Barely avoiding the sharp claws of the flying monsters before they could turn him into minced dwarf meat, Verdell still inevitably found himself being flung backwards by a tremendous force the second his mana barrier was broken-
Bang!
Crashing into the central pillar of the spiral staircase before barely regaining his footing in time to avoid another attack that came swiping down towards him the second he recovered from the impact. Not daring to hold back in the slightest, as the clash just now made him realize that the flying monster he was facing was by no means an ordinary A Rank Monster.
Knowing that if it had truly just been a normal A Rank Monster, there would have been no way for it to so easily break through his mana barrier that even an S Rank Monster would need some time to break through.
If anything, this monster might not be so different from him, as its attack power also seemed to exceed its current rank.
Looks like I won’t be able to hold back all the flying monsters on my own...
Because of this, Verdell also understood that there was no way for him to hold back all the flying monsters on his own like he had been doing so far.
Something that the weaker flying monsters who had been intimidated by him understood the second they saw him entering a deadly battle with their leader, as they began ascending upwards to attack the adventurers who had already created a significant distance between them during the few minutes it had taken for the situation to reach its current state.
It wasn’t that these weaker monsters didn’t want to jump in and help their leader in killing Verdell, it was just that the battle itself didn’t exactly allow anyone to just recklessly approach, as Verdell’s fire magic was still more than strong enough to kill any of the weaker flying monsters that happened to get too close.
"Damnit, looks like that dwarf couldn’t hold back all of them on his own!"
"Who cares, at least it looks like the stronger one isn’t here and their numbers have been reduced by quite a bit."
"Indeed, continue upwards while those capable of fighting with these flying monsters stay behind and hold them back!"
Still, though the other adventurers found themselves facing off against these weaker flying monsters, they weren’t in that difficult of a position, as Verdell’s earlier reckless attacks had significantly reduced their numbers.
To the point that a large portion of the group could continue upwards while a few of the stronger adventurers stayed behind to hold back the flying monsters that had caught up with them.
All things considered, things continued proceeding at a relatively normal pace up the spiral staircase, as those left behind to fend off flying monsters were all stronger adventurers who would be more than capable of catching up with those who ended up going on ahead of them.
The only somewhat troublesome part about their current situation was the fact that the swamp monkeys and two S Rank Monsters were rapidly closing in on them. Having seemingly come to some kind of temporary alliance following the clash between the adventurers and flying monsters above them- or at the very least, the two S Rank Monsters had made it past the swamp monkeys and no longer had anyone blocking their path.
Having already been keeping an eye on the situation below while clashing with the leader of the flying monsters, Verdell was the first to notice this change, as he understood that he couldn’t waste any more time than he already had on this flying monster.
Understanding that remaining in the same location for too long could potentially result in him coming face to face with the two S Rank Monsters that he had very much been the one to offend in a successful attempt to slow down the swamp monkeys. After all, though the struggle between the two parties seemed to have stopped, he was certain that without the two fighting each other for a good hour or two, the swamp monkeys would have already caught up to them and made escape from the fifth floor of the dungeon close to impossible.
FWOOOSH-!
And in turn because he understood there was little time to waste and he had to get moving, Verdell didn’t dare hold anything back as he unleashed a powerful wave of fire towards the leader of the flying monsters-
Screech!?
Catching the other party off guard, as it directly transformed into a phoenix in the process of undergoing rebirth. Only difference being that the flames on its body didn’t belong to it, causing it to soon enough plummet towards the ground below. Fate unknown.
Even if he might have been able to ensure it died with a bit more time, he didn’t want to run the risk of coming face to face with those two S Rank Monsters rushing up towards him from below. Especially so as he leaned over the edge of the spiral staircase after dealing with the leader of the flying monsters and spotted those two massive monsters rushing up the staircase. Only a little more than five minutes away from reaching his location on the spiral staircase.
Whoosh~
And of course, understanding that there was no time to waste, he didn’t hesitate in using a spell to enhance his own speed as he rushed up the spiral staircase. Soon enough encountering the group of adventurers who had stayed behind to deal with the flying monsters that had managed to get past him-
Screech!?
Screech!
Though, surprisingly, the second he appeared, he didn’t even have to do anything as the flying monsters fled before he even had the time to launch a simple fireball towards them. Not that he was dissatisfied with this turn of events, as he understood time was of the essence. Wasting no time in getting those adventurers who had stayed behind to rapidly make their way up the spiral staircase.
Unsurprisingly, among these adventurers, there were a few people faster than him who decided to run on ahead and warn the group at the very front to give it their all in rushing up the spiral staircase holding nothing back.
Even if they had to abandon some of their food or gear in the process, it had to be done, as no one present felt the slightest bit confident when it came to facing the two S Rank Monsters closing in on them from below.
Useful as magical traps might be when it came to dealing with the swamp monkeys, they had no effect on the two S Rank Monsters, as their power far exceeded everyone present. Even a trap laid down by Verdell around the location where he had clashed with the leader of the flying monsters before he had left the place proved to be useless in the face of those two S Rank Monsters.
If anything, it seemed to anger them even more, as their speed seemed to increase instead of decrease after being hit by the trap.
Luckily, because of the headstart they had over the monsters chasing them along with both the swamp monkeys and two S Rank Monsters finding themselves significantly slowed down by clashing with each other early on, the first few amongst the group began crossing through the ceiling of the fifth floor and rushed the last length of the spiral staircase up into the fifth floor of the dungeon. Emerging amidst a loud cracking sound, as the spiral staircase seemed to burst forth from the ground itself on the fourth floor. Only emerging with someone ascending from the fifth floor of the dungeon.
Still, everyone understood that they were still not out of danger, as the two S Rank Monsters and the swamp monkeys chasing them showed no signs of stopping after they reached the fourth floor of the dungeon. Instead, they seemed to grow more frenzied as their climbing speed increased once again. Reaching a new peak.
The distance between them and Verdell who took up the very end of the group was now no more than a few hundred meters, a distance that would have been closed within a few seconds had the two S Rank Monsters not been forced into climbing a spiral staircase.
"Run! We need to get going immediately!"
And as Verdell and the rest of the adventurers emerged from the ground and stepped onto the fourth floor of the dungeon, they didn’t dare linger around for even a second as they called for the adventurers who had emerged before them and started to catch their breath to keep going.
Something that caused no small amount of panic, as a fair few of them had expected for the monsters chasing them to stop after they reached the fourth floor of the dungeon. After all, it was rare for monsters to travel upwards to another floor even if they were chasing after a group of adventurers.