While Alice was treating Raul, it was clear that Finn and the others had already engaged in battle.
So after healing Raul, instead of rushing over immediately, Alice took a moment to ask him for details.
During the treatment, Alice could sense the potent, highly corrosive venom in Raul's wounds.
Raul was a Level 4 adventurer, with fairly solid defensive capabilities.
If this liquid could eat through even Raul's skin, then spraying it on anyone below Level 2 would absolutely dissolve them entirely.
Once his injuries were repaired, the intense pain from the corrosion finally eased.
Hearing Alice's questions, Raul quickly explained, "Monsters resembling maggots—the exact number isn't clear, but there should be a great many of them."
"They came up from the lower floors. Their defense is roughly Level 3 standard, but they contain a powerful acidic fluid inside. You've seen how destructive the dissolving power is, Miss Alice. Lynne and Cruz escaped safely under my protection."
In the Dungeon, especially this deep in the labyrinth, monsters never obediently stay on a single floor.
So Raul and the two others he mentioned had been stationed as lookouts, monitoring the passages to the lower floors for any approaching monsters.
If anything unusual occurred, they could alert everyone immediately to mount a defense and counterattack.
By now, Lynne and Cruz had probably already reached the camp and reported the situation to the others.
"Highly acidic corrosive fluid, I see." Alice nodded. "Raul, you should go regroup with everyone. Leave these insects to us."
"Alright, I understand. Please be very careful, Miss Alice." Following Alice's instruction, Raul quickly got up and ran toward the main force.
Truthfully, the best course for Alice would be to return to the main force with Raul. As a mage and healer, her place was in the rear.
However, the intensely corrosive liquid had given her an idea.
Channeling the flow of magical energy within her, Alice took to the air, flying toward Finn's position.
While on the ground, scattered trees and numerous stone pillars had blocked her view, preventing her from seeing the full scale of the maggots.
But now, as she soared upward, Alice could clearly see the number of these caterpillar monsters.
The maggots swarmed forward like a dense tide of ants, while Finn and the other main combatants held the front line, blocking their advance.
Riveria, Lefiya, and the other mages were back with the main group, protecting everyone while preparing their spells.
However, Lefiya's magic lacked sufficient range. Faced with such a massive horde of maggots, she'd likely need to cast multiple times in succession, or perhaps activate her Elf Ring first and then rely on Riveria's magic to wipe them all out.
Of course, if Riveria were to unleash her spells, there would be no issue.
But now, even without Alice flying closer, the advancing maggots were already pushing forward, pressuring Finn and the other front-line fighters.
Alice could even hear Tiona's agonized cry.
"My Urga!!!"
From Tiona's cry, it was clear she'd charged in without fully understanding the situation, attacking with her weapon.
While she took down the monster, the highly corrosive fluid inside it ended up dissolving her weapon.
According to Lefiya, that great double-edged blade of Tiona's was forged from many rare ores, crafted over a long period by numerous blacksmiths, costing a whopping 120 million valis.
Mourning briefly for Tiona in her heart, a small magic circle appeared before Alice.
A simple amplification circle.
Through it, Alice's voice reached Finn and the others as they steadily fell back.
"Finn, pull everyone back. I'm going to blanket the area with attacks."
Alice's message was straightforward.
And after these past two days of working together, even Bete had gained a very clear understanding of Alice's capabilities. Upon hearing her voice, without even waiting for Finn's order, everyone immediately turned and sprinted back, rushing toward the main force's position.
Back with the main group, Riveria, who had just raised her staff and was about to chant a spell, paused slightly and then lowered her staff again.
These maggot monsters weren't particularly strong in terms of attributes. If not for their highly acidic, corrosive bodily fluids, even a Level 3 adventurer could handle them easily.
The main troublesome issue was that internal fluid capable of dissolving even 'Adamantite'—likely enough to injure even a Level 5.
Alice had already seen Tione's bloodied arm.
Once Finn and the others had cleared the area, Alice took a deep breath, adjusted the flow of magic within her, and directly opened a gap.
Then, twelve Hourai-model dolls flew out from the gap. Together with the original Hourai doll, all thirteen hovered behind Alice.
"Hourai, and magic unit: fire and earth, prepare."
Upon Alice's command, with Hourai serving as the central node, the twelve dolls of the magic unit began drawing magical energy continuously.
Before six of the dolls, crimson magic circles materialized.
Before the other six, ochre-yellow magic circles appeared.
Alice channeled her magical energy steadily into Hourai, who then distributed it equally among all the magic unit dolls.
These dolls were creations Alice had made over the past few days using materials obtained in the Dungeon.
Moreover, she had modified the magical reactor within the gap once again.
Rather than having the dolls draw power directly from the gap, Alice herself would receive it all, becoming a living power bank. Hourai would act as the conduit, connecting to the other dolls for wireless energy transmission.
This way, the dolls didn't need additional complex systems—only the magical circuits for spellcasting needed to be fully developed. With fewer circuits required, the grade of materials needed also decreased.
It saved Alice a significant amount of materials.
The dolls prepared their spells with remarkable speed.
The moment Alice's magical energy was transmitted to them, their spells were ready. Receiving their feedback, Alice raised her hand, designating their targets.
"Fire and Earth: Annular Magma Belt!"
At Alice's command, the twelve dolls unleashed their spells in sequence. The earth magic launched first—clumps of earthen projectiles firing toward the maggot army.
Close behind came volleys of fireballs.
The fireballs merged with the earthen projectiles, ultimately forming into molten magma shots that blanketed the maggot swarm in a devastating hail.
The dolls continued firing projectile after projectile.
As long as Alice's magical energy supply continued, the dolls' assault would not cease.
In just an instant, exactly as Alice had stated, a ring of magma formed, halting all advance by the maggots. The ongoing rain of magma pellets from above further expanded the magma belt's coverage.
Every last maggot was utterly annihilated.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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