What else could Yuri do?
Even though she had already held back considerably, just as Ren Kuroda had instructed…
Under the effects of Evileye's enhancement spells, her already formidable Level 51 stats had effectively risen to something close to Level 60.
Trying to make a fight against a mere Level 30 giant lizard look evenly matched…
That was no easy task.
—
In the end, after some effort, the group successfully brought down the two Level 30 giant lizards.
Yuri Alpha's performance—holding one off alone—earned her even greater recognition from the members of Blue Rose.
In fact, if not for the awkwardness of poaching talent, Lakyus might have already tried to recruit Yuri into their team.
After defeating the floor bosses, the group entered a chamber.
Inside were numerous opened treasure chests, along with a passage leading upward—clearly the entrance to the second floor of the ruins.
"These chests were already opened during our previous attempts," Lakyus explained.
"Most of the contents were unfamiliar gold coins, along with some low-tier magic items.
"Please rest assured—once we leave the ruins, I'll divide a portion of the loot with the two of you according to standard party distribution."
Strictly speaking, Blue Rose had no obligation to share these spoils.
After all, they had reached this room on their own during earlier expeditions. And without Lakyus's family heirloom, no one could even enter this ruin in the first place.
Moreover, Ren and Yuri had been hired as adventurers—theoretically, paying them their agreed reward would have been sufficient.
But after witnessing their strength, Lakyus felt it was more appropriate to treat them not as hired help… but as fellow explorers.
And truth be told, based on the power they had displayed, they absolutely qualified to share in the rewards alongside an adamantite-ranked team.
Ren accepted the coins Lakyus handed over—
…and froze for a brief moment.
Because he immediately recognized them.
These were unmistakably YGGDRASIL gold coins.
Still, judging by the number of empty chests scattered around, even at their fullest, the total amount probably only reached a few million coins at most.
The so-called Thirteen Heroes… were kind of broke, huh?
And considering they used monsters like giant lizards as floor bosses…
Their strength probably wasn't all that impressive either.
"Then we'll gratefully accept," Ren said with a polite smile. "It's an honor to explore an unknown ruin alongside all of you."
He had no intention of refusing.
First, as adventurers driven by profit, turning down a reward like this would be suspicious.
Second, while the Great Tomb of Nazarick avoided directly circulating YGGDRASIL currency to prevent drawing attention…
Blue Rose had no such issue.
They were a renowned adamantite-ranked team, and these coins were obtained from a ruin—making their origin completely legitimate.
—
Passing through the now-empty chamber, the group ascended the stairs at the far end and entered the second floor.
The moment they set foot inside—
Tia and Tina, ever vigilant, immediately tensed, adopting combat stances as they warned the others.
"Something's coming!"
Clang… clang… clang…
A rhythmic metallic sound echoed through the darkness.
Then, slowly, a massive silhouette emerged.
What appeared before them was a gigantic spider—easily rivaling the giant lizards in size.
The moment it spotted the intruders, it opened its grotesque mandibles and let out a piercing screech.
"This is the armored spider we mentioned earlier," Lakyus said quickly.
"In its current state, it looks like a normal large spider. But once it takes sufficient damage, its body secretes a substance that hardens into an armor-like shell."
The spider opened its maw—
—and a torrent of webbing shot out.
The group scattered, narrowly dodging the attack.
But when the webs struck the ground, they sliced through the stone like blades, carving it into fragments.
And then—
The severed ground began to twitch.
From within the webbing, smaller spider-like creatures began to crawl out.
"Smaller" was only relative to the main body.
Each of these "small" spiders was still the size of a goblin—far from insignificant.
"The armored spider hasn't entered its second phase yet—we can still damage it effectively," Lakyus continued.
"As for the smaller spiders and webs—their weakness is fire. Ren, Evileye, I'm counting on you."
Having already fought this enemy before, Blue Rose responded swiftly and efficiently.
"Fourth-Tier Enhanced Magic—Flame Nova!"
Just as Ren was about to act, Evileye moved faster.
A burst of blazing orange fire erupted from her spell, instantly incinerating the webs and the swarm of smaller spiders.
"I'll handle the fodder and support," she said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion.
"I've already used a fair amount of mana on buffs. Landing a decisive blow on the armored spider will be difficult for me.
"So I'll leave that to you."
She continued, her tone steady:
"In its second phase, the spider's armor gains even higher resistance to physical attacks—and some resistance to magic as well.
"So use fire magic—its elemental weakness.
"And if you want to kill it in one strike… start preparing now. Gather as much mana as you can."
Even as she spoke, the spider—now under heavy assault from the others—began to transform.
Its body secreted a viscous substance, which quickly hardened into a thick, armor-like shell.
"Everyone, fall back!" Lakyus ordered immediately.
"Give Ren and Evileye space to cast!"
As the team retreated—
A calm voice rang out from behind them.
"Seventh-Tier Enhanced Magic—Azure Flame Descent."
The armored spider, now in its fully empowered state, let out a triumphant screech—
Only to suddenly freeze.
A suffocating sense of death loomed overhead.
A magic circle unfolded in the air above it.
And then—
A mass of azure flames came crashing down from the heavens.
The next moment—
There was nothing left.
The armored spider didn't even have time to scream before it was reduced to a pile of ash.