Following Eiji's instructions, the vanguards stretched their defensive line thin. The monsters immediately exploited the gaps, slipping past the frontline fighters one by one as they slithered toward the mage formation.
"Loose arrows!"
At Alicia's command, the rear guard nocked their bows and released a swarm of arrows akin to a locust plague.
But these arrows were far from sufficient. Most merely struck the monsters' skin before dissolving into nothingness, with only a rare few posing any real threat.
The ranged units were instantly overwhelmed. Alicia and the others worked frantically—mages hurriedly chanting spells, supporters drawing magic swords—until the entire area blazed with magical light.
Yet, the mage formation held firm.
In fact, the caterpillar monsters were kept at bay dozens of meters away.
There was only one reason for this.
Silver blade fragments shot forth relentlessly from the young man at the center. Each strike tore through the air with explosive force, each strike unerringly shattering the magic stones hidden within the monsters' bodies.
High-frequency precision sniping.
To put it simply, it was like using a submachine gun as a sniper rifle.
"Insane! How is he doing this?!"
Alicia watched, utterly dumbfounded.
As an elven archer, her bow skills were already exceptional. But even she couldn't manage such rapid, high-intensity sniping while simultaneously pinpointing each monster's magic stone.
"Still, his mana consumption is visibly brutal..."
She glanced at the empty potion vials littering the ground.
In just twenty seconds, he had drained an entire case.
Averaging two seconds per vial, one shot per second.
Thanks to Eiji's sniping, combined with supporting ranged attacks and the fact that the caterpillars' explosive slime harmed their own kind in tight formations, the monsters were forcibly halted dead in their tracks.
"Damn, we're practically useless here..."
The vanguards, weapons in hand, exchanged bitter smiles.
Here they were, a group of Level 3s and 4s, completely overshadowed by a Level 2 rookie.
"Sealed light, frozen earth, blizzards howling, threefold winter—my name is Alf!"
Riveria's voice rang out resolutely from behind.
Her chant hadn't faltered for even a second despite the shifting battlefield, flowing seamlessly—unlike Lefiya, who might've frozen in fear. The difference in skill was immeasurable.
"—Fimbulvetr!"
After a full minute, the chant finally concluded.
As if blessed by divine intervention, everyone—Eiji included—felt a wave of relief.
We're saved!
In the blink of an eye, awe-inspiring support fire engulfed the battlefield.
Ice, flames, lightning.
A kaleidoscopic barrage of attack spells rained down, dyeing the 50th Floor in a riot of colours.
Monsters burst apart in sprays of bodily fluids, burned to ash, or electrocuted into oblivion. Explosions chained together like linked iron bridges, while residual mana shimmered in the air.
"How's that?!"
"See what happens when you mess with us?!"
The mages, who'd been holding their breath, erupted into cheers as the monsters were utterly routed.
Riveria finally allowed herself to relax.
The camp remained unscathed. Not a single casualty—only a handful of injured vanguards. A stroke of luck amidst the chaos.
"Haaah..."
Eiji took several deep breaths, his head spinning.
His mana had drained, replenished, drained again—repeating over a dozen times. Combined with pushing his intuition to the limit, his mental exhaustion was severe.
Physically, he was fine. But his spirit was utterly spent.
"It seems to be over."
Riveria stepped beside him, gazing toward the flat cavern in the distance.
In less than a minute, dozens of caterpillar monsters had emerged from that passage. Now, the flow had ceased entirely—as if the Dungeon had cut off their supply.
With the remaining monsters wiped out by the magic barrage, the crisis had passed.
"Good. My judgment wasn't wrong."
Only then did Eiji allow himself to relax.
His intuition provided absolute correctness—but that didn't mean a flawless outcome. It meant the best possible result under the circumstances.
In this case, the intuition had guided them to let all the caterpillars reach the 50th Floor before Riveria and the mages obliterated them in one strike. But the interim period—before all the monsters emerged—required their own efforts.
Had his misjudgment led to heavy losses, the blame would've been his to bear.
"Without you, we might've fought ten times longer—possibly even suffered deaths, with far greater losses. This time, we truly owe you thanks."
Riveria's expression softened, her eyes warm with approval.
Crisis foresight and battlefield decisiveness.
This boy was a natural-born leader. In him, Riveria even glimpsed shades of Finn.
"Rest well. Mental exhaustion is no trivial matter."
"Got it. I'll leave the rest to you."
Eiji nodded.
Under the awed gazes of countless onlookers, he retreated to his tent.
And slept like the dead.
Outside, discussions about him showed no signs of dying down.
***
After a full ten hours of deep sleep, Eiji awoke to broad daylight.
The kind of soul-deep slumber that follows extreme fatigue left his mind clearer than ever.
"Mmm~!"
Stretching as he stepped out of the tent, he worked the stiffness from his limbs.
Only then did he notice—most of the surrounding tents were already being dismantled, as if preparing to depart immediately.
"Weren't we supposed to stay another day?"
He frowned, scanning the collapsed tents in confusion.
Hadn't the executives planned to explore the 59th Floor? Only the elites could venture there, leaving the regular members to hold the fort on the 50th.
"Hey, Eiji! You're up!"
A Level 3 vanguard who shared his tent approached with a grin.
"Man, you stole the spotlight yesterday! Thanks to you, the whole camp—even the captain—can't stop talking about you!"
Though his words teased, his tone held no malice—only admiration.
"Never mind that. Why's everyone packing up?"
"Ah, you missed it. After the captain's group returned yesterday, they held a meeting and decided we're heading back today. The expedition's over."
"What already?"
"Apparently, the captain's team ran into those caterpillars on the 51st Floor too. They lost over half their weapons—not enough to push deeper. Heard even Tiona's Urga got destroyed!"
"Ah!"
Without their main weapons, advancing further would be impossible.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹