Lev and Beatrice entered third, after the guardian and two other teams. Stepping into the portal was quite different than expected, as the vista in front of them did not match the clearing they were in a moment before.

The rogue and the other two teams were all spread out, keeping an eye out on every corner of the giant cave. It was scarily smooth, almost like it was carved by the passing of a massive worm.

"Don't dally," the guardian spoke. "Take your position."

Lev nodded and flew up, already covered by barrier armor. His role in the delve was similar to the guardian's. By floating above the rest, he had both the height advantage and free rein to shoot at anything problematic from afar.

A bubble formed, scooping up both him and Beatrice. She had enough range to buff anyone from that spot as well.

One by one, all the parties entered the dungeon and neatly slid into formation. Umbrina, the Master rogue, was exempt, preferring to observe and assist from the shadows. Lev and Beatrice were above the middle, and below them were the two healers and two accompanying mages.

Warriors surrounded them in a circle, with only two of them guarding the rear from any surprises. Mages were stationed to the sides, closer to the vanguard depending on how many physically useful skills they had, such as Mana Barrier or earth magic. The greater their utility, the more they were surrounded by warriors.

Quite the lineup, Lev mused, liking the seriousness so far. Most challenging fights usually ended with him going ballistic, so the raid was a nice change of pace. With Beatrice by his side, he didn't have to make excuses about why he was using so much mana either. Her passive skill empowered everyone participating, significantly enhancing their mana regeneration.

His class being arcane in nature would suffice as a nice excuse for the rest. Everyone here knew he was someone special, but not in what way. Umbrina rarely went out of her way to talk to people, and the two hunters that hadn't yet qualified for platinum badges were certainly noteworthy.

"Ronald," Umbrina's voice reached the group somewhere from their right. "Take the lead."

[Warrior - Level 240]

The bulky warrior encased in heavy armor nodded once and put on his helmet. A sword and shield appeared in his hands before he advanced, walking at a pace that would be considered a jog for an average classless human.

His entire team was well into the second gap, signifying that they had been doing this for a long time. With calm yet vigilant steps, the platinum team advanced deeper for a few minutes before the first monster showed itself.

"Zyliths on the ceiling," Lev called out quietly. The silhouette of the monster was barely visible, and only because of the ever-so-slightly blurry edges not completely blending in with the stone. Despite being several dozen meters higher, the illusion wasn't good enough to avoid detection completely.

[Zylith - ???]

"Gale," Ronald commanded in a whisper. Two wind mages immediately sprang into action, combining powerful spells in a burst of wind that shook the monsters off the ceiling.

With a deafening hiss, three of them landed on the cave ground and charged immediately. Ronald was ready with his shield poised to block the assault directly. That turned out to be a good way to taunt the mindless monster. It stumbled when the earth suddenly opened up under it, and several lightning bolts fell on its head.

Above the vanguard, six enchanted shields hovered close to their heads. Lev kept his eyes peeled, not letting the injured monster out of sight but mostly focusing on the other two.

Lightning streamed out of him into two lances that he first enchanted with acceleration and sharpness. Both of the formations took up little in terms of space and worked together without problem.

Not unlike the lightning bolts, the primed lances landed on the wide backs of the huge lizard-like monsters, digging nearly a meter deep. Lev didn't allow them to explode while keeping them inside his manipulation range, only channeling the raw lightning mana into the two monsters rushing in.

Blue crackling on their hides signified the success of the tactic, albiet to a limited degree, and the warriors didn't waste a chance. A battle axe slammed into its eyes, blinding it and putting an end to its seizures. Loud, baleful cries reverberated in the cave as it spun around in a circle.

Lev's shields swiftly moved in. Combined with two defenders, they weathered the direct impact from the tail without much trouble and opened up the monster for retaliation.

Greatsword severed its long tail devoid of any spikes or armor, cleanly separated in an enhanced swing. Barrier chains with drills attached to one end formed near the top of the cave. Imbued with earth mana, they shot downward and pierced its tough hide.

Oh boy, Lev grinned and yanked with all his mental might. The zylith paused for a mere moment as the chains grew taut and tried to drag it backwards, stopping it long enough for the warrior to swing his greatsword with a roar of exertion, almost cleanly lopping off its head. The monster dropped to the ground after that, dead.

[

Your Group has slain [Zylith - Level 265]

Your Group has slain [Zylith - Level 265]

]

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No levels? Lev read the notifications with a raised brow. He hadn't needed to help with the third monster and consequently, didn't count as a part of the slayers.

"Good work," Umbrina voiced from somewhere unknown. "Zyliths are rather durable, but as you saw, they don't do much once detected and on the ground. Make sure to keep your head moving and eyes peeled."

Cores were harvested, and for the first time, the hide was also neatly skinned off before being stored in a container prepared for it. It was filled with some fluid glowing with mana, probably to keep the material in top shape.

Guess these delves are going to be quite profitable, Lev took it all in and smoothly glided forward in his bubble. Beatrice hadn't had to act yet, though she still asked him if he needed any buffs. He refused, for her passive was doing wonders already.

The raid team advanced steadily, never letting their guard down. Eleven more Zyliths fell, but Lev still didn't get a level despite scoring a hit against all of them for participation. Little wonder he had advanced so quickly as a Classer.

Nearly an hour later, they made it to the first real challenge of the dungeon. The cave opened up to reveal a gigantic circular pit in the ground, reminding Lev of the pictures he had seen of excavation sites. Far below, at the center, a huge wrym skeleton could be seen, circling the area with its sheer length even in death.

"Heads up," Umbrina warned them, though she hadn't needed to. After a cursory glance scan of the site, Lev set his eyes on the monsters flying above them like vultures.

[Mature Harpy - ???]

[Mature Harpy - ???]

[Mature Harpy - ???]

…

There were over two dozen of them. Normally, it would be nearly impossible to deal with them all at once, but they had the terrain advantage to leverage. When the hunters were noticed, the harpies dove en masse.

Without needing to be told, the humans retreated into the cave, luring the harpies into the enclosed space. The first monster landed with a warbling screech, only for two overloaded lances to pierce its chest.

Two barrier walls were formed and enchanted in a blink to block the blast, stopping the storm of lightning and fire in its tracks. Another harpy behind the first had been significantly burned because of the attack, and by the time the fires cleared, none of the monsters were close to the cave entrance anymore.

The lull lasted for all of two seconds before three harpies flew into the cave. Wind and lightning obstructed their dash, grounding them for Ronald's team to surgically tear them apart.

Things got dicey when ten of them attacked the hunters at once. Beatrice started buffing him without prompting, and Lev created eight shields above each melee warrior at the front.

Waves of lightning arrows formed around him as he blocked the monsters to the best of his ability. Umbrina had warned him not to make it too easy for them, so he held back.

"Focus on the mages for now," he told Beatrice, who changed focus. Lev's own attacks were moderately infused, except the first two, which meant he was still hovering above 95% of his pool.

Ronald's team is handling themselves easily, as expected. The left three warriors seem to be struggling, whereas the right ones are about to be overwhelmed. One wrong step aaaand…

A barrage of lightning arrows stopped the harpy from taking advantage of the downed female warrior who tripped over a random stone. The harpy wasn't hampered for long by the static shocks, but it gave the other two enough time to get some damage in.

They were just as durable as Lev remembered. White feathers adorned their entire body, covering them in a protective layer that easily resisted even his arrows without much trouble. His hands itched to summon Stargazer and rush in but that wasn't his role today.

Within five minutes, thirteen harpies were dead on the ground, and the remaining monsters were not far off. Once Ronald's team finished with the largest group of five, the whole dynamic of the battle changed. One by one, they eliminated the harpies with practiced ease, winning them the brawl after another few minutes.

[

You have slain [Mature Harpy - Level 265]

You have slain [Mature Harpy - Level 261]

…

Your Group has slain [Mature Harpy - Level 264]

Mana Tempest has reached Level 197

Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached 3rd Level 3

]

Thank fuck that skill leveled for once, Lev thought as he put the attribute points into Wisdom again. The past few levels had all gone to other attributes, which made him miss the feeling of improving his pool quite a bit.

Sweet, sweet mana, all for my lonesome. Gods, if I don't love this stupid class of mine.

They probably knew now that he thought about it. Lev didn't have any concrete reason for thinking there were multiple divine beings, but he knew a certain name that scared Mara shitless. The dots weren't that hard to connect.

"Hey, how does the distribution work?" Lev couldn't help but ask. Beatrice gave him a disapproving look.

"You don't know?" Umbrina's incredulous voice reached him, echoing all around.

"Uh… no? I just wanted to level."

She sighed and explained. "A fifth will be given to each team, which you two count for."

"None for you?" Lev blurted out.

"Don't worry about me, boy," she chuckled. "I've no desire to snatch shares from children."

Alright, then. That's one way to tell someone you're probably as old as my mentors.

He didn't dare voice the thought lest the rogue take offense. Giving Beatrice a look, she focused back on him. Their silent communication was reserved for casual buffing, which lasted for thirty minutes.

"Anyone needs healing?" Ronald questioned, his voice less deep than Lev expected. Nobody was injured in that skirmish, so the raid proceeded normally.

So far, so well, Lev nodded minutely to himself and let his mind wander. Given the force arrayed to conquer the dungeon, he wondered how easily they could've taken down the chaoswalker. Then his mind reminded him of Drakys' words and how the queen had been corrupted by Chaos.

When they exited the cave again, he refocused on the monsters visible far away. Both opposite them and down below, zyliths and watershade ravagers were visible roaming the stone pit.

The latter were huge insects that released boiling hot water vapors that specialized in corroding defenses. A single one wasn't that big of an issue, but they never traveled by themselves. If a single one was found, then a swarm was almost certainly waiting nearby.

As he watched, a gigantic maw parted the ground beneath a small group of ravagers. It was nearly a dozen meters wide, swallowing both the monsters and the earth in its path without slowing down. A crunch reached his ears when the monster closed its mouth, putting an end to all the unfortunate ravagers.

Wings tore through the ground as well, spreading out in all their harrowing glory while showering the surroundings with a rain of dirt and pebbles. The maw slowly finished its meal, which only took a scant few seconds with its size, then turned to the hunters staring at its repulsing visage.

[Earthen Burrower - ???]

That was their next foe, mighty and intimidating, one still far weaker than the dungeon boss waiting for them after days of constantly descending and battling.

Don't think I need to keep myself completely limited now, do I? Lev grinned to himself and rolled his shoulders. Such a massive monster was practically begging for him to test the lethality of his arrows.

The burrower didn't have to wait for long as a torrent of mana left Lev, telling everyone around him in no uncertain terms that the first kill belonged to him and Beatrice. Surprisingly, nobody complained or even minded, letting him go ahead.

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