----
Everyone in the party, save for Aspaira and Kieran, leveled up after the third Shadow Wolf was killed. Their eyes sparkled with excitement for a moment because this mode was indeed a treasure trove of Experience. However, Altair and the others looked at Kieran skeptically a short while later.
"You weren't even that close to leveling up! How did you reach Lv.7 before I did when I was already two-fifths full?" Altair asked. Until now, his leveling progress was always ahead of Kieran's since it showed within their friend's list. Yet, after coming to this dungeon, Kieran's progress eclipsed his own!
Furthermore, everyone's experience showed underneath their Health and Mana bars inside the party icon.
"That… is a secret. I can't disclose everything about myself, now can I?" Kieran chuckled sheepishly. Of course, the party remained curious. But since Kieran seemed tight-lipped about the situation, they couldn't press the matter. Instead, they compiled the dropped items.
The three Shadow Wolves didn't drop any equipment, but they did drop a generous amount of coins and materials. But, loot distribution wasn't at the forefront of Kieran's worries which he made very clear.
"Aside from any useful equipment that drops, we'll save loot distribution for the end of the dungeon. Do you all trust me to do so?" Kieran asked while looking around. There was no relationship between any of the members, so Kieran wanted to make sure he had their consent.
"Errr…" Cygnus tapped her fingers together with a troubled expression.
Similarly, Sithik revealed a wry smile.
They had both played enough games to understand that they shouldn't give away their trust easily. Who's to say this guy wouldn't run off with their loot after all was said and done.
Thankfully, Aspaira commented as well. "Well, how about we just distribute what we collected so far to establish a basic trust between the party?"
"I don't wanna hear anything from the woman who tried to bald me!" Altair exclaimed.
"I second that. Do you not know that is something we pride ourselves on now? I despise the day that I grow old enough to experience that dreaded receding hairline. Yikes," Kieran added.
Although both of them joked around to lighten the atmosphere, Kieran ultimately agreed with Aspaira's suggestion because it was a simple matter. He tossed the items into the party interface, which instantly divvied up the loot into equal shares. Everyone received at least 10 Copper Coins and either a fang or pelt material.
On the other hand, Kieran kept a silent recollection of the interaction with this party. As of now, he couldn't see himself dungeon diving with anyone besides Altair. While they didn't seem like bad people, judging by Aspaira's aim and alertness, it was difficult to rely upon their skill.
At the same time, Kieran pulled up his character menu to assess what needed to change.
「Name: Aatrox
Lv.7 (Experience: 1,100/2,000)
Class: Warrior
Title(s): None
----------------------------
[«Stats»]-
Health: 190/190 (0.2 HP regen/sec)
Mana: 130/130 (0.15 MP regen/sec)
Stamina: 109 (0.1 Stamina regen/sec)
Attack Power: 83
Defense: 55
-----------------------------
[«Attributes»]-
»Strength: 35 (23 + 12 + 0)
»Intelligence: 20 (20 + 0 + 0)
»Agility: 35 (32 + 3 + 0)
»Endurance: 18 (8 + 10 + 0)
»Control: 30 (30 + 0 + 0)
»Vitality: 18 (8 +10 + 0)
»Perception: 50 (50 + 0 + 0)
[Unassigned Stat Point: 5]
[Skill Points: 4] 」
'In this dungeon, Attack Power and Health will be most important for me. I'll have to disrupt the golden ratio for the time being and correct it later on,' Kieran thought.
Afterward, he distributed his Unassigned Stat Points.
〈System: You have used 3 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Strength: 35 → 38]〉
〈System: You have used 2 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Vitality: 18 → 20]〉
〈Attack Power: 83 → 89 〉
〈Health: 190 → 200〉
"Altair, I need you to assign four points in Strength and one in Agility," Kieran requested.
"Consider it done," Altair nodded. In truth, his current distribution ratio rotated often. On some levels, he favored Agility; on others, he favored Strength. The only difference is that he didn't add the single customary point to Control.
After a moment, Kieran turned towards the party and displayed an unusually serious expression. "From here on out, it will become challenging. Those three wolves are just a prelude, but if we're to clear this dungeon, we need to acquire as much experience and equipment as possible. If possible, I need you to truly watch where you aim your attacks, Aspaira."
"I understand," Aspaira nodded earnestly.
"One mistake, no matter how harmless it may seem, could cost us the run. If someone clears this before us, we'll lose out on the special benefits of a First Clear. I'd like to avoid that possibility… so follow my instructions as closely as possible," Kieran said, stressing the end of his directions.
He then turned toward Altair and explained what came next. "There will be many diverging paths that branch off from this singular pathway. I need you to trigger all of them with me aside from the center. We'll need at least 35 Agility to accomplish this."
"How are you so certain?" Altair questioned. It seemed like Kieran was too knowledgeable about the minimum required stats from his perspective.
"Well, Perception is my strongest stat. So, I'm aware of the micro-adjustments you made against the monsters. The fact you emerged unscathed against the Shadow Wolf means your Agility is more than enough," Kieran answered.
Altair raised his brows but nodded nonetheless.
"What shall we do?" Cygnus and Sithik asked at the same time.
"You guys wait until your crucial roles appear. Aspaira, we'll need to rely upon your Flame Wave skill for this section, so begin its chant a few seconds after we rush into our second paths," Kieran ordered.
"Okay. Second paths; got it!" Aspaira said, committing the instructions to memory by repeating them continuously.
Meanwhile, Kieran unequipped his sword so it wouldn't impact his running speed. After doing so, Kieran explained that the surrounding towering tree stumps can be used as cover from their upcoming enemies. Once done, he rushed into the leftmost path, with Altair taking the rightmost one.
The path quickly grew murky as a dark atmosphere descended. Kieran was all too familiar with the lengths of these diverging pathways, so he preemptively reinforced his Perception. One of the unavoidable effects of the atmosphere was progressively dulled senses.
Even Kieran's heightened awareness suffered from it despite being strengthened by Agatha.
'These limits… just atrocious,' Kieran thought. He could only wonder how Altair fared in this situation. Fortunately, Altair was both fast and held the Enhanced Senses passive from being the first to receive the Thief Class in Gena village.
While running, Kieran snatched two handfuls of pebbles off the ground. He could hear the low rumbling of growls echoing in the chest of wolves nearby. Once it grew loud enough, he stopped and threw all the pebbles with as much force as he could muster.
Ao! Ao!! Ao!!!
A string of deafening howls reverberated down the pathway as Kieran sprinted away without looking back. He needed to keep as much space between him and the wolves as remotely possible.
Since the pebbles left his hands, they would be treated as attacks executed by Kieran and attract the aggro of the wolves.
Within seconds, Kieran emerged from the leftmost path and dodged into the adjacent trail without pausing. At the same time, he sent a message in the party chat.
〈Party Leader Aatrox: I suggest you hide now and stay out of sight. Quite a few of 'em of coming this way.〉
Simultaneously, Altair appeared from within his first path with phantom-like movements. He activated Swift Steps, which increased his linear speed far beyond the wolves. But, he didn't leave them so far behind that it canceled their aggro.
The only reason Altair emerged at the same time as Kieran was the difference in their familiarity with the dungeon's layout. Altair had to run deeper than Kieran to attract the same aggro, which was a testament to his speed.
When both Kieran and Altair entered, a wave of enraged Shadow Wolves emerged from the murky trails and looked around. When they saw nothing, visible confusion appeared across their face. They released angry snarls but soon turned after sensing movement from the paths behind them.
Grrrrr!
Approximately five seconds later, Aspaira appeared over 15 meters away, which remained outside the detection range of these monsters. She lifted her staff before her and began chanting the only E Rank Skill in her possession―Flame Wave. It had a cast time of 3.5 seconds and required that the caster remain uninterrupted or the channeling would stop.
She started the chant now because she could faintly discern movement coming from Altair's path. Less than a second later, she also saw Kieran's dull gray armor rushing from within his path as well.
〈Party Leader Aatrox: Is it almost prepared? I hope so because there are a lot.〉
〈Sithik: Exactly how many is a lot?〉
〈Party Leader Aatrox: Dunno, maybe upwards of 22. Just be ready!〉
Following that message, Altair was the first to appear. Just as he did so, the 10-second duration of his skill Swift Steps ended.
"Floor! Aim your attack at the floor in front of the wolves!" Kieran roared.
At the same time, he jumped right before activating Charge, using the boost in mobility to bypass the collection of wolves inside the leafy clearing.
Aspaira obliged, aiming the Flame Wave at the floor.
Whoosh! Ssszzt!
Kieran narrowly avoided the blaze below, feeling the heat right under his cheek. However, he didn't even take the time to properly recover before spinning around and equipping his greatsword with a tight grip.
〈System: Do you wish to upgrade «Force Slash» twice at the cost of 4 SP? [Y / N]?〉
Kieran's arm tensed up greatly, causing the muscles to swell. A Lv.4 Force Slash, while not a Lv.5 one, was more than enough to generate the effect he sought―an inferior replication of the strike Scar unleashed during the examination.
"Eat this!" Kieran bellowed.
Whoosh!
Despite the wolves backing away from the flames, Kieran's attack kicked up a large gust of wind that further spread the raging flames, engulfing the extensive collection of wolves.
Equally important, Kieran's stream began generating a growing buzz within the community following this use of a Mage and Warrior combination skill.
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