A/n: This chapter could be one of the most intense ones for a mere Infantry unit. Compared to this, it's like fighting the Spider Ant Queen is just easy mode.

Anyway, press the vote button, comment on your thoughts on both paragraph and the chapter, and enjoy the chapter!

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Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Irian Jaya, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Level 2

1st Year of God, Thursday, 2nd Week, Month Of Abraham.

The lizard bent its hind legs, muscles tightening as it prepared to launch itself out of cover at the prey approaching it. Its skin tone mimicked the surrounding rock walls, blending it almost perfectly against the background. It dipped its head ever slowly, eyes staring hungrily at the prey standing meters away.

But then, a sudden loud crack split the air, and the lizard stiffened as a part of its head blew cleanly away and toppled backward with hardly a sound on to its side as it died convulsing.

"Damn, those lizards are hard to spot," muttered a soldier from Section 2, Platoon 1, Alpha Company. He switched off the infrared sensor and used the still-warm muzzle of his rifle to nudge his all-purpose vision goggles up.

Approaching the twitching body, he confirmed the kill and waved an all-clear to the rest of his section, who were waiting behind cover.

"Scratch one lizard," he reported to his Section Leader.

"Any traps or hidden surprises?" the Section Leader asked, joining him beside the dead creature as the unit's appointed 'butcher' began the grisly work of extracting the mana stone.

"Just this one. Nothing else," the soldier replied.

So far, they had cleared two of the four doors, encountering mostly giant dino lizards and slimes.

They had also discovered a new creature, which was actually a massive, grayish-white ball of fur with a rabbit-like face. It had long fur that grew in a spherical shape and seemed to feed mostly on small insects and moss. It was docile, allowing the men to pat and cuddle it like a plushie.

So, they had affectionately named it a "fluff ball" or "cotton ball."

There had been only one other casualty when an unlucky soldier was ambushed by a camouflaged lizard and got poisoned. Fortunately, his comrades saved him in time.

Pice had dubbed the creatures "dino lizards," as they looked similar to Terran dinosaurs but with the ability to change their color to blend with their surroundings.

Their tongues could stretch over three meters in length, and they had a corrosive spit attack, using acid stored in a chest sac. The Imperial soldiers had learned not to shoot in that area, as the acid would burst out and spray all over the area. The lizards were masters of their environment, hiding in every crevice and lying in wait until their prey came close enough from them to leap out to attack.

The terrain was much like the first level, mostly with rocky walls and open caverns, but instead of ants, it was dominated by the dino lizards.

Odysseus, overseeing the operation from the safety of the Ops room, commented on the lizards, saying that their species were similar to several others in the outside world, such as Land Dragons.

Scientists and researchers were interested in the lizard's ability to create a highly concentrated bio-acid and clamoring for the soldiers to bring them an intact specimen, if possible alive. However, the soldiers kinda ignored the requests from the nerds and sent back a dead specimen instead.

The platoon encountered a fire beetle nest behind the third door, where they discovered a Champion beetle. The Champion fire beetle was an imposing sight, with a shiny red-black armored carapace and a curved horn reminiscent of a Hercules beetle. It was enormous, nearly the size of a jeep.

As the soldiers entered the nest cavern, the smaller, weaker fire beetles chittered angrily, and set upon them with arcane balls of fire.

The section entering the nest scrambled for cover and immediately called for backup, to which the rest of the platoon swiftly responded. They fire their guns in response from behind cover while the beetles stood exposed in open ground. Each lesser fire beetle was the size of a large dog, fat and roundish like a ladybird, but with a dark crimson shell instead of a bright, cheerful red.

The lesser fire beetles were easily taken out by the combined fire of over 30 rifles and shotguns, falling in droves as they charged across the open. The Champion beetle, however, was initially ignored. Once the lesser beetles were cleared, Pice ordered the platoon to fall back out of the nest and used the narrow tunnel to funnel the Champion into their line of fire.

The Champion, taking the bait of the retreating soldiers, charged angrily after them, barreling into the tunnel where the rest of the platoon had formed up in firing lines.

"FIRE!" Pice yelled when the retreating men were undercover and cleared the firing line.

Trapped by the narrow tunnel, the Champion beetle had no choice but to continue forward, making it an easy target.

Five claymores, which were planted beforehand, detonated in unison as the Champion closed in, blasting it with a lethal spray of steel ball bearings directly into the charging Champion beetle. When the dust settled, the once-magnificent beetle lay pitted and battered, its glossy shell ruined and its horn broken off. The combined firepower had halted the Champion in its tracks and it died without even casting a single spell or mounting an effective attack.

The Imperial soldiers proceeded to raid the nest, uncovering eggs and larvae of the fire beetles, along with a small mound of discarded beetle shells, which could be valuable for crafting armor or other products. They also stumbled upon a treasure chest, recovering several bottles of healing and magic potions. Scattered throughout the nest was a small pile of gold, silver, and mana stones, which led to some grumbling among the men as they painstakingly combed through the area to gather the scattered treasures.

Eurylochus grumbled as he bent down for what felt like the twentieth time, picked up a glittering piece of gold and dropped it into his upturned helmet, already half-full with other valuables.

"Heavens," he moaned, "I used to be poor and addicted to picking up coins on the streets, but now I never thought I would rue the day I complained about collecting gold from the floor..." He stretched his aching back.

The nearby soldiers laughed, as they paused to stretch as well, their own backs sore from half an hour of gathering valuables piece by piece. Pice, watching his men who had faced death just moments before, now laughing and joking as they went about their duties, smiled proudly. He knew these men would stand laughing in the face of death itself.

Collecting the Champion beetle carcass turned out to be the most unpleasant task yet, as a foul-smelling liquid was discharged from its body, and due to its immense weight, the soldiers had to use two Support Earth Golems to lift it out of the dungeon. Despite the stench and effort, the carcass yielded a humongous fire mana stone, which made Odysseus, monitoring the mission from the Ops room through the soldiers' cameras, whoop with joy.

Once the cleanup was done, the platoon returned to the staging point to resupply and rest, while Platoon 3 conducted a second sweep through the cleared areas, transporting all the dead creatures for processing and research.

Pice rolled a clear crystal vial containing a dark red liquid in his gloved hands, watching it slosh inside before holding it up against the spotlights to observe it more closely.

"Strange, how something like this can heal and regenerate body cells," he mused.

Eurylochus, having just finished a piece of dried jerky and swallowed a mouthful of cool spring water from his canteen, replied, "Aren't our nanomachines the same?"

Pice raised an eyebrow at Eurylochus, who was still chewing on the jerky in his mouth. "Seriously? This here is made using magic, while nanomachines are products of science and technology. And let's not forget, our tech isn't even that advanced yet, not comparing the qualities to theirs."

Eurylochus shrugged as he swallowed the last of his jerky. "Well, I reckon the elves just went down a different path. We humans chose science, they chose magic. Who knows? Maybe in a thousand years, we'll have tech that reaches the power to kill Gods, while the elves might only have some magical constructs allowing them to travel through space."

"True," Pice nodded before placing the healing potion back into a matte black, foam-lined, shock-resistant case with the rest of the potions, then closing and locking it securely.

"Still, it's amazing they can do stuff we've only seen or read about in movies and books," Eurylochus added with a grin. "Man, I always wanted to see a dragon. Hell, if we had a powerful dragon of our own, we could've probably taken on the whole world early on."

"Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride," Pice replied with a smile, giving Eurylochus a hearty slap on the back. He checked his watch and turned to the Nigerian, who nodded and began strapping on his armor with Pice's help. "I had Platoon 3 double-check all the doors to make sure everything's been cleared, leaving just the last room with the Boss and the entrance to the next level untouched for your Platoon."

The rest of Platoon 2 were also gearing up, with soldiers helping each other secure their equipment. Eurylochus nodded as he double-checked his own gear, while listening to Pice continue his briefing.

"We tried to scan the interior of the Boss room, but there is some magical interference making the scans unreliable," he explained. "We did pick up some conflicting life signs inside, but the system can't nail it down. All we can say is it's a huge room, almost twice the size of this one, with something, possibly multiple contacts, inside."

"Ahh, fuck," Eurylochus cursed under his breath. The hall they were in, where Platoons 2 and 3 had set up, was about 28 meters long and 11 meters wide.

"As for what's behind those doors," Pice shrugged, "We can only guess what it could be."

"More dino lizards?" Eurylochus guessed. "Or a super dino lizard? Maybe a giant fluff ball?" He gestured toward a few cages holding the Fluff balls, waiting to be transported to the labs for research.

"Maybe," Pice replied, taking the suggestion seriously. "We found no other entrances into that room, unlike the first level where the Ant's nest was open. Seriously, we have no idea what's in there, so be careful."

Eurylochus gave Pice a reassuring smile. "Got it! Well, if it's some super lizard or a heavily armored beetle, we've got a new trick up our sleeves."

Pice glanced over at some of the Platoon 2 men lugging a large tube on their backs. "Let's hope this 'thing' works. This is the first weapon we've carried that contains something extraterrestrial in nature."

"It was made by the same people who created the Angels of Austronesia! Relax, my friend," Eurylochus gestured around them. "It would be a waste not to use it in the end. Disappointing, in fact. Is that why you didn't use it in the tunnel for that?" He pointed at the dead Champion beetle, now secured on a pallet.

"Too crowded. And despite being very lightweight thanks to one of this certain metal's special properties, the recoil could kill or wound, you know?"

"Ah, I see," Eurylochus nodded as he worked the bolt on his rifle, making sure it was clear before slapping in a fresh magazine and chambering a round. He set the safety and added with a grin, "Well, at least I got to see what the claymores can do to armor in an enclosed area."

"You can still joke around at a time like this? Have you thought about what if the claymores couldn't stop it?" Pice frowned. "Hey, don't forget you've got a daughter waiting for you. You need to make it home in one piece, alright?"

"Got it," Eurylochus grinned. "But I did have a fallback plan for that."

"Sergeant Eurylochus, be more serious," Pice lectured. "We don't know what's behind those doors. You have to take all precautions, understand?"

"Yeah, I got it. Bosses to kill, and dungeons to clear."

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Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Irian Jaya, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Level 2, Entrance of the Boss Room

1st Year of God, Thursday, 2nd Week, Month Of Abraham.

The men of Platoon 2 formed up silently next to the double doors leading to the final room of the dungeon, where they expected the Boss of Level 2 to be inside and waiting.

A soldier from Section 2 of Platoon 1 cautiously tested the door handle, giving it a gentle pull until it opened just a tiny crack. He turned and nodded to his Section Leader, who returned his nod and the soldier pulled out a flexible fiber camera scope. He crouched next to the crack as he carefully inserted it through the opening. Using a handheld device, he began to observe the interior of the room.

As the scans earlier taken from Platoon 3 had shown, the room stretched over 50 meters deep and 20 meters wide. The night vision of the camera only penetrated roughly 20 meters before everything was too dark and unclear to scope more. The soldier twisted the camera left and right, trying to take in as much of the room as possible, while Eurylochus watched the feed on his tablet.

"Looks clear," the soldier whispered. He checked his motion and heartbeat tracker issued only to point men, and couldn't find any movement nor heartbeats, only static showing up on the screen. "Damn, too much interference, either magical or natural here." He whispered to his Section Leader.

Eurylochus keyed his mike and gave the order quietly to the whole Platoon, "Go deliberate. Slow and steady."

The soldier stowed the camera scope and unslung his weapon, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Go!" His Section Leader slapped his shoulder, signaling him to move in.

The soldier pulled the door open wider and stepped inside, immediately moving to the right. His section mate followed, covering the left, while the Section Leader came in third, covering the middle. The soldier receiving another slap on his shoulder pushed in towards the corner of the room, and as he moved deeper into the room, his flashlight beam swept over pillars and many tall blocks of stone scattered throughout the area.

The rest of the Platoon entered, section by section, until all four sections of seven men each had taken up positions, covering the entire area.

"Move in," Eurylochus ordered, and the men moved up, checking every corner of the room.

The beams of their flashlights cut through the darkness but seemed to be swallowed up after just a few meters. It was as if the darkness in the pillared room absorbed all light, making it feel almost alive.

One of the soldiers from Section 1 whispered next to Eurylochus, "Sarge, I don't like this much."

The unease in his voice mirrored the growing tension in the room. This was the moment before the storm, and everyone could feel it.

As the platoon advanced deeper into the room, the terrain became increasingly treacherous. Massive chunks of rock, some as large as half-tracks, lay scattered haphazardly all around the area, partially blocking their path. The stone pillars with carvings similar to those in the first room, loomed ominously in the dim light. The temperature appeared to drop, and a thick, creeping fog appeared ahead of them, eliciting a chorus of curses from the men.

"Halt," Eurylochus ordered as his voice cut through the tension. He stared at the fog, assessing the situation. "Point men, what do you see?"

The point men, equipped with infrared goggles, strained to peer through the mist, but the swirling vapor revealed nothing. "Nothing, Sarge," came the frustrated replies. "No heat signatures, no movement on the sensors."

"Pop flares. Light up the place!" Eurylochus commanded.

The point men dug into their pouches, pulling out flare guns and fired into the fog. Four blazing balls of reddish light erupted out and streaked into the haze, illuminating it briefly as they hit the ceiling and bounced to the ground.

Then, a chilling howl erupted from within the fog, sending a wave of tension through the men. Weapons were instantly raised as the soldiers ready for anything.

"Back! All sections, fall back!" Eurylochus shouted. "I want distance from the fog, now!"

"I got movement!" one soldier called out, his voice rising in alarm as his motion tracker beeps rapidly, detecting something within the fog. He backed away, eyes wide as he tried to pinpoint the source.

Suddenly, dozens of fluff balls bounced out of the fog, and the soldiers instinctively snapped their rifles up, ready to fire. But before they could pull the trigger, a deep, guttural roar broke out from within the fog, freezing them in place.

"Back!" the Section Leaders barked, urging their men to retreat further from the fog and whatever was inside.

The glow of the red flares cast long eerie shadows of something moving within the fog towards them. By this time, the platoon retreated back to the far end of the room where the exit was and took cover among the rock debris and stone pillars, while their hearts pounded in their chests.

"That doesn't sound very good," one soldier muttered, his voice trembling slightly, "Sarge, permission to ready the prototype?"

Before Eurylochus could respond, reptilian shapes darted out from the fog while moving with terrifying speed. The men opened fire, as their rifles spitted rounds at the hissing creatures.

"Contact!" the soldiers yelled, their voices overlapping in the chaos as they engaged the leaping lizards. Two of the Support Earth Golems joined the fray with their autocannons roaring as the 20mm rounds shredded through the Dino swarm with ease.

However, despite the support, the situation quickly deteriorated. Screams echoed through the chamber as some soldiers were hit by globs of corrosive acid spat by the lizards, the caustic substance melting away through their armor and flesh. Others cried out in surprise as long, fleshy tongues lashed out that glued to their bodies and pulled them with overwhelming force towards the creatures' tooth-filled gaping mouths.

Soon enough, the soldiers of Platoon 2 were overwhelmed by the sheer number of dino lizards swarming out of the fog. Cries for help and shouts of alarm echoed through the chamber as the men fought desperately to hold their ground.

"There's too many of them!" a soldier yelled in panic.

"They're everywhere!" another shouted, as he swung his rifle to and fro, trying to target the fast-moving lizards.

"Help! Someone!"

Eurylochus, barely holding back his own frustration, cursed as he wished they had a machine gun or two.

"Grenades!" he yelled. "Use them now!"

Several yells of "Fire in the hole" followed after his instruction, as the nearby soldiers took to his order, pulling out a pin attached to the head of a cast iron oval-shaped metal ball, triggering a heat rune, that slowly heats up to over 300 degrees, which will ignite the black powder packed inside the grenade. Unlike their previous grenade models, these do not have a safety lever and require the operator to throw the grenade once the heat rune was activated, as the heat rune will hit the ignition temperature of the black powder within 3 to 5 seconds.

The grenades flew over the heads of the besieged soldiers, landing among the herd of dino lizards and detonated one after another, spewing out lethal shards of shrapnel, tearing and stunning the creatures within the blast radius of three meters each.

Due to the sudden grenade barrage, the pressure against the soldiers dropped as the lizards cringed in surprise and confusion from the explosions, allowing the soldiers to rapidly take advantage of the situation and turn it around.

The soldiers fired their automatic rifles and shotguns into the cluster of dino lizards, cutting through the remaining of them with heavy lead bullets blowing away scales and lizard flesh, drenching the rock ground with dark red lizard blood. Just as it happened suddenly, the lizards retreated back into the fog in terror from the onslaught by the human army.

One soldier spat out a glob of blood from his mouth from a cut in his mouth after being struck in the jaw by a whipping dino lizard's tail. He gave his machete sword an expert flick, flicking off the blood as he returned his sword into his scabbard attached to a tactical rig on his left thigh. He then transferred his emptied revolver to his right hand and started reloading it, while his eyes scanned the ground for the rifle he'd lost somewhere in the melee.

As the lizards disappeared into the fog, Eurylochus' voice could be heard over the cries of pain and curses.

"Check your ammunition! Medics to the wounded! The rest keep watch and be at the ready!"

The soldiers, still on edge, quickly followed his orders. Medics rushed to aid the injured, while the uninjured soldiers reloaded their weapons and scanned the darkened room, ready for whatever might emerge next from the ominous fog.

The brief respite gave them a moment to regroup, but Eurylochus knew this was far from over. The enemy was still out there, hidden in the darkness, and they had only just begun to test the strength of his men.

He moved among the men, seeing the carnage wrecked by the dino lizards. The ground was littered with the remains of those unfortunate enough to be caught by the creatures' corrosive acid. What was left of them were just skeletal remains, smoking and bubbling, with a few intact arms and legs as gruesome evidence of the deadly attack. The acid had eaten through everything, armor, weapons, and gear, leaving the survivors with burns on their exposed limbs.

The lucky ones, on the other hand, managed to remove their armor before the acid ate through them, but still suffered burns on their arms or legs.

The medics were working frantically, using water and medical supplies to neutralize the acidic burns and Eurylochus quickly ordered everyone to pass their water over to the medics to use to wash the acid off the victims. Other than the vicious acid attacks, the rest of the men mostly suffered cuts and bruises from the claws and bites which, given a healing potion, managed to stop all the blood and mild poison inflicted from the lizards.

"Sarge, we got ten deaths, all from the corrosive attacks," a nearby soldier reported. "Another eight are in critical condition from the burns, and four more are seriously injured after being mauled. We've got twenty-eight with varying degrees of wounds, but they're still combat effective."

Eurylochus nodded, his expression hardening as the soldier continued, "The men are doing fine despite the losses and injuries," he jerked his head towards the fog in the distance, "And it seems like they are massing again."

Without hesitation, Eurylochus issued his next orders. "Plant claymores. I want a two-tiered defense line. Evacuate the wounded, now."

The soldier saluted and headed off to relay the commands, his voice rising as he barked out instructions to the rest of the platoon. Men moved with purpose, deploying claymores and organizing defensive positions. The severely wounded were carefully strapped onto foldable stretchers and carried toward the exit by the medics, who worked swiftly but gently.

Eurylochus keyed his radio, switching to the Platoon leaders' channel. "Apache Two to Apache Three, over."

A crackle, followed by a steady response, [Apache Three, send.]

"Apache Two, request immediate medevac and support, over."

[Apache Three, Roger, ETA five mikes, out.]

Satisfied, Eurylochus ended the comms and scanned the area. The soldiers were ready, their lines set and weapons at the ready. The atmosphere was tense and the men were alert as they awaited the next wave. The medics moved with haste, ferrying the wounded out of the kill zone.

"HERE THEY COME!"

Suddenly, a shout rang out, and the warning was immediately followed by the staccato barks of gunfire.

The fog shifted as another wave of dino lizards burst out of the fog again, their hisses and roars echoing through the chamber and attempting to tear the humans apart. However, this time, the soldiers were ready and not distracted. They opened fire at the charging lizards with accurate fire, the muzzle flashes lighting up the dark room as bullets tore into the oncoming creatures as they entered their lanes of fire, sending them toppling down and forcing the rest of the lizards to hop over or swerve to the sides to avoid their fallen herd in a desperate bid to reach the humans.

The defensive line to the fog was roughly 30 meters away and with the speed of the charging lizards, they could close the short distance in less than 5 seconds. The claymores deployed earlier were rigged to a trip-wired by the army, detonated as the leading dino lizards tripped the wires. The shotgun blast-like explosions swatted the charging lizards away like a giant hand, turning the charging creatures into bloody masses of torn flesh and shattered bone.

The soldiers cheered and laughed at the gorely screen, and redoubled their efforts at shooting at remaining stunned lizards.

But just as the soldiers cheered on, a sudden roar blocked out their cheers.

"ROAAAAARRRRRRR!!!"

A roar, deeper, louder, and more menacing than anything they had ever heard, echoed through the chamber, drowning out their cheers and sending a chill of primal fear down their spines.

The sound was so powerful, so overwhelming, that it froze every soldier in place, even their bodies unable to respond to the commands of their minds. It was as if an invisible force had clamped down on them, holding them in place with an unimaginable weight.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

Then, without warning, a deep blue surge of energy erupted from the fog. The wave of destructive force barreled toward the soldiers with terrifying speed, ripping apart everything in its path. The ground shook violently, and the ceiling groaned under the stress, as if the very dungeon itself was on the verge of collapse.

Surely, the end had come.

FWOOSH!

But then, with a sudden burst of speed, the two Earth Golems rushed to the forefront, positioning themselves between the soldiers and the oncoming blast with their massive forms as the last line of defense against the overwhelming power of the blue energy.

BOOOOOOOM!

The surge collided with the Golems in a thunderous explosion, the impact so intense that the entire chamber seemed to convulse. The Golems stood firm for a brief moment as their massive bodies absorbed the full brunt of the attack.

But it was not enough.

In an instant, the Earth Golems disintegrated, as their once-imposing forms reduced to nothing more than dust and debris, scattered to the winds by the sheer force of the blast. The energy wave continued on its path of destruction, though its intensity had waned slightly as it crashed into the ground and the ceiling, causing more sections of the dungeon to crumble and collapse.

The soldiers stood in stunned silence, their minds struggling to comprehend what had just happened as they stood there trembling in awe and fear.

The ground where the Golems had stood was charred and cracked, and the ceiling above sagged dangerously, as large chunks of stone and earth had been torn loose by the blast.

Whatever had caused this level of destruction was no mere creature.

DUM!

DUM!

DUM!

Tremors shook the earth as something colossal began to appear from within the depths of the mist.

Its silhouette was majestic, standing at nearly twenty-five meters tall. Five green eyes blazed from the creature's head, and almost as soon as it made itself known, the dense fog that once shrouded the chamber began to dissipate.

In its place, a fierce storm of winds swept through the air and replaced any hindrance to the sight.

As a result, the creature's true form was bare for all to witness.

"No... it can't be...!"

"What the hell... is that?"

"This... this is the Boss?!"

"Oh, fuck," a soldier muttered, his voice trembling as he stared up at the monstrous behemoth appearing out of the fog. In a panic, he unloaded his shotgun at the creature, but-

Whoosh~!

Spurt!

Before anyone could react, the soldier was crushed to death, when an enormous tail whipped the pillar he hid behind, killing him and a few dozen others of his section mates, almost wiping out nearly half a platoon in an instant.

Eurylochus cursed under his breath, "You've got to be fucking kidding me. A motherfucking T-Rex? Seriously? Intel said this was supposed to be a C-class Dungeon, NOT a fucking A or S-class!"

The behemoth that emerged from the fog looked similar to a Terran extinct dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

If only it bore resemblance to such a creature and nothing else, then perhaps it wouldn't have been such a frightening thing to see.

Unfortunately, this creature was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

It had massive crystal-like substances, akin to heavy spikes, protruding out of its scaly body, which gleamed with silverish scales marred by vein-like cracks that decorated across its humongous body like a tattoo. Its neck was longer than that of a T-Rex, and its forelimbs were thick and powerful, far surpassing the ancient beast it resembled.

It seemed to be bursting with so much power, to the point where the very ground it trod seemed to warp under its immense power, growing smaller versions of the crystalline stones embedded in its flesh and trembling the very earth in its presence.

"A-are those... Mana Crystals?!"

"They're growing all over its body!"

"Even on the ground! T-that means...!"

No one needed to say the obvious, but perhaps they all began to blurt out words like these because they didn't want it to be true.

They wanted someone to correct them.

But no one did.

All their observations this far were spot on, and every fear justified.

This beast was one unlike anything they'd ever faced, but it was a Monster.

This beast was one unlike any other, but it was a Monster.

Only Monsters would have so much power, yet lack the intelligence to control their Mana to prevent it from leaking out uncontrollably so much from every pore.

None could have expected to find such an existence here, but there it was, towering before them.

"Huuu..." Smoke leaked from the creature's mouth as its long neck coiled backwards.

Its five eyes stared at the little ones who had yet to die from its blast of destruction. Rage and hunger burned in those glowing orbs.

Only one instinct dominated the beast's mind.

"ROAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!"

A beep broke through the chaos, drawing Eurylochus's attention to the Mana-Monitoring device strapped to his wrist. His heart sank as he read the numbers.

[Magicule Level: 58,000]

"A mid-level Transcendent Tier 1? Shit, this thing is three or four times more powerful than the Ant Queen!" he shouted.

His men, gripped by fear, were already firing their rifles uselessly in a desperate, futile attempt to bring down the behemoth, even without hearing his order.

Keying his communicator, he screamed into it, "Dungeon Ops, come in! This is Apache Two! Are you seeing this shit? Over!"

[Oh yes, what an amazing specimen!] A voice replied, disturbingly enthusiastic.

"Fuck that! It effortlessly killed two of our Support Golems and half our forces in an instant!" Eurylochus snapped. "I need to contact Odysseus! Tell him what the hell is this thing, and how do we take it down?!"

[Hmmm...] came back the reply which made Eurylochus grit his teeth in frustration.

"Goddamn it, Dungeon Ops, people are dying here!" he cursed in his comms.

[Apache Two, this is Dungeon Ops, standby, over.] A new voice cut in, followed by silence.

"Fuck!" Eurylochus cursed, glancing at the behemoth. "We need stronger firepower to take this bastard down!"

As if the gods had heard his plea, reinforcements from Platoon 3 arrived.

One of the soldiers set down a large metallic case and opened it, revealing a large weapon, with a sleek, metallic body reinforced with mithril bands that pulsed with magical energy.

The heavy weapons team, along with Eurylochus's own men, prepared the tubes on their shoulders, while their buddies giving them reassuring slaps on the back.

"Ready!" they shouted entered their ears, as they plugged a rocket with strange glowing runes into the rear of the tubes.

A soldier from Platoon 3 lined up the simple wire crosshairs on the behemoth's massive body, aiming for its center of mass as they had been trained.

"Ready!" his assistant gunner yelled in his ear, slapping his shoulder armor hard.

"ONE ROUND AWAY!!"

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Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Irian Jaya, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Operations Command

1st Year of God, Thursday, 2nd Week, Month Of Abraham.

Moments Earlier...

[Goddamn it, Dungeon Ops, people are dying here!]

"Apache Two, this is Dungeon Ops, stand by," The radio operator replied as she turned and looked at Odysseus, who was standing there watching the video streams from the soldiers' helmet cams on the display inside the dungeon. "Sir, what do we do?"

Penelope gently poked Odysseus in his side, "Oddy? Are you okay?" she asked him after noticing his silence as he stood there frozen before the displays and not replying to the operator's questions.

"Ahh, I'm trying to recall what that creature is," Odysseus sighed, his brow furrowed.

"Oddy, you need to hurry," Penelope stared at him seriously. "I'm not trying to pressure you, but people are dying out there."

"Yes, I know," Odysseus muttered, rubbing his temples. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. "It must be a Silver Land Dragon!" He pointed to the creature's gleaming scales on the screen. "Those silver scales are the hallmark of a Silver Land Dragon, but they do not grow up to that large! And those crystal formations on its body... I suspect it might be an evolved or mutated species!"

"Great. Now that we know what it is, how do we defeat it?" Penelope patiently asked.

"Hmm... Silver Land Dragons are carnivorous creatures and belong to the metal-earth element class," Odysseus said, closing his eyes as he mentally reviewed his knowledge. "They're vulnerable to lightning attacks, and they're weak against air element spells. Fire and earth won't be as effective."

Penelope nodded sharply and stood over the radio operator. "Patch me through to Sergeant Eurylochus, now!"

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Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Irian Jaya, Jayapura Papua, Jayapura Mining Station, Dungeon Level 2, Boss Room

1st Year of God, Thursday, 2nd Week, Month Of Abraham.

[It's either an evolved or mutated form of a silver Land Dragon, weak to lightning-based attacks or air elemental magic,] Penelope's voice came in through the comms. [It's strong against fire and earth magic, over!]

"Apache Two, copy that!" Eurylochus responded just as he caught sight of one of the rocket teams preparing to fire, as the weapon they wielded appeared more advanced than any RPG he had seen.

But he knew what it was.

It was the "Arcane Storm Launcher", or the ASL-1, one of Austronesia's newest magical weapons. This cutting-edge launcher combined traditional rocket propulsion with magical energy harvested from powdered mana stones. This fusion creates a devastatingly powerful weapon capable of unleashing catastrophic destruction, even on Transcendent Tier 1 entities.

The 70mm rockets used in the ASL-1 were constructed with a mithril core, a material with a natural affinity for magic that enhanced the stability and potency of the magical energy stored within the rocket. The rocket's exterior was a composite material designed to withstand the intense forces generated during both launch and impact.

Furthermore, the rocket is propelled by a mix of traditional chemical propellants and a specialized powder derived from mana stones. This arcane-infused propellant not only propels the rocket at greater speeds but also envelops it in a shimmering aura of magical energy. The combination increases both the range and the destructive power of the rocket.

Upon impact, the mithril-cored rocket detonates with a force magnified by the mana stone powder, unleashing both a physical and magical explosion. This blast could devastate material defenses while the shockwave is laced with arcane energy, which can disrupt enchantments and nullify magical wards within its blast radius.

But until now, it was just theory.

"ONE ROUND AWAY!!"

As he squeezed the trigger, the rocket tube that is etched with magical runes, hummed with power as it channeled the stored magic energy.

WHOOSH!

With a thunderous roar, the rocket blasted out of the ASL-1 tube at a blistering speed of 377 meters per second, the recoil so insanely powerful it knocked the wielder back several feet.

In mere seconds, the rocket impacted with the dragon-like behemoth square in the chest with a thunderous clap. A small black cloud of magical energy formed at the point of impact, and the beast roared in pain and fury. When the smoke cleared, the soldiers' lights revealed cracks in the beast's chest scales where the rocket had impacted, with blood leaking from the wounds.

For the first time, they had drawn blood of a powerful Magic Beast, especially an Infantry against a Transcendent.

"HOLY SHIT, IT'S BLEEDING! HIT IT AGAIN!!" Eurylochus roared over the gunfire.

The rest of the heavy weapons teams, four in total with one in each section, quickly moved into position and unleashed another volley.

"Protect the rocket teams!" he ordered as he noticed smaller dino-lizards began appearing to edge toward the rocket crews.

The silver behemoth roared in pain again as another couple of rockets slammed into its side, forcing it to crash onto all fours with a ground-shaking impact. Enraged, it lashed out with its massive tail, obliterating a nearby group of soldiers and shattering the pillars around them, sending blood, flesh, and rock fragments flying like bullets, which cut down a couple of soldiers.

Eurylochus ducked just as a severed arm splattered against the pillar he was taking cover behind, the impact further reducing it to a bloody chunk of meat.

"Fuck!! Platoon 3, flank left and distract that piece of shit!" he shouted to the newly arrived soldiers who scrambled for cover. "Everyone else, don't stay in one place! Keep those smaller lizards off the rocket teams! Keep moving and keep your heads down!" He commanded as he ducked out of cover and sprinted toward one of the rocket teams.

Another mithril-core rocket streaked through the air and smashed into the dragon's shoulder, blowing off a chunk of the crystalline armor. The dragon growled in anger, and whipped around with a speed that defied its massive size. It reared up, its jaws opening wide as it began to suck in the surrounding air, its chest expanding outwards, and light motes of visible magical energy started to gather before its open mouth.

"Shit," Eurylochus screamed, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF ITS WAY!"

The men all scrambled away, diving for cover just as the crystals on the dragon's body flared with blinding light, turning it almost like a light show.

Not before long, a super-concentrated beam of energy burst out of the dragon's mouth, carving a deep trench in the ground as it blasted through the room. The beam gouged a molten furrow five meters deep into the ground and walls, leaving behind a glowing, smoldering tunnel.

"Everyone alright?" Eurylochus shouted as the dust began to slowly settle down.

The sheer power of the dragon's attack had scared off the smaller lizards, leaving only the terrified humans in the room. The dragon panted heavily, and its body appeared shrinking slightly while the glow of its crystals diminished. It glared down with its five green eyes burning with madness and rage at the puny two legs before it.

All of the soldiers managed to dodge the beam attack, though those closest to it weren't so lucky, as they found their exposed skin turning bright red from the heat, as if they'd been scorched by the sun.

The heavy weapons team from Section 4 in Platoon 2, had dropped their mana-infused bazooka in their frantic scramble to avoid the dragon's blast. Now, they were huddled behind a destroyed pillar, catching their breath.

"This is crazy! How in the 13 hells are we supposed to kill that thing?" one of them panted, rolling onto his back.

"Do you see where I dropped the bazooka?" his partner asked as he peeked over the cover. He watched as the dragon slammed its front limbs and crushed the remains of another pillar, where a couple of soldiers ran out from the smoke and debris, while the unlucky ones didn't make it, as they were crushed under the behemoth's weight.

As the dragon was busy demolishing the cover, another rocket streaked in from the side and exploded against its back.

"There," the soldier pointed, spotting the matte gray tube lying among the debris in the open. "You dropped it over there."

"Cover me," his partner said, determination hardening his voice. "I'm going to run over and get it."

"Damn, you're crazy," the soldier muttered, but he worked his assault rifle in action, and braced his gun over the cover, aiming at the dragon. "GO!"

His partner took off in a sprint, keeping his body as low as possible, hoping that the dragon wouldn't notice him. He skidded to a stop next to the fallen bazooka and grabbed the carrying handle, only to look up and see the dragon turning its attention toward him.

"Ah, fuck!"

The Silver Dragon began to move toward him, but before it could close the distance, a hail of bullets slammed into its face. The dragon roared in annoyance as his partner kept firing.

"Over here, you damn piece of shit!" the soldier screamed, and managed to draw the dragon to his attention. His heart leaped into his throat as the dragon kicked a massive chunk of stone directly at him, which smashed into his cover and sent debris flying.

His partner cursed and sprinted toward him as the dust began to settle.

"Mino! You okay, buddy?"

A cough sounded from beneath the rubble, and a dust-covered soldier emerged. "Damn it, I've had enough of all of this fantasy bullshit!" he shouted in annoyance and felt tired from all of this.

Mino was the last survivor from the battle to defend the city against the demons during the New Year's Tragedy. Out of a company of 200 men, only he was alive.

"Come on!" his partner said, grinning in relief as he offered a hand up. Together, they turned to look towards the dragon, seeing it battered and leaking fluids, as its once-silver scales now dull and scarred. The beast gave out a roar, and the crystals on its body began to glow ominously again.

Meanwhile, Eurylochus yelled over the voice comms, "Apache Two to Three, request all bazooka loads immediately, over!"

[Three, Roger! Standby five mikes!]

"Two Copies! Out!"

Eurylochus glanced out from his cover, and his heart sank as he saw the dragon starting to glow again.

"Ah fuck this... is this some kind of T-Rex Godzilla?"

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"Load me!" The soldier yelled as he went down on a kneeling stance and propped the bazooka against the top of the cover. His partner quickly pulled out the mithril-core rocket reload from his backpack and carefully inserted it into the rear of the launcher.

"Ready! I got one more round left!" His partner shouted, slapping the soldier's shoulder before dodging to the side, covering his ears, and opening his mouth to brace for the blast.

The soldier steadied himself as the behemoth drew in energy from its surroundings, and the crystals on its body glowed brighter with each passing second as the dragon's maw began to radiate a fierce light, signaling the impending beam attack.

"Fire! For heaven's sake!" his partner screamed from the side.

"Not yet..." the soldier muttered through gritted teeth, while eyes fixed on the beast. "Wait for it, wait for it..."

The light motes grew intensity around the dragon's mouth, but just as it was about to unleash its devastating attack, a rocket slammed into its head, causing the dragon to flinch, disrupting its charge, and a eerie whitish glow on its body dimmed, and it turned its fury toward the source of where the attack came from.

It began gathering energy again, and the rocket team scuttled away for cover, but the dragon's gaze seemed intended for them, it tilted its massive head and tracked the two soldiers running from cover to cover. It would have been comical if not for the deadliness of the attack as, where the two rocketers ran to, it followed them, forcing whoever is in the same cover to run away too.

"Fuck," his partner cursed, "Come on! We need a better angle!" He gestured for the soldier to follow him, making him groan in frustration.

Another rocket exploded on the dragon's back, shattering more of the crystal shards, but the beast ignored the hit, as it continued focusing on the running rocketers. The energy within the dragon built to a blinding intensity, and as the two soldiers reached a fallen pillar, the soldier quickly hoisted the bazooka onto his shoulder and took aim on the dragon.

Just as it was about to unleash the blast, the soldier fired. The mithril-core rocket streaked toward the dragon and detonated next to its snout. The explosion caused by the mana-infused black powder inside the warhead created a high-velocity superheated plasma jet of liquid metal that collided against the ball of supercharged magical energy formed in the mouth of the dragon.

The violent reaction between the two forces caused the dragon's magical field to collapse, and the energies ran amok, resulting in a massive explosion which obliterated the dragon's upper jaw and half of its skull in a thunderous blast.

The energy shockwave ripped through the battlefield and cracked the ground. The soldiers closest to the blast suffered ruptured eardrums, collapsed lungs, and other internal injuries. Those furthermost away were knocked off their feet, dazed and disoriented by the sheer force of the explosion.

The massive body of the dragon stood swaying lifeless, before toppling over, causing another earth-shaking crash. The battlefield was momentarily silent, but soon cries for medics and groans of pain filled the air as the shellshock effects from the shockwave began to fade.

Eurylochus staggered to his feet, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head to clear the persistent ringing sound in his ears. He leaned against a shattered pillar and stared dumbfounded at the destruction the dragon had caused.

The remaining support sections from Platoon 3 arrived, quickly tending to the wounded and assisting the medics.

"Eurylochus? SERGEANT Eurylochus!" someone yelled nearby, jolting Eurylochus from his daze and turned to see Sergeant Pice standing over him.

"Are you alright, soldier?" Pice asked, checking Eurylochus for injuries.

Eurylochus nodded numbly, then pointed to his ears. "I think they're broken."

Pice quickly unbuckled Eurylochus' helmet and removed it, grimacing at the sight of blood leaking from his ears. "Goddamn, what happened here?" He muttered, looking around at the scattered men of Platoon 2 and his own support troops from Platoon 3, many of whom were still down on the ground, and he waved over a medic to come over to treat his friend.

"Medic! Over here!"

Leaving Eurylochus in the medic's care, Pice grabbed his radio and urgently called Dungeon Ops for a trauma team to be on standby for mass casualties and calling for more support to be sent in.

Eurylochus felt a hazy smile spread across his face as a tranquilizer shot was jabbed into his arm, and the meds quickly dulled his senses. A trail of blood ran from his nose and mouth as he was laid onto a stretcher, while beginning to drift into unconsciousness.

"Fucking dragons."

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A/n: Thanks for Reading!

What are your thoughts of this chapter? Let me know and be honest with me!