The map Miss Walker had given them was detailed enough to depict all the dungeon's twists and turns, but she hadn’t written where concentrations of monsters gathered, mostly because they usually roamed around.
The Whip Seaweed were stationary enough that James felt she could have easily added their location, but it was too late now.
The strategy they had employed earlier had been one of brute force. They’d take on all the plants could give and thus allow Lauren, the one most capable of dealing damage to them, to cut them up.
That had worked against one or two monsters. Against a dozen, they evidently needed to rethink their approach entirely.
“The idea of boiling them alive doesn’t sound that bad now, huh?” Maria said, a touch hysterically.
“You’ll boil us too by the time they are all dead.” Daniel answered, his voice still calm as ever, but his eyes betrayed some apprehension.
James knew what his friend was thinking. This was a terrible matchup for them in a place where they were already stretched to their limit. The average level of this dungeon had to be around twenty, which made it more dangerous than they should normally attempt. A dozen of the Seaweed might just be too much.
“I want to try something.” Ezekiel said, breaking the silence that had fallen. “These monsters are very annoying to deal with because they are pretty strong, and the vines give them a lot of versatility, even if they cannot move. But James said they are very dumb, right?”
“Yeah, the most simple-minded wills I have ever felt.” He confirmed.
A smirk came on Ezekiel’s face, devious and impish “Then what would happen if their MIND was lowered even further?”
Immediately, they all saw the possible consequences, and James almost slapped himself for not having thought of it first.
“Of course, I don’t expect them to just die. But if their already simple movements become even more predictable, and their reaction times lengthen, then we might have a chance.” The White Mage finished, looking very satisfied.
Seeing that there were no objections, he stepped ahead, standing just slightly behind Daniel in case the plants all decided to attack him at once.
His hands glowed softly as he cast a debuff on every single one. It would have been wiser to test out the theory with one singular specimen, but since the cave only had one path, they’d need to go beyond this group to find more. It was either try it now on all of them or retreat.
A faint veil seemed to descend over the Whip Seaweed, their swaying tendrils slowing ever so slightly. James quickly focused his senses, attempting to gauge how effective Ezekiel's spell had been. As he reached out with his magical senses, he felt the mental fortitude of the Whip Seaweed become even weaker, the threads of their intentions growing duller and less focused.
"It worked.” James declared. "They're slower. They're not thinking clearly—if they ever were."
Lauren unsheathed her knife, eyeing the debuffed monsters. "Let's test out this theory, shall we?"
They moved into formation, Daniel taking the lead with his shield at the ready, followed by James, who was prepared to jump forward and intercept any whip that passed through the Tank. Lauren stayed near the middle, ready to lunge forward when an opportunity presented itself, while Maria and Ezekiel remained near the back.
The Whip Seaweed, seemingly disoriented, reacted slower as Daniel stepped closer. Instead of the frenzied lashing they were used to, the vines now reached out in sluggish, uncertain movements, as though grappling in the dark.
Maria took the first shot, and her fireball hit true. The explosion, though it didn’t severely damage the plant, sent the tendril rocketing back, and it took several seconds before it got back into position.
Immediately, Lauren lunged forward, her knives singing through the air. She cut down two vines, slicing through them as if they were paper. Even James and Daniel, who had been relegated mostly as a punching ball, finally were able to do some damage of their own.
Charging in on the sluggish plants, they rained blows on the monsters’ main body, stomping and squashing until they were pulped.
They fell one by one, their slower movements and delayed reactions giving the group the needed openings. By the time they were through, the cavern floor was littered with the crushed and severed remains of the Whip Seaweed.
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For a moment, everyone stood in silence, catching their breaths and relishing the victory.
"That was incredible.” Maria said finally, breaking the silence. "It worked, Ezekiel. It worked really well!"
Ezekiel smiled, visibly pleased. "It's not often that one can outsmart a plant.” He chuckled “It took a lot out of me, casting so many debuffs, but if I can get some time to rest before we meet more, I think I can make it.”
Daniel cleaned his shield, his eyes meeting James'. "You know, this doesn't make the rest of the dungeon any less dangerous."
James nodded. "True. But at least we have one less thing to worry about, and perhaps a new trick up our sleeves. We're learning and adapting. That's what this is about. We all have our circumstances that push us to get stronger, and this is the way to get there.”
They regrouped, checked their equipment, and prepared to delve deeper into the dungeon with newfound confidence. The Whip Seaweed had been an annoying foe, especially because of the bad matchup. Still, they had shown that they could overcome even the most unfavorable odds with teamwork and ingenuity.
“I have leveled up.” James announced with a grin once he was done reading through the notifications. Fighting against higher leveled enemies was a fantastic way of speeding up progress, especially since he managed to go from passive bystander who received only a fraction of the experience, to active fighter.
“Me too.” Ezekiel chimed in “I got a lot more experience than I expected, honestly.”
“Well, without you, we wouldn’t have been able to do anything here, much less defeat all of them. You deserve it.” Daniel said, patting the younger boy on the shoulder.
“I’m close, but since I can’t manage to do much to them, it’s taking a while.” Maria announced, looking depressed that her Talent could not be put to use.
“We’ll let you have the crabs. Miss Walker’s papers said we should come to a shallower part of the cave soon, so your fire will be much more effective.” Lauren might not have been the best at comforting others, but it seemed like her promise to let Maria join in on the slaughter did the trick, because the redhead perked up.
James shook his head in amusement, focusing on his stat sheet.
STATUS WINDOW
Name
James Summers
Age
19
Awakening
1st
Talent
Thakinesis
Title
Level
14
MP
53/70
STR
12
VIT
9
AGI
9
SENSE
11
MIND
9
STAT POINTS
2
He put his free points in SENSE, bringing it up to what STR was, and AGI, deciding that having a bit more mobility in such a restricting environment could only help, taking it up to ten.
He had been briefly tempted to add to his STR, so that his punches could deal more damage, but that way lay overspecialization, and he had been repeatedly warned of its dangers.
SENSE, on the other hand, could give him an edge in noticing hidden presences. Considering how difficult it was to detect the Whip Seaweed, he’d be grateful if he could spend a bit less of his mental strength on that.
Finally done with the upgrades, they moved on, the atmosphere tense but electric with a newfound sense of possibility. They had all been afraid that it would simply be impossible to go through the whole dungeon, thanks to the lousy matchup and the high level, but in a stroke of luck, they now had the upper hand.
The map showed a straightforward path, but the dungeon was littered with enough alcoves that it was a lifesaver. Still, Miss Walker's map proved accurate, guiding them through the labyrinthine underworld without any missteps.
After a few more minutes of walking, they reached a large chamber. At its center was a glowing pool of water, lit from beneath by some luminescent mineral. The water sparkled in the dim light, casting strange reflections on the walls.
They had known about it thanks to Miss Walker’s map and thus were not caught by surprise when a giant crab, almost as big as the Crocodile Boss, emerged from behind a rock.
It’s not even the Boss… Well, I think my crab boil has just gotten big enough to feed all of Brooklyn.
James spied Maria’s hands trembling, but the look on her face was one of excitement, not fear; this was an enemy she finally could unleash her full power on.
"Okay, team, let's do this. Daniel, Ezekiel, you guys know what to do. Maria, unleash hell. Lauren and I will take advantage of any opening Maria gives us. Ready?" James called out, energy flooding his limbs.
Everyone nodded, taking their positions.
Maria started the assault. Raising her hands high, she concentrated, her face flushed. Flames flickered around her fingers, growing and swirling into a massive fireball. With a cry, she launched it toward the crab, the spell roaring like a jet engine as it shot through the air.
The fireball impacted with a deafening explosion, steam and smoke filling the chamber. The heat reached even them, but James knew it wouldn’t be over so quickly. The False Boss Miss Walker had warned them about, which would have been easy to believe was the final monster had they not known the truth, was much sturdier than that.
When the smoke cleared, the crab was visibly scorched, but still very much alive—and now quite angry. It let out a guttural, clicking noise, its giant pincers snapping in the air.
"Good hit, Maria! It's weakened! Daniel, Ezekiel, your turn!" James shouted.
Daniel charged forward, shield raised, drawing the crab's attention towards him. Ezekiel started weaving another debuff spell, aiming to reduce the crab's reaction speed even more.
As the crab lunged at Daniel, its pincer met the solid surface of his glowing shield. The Tank grunted, digging his heels into the ground as he absorbed most of the impact. He was sent back ten feet, but quickly retook his position.
Ezekiel's debuff found its mark, and the crab's movements visibly slowed.
"Now, Lauren!" Daniel yelled.
Lauren was already moving, her knives gleaming in the chamber's luminescent light. She darted around the crab, dodging its slower pincers, and aimed for its joints. Her daggers found their marks, cutting through the tough exoskeleton. The crab screeched in pain, now even more disoriented.
"James, finish it!" She called, weaving back from the frenzied movements with grace.
James grunted, having focused as much mana as he could in his fist. He jumped right next to the crab the moment it turned to chase after Lauren, taking advantage of its distraction to plant his feet, gather all the strength his enhanced body could produce, and landed a powerful punch right on its belly, flipping the crab in an almost comical sight.
Jumping back, James only slightly regretted his promise to leave the next monster to Maria as he watched her unleash all hell on it, burning the beast enough that its insides cooked. He could have cracked it open from below in a few hits, and it would have felt amazing, but when the smell of roasted crab reached him, he decided it wasn’t such a big deal.
The notification telling him he had helped defeat a [Mutated Crab - Giant Guardian] and gained [+350 EXP] was enough to make up for it. He was already almost halfway to the next level, and considering the cave's layout, he was sure he’d have the time to surpass it easily. They were just about at the midway point and the monsters would only get more plentiful from here.
Now, if only this stupid headache would go away…