Since Rocky had helped capture Floor 21 in an official floor raid, the Tower Of Ascension likened it to him clearing the floor, allowing him and his team to proceed to Floor 22, as all of them had contributed fairly to the previous war.

As per Principal Liam’s teachings, Rocky arrived on floor 22 with full pre-preparations to ensure that he and his team had maximum chances of survival.

Stocked up on weapons, potions, utilities and rations, Rocky ensured that the team had everything necessary to clear the Floor-Raid, before setting foot on floor 22.

[ “Do you wish to take this floor test as a team or as individuals?” ]

The floor administrator asked the group when they arrived on the floor, as Rocky replied “Team” to convey their decision.

[ “Do you wish to take part in a dungeon clearing mission or in a administrator assigned mission?” ]

The floor administrator asked, as he gave the same two options to Rocky and crew as he gave to any other group attempting a floor test.

[ “We will take on the dungeon clearing mission” ] Rocky replied as per his discussion with Erin and Buhara before they started this raid.

There were 3 dungeons on floor 22 and the trio had studied about all three of those dungeons in depth within the academy. Find more to read at мѵʟ

They knew all the monsters found within these dungeons, their weaknesses and had purchased the dungeon maps in advance which would help them navigate its treacherous paths easily.

Hence, having prepared everything in advance, Rocky replied confidently, as the Floor Administrator tasked his group on clearing the dungeon ‘Labyrinth of Whispers’.

The Labyrinth of Whispers was renowned for its intricate mazes and the eerie creatures that inhabited it, known as ‘Whisperlings’.

These creatures were neither undead nor powerful beasts but were entities formed from the collective fears and secrets of climbers who had failed in the labyrinth.

They thrived on psychological manipulation, using illusions and mental attacks to disorient their prey and had no major weaknesses except a physical core which was hard to reach.

The labyrinth itself was divided into three main sections, each guarded by a powerful boss.

To reach the final chamber and complete the dungeon, the team had to defeat each boss and navigate the treacherous paths connecting them.

The very first boss room lay at the end of a series of winding corridors filled with minor Whisperlings and it was easy to get lost in the labyrinth of corridors itself without a map, however, Rocky and crew did not face this issue since they already had the layout of the dungeon mapped out.

Thanks to their pre-preparation, the team made smooth progress through the initial passages with their prior knowledge and strategies helping them easily dispatch the minor whisperlings and avoiding traps.

After a couple hours of careful navigation, they arrived at the entrance to the first boss room which was their first big challenge within this dungeon.

The first boss was known as ‘The Whispering Shade’

This creature was a massive, shadowy entity that could split into multiple smaller shades to confuse and overwhelm its opponents.

It fed on fear and doubt, becoming stronger the more its enemies succumbed to these emotions. However, it had a crucial weakness: light-based attacks which could disrupt its form and force it to revert to its true, vulnerable state.

Like a true leader, before entering the boss room, Rocky turned to his team and began issuing instructions on how they were going to tackle the boss fight.

“Alright, listen up. The Whispering Shade is tricky, but we can handle it.

Erin, you will focus on casting light-based spells to disrupt its form, if we are to defeat the monster we need to expose its core which is only possible through exposing it to bright light which only you can cast.

Buhara, you’ll provide heavy firepower and keep the smaller shades at bay, in-case that bastard splits into smaller parts, you will make sure that none reach Erin.

Kronos, you will be the Vanguard, leading from the front with me behind you. Use your regenerative abilities to draw its attacks and clear a path for me so that I can close in and deal the killing blow.

Let’s keep our heads about ourselves and work together, this boss fight should not be too hard for us–.” Rocky said, as he laid out the fight plan.

Listening to his plan, Erin nodded, his mage staff already glowing with preparation. “Got it, Sir Rocky. I’ll make sure to keep the light constant.”

Buhara grinned, his hands crackling with arcane energy. “Buhara will blast those shades to bits.”

Kronos simply hefted his sword and nodded, ready to face the challenge.

******

As the crew entered the boss room, the atmosphere instantly became oppressive as the door closed behind them.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the eerie, glowing runes on the walls as in the center stood The Whispering Shade, its form shifting and indistinct, with whispers emanating from it like a dark chant.

“Now!” Rocky shouted as Erin immediately cast a powerful light spell, bathing the room in a bright glow.

The Whispering Shade let out a screech as its form wavered, revealing a core of swirling darkness.

“Attack the core!” Rocky commanded, charging forward with his dual swords as Kronos charged ahead of him.

*SCREECH*

The massive shade broke away from its massive form under the threat, disintegrating into hundreds of thousands of small ghost-like shades which swirled towards Erin whose staff was the source of light.

“Come!” Buhara said as he unleashed a barrage of explosive spells, each blast lighting up the room and causing the smaller shades to disintegrate.

The Whispering Shade recoiled from the light, its form constantly shifting to avoid the attacks, yet Erin kept the light spells going, forcing the creature to remain in its vulnerable state.

Kronos took several hits from the smaller shades, but his regenerative abilities quickly healed the wounds, allowing him to keep fighting without pause, as he carved open a path for Rocky, leading him closer and closer to the creature’s main core.

“Keep it up!” Rocky encouraged from behind him, as he could see victory being within his grasp.

[ Fire Slash ]

Using one of his sword abilities, Rocky unleashed a powerful Fire-Slash on the creature’s core, as he ended the battle with one decisive strike.

As the echoes of the battle faded, the room was left in an eerie silence, allowing Rocky to take a deep breath and sheathe his swords.

“Well done, everyone. One down, two to go. Let’s keep moving,” he said, as he seemed to be in a hurry to end this dungeon raid, continuing the momentum while it lasted.

“You guys are pretty efficient together. I’ve never seen a strategy that worked before–” Kronos commented, as although he had been a part of many wars before, he had never seen a plan that went down exactly how the leader planned it to be.

“Haha, welcome to our team—” Erin said, grinning from ear to ear as he too was happy that their strategy worked out well.

However, unfortunately for them, While the dungeon run so far had been smooth, starting from the corridors coming next, ‘Vorithra Sylithen’ was about to kick in, plunging them into uncharted territory.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep