I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…-Chapter 310: Battle in the Labyrinth Pt.2

Owen felt a rush of satisfaction.

He had done his part. All that was left was to keep hammering the same spot, widening the wound until they broke through completely.

His arrows could do it — he still had mana left, and even better, he had help.

A small smile tugged at his lips. Maybe this monster would be the one to push him to level 80. He wasn't the only one hoping; he knew several others were thinking the same.

The giant sphinx let out a roar of pain as the group focused their fire on the cracked armor. Shurikens flew, striking the weakened spot. Ice spikes followed, piercing into the break. Then came the earth spikes, trapping the creature's movement just enough for Owen's next volley of wind- and fire-enhanced arrows to tear deeper into the plated hide.

Ren never stopped moving. His sword dance kept the sphinx pinned in place, even as his blade began to chip against the hardened armor.

The gold plating wasn't just tough — it was layered with mana, making it incredibly resistant. Any minor wounds that weren't deep enough healed almost instantly.

Still, Ren knew the signs.

The beast had yet to unleash its ultimate skill — and all monsters had one. He stayed sharp, watching for any sudden change, knowing it would come once the sphinx was driven closer to death.

Standing behind the frontline, Lisa kept herself ready. Her hands hovered near her staff, prepared to cast Sacred Sanctuary the moment she sensed the beast preparing its ultimate attack.

The next few seconds would decide everything.

The sphinx moved with surprising speed, leaping from one side of the chamber to the other.

It had begun to use both light and earth magic — an angry, wounded beast, yet still holding back its strongest abilities.

Spikes of stone erupted along its tail, while its golden mane launched large quill-like lances, each one sharp enough to punch through an armor vehicle.

Chris sprinted across the field, throwing up shield after shield to deflect the attacks.

So far, no one had been seriously hurt — only Ren and Chris had taken light hits — but both could feel it.

The sphinx was about to get serious.

Owen, undeterred, fired two more arrows. Each shot struck the weakened armor on the beast's back.

With a heavy, wet crack, another large hole tore open, blood spraying from the new wound, even larger than the first.

"Careful, everyone! The real fight starts now!" Owen shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The mages instinctively took a few steps back, preparing for a heavier assault.

Chris activated a Provoke skill, drawing the sphinx's full attention onto himself, his shield glowing brightly with magic as he bashed it producing a noise the enemy could not ignore.

Meanwhile, Ren steadied himself.

He had finished charging his best skill — a desperate move. It would destroy one of his swords completely, but if it broke through the sphinx's defenses, it would be worth it.

"Yūrei Kiba!"

Ren's voice rang out, sharp and serious, like the protagonist of a manga declaring his ultimate move.

His sword shined brilliantly before it was unsheathed, and in less than a second, the powerful blow landed.

The impact was immense.

The sphinx was thrown back, flipping twice through the air before it could gather itself again.

But Ren's sword shattered like glass, scattering shards across the ground.

He stood there, frozen for a few seconds, the recoil of spending nearly all his mana weighing heavily on his body.

Suddenly, Yui undid her invisibility, tossing two shurikens without hesitation.

One hit Ren squarely in the chest, the other embedded into the ground near Chris.

Ren didn't flinch; he accepted it, knowing her shuriken were infused with magic that would let him switch places—not harm.

"Didn't I tell you to use that skill only when someone's backing you up?" Chris shouted, feeling his mana drain rapidly as he threw up a shield to defend them.

"What would've happened if the sphinx retaliated with a kick or a swipe of its paws, man?"

The sphinx, enraged by Ren's strike, let out a deafening roar.

It began to rampage, thrashing wildly, done playing around.

"My pride wouldn't allow it," Ren said quietly.

Without another word, he dropped to one knee, closing his eyes, centering himself.

"I just need a minute... let me concentrate."

He entered Zen Meditation, pulling mana from the surrounding battlefield, slowly restoring his energy for the next critical moment.

Chris didn't have time to retort.

The sphinx's assault intensified as it ripped pieces of its own golden armor and fused the hardened shell onto the tips of its earth spikes, making each strike deadlier.

Chris's shield, which had served as his main medium to absorb damage, finally gave out under the pressure.

Without hesitation, he turned it into a weapon. Infusing it with holy magic, he hurled the tower shield like a massive boomerang toward the sphinx's face.

The beast raised one arm to block, but even with its strength, the shield struck hard enough to bend the creature's limb slightly, making it stagger and roar with rage.

Mana-infused sound ripped through the air.

"Debuff! Lisa, get ready!" Chris shouted, just before his vision blurred.

He buckled to his knees, overwhelmed by dizziness as the debuff flooded his senses.

Ren, standing nearby, wasn't faring any better, wobbling under the mental assault. Worst of all was Yui — she was still dangerously close to the beast, exposed and struggling to stay upright.

Lisa, however, had been prepared.

Thanks to Orus's quick healing spells, she had kept herself steady, while the mages and Owen were rapidly tended to as well.

Without hesitating, Lisa raised her staff high.

The radiant light of Sacred Sanctuary erupted around her, forming a powerful protective dome. It shielded Yui just as the sphinx prepared another strike, buying precious seconds for the others to recover their footing and recharge their magic.

The platinum-haired girl sprinted forward, her staff glowing as she healed Ren and Chris in quick succession.

Without slowing down, Lisa rushed toward Yui, who was only a few meters away — dangerously close to the sphinx.

Yui had taken the full brunt of the creature's mana-infused roar. She lay on the ground, clutching her head, struggling to stay conscious.

Without hesitation, Lisa cast Divine Purification, washing away the lingering debuff.

Yui's dazed eyes cleared as Lisa pulled her up, letting her lean heavily against her shoulder.

Ren, seeing his sister safe, gave a quick nod of gratitude. But his relief didn't last long.

He noticed the barrier around them — the Sacred Sanctuary — was beginning to crack.

The sphinx was almost through.

Without wasting another second, Ren pulled out an elixir from his belt, downing it in one gulp to restore his stamina.

A grim thought crossed his mind.

Why is this boss so much harder than anything we've faced? We're supposed to be heroes — the ones destined to defeat armies of demons.

What none of them realized was that within the first floors of the labyrinth, Logan was steadily feeding mana crystals, their energy seeped deep into dungeon's core.

The first five floors had already been heavily filled with crystals, each floor of the dungeons difficulty doubled — all part of Logan's secret plan to forge them into powerful heroes.