The platform became a whirlwind of violence as Morgana's axe swept through the ranks of the gnolls. With each swing, she shattered their bodies, sliced through their flesh, and sent limbs flying in all directions. Her movements were swift and calculated as if she anticipated the gnolls' every move.
The teenagers watched in amazement, their eyes wide with fear and admiration. They had never witnessed such skill and power before.
Morgana seemed to revel in the chaos, her mischievous smile never fading. The sheer force she exuded drew the attention of all the monsters in the room, diverting their focus solely on her.
Once Morgana had the "aggro" of all the gnolls, she quickly finished them all off in less than ten seconds, and a few moments later, the corpses of the monsters started to disappear in thin air, as if their bodies had disintegrated, leaving behind different drops and materials for the party to pick up.
The rest of the Freebird party helped Morgana with the looting, picking up all the drops and handing them over to her so she could save them in her item box for the time being.
With the room cleared, both doors that connected to it opened up. One of them led them back to the exit, and the other took them deeper into the dungeon. But the determined Morgana wanted to keep going until the very end.
After walking through another long hallway and down a set of spiral stairs, they reached the second room. It was similar to the first in terms of size and platform, but instead of having a water pit on the sides, it had metal spikes at the bottom.
Morgana remembered that there was a mini-boss in that room and told everyone that they should be ready to attack whenever she asked them to. The teenagers nodded in understanding while Morgana took a few steps forward to start the fight.
Just like in the first room, as soon as Morgana stepped over a certain line, the exit doors shut close, and smaller doors on the sides of the platform began opening, with dozens of yellow-fur gnolls rushing straight at the silver-haired woman who was standing in the center of the room.
Morgana effortlessly dispatched the yellow-fur gnolls, their higher level providing no significant challenge. Her swift and forceful strikes left the teenagers in awe, as they could barely follow her movements. With each swing of her axe, the gnolls met a gruesome fate, their bodies dismembered as if they were made of butter.
After the wave of lesser foes subsided, Morgana warned the teenagers to ready themselves for a more formidable adversary. Emerging from one of the doors was a towering yellow-fur gnoll, standing at least 3 meters tall with a burly physique.
The monstrous creature locked its gaze on Morgana, its eyes filled with rage as it noticed the blood of its fallen kin splattered across her body. With a savage determination, it charged towards her, its movements driven by animalistic frenzy.
However, Morgana remained composed, effortlessly leaping into the air to evade the creature's onslaught. Seizing the opportunity, she delivered a powerful strike to the back of its head, momentarily stunning the massive gnoll and causing it to drop to its knees.
At that moment, Morgana swiftly directed Angie to unleash a fireball upon the beast. Nervously, Angie casted the spell, and while the fiery projectile struck the gnoll's head, it only managed to singe a few hairs on its face, lacking any substantial effect.
The towering beast struggled to rise, but Morgana swiftly struck it once more with the blunt end of her axe, keeping it pinned to the ground. With calculated precision, she commanded Kaede and Ray to launch their attacks on the immobilized monster.
Responding to her directive, Kaede and Ray charged forward with their raised weapons. Ray's strike pierced the gnoll's chest, although it failed to inflict significant damage.
Meanwhile, Kaede aimed to sever one of its arms with swift and precise slashes, but her cuts proved too shallow to achieve the desired effect.
The teenagers prepared themselves for a second assault, but Morgana swiftly called for a retreat, emphasizing that they only needed to land one blow. Respecting her command, the teenagers regrouped with their fellow party members who had positioned themselves at a safe distance from the ongoing battle.
With a low mutter of the words "Berserker Wave," Morgana unleashed a powerful swing of her axe, propelling the monster backward toward the spiked pit. However, the gnoll dug its claws into the ground, preventing itself from being dragged into the deadly trap.
Morgana quickly directed her attention to Conrad, instructing him to prepare for the moment she would stun the gnoll again. Filled with a mix of nerves and determination, Conrad hurried to the designated position.
With impeccable timing, Morgana leaped into the air and delivered a decisive blow to the gnoll's head, stunning it once again at the border of the platform. She seized the opportunity and shouted for Conrad to unleash his "push" skill.
Despite the teenagers' low-level and relatively weak attacks, their combined efforts and Morgana's strategic positioning paid off.
Conrad's "push," although initially seemingly ineffective, proved to be the final nudge needed to send the gnoll hurtling backward. The monster lost its balance, unable to regain its footing, and ultimately met its demise as it plummeted into the pit, impaled by the menacing spikes below.
As the remnants of the monsters dissipated, a soothing voice echoed in the minds of the teenagers, informing them that they had successfully leveled up.
Excitement and joy filled the air as they cheered and celebrated their newfound strength. However, their happiness was tinged with confusion as they realized they had only used a single skill throughout the battle.
With a knowing smile, she revealed that the technique they had just experienced was called "boosting." It was a deliberate strategy employed by more experienced players to help their friends rapidly progress and catch up in levels and abilities.
Morgana explained the boosting concept was straightforward: a high-level adventurer would join forces with lower-level party members and venture into a dungeon that exceeded their capabilities.
Through the party system, experience gained from defeating monsters would be shared among all members present in the dungeon. In this case, the teenagers had been gradually leveling up simply by being in the presence of Morgana, who had taken care of the monster battles single-handedly.
However, it was a commonly known fact that if the party members managed to land at least one hit on the monsters themselves, the experience gained would be significantly greater.
The teenagers now understood why their attacks had little effect on the formidable giant gnoll. Their levels were insufficient to overcome such a powerful enemy, deepening their appreciation for Morgana's presence and assistance.
With the mini-boss of the room defeated and the drops collected, the party continued their journey, moving forward to the next dungeon room.