First Stage Cleared!

Another crewman, with a quadrupedal orange beast resembling a feline beside him, sighed heavily but remained composed. "This isn't the first time we've faced death, lads. But I won't lie— a special-type novice rank dungeon on Nightmare Mode isn't something you just walk into and expect to return from." His gaze shifted toward Zuriel and muttered, "The captain is strong... but I hope he has a plan."

Zuriel, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke. "Are you all done panicking?" His mana amplified his voice and cut through the tension, silencing the murmurs.

The crewmen swallowed their remaining words and focused on Zuriel.

"Yes, it's a Nightmare mode. Yes, it's going to be dangerous. But when I informed you all that we would be conquering a dungeon, I never said it would be easy," Zuriel continued, his gaze sweeping over them. "However, you don't need to be afraid because I am here. I have a plan, and if we stick to it, we will all be able to make it out of here alive."

The atmosphere on the ship fell silent as the crewmen listened to Zuriel's bold words. Despite some wanting to refute him, as some had witnessed the terrors of Nightmare Mode, they had also witnessed his overwhelming strength when escaping from the Salt Rock Shelter leader and their vessel, so they could only remain silent.

They were all sea slaves and would still enter the dungeon regardless of their choices, so his words gave them hope that they would survive this looming threat.

Noticing their quietness as each held their weapons tightly and summoned their magical beasts, Zuriel nodded and said, "Good. Now, everyone, return to your duties and get to work."

"Ayee, Captain!!" Each of them responded loudly, returning to their posts so the raid could begin.

Poison Philip grabbed the helm and steered the ship forward. When they crossed the cavern, numerous figures swiftly emerged from the water. They were 2ft(64cm) long aquatic magical beasts covered with deep blue scales and possessed powerful jaws with razor-sharp, serrated teeth. Their small yellow eyes glowed faintly in the dark waters.

These were dungeon familiars. Monsters spawned by the dungeons.

These fish resembled the piranhas Zuriel was familiar with from his former world, but they were clearly different.

A status hovered above the magical beasts.

Zuriel narrowed his eyes at the status.

[ Deepwater Piranhas (Bronze-ranked Tier 5) ]

That was the only information he received. From their numbers alone, there were roughly forty of them. For a novice beastmaster who had not evolved their beasts to mid-tier, or even those at mid-tier, facing such a large number of Bronze-ranked Tier 5 dungeon familiars would be enough to crush their courage and send them spiralling into despair.

After all, this was only the first stage of the dungeon, which meant they would likely encounter more dungeon familiars or perhaps several more of this type before they left this stage. However, for Zuriel, it was enough to give him an understanding of the kinds of dungeon familiars he would be dealing with.

Even though he had never read about Nightmare mode in the novel, he could guess that some of the dungeon familiars that appeared would be similar to those in the weaker modes, with several surprises thrown in. If that were the case, their chances of conquering Nightmare mode would increase. But if each mode provided entirely different dungeon familiars, conquering this dungeon would be next to impossible.

By his side, Finn immediately summoned his magical beasts. A 3-foot-tall metallic crab with large pincers and a 7-foot-long fish resembling a whale with silver spots appeared beside him. The 7-foot-long fish swarm within a floating stream of water revolving around him.

Zuriel looked at them curiously; despite reading about them, this was his first time seeing Finn's magical beasts.

Sensing his gaze, Finn turned and nodded solemnly, indicating his readiness for the coming battle.

Zuriel nodded. "You won't need to do anything for now. Leave everything to me," he said. He had only informed them that he had managed to uncover the whereabouts of the special-type dungeon from a scroll he had purchased by luck, which was already plausible given his wealthy family background.

However, it would be too suspicious for him to explain how he was so familiar with the ins and outs of a special-type dungeon in the middle of the sea, far from his shelter, when he was voyaging into the sea for the first time.

Even if he managed to convince them that he had obtained such information by luck, under the premise that he thought he had been scammed, unless they were foolish, they would begin to question how he had acquired such knowledge in the first place.

Besides, he still had other dungeons he planned to visit.

And even if he wanted to use his authority as the owner of their slave contracts, it wasn't an absolute safety net. Several powerful and wealthy beastmasters could break such contracts without harming the slaves.

If he encountered such powerful beastmasters in the future, his secret about the multiple dungeons he knew of could be leaked, and he would have to face a manhunt by formidable beastmasters seeking that information.

Even if it were just a rumour, no beastmaster could resist the allure of venturing into a dungeon to confirm for themselves if the information was correct. It was, after all, their livelihood.

Any kind of suspicion that would lead to him being chased around the world alongside the main characters was as good as raising a death flag!

Nonetheless, Zuriel had already thought of ways to reveal his knowledge naturally.

Then he looked at the crewmen, who had each summoned their magical beasts. Some resembled felines with antlers, giant insects, bizarre-looking fish, and more. They all stood beside their beastmasters.

Hearing his words, Finn nodded in understanding and sighed in relief. It was clear that he had been tense about the situation. Although he was strong and had a Black Iron-ranked magical beast, the other crew members possessed low-tier Bronze-ranked magical beasts, who would surely fall if they clashed head-on with the approaching familiars.

Fortunately, their Captain was going to take care of them alone. As for how he would do it, given his abilities, it was already quite obvious.

"Lower the sails and halt the ship," Zuriel commanded, his voice echoing across the vessel.

The crewmen handling the masts were stunned by the orders but didn't hesitate to obey. They swiftly lowered the sails.

Poison Philip quickly stopped the helm from moving.

The entire ship fell silent, but the tension in the air intensified as the dungeon familiars drew closer.

Zuriel turned to Stormshell. "Use Thunder Wave Barrier. Protect the ship," he commanded.

Stormshell quickly activated his skill, 'Thunder Wave Barrier.' Instantly, his shell sparked with lightning before it shot toward the sky like a bolt. When it reached a certain height above the masts, it halted and spread outwards like a net-like dome, covering the entire ship.

The moment the Deepwater Piranhas, swimming rapidly toward them, touched the lightning barrier, they exploded with a resonating boom, scattering into flesh and blood that dissolved into countless light specks moments later.

"BOOMM!!"

"BOOMM!!"

"BOOMM!!"

Soon after, several sapphire crystals emerged in some locations where the Deepwater Piranhas had died.

Sensing the scent of blood and the death of their comrades, the remaining familiars were driven into a frenzy, mindlessly attacking the lightning barrier before they exploded and died. In some places, more sapphire gems appeared.

Several more familiars emerged from the darkness, confirming Zuriel's guess that others were still hiding, stalking them. However, after seeing how quickly the first wave was dispatched, they poured in, unable to remain still.

In less than five minutes since entering the dungeon, all the dungeon familiars in the first stage were eliminated.

With a thought, Zuriel commanded Stormshell to cancel his skill.

Stormshell cancelled the skill and let out a tired sigh.

Zuriel bent down and rubbed its chubby head. "Don't worry; after this, I'll make sure you're well-fed, and then we'll begin training more of your abilities," he said.

Stormshell's blue-beaded eyes lit up, and he nodded in understanding.

Observing how his Captain's magical beast was so eager to train, Finn couldn't help but sigh. It made sense to him how Stormshell had developed such a terrifying ability. With that kind of eagerness to train and the resources provided by the Zahara Household, it was no wonder the beast had grown so powerful.

Finn subtly glanced at his magical beasts, wishing they would show the same eagerness for training. Then, perhaps, he could finally break out of the first-rate novice beastmaster rank and become an elite beastmaster.

Zuriel focused on the sapphire crystals. These were mana crystals, which beastmasters could use to increase their mana and help their magical beasts grow stronger before giving them the necessary ingredients when they reached the threshold for evolution.

Not every dungeon familiar dropped mana crystals, so they were rare. The Zahara Household had never given him any, as they were reserved for the head and the elders.