The floors spanning the 52nd through the 58th are known as the Dragon's Vase.
The reason for that name is simple.
Howl
The moment the party descended the stairway to the 52nd floor, a thunderous howl reverberated through the dungeon walls.
'A dragon's howl? Where is that coming from?'
'Below?'
Tsubaki thought with a frown, her eyes dropping to the ground beneath her feet.
"Everyone. Stay behind me."
Judas moved to the front of the party, his eyes glowing gold.
Nobody questioned it.
They fell in behind him without a word.
That was when it happened.
A column of fire tore up through the floor just a few steps to their side, burning at temperatures that could incinerate a person in an instant.
"Are you serious? So that sniping thing you mentioned was actually real?"
Tsubaki exclaimed, feeling the heat washing over her skin as she instinctively stepped back.
'If that had hit me directly... I'd be dead.'
Lefiya's face turned pale.
Just like Judas and Tsubaki, this was her first time on this floor.
The reason these floors were called the Dragon's Vase was simple.
Valgang Dragons.
Red dragon-type monsters that spawn on the 58th floor, capable of detecting adventurers and firing columns of flame powerful enough to tear through multiple floors... reaching as far up as the 52nd.
On top of that, the floors between the 52nd and 58th were crawling with monsters no weaker than Level 4, surging in relentless waves.
They were effectively fighting two battles at once.
Even a first-class adventurer would struggle to pass through the 52nd floor, and could easily be killed if they weren't careful.
'That firepower is something else.'
Judas thought as he extended his senses using magic, reaching all the way down to the 58th floor.
Rather than expanding his perception in all directions like a sonar pulse, he narrowed it into a focused beam, driving it straight down.
Within his perception, Judas could see the Valgang Dragons on the 58th floor raising their heads, flames gathering in their jaws.
With this method, he could predict where they would fire and move the party ahead of time.
This was why, despite his lack of experience, Finn had placed him in charge of leading the group through the Dragon's Vase.
'I've even cast stealth spells on everyone.'
Make no mistake, the spell was working.
They were surrounded by monsters native to the 52nd floor.
Venom Scorpions.
Thunder Snakes.
Silver Worms.
Even when these creatures were right in front of them, they did not attack.
Yet the Valgang Dragons could still find them with pinpoint accuracy from six floors below.
'Just as Finn theorized... the dungeon itself must be helping them aim.'
More columns of fire erupted toward them.
But under Judas' guidance, the party avoided every single one.
"I can't believe it... we usually struggle so much just getting through these floors."
Tione said, glancing around with an expression caught between relief and disbelief.
"First time in the deep floors my ass. If I didn't know better, I'd have sworn Judas had been down here dozens of times before."
Gareth said with a low chuckle.
"Even though I approved of this plan, I didn't expect it to go this smoothly."
Finn said, giving Judas a look of quiet acknowledgement.
"Amazing..."
Lefiya breathed, watching Judas' back with wide eyes, her earlier fear having faded entirely without her noticing.
Then her expression shifted.
Without warning, Judas leaped into one of the massive holes carved by the Valgang Dragons, large enough to fit the entire party side by side.
The others didn't hesitate.
One after another, they jumped in after him.
"Oi… is this really okay?"
Tsubaki questioned, but followed anyway, trusting Judas had a plan.
As the party plummeted through the open air, Judas turned to look at them and cast protective spells across each of them, forming a layer of light around their bodies.
Roar!
Terrifying roars erupted from all around them.
'Here they come.'
Judas narrowed his eyes as a group of wyverns closed in from multiple directions.
And that wasn't all.
A beam of fire was already screaming up toward them, threatening to swallow them whole.
...
"Why don't we use the holes the Valgang Dragons create as a shortcut straight to the 58th floor?"
When Judas first learned about the Dragon's Vase, he had asked this.
"Well, it's not like we haven't thought of it before."
Finn had replied with the ease of someone who had clearly anticipated the question.
"We wouldn't be able to protect everyone if Raul and the others fell through a vertical shaft."
"On top of that, we'd be perfectly lined up for a follow-up shot from a Valgang Dragon on the way down. There are also wyverns that could attack us midair."
"In short, the risk has never been worth the reward. Following the proper route is usually the safer and more reliable option."
"Usually?"
Judas picked up on that word.
"As expected, you catch on quickly… things have changed now that we have you."
Finn said with a smile.
"I believe that plan is now feasible."
...
『Freon Blast』
Seeing the incoming beam of fire, Judas immediately cast his spell to counter it.
The two beams met in the air with a deafening collision.
For a moment it seemed evenly matched... then Judas' spell pushed through entirely, overpowering the dragon's fire and driving all the way down to the 58th floor, encasing the Valgang Dragon that had fired in solid ice.
"Arcs Ray!"
"Wynn Fimbulvetr!"
Riveria and Lefiya launched their spells simultaneously, tearing through the incoming wyverns and annihilating them in an instant.
"Haap!"
The Amazon twins, along with Ais and Bete, cut through the remaining wyverns, their weapons carving cleanly as the monsters let out dying screams before turning to ash.
"Woohoo! Now this is what I'm talking about!"
Tsubaki laughed as she swung her sword, cleanly severing a wyvern's head.
It didn't take long before they landed on the 58th floor, having bypassed the 53rd through the 57th entirely.
Judas landed first.
Without breaking stride, he stepped forward and drove his fist through the frozen Valgang Dragon, shattering it completely.
"We're here."
He turned his gaze upward.
The ceiling above was riddled with hundreds of holes, each one carved by the relentless barrage these dragons had been unleashing for who knew how long.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
Finn commanded.
Judas brought his eyes back down to the Valgang Dragons surrounding them, their gazes locked on the intruders who had just dropped into their territory uninvited.
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