The Orc swung its axe and roared in rage, charging towards the group.
Koneko and Issei stood in the front to take the Orc's attacks, but Issei's punches were more effective against it. The monster stumbled back slightly after getting punched by Boosted Gear with 4 times boost.
"Sona! We need to combine magic! We will defeat it together!"
Rias raised her hands and summoned several demonic magic spheres. Akeno also summoned a lightning sphere, and the two women stood together with their backs pressed against one another. Their hands moved at the same time, and a stream of lightning and a ball of destruction shot out from their fingers. The two girls launched their attacks at the same time and aimed at the monster.
Meanwhile, Sona cast her magic spell as well. Her hands formed a circle and a torrent of water shot forth from the center.
The Orc roared as it was struck by the three powerful spells, but somehow, it still managed to stay standing and swing its axe. It hit the wall behind him with its weapon, breaking off a large chunk of stone from the ground.
"Raaaaa!"
It roared loudly and swung its giant axe at the group. Wind split from the impact, and a strong gust blew past them, knocking down Akeno, who lost balance. Rias tried to hold onto her but failed, falling backward instead.
Koneko jumped up and kicked the axe, sending the Orc stumbling backward. Then, Issei charged forward and delivered a powerful blow, smashing the orc in its chest. Following that, Kiba slashed its legs and arms with a sword, cutting deeply into the Orc's flesh.
"Uuuuuoo!"
The Orc groaned in pain, but still didn't fall. It swung its axe once more, trying to crush everyone. Issei, however, blocked it by raising his arm and punching it away.
"Boost!"
He then proceeded to attack the monster's chest and abdomen with his fists, sending it flying backward.
"President!" He shouted as he continued to punch the monster over and over again, using the boosted gear's power.
"Ise! You are doing well. Now, let me finish it." Rias said, summoning a huge sphere of destruction.
She shot it, and it exploded on contact with the monster, sending pieces flying everywhere. Afterward, she looked around and saw that they were still surrounded by rubble. But the enemy was nowhere to be seen. It was probably destroyed.
"That's it, it's dead." Issei sighed in relief and looked at Rias. She was sweating heavily, her face red from exhaustion.
"I think so..." She replied and nodded.
"President, are you okay? You look really exhausted..." He said, concerned for her condition.
Rias smiled weakly and said, "It's alright. More importantly, we need to confirm the monster is gone first."
"I think it's dead." Sona said from the side, finding a blown-up arm with green skin on the floor. "This must belong to that Orc. I believe the rest of the body has disappeared already. We won this time."
"My, my~" Akeno smiled. "This dungeon sure has monsters with bad reputations, right~? It's so strong that the President needs to finish it off."
"You're right, Akeno." Rias nodded, "Yuuto, please be careful in scouting the area," She said to the blonde knight.
He had just returned to the group and sheathed his sword.
"Yes, President."
"Now we have to choose doors, right?" Issei exclaimed while looking around. But there was no path leading further.
Instead...
[Congratulations! You have defeated Orc - First Floor Boss]
[Will you continue to the second floor or end the Dungeon Run?]
"This..."
"A choice?"
Rias muttered and Sona narrowed her eyes.
Yes, a notification rang in the large clearing, asking the party to choose.
In the dungeon master room, Cain chuckled and rubbed his hand together.
"Okay. This is a test for the newcomers." Cain grinned.
When renovating the dungeon, he found this system and decided to use it to make it feel like the dungeon was just a game. This way, the challengers won't be too cautious and would challenge the dungeon again and again.
But that wouldn't be enough. That's why he decided to add something else.
"Oh, it looks like they are advancing?" He muttered as he saw the Devil party teleported to the second floor.
Unlike the first floor, the second floor's wall was refined, smooth without cracks. It looked like a real corridor instead of a cave, and there were even torches on the wall, illuminating the whole floor. The floor was also flat and smooth, making it easier to walk around and fight.
However, the path was narrower than the first floor, making it difficult for more than two people to fight together. There were a few rooms here and there, and each of them contained traps and enemies. Some were locked by a puzzle or required to find a switch in a certain room.
"It's like a real dungeon." Cain commented, proud of his masterpiece as he watched Rias and her group traversed the second floor.
Unlike the previous floor, which had a maze and traps, this one was more like a puzzle dungeon. The group needed to solve puzzles and riddles, find hidden passages and secret doors.
Of course, because this was a beginner dungeon, the puzzles and riddles weren't so hard. For example...
"Find the green stone." A sign on the wall read.
And when Koneko found it on a shelf, they heard a clicking sound. It was a hidden door. When opened, the door revealed a small room with an empty treasure chest inside. It seemed to be a treasure room.
"Hm? A treasure chest?" Rias exclaimed. "Should we check it?"
"It might be a trap." Sona said.
"Let's check it." Issei said. He stepped inside carefully, looking for traps and triggers.
There was nothing that screamed like it. And so, he approached the chest and opened it carefully.
Creak-
"What is inside... Oooh, look at this! A red potion!" He took a vial of red liquid from inside. "Is it really a potion?"
"Let me see."
Seeing that the situation was safe, Rias approached and took the potion. She looked at it closely, moving the vial in different directions.
"I believe this is a potion of some sort." She said, her anime loving mind immediately thinking of a game's healing potion.
"Let me see it." Sona said and approached, taking a vial of the liquid. She observed the potion carefully, then uncorked it and smelled it. After sniffing it, she looked at the bottle with an expressionless look and corked it back. "It smells like nothing. We need to test this first before using it. Who knows if this is a poison instead?"
"That would be true. This dungeon is filled with danger. We need to be wary of every little detail."
Rias and the others nodded at this statement, but the red-haired heiress sounded excited over this finding. After getting the vial, the group decided to leave. They continued to solve the puzzle one after another until they arrived at a door at the end.
There, they found another sign.
"Don't push this. Be careful, it's dangerous!" A red button was installed on the wall.
"This..." Issei looked at the others. They looked back at him.
Silence penetrated the dungeon's corridor.