Undead.
They were a very specific kind of Monsters that were very rare.
This was mainly because of the special kind of energy they gave off—a perverted kind of Mana that very few knew of.
Miasma.
Miasma was a corrupted version of Mana, and it was its very antithesis.
Like poison, it could prove deadly to pure Mana Users, though the opposite was also true.
Since Miasma was exclusive to Undead beings, they were known to be incredibly dangerous. Hardly anyone had any sort of Skill related to such a forbidden power.
All the Otherworlders had learned of this during class, so they simply couldn't believe what they were seeing with their very eyes.
Sir Ralyks… had just summoned Undead— and it wasn't just one or two, but a whopping ten!
Each of them were different from mere Zombies or Skeletons. They had armor, special clothing, and various kinds of appearances that caused them to look different from each other.
While one seemed to be a Mage, others resembled Knight, Thief, Archer, Lancer, Brawler, etc.
With all these Undead manifesting at once, the Otherworlders felt a certain pressure that caused their bodies to grow cold.
Snow growled as she stood in front of Alicia, glaring very deeply at the creatures that had just appeared from the depths of darkness.
No one could move.
They could only helplessly watch as the grim reapers bowed to their summoner.
"There's no need to be frightened. They're all my slaves." Ralyks told the group with a calm demeanor.
"They won't harm you."
Despite how assuring his words were, the students simply couldn't believe him this time.
The level of intensity his 'slaves' exuded was too much for them.
"Haa… I understand. I'll send them off now, so endure it for a while longer."
The Dark Adventurer turned to his undead servants and gave them their instructions.
"Depart and complete your tasks."
They nodded and bowed in respect once more before swiftly departing from the Boss Room.
None of the Otherworlders could even follow the movements of the Undead Summons as they departed from their sights.
Their speed was unbelievable, and their power incalculable.
Yet, Ralyks summoned them so casually.
Despite no one saying it so explicitly, the same thought went on in the minds of everyone who saw what he did.
"Just how much more power does Ralyks have?!"
*********
The break was instrumental for the Otherworlders to relax and catch their breath, but before they realized it, it was over.
Once again, they were all thrust into a new battlefield—The Third Floor.
This place was a completely different realm compared to the First and Second.
It was filled with tiny glowing stones that grew on the ceiling and certain corners. This caused a full glow to fill the area, though Ralyks still ensured there was more than enough light for the Otherworlders to see very clearly.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Ralyks told them the moment they stepped into the Floor and observed this phenomenon.
The Third Floor had already been mined of Mana Crystals just a few weeks ago, when the Royal Dungeon was still viable.
The fact that so many—irrespective of how small they were—had already started growing in this area meant one thing.
There was a lot of Mana density in this Floor.
The consequence of that was a simple fact—the Monsters in this Floor were very strong.
"Brace yourselves. This will be your biggest challenge yet."
The Otherworlders gulped, their nervousness palpable as they advanced into the jaws of danger.
If Ralyks said something, they had to believe it.
And this time… he wasn't wrong!
Several stronger Monsters appeared in the Third Floor, and it was a lot more difficult to defeat them than anyone could have imagined.
Some were just as tricky as the Boss Monster of the Second Floor, having abilities that focused more on evasive maneuvers and defense.
Fortunately, the Otherworlders had Eric as well as speed on their side.
The problem was numbers.
At some point, they became outnumbered and outgunned. Ralyks had to intervene and eliminate a swarm of Monsters to protect them.
That was how incredibly dangerous the place was.
Alicia had her hands full with healing her allies, and Adonis had to work twice as hard due to the nature of the enemies he faced.
The problem wasn't individual strength, but rather their numbers and problematic tricks.
Out of everyone present, he managed to kill most of them by a wide margin.
The only one who surpassed Adonis wss Ralyks, who took care of the leftovers that were a threat to the overall welfare of everyone.
In estimation; Ralyks took care of forty percent of the enemies, while Adonis took care of about twenty-five percent.
The remaining thirty-five percent was handled by the rest of the Otherworlders.
Unfortunately, Adonis could not keep up this streak for too long.
Once the Boss Fight came, he was too tired to do very much, and the rest of the Otherworlders were also at their limits.
As a result, Ralyks had to subdue the creature and pretty much offer it to the one who had the least Levels in an attempt to be fair.
Rey ended up dealing the final blow to the Boss Monster. This caused an incredible boost in his Level, compensating for his very little contribution to the overall subjugation in the Third Floor.
No one could even complain that he got carried since it was pretty much the same for everyone,
If the Second Floor had made them confident in their abilities, the Third Floor served as a way to humble them.
They were still a long way from being truly strong.
*******
"We're done for today."
With everyone collapsed on the ground in the Boss Room, he didn't clap or chuckle at them.
Instead, he folded his arms and gave them all a nod of respect.
"You truly did well for your first. Good job."
Those words marked the end of the first day of the Royal Dungeon Raid.
A bittersweet mix of pride and dissatisfaction coiled within the hearts of the Otherworlders.
It was clear from the look in their eyes that they weren't done yet.
All of them were determined to do better on the second day.
All… without exception.