Warning - (this chapter might seem a bit confusing but I beleive it would be linked to the story by the next chapter)

[17th Floor of the Dungeon of Death]

In a dark, expansive cave, there was an unexpected encounter between a monster and a group of adventurers. The dungeon they were in was also called the Dungeon of Death for a reason. Monster spawns could occasionally be erratic. A minotaur could be summoned on the first level.

Or a five-headed serpent, a massive, 15-meter-long snake with five heads, vibrant red eyes, and black, glowing scales, could be summoned.

It was known for its poisonous central head that could melt a person’s body and its other four heads that could turn a person to stone. This serpent might appear on the 17th level, despite being a monster that typically dwelled on level 25 or lower floor of the dungeon.

The monster's large figure caused all the adventurers in the group to be scared and cautious. However, one thing was clear none of them had lost hope yet.

The male adventurer Aron standing in front wore a white shirt and brown pants. His thighs, chest, and torso were covered with silver-colored metal armor, but his hands and legs were vulnerable to attack. His build supported both agility and protection of vital organs.

Aron looked at the monster. His hand was shaking, but he took hold of his sword, which was in a sheath, steadying his hand in a moment. He spoke up.

"It's a five-headed snake. Be cautious!" He raised his sword and shouted, "Amelie!"

"On it," the girl with short blonde hair replied. She wore a white long dress and carried a wooden, tree-branch-like wand.

Raising her wand, she created an enormous spherical region surrounding a large portion of the cave, covering all of them and the monster.

"If you stay in this region, you won’t become stone. I can’t keep it up for long—five minutes is the best I can manage," she said loudly as she walked back.

"Rick, try to keep Amelie saf—" Aron the leader of the group began to say but was interrupted.

"I’m capable of doing that myself! Now go, and all of you focus on the fight ahead!" Amelie shouted with a serious look.

There wasn’t a second thought among the adventurers. Rick, a tall man with black hair and sparse facial hair, wearing a simple gray shirt and black pants, began sprinting towards the serpent in haste. Covering the distance in a mere moment.

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He raised his axe and jumped high, aiming his attack at the serpent's centermost head.

As he did this, all of the snake’s other heads, turned to look at Rick and their eyes began to glow a dark shade of red.

Rick was momentarily scared. Had he been alone, this would have been his end.

Rick smirked. "That’s not gonna work!"

A slash from Rick's axe split the serpent’s center head in half. He instantly moved back, using the serpent's torso as a stepping stone to jump away.

The blood from the serpent caused the ground just below to melt. Had it been any adventurer or human, only bones would have remained.

"That’s some nasty blood," the female adventurer Noelle, who wore red knight’s armor, said as she looked at Aron, their leader.

Aron looked at her with a serious expression. "Can you one-shot this snake with your sword?" he asked, looking at Noelle raising his brown eyes in curiousity.

Noelle narrowed her red eyes, looking at the serpent thoughtfully. "I can’t," she replied quickly, fully aware of her strength.

As she spoke these words, the snake’s attention focused on Aron and her.

It looked at them with its four remaining heads in anger and quickly dashed toward the two of them, attempting to crush them to death. Its body caused rocks and rubble to fly in all directions.

Aron and Noelle quickly jumped to opposite sides, avoiding the snake’s attack.

Aron looked toward Noelle and nodded. This was enough for Noelle to know what the plan was. With that, Aron spoke the words, "Fire Elemental Veil."

A thin layer of heat spread across the area surrounding the entire cave. The temperature increased, and a popping sound echoed in everyone’s ears.

The increase in temperature was considerable. Aron glanced at the serpent, noticing the change in its demeanor.

The superiority it felt was gone, something else had taken its place. Perhaps it was survival instinct, Aron thought to himself.

"It's going to run!" Aron shouted. "It's a reptile—they can't handle extreme temperatures," he quickly added, looking at Noelle.

With that, Noelle was on guard yet again. She stood straight, her eyes closing as a layer of fire started to cover her blade. It was erratic at first but steadied into a thin, compressed layer. As she opened her eyes, she was ready to strike.

The serpent had already started to move away from the adventurers. It was losing its ground due to the extreme heat, crawling towards the exit to the lower floor.

"Dragon's Breath!" Noelle shouted as a huge fire attack, something like a slash—left her sword. This attack was larger than the serpent itself, causing massive destruction to the dungeon as it moved towards the creature.

The attack incinerated the serpent, its body shattering into pieces. Its dead body was unrecognizable, leaving behind only its bones, a puddle of blood and flesh, and a huge purple crystal—its core.

The serpent's remains would eventually give rise to different monsters once the dungeon absorbed them. However, the crystal was an invaluable treasure for adventurers due to its high market value.

A smile ran across all the adventurers’ faces as the monster was defeated, each of them looking excited and pleased. The Fire Elemental Veil dissipated into thin air, and the bright region Amelie’s spell created also disappeared.

Visible exhaustion was evident on Amelie's face.

"That was..." she started, but was unable to complete her words and began to fall on the floor.

Aron was the first to react, reaching her in a moment. "Are you fine?" he mumbled, looking at her face.

"Can we go back to the surface?" she mumbled.

"Yes, sure, that works with me. We got a good reward too today," Aron said. Turning to Rick and Noelle, he added, "Let's get going," with a smile.