"Hall of Power" First Floor.
A muscular woman with short brown hair and a sculpted eight-pack led a group of equally robust men into the "Hall of Power."
The "Hall of Power" had been refreshed some days ago.
Refreshing the monsters of a single tier or location was manageable, but a complete overhaul of the maze made things quite annoying—it had to be redone from the beginning.
After becoming an S-rank adventure group, most no longer worried about making ends meet and could pursue higher aspirations such as power and fame.
To climb the rankings and increase their influence on "Adventurer's Peak," they needed not only to triumph in combat but also to conquer as many Underground Mazes as possible, gathering rare treasures.
With those treasures, they could trade with other S-rank groups, fulfilling mutual needs, enhancing themselves to tackle even stronger mazes, thus entering a beneficial cycle.
Otherwise, with S-rank capabilities, simply clearing a few medium to small mazes regularly was enough to live very comfortably.
Indeed, some S-rank groups did just that; they cared not for rankings and lacked enthusiasm for conquering large mazes, preferring a simple life.
They only had to complete tasks assigned by the giant dragon regularly to maintain their S-rank status.
The "Wild Warrior" adventure group was certainly not one to settle in such complacency.
It should be said that those content with stagnation after reaching S-rank were in the minority.
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Many despise the nomadic lifestyle of adventurers.
Once some groups reached S-rank, they often silently scorned those adventurers from the shadows, scheming to trip them up.
Reaching a new height only to realize others are looking down from even higher can easily stir up a competitive spirit, pushing one to keep climbing.
Even the high-ranking "Dragon God's Might" constantly worried about being overshadowed or threatened by others, continually challenging themselves, seeking harder Underground Mazes.
The "Wild Warrior" had only been an S-rank group for a few years, marking them relatively young.
Conquering a large, especially a super-large maze, if successful, would be an immense honor for them.
The "Wild Warrior" group's equipment was not lacking.
Other S-rank groups probably had similar gear and naturally wouldn't care for the "junk" dropped in the initial tiers of the "Hall of Power."
Therefore, after failing the ninth floor, they didn't clear all the monsters above but left some for other adventurers.
Allowing adventurers to clear the path of monsters saved them unnecessary effort.
Unfortunately, "Baihua Binfen" seemed to have gathered enough of what they wanted and hadn't returned after the latest refresh, likely choosing to rest for a while.
As a result, they had to deal with the monsters of the seventh and eighth tiers themselves in order to attempt the ninth floor.
But by the time the "Wild Warrior" reached the seventh and eighth floors, they discovered others had beaten them to it.
The entrance to the ninth floor was gone, replaced by a black wall that, no matter how they pounded, remained unresponsive.
"Bai Jin, if necessary, you can use the 'Fairy's Magic Stone' this time. I have taught you how to judge the situation many times."
After confirming the plan once more, Yang Yu had Bai Jin and Iyas mount the back of Lotcar and began to act according to the plan.
Bai Jin raised her magic wand and Iyas picked up her bow and arrows, each targeting a different Mud Giant and launching their attacks.
Their attacks were almost simultaneous, striking giants in different groups.
The movements of the two giants suddenly became sluggish, each taking a hit from their opposing Mud Giant and having a significant amount of HP slashed.
This time, the two groups of four giants didn't revert to their original places to continue their brawl but instead... spewed red light from their eyes and turned their heads to look at Yang Yu.
The other giants that weren't attacked somehow also halted their movements, their eyes emitting a dazzling red light as they uniformly turned to gaze at Yang Yu.
Their movements were no longer sluggish; the cumbersome Mud Giants transformed into frenzied Martial Artists.
The group of giants closest to Yang Yu were the first to attack; their clubs ignited, burning fiercely.
"Lotcar, this is the skill 'Flame Hammer Strike.' Given their height and size, the range is approximately 5 meters."
Two burning clubs, one from the left and one from the right, swooped down towards Lotcar.
Seeing the direction of the attacking clubs, Yang Yu spoke, "Take a few steps forward, then stand still."
Lotcar obeyed Yang Yu's command, took a few steps forward, and then stood still.
The scorching clubs swept by his side, with Lotcar showing no signs of fluster. On his back, Iyas and Bai Jin, one on the left and one on the right, launched attacks at two different giants.
The giants wielding the clubs, trying to envelop Lotcar from both sides, but Lotcar shifted his form and continuously circled beneath the giants' feet, allowing Bai Jin and Iyas to intensely attack the Mud Giants.
Meanwhile, Yang Yu kept vigilant, monitoring the status of the four giants as well as the movements of the other giants.
The giants they were sieging had their HP reduced by less than one-sixth, and they hadn't entered a "Guard" status.
This meant that Bai Jin and Iyas could continue their attacks without waiting.
It seemed a besieging mechanism had been triggered, allowing them to attack at will.
Just like in some games, where statues that can't be attacked only become targetable once they turn into demons.
The distant giants charged at Yang Yu and his team, not launching any ranged attacks.
Is it that they can't attack from a distance, or is it because they were right at the giants' feet?
Yang Yu needed to keep testing to draw a conclusion.
What they needed to do now was to attract the enmity of this group of giants, gradually bringing them together, and then have Bai Jin use area of effect magic to sweep them out.
Under Yang Yu's command, Lotcar left the side of the giants, rushing towards another group of giants rapidly approaching them.
The two giants that failed to hit Lotcar didn't give up. They swung their clubs and chased after Lotcar, attacking from behind.
A pincer attack seemed inevitable, but with the enhancement of Yang Yu's title, Lotcar was extraordinarily agile.
He jumped to the right, easily dodging a club swinging down from above.