"Damn, that's so tall. We're in for a lot of walking, huh?" Remarked Brid, as he stared up at the large, towering structure.

"Mhm, we're going to need to pace ourselves," I nodded in response.

We'd just arrived outside one of the two Critical Level Dungeons that had appeared in Sanctuary Theta's jurisdiction.

It has ninety-three floors in total, and if it sticks to the standard patterns, it should be more than manageable with both Aria and I here.

Of course, that's a pretty big if.

Ever since the Dungeons first appeared, the longest amount of time without so much as a single Dungeon appearing was five days, until the approximately two and a half month stretch that just ended.

I seriously doubt that there's going to be no changes in the activity and patterns of the Dungeons after that long of a break, the Demon Lord and his forces surely must have been preparing something in that time.

But we aren't going to figure it out by just standing out here, so...

"Alright, if everyone's ready, let's head in, shall we?" I suggested, before heading for the entrance as I glanced back at the others, no one voicing any objections.

"Oh, nice, looks like the terrain's flat and grassy, shouldn't be too much trouble to traverse," Mused Aria, as we entered the Dungeon.

"Yeah, that's good. We've got a long way to go, after all, so having easier terrain to contend with should make a big difference," I nodded, before we began heading forward.

Grassy plains are considered by most to be the easiest kind of Dungeon terrain, and the rest of the conditions in here feel pretty pleasant too, it's nice and cool, and the air feels clear and fresh.

Hm...I'm getting an instinctively bad feeling already.

This easy terrain and pleasant conditions, it feels like this place is trying to lull us into a false sense of security.

Is it just my imagination?

It could be, considering how long it's been since my last raid, so maybe I'm just feeling paranoid and subconsciously expecting something to go wrong?

Well, I suppose there's no harm in preparing myself for the worst.

"I can sense Monsters up ahead, five of them! But, uh...they feel like Low Level Monsters!" The Detector suddenly called out.

What?

"Huh?" Blurted out Aria in surprise.

Well, that's concerning. Low Level Monsters appearing in a Critical Level Dungeon is completely unheard of.

It's usually either all High Levels, or a mix of mostly High Levels and some Mid Levels, with the Dungeon Boss always a Critical Level.

At least, that's if we're talking about the standard patterns, of course.

But even in Dungeons that deviate from the standard patterns, encountering Low Level Monsters in a Critical Level Dungeon is unprecedented, at least as far as I know.

Can I get a fact-check on that, Ai?

<Yes, you're correct, surprisingly>

<There's never been a recorded case of Low Level Monsters in a Critical Level Dungeon before this>

Cool, thanks. I'll ignore that little 'surprisingly' dig at me, for now.

Alright, something's clearly up with this Dungeon, but...we don't have cause to retreat yet, five Low Level Monsters barely even count at a threat at all.

"Listen up, everyone. We're clearly dealing with a deviation here, so we'll be moving with more caution. With each floor we enter, be ready to retreat at a moment's notice," I instructed, before we continued heading forward as they nodded in response.

It wasn't long before the Monsters came into sight, a pack of five Giant Ants.

They had bright red exoskeletons, and were about five feet tall while standing on six legs, and the length of their bodies were about ten feet long.

They had curved, sharp pincers and creepy black eyes, and they were making this unsettling chittering noise.

"You're up, Iqra!" I called out, as the Monsters took notice of us and skittered towards us.

"R-Right, okay...[Shockwave Wall]," She chanted as the Giant Ants closed in on us, a barrier forming in front of Aria and I, before the Monsters got blown away with a devastating blast as a powerful shockwave erupted as one of them collided against the barrier.

The Giant Ants got sent flying back several meters through the air, skidding back along the ground as they crashed onto the grassy dirt, right as the Attack Mages unleashed volleys of earth and ice projectiles towards them.

The Giant Ants began to scramble out of the way as the incoming barrage of projectiles closed in on them, four of them getting skewered and killed, the fifth narrowly surviving but losing one of its back legs, a couple of ice shards piercing its abdomen and getting lodged in.

As it screeched in pain, I swung my left arm up, firing out a slashing wave of Negative Energy towards it, splitting it in half before it could react.

The two halves of its body fell over to either side and thudded against the ground, a gloopy liquid oozing out of its body.

I'm not going to bother using Devour and Drain on these things. I'd need to consume around a thousand Low Level Monsters to gain so much as a single stat point, so it isn't worth the time or effort.

"Maybe the two of us can afford to take a back seat for as long as we only encounter Low Levels," Suggested Aria thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I was considering that too," I nodded, before glancing back at the others, "Alright, we'll be making a temporary shift in our formation.

Brid, move up to the front line. Iqra, to the mid line. Aria and I won't be doing much so long as we only come across Low Levels. As soon as that changes, we'll switch back to this formation. Any objections?"

"Ohh, hell, yeah! Even if it's only against Low Levels, I'm gonna get to fight up front!" Grinned Brid eagerly, bounding over to the front line with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Um, I-I'm fine with this t-too," Added Iqra, as she moved up to the mid line.

"Alright, then, with that settled...let's keep going."

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