For all that the crocodile was a formidable opponent, and it would have probably swept any of them in a one versus one fight, its fate had been sealed the moment Team 0 managed to get its measure.

Unlike the rat Boss, it didn’t have any support to come to its aid, probably because of its reptilian, solitary nature. Since it couldn’t properly leverage its water magic or formidable strength thanks to their teamwork, there was nothing it could do beyond being whittled down.

James believed the crocodile to be smart enough to realize its fate, which was why he wasn’t surprised when it tried to break the pattern they had established by throwing itself back into the water.

It wouldn’t run away, differently from other monsters. A Boss was born when a creature absorbed an abnormal amount of mana from the Well, and if it survived the process, it gained incredible powers, with the caveat that it couldn’t leave. Not because the dungeon was sentient and tried to stop it, but because the mana density outside the central chamber was simply too low to sustain it for long.

They were creatures destined to reign over their kin but that couldn’t leave their kingdom. That was why they rightly ignored the possibility it would run away and instead focused on the likely chance it would go for broke and try to change the established pattern.

That meant that when it called upon more water than it had so far, only to use it as a distraction to reach the sewer, they smoothly changed positions, allowing Maria to bombard it more easily.

Her fireballs were not hot enough to actually do much harm while it hid below the surface. Still, they could certainly make things uncomfortable for it, and while it was true that the redhead couldn’t maintain the attack for long, having almost exhausted her reserves, they had a secret weapon the crocodile couldn’t possibly counter.

A mana potion, an expensive item they had received as part of their monthly supplies from the AA, went down her gullet, granting her a second wind. With her reserves restored, the girl was easily able to increase her rate of fire, until the monster was once again forced out of the water.

From there, their “death of a thousand cuts” plan resumed, keeping in mind that they couldn’t afford to prolong it much since everyone was feeling the drain and mana potions didn’t grow on trees. Even a H-rank one, such as the one Maria drank, cost a thousand dollars. Moreover, they weren’t easy to get a hold of since Guilds tended to buy them as soon as they hit the market.

Fortunately, the Boss was also limited by being an H-rank creature, though a relatively strong one. Its reserves were not enough to outlast the entirety of Team 0, especially since it was forced to call upon its water shield more and more.

Once it had exhausted its mana and physical strength was all that was left to it, they moved in for the kill.

James, aided by the debuffs still slowing the monster down, managed to get in a couple of disorienting hits, creating an opening for Lauren to get her knife into its skull. The armor there was thick enough that it didn’t go deep enough to kill it, but it made the Boss go into a frenzy as it desperately tried to dislodge the weapon, only to push it in more.

The two melee fighters made some distance, not wanting to get caught in the massive crocodile’s death throes. Then, seeing that the monster showed no sign of finally succumbing, Daniel charged it, his shield glowing powerfully as he bashed it against the knife buried in its head, finally ending the fight.

“Oh, Sweet baby Jesus. Finally!” Lauren groaned, dropping to the ground in exhaustion as soon as the notification came. She had been using her skills to nick the Boss on every possible occasion, making it wary enough that it hadn’t attempted to isolate and kill any of them. Her efforts had been fundamental, but also very tiring.

“That thing just wouldn’t go down. It must have been almost at the top of H-rank, otherwise it couldn’t have lasted so long.”

James nodded, agreeing with Ezekiel’s assessment. Evidently, the Boss’ main stats had been STR and VIT, granting it a highly enhanced physique, but it hadn’t been fast enough to make use of them. Miss Walker’s words about maintaining a balance between the stats rang with truth once again.

Maria was busy rubbing her temples, her overuse of mana and having pushed herself even further with the potion coming back to bite her in the form of a headache “God this suuuucks.”

Daniel patted her on the back, commiserating “Let’s pick this place clean and go back to the surface. If we are quick, I think we’ll still have a couple of hours before lunch to nap.”

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That was enough for everyone to perk up. The very early rise, coupled with the unexpected difficulty of the dungeon, meant that they really needed the rest.

“Well, what are you guys waiting for, let’s get this done!” Lauren shouted, suddenly very peppy.

James chuckled but got his knife out, ready to start cutting into some crocodiles. “I think it’s better if we just bring the whole Boss up. Trying to search for its mana stone would take us too long and the materials might be worth a lot, considering it’s a crocodile.”

Daniel grimaced, knowing he’d have to be the one to do most of the work, but didn’t complain, taking the end of the monster’s tail in his hands and starting to pull. “This is gonna take a while.”

———

Showers were God’s gift to mankind, James decided. Many had lost their faith after the Apocalypse in 2012 when it was the System to save them, but he was sure that if the bliss he was feeling continued for a bit longer, his faith would finally resurge.

I swear if they send us down in another sewer, I’ll quit. I had barely managed to get the smell from my hair… At least this one was a bit less stinky. The human remains were not exactly pleasant, nor was having to dig through a hundred of those little crocs for their stones, but at least we got some money out of it.

His bank account had never been happier. His expenses had also increased, having to commute daily to Manhattan and, more importantly, buying supplies for their dives beyond what the AA offered. Still, the gains, both material and System-wise, were enough that James felt satisfied with the results of his hard work.

That was another thing he truly enjoyed about being an Awakener. When he worked in retail, even after giving it his all, the reward was a small bonus at the most. Now, having faced his most powerful enemy so far, he had pushed through level twelve and into level thirteen. The four stat points burned, and he’d assign them soon enough, but first, he needed to finish cleaning himself up.

Once that was done, James exited his shower at Team 0’s private bathroom, slipping his flip-flops on and walking to the hair drier station. He nodded to Daniel and Ezekiel, who had the same blissful, satisfied expression he knew was painted on his face.

In unison, they all activated the air driers, shaking their heads like dogs and using them to remove the stubborn water droplets that clung to them even after one pass with the towel.

“This is the life.” James commented later, laying sprawled on one of the couches while still in his bathrobe, a cup of hot tea held in his hands.

“Yeah, if only we didn’t have to go through the sewers looking for monsters to live it…” Lauren commented, sitting with her legs up in very fluffy-looking pyjamas.

After their first dungeon run, where they had all become friends, team 0’s members had decided unanimously to drop the pretenses and enjoy their parlor's relaxed atmosphere. That meant wearing whatever they wanted without fear of judgment, eating as much as they wished to and sleeping without fear of getting disturbed.

Looking at Maria, who was blissfully napping on another couch, wearing an eye mask and earplugs, James commented “Well, I don’t think we’d enjoy it as much if we hadn’t come from a sewer.” Seeing that they were all looking at him weirdly, he hurried to add “Not to say that it’s the suffering that makes pleasure what it is, but it enhances the experience, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose.” Lauren conceded, not looking particularly interested in pursuing that line of reasoning. Instead, she chose another subject “Do you guys want to add your stat points now or will you do it later?”

Daniel shrugged “I already put two in STR; I needed it to carry the damn Boss.”

They all chuckled at that. James had helped the Tank, especially in the last stretch, but since they were all needed to cut into the crocodiles and extract their mana stones, he had to lug the massive creature around for quite a while.

“I’ll do it later. I’m relaxing now.” Ezekiel replied, who was busy putting some hydrating cream on his face. “The sewers might be humid, but it’s the wrong kind. My skin looks horrible.”

“I think I’ll do it now.” James said, bringing up his status window with a thought, adding one point to STR, one to SENSE, one to VIT and the last to MIND.

STATUS WINDOW

Name

James Summers

Age

19

Awakening

1st

Talent

Thakinesis

Title

Level

13

MP

65/65

STR

12

VIT

9

AGI

9

SENSE

11

MIND

9

STAT POINTS

0

SKILLS LEVEL DESCRIPTION Thakinetic Empowerment 3 (Active): Utilize your Willpower to temporarily raise STR - VIT - AGI. Thakinetic Awareness 2 (Active/Passive): Expand your SENSE to feel other’s wills. Thakinetic Resistance 2 (Active/Passive): Empower your MIND to defend yourself against foreign influences.

The Boss fight had shown the importance of not overspecializing, especially when still at the early ranks. The white crocodile probably wouldn’t have won even had it been faster, but it certainly would have made things more difficult for them.

As he progressed, James knew he’d have to bring his two main stats, STR and SENSE, to a higher level than the others, but that was precisely why he was following the pattern he had decided upon with Miss Walker’s help.

At every level, he’d put one point in his main stats and one in his secondary ones. That alone would end up making all the difference he would need, even if, at the moment, it didn’t look like much.

Well, to put things into perspective, I’m now strong enough that I could have competed in a weightlifting championship before the Apocalypse. My eyes can see much farther, my ears hear more and even my nose is better. Admittedly, that doesn’t help much when it comes to trawling through a sewer…

The sensation of muscles and mind rearranging themselves under the System’s influence was always weird, but James had almost gotten used to it by now. Unless one banked a few levels’ worth of points and put them all at once, there would be no problems, even with adding them in while on the field.

He was still frustrated at how far he’d have to go before he could do anything definitive about the Radiant guild, but progress made him feel better. Slowly but surely, he was getting there.

The time of the reckoning would come before they could realize it was on them, and he’d show no mercy.