Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

"It looks like the sand particles here emit a lot of light for some odd reason…" Rain explained.

Rain touched the shining particles in the wall and soon flinched when he felt a sharp pain on bis fingers… the tips of his fingers began to bleed… the particles were like smashed glass. That was still weird, though. Rain's physical defenses should be able to handle something like that.

"Be careful of where you touch or step in," Rain said when the others landed. "These things are sharp and they can't ignore your defenses."

"For real? I wasn't expecting much from the first level, but…" Terra said.

"Where are the monsters?" Seara asked. "They usually appear faster when large groups enter a dungeon, right?"

"Sometimes, but considering that the stump drained a lot of mana from the world, we can't say how things will play out," Rain said.

The group ventured further into the dungeon, finding themselves in a grand corridor that dwarfed them in scale. The passageway stretched fifty meters tall and twenty meters wide, a colossal place that hinted at the grandeur of the crystal dragons who had made this place their home in times past.

The magnitude of the corridor was no surprise considering it had once been inhabited by the crystal dragons. The architectural scale seemed perfectly suited to their size, leaving the visitors feeling small amidst the towering walls and vast space.

However, the grandeur of the corridor posed a challenge for the group. The brightness within the space made it difficult for them to navigate, the intense luminosity reflecting off the polished surfaces and crystal formations that adorned the walls and ceiling. The glaring light created discomfort, straining their eyes as they moved deeper into the heart of the dungeon.

As the group moved, they realized that the dungeon was slowly going downward. It was barely noticeable thanks to the size of the corridor.

"A dungeon this deep should have escaped the influence of the stump, so how home there are no monsters yet?" Terra asked.

"There is also possible that the monsters here were used as snacks for the crystal dragons," Seara explained. "What is their ability again?"

"They can become invisible by using their scales to reflect all the light around," Rain replied.

"I guess we were lucky that we never faced them," Seara said. "Then again, I can't imagine them behind harder to deal with than the meteor dragons. Their ability to control sunlight was insane…"

Danny, Annie, and Sealyn appeared notably curious by the conversation about the crystal dragons. Having faced and battled various dragon species, they displayed a keen interest in learning more, particularly about the Meteor dragons. They had previously encountered different dragon breeds but hadn't faced the Meteor dragons, renowned for their unparalleled abilities among the various dragon species.

In comparison, the trio had experienced confrontations with other dragon types, such as water dragons. They seemed to see the water dragons as relatively easier adversaries to deal with compared to the formidable Meteor dragons. The water dragons' abilities and powers, while significant, lacked the grand scale and awe-inspiring capabilities attributed to the Meteor dragons.

This made the concept of facing such colossal beings a matter of intense interest and curiosity for Danny, Annie, and Sealyn.

"There are mirage dragons as well, right?" Annie asked. "What is the difference?"

Rain didn't think that they should talk all that much while they were exploring that unknown place, but he didn't want to scold Annie. In the end, he decided to explain while still keeping his guard up.

"While both of them are powered by envy, they are respectively from Earth and fire attributes," Rain explained. "The crystal dragons can turn invisible by reflecting the light around them. But the mirage dragons can do that to some extent and also make their targets see illusions near them by using heat."

"We don't have to worry about that since we all can use Magic eyes, while their techniques might affect an entire area, we can at least tell when they would attack," Terra said. "Not that it matters when they are no longer around."

Despite their cautious exploration, the group failed to discover anything of importance on the first floor of the dungeon. Having traversed a considerable distance of about ten kilometers within the dungeon, they eventually reached the entrance leading to the second floor.

To their surprise, the brightness of the second floor surpassed that of the first, making it exceedingly difficult for them to see and navigate the area.

Recognizing the necessity to adapt to the luminous environment, Rain decided to make some dark lenses. These lenses were then equipped onto glasses for everyone in the group, allowing them to mitigate the overwhelming brightness. Without these specialized glasses, it would have been impossible for them to survey and navigate the area comfortably or effectively.

The glasses equipped with dark lenses became indispensable for the group to proceed deeper into the dungeon's interior.

"Be careful, the lenses are made of glass," Rain said as they went to the second floor. "Protect your eyes as usual to avoid them breaking."

"How did you make the glass darker but that still doesn't block our vision completely?" Terra asked while she checked her glasses.

"I will explain it later, let's go to the next floor," Rain said.

As the group ventured into the second floor of the dungeon, they encountered some monsters for the first time since entering. However, rather than immediately attacking, their attention was drawn to the numerous cocoons suspended from the ceiling. The sight of these cocoons put the group on high alert, their previous encounters with cocoons not ending particularly well.

Despite their apprehension and wariness, they noticed something odd about these particular cocoons—they seemed inert and lifeless. Rain, using his ability to sense mana, couldn't detect any traces of mana emanating from these cocoons. This absence of mana readings made the cocoons appear more like inert objects rather than active threats.