"Positions!" Thorne shouted. The team moved in unison and took their pces behind Dale, who assumed a defensive stance, holding his shield high. Cynthia, the party's secondary defender, stood beside him. The adventurers who specialized in healing or support magic, like Olivia, Frederick, and Alicia, positioned themselves at the back. Each of them was aware of their role.

  Dale charged forward, raising his massive shield. "[Steel Bastion]," he roared, and his armor shimmered. A golden aura pulsed around him and his shield, reinforcing his defenses as Citron’s wooden club crashed into him. The impact sent a tremor through the ground, but Dale stood his ground. His shield absorbed the force of the blow.

  "He's focused on Dale! Strike him hard!" Olivia shouted, raising her wand. She cast [Warrior’s Blessing], and a faint silver light surrounded the entire party, enhancing their offensive and defensive abilities.

  "On it!" Lisa darted to the left as a bright orange cloak of fme engulfed her entire body. She pointed her palms at the boss, and a magic circle appeared before her. She called out, "[Fme Strike]," and a rge fireball unched toward the monster. The fireball struck Citron in the torso, and he roared in pain.

  Raul followed up. He drew his bow and loosed an arrow infused with wind energy. The projectile struck Citron’s exposed shoulder, slicing through flesh with razor-like precision. Dark blue blood oozed from the wound. Citron took a step back to absorb the impact.

  "Good hit! Keep the pressure up!" Thorne shouted as he rushed forward with his twin bdes crackling with energy. He moved swiftly, positioning himself behind the boss. Citron was so huge that Thorne’s head barely reached his knee. Thorne sshed at Citron’s ankle, bolts of lightning arcing from his weapons. The Cyclops groaned, stumbling slightly as the electricity surged through his muscles.

  Other party members joined in, attacking with weapons and unching various spells. Magical projectiles crackling with energy soared toward Citron from all directions. Alex led the melee attackers, shouting, “Aim for the legs! We’ll take him down and then finish him off!”

  The melee fighters had to stay alert, changing positions quickly to avoid being cleaved by the boss while Dale defended against the heavy blows. In the process of repositioning, Alex momentarily got very close to Dale. Cyclops’s club came crashing down on Dale’s shield with massive force just as he was about to move away. Dale braced for the impact, but it also struck Alex and knocked him backward. Alex’s body was propelled back a few meters and nded hard on the ground, injuring him severely. Blood trickled down from his forehead.

  “You idiot, don't stand so close to me,” Dale grumbled. He was withstanding the blows, but back-to-back heavy hits by the monster were starting to take a toll on him.

  "Holy Mother, bless us with your light. [Rejuvenate]" Frederick’s voice echoed through the chamber. Warm golden energy surrounded Dale and Alex, rapidly mending their bruises and reinforcing their vitality.

  "Incoming attack! Get ready!" Alicia warned. Citron raised his club, gripping it with two hands, and struck the ground with blinding speed. A massive shockwave erupted from the impact, sending cracks racing across the floor.

  Dale braced for impact. "[Iron Resolve]" A heavy barrier formed around him just as the shockwave hit. The rest of the team dodged in time, but the sheer force still sent some of them flying. A sharp, stray rock struck Raul's leg, causing him to bleed from the deep wound.

  “[Rejuvenate]” Frederick cast his healing spell again, covering everyone at the party. The damage they received by the shockwave was repaired within a few seconds.

  The party members leaped into the fight with renewed vigor. Cynthia stepped forward, raising her shield. She moved closer to Citron and intercepted his attack, giving Dale a much-needed breather. Citron’s club came crashing down on Cynthia’s shield, sending a wave of pressure and dull pain through her hand that held the shield. She couldn’t believe Dale was taking these heavy blows for so long, keeping the party members safe. She strengthened her resolve to do the same.

  The melee attacker unleashed a flurry of attacks using their swords and daggers upon Citron, making him bleed profoundly. Crimson fireballs, shimmering blue arcane energy bolts, and piercing arrows rained down on his torso and shoulders, further draining his strength. Then, in a moment of stillness, Citron halted his attacks, and his golden yellow eye began to pulse ominously.

  "He's charging the energy beam!" Alicia warned. Olivia quickly recited her support spell, "[Guardian’s Embrace]." A brilliant shield enveloped the entire party, reducing the incoming damage.

  Dale silently thanked Cynthia for relieving some of his burden and allowing him to catch his breath. He gritted his teeth, gripping his shield tightly. "It’s my turn now. I've got this!" As Citron’s eye glowed brighter, Dale dug his heels in and charged forward, attempting to maneuver the monster to make it face the nearest stone wall.

  He struck Citron’s feet with his massive shield to get his attention as he backed against the stone wall. “I’m here, you muscle brain. Hit me!” Citron turned toward him, letting out a grueling roar as his eye shone even brighter.

  "Now, hold your position!" Alicia called, reinforcing Dale’s armor with "[Titan’s Aegis]." A brilliant glow enveloped him just as Citron unleashed his energy beam towards him.

  A bzing red beam of crackling energy shot through the chamber, smming into the stone wall with a thunderous bst. The immense force turned the rocky wall into molten sg, hurling debris in every direction. The entire chamber trembled from the destruction, with cracks spreading across the walls. The beam would have annihited them if Dale hadn't moved the Cyclops away from the group. The air shimmered with lingering heat, making it difficult to breathe.

  "Damn, that was powerful!" Raul excimed, wiping sweat from his brow. “Is Dale ok after taking that attack head-on?”

  As the dust settled, the party members found Dale. He was still standing with his shield raised, but he was severely wounded. The shiny armor he wore was cracked and falling apart from his body, with blood dripping from his head and arms. “That bastard!!” he ughed tiredly, gasping for air. “He almost killed me.”

  “Cynthia, switch with Dale immediately. Frederick, Alicia quickly heal him up. Others, We can't let the monster do that attack again! Press forward!” Thorne commanded.

  Cynthia rushed forward and struck the monster with [Shield Sm]. Citron immediately shifted his attention from Dale to Cynthia. However, with his rage subdued, his attacks felt sluggish. Cynthia sensed that his blows had also weakened compared to before. The others joined in to attack Citron while Fredrick and Alicia concentrated their healing spell to recover Dale.

  Throne twirled in the air, activating his weapon skill, [Phantom Strike]. His figure became a blur as he unleashed a rapid series of sshes against Citron’s ribs. Raul notched another enchanted arrow, murmuring, "[Hawk’s Judgement]" before letting it fly. The arrow struck true, hitting Citron squarely in the eye and prompting a painful howl from the monster.

  "He's still on his feet! We need more firepower!" Olivia thought for a moment and chanted, "[Battle Surge]" to enhance the attack speed of Thorne, Lisa, Alex, and Raul.

  Alex seized the moment with his weapon skill, "[Mortal Execution]." He drove his sword deep into Citron’s chest through his ribs. The boss staggered on his feet, his strength waning as thick, dark blue-colored blood oozed out from his wounds.

  Cynthia didn’t let up either. With a surge of force, she smmed her shield into Citron’s kneecap, forcing the giant to drop to one knee.

  Raul called upon his most fierce attack. "[Stormpiercer Arrow]" The arrow, infused with crackling storm energy, whistled through the air before embedding itself into Citron’s throat.

  Citron was on his st legs. He dropped his heavy club as he could no longer hold onto it. However, he refused to fall so quickly and unleashed a final, desperate attack. Citron smmed all four of his fists into the ground with his remaining strength, triggering another shockwave. The stone walls of the dungeon shook violently, causing massive chunks of rock to crash down from above.

  "Watch out!" Alicia screamed as the team scattered to avoid the falling debris.

  Dale, now somewhat healed, rushed forward. He raised his shield overhead and unleashed his skill, "[Bulwark Dome]." A glowing light barrier expanded from his shield, enveloping the team just in time as the falling rocks shattered against its radiant glow.

  Citron groaned one st time, struggling to lift his arms until his strength finally gave out. With a final, guttural exhale, his massive frame colpsed. The dungeon walls trembled one st time, and then everything went silent.

  Lisa colpsed onto one knee, panting. "I don’t think I’ve ever fought something that tough in my life."

  "The dungeon really tested us this time," Frederick said, healing Raul’s leg. "I don’t think we would have made it if we hadn’t timed that beam."

  Raul examined the battlefield, eyeing the molten rock still glowing from the ser's impact. "It's true. That Energy Beam could have been the end of us. I am gd we had information on how to deal with that. Thank you, Alicia."

  “And thank you for helping Dale as well. Your spell Titan’s Agis saved his life.” Olivia spoke. Alicia nodded in response.

  A triumphant ‘ding’ echoed through the chamber as everyone’s status window opened. Signaling the end of the battle. Despite their exhaustion, a smile echoed in everyone’s face. Alex and others shouted in joy, “We did it!! We beat the first boss.”

  Thorne exhaled profoundly and rolled his shoulders. "Good work, everyone. That was a damn hard fight. But we came out at the top!" He paused for a moment before continuing. “We’ll set up our camp here. Everyone needs rest before moving on to the next floor.”