79 Chapter 79

While Vasiliki, Nikolaos, and Eleni fought off the ferocious hell hounds, the imposing Minotaur set its sights on Vasileios. It charged towards him with full force, and it was clear that Vasileios couldn't withstand such a powerful attack at his current level. I glanced at Lili, knowing that she had begun casting her spell on the Minotaur.

With a loud crash, the Minotaur collided into Vasileios, its weight magnified by Lili's spell, slowing it down somewhat. Vasileios was sent flying across the rocky ground upon impact, but he quickly reassured the others that he was alright. He urged them to hold their positions, as he knew they still had a battle to fight.

Seeing an opening, Michalis took advantage of the situation. "My spell is ready, create some distance!" he shouted, his ethereal daggers to moved towards the Minotaur. They had learned from their previous encounter that their regular attacks were insufficient against the Minotaur. Special magic spells or targeting its existing wounds were their only means of dealing significant damage at their level.

As Michalis had done before, he aimed for the Minotaur's joints and vulnerable spots with his ethereal daggers. The Minotaur wailed in pain and dropped to its knees. Seizing the opportunity, the rest of the group focused their attacks on the Minotaur's exposed wounds, eventually beating it down until it was defeated.

"Hmm, maybe i should try using two Minotaurs next time," I muttered to myself, observing the battle. Michalis and Lili's spells had made the fight somewhat easier.

"You're quite mad at times," Kaguya, who stood beside me, remarked.

"I'm as sane as I can be," I retorted.

"Alright, enough monsters for today!" I called out to my exhausted familia members. "Once we return to camp, you only have to complete your physical training schedule, and then you'll be free for the rest of the day."

With that, we made our way back to our camp on the 18th floor. Celty, who was waiting for us, expressed her boredom during our absence. "Nothing interesting happened while you were gone," she said.

"Nothing except for some ignorant folks who didn't know their place," Celty said. It wasn't uncommon for beautiful girls like them to attract unwanted attention.

"Now, when should we depart for the 19th floor, and who will be joining?" asked Ryuu, who had been quiet until now, directing the question to Kaguya.

"Draco is definitely going, so let's decide the rest through rock-paper-scissors," Kaguya replied.

"Oi, seriously?" Lyra groaned.

"I didn't expect this either, but let's go with it," Iska chimed in.

They proceeded to play rock-paper-scissors to determine the composition of the dungeon group. In the end, it was decided that Iska, Celty, Ryuu, Neze, and Asta would go to the 19th floor.

"Ugh, so Kaguya and I have to stay at camp. This isn't fair! I demand a rematch!" Lyra protested, but the others were determined not to give in.

"Please, don't get into any trouble," I warned my familia members before bidding farewell and embarking on our journey to the 19th floor. It was my first time exploring this floor, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.

A few hours later, the roars of monsters echoed through the air as we battled our way through the 19th floor. It was a stark contrast to the previous floors, and the challenges that awaited us were far greater.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that I hadn't brought my family to this treacherous place yet. The challenges on this floor required abnormal resistance if normal adventurers were to survive. Dark fungi, monstrous mushrooms that released poisonous spores, lurked alongside formidable level 2 creatures. Luckily, I had an innate skill similar to abnormal resistance.

"Draco, focus! What are you doing?" Iska yelled at me as I deflected a projectile from a gun libellula, a dragonfly-like monster that shot projectiles from its abdomen.

"Ugh," I grunted as we were attacked by five gun libellula's, 6 bugbears, and four mad beetles. Dealing with the monsters wasn't particularly difficult, but the long-range attackers were irritating to manage, especially when trying to concentrate on another enemy.

"Fire ball," I muttered, unleashing a burst of flames towards the gun libellula's. After a while, we managed to defeat the monsters.

"Ugh, the monsters here are utterly exhausting," I complained to the others.

"Yeah, I remember feeling the same when I first arrived," Iska replied.

"You just have to get used to it. Speaking of which, the next wave is here," Iska added, gesturing towards the approaching monsters.

Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for the next wave of creatures. The thought of using monster bait on any floor beyond the 18th seemed utterly mad now. With my sharp claws, I attacked a giant boar-like monster known as a battle boar. My claws tore into its flesh, causing it to bleed.

Swish, Splurt!

The battle boar screamed in pain, becoming even more enraged and relentless in its charge. Due to its size, I knew I would have to inflict several more critical wounds with my claws for it to finally fall.

After several more slashes, the battle boar crumbled to dust. I glanced around to see that the others had finished off their adversaries as well.

We continued to fight for several more hours, finally collecting the dropped items before retreating to the 18th floor. We hadn't ventured deeper than the 19th floor that day, but it had been a fruitful harvest of excelia for me.

"So, how was the 19th floor?" Lyra asked when we returned.

"It was quite an interesting experience," I replied with a smile. "I had the opportunity to encounter some truly fascinating monsters..."

...

7 days later

Exhaustion hung heavy in the air as the members of my familia gathered after another grueling day of training. Sweat dripped from their brows as they caught their breath, their bodies battered and bruised from the relentless onslaught of monsters.

Nikolaos, his face streaked with dirt, voiced what everyone was thinking. "I swear Draco Nii is trying to kill us," he grumbled, his tone blending frustration and exhaustion. His hammer was still clenched tightly in his hand, blood and grime staining its once polished surface.

Michalis, standing beside him, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the training has been getting much more ridiculous each day," he added, his voice laced with fatigue. His muscles ached from the repetitive swings of his daggers, his arms heavy as lead.

Vasileios, who had just managed to survive a vicious flame breath attack, voiced his own complaint. "I don't understand why Draco Nii insists on not using magic except Vasiliki," he grumbled, frustration evident in his voice. He flexed his fingers, crackling with untapped energy that begged to be unleashed.

Dimitra, let out an irritated sigh. She felt the sting of every arrow that left her bow, an expense that weighed heavily on her mind. "Shut up and focus," she snapped at Vasileios, her tone laced with annoyance and weariness. She couldn't afford distractions - every arrow counted.

Watching them from a distance, I observed their exhaustion and knew all too well about their complaints. As the captain of the familia, it was my duty to listen and respond, to guide them towards greatness. I had heard every word of their conversation, which they should have realized, and understood the toll the training took on them.

"Alright, that's a wrap for today," I called out, my voice cutting through the weariness that hung in the air. I watched as they began to relax, the tension easing from their shoulders. Their bodies slumped, their weapons momentarily forgotten.

Relieved, Lili, let out a grateful sigh before her legs gave out. She collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, her chest rising and falling with every labored breath. Despite her fatigue, her improvements were evident, her spear techniques had become more refined.

But before they could fully bask in the end of another punishing day, the sound of clapping hands echoed through the training grounds. Startled, they quickly scrambled to their feet.

"Get your asses up, unless you want to face the next wave of monsters," I bellowed, my voice stern and commanding. The familia members knew better than to hesitate. They gathered their weapons, their tired bodies protesting every movement, and filed back into formation.

The past few days had been fruitful in our growth, of that there was no denying. But if they were to level up quickly, I needed to push them further. There was no telling when we would have another opportunity like this.