After Jeanne’s dramatic exit, Manfred summoned a powerful wind that swept through the corridors of the labyrinth, extinguishing the remaining flames. It howled on, long after the fire was dead, blasting away any lingering heat from the walls, the floor, and the air itself. On the far side of the maze, it vented a forceful breath, dropping the temperature within to a survivable level so that the party could get moving again.

  As they pressed on, the wind tugged at Manfred’s coat as if it had something to say. The aeromancer listened to its whisper and followed its lead, guiding the women as they wound their way through the labyrinth. Soon, they reached the third floor. Before them stretched a vast expanse of water, sparkling under the ambient light emitted from the ceiling of the chamber.

  “A water biome, huh?” Manfred mused.

  Redhead glanced at the bridge ahead, and a furrow appeared on her brow. “This is problematic,” she said. “Fighting on land is not a problem, but if we are attacked while trying to cross there, we could easily fall off and drown.”

  “Have you forgotten that Lord Manfred can fly, musclehead?” Brunette didn’t miss the chance to rile her rival, her lips pursed in a mocking smile.

  “Of course, I remember,” Redhead barked. “But how about us?”

  “He can lift not only himself, but others as well,” Brunette said, a smirk creeping onto her face. “But asking him to carry all three of us is a bit too much. So I’ll fly with him, while you two walk.”

  “You!” Redhead yelled, shooting a fierce glare at Brunette.

  “Enough!” Manfred, once again, stopped the women from fighting each other. “Having two people crossing the bridges by themselves is a recipe for disaster. I’d rather take all three of you across the water with my power. But I can only lift one at a time...” He frowned. “Of course, carrying each of you one by one to the next island is an option. But... that solution itself invites new problems.”

  “What problems, Lord Manfred?” Brunette asked, tilting her head.

  “You birdbrain haven’t figured it out yet?” Blondie interjected. She, too, had clearly been waiting for an opportunity to jab at Brunette. “If he does so, there will be a moment when two people are in the air while the others are left alone on two separate islands. If the monsters pick that exact moment to attack, it’ll be a disaster.”

  That’s true, thought Viktor, who had been observing the adventurers, assessing how they planned to tackle the obstacles that arose in their path. And he had found that this party was totally dysfunctional. Insults kept being thrown back and forth among the women, some subtle, others more direct, and from time to time, the man was forced to step in to tell them to shut up. The whole thing was borderline comical.

  Brunette’s face twitched at Blondie’s remarks, prompting Manfred to intervene again before another fight broke out. “As I said, enough!” he shouted. “Alycia, do you have any suggestions?”

  Blondie thought for a while, before turning to Redhead. “You brought some ropes with you, right?” The female warrior nodded. “We’ll walk across the bridges then,” Blondie continued. She raised one of her legs, tapping at the boot. “I’ve made the soles of these with a special material and even added tread patterns to them as well. So they’ll provide a very good grip on any terrain, including wet and slippery surfaces like those on the bridges. If we hunch down while crossing, it won’t be easy to knock us over—”

  Brunette gave a derisive snort. “Please. You’re the only one here wearing those ugly boots.”

  “Wrong,” Blondie sassed. “I’ve made them for the entire party. In fact, everyone but you is wearing them right now.” She stared at Brunette’s feet, rolling her eyes hard enough she could sprain something.

  Only now did Viktor notice what the brown-haired woman was wearing on her feet. What kind of imbecile goes into a dungeon in high heels?

  “Who wants your dirty boots?” Brunette protested. “Not only are they ugly, but boots don’t fit my dress at all.”

  “Tyra can use her strength and weight to serve as an anchor,” Blondie said, completely ignoring the other woman. “And we’ll use the ropes to tie ourselves together, wrapping them securely around our waists. This way, if one of us falls, the others can quickly pull her back. Lord Manfred can fly, so he doesn’t need to. He’ll go last to cover our backs while Tyra leads the way as the vanguard.”

  That’s not a bad plan, Viktor thought. With Redhead in the front and Manfred in the back, they could effectively deal with attacks from both directions. The warrior woman could keep the ones tethered to her from falling off, while Manfred, with his ability to manipulate the wind, could assist her by lifting the others up if needed.

  But it’s not infallible.

  If he ordered Sebekton to lurk under the water, waiting for the intruders to reach the middle of the bridge, and then launched a devastating strike from below, he could cut their formation in half while, at the same time, destroying the bridge. If that happened, this party would be completely screwed.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  That was an option he could choose, and he would definitely do so if necessary. But for now, he preferred to hold it in reserve. This was the first group that had reached the third floor, so he intended to use them to thoroughly test all functions of his water realm. Besides, he had devised a specific battle plan for Sebekton to fight the intruders in the arena. It would be a shame not to watch it play out.

  And if things went sideways? He had contingencies in place. There were two more bridges between the arena and the Core Room, so he could still use that ultimate move there if needed.

  Viktor saw Brunette casting a spell on everyone, including herself, probably to bolster their defenses. They also put earplugs in, so clearly the adventurers already expected to encounter mermaids here. Then they tied the ropes to bind themselves to each other as Blondie suggested. After all that, the party began to cross the bridge.

  They walked slowly, cautiously. A heavy tension loomed; even Manfred looked a bit nervous. Their eyes darted around the watery surface, scanning for any sign of movement, expecting something to leap out and strike at any moment.

  Yet, nothing happened. Viktor had decided not to attack the intruders during the first crossing when their alertness was at its highest. He wanted them to relax a bit and let their guard down before launching the assaults.

  The adventurers let out a sigh of relief when they reached the first island. Manfred smirked, his confidence returning the moment he stepped away from the bridge. Redhead stepped forward, gripping her axe tightly as she scanned the surroundings. Meanwhile, Blondie glanced back, still wary of the treacherous water.

  “What now?” Brunette asked. “There’s nothing but sand here.”

  “In this type of biome,” Manfred replied, “treasure chests are usually buried under the sand. Tyra, start digging. Alycia, have your birds fly around and keep watch for potential ambushes.”

  They unfastened the ropes, and the two women immediately got to work as ordered. Brunette, on the other hand, wasted no time returning to her usual clingy ways, pressing herself against Manfred. Her fingers caressed the man’s chest as she glanced with amusement at Redhead, who was digging furiously into the sand, sweat dripping down her flushed cheeks.

  It wasn’t long before the shovel struck something solid.

  I think I’ve asked Celeste to put about a hundred gold coins in each treasure chest here.

  “We have to go through all this just for such a meager amount of gold?” Brunette commented, peering inside the chest with disappointment. Her remarks nearly made Viktor’s blood boil. Seriously, is there ever enough for this bitch?

  The other two didn’t say anything. Redhead silently took the coins and poured them into one of Blondie’s pouches. Then, the adventurers secured the ropes and put the earplugs in again before proceeding to the next bridge.

  Alright, now is the time for the first challenge.

  Once the party reached the middle of the bridge, the attack commenced. Since they were in a tight formation, the best battle plan was obviously to strike with a mass barrage of ranged attacks. Several froglings leaped from the water, spitting globs of poisonous sludge at the center of the group. At the same time, the mermen emerged, hurling their harpoons at the intruders.

  The adventurers reacted quickly, though. With a swift gesture, Manfred cast a spell, conjuring a shield of wind that spiraled around them, deflecting most of the incoming projectiles, while Redhead swung her axe ferociously, knocking aside the harpoons that managed to pass through. Yet—

  “This is disgusting!” Brunette yelled as sludge splattered her right in the face. “Useless musclehead! Do your job properly!”

  Even though she was clearly uncomfortable with the sticky goo on her skin, it didn’t seem there was any actual harm. Perhaps the enchantment she cast beforehand also provided some sort of poison resistance.

  Nevertheless, while the ranged attack inflicted no real damage, it did cause a slight disruption in the party’s formation. The minions pressed on, moving into their second phase. The froglings scrambled onto the bridge to attack the adventurers from both sides, while the mermen readied their tridents, vaulting across the water and striking at the intruders when they passed overhead. Others continued to lurk underwater, waiting for a chance to snag a leg and drag their victims into the depths.

  Blondie, her pretty face now hardened and focused, sent the metallic birds to the two ends of the formation. The constructs unleashed torrents of flame, keeping the froglings at bay as they hissed in frustration. Meanwhile, Manfred and Redhead focused on the sides, exchanging blows with the mermen.

  How about this, then?

  At a distance from the fighting, a mermaid lurked beneath the water as she quietly prepared her spell. Once she received the order from Celeste, the sea witch called forth a massive wave to crash down on the adventurers on the bridge.

  “Incoming!” Redhead shouted as she saw the towering wall of liquid roaring toward them. “Brace yourselves!”

  The other minions leaped back into the water to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, while the adventurers hunkered down. The wave slammed into them, nearly sweeping them off their feet, but they managed to hold their ground against the onslaught.

  “I hate this!” Brunette yelled, sputtering as she wiped the water from her face.

  Viktor wondered what they were going to do next. They might want to run to the shore as fast as possible before the mermaid summoned another wave—

  Blondie clicked her tongue as she pulled out a round object and tossed it into the water. Moments later, a deep, resonant boom erupted beneath the surface, sending shockwaves in every direction. A colossal column of water shot upward, droplets spraying everywhere. Waves crashed against the bridge, swirling with the froglings and merfolk’s ravaged corpses.

  What?

  Did she just detonate an explosive underwater? And more importantly, this level of destruction and casualties was mind-blowing.

  “Assess the damage, Celeste!”

  [Yes, Master. All eleven froglings have been killed. As for the merfolk, two mermen perished, while five others, along with the mermaid, are gravely wounded. They all have ruptures in their lungs and other internal organs.]

  Viktor frowned. Was the explosive Blondie had just used that powerful? Or was it the underwater detonation itself that had such a devastating effect on the aquatic creatures?

  Either way, he needed to rethink his approach.

  This isn't much, of course, compared to many established authors in RR, but for a new writer like me, it's a huge accomplishment.

  So I've decided to throw a little celebration. Next time, I'm going to post two chapters instead of one (chapter 24 & 25).

  Thank you all for your support! Every follow, favorite, rating and comment is important. They've greatly helped the story gain traction.

  From now on, new chapters will drop at 3 pm UTC (basically, it's a half-day difference from the current schedule).

  And that means you'll get those two chapters in just 12 hours. Cheers!