After dealing with the small horde of Sky Vultures, I pressed forward deeper into the third floor of the dungeon. The air grew heavier with mana, and the faint chirping of birds was replaced by an eerie silence, broken occasionally by distant growls.
It didn't take long to find my next challenge: Giant Snakes and Giant Spiders.
These weren't your everyday creepy crawlies. Each creature was the size of a bus, their grotesque forms straight out of a nightmare. The spiders' legs were long, jagged, and scaled, ending in sharp tips capable of piercing through enchanted steel. Their black, reflective carapaces glistened with venom. The snakes, on the other hand, were monstrous coils of muscle, their scales reinforced with natural armor that could withstand most physical attacks.
I stopped in my tracks, instinct screaming at me to avoid them. But then again, avoiding a fight was never my style.
"Hooo... Okay," I exhaled deeply, trying to calm the racing of my heart. "Let's get this over with. Just gotta trust in my abilities."
Without another thought, I charged forward, abandoning any notion of strategy. This was going to be a full-on assault.
---
"Flame Lance!"
A spear of fire shot from my hand, its blazing heat scorching the air as it spiraled toward one of the snakes. The projectile hit its mark, exploding on impact and leaving a charred crater in the snake's side.
"Chain Lightning!"
A bolt of electricity arced from my fingertips, splitting mid-air to strike three of the spiders simultaneously. Sparks danced across their bodies, and their screeches of pain echoed across the plains.
"Wind Blade! Frost Lance! Earth Tomb!"
One after another, I unleashed my most powerful spells. The battlefield transformed into a chaotic spectacle of destruction—flames erupted, ice spread in jagged formations, and the earth itself buckled and crumbled beneath the force of my attacks.
The initial onslaught caught the monsters off guard, leaving them heavily injured. Out of the original group—eight snakes and five spiders—only three spiders and five snakes remained standing.
The ground around them was a wasteland, scorched, frozen, and shattered in various places. Smoke rose from the craters, a testament to the fury of my assault.
---
The surviving monsters, now fully aware of the threat, turned their attention to me. Their eyes burned with rage, and they charged like rabid beasts, the ground trembling beneath their combined weight.
The first to reach me was one of the giant spiders. Its enormous body loomed over me, each of its eight legs ending in sharp points capable of skewering through most barriers.
It didn't waste any time, spitting a glob of yellowish venom straight at me. The toxic sludge hissed as it flew, releasing a foul stench that burned my nostrils even from a distance.
"Not today," I muttered, activating my barrier.
The venom splattered harmlessly against the glowing shield, sizzling and smoking as it slid to the ground. The spider didn't stop, lunging at me with terrifying speed.
"Earth Tomb!"
The ground beneath the spider gave way, crumbling into a sinkhole that swallowed the massive creature whole. It screeched in panic, its legs flailing as it disappeared into the abyss. Moments later, I heard the sickening sound of its body being crushed by the collapsing earth.
---
I had no time to celebrate. A massive snake slithered up from behind, its muscular body coiling as it prepared to strike. Its tail whipped toward me with the force of a battering ram, aiming to crush me into the ground.
I twisted at the last second, the tail smashing into the earth inches from where I stood. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, and spiderweb cracks spread outward from the point of collision.
"Let's try something different," I said, cracking my knuckles.
This time, I wasn't going to rely on magic. I wanted to test my physical strength.
As the snake lunged at me, its massive jaws wide open, I met its attack head-on. My fist collided with its snout in a thunderous impact, the sound echoing like a cannon blast.
The snake recoiled in shock, its eyes wide with disbelief. Its scaly hide, as tough as enchanted steel, now bore visible cracks where my punch had landed. Purple blood seeped from the wound, staining the ground beneath it.
---
"Not so tough now, are you?" I taunted, taking a step forward.
The snake hissed angrily, coiling its massive body before lashing out again. This time, its tail came at me like a whip, faster and more vicious than before.
I raised my arm to block, channeling mana into my muscles for reinforcement. The impact barely rattled my bones, I held firm, grabbing the tail with both hands.
"Let's see how you like this," I said, twisting with all my strength.
The snake's massive body was pulled off balance, its head slamming into the ground with a resounding thud. I didn't give it a chance to recover, leaping onto its back and delivering a series of devastating punches along its spine. Each blow sent shockwaves through its body, further cracking its scales and eliciting pained hisses. It was two punches away from being turned into meat paste.
---
Meanwhile, another spider approached from the side, its legs moving with terrifying speed. I jumped off the snake just as the spider lunged, its sharp legs stabbing into the snake's exposed side instead of me.
The snake hissed in agony, writhing violently as the spider's venom seeped into its wounds. The two monsters turned on each other, their primal instincts taking over.
Taking advantage of the chaos, I focused on the remaining two spiders.
---
The first one lunged at me, its jaws dripping with venom. I sidestepped its attack, slashing at its legs with my mana blade. Two of its limbs were severed, and it collapsed to the ground with a pained screech.
"Flame Lance!"
I summoned another spear of fire, driving it straight into the spider's abdomen. The creature's body erupted into flames, its charred remains collapsing into a smoldering heap.
The last spider tried to retreat, but I wasn't about to let it escape.
"Chain Lightning!"
A bolt of electricity struck the spider, its body convulsing as the energy surged through it. With a final, desperate screech, it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
---
By the time the battle ended, the battlefield was a scene of utter devastation. The ground was littered with the remains of the defeated monsters, their blood soaking into the earth. Craters, scorch marks, and shards of ice were scattered everywhere, a testament to the ferocity of the fight.
I stood amidst the carnage, my chest heaving as I caught my breath.
"Not bad," I muttered, surveying the aftermath.
Among the wreckage, I found several mana cores and other valuable materials, including venom sacs and reinforced scales. These would fetch a high price at the Dungeon Society or come in handy for crafting.
---
As I packed the loot into my spatial storage, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. The third floor was proving to be a challenge, but each victory brought me closer to mastering my abilities.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I looked toward the horizon. The next part of the floor awaited, and I was ready for whatever it had to throw at me.
With a determined grin, I continued forward.
The next two floors were more or less very similar. It was the same scenery and same terrain and even same type of monsters. Colossal snakes, Spiders and even toads. But once i got the hang of it there was no challenge my physical strength more than enough to turn them into paste.
The floor boss was a giant wyvern capable of flying. It's flame breath was a small issue. I was able to easily slice It's wings then in a free fall i plunged my hand onto its body near its heart in primal fury i ripped It's heart and crushed it infront of It's own eyes.
With the boss defeated i used my token and left dungeon society. I made my way back to the estate got a shower ate some good gournet worthy buffet of foods and slept. I was active in the dungeon for like 8 or 9 hours most of which was spent figuring out Where the monsters were and fighting.
I kinda resent mordern depictions of fantasy battles back in my previous world they make it seem so fast but In reality its quite slow time consuming and all very well calculated. From what I've experienced even beasts know how to exhaust their opponents.
With these last thoughts i slept myself to dreamland.