To ensure we were safe, I discreetly activated my [Skill: Mana Perception] through my interface. This ability allowed me to detect even the faintest fluctuations or traces of magic in the area.

For a few moments, I focused, sweeping my sharpened senses across our surroundings. Strangely, I couldn’t pick up anything unusual. The dark corridors of the dungeon seemed calm, almost too peaceful.

"Hey, Griffith, you look a little lost," Liam quipped sarcastically. "You know, if you’re not sensing anything, maybe it’s because you’re just terrible at magic."

Turning to face him, I felt a flicker of embarrassment. "No, no, it’s not that. I activated my [Mana Perception], but there’s nothing to detect right now."

Seraphina placed a calming hand on my arm. "Don’t worry, Griffith. Some people are just naturally better at magic than others. That’s normal."

Kenzo nodded in agreement. "She’s right. What’s important is staying vigilant and working as a team. Everyone brings their own strengths to the table."

Liam scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah, let’s all hold hands and sing about teamwork. Are we done? Maybe we can actually move forward now?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Seraphina stopped me with a quick gesture. "Let it go, Griffith. Don’t let him get to you."

With a resigned sigh, I nodded, and we resumed our path, Liam leading the way with his usual impatient stride.

Suddenly, he froze mid-step, his brow furrowing. "Wait. You don’t hear that?"

We stopped immediately, straining our ears. A faint, almost imperceptible scraping noise echoed through the oppressive silence.

"There are magical traces on the ground," Liam muttered as he crouched down to inspect them. "It’s like something—or someone—passed through here recently."

Once again, I felt a twinge of frustration at myself for failing to notice it first. "I’m sorry, I didn’t sense anything with my [Mana Perception]..."

Seraphina gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, her smile gentle. "Don’t apologize, Griffith. Everyone has different talents, and yours may not lie in magic. What matters is that we stay united and alert."

Kenzo nodded silently, his gaze steady. "She’s right. Your other skills will definitely come in handy when the time comes."

Liam rolled his eyes dramatically. "Great, glad we’re all one big happy family. Now, judging by these tracks, it looks like something big was here. Stay sharp."

Straightening up with his sword at the ready, he led the way as we continued down the dimly lit corridors.

It wasn’t long before a greenish glow began filtering through the darkness, growing stronger with every step. A strange rustling sound reached our ears, setting us all on edge.

"There!" Kenzo shouted, pointing at a massive shape emerging from the shadows.

My eyes widened in horror as I made out the towering form of a gigantic eight-headed serpent. Its glistening fangs dripped with a venomous liquid, and an overwhelming aura of menace radiated from its scaled body. The creature’s eight pairs of eyes glowed with malice as it fixed its gaze on us.

"So, these are the little intruders who dare trespass in my domain," the serpent hissed, its voice slithering like venom. "You have no hope of surviving against me. My scales are impenetrable!"

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Liam let out a derisive laugh. "Oh yeah? We’ll see about that, you oversized pile of scales!"

With a shout, he charged forward, sword raised high. But before he could even close the distance, one of the serpent’s heads lashed out with terrifying speed, slamming him against the wall with bone-rattling force.

"Liam!" Seraphina cried, rushing to his side while Kenzo and I immediately took up defensive positions.

[Skill Activated: Monster Analysis], I commanded through my interface.

The information poured in, painting a grim picture of what we were up against.

[Name: Eight-Headed Serpent] [Level: 70] [Traits: High resistance to physical damage , Poison and corrosion abilities , Extremely fast and powerful attacks ] HP: 1200/1200 MP: 600/800 ???

Swallowing hard, I turned to my teammates. "It’s a Level 70 Eight-Headed Serpent. Its scales are highly resistant to damage, and it has deadly poison and corrosive abilities. This is going to be tough."

Seraphina’s face paled slightly, while Kenzo’s expression hardened with determination. "It doesn’t matter. We don’t have a choice. Stay on your toes, everyone!"

Liam staggered to his feet, rage burning in his eyes. "Fine. This time, I’m going to smash its ugly heads into the ground!"

The serpent hissed ominously, its venom-coated fangs glinting in the greenish light. "You won’t stand a chance. My poison will paralyze you, and my scales will crush your fragile bones."

Kenzo inhaled deeply. "Alright, team, attack!"

We sprang into action, each of us darting in a different direction to avoid the serpent’s snapping jaws.

[Skill Activated: Flaming Arrows]

Channeling my energy, I fired a volley of blazing projectiles at one of the serpent’s heads. The creature hissed in pain, but its scales absorbed most of the damage with ease.

Liam, meanwhile, charged head-on, his sword slicing through the air with ferocious intent. However, every time he tried to land a blow, one of the serpent’s heads intercepted his attack, swatting him away like an insect.

Seraphina stood back, chanting an incantation as her hands glowed with a soothing light. I watched as she moved toward Liam, casting a healing spell to tend to his injuries.

Kenzo darted nimbly between the serpent’s massive coils, unleashing bursts of magic that momentarily forced the creature to recoil.

Despite our best efforts, the serpent’s relentless movements and impenetrable defense rendered our attacks almost useless.

"This isn’t working!" Liam shouted, his voice laced with frustration. "Nothing we’re doing is getting through to this thing!"

Seraphina frowned, her expression intense. "There has to be a weakness. Think! There’s always a way to bring down a monster like this."

I bit my lip, my mind racing. Physical and magical attacks were barely scratching it, but if we could pinpoint a specific weak spot...

An idea suddenly clicked into place. "[Skill Activated: Weak Point Analysis]."

My interface lit up with new data, and a faint smile tugged at my lips.

"I’ve got something!" I called out, drawing everyone’s attention. "Its scales are nearly indestructible, but its heads are more vulnerable. If we focus our attacks there, we might be able to take it down!"

Kenzo nodded, his eyes lighting up with hope. "Good plan! Everyone, aim for the heads!"

Liam let out a savage grin. "Finally, some good news. I’m gonna slice off every last one of those ugly heads!"

The serpent hissed furiously, its reptilian eyes narrowing in challenge. "You’ll regret this. My poison will stop you in your tracks, and my jaws will finish you!"

Gripping my weapon tightly, I charged forward alongside my teammates, determined to defeat this monstrous foe. Our survival depended on it—and I wasn’t about to let us fail.