----

Accompanied by the strong tremor, a colossal head appeared from within the shadows. A coat of fine crimson fur and a collection of unblemished white fur surrounded the head as a pair of frigid silver eyes stared at the party.

Ahri was unsure if it was just her imagination, but to her, it seemed like the wolf was smiling from the manner of baring its fangs. Shortly after, the rest of its body appeared. Horror filled Ahri's eyes as the absurd size of the wolf was on full display.

Based on what she saw, Ahri was almost certain this wolf was over 5 meters tall. This was a first for her. To her knowledge, there was no way a wolf could grow so large. Even after the Priming, there was no record of such a wolf existing.

Certainly, something was amiss.

Surprisingly, after showing itself, the wolf didn't make a move and simply sifted its gaze throughout the battlefield. After a brief pause, the wolf zeroed in on Lucian, the sole Guardian drawing near its position.

An intelligent gleam circulated in the wolf's eyes as it took a single step forward. Although it seemed inconsequential, a sea of flames rose from the ground, intending to swallow Lucian. The surge of flames was three times larger than its underlings.

So much so, Lucian felt a threat from the approaching heat.

Without any other choice, Lucian could only dodge to the side while flinging his dagger towards the new foe. The best choice, in this case, was to opt for a mutually destructive attack. Unfortunately, while the other wolves failed to cope with his lightning-quick projectiles, this particular wolf swiped Lucian's dagger out of the air with ease.

Judging by this display alone, Lucian felt something was off.

Compared to any of the other wolves, this colossal wolf manipulated Mana in the same way that a Guardian did. If its movements weren't just based on savagery, then Lucian understood that this situation had just taken a turn for the worse.

In addition to this display of exquisite flame control, there were still a massive amount of wolves in the area! Although the team neutralized the three larger wolves, the reduced number of wolves returned their ability to act freely.

Moreover, it seemed they retained no empathy for their dead kin. They stepped on, as well as over their bodies, to deal with Olov and the others. Meanwhile, even if Lucian wished to help, the Alpha held him in place!

Admittedly, this was his most challenging opponent to date. Thus, Lucian took extra precautions to ensure the safety of everyone.

As the leader, that responsibility fell on his shoulder. Fortunately, monitoring the boss gave Lucian some vital information about his opponent. Though what he saw wasn't exactly comforting.

'So this is why it's called the second floor. Although I don't know how strong the boss was, based on the residual signs I saw...it wasn't as strong as this one. This beast has already entered the C Rank!' Lucian surmised.

「Name: Infernal Doom Wolf

Ranking: C (Minor)

Type: Elemental/Physical

Health: 100%

Strength: C Agility: C+

Wisdom: C- Dexterity: C-」

Not only did Lucian recall that a monster possessed fewer stats, he remembered they melded as one to recreate the same stats in a Guardian's possession. But, there was another issue. The C Rank was known by another moniker, the first watershed. Once this threshold was broken into, the effectiveness of each stat increased exponentially.

Although it wasn't as conspicuous as entering the S Rank threshold, it was the first milestone. Meaning a drastic increase in price for increase. Hence, the reason why Lucian himself was refraining from exhausting his points.

After all, the 10 point requirement was exorbitant, but it wasn't the complete issue. The preceding ranks all possessed a stagnant cost, but even the minor levels of the C Rank possessed an escalating cost.

Simply put, the price to upgrade to C and C+ wasn't constant.

Sadly, Lucian wasn't in a position to back out. His options were limited; either manage to kill this wolf in the remaining 7 minutes or don't and fail to satisfy his goals. Needless to say, with how much effort he funneled into this run, it didn't sit right with Lucian.

'I've come way too far to meet an insurmountable wall at the end. This is not how it ends,' Lucian thought. The current conditions weighed heavily on his mind, contributing immensely towards his next actions.

Without hesitation, Lucian popped the cork on two Lesser Mana Recovery elixirs and downed their contents.

Just relying on his natural recovery rate wasn't enough to counter his expenditure. Outside help was needed.

'Asking the others to assist me would be too dangerous. The minion wolves could attack at any given moment and even minor wounds will negatively impact our chances. Injuries lead to mistakes, and mistakes to death,' Lucian surmised.

Although it was fleeting, Lucian looked towards Quinn. Though he remained by the entrance, he wasn't shaking, which shocked Lucian. Furthermore, his hands were preemptively coated with a hint of milky Mana.

Whenever Olov or another member of the team received an injury, Quinn directed the Mana towards their position. It was a strenuous task, but he now understood how to manage his stress because his role was vital to their success.

Compared to an active ability, elixirs paled in comparison. Unless it was the higher versions only found in the high levels of the Fractured Monolith.

"A-Aeran. Can you help Olov," Quinn yelled with a strained voice. He felt faint from the constant use of his Mana. Since everyone was relying upon the heavy usage of their ability for this run, the exhaustion of resources was great. In addition to that, their actions pushed their limits, causing them to teeter on the edge of complete exhaustion constantly.

Besides, consuming items provided openings for the wolves. And oftentimes those openings were taken advantage of, which resulted in Quinn's involvement. Hence, his current state.

"I'll try!" Aeran responded before moving towards Olov. Meanwhile, he gazed at Lucian, who attempted to keep the Infernal Doom Wolf at bay, albeit barely. 'We need to help him! We aren't clearing these pesky wolves fast enough and because of that, he could end up in serious danger!'

Aeran's thoughts flowed rapidly while his expression changed. A mixture of pain and anger appeared on his face as not just his sword, but even his body emitted vibrations. In truth, while all abilities possessed an innate ranking, it depended on their user to weaponize their efficiency.

Each ability hid a reservoir of potential. It just required the needed catalyst. Mana alone wasn't enough to evolve an ability. Powerful emotions often accomplished the task.

However, there was always a risk hidden in the shadows of a sudden evolution. Aeran's body trembled after experiencing the effects of these new vibrations. Apart from the new strain on his body, the ground under his feet turned soft, similar to quicksand after being subjected to the amplified frequency.

"W-what is that?!" Desmond groaned while holding his ears. Although the vibrations weren't strong enough to affect them before, it was a different story now. Aeran's current application of sound waves approached supersonic levels powerful enough to inadvertently harm his teammates.

Luckily, he wasn't unconscious and realized an issue with this haphazard display. 'Oh god, what's happening? I can't control it!'

Lucian noticed something going awry behind him and spared some attention. It seemed even more inconvenient contingencies appeared. One dire enough to threaten their clearance. While it wasn't intentional, it was still detrimental to Lucian's cause, nonetheless.

As a result, Lucian was left with no other choice.

〈Alert: The second activation of «Limit Release» has been exhausted. Remnants of the first activation were found. Superimposed effect activated. Granted Over-Release: 45%〉

〈Alert: «Limit Release» directed at limbs. Strength and Agility raised to C+ Standard.〉

Even though it was a 20% increase, it was only enough to raise Lucian's two abilities to the peak of the C standard, which spoke volumes of the divide between the C and B standards. As the advancements progressed, the power gap would only steepen.

Which is why the Guardian Corps existed. A Guardian's vessel was the strongest weapon Alteria possessed. Even if the strength varied, there had to be a reason for the divide in strength.

It wasn't ideal for everyone to hold the same amount of strength. A disparity in worth is needed to establish a proper organization. Otherwise, nothing would get done. It would become whim over order.

"Come!" Lucian bellowed before dashing towards the Infernal Doom Wolf. The best course of action was to deal with the boss before his period of increased strength elapsed. As of right now, Lucian wasn't sure of the duration.