The first floor of the dungeon was bustling with activity as groups of adventurers explored and hunted monsters.
Draco assessed the crowded area, realizing they would draw too much attention if they engaged in combat there.
"Let's go that way," Draco addressed his group, gesturing towards the staircase leading to the second floor.
"We need to find a quieter spot to begin hunting and practicing without drawing too many eyes." he said.
Eleni looked concerned. "What about the plan? Aren't we supposed to start on the first floor?" she asked.
Draco nodded. "We can still execute the plan on the second or even third floor. It'll be better to avoid the crowds for now." he replied.
As the group made their way down the stairs, Draco noticed his familia members seemed nervous and overly cautious.
They were quite strong for newbies, that much was true but this was their first dungeon dive, so it was natural to be a bit wary.
"Relax," Draco reassured them.
"Monsters don't spawn that fast on the first few floors. We'll be fine." he said.
Rose had warned them about the dangers of ceiling and floor spawns, and now in the thick of the dungeon, their senses were heightened.
"But what if a goblin pops up and suddenly grabs my legs?" Eleni muttered anxiously.
"Then use your senses to listen and watch for any sudden changes. Stay alert, but don't let fear paralyze you." Nikolaos replied.
Clair placed a comforting hand on Eleni's shoulder.
"We've got each other's backs. Just focus on what you've trained for, and we'll get through this together." she said.
Draco could tell that they were just trying to mask their own fear by reassuring Eleni but there was nothing he could say to comfort them.
They were just going to have to adapt to the nature of the dungeon.
Soon after the group reached the second floor, Draco held up a hand, signaling them to stop.
"Wh..." Vasileios wanted to asked, but Draco stopped him.
"Shh, we're here," he whispered, spotting a group of five goblins in the distance.
"So, who wants to try their skills first?" Draco asked in a hushed tone.
Michalis raised his hand eagerly. "Me, I want to try my magic." Draco nodded in approval.
Draco then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing his mind.
He began sending out a subtle pulse of energy, a delicate application of his mind control technique.
The pulse radiated outward, encompassing the surrounding area in a gentle wave.
As the energy encountered objects, living creatures, and potential threats, Draco's mind received a detailed outline of their shapes and locations.
It was a simple yet effective technique, allowing him to survey the environment.
While the basic mind pulse was not particularly energy-intensive, Draco knew it carried certain risks.
The emission could potentially be detected by energy-sensitive beings, effectively signaling his position.
However, given their current position on the early floors, such concerns were not pressing for the moment.
Draco had another, more refined method at his disposal.
By imbuing the pulse with elemental energy, he could cloak the energy signature, blending it seamlessly with the natural energies of the environment.
This technique was far less conspicuous, but it also demanded greater effort, control and mind on his part.
As the expanded awareness filled Draco's senses, he carefully cataloged the information, searching for any signs of potential threats or points of interest.
'There doesn't seem to be many other monsters in the immediate vicinity' Draco thought.
He had sensed several other humanoid shapes but they weren't an immediate threat, so he determined that it was safe to practice on the goblins.
"Michalis, your magic only works on a single target at a time right?" Draco asked, trying to recall the details of the skill.
"No, I can probably hit multiple targets" Michalis replied.
"Alright, Vasileios and Clair, I need you two to kite the goblins and draw their aggro, while Michalis prepares his spell." he instructed.
Clair and Vasileios nodded, immediately springing into action.
Clair slowed her pace, allowing Vasileios to take the lead and pull the goblins' attention.
"I've got your back, Vasileios," Clair called out, readying her spear.
She was aware that Draco had sent her along with Vasileios even thought she wasn't a tank, because she was to act as backup if Vasileios got overwhelmed.
"Take your time casting, there is no need to rush and screw up the spell" Draco advised Michalis.
He was aware that if Michalis screwed up his spell chant, an Ignis Fatuus might occur, so he stuck close to Michalis.
Michalis nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration as he chanted slowly.
Eleni watched anxiously, her hands trembling slightly in worry as she watched the walls and ground around them.
Nikolaos placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Stay alert, Eleni, but don't let fear control you. Trust in your training and in your familia." he said.
Eleni took a deep breath and nodded, her expression taking a calmer demeanour.
Dimitra, Nikolaos and Vasiliki, positioned themselves, ready to provide support and cover if needed.
Draco extended his senses once more, making sure no new threats had spawned or were approaching.
He was impressed by his familia's discipline and focus, despite their nerves. This was their first true test, and he knew they were ready.
.............
Vasileios upon arriving at the goblins' location, immediately activated two of his skills: Durability Augmentation and Thymoeidis Kraugí.
As the first skill activated, a silver glow enveloped his entire body, increasing his durability much to his own surprise and that of the others watching.
Vasileios had utilized this skill as he was unsure of how hard the dungeon goblins would hit compared to their surface counterparts, having been warned that the former were significantly stronger.
The second skill, Thymoeidis Kraugí, immediately drew the aggro of all five goblins, who could not peel their eyes away from Vasileios and pounced to attack him.
Bang! Bang! Scree!!
The goblins screeched as they pounded upon Vasileios' spike shield. However, to his relief, their strikes were not as powerful as he had anticipated.
'They aren't hitting as hard as I expected,' Vasileios thought, feeling more confident. He pushed back against the goblins with his spiked shield, leaving wounds on the attacking creatures.
As the taunt duration ended, some of the goblins broke off to attack Vasileios from the side, sensing that they were the ones taking more damage from the frontal assault.
But Clair was ready, her Chronological Acceleration skill active, allowing her to speed up her personal time frame and easily predict the goblins' movements.
With the range provided by her long spear, she effortlessly cut off the goblins attempting to flank Vasileios.
"Michalis aren't you done yet. I might just have to kill these goblins myself at this rate," Vasileios taunted, pulling out his short sword.
An annoyed vein appeared on Michalis' head upon hearing this.
'Damn, spell chanting is so slow. If I used my daggers, I might have already killed all the goblins by now,' Michalis thought.
Determined to prove his prowess, Michalis finished the last verse of his chant.
"Kurai no Tsurugi....." Immediately, four daggers made of darkness materialized and began floating around him.
'Hmm, is 4 his current limit?' Draco thought, inspecting the daggers.
"Go," Michalis muttered, a sinister grin on his face as he directed the four daggers towards the goblins.
The dark daggers moved swiftly, and soon three goblins fell to the ground, the daggers implanted in their heads.
'Huh, why did he direct the last one to the ground, don't tell me...' Draco thought, but before he could finish the thought, Michalis disappeared from his initial location, enveloped in a cloak of darkness.
Swish!!
Michalis reappeared between the last two goblins, where he had directed his fourth dagger to land earlier.
Stab!! Stab!!
With a swift motion, he used his two daggers to stab both goblins behind their skulls, killing them immediately.
"Hehehe, awesome right?" Michalis bragged, expecting praise.
Draco let out a resigned sigh, shaking his head in exasperation.
'If I don't correct it, this boy is going to get himself killed," he thought, his suspicions confirmed as he observed Michalis staggering after executing the second effect of his magic skill.
Michalis was showing signs that he was close to a mind down.
"What did you expect?" Draco remarked, his tone laced with a hint of condescension.
"A technique like shadow teleportation would obviously consume a substantial amount of energy. With your meager reserves, did you truly believe you could pull it off without consequence?" he asked.
"....." Michalis couldn't reply. He could tell that his brother was very angry with him.
Draco's brow furrowed as he regarded Michalis.
"You should have known better than to attempt such a demanding maneuver, especially when you don't know if any monsters could suddenly spawn," he continued, his words measured and critical.
"Recklessly pushing your limits will only lead to your downfall, something I had hoped you would have learned by now." he said.
Michalis could only stare at the ground, his ears and tail drooping, a bit scared to look up at the fuming Draco.
The others stood still no one daring to interrupt him.
"If you cannot learn to temper your ambition with prudence, I fear the day will come when your overconfidence will be your undoing," he stated, the weight of his words heavy in the air between them.
"Draco, please that's enough. You can scold him some more when we get back to the surface" Clair pleaded.
"Sigh, go to the back. You will be on the support team till you recover" he instructed Michalis.
Michalis simply nodded, picking up the goblin magic stones and walked towards the back.
"Sorry" he muttered as he passed Draco but, Draco didn't respond.
"Let's go" Draco said, directing the group towards another monster group that he had sensed earlier.
"Thank you" Michalis whispered to Clair as they walked.
"Just don't do such a silly thing again. You know that Draco is always watching out for us" Clair whispered.
"Hmm, I know. Sorry" Michalis replied.
"Good" Clair said, nodding in approval.