Chapter 398 Monster Stampede [Part 1]
After killing the Dungeon Hunters, Ethan took charge of looting their bodies.
He didn’t want to let the two girls touch corpses, so he took it upon himself to take their valuables.
Luca and his two bodyguards didn’t even bother to ask for their share of the spoils since most of the killing was done by Nicole and her teammates.
They simply left and continued their journey toward the lower floors.
After Ethan finished taking everything, he stored it all on the storage rings that belonged to the Dungeon Hunters.
The haul was quite decent, and he set aside first, intending to let Nicole divide the spoils later.
After storing the storage rings, they continued their journey down to the Eighth Floor of the dungeon.
The Orcs on the Eighth Floor were now in groups of two to three, but this wasn’t a big deal to Nicole and Ethan, who, after the fight against the Dungeon Hunters, seemed to have their battle switches flipped on.
Samantha could also feel the changes in her teammates' aura, but this didn’t faze her. She had seen these sudden mood swings many times during the time that she had teamed up with other parties, so this kind of scenario was quite familiar to her.
However, she also noticed something.
Ethan was now actively using Water Magic and was launching Water Bullets and Water Spears at his targets.
That was fine in itself, but Nicole also actively used her Ice Magic, augmenting Ethan’s Water Spells and transforming them into ice.
It was as if the two had a tacit understanding of how to end the battles as fast as they could, by combining their powers, which made the spells more powerful.
With Ethan’s refined control over Water Magic, and Nicole’s support, all the battles ended in mere seconds.
Sometimes, before the Orcs could even see them, all of them would already find themselves dying without knowing what killed them.
This time, instead of Nicole, It was Ethan who took the lead.
Using his X-Vision, he was able to see where the enemies were before they could see them.
Once he located the Orcs, he would immediately summon water spears, and Nicole would freeze them.
Ethan would then direct the spears and launch a surprise attack at their foes, piercing their heads and killing them instantly.
‘I don’t want to become the enemy of these two monsters,’ Samantha thought as they casually strolled toward the Eighth Floor.
Since Ethan was actively using X-Vision, he didn’t dare to turn around and accidentally look at his teammates because he would definitely see them naked.
He was still not used to using this ability, and the only thing he could do with it was see through walls and clothes.
But this was a very strong ability inside the Dungeon, allowing him and his friends to move unhindered without even breaking a sweat.
Even Lady Johanna found Ethan’s battle style unnerving.
The only proof that there had been Monsters in the places where they were headed was the trail of Monster Cores that littered the ground.
A few hours later, they finally arrived at the Staircase that led to the Eighth Floor.
But just as they were about to descend, they heard loud screams coming from the staircase.
Several figures were running back up to the Seventh Floor with crazed looks on their faces.
“Get back!” one of the Adventurers who had just reached the top of the stairs shouted. “There’s a Monster Stampede!”
As if proving that his words were correct, the sounds of dozens of people running up the stairs reached their ears.
More and more Adventurers were running up the staircase, trying to escape the sudden influx of the Monsters on the Eighth Floor.
The Eighth Floor was a turning point in the dungeon since it was also the first place where High Orcs spawned.
Unlike the Orcs who had green skin, High Orcs had dark gray skin.
There was not much change in terms of body size, but High Orcs were two to three times stronger than regular Orcs.
Even Veteran Adventurers were wary of them and took them seriously.
Amidst the screams of the Adventurers who were still trying to run towards the staircase of the Seventh Floor, the roars of the Orcs reverberated inside the Dungeon.
Hearing their warcries, Ethan glanced downward using his X-
Vision and saw dozens of Orcs running in their direction.
“Nicole, there are at least thirty Orcs coming our way,” Ethan reported. “Six of them are High Orcs. What should we do?”
“Let’s run and return to the Safe Zone,” Nicole replied firmly. “High Orcs have a war cry that can call other Orcs to join them. It will be too dangerous if their numbers increase further once the Orcs of the Seventh Floor hear their cries. We might get sandwiched between the two groups if we are not careful.”
“Understood,” Ethan stated. “No matter what, don’t resist. I’ll take us all back safely.”
Without another word, Ethan pointed at the ground under his feet and cast a spell.
“Aqua Anguis!”
Four Water Snakes that were bigger and longer than Ethan’s usual spell swallowed Nicole, Samantha, and Lady Johanna before slithering away at fast speeds.
Ethan himself rode atop one of them as they glided through the Dungeon, headed back to the Safe Zone that they had left a few hours ago.
Although the retreat would cause them to start their progress over again, it was still much safer than being mobbed by Orcs from all directions.
Ethan and Nicole were strong, but they weren’t stupid.
They knew that a single mistake would cost them their lives, so they didn’t hesitate and escaped to the only place on the Seventh Floor that the Monsters wouldn’t approach.
At that time, they weren’t aware that an Orc Champion, a Mini Boss that usually roamed the Ninth Floor of the Weeping Dungeon, had ascended to the Eighth Floor, bringing along a dozen High-Orcs that served as its bodyguards, as well as the Orcs that it had gathered on the Ninth Floor of the Dungeon.
From there, it shouted a warcry, calling out to the nearby Orcs to rally to it.
Soon, this group grew, and grew, until they exceeded three hundred.
Luca and his men, who had just entered the Eighth Floor half an hour earlier than Nicole, came face to face with the Vanguard of this ever-expanding Orc Army.
They had been cornered on all sides, but they still tried to break through.
At first, they thought that they were going to make it, but when the Orc Champion suddenly appeared and cut off the head of one of Luca’s bodyguards, the boy instantly knew that he was only a moment away from death.
This forced Luca to use the life-saving artifact that was imparted to him by his parents, allowing him to instantly teleport outside of the dungeon.
His other bodyguard and the Elder, Duncan, had no such treasure, so the two were forced to give their all in making a way out of the encirclement.
Although both of them fought valiantly, they were still overwhelmed by the numbers and sheer power of their enemy. They breathed their last with unwillingness in their eyes.
Ethan, Nicole, Samantha, and Lady Johanna, who were not aware of Luca’s Fate, all sped back to the Safe Zone, which would soon be filled to the brim with Adventurers, who were also trying to escape with their lives.
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