Chapter 47 47: He Is Way Too Cautious

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August stayed calm. Even though he had the advantage, he didn't let it make him reckless. He knew that the closer you get to a life-or-death moment, the more careful you have to be. Getting cocky could mean losing everything.

"ALL BATTERIES, FIRE."

"GO—"

August raised his hand again, and a wave of artillery shells rained down on the battlefield. The firepower swept forward, crushing everything and wiping out the monsters in front of him.

To the Adventurers watching, August's firepower was far more frightening than any normal magic and broke all the usual rules of the Labyrinth. Even a strong Level 5 or Level 7 Adventurer would be badly hurt, or even killed, if they were hit directly.

Riveria Ljos Alf watched the apocalyptic scene unfold.

'His power is ridiculous.'

'So this is the extreme application of a spatial inventory?'

'That idiot Loki said it was just a normal bag. But the development of this spatial ability allows for remote, high-intensity projection.'

Riveria rubbed her temples, recalling Loki's claim yesterday that this kid was just a rare, high-level Supporter with a spatial backpack.

But after seeing this kind of firepower for herself, she realized this was no average spatial backpack. No one could guess how much weaponry he had hidden inside. It was like he could store dozens of Magic Swords and use their magic all at once, without even swinging them. In this case, he was launching deadly weapons at close range.

For a rookie to possess this level of power was utterly terrifying.

Ais Wallenstein watched the battlefield. For the first time, she felt a sense of shock—yet, her golden eyes drifted toward a different part of the battlefield.

"There is something else hiding below."

"These monsters haven't given up yet."

Ais could sense that the horde was mustering one final, desperate counterattack.

'Still hiding something?'

'Could it be—?'

Riveria followed Ais's line of sight.

From the shadows of the tunnels, over a dozen pitch-black silhouettes leapt out. Using the massive bodies of the Silverback Apes as cover, they charged forward at blistering speeds. Not only that, but magical flames gathered in their jaws.

"Hellhounds shouldn't appear until the Middle Floors. Why are they here??" Riveria stared in disbelief.

These weren't monsters from the eleventh or twelfth floors anymore. They were Middle Floor types. Upper Floor monsters usually relied on strength or the environment, but Middle Floor monsters were different because they could use magic.

The sudden appearance of the Hellhounds struck terror into the hearts of the lower-level Adventurers watching from the sidelines.

"Those are Hellhounds!"

"Why are they on the eleventh??"

No matter how dangerous the Labyrinth was, unless a rare 'Irregular' event occurred, Middle Floor monsters never migrated to the Upper Floors. If they did, the Adventurer's Guild would immediately dispatch first-tier Adventurers to purge the area.

August also spotted the calf-sized Hellhounds.

'Just as I thought. Monsters that break the floor rules have appeared.'

Yet, August didn't panic at the sight. Wasn't he just waiting for the Dungeon to reveal its hidden hand?

The Hellhounds unleashed torrents of blazing magical fire directly at August.

Noticing the incoming assault, August smirked.

"You're exactly what I've been waiting for."

He snapped his fingers.

Three heavy alloy shields materialized from the void, forming an impenetrable defensive wall right in front of August and Liliruca Arde.

Magic. Finally, real magic.

Monsters capable of casting magic were inherently high-tier threats. He had been wanting to field-test his equipment against them, and now, the magic had come directly to him.

The heavy alloy shields stood firm. Even the monsters never expected their proud, trump-card magical flames to be completely halted by a set of metallic barricades deployed by a rookie.

Flames clashed violently against the masterpieces of modern engineering.

Those shields were made to the highest military standards, built to test how well they could stand up to magic. Which would win: fantasy magic or modern metalwork? It was an interesting clash between two worlds.

"It seems my shields boast superior defense," August noted. "The intensity of their magic only managed to inflict minor hairline fractures on the alloy."

The Hellhounds didn't keep up their magical attack for long. August checked the shields floating around him and saw only small scorch marks and tiny cracks where they'd been hit. It was clear that modern technology was stronger here.

"Alright. The test is over. You can die now!"

August leveled all twenty cannon barrels at once.

"Maximum firepower."

"Fire."

This time, he doubled the bombardment. As agile as the Hellhounds were, they didn't even have time to dodge. They were completely engulfed by the high-explosive carpet bombing, ripped to shreds until nothing remained but scattered Magic Stones.

"August!" Liliruca Arde, who had been keeping a close eye on the Infant Dragons orchestrating from the rear, noticed their sudden shift in behavior.

"They're trying to escape!"

It seemed their defeat was sealed. Seeing zero chance of victory, the commanding monsters decided to cut their losses and flee.

Similar to the Minotaurs in the Middle Floors, these monsters possessed a crude, instinctual intelligence. Though this intelligence was manipulated by the Labyrinth—unlike the sentient Xenos—they still knew when to run.

"Escape?"

"Who gave you permission to run?"

"DIE!!"

August casually waved his hand.

Eight suicide drones launched into the air instantly.

Whirrrr!

Military drones flew much faster than any living creature could run. As long as the monsters couldn't break the sound barrier or move at impossible speeds, August wasn't worried. Unless they could move at the speed of light, he had plenty of ways to defeat them.

The suicide drones closed in rapidly.

The Infant Dragons never expected August to completely cut off their retreat. Unable to outrun the mechanical predators, the drones slammed into them at point-blank range. The payloads detonated—violently obliterating the beasts and leaving only Magic Stones to mark their existence.

As for the remaining Silverbacks and Hard Armoreds, they could only swallow their bitter resentment as August's artillery wiped out whatever was left.

Watching this careful and ruthless way of fighting...

'This guy... he is way too cautious.'

Riveria suddenly understood. August could have destroyed the whole cavern from the start, but he chose to wait.

He waited for the enemy to reveal their last trick. As soon as they did, August crushed them without mercy. Even magic couldn't stop him.

"That shield is very strong," Ais Wallenstein said, her eyes shining with interest. A shield made from that metal was amazing—maybe even tougher than the expensive Adamantine weapons she'd seen before.

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