Vol. 10 - Ch. 512 - Trial Run of Advanced Job, A Coordination Compilation. A Single Blow of Zephyr.

It was Sunday, just a day before the anticipated interclass battle, but that's for tomorrow. Today, we're going for dungeon clearance!The party members were the five advanced job members—excluding Hannah, since she was taking a break, focusing on alchemy—who'd decided to push through the first 20 floors of Int-high dungeon.

When it comes to Int-high dungeons, they were huge with 50 floors deep. It had required at least multiple days to clear just one dungeon, and this widened time consumption had been one of the hurdles along with many for students, and also the other people of this world.

The 50 floors were not just numbers, they also were the reflection of its dialed up difficulty level. Each floor was huge, yet they even expanded more with every following floor.

These types of dungeons were commonplace around this level. A common thing in game.

But in reality, it was quite harsh on challengers to go through them. I mean, they would have to fumble around their way to create a map first, which in itself took multiple days, unless you happen to know any short route.

I was honestly surprised when I learned that. For that reason, the map of Int-high dungeons had incredible value. It was the shared property for guild members, at the same time, the academy also had their unspoken allowance for its sell and buy.

Academy typically themselves didn't put the map for selling, putting it as a challenge for the students. The game had followed the same scenario. This was a common theme in the RPG, you had to complete the map by yourself.

Though the academy also had their reason to give their silent permission. We're talking about dungeons 50 floors deep. It wasn't hard to guess mapping out the dungeon so big from the first floor was going to take at least months for completion. It should be sufficient to tell the abilities these dungeons require.

Well, it's another matter that those monsters were small fries for the advanced job holders.

"«Raging Spear War Dance»!"

"Mooinnkkk!?"

Yet again, another Sword Bull-Orc was brought to an end.

This was the power of «Raging Spear War Dance», a fascinatingly formidable skill in Ester's fourth order skill tree. Each time her figures flickered in the battle, the monster would be missing a huge chunk of their HP, and even insta-killed.

The Int-high dungeon had recommendation of a third order skill tree, so that one was certainly an overkill against small fries.

"It's like we're back to the beginner dungeons days when we first started."

"Oh, I was precisely thinking that! At that time, I was still unable to use any offensive magic back then, so my contribution had always been too low."

Sierra's murmur met with an enthusiastic node from Lana.

"Hn. You couldn't do that earlier, Lana?"

"You'd not been in the guild that time, so I guess that’s obvious. My offense magics were all locked behind the second order skill tree in the starting. Our earlier dungeon clearance had been Ester sweeping away enemies with her spear, while Sierra tanking all the attacks like nothing. My turn to cast buff or heal never comes, except when we're in the boss fight."

"Hm. So, like they're now?"

"This is what I am saying. It reminds me of that time."

Lana explained with a wistful one.

Speaking of, excluding Karua, we were the same party we had been back then. Right now, Ester was sweeping enemies left and right, taking down the enemies before they could attack. Seeing that no one required her assistance, Lana shifted to the sideline and watched them from afar.

Meanwhile, Sierra only used her aggro generation skill at first. and since then, she had been using her four small shields to fend off enemy attacks.

I was also watching them from the sideline. The battlefield would be too crowded if I joined too, which wasn't optimal when both of them had required the time to get as comfortable with their new equipment as possible.

"They didn't seem challenging anymore. I would like to try stronger monsters if possible."

"Likewise. We may grow up to have a monotonous pattern if we continue to fight the same type of monsters. It would be great to change the target."

Seemingly ascertaining they'd been used to their new equipment, Ester and Sierra both wished for change.

They're incredible given this was a «Rank-8» dungeon, though we're still on the second floor.

"I concur. I saw there was no stiffness in your combat, so maybe it's time we race to the 10th floor. Karua, take care of the scouting."

"Hn, roger. —«So-nya»!"

The 10th floor had the field boss’s playfield. But even aside from it, the floor was littered with normal monsters of multiple kinds, including the one who could use magic. I believe it was the perfect place for our current needs.

I had Karua keep an eye on traps or monsters, while we bolted for the 10th floor taking shortcuts.

Soon, we arrived at the 10th floor, and we decided to test out our skills on the normal monsters there, alongside improving our skills. With advanced jobs, it had become easier to challenge group of monsters, but that style obviously can't be replicated against bosses,

"Hn, monsters, in that direction." seaʀᴄh thё Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Oinkoooooooooooo!!"

"Gagyagagyagagya!!"

"Oh, one Sword Bull-Orc, one Soldier Bull-Orc, Archer Bull-Orc, one Chubby Hobgoblin and one Lancer Hobgoblin in a party huh. Sierra, stall everyone but chubby, Ester take down that chubby!"

"Understood. —«Quad Aegis of Virtue»! And the target is—Sword Bull-Orc!"

Receiving my commands, Sierra swiftly deployed her four small shields. The shields moved around following Sierra's will and then jumped at the enemy. Each shield targeted the 'Soldier,' 'Sword,' 'Lancer' and 'Archer.' Saving the chubby one. A moment before shield contacted the enemies, Sierra activated «Shield Smite»; a second order skill tree's skill which increases the aggro on Sierra when she lands an attack.

"Oiinnkkk!?"

"Gobu?!"

The four shields squarely struck their target.

This was one of few other skills that had benefited directly from job's ascension. «Shield Smite» was originally a single target skill, but by using four shields via unique-class skill «Quad Aegis of Virtue», its utility value had now gained a new definition. The bigger plus was that it only gained the aggro from monsters she had deliberately attacked. Its value was tremendous. This was why they're called unique-class skills.

Having smited—attacked by the «Shield Smite», the four monsters glare turned into Sierra direction.

The remaining Chubby Hobgoblin—a wooden shield carrying hobgoblin with corpulent body—had faced «Eden»'s top attacker Ester.

"I will deal with it. This is far from enough to stop me—«Drive Turn»!"

"Gugyaaa!?"

"You're wide open from behind. —«Raging Spear War Dance»!"

Ester spinned on her «Azure Cogwheel» and rapidly closed distance with the chubby.

Chubby reacted by holding the wooden shield—seemingly made of stitching multitude of thich logs together—in her direction, but Sierra used her «Drive Turn», a third order skill tree, to circle around right before they clashed in the 90 degree tilted U shape, and launched her onslaught at the defenseless back.

"Gugyaagyguaaa—!?"

Receiving the attack of the formidable fourth order skill tree's skill, Chubby, who was supposed to have a bunch of high HP as everyone's shield, immediately drowned and disappeared amidst the sea of effect. So cool!

"But we're not any less cool! Karua, deal with that Archer on the back. Lana, target the remaining monsters with your magic, I will make my move when they're down."

"Hn. Ok. «Force Sonic»!"

"I was just waiting for that! Manifest, my sword—«The Four Great Swords of Radiance»!"

Sierra faced three monsters at front, while another tried to attack her from the backline, though none managed to faze Sierra.

Taking advantage of the gap, Karua rushed toward the Archer, cutting it down. Now there were just three of them for us to deal with.

Sierra pushed forward her four small shields before falling backward. Immediately afterward, four shining swords, brimming with oppressive radiance, launched forward, Flawless coordination.

"Oooink!?"

"Oiiinkkkk!?"

Soldier and Sword at the frontline received a huge amount of damage, their HP falling into the red zone, but they didn’t turn into effect. Rats, though it was within my expectation. We're on the 10th floor after all.

"«Sonic Sword»!"

I was ready, already anticipating the situation, and immediately dealt the final blow. Now only the Lancer had left behind, who had luckily survived from becoming the target of Lana's attack.

"Well, I guess I will have you as my training partner for a bit."

"Gyu, gyaaa!!"

As I took my stance, the hobgoblin hurled a lance at me–since I was the closest to that—with a raging expression.

I easily repelled it, a fruit of my training as a tank during the summer vacation, and stepped toward it. Meanwhile, hobgoblin was left defenseless now that his attack had been completely deflected.

I fired the fourth order skill tree that I had obtained from advancement to «Gloria Salvator».

"It's like I'm bullying a junior here, but do pardon me there. —«Holy Sword»!"

A flash of light released from my shield at a tilted angle.

Fwoosh... I only saw an attack piecing the body of Hobgoblin, and afterward there was no more movement from it. The attack had 100% pierced through it, so it didn't blow away either with the momentum, and remained fixed to its spot.

Hobgoblin's HP bar dropped to 0 as fluidly as if someone had opened holes on the sole of the water bucket before disappearing into the effect, its posture remaining upright from beginning to end.