The 10th-floor monster minions, the Crab Army, were completely wiped out by the Vine Pillars without a single one escaping.
However, the front four rows of Vine Pillars were still toppled.
The remaining turtles were eradicated by the two [Rank A] adventurers.
Amidst a few seconds of triumphant cheers, the 11th-floor monsters emerged without giving anyone a moment to catch their breath.
They were black-purple starfish, scampering on two legs in an oddly cute manner.
But everyone knew by now that these creatures must be hiding something terrifying.
Soon, their bodies gradually turned orange—an intense orange, like iron heated to a scorching glow.
On the wall, archers nocked their arrows under orders, waiting to fire until more of the starfish appeared.
Then, something unexpected happened: every starfish began releasing scalding steam from their bodies.
They generated water within themselves, heating their bodies like boiling pots until the water turned to steam and burst out.
Even puddles on the ground boiled violently, and falling snow melted into vapor.
The steam from thousands of starfish blanketed everything in a white haze, thicker than a sauna, swallowing even their vivid orange bodies.
The temperature around began to warm.
Novice adventurers, slaves, slum dwellers, and new soldiers felt a fleeting comfort in the warmth, unlike the seasoned dungeon fighters, who grew uneasy.
The knight ordered random arrow volleys, deciding it was too risky to let the starfish conceal themselves, as it would make planning impossible.
Arrows rained down like a storm.
But on the ground, unseen by anyone, the sharp arrowheads melted away before they could strike the starfish.
Not a single one was harmed.
As the steam continued to spread, the knight ordered a switch to magic attacks.
But the mages, exhausted from earlier battles, could only muster weak spells that failed to kill the starfish, merely slowing a few.
As the water on the ground boiled, the Vine Pillars, soaked in it, began to wobble.
Before they could attack, the starfish fired boiling water bullets, striking the pillars from base to tip.
Under relentless assault, the pillars softened and collapsed.
*****
Slum Frontline: Soldier Side
The stagnant water flowing past the soldiers' legs, cleared of debris, grew hotter.
Their iron armor began to torment them, as if their legs were being slowly boiled.
Yet they could neither remove their armor nor retreat, standing firm awaiting orders from the new knight.
This knight, hesitant to act rashly, merely observed the adventurers' moves and followed suit.
Soon, the frontline soldiers screamed and collapsed.
*****
Slum Frontline: Adventurer Side
After reports from slaves and slum dwellers about the water becoming too hot to stand in, high-ranking guild leaders ordered an immediate retreat and the construction of barriers.
Scouts who could fly or levitate hastily withdrew, some struck down by boiling water bullets, their screams for help fading into silence as they vanished.
Ethos activated his Earth Dominion skill, raising a dirt wall.
Lacking the power to cover the entire battlefield, he managed only a few kilometers, focusing the thickest section in front of his guild.
Earth and wood mages rushed to extend and reinforce Ethos' s wall as much as they could.
The soldiers were ordered to block the water with debris again, with earth and wood mages sealing any leaks.
Ethos collapsed after using his skill, having instructed his guild to inject him with a stimulant immediately so he could activate his Iron Fortress skill before the monsters arrived.
The Vine Pillars were now completely gone.
The advancing enemy, invisible and unpredictable, spread fear through the ranks.
Slaves, slum dwellers, and low-rank adventurers began stepping back, one step at a time.
As the steam reached the water barrier, high-ranking guild leaders ordered preparations to fire.
But in their fear, many low-rank adventurers fired prematurely, unleashing a barrage of magic, arrows, and thrown weapons without holding back.
By the time they regained their senses and heard the order to stop, they realized no monster screams had echoed back.
Not a single shot had hit its mark.
Then the steam hit the frontline.
"Hot! It' s burning!"
"Aaagh! My eyes!"
"Ow! It' s burning! My skin' s burning!"
"Hey! Where' s my weapon?!"
"It' s stinging my skin!"
"I can' t see!"
"Shoot! Just shoot!"
Wind mages tried to blow the steam back, but they could only delay its advance.
Normally, if Laswin hadn' t been drained, the steam would' ve been cleared from the battlefield long ago.
Even tanks holding their shields steady wanted to discard their metal armor and shields, now too hot to bear.
Those engulfed in the steam struggled to breathe, drenched in sweat, clothes soaked and sticky, movements sluggish, hands too wet to grip weapons properly.
Some dropped their weapons and couldn' t find them again.
The soldiers, refusing to retreat even a step, saw their frontline carried back one by one.
They couldn' t disobey orders, as punishment would fall not only on them but their families.
The adventurers' frontline retreated, only to crash into the rear, forcing them back forward.
When the steam covered half the army, countless boiling water bullets rained down from above in arcing trajectories.
Screams erupted across the ranks.
Those hit saw their skin blister instantly, turning redder than ripe tomatoes, their flesh softening as if boiled.
The impact of a second hit in the same spot tore flesh away, exposing bone.
Those struck repeatedly writhed in agony, some trampling each other in their desperation to flee, their softened skin giving way underfoot, feet sinking into bodies.
The damage spread rapidly.
The wounded overwhelmed the healers, some of whom, hit by boiling water, could barely save themselves.
Miumin conjured an invisible aerial wall, acting like a roof to shield both sides from the "rain."
Her usual calm vanished, replaced by stress—she hadn' t anticipated using her skill continuously after the turtle battle.
Tinoy charged to the frontline, extending his sword with a skill and swinging to gauge distance.
When he felt the blade connect, he realized the starfish were firing from over ten kilometers away—a range only high-rank archers and mages could match.
With no Vine Pillars left, Volcan summoned a massive meteor, hurling it at the battlefield ahead.
A deafening explosion shook the ground, creating a colossal crater.
The blast cleared over half the steam, revealing the 12th-floor monsters: frenzied sea serpents, slithering silently past the frontline' s legs across the battlefield.
Exposed, they lunged, biting in unison.
The unprepared frontline was decimated.
Many guild tanks fell to their venom. Where no tank walls stood, the serpents flooded through.
The order shifted to close combat.
Those poisoned by the serpents showed symptoms: eyes turned blood-red as blood poured from them, followed by their noses, mouths, and ears.
Then they went berserk, seeing allies as monstrous beasts and the serpents as beautiful creatures under attack.
The poisoned grabbed weapons and attacked their own comrades.
The frontline descended into chaos, unmanageable as everyone fought in disarray.
When Miumin' s invisible wall faded from exhaustion, the boiling water bullets resumed their devastation.
The sea serpents, with their thick scales, were immune to the boiling water.
Adventurers and soldiers began falling in droves, grappling with the sea serpents, deflecting boiling water, and restraining their maddened allies.
Soon, the soldiers' frontline collapsed.
The knight ordered a retreat to regroup where the steam hadn' t reached.
The adventurers held longer, accustomed to fighting for survival.
Though they retreated bit by bit, their dungeon experience led them to form balanced parties, counterattacking effectively.
They gradually blocked the boiling water, culled the sea serpents, and subdued their crazed allies.
But unbeknownst to them, the dungeon core' s boss had begun its plan the moment they retreated.
Under the lingering steam veil near the dungeon, monsters from the 13th floor and below poured out endlessly.
They didn' t attack the frontlines, instead grouping with other floor monsters as ordered.
Then the 20th-floor boss appeared: a massive pearl oyster, carried by over a hundred of its minions—naga-like creatures, as tall as house roofs, with muscular human-like torsos, snake-like heads, and lower bodies.
Each carried a trident as large as itself.
After emerging, the nagas turned the oyster toward the city wall.
When they stopped, the oyster' s shell opened, revealing a stunningly beautiful giant mermaid cradling a creamy-white pearl the size of an elephant.
Her beauty could captivate anyone, but her eyes and fanged smile betrayed a savage bloodlust.
On command, the mermaid used her power to levitate the pearl, multiplying it into hundreds.
With a wave of her hand, the pearls shot toward the city wall.
She then opened her mouth wide enough to swallow five elephants, generating swirling seawater within.
When it reached capacity, she unleashed it.
The tidal wave surged forward, pouring through the massive breach created by the pearls.
The monsters, idle until now, dove into the frenzied waves, carried beyond the wall.
Their first act was to slaughter any humans blocking their path.
*****
On the City Wall
With zero visibility, depleted mages, and arrows too precious to waste, soldiers near the dungeon were ordered to stand ready but idle.
Meanwhile, those near the city gate poured manpower and weapons into countering the sea serpents and boiling-water starfish.
Unprepared, they were caught off guard when hundreds of pearls scattered and slammed into the wall.
The already-cracked wall, weakened by the first starfish wave, crumbled easily.
The upper wall was obliterated, soldiers flung into the sky.
Massive rubble and soldier corpses crushed or fell on hundreds of troops outside, killing them before the fight began.
Dust and smoke choked the air.
The wall cracked, some sections collapsing into large breaches.
Experienced knights outside ordered immediate volleys.
Countless arrows and spells surged into the breaches, meeting the flood of seawater and a vast, diverse horde of monsters.
"Kill!"
The battle cry echoed across the field as the order was given.
The monsters unleashed varied water-based spells, their durable tridents countering magic with devastating throws.
Before close combat began, both sides' frontlines fell in droves.
The immense seawater rendered spikes and pits useless.
The waves swept soldiers back nearly to the army' s center, allowing monsters riding the current to strike the mid-ranks instantly.
A chaotic melee erupted, with no order left.
Both sides clashed ferociously, turning the seawater crimson.
Limbs and body parts of humans and monsters littered the battlefield.
Roars, screams, and the clash of weapons rang out.
Arrows rained from above, piercing or poisoning monsters, while massive tridents skewered dozens of humans with a single throw.
Higher still, spells crisscrossed the sky, some colliding and exploding, raining destruction on those below.
There was no pause, no mercy—any mistake meant death.