I'm in a mess, starting with a meteor shower!

"I checked the guild's bulletin board before I set off. The boss of the 27th floor was refreshed today. If no other clans expedition defeat it, we might encounter the boss when we reach the 27th floor."

Daphne glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka and Ryu.

"Can the two of you take it down?"

"no problem!"

"I can!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Ryu each gave their answers.

Daphne smiled again after getting the answer.

Look at this, this is the way to play with wealth! Back in the Apollo clan, who the hell dared to say something like that!

"In that case, our goal today is to defeat the floor master and head to the 28th floor!"

P.S.: Third update today! Looking for recommendations! Looking for monthly tickets! Looking for death threats!

Volume 1: Chapter 98. Meteor One Opens the Monster Battle

The second half of the expedition went very smoothly. The giant insect-like monsters unique to the Great Tree Maze were usually good at hiding in the forest, but in the eyes of Fujimaru Ritsuka, the archer, these monsters had nowhere to hide.

Meanwhile, Ryu, who went ahead to scout, easily discovered the monsters hiding deeper in the mountains with her speed. She then used her speed to lure them into attacking, and when they attacked, Ryu would use her speed to counterattack. If she encountered a monster that she couldn't kill, an arrow would fly out from behind to pierce through it.

Because of the limited number of people, Daphne, as the commander and supporter, only collected magic stones from the monsters killed along the way, ignoring all other materials. She didn't hire any dedicated supporters, so she didn't consider carrying large amounts of materials back; even if they dropped, she would just leave them in the dungeon and see if there were any drops later.

And so, thanks to the perfect teamwork of Fujimaru Ritsuka and Ryu, the four-person team spent an afternoon traversing the Great Tree Maze area from the 19th to the 24th floor, and arrived at the 25th floor of the Water City area.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, having reached the 25th floor, did not receive the reward for breaking through the floor, because his clone had already reached the 25th floor last time, so he had already received the reward for breaking through the 24th floor.

However, after reaching the 25th floor, his attention immediately became much more focused, and his vigilance increased significantly.

Because his clone only reached level 25 and didn't break through any further, Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't know what had happened, but he felt that since his Hundred Faces clone could be destroyed here, it meant that the monsters here were definitely stronger than he had imagined. Otherwise, given the Hundred Faces' flexibility, his clone wouldn't have died so easily here.

The monsters here are probably very fast, because only by being very fast can his hundred clones be unable to escape.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's extra caution regarding the 25th floor slowed down the team's advance.

This situation puzzled Daphne, who was in charge of the rear guard. In her opinion, Fujimaru Ritsuka was strong enough to take down ordinary monsters in the Water City Labyrinth with a single arrow, so there was no need to be so wary.

Daphne, puzzled, didn't hold back and chose to ask directly.

"Ritsuka, what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about being attacked."

"I think you don't need to worry about that."

Daphne felt she understood what Fujimaru Ritsuka was worried about.

The entire Water City Maze features massive waterfalls from the 25th to the 27th floor. The giant waterfall starting from the 25th floor is about 400 meters wide, with a drop that extends to the super waterfall on the 27th floor. The sound of water and humidity permeate all three floors. The 25th and 26th floors are a passageway around the middle section of the waterfall, while the 27th floor is a large hollow at the bottom of the lake where the waterfall crashes down.

The loud crashing sound of the water was so loud that everyone in the team had to shout to hear each other. This loud noise could mask many small movements, such as a sneak attack.

Therefore, Ryu, who was in charge of scouting ahead, did not go too far, because if he went too far, the information could not be transmitted in time.

but...

"No monsters will attack us here unless we jump into the water on our own."

"The main enemies here are small aquatic creatures and amphibians. The aquatic creatures will not come ashore to attack, and the amphibians are not particularly fast. They mainly rely on their scales to defend themselves, so you don't need to worry about being attacked."

"Are there any monsters that are fast and good at ambushes?"

"no."

"Compared to monsters, the Water City Maze is more about the terrain. The entire 25th and 26th floors, except for the lake section at the beginning where the waterfall starts, are basically downward-facing winding passages. You need to go down steep cliffs all the way down. Because the cliffs are right next to the waterfall, they are very slippery. If you are not careful, you may fall off the cliff and die."

Why would his clone stop here? Given the amount of magic he allocated, it shouldn't have stopped here. It couldn't have just jumped off the waterfall for no reason.

Even if you jump down, you'll go down the waterfall through the 26 floors below and reach the bottom 27th floor, instead of staying on the 25th floor.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was filled with doubt.

If he knew the truth, he would probably be speechless, because his clone, after running to the 25th floor, saw the huge pool in front of the waterfall, turned around and ran back to the 24th floor, found a sturdy tree branch in the forest, tied a rope to it, and went to the water's edge to fish.

And then, this fishing trip led to his death!

That's right, Fujimaru Ritsuka's clone acted normally at first, but it was actually an ultimate angler. So when it saw water, it couldn't move and died on the 25th floor by the water with a lot of magic left.

Even so, this clone helped Fujimaru Ritsuka clear the entire Great Tree Maze, allowing him to collect 18 Saint Quartz from floors 19 to 24 while sitting at home. Combined with the 6 Saint Quartz he collected from floors 17 and 18, he now had 24 Saint Quartz stored in his possession.

However, the fact that the clone stopped on the 25th floor did cause unnecessary misunderstanding for Fujimaru Ritsuka, since he never expected that his clone would be a fisherman.

Fortunately, although she was puzzled, Fujimaru Ritsuka was not the kind of person who doubted her companions, after all, it was better to doubt her clones than her companions.

After believing Daphne's explanation, the team's pace picked up again, and they proceeded toward the 27th floor while ensuring their safety.

After spending about two hours traveling downhill, the team arrived at the 27th floor, which consisted of a huge circular lake and no other areas.

The lake surface occupies a huge portion of the entire 27th floor. Adventurers can only walk on the slippery boardwalk on the rock face by the lake. The boardwalk is high up and you can see the lake below, but because of the impact of the waterfall, the lake is covered with white mist, making it impossible to see the specific condition of the lake.

"So this is the 27th floor?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka stood at the edge of the boardwalk, looking at the open terrain, and nodded with great satisfaction.

"Perfect for a big push!"

"Ritsuka, what are you planning to do?"

Ryu approached Fujimaru Ritsuka and looked up to ask.

"Of course, we'll follow Daphne's plan, take care of the floor owner here, and then move on to the next floor."

Daphne nodded beside her.

"Amphisbana should have respawned by now, but it doesn't usually show up on its own. It stays underwater and only attacks when adventurers get close."

"In other words, we may be attacked by it while walking on the boardwalk. For the sake of safety when walking on the boardwalk, it is best to kill it."

"Then kill it."

As Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke, she summoned a clone.

"Waiting for an attack is not my style; I'll make it appear on its own!"

The clone immediately nocked an arrow and drew it, his voice low and deep.

"A shooting star."

The arrow was shot out and then exploded on the lake! The monster has been summoned!

Volume 1: 99. Feels inferior to Goliath

The violent explosion made the already turbulent lake surface, which was being pounded by the waterfall, even more turbulent. While the heat wave from the explosion spread in all directions, it did not dissipate the fog on the water surface. On the contrary, the evaporation of a large amount of water made the fog on the water surface even more severe.

But that doesn't matter, because Fujimaru Ritsuka had no intention of fighting in the water. His arrow was just meant to provoke Amphisbana!

Because the material cannot be compressed, an explosion underwater has a greater impact on the water than an explosion on the surface!

Therefore, the arrow from the clone landed and exploded underwater, and the chosen location was the very center of the lake.

The explosion at the very center of the lake was like a giant iron hammer hitting the heads of all the creatures in the lake.

After being refreshed, Amphisbana, who was staying at the bottom of the lake, was also hit hard on both of his heads by this hammer.

In other words, as the floor master, its physical strength was strong enough, and it was far enough away from the explosion point, so it was somewhat dazed by the impact. Those aquatic monsters that were closer to the explosion point were killed on the spot by the shock of the explosion.

Slightly dazed from the knocking, Amphisbana shook its two heads and then burst out of the water in a rage, roaring towards the sky. Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others on the shore immediately saw its enormous body.

Compared to Goliath, the 17th floor lord, Amphisbana's body was significantly larger.

Its 20-meter-long body was covered in white scales, and it had two enormous heads that could swallow a person whole with a single open mouth. It also had two horns growing from its forehead.

Some call it a two-headed snake, while others call it a two-headed dragon; this is the 27th-floor owner, Anfisbana.

"It's out."

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the roaring Amphisbana and nodded in satisfaction.

Daphne nodded in agreement.

"Now, let's lure it to the swamp, otherwise even if we shoot it, we won't be able to get the magic stone."

"it is good."

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, then drew her bow and shot an arrow.

An arrow was shot out, and like an armor-piercing bullet, it hit Amphisbana's body directly, breaking through its scales and blasting a hole in it.

Already enraged, Amphisbana became even more furious. Its instincts led it to lock its gaze in the direction from which the attack came. It then saw Fujimaru Ritsuka standing on the shore. Immediately, it sank down, its two heads diving into the water, and swam quickly toward the shore where Fujimaru Ritsuka was.

"Everyone, stay away from the shore!"

Upon seeing this, Daphne immediately gave the order, and Ryu and Cassandra immediately retreated, as did Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Because when Amphisbana and the like rush over, it's not just their enormous bodies that bring with them, but also the massive currents they carry as they crash against the shore.

Sure enough, less than ten seconds after the four retreated, a huge current of water surged up from the lake below.

The massive size and incredible speed of the Amphisbana propelled a massive surge of water ashore. When it reached the shore, the scene resembled a miniature tsunami, with a two-meter-high wall of water crashing onto the bank and instantly submerging the boardwalk. The surging water even reached the feet of the four of them.

"Stand firm!"

Daphne grabbed Cassandra beside her to help her steady herself, while Fujimaru Ritsuka and Ryu were able to stand on their own.

"Be careful of its left side of the head. It can spurt a special liquid that will ignite upon contact and cannot be extinguished even by water."

While stabilizing her body, Daphne began to give information.

"As for the right side of the head, it can emit red mist to neutralize magic, but it should be useless against the two of you."

As the floor master, Amphisbana is far more troublesome than Goliath on the 17th floor, not only because it is larger, but also because its two heads have special functions. Its red mist, which can nullify magic, can render a magician useless on the spot, and its flames, which even water cannot extinguish, are difficult for melee characters to approach once they are spewed out. With the support of these two abilities, it can attack at will.

To attack it, you either have to charge in and risk being burned alive, or attack with ranged arrows.

Not to mention its advantage in terms of terrain; if all else fails, it can dive underwater, and even a level 5 adventurer wouldn't dare say they could beat it underwater.

But that's under normal circumstances!

"A shooting star!"

The meteor-like arrow struck Amphisbana directly on the left side of its head, shattering its massive skull. The impact of the blast tore apart its neck beneath its skull, and the right side of its head, being too close, was also struck and cut by fragments of teeth from its left skull.

Anfisbana, who had stormed ashore in anger, suddenly had his eyes, now only on his head, become clear.

These are trash it can't bully!

Its first instinct was to turn around and dive back into the water.

But how could Fujimaru Ritsuka possibly give it a chance?

The clone, which had been prepared in advance, fired the second arrow.

"A shooting star!"

The skull on the right exploded on the spot!

Having lost both heads, Amphisbana lay on the lakeshore, his massive body exposed to the water that had washed away his blood.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's true form stood still, looking at Amphisbana's enormous body, and gave an evaluation.

"She feels...not as good as Goliath."

Daphne gave Fujimaru Ritsuka a speechless look.

Fujimaru Ritsuka sensed Daphne's gaze and began to explain.

"To be honest, at least Goliath has the ability to regenerate, while this two-headed snake doesn't even have the ability to regenerate. It was dealt with in an instant. It really feels inferior to Goliath."

"Not everyone has such outrageous skills as you."

Liu couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to explain.

"Theoretically speaking, the bow and arrow is indeed the most suitable weapon to attack it, but ordinary adventurers simply cannot shoot such powerful arrows, so we can only fight it in close combat, which is very risky."

"But Ritsuka, you..."

"Okay, then I can only say that I've got him under control."

Fujimaru Ritsuka helplessly spread his hands. Countering is paramount, and special attack is godlike. He currently only has counters and no special attacks, but it's still very profitable to fight against opponents he has a disadvantage against.

"The BOSS has been killed, so leave the rest to me."