"Understood."
Once the Royal Council made their intentions clear from the start, everything else flowed seamlessly.
Ralyks began the briefing as curtly as he could, and everyone fell silent and listened.
"I spent the last few days exploring the Dungeon in order to understand what path to take and how long the entire Raid will last."
The curious eyes of his audience were enough to do the asking for them.
"It'll take several weeks. Probably two to three months."
Taking into account the time needed for rest, journeying, and the overall clearing of the Floors—including mining—it would take approximately three months.
"Of course, that period could dwindle or increase, depending on how capable the team I'm leading is. I have no doubt they'll be formidable, though, considering the fact that they held their own against a Dragon Commander."
The Royal Council Members and Adonis gave Ralyks their smiles, but it was still obvious that they had some troubled thoughts.
"It seems there is an issue. You can mention what it is."
"N-no, it's not really an issue that has to do with your plan or anything. It's just…" Conrad retorted quickly.
His flustered expression made it obvious that he genuinely did not want to offend their benefactor.
"We need the resources in the 99th Floor as soon as possible." In Conrad's place, Vida sharply spoke up.
Unlike him, she showed no sign of nervousness.
Instead, her face only showed worry.
"We're running out of our last reserves, and the resources in that Floor are our lifesavers. Without them… things could get really bad for us."
After she said this, there was silence.
Everyone had their eyes on Ralyks, probably hoping for a solution from him.
Thankfully, he did not fail to deliver.
"That is a simple matter. I can help you directly obtain the resources from the 99th Floor."
"Really? You would do that for us?" Conrad's eyes beamed shamelessly, as if he wasn't already expecting something from the Dark Adventurer.
It was no use trying to act surprised at this point.
"Yes. Perhaps we should go to the site for a demonstration."
"Demonstra…?"
Before anyone in the room could even react, a warbling surge of purplish blue energy covered Ralyks and the three seated ones.
Space warped, and they found themselves instantly transported to a place gleaming with crystal-like wonder.
The very ground was made up of Magic Crystals, and the high ceilings had loads of them hanging above.
From the walls, to the massive chunks that littered the ground; everything was Mana Crystals.
Massive piles of Monster Cores also filled a particular section of the expanse, and at this point it was already clear what was happening.
What this place was.
"Welcome to the 99th Floor." Ralyks spoke up, his tone as calm as possible.
The two Royal Council Members appeared a little shaken—probably because this was their first time in a Dungeon.
Or maybe they just hadn't gone this deep into one.
Adonis remained calm through it all, though he kept his gaze on Ralyks who surprised him with that move.
Not even he could sense anything before being transpired.
'How fast is he, really?!' His face seemed to say.
"I don't want to waste too much time, so let us begin quickly."
Ralyks' echoing voice caused the trio to take their gazes away from the distractions and focus on him.
The next thing he did was equally surprising.
"[Greater Summoning Magic]."
A bright blue light formed around Ralyks, with sparks of orange energy dancing around him.
Multiple Magic Circles appeared a few inches from where he stood, and from their hidden depths emerged… creatures.
"UUUU…"
They leaked out heavy breaths as they appeared; massive monsters who had dark green skin, muscular bodies, and bald heads.
The lights around them reflected on their naked bodies as they grunted.
"Summoning Magic? You can use Summoning Magic too?" The whispers from Adonis was the first human sound to emerge after the beasts appeared.
The other two in the room were too stunned to speak.
The Hero stepped forward as he stared at the creatures in disbelief.
These were Ogres!
'How can he use high-level Summoning Magic? I thought he was focused on powerful offensive abilities.'
It was strange enough that he had Spatial Magic, which was rare, but adding Summoning Magic to the mix was just too absurd.
Adonis couldn't believe what he was seeing.
His thoughts were broken abruptly when he noticed the Ogres moving.
That was when he remembered something.
"Y-you're summoning Monsters? But if you're not a Tamer, you can't control—!"
"Don't worry."
As Ralyks' reassuring voice echoed, items began to manifest out of thin air in front of the monsters.
First were shovels, then pickaxes, and then hammers.
"They're already under my control. They'll be the ones responsible for mining your resources."
Adonis was stunned by what he was seeing.
He wasn't the only one.
Conrad and Vida were shocked to their bones, to the point that their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The man before them was amazing.
"I'll systematically open a portal so they can bring out whatever they've mined for the day. That way, you can quickly begin to process them."
Everything was already so amazing—beyond natural expectations.
"I understand you are understaffed. Perhaps they could help fill that void."
Three Ogres were definitely formidable.
Ogres were C-Tier Monsters, and a single one could do the job of ten men, and so three of them could make up for thirty.
However, the kind of large-scale production and mining that they needed in order not to be in serious trouble far outweighed the current manpower being displayed before them.
Three Ogres were plenty, but…
'… They're not enough.'
The moment the three audience members thought this, they were greeted with something that shattered those thoughts.
~FSHUUU~
One after the other…
~ZZUUUU~
… More Magic Circles began to form.
And from the circles emerged more Ogres.
Over a dozen.
Over a hundred.
Three hundred of them appeared before the Circle stopped spitting out any more.
As the group gawked in shock and wonder, Ralyks stepped forward and asked a question that made all their hearts jump.
"Will these be enough?"