Hunting Goliath!
Roy saw the pop-up panel and was not surprised. Floor Bosses are one of the Dungeon's special monsters, and it would be odd if the system didn't react.
Goliath's regeneration interval is two weeks.
Since most Familia exploring the middle and lower floors rest at Rivira Town on the eighteenth floor, and Goliath sometimes blocks the path to the eighteenth floor, adventurers often hunt it.
Since the system gave a prompt, it meant Goliath had already spawned and had not yet been defeated.
Roy hurriedly led Ryuu into the seventeenth floor. The first thing that met their eyes was a massive white wall, dramatically different and more spectacular than the previous floors.
Then, they ran head-on into another party of over twenty people, all wearing matching uniforms. Who else could it be but the Apollo Familia?
"The Astrea Familia!"
The opposing party also noticed Roy and Ryuu, and gasps rang out among the members.
Many members' faces revealed a hint of fear. The events of that day were fresh in their minds.
Their Captain, Hyakinthos, looked even worse. Although his injuries had healed, the deep psychological trauma remained. The self-proclaimed Super Rookie had been beaten down by the Gale and rendered completely helpless.
Roy spotted Daphne in the Apollo Familia's ranks. Poor kid. She still couldn't escape.
Even if he had helped her escape that day, how could the sticky Apollo Familia give up? They would chase her to the ends of the earth for their Head God, Apollo.
However, Roy only wanted to irritate them now.
Daphne also saw Roy and Ryuu, and she silently lowered her head, her eyes devoid of light.
Looking at the fully-armed Apollo Familia, Roy asked, "Are you here to hunt Goliath as well?"
"So what if we are?" Hyakinthos forcibly tore his gaze away from the Gale.
Roy curled his lip. A group of experience thieves showed up. The Floor Boss Goliath's strength was equivalent to an LV.4 monster specialized in defense. It was highly likely that the LV.3 Hyakinthos, leading over a dozen LV.2 members, could defeat it.
At this moment, Hyakinthos and the others seemed to realize that Roy and Ryuu were also here to hunt Goliath.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.
It wasn't strange that they ran into each other here. Adventurers reported the information to the Guild after defeating Goliath, and other adventurers could accurately predict the next hunt based on Goliath's regeneration time.
Both groups had timed their arrival for this precise moment.
The value of the monster's Magic Stone and dropped materials was significant. In the Dungeon, adventurers often fought over monsters, and at times like this, the biggest fist won.
As for cooperation and splitting the loot?
Impossible. They could defeat it alone, so why share half of the meat they had just put in their mouths?
Superficially, Roy's side had the LV.4 Ryuu, but the Apollo Familia dared to challenge the LV.4 Goliath, so they clearly wouldn't fear another LV.4.
This was not the same as their previous unexpected encounter.
Hyakinthos had brought all the elites of the Apollo Familia, fully equipped and poised for battle.
If the two sides truly clashed, the outcome would be unpredictable.
Rumble!
The two sides were locked in a stalemate, but time waited for no one. Accompanied by a roar, the ground shook violently. The white wall trembled, and cracks spread across its entire surface.
The wall shattered, and rocks crashed down. From the debris emerged a small giant, standing seven meters tall—far exceeding other monsters. It was, so far, the largest Dungeon monster Roy had ever seen.
The Apollo Familia members were visibly shaken, their faces showing varying degrees of shock.
Ryuu's expression was calm. She and her former comrades had defeated Goliath several times, so it was a familiar sight.
The Seventeenth Floor Boss—Goliath!
Roy shouted toward the opposing group, "Hyakinthos, one minute. We'll each take one minute. Whoever manages to kill Goliath wins."
Hyakinthos pondered for a few seconds and quickly made a decision. "Fine, but we go first!"
"Deal!" A strange light flashed in Roy's eyes.
"All members, advance!"
At Hyakinthos' command,
The Apollo Familia members surged forward. They had also heard the agreement between Hyakinthos and Roy. They only had one minute—time was tight, and the task was urgent!
Their formation was clearly established before they descended.
Three or four Vanguards held up heavy shields, pushing forward to directly engage Goliath.
The Mid-Guard charged in as a unit to surround and attack Goliath.
The mages hiding behind began chanting spells, and there was a healer at the very back of the formation.
They even assigned several rear guards to prevent unforeseen circumstances, primarily keeping an eye on Roy and Ryuu, though if the two truly attacked, the rear guards wouldn't be able to stop them.
"Do you think they can take it down in one minute?" Roy looked at Ryuu, lowering his voice.
Ryuu glanced over the Apollo Familia members. Their lineup was complete, but they lacked experience dealing with Goliath. If the time limit was one minute, she said, "A thirty percent chance of success."
Roy smiled in satisfaction. As long as these people couldn't instantly kill Goliath, he was relieved.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Vanguards held the line, allowing the back row to pour out damage.
The Apollo Familia's mage squad simultaneously unleashed Magic. Forces of nature, such as mudslides, flames, and hurricanes, struck Goliath.
The blasts left Goliath's skin scorched black.
Goliath truly lived up to its title as a defense-specialized Floor Boss. It endured over a dozen Magic spells with only minor scratches. Ordinary swords and blades couldn't leave a mark.
The primary damage dealer was undoubtedly the LV.3 Hyakinthos.
"My name is Love, the cherished child of Light. This body is offered to My Sun! My name is Sin, the envy of the Wind. I call upon a raging gale to descend upon this body! Manifest the Fire Wheel Throw! Come, Western Wind! Aka Hana (Red Flower)!"
"Ihou (Alternative Method) Zephyrus!"
Hyakinthos chanted the spell in a loud voice. A massive circle of light, radiating scorching heat, appeared in his palm. He hurled the light circle at Goliath.
Boom!
The circle of light sliced through the air. Goliath raised an arm to block, and a grating sound was heard, like a power saw, as the circle cleanly severed one of the small giant's arms. It crashed heavily to the ground, dissipating into dust.
Hyakinthos' face was ugly. He had failed.
Goliath seemed enraged. Its originally black-jade eyes turned scarlet. It swept its other massive hand across the area, knocking away the Apollo Familia Vanguards.
Many debris fragments flew into the mage squad, followed by screams as several members were injured.
Hyakinthos shouted to Cassandra, the healer at the back of the line, "Heal them quickly! What are you doing?"
As a rookie, and only LV.1, Daphne was not in the fight but was protecting the party's healer, Cassandra.
Hearing Hyakinthos' reprimand, the timid, blue-haired girl was so frightened she almost dropped her staff, her eyes filled with terror toward both Hyakinthos and Goliath.
"Time's up. Change!"
Just then, Roy's voice rang out.