The red slimes proved to be far more dangerous than their blue counterparts.

Their bodies swelled rapidly, glowing bright red before exploding in bursts of corrosive acid and fiery shards. The team was forced into a frantic defensive struggle.

"These things are too unpredictable!" Sarah shouted, firing Pink Rain to slow them down, but several still detonated close to her position, forcing her to dodge desperately.

Sein charged forward with blazing flames, smashing one red slime with a powerful Crimson Impact before it could explode. However, the blast from another nearby slime sent her skidding backward, her arm burned by the corrosive liquid.

"Damn it! These explosions are no joke!" she growled.

Lisa worked frantically, expanding her Aegis of Dawn barrier while continuously healing the team. But the corrosive acid from the explosions was eating away at her barrier faster than she could reinforce it.

Hope swung her greatsword in wide arcs, destroying two slimes before they could detonate, but more kept emerging from the shadows, their red cores pulsing ominously.

Andrey extended his Ruyi Jingu Bang, striking multiple slimes from a distance to destroy their cores before they could explode. But their numbers and suicidal nature made it difficult to keep up.

One red slime suddenly rolled past the frontline and exploded right next to Lisa. The blast shattered part of her barrier and sent her flying backward.

"Lisa—!!" Andrey shouted.

He used Phantom Step to catch her before she hit the ground, but the corrosive splash still burned his arm. His Damage Absorb activated, storing the damage, but the team was clearly starting to get overwhelmed.

Sarah was breathing heavily. "There’s too many of them! We can’t keep this up forever!"

Sein burned through another slime but was forced to retreat as three more swelled dangerously close.

"This is getting really bad..." she admitted, flames flickering unsteadily around her.

The red slimes continued their aggressive advance, their bodies swelling dangerously as they prepared to explode.

Hope stepped forward with a bright, confident smile, raising her greatsword.

"Everyone, please stay calm! Let me hold them off for a while!"

Andrey immediately warned, "Hope, don’t be reckless—"

But Hope had already moved. She activated Golden Aegis, creating a powerful golden shield that expanded in front of the team. Then she charged forward with Divine Step, moving with experienced grace and precision.

She swung her greatsword in wide, controlled arcs, destroying several red slimes before they could detonate. Her movements were fluid and professional, clearly showing her experience as an S-rank Hero. She blocked explosions with her shield, then countered with powerful slashes that cut through multiple slimes at once.

Sein clicked her tongue, watching Hope’s performance. "Tch..."

Andrey observed the situation carefully, then spoke with a steady voice.

"Hope will hold the front line. Sein, focus on destroying the cores from the side. Sarah, use Pink Rain to slow them down and create openings. Lisa, maintain the barrier and heal. I’ll support from the center and look for a way to break through."

The team quickly adjusted to the new strategy. Hope’s confident defense bought them precious time, allowing the others to coordinate their attacks more effectively. The red slimes’ explosions were still dangerous, but the team was slowly regaining control of the battlefield.

Andrey extended his staff, striking from a distance while keeping an eye on the entire fight.

"Keep pushing! We’re making progress!"

Sein charged forward with explosive force, her golden-crimson flames roaring around her body.

"Crimson Cataclysm!"

She unleashed a massive wave of fire that engulfed several red slimes, burning through their gelatinous bodies before they could detonate.

Hope moved with lightning speed, activating Divine Step to close the distance instantly. She swung her greatsword in a powerful horizontal arc, slicing through multiple red slimes and destroying their cores in one clean motion.

"Radiant Judgment!"

A burst of golden energy exploded from her blade, vaporizing the remains and preventing any explosions.

Sarah continued her support from the air, raining down Pink Rain to slow the movement of the remaining red slimes and create openings for the frontline.

Lisa focused her power, casting a Mana Chain Attack—chains of mint-green energy that wrapped around the slimes, restraining them and weakening their cores.

Sein and Hope synchronized their attacks perfectly. Sein delivered a devastating flaming uppercut to one group while Hope followed up with a crushing downward slash, their combined power destroying the red slimes instantly before they could explode.

The coordinated assault was overwhelming. One by one, the red slimes were annihilated, their cores shattered, their bodies disintegrating into harmless liquid that evaporated on the ground.

The battlefield fell silent once more.

Sein landed gracefully, flames still flickering around her fists. "Not bad."

Hope smiled brightly, lowering her greatsword. "See? I told you not to worry!"

Sarah floated down, wiping sweat from her brow. "That was close."

Lisa let out a relieved breath, maintaining her barrier. "Everyone did well."

Andrey nodded, his staff still extended. "Good coordination. Let’s keep moving."

Sarah suddenly raised her hand. "Wait. Let’s take a short break. Give me some water."

Andrey opened his Inventory Ring and handed her a bottle of water. Sarah drank it greedily, sighing in relief after finishing half the bottle.

Sein raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you barely use any mana? The slimes didn’t even affect your attacks. Why are you so tired?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Sarah wiped her mouth and replied, "I’m tired because I had to focus the whole time. It’s not as easy as it looks."

Sein snorted. "Bullshit."

She turned and kept walking ahead.

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. "Hey! Say that again?!"

But Sein ignored her completely and continued walking forward.

Hope watched the exchange with an amused smile. "They’re always arguing, aren’t they? It’s kind of funny."

Andrey glanced at her. "Where’s the funny part in that...?"

Lisa smiled gently. "They are kind of funny. They act like sisters who bicker all the time."

The team continued moving forward. After a few minutes, they arrived at a large, imposing door made of dark stone, covered in glowing purple runes. It looked like the entrance to the boss room of the first floor.

Andrey stopped in front of it. "This should be the boss room for the first floor. Everyone, prepare yourselves."

Sarah sighed but readied her energy. "Let’s get this over with."

The large door slowly creaked open, revealing a vast chamber filled with swirling pink mist.