Hera and the others woke up early and called over Chika so they could head to the large tunnel as soon as possible. If everything went well, they would be completing the dungeon today. Despite not needing more pelts, everyone agreed to take the cart again. If push came to shove, they could just leave it behind and keep going. Chika also seemed to be very excited about the idea of finding the mole she was chasing. Everyone had a decent breakfast and walked out of the city, with a giant snake taking the role of a hunting dog. 

When they arrived at the large tunnel, everything was just how they had left it. There were no moles around, but the battle signals were still plain to see. Hera walked in front of everyone, "Ok, guys. You know the drill. We should be facing a boss today, so be careful, don't try to be a hero, and watch each other's backs. Anyone who's fighting from the back line needs to be on the lookout for ambushes coming from behind. And the Frontline needs to be ready to answer a call for help at any moment. Everybody ready?"

"Yes!" they all said in unison.

Hera smiled. Even if she wasn't sure she was the right person to lead this group, everyone seemed to be enjoying their time together and having fun, despite the danger, "Remember not to make too much noise. Even if it doesn't seem like the moles are attracted to sound, it's better to be safe than sorry."

They all headed inside the tunnel, with Chika staying in the middle of the group. The whole objective was for her to kill the boss with her poison. If someone else ended up dealing the killing blow, they would fail the hidden quest, and for Chika, she would miss the opportunity to help the people she cared about. 

After about 30 minutes of walking, they saw another group of moles. They were all staring at them, almost as if they were an army ready to defend a castle. Hera also noticed a couple of them who seemed fidgety and even somehow stressed. Out of curiosity, she used her [Observe]

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Black Eye Mole - Level 18 - Exhausted (Rock Affinity)
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Black Eye Mole - Level 18 - Sleep Deprived (Rock Affinity)
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"Oh," Hera gasped.

"What's wrong?" Chiton, who was close to her, asked.

Hera pressed her communicator so everyone would hear her, "I think they were here the entire night. We accidentally did some psychological warfare against them. Most of them are exhausted or sleep deprived."

"That's good, isn't it?" Blue asked through the communicator, trying to keep the low voice that Hera was using. Everyone knew that loud noises could cause the start of the fight, and for now, the moles were just watching them. 

"Maybe not," Lorna replied, " If an animal is cornered, it might fight harder than usual. The ones that are exhausted might not be that much of an issue. But the ones that are sleep deprived could have more strength than we expect."

Hera nodded, "Exactly. Let's not underestimate them. Everyone who can attack from a long-range, get ready and, on my mark, fire. Let the monsters come to us, don't dive in the middle of the pack," all members of the royal explorers started preparing a spell or a different attack. Only Chika, Daskka, Grom, and Mylo were waiting. Beam and Core also joined in since they were the two members of Hera's court who had long-range attacks. 

"Ready," Hera raised one of her hands, "Fire!" she sent out a shower of poison needles, trying to hit as many of them as possible. At the same time, spikes of earth, ice, and fire flew through the air, accompanied by wind and electric blades. Shane made the ground sturdier so the moles would have problems moving around. It was also something she did to avoid showing off her legacy to the dwarves. Even if Hera trusted them to share that secret, Shane didn't. Despite that, it wasn't like she didn't have other options. Her weapon was already set up in a way that she could pretend that the various different effects she was triggering were caused by her hand cannon and not a legacy. But the ability to reduce the mole's mobility was too good to pass up. 

With that initial attack, the first couple of lines of moles were instantly killed. The remaining monsters started charging at the group, but it was like they were rushing towards a meat grinder. Each dwarf was already higher level than any of the creatures, and they had years to perfect their skills and increase their attributes. The fighters took at most three hits to kill one of the moles, while those who focused on magic could dispatch each creature with one or two spells. 

The Royal Explorers continued their advance at a steady pace, but soon it became clear that something had changed. During the previous days, they would face 20 or so monsters at once before having a break. Now, after breaking through their defenses, only 8 or 9 moles were attacking the group at a time. However, they weren't getting any breaks. It was a constant flow of creatures that never seemed to stop. 

"Guys, let's make two groups. While one fights, the other stays back to rest. After a few minutes, group two will rotate," Hera told everyone, and they quickly split up. Even if that would make their progress a little slower, it was better than having the entire party fighting nonstop.