"[Blast!]" Ethan conjured a spell towards a swarm of black spiders coming their way. A powerful explosion shook the dungeon and the spiders were burned to a crisp.
The evacuation were going smoothly and they were near the exit on the fifth floor of the dungeon, but the pressure that was pressing down on him was getting stronger.
'Don't tell me this is a full dungeon outbreak. If it is…' Ethan wiped the sweat on his forehead. He had to remain calm in order to lead everyone to the surface.
One of the scouts sent him a report using telepathy, "Sir, the monsters have been cleared. The passage to the 4th floor is secured."
"Very well," Ethan said. "Secure the perimeter and wait for our arrival."
"Yes, Sir!" The scout replied.
Ethan made a gesture and the vanguard marched forward to enter the fourth floor. The evacuees were not far behind. Ethan stayed until only the rearguard remained. He gave the fifth floor one last glance before heading towards the fourth floor with the rest of his men.
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A minotaur's head flew in the air as Nick brandished his sword. The battle had been going on for half an hour and he was nearing his limits. He glanced at Arnold and Rayfield who were currently battling the Variant Minotaur.
He turned in time to see the head of the Minotaur Variant getting pummeled by Arnold's 4th level spell [Gilgamesh]. It was a spell that summoned a storm of homing stone bolts.
For Arnold to use this spell, it meant that he was forced to take drastic measures. The powerful barrage broke the Minotaur Variant's defenses and smashed its head like a watermelon. After making sure that the the monster was really dead, Arnold and Rayfield approached the body to collect the monster core.
Arnold took out the monster core from the Variant's body. Variant cores were highly sought by mages because of their special properties. When these cores were used by expert craftsmen like dwarves or giants, they could make enchanted weapons and equipment that had additional effects.
Rayfield had a complicated look on his face as he watched Arnold retrieve the monster core, "That's one tough variant."
Arnold surveyed the battlefield. The monster horde was finally defeated. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they didn't suffer any casualties.
There were people who were seriously injured, but their guild members manage to save them in the nick of time.
"Sir, more than thirty people have suffered heavy injuries, fifty others have minor injuries." The captain of the support team gave his report.
Arnold nodded his head, "Thank you, please resume your duties."
"Yes Sir!" The officer left and returned to tending the wounded.
"More than a quarter of our combined forces suffered injuries." Rayfield said, sighing.
Arnold made some hand seals and used the spell [Impasse] on the passageway leading to the 6th floor of the dungeon. The spell Created a gigantic, near-impassable wall of indescribably hard rock.
Maintaining the spell for a long time would drain him of his mana, so he decided to use some high quality monster core as substitute to maintain it. He also added a defensive talisman on the earth wall to reinforce it's toughness.
"It won't be long before the second wave arrives." Arnold looked at the members of the Harkon Brigade and the Terra Riders. He could see the exhaustion on their faces, and knew that they were nearing their limit.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"This wall of earth, won't hold them for long," Arnold said. "Our new mission is to reach the surface and warn the city of Amaranth of this disaster."
Rayfield stepped forward and glared at them, "Until then, none of you bastards are allowed to die. Do I make myself clear?"
"Sir, Yes Sir!" All the adventurers replied in Unison.
"Let's go," Arnold said.
The Harkon Brigade and the Terra Riders hastened their pace. They all knew that it is just a matter of time before the second wave of monsters break through the Earthen walls behind them.
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Ethan and the Exodus Knights arrived at the second floor. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief because they were a step closer to the surface. Ethan, on the other hand, was shivering from time to time. The powerful presences he felt coming from the lower floors were giving him goosebumps.
"Hasten the march! We need to hasten the march!" Ethan said to his Vice Captain.
"Sir, we are already going as fast as we can."
"It's not enough, we need to reach the surface before it's too late!"
The vice captain was shaken by Ethan's attitude. His captain had always been a calm and charismatic person. This was the first time he saw him this agitated. He realized how serious the situation was, so he followed his orders immediately.
"Vanguards, join the scouts," He ordered. "Make haste, kill all the monsters that block our way as fast as you can!"
The ground suddenly shook after he gave his order. A horde of Kobolds appeared out of nowhere and their numbers were over five hundred. A Kobold Leader was leading them, which means that his initial assessment of a dungeon outbreak was true.
All of the Kobolds were brandishing small knives and hell bent to slaughter everyone in their path.
Ethan threw four magic scrolls in the air, "Sharp as as knife, swift as the wind, let the fury of the elements fall upon the unworthy! [Summon Wind Elemental!]"
Four Wind Elementals appeared and unleashed a barrage of spells to the Kobold Army.
Magic scrolls are very expensive and therefore not something to be used casually. The four scrolls Ethan used were his trump cards. The Wind Elementals would only last for half an hour after they were summoned, but he knew that he couldn't waste anymore time dealing with the Kobold Army.
Howls of pain and agony arose while death descended on the Kobolds. The few stragglers were taken care of by the adventurers. Ethan personally dealt the killing blow to the Kobold Leader with his [Blaze] spell.
The fight only lasted for a few minutes, but Ethan didn't give the order to pick up monster cores. Instead, he ordered everyone to increase their pace.
He commanded the Air Elementals to act as vanguards and destroy everything that stood in their way.
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The Exodus Knights, with the help of the Air Elementals, managed to clear out the monsters on the second floor of the dungeon with ease. They breezed through the first floor and finally returned to the surface.
The members of the Harkon Brigade that were standing guard at the entrance of the dungeon were surprised when the Wind Elementals appeared. They unsheathed their weapons and raised their guard. Fortunately, Ethan came out not long after and explained the situation to them.
"Tell all the guilds that a full dungeon outbreak is upon us! Tell the Mayor to evacuate the citizens to a safe place!" Ethan almost roared while giving his orders to his men.
He didn't wait for their reaction and immediately used another scroll to teleport to their guild headquarters. The news needed to reach the Duke immediately, and only the guild leaders of the Three Major Guilds could contact him personally.
The evacuees panicked when they heard the news. They ran towards the city shouting "Dungeon Outbreak!" in order to warn the populace of the upcoming threat.
"Grandpa Cloud, we need to return to the guild to inform our guildmaster. Please evacuate the city as soon as you can." The leader of the escorts gave Kei a brief bow before running with his men towards the Harkon Brigade Main Headquarters.
Kei and the twins watched them go. The entrance of the dungeon was now void of people except for the three of them.
"Handsome young master, your orders?" Tifa asked.
Kei closed his eyes and pondered a bit. The twins waited patiently by his side. They knew that their young master was weighing the pros and cons of helping the city of Amaranth.
However, the two of them believed that even though it would put their young master at a disadvantage, he would not turn a blind eye and watch the citizens of Amaranth perish before his eyes.
Kei sighed and took off his mask, "Are you girls interested in a honeymoon on the 20th floor of this dungeon?"
"I'd love to!" Milfa said in a heartbeat while taking off her mask.
"No," Tifa replied playfully as she took off her mask as well.
With their masks gone, the three of them returned to their original appearance.
Kei smiled and took out a hair brush. He brushed his hair, brushed his thick eyebrows, and applied lipgloss on his lips. When everything was done, he faced the entrance of the dungeon.
"Let's go girls," Kei said. "We're going to gatecrash this party."
""As you command, Handsome young master!""