"Less than thirty meters to go," Called out the Detector, as we made our way through the first floor of the Dungeon.

She'd sensed a group of four Monsters ahead, all High Level Threats, and we were steadily closing in on them.

Fortunately, this fleshy terrain isn't too slippery or slimy, so it shouldn't restrict movement too much.

That said, with how soft and squishy it is, we'll have to put a bit more effort into running around, this'll wear us our faster than a more solid terrain would.

We definitely can't rush through this Dungeon, that would be nothing short of foolish.

It'll take some time, but the slow and steady approach should be the way to go here.

It wasn't long before the Monsters the Detector sensed came into sight. Reptilian, humanoid Monsters, covered in jet-black scales.

They had long, slightly narrow snouts, wings on their backs and tails, with sharp fangs and claws.

"Looks like we're up against Dragonoids," Remarked Isla with a grimace, as I drew Desecrator out.

I see, then the Dungeon Boss is most likely a Dragon...but there's still a ton of ground to cover before we even get close to the Boss Room, so I'll set that thought aside for now.

"Let's do this," I responded, cracking my neck with a tilt of my head as the Monsters growled at us threateningly.

Dragonoids, the first stage in the evolutionary cycle of Dragons. They evolve into the various types of Wyverns, which subsequently evolve into Dragons.

Assuming this Dungeons sticks to the standard pattern, we'll likely start encountering Wyverns deeper into the Dungeon.

Now, then...

Each of the four of us at the front line shot forward as Keira and the Fire Mage unleashed a barrage of projectile Spells, forcing the Monsters to scatter.

I shot towards one of them, before raising my left hand and pointing my index finger at it as I began to close in, chanting...

"<Pulse Bullet>."

A small sphere of Mana formed, shadowy streaks swirling around it, before shooting forward rapidly, a sharp snarl of pain ringing out as the small projectile hit the Monster's head, trails of blood trickling out of its eyes as it seized up in agony.

I don't need a gun to fire my Pulse Bullets anymore...by mixing in a tiny bit of Negative Energy, I can launch it directly, without the use of a gun.

It has about the same range as the Blaster I used, but it does a bit more damage and is slightly faster too, and I can fire off multiple Pulse Bullets in relatively quicker succession than I could with my old gun and Blaster.

My regular Mana Pulse at point-blank range has also grown more powerful thanks to the Negative Energy I gained through Demonization.

As the Dragonoid stumbled back, I fired out a regular blast of Negative Energy, hitting the middle of its chest and knocking it over, its back hitting the ground with a slight squelch, before I leapt forward and slammed my left palm onto the middle of its torso, chanting as it began to swipe its claws at me...

"<Mana Pulse>!"

Violent spasms erupted across its entire body, sprays of blood bursting out through its scales as it coughed out blood, its eyes exploding.

It was tricky finding the right balance of Negative Energy and regular, positive Mana, with my upgraded Mana Pulse and Pulse Bullet...too much Negative Energy and it just turns into a normal Negative Energy blast, without the Pulse effect.

But after a bit of trial and error, I figured out the balance, and the results are pretty devastating. A full-powered Mana Pulse is now strong enough to cripple a High Level Monster in one shot, and almost certainly strong enough to instakill Mid and Low Levels.

This Dragonoid's still alive, but it can't move anymore, the damage I've inflicted is fatal. I can take my time using Drain and Devour on it.

I then glanced across as a loud explosion rang out, spotting Ciel with a wide grin on her face as she blasted a Dragonoid to pieces.

As I proceeded to use Drain, I shifted my attention to Rex, who phased through the Dragonoid he was fighting, holding his blade out behind him before turning it tangible inside the Monster's head as he stepped behind it, its arms slumping to its sides as he pierced its brain.

A sharp crunch followed by squelching thud then echoed out as Aria struck the side of the last one's head with her fist, snapping its neck and killing it as its head jerked all the way around, blood pouring out of its mouth as it fell over and collapsed, convulsing for a few seconds before going limp.

I manifested and extended out several Negative Energy tendrils towards the other three corpses, dragging them towards me...well, most of them, Ciel really blasted the one she fought to bits and pieces.

I swiftly swallowed up the remains of the Monsters, before regrouping with the rest of the party.

"Alright, that was a decent warm-up," Remarked Ciel, stretching her arms up with a smile.

"We're off to a good start, great work, everyone," Added Isla encouragingly.

"Ah, yes, the calm before the storm," Damien sighed wistfully.

"Seriously, stop that," Frowned Sera indignantly.

"Well, no point in looking too far ahead, this raid is going to be a long journey, so let's just take it one floor at a time," I responded prudently.

"Yeah, let's not think about how much ground we have to cover...gross, fleshy ground," Frowned Aria, as she tapped her foot against the ground a couple of times.

"It really is disgusting, how are we supposed to rest up during our breaks? I'm not too keen on sitting down here," Nodded Sera in agreement, staring down apprehensively.

"I can set down a couple of blankets, so that shouldn't be a problem," I informed her.

"Oh, that sounds good," Replied the Fire Mage, a look of relief on her face.

"Anyway, let's get going. This raid is only just getting started, after all," I remarked, facing forward as I cracked my knuckles.

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