"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The rapid screeches of the monsters were getting closer.
Jeanne signaled with her hand. The team immediately formed up and drew their weapons, ready for the fight.
The monsters soon rushed out of the white mist.
Ronan and the others looked closely at them.
These new monsters were short with small legs. They stood upright and had sharp claws on their front limbs.
The most noticeable thing was the segmented shell covering their backs. The scaly skin reached their heads, making it look like a jagged helmet.
They looked just like the description in the handbook.
"..."
The air in the passage turned heavy. After a short silence, the monsters followed their instincts and attacked.
"Squeak!"
Their red eyes locked onto the team. They charged straight ahead.
"Whoosh."
"Everyone, move!"
Jeanne shouted. She looked at Rose, and they both stepped forward to meet the attack.
At the same time, Ronan, Aura, and Lorie quickly moved to the side.
While running, Ronan's eyes glowed blue, and the magic crystal on his staff lit up.
"Cinder."
He swung his staff. A small flame hit the monster's shell precisely.
Sizzle.
The fire started to spread.
The damage was small, but it was very annoying. The pain made the Hard Armored scream.
The monsters realized the enemy was dangerous. They immediately curled into spinning armored balls and crashed toward the team.
Damn, you've got to be kidding me.
Seeing this, Ronan almost shouted a familiar move name from his old world.
If it were any other team, they might have been wiped out by these spinning monsters in this narrow passage. But Ronan's team was different.
Stomp.
Rose stepped forward. She lowered her body and held her kite shield steady. Her golden eyes narrowed, and she spoke.
"Sigh!"
Click.
A sharp metallic sound echoed through the passage. The silver shield was suddenly covered in a soft white light.
Aura and Lorie watched Rose's stance with wide eyes.
"It's Rose's Magic, White Kite Shield!"
Before Lorie could finish her sentence...
Boom!
Rose collided head-on with the spinning monster. A heavy shockwave shook the passage.
The moment the monster hit the white shield, it was like an egg hitting an anvil. The force crushed it on impact, turning it into a mess of meat.
Behind the shield, Rose shook it slightly to clear off the blood and remains. She turned back and gave a gentle smile.
The brutal contrast made Aura and Lorie shiver.
"Tch..."
Ronan was shocked by the bloody scene, but he did not stop.
He locked onto another monster fighting Jeanne. The Cinder sparks were still jumping on its body. Ronan grinned and stayed low.
"Fireball!"
After a short charge, he swung his staff.
With a sharp sound, a hot fireball shot out and hit the second target.
Because of Cinder's effect and the charged Fireball, the power was much higher than usual. Jeanne's face changed because of a warning from her Revelation, and she quickly backed away.
Boom, boom, boom!
As expected, the attack was more powerful than anyone thought.
The explosion sent flames and shockwaves everywhere. The others grabbed their hoods to block the heat.
When the dust cleared, the spinning monster was gone. Only burnt fragments and foul white smoke remained.
Ronan checked the results a few times. His eyes flashed with excitement.
"Cinder plus Fireball... the power of this combo is better than I expected. Tch... even a Hard Armored with S-rank defense couldn't handle it. I need to find a tougher target."
Thinking this, Ronan looked deeper into the passage.
That was the main route to the 12th Floor.
After the fight, Ronan was busy collecting the loot. These were monsters from the 11th Floor, so the magic stones were bigger. He also guessed that as they went deeper, the chance of getting Drop Items might be higher, and they might even find rare items.
Rare items could sell for a fortune! Like the Breaking Demon Shadow Blade they found before.
On the other side, the others gathered around Rose.
Lorie hugged Rose's arm and looked up excitedly.
"That was amazing, Rose! Is that the White Kite Shield? With that, we are much safer in the Dungeon!"
Rose's Magic was just like her Skills: simple, direct, and very useful.
White Kite Shield could reduce damage and heal her while active. If she released its power all at once, it could block a single attack even if that attack exceeded her normal limit.
As Ronan said, while White Kite Shield lacked offensive power, it was perfect for survival.
He was confident that as long as Rose could fight, the team's chances of surviving in the Dungeon would be very high.
If they added Jeanne's Luminosité Eternelle, no other Familia team could compare to them in terms of safety.
This was what true security felt like.
"Alright, let's keep moving."
Once they finished collecting the loot, Ronan stood up, felt the weight of the magic stone bag, and smiled as he hung it on his belt.
"Did we get a lot?"
Jeanne knew Ronan well. She could tell by his face.
Ronan grinned and spoke as if it wasn't a big deal.
"It's okay. Two Hard Armored shells. We can sell them for a good price to the blacksmith Familias."
Items dropped by S-rank Level 1 monsters were rare and valuable.
If a skilled blacksmith used them, the equipment would be among the best fourth-class weapons.
Jeanne understood. It was probably around 200,000 Valis.
That kind of profit was great news for the Familia, which was running out of money.
Along with the loot from the Orcs, they had made a lot of money even before reaching the 12th Floor. This took a lot of pressure off their finances.
The mood of the whole team, including Ronan, became much lighter.
After that, the team moved steadily through the 11th Floor. They easily handled any monsters they met.
Exploration was not just about fighting. They also learned about the environment, identified resources, and observed monster habits. The knowledge from books was now being combined with real experience.
Fighting, exploring, collecting, recording, and checking. These were the tasks of an adventurer.
Doing these things well made someone a professional adventurer.
As they moved, Ronan was often seen crouching by monster corpses or looking at strange plants and minerals. He wrote quickly in his notebook with a quill and checked his map against the actual maze.
He looked more like a scholar doing field research than an adventurer with a sword.
Except for Jeanne, the other three were seeing this side of him for the first time.
In Lorie's mind, Ronan was usually lazy and only cared about Magic or serious matters. She didn't expect him to be so different in the dark maze. The others were surprised to see that side of him.
Clack, clack, clack.
The sound of boots and armor filled the air.
The team walked through the passages and rooms of the 11th Floor. It was a smooth trip without any major problems.
Sometimes they saw other adventurer teams. Some were exploring, and some were fighting monsters. It felt like the Dungeon had suddenly become very busy.
During this time, Aura and Lorie got valuable combat practice. Even if a monster surprised them, Ronan, Jeanne, and Rose were there to keep them safe.
So, they let the two newcomers handle the lone monsters.
An hour later, the team rested at the end of the main route. Then, they stepped into the final part of the Upper Floors, the 12th Floor.