facing was a being that could connect with the realm of the spirits, and in this case, they were not talking about the elemental spirits but what we properly understand as Ghosts.

The new white fog that had started spreading with the green safe zone as the centre was slowly taking over the entire field around it.

As known by the records, this fog was a predatory illusion zone. Once someone gets lost inside it, they are exposed to the ghosts that reside within this fog.

Once the ghosts detect you as their target, they drain your mental stamina. They drain your energy and slowly show you all kinds of nightmares, as well as things that you don't ever want to experience.

The ghosts take away all the nutrients inside your body, and at the end, nothing but a dry corpse is left behind. You're not dead in this state, but you're not alive either.

You'll experience unbearable pain for a long time before your soul degrades and the very essence of the energy that makes you dissipates into the world.

Only those with a unique spiritual protection or someone protected by holy power could defend against this fog and the ghosts inside… Thankfully, they had someone who possessed such powers among their ranks.

But it wasn't Aria.

"How long?!"

"Two minutes thirteen seconds!"

"Quick!"

Aria was being carried by two guys on what seemed like a palanquin. It was small, only enough for her to sit on, but it had enough space to hold on to.

The two guys who were carrying her moved faster than the winds, their movement speed beyond what Aria could comprehend.

At a closer look, they did not seem like normal knights but mages who were using a combination of skills and magic. Their feet weren't simply running on the ground but sliding through the dungeon like a highly proficient ice skater!

The rest of the party that followed them was also keeping up with their speed, while the captain, the silver-haired mage, was spearheading the operation.

He was at the very front of the group, dealing with any obstacle that came their way.

Without caring about the dungeon walls, as they had decided during their practice runs, he tore through the dungeon's walls with his powerful ice magic.

The ice that was left behind in their wake was as solid as crystals. If she did not feel the obvious cold from them, she would have mistaken them for actual crystals.

"Seventy seconds! Hang in there, Miss Aria!"

They were transporting her to the boss's location so that they could deal with the first obstacle, the safe zone.

Waiting for everyone to arrive at the location would be foolish; the monster they were dealing with wasn't going to sit there idly and let them kill her entire family.

Even the Naga mother knew the one who created the Safe zone was around and that she could take it down as well… Aria was hoping to strike a deal with her; perhaps there was a chance she'd at least save her children.

The worst-case scenario was not in sight. Things were still going smoothly right now.

The parties that had appeared throughout the first floor were taking their places.

As soon as they approached the boss area, they were going to engage in the battle.

If the other parties were there already, they were to join them and wait for the other teams. The task was not easy, but they were aiming for a safe battle.

Lady Jasmin Xel Douglas was a battle healer as well as the only Holy power user among the many in this group.

She had a rare class, and her Holy power was an even rarer ability. She was comparable to twenty priests on her own. And, just her presence alone was enough for this battle.

"We're almost there! The Boss status has changed from Calm to On Alert. Request to engage the moment we arrive!"

"YES SIR!"

The snake mother was nearby.

"Ptssssss…!"

And she knew Aria was close.

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