S26 Elro Great Labyrinth攻略③
"From here on, it's the main corridor. Stay alert."
Following Busgas's guidance, we stepped into the main corridor.
Upon entering, I was struck.
Wide.
I'd heard about it, but the scale dwarfed the narrow passages we'd traversed before.
Width easily exceeded one hundred meters.
Ceiling height appeared similar.
As Busgas said, it resembled a large hall more than a corridor.
Momentary shock.
Recovery was immediate. Scanned surroundings without distraction.
No signs of monsters nearby.
Relief followed. Movement initiated.
Main corridor: wide.
Yet, large boulders were scattered, blocking sightlines.
Something could be hiding in their shadows.
Proceeded at steady pace, monitoring for presence, without slowing.
After walking for a while, Busgas halted his steps.
“What is it?”
“Something’s off. No signs of monsters.”
The tension in Busgas’s voice and expression was unmistakable.
This must be a serious situation.
“Are monsters usually present here?”
“Yeah. It’s strange—no monsters at all this far in. That’s not normal.”
It felt like encountering a nightmare.
His muttered words tightened my nerves.
“Is there another route we can take?”
An irregular event was likely underway.
Better to adopt a precautionary approach.
“There’s a side passage a bit further ahead. We’ll switch to an alternate route from there.”
Busgas agreed with my suggestion immediately, offering the plan without hesitation.
Everyone else noticed his demeanor and said nothing in opposition.
But the decision came just a little too late.
Something is approaching from this direction.
It was a dragon.
A silhouette resembling a Tyrannosaurus, slightly slendered.
Yet its hands were anomalously large, each claw gleaming like a masterwork blade.
"Earth Dragon. Tch! Means it's newly evolved—coming from the upper layer?"
Busgas muttered, tongue clicking.
All members assumed combat stances.
I steeled myself and initiated the target's assessment.
『Earth Dragon Exa LV2
HP: 2808/2808 (Green)
MP: 1312/1312 (Blue)
SP: 3655/3655 (Yellow)
Stamina: 2032/3645 (Red)
Average Attack: 2498 (Details)
Average Defense: 2455 (Details)
Average Magic: 1298 (Details)
Average Resistance: 2452 (Details)
Average Speed: 3600 (Details)
Skills
Earth Dragon LV1 — Spine Scale LV4 — Hard Shell LV1 — Steel Body LV1 — HP Fast Recovery LV1 — MP Recovery Speed LV1 — MP Consumption Slowdown LV1 — Magic Perception LV3 — Magic Manipulation LV3 — Magic Strike LV1 — SP Fast Recovery LV2 — SP Consumption Great Slowdown LV2 — Earth Attack LV5 — Earth Enhancement LV5 — Destruction Enhancement LV7 — Slash Enhancement LV6 — Pierce Enhancement LV6 — Impact Enhancement LV6 — Spatial Mobility LV3 — Accuracy LV10 — Evasion LV10 — Probability Correction LV4 — Danger Sense LV7 — Presence Sense LV7 — Heat Sense LV7 — Motion Sense LV5 — Earth Magic LV1 — Destruction Resistance LV2 — Slash Resistance LV5 — Pierce Resistance LV5 — Impact Resistance LV6 — Shock Resistance LV2 — Earth Immunity — Thunder Resistance LV7 — Status Abnormality Great Resistance LV2 — Corrosion Resistance LV1 — Pain Nullification — Pain Reduction LV4 — Dark Vision LV10 — Vision Expansion LV5 — Vision Enhancement LV5 — Hearing Enhancement LV4 — Smell Enhancement LV4 — Vitality LV7 — Magic Storage LV1 — Celestial Motion LV1 — Wealth Sky LV1 — Strength LV5 — Durability LV5 — Taoist LV1 — Amulet LV5 — Vedanta LV1
Skill Points: 19,500
Title
"Monster Slayer" "Slayer of Monsters" "Dragon" "Overlord"
High stats.
Speed stands out the most.
"Everyone, he’s fast. Watch out!"
Shouted.
At the same time, the earth dragon kicks the ground.
The claw descending is blocked by Miss Hyalins' shield.
"Gh—!?"
Miss Hyalins grimaces in pain.
But thanks to Miss Hyalins, the earth dragon’s motion halts for a moment.
Seizing the opening, I and Busgas cut through its left and right legs respectively.
Then, Katia and the instructor’s magic detonate.
Katia’s fire magic burns the earth dragon’s face; the instructor’s wind magic sends its body flying.
The earth dragon rolls, screaming in agony.
But the damage is minimal.
My cut to the right leg is only halfway through.
But the left leg sliced by Busgas is barely severed.
The defense proved too resilient to pierce.
The earth dragon rises.
Despite taking a direct hit from flame magic, not a single burn mars its face.
"Damn it."
Busgas mutters, voice laced with cold sweat.
I, too, had been unaware of the opponent's exceptional defense—my palms damp with sweat.
That strike was intended to sever the leg entirely.
Yet the cut only reached halfway.
Worse, the unexpected resistance nearly caused me to lose grip on the blade.
Magic proves ineffective as well.
The skill "Reverse Scale" drastically reduces magical potency.
Cathia and the master—both at the peak of human magical ability—have cast their spells.
Yet the earth dragon remains unfazed.
Still, damage is not nonexistent.
It is not an unbeatable foe.
The earth dragon leaps into the air.
It moves through the sky as if flying, despite lacking wings.
Spatial mobility skill—airborne movement.
Its target is Ana, positioned farthest behind.
Ana casts a spell.
The lightning spell released fails to inflict damage.
The earth dragon possesses lightning resistance.
Even with its naturally high magical resistance, lightning with resistance was ineffective.
Hyarinsu inserts himself between the charging earth dragon and Ana.
The shield once again blocks the dragon's claw.
A scene identical to before.
Yet this time, the earth dragon does not halt as it did earlier, but immediately retreats.
The speed of its retreat outpaces any follow-up attack.
—Lightning is ineffective due to resistance! Earth attacks too! Switch to another element! Katia, maintain magic focus! Busgas, use dark magic to suppress!—
I relay the earth dragon's resistance status.
Resists physical attacks, but this is unavoidable.
If Busgas’s attack power cannot deal significant damage, then only I can inflict physical damage here.
Hyrins stops the earth dragon’s charge three times.
Seizing that moment, the instructor activates magic.
A whirlwind envelops the earth dragon’s body.
Not a damage-dealing spell.
A binding spell.
The storm magic known as "Wind Bind."
The earth dragon struggles to break free from the wind’s restraint.
The effect of the "Reversal Scales" is evident— it will not last long.
Caitia’s flame magic erupts.
It mixes with the instructor’s wind, forming a fiery tornado around the earth dragon.
The earth dragon emits a strained cry.
Anah releases another wind spell for follow-up, while Busgas unleashes dark magic.
During the opening, Hailins applies a healing spell to himself.
The earth dragon’s attack inflicted damage even when blocked by a shield.
The earth dragon’s HP decreased steadily.
Yet the earth dragon dispersed the fiery tornado.
A glow of breath ignited within its maw.
Before stunned allies, I step forward.
The earth dragon’s breath collides with my magic.
The spell I activated was Holy Light Magic, Level 7.
A rather simplistic and unrefined name—Holy Beam.
Yet the effect defied the name.
The emitted beam repelled the earth dragon’s breath and inflicted damage in return.
The mouth was blown apart. The earth dragon’s body slowly collapsed.
The earth dragon’s HP reached zero.
[Experience points reached threshold. Schrein Zagan Anareit has advanced from Level 28 to Level 29.]
[Various base stats have increased.]
[Acquired skill proficiency level-up bonus.]
[Obtained skill points.]
[Condition met. Awarded title: 'Dragon Slayer'.]
[Title 'Dragon Slayer' effect granted: acquired skills 'Fate LV1' and 'Dragon Power LV1'.]
['Fate LV1' has been integrated into 'Fate LV6'.]
[Proficiency reached threshold. Skill 'Fate LV6' upgraded to 'Fate LV7'.]
Seems the defeat of the dragon has granted a title.
"Dragon Slayer. Now we’re part of legend, aren’t we?"
Kathia says with a hint of jest.
Apparently, this title was awarded to everyone who participated in the battle—not just the one who delivered the final blow.
"Phew. For a moment, I thought we’d be finished. Never expected to achieve 'Dragon Slayer'."
Busgas approaches the corpse of the earth dragon with caution.
I'll take custody of this corpse. No objections?
None. Thank you.
Monster components have varied applications depending on the part.
A dragon’s worth is immeasurable.
With a spatial storage device, Busgas can transport even a massive corpse.
The dragon’s enormous body is drawn into Busgas’s bag.
Is this the most dangerous monster in the Grand Passage?
Don’t be foolish. Such a creature doesn’t appear regularly. The most dangerous in the Grand Passage are the lower-ranked earth dragons. This one likely evolved from one.
Ah. Its level was indeed low.
Exactly. The absence of other monsters’ remains is likely due to this evolved creature consuming everything in its path.
Experienced monsters occasionally evolve.
Upon evolution, their level resets to one, and they become a higher-tier entity.
The monster immediately after evolution was highly aggressive and ravenous.
The earth dragon had low level and reduced SP from the start.
Evidence it had evolved recently.
"Dragon slayer. I've fought only dragons among the previous ones. A good prize from the afterlife."
Hailins smiled with a complex expression.
"Thank you for stopping the earth dragon's attack."
"I barely managed to stop it. But did I serve as a shield?"
"Yes. No one was injured thanks to you. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. That's my role. And I didn't deliver the final blow. You did. Well done."
Hailins said that, then roughly ruffled my head.
"Please stop."
I laughed and pulled away from his hand.
A relaxed atmosphere flowed after defeating a strong enemy.
At that moment, a chill ran through me.
I turned around.
That... our gazes locked.
Eight lifeless stares descending from the rock above.
It was the creature known as the remnant of a nightmare.