"There actually is a lot of fascinating research on the subject." James said as he scanned their surroundings. "Levels are an excellent indicator of a being's power, but they are not the end-all-be-all. We can see this with Awakeners too, as depending on their Talent, they will be more or less dangerous in battle."
His own Talent, Thakinesis, was pretty clearly made for fighting, despite having only one skill designed to enhance his ability to do damage. James knew from long hours trawling Antares or TalentWiki that some people had extremely specific powers, like those that could alter other sentients' perceptions of things. Still, usually, they had no directly harmful Skills.
"But for monsters, the difference is even more marked." He continued. "Despite being of the same level, a Mephit and a Sprite are worlds apart. It's speculated that there might be an additional criterion, same as Awakening Rank or Level, that monsters have that we do not, but there is nothing official yet."
"That sounds very interesting." Daniel replied. "But we should probably leave it for later. We don't want to get caught with our pants down if another Mephit attacks." To which everyone made sounds of agreement, and James quieted down despite having much more to share.
I realize I can be somewhat long-winded when I get started, but it's just so fascinating!
As they ventured deeper, they encountered a few more groups of Sprites. These skirmishes, while initially startling, became almost routine. Maria's fire magic and Ezekiel's debuffs effectively contained and weakened the Sprites, allowing James, Daniel, and Lauren to dispatch them swiftly. Each victory bolstered the team's confidence in their chosen tactics.
However, their progress was not without its complications. When they faced another Mephit, the battle proved to be more challenging. The creature, larger and more powerful than the Sprites, wielded its icy fog with destructive precision. In one particularly tense moment, James was on the receiving end of a direct hit from the Mephit's icy stream. The chilling fog enveloped him, biting into his flesh and sapping his strength, despite his suit’s protection.
Ezekiel, quick to react, rushed to James's side, his hands glowing with healing energy. He worked swiftly to counter the frost that had begun to form on James's suit, his spells warming and rejuvenating his teammate. Thanks to Ezekiel's timely intervention, James was back on his feet in short order, ready to rejoin the fight.
With renewed vigor, the team regrouped and launched a coordinated assault on the Mephit. Lauren played the bait with agility and skill, which, combined with Maria's searing flames and Ezekiel's supportive magic, created openings for James and Daniel to get close. The Tank then forced the monster's attention on him, being the much larger and more physically intimidating target, which allowed James to get a powerful mana wave in.
After that, with the Elemental's weakened form flickering, they quickly overcame the Mephit, its form dissipating under their combined might.
The victory was hard fought, but the rewards were worth it, as James gained another level, taking him all the way up to sixty. That, together with the previous level, gave him four points to play with, which he added to STR (37), MIND(22), AGI(22) and SENSE(37), leaving VIT out as it was already at twenty-three.
Pressing onward once they were done with that, the team finally reached what they believed to be close to the center of the dungeon, even with the mess their perception of things had become.
The fog here was thicker, almost palpable, swirling around them in dense, ghostly currents. James extended his Thakinetic Awareness, probing the mist for any sign of danger or other presences.
To his surprise, he detected a group of people nearby. He signaled the team to halt, his hand raised in a silent command. They moved into a defensive formation, blending into the fog as best as they could, their eyes scanning the mist for any sign of movement.
Through the dense fog, they could barely make out figures engaged in what seemed to be a fierce battle. One of them, standing out with a distinctly powerful aura, was fighting against a massive creature that James immediately recognized as what must be the Boss of the dungeon: an Elemental Fog Knight. The Knight was a towering figure, its armor seemingly forged from the mist itself, wielding a sword that shimmered with a ghostly light.
What the fuuuuuuck?! That's at least F-rank! Fuck, I knew things were going too smoothly. They rigged this dungeon too! Fuck!
Shrouded in the mists, hidden from the Knight's view, there was also a group of Guild Awakeners. They, too, were observing the fight, their minds a mix of caution and intrigue. Clearly, they were monitoring the situation, perhaps waiting for the right moment to intervene or simply gathering information.
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His little freak-out done, James quickly alerted the others of what he had just sensed, and saw the same happen to them.
The Mephits had already been powerful enough, and they had expected a stronger variant to await them at the center. Not for the Boss to be an Elemental Knight!
Silently, not wanting any of the presences nearby to notice them, Team 0 had an exchange about what to do. The first option - that was, to leave and never look back - was quickly shelved. It was the sanest one, but it would also mean abandoning their dive in shame.
Which, now that I think about it, might be what the Guild bastards want. If the first dungeon in Brooklyn gets immediately abandoned by the AA, it will be a terrible PR blow.
The second, which was to jump in and try to arrest the people who were present without the proper permits, was also set aside. It was the right thing to do, but from what James could perceive, everyone but him and his teammates was at least F-rank. They would get killed before they could try to go through with the threat, and no one would know, considering how thick and disorienting the fog was.
That left the last option, and really the only practical one. Observing from a distance - possible only thanks to James' Skill - and trying to understand what was happening.
James turned to his team, his voice low. "They're just watching the fight for now. They don't seem to want to engage." Considering the sound of the titanic battle a few hundred feet away was barely audible, he seriously doubted they'd be found out if the suspected Guild members didn't have a sensory skill, and a powerful one at that, considering it needed to pierce the dense fog. Still, he gestured for the others to keep their volume low.
No sense in getting sloppy now.
Maria frowned, her gaze fixed on where he gestured the hidden Awakeners to be. "Why aren't they helping? What are they waiting for?"
"It's hard to say." James replied, his eyes never leaving the scene. "But we need to be careful. We don't know their intentions and can't risk exposing ourselves."
The team watched in silence as the lone Awakener battled the Elemental Fog Knight. The fight was intense, the Awakener's multicolored blasts of light clashing against the Knight's misty armor and blade. Despite the Awakener's skill and power - which could be felt even at the distance they were at - it was clear they were struggling against the sheer might of the Boss.
Whatever their Talent was, it had to be eclectic, as every time a jet of light touched something, it mutated rapidly, at times shriveling rapidly, at times growing uncontrollably.
The amount of mana employed was also significant, enough to almost interfere with James' skill.
As the battle raged on, the Guild members remained motionless, their eyes fixed on the fight. James could sense their anticipation, a palpable tension that hung in the air.
The lone Awakener was putting up a valiant fight, their attacks becoming more powerful as the battle raged on. The Fog Knight was mighty, but it seemed to have trouble handling the peculiar powers the human employed, and their extremely high AGI made nailing them down almost impossible, despite the terrain control the Boss employed.
Then, just as victory started becoming possible, the Guild Awakeners sprang into action in a sudden, shocking turn of events.
With a coordinated strike, they ambushed the lone Awakener from behind, their attack brutal and swift. The Awakener, caught off-guard, was overwhelmed in seconds by the mighty barrage of magical attacks, whose effect could be felt even from where Team 0 was hiding.
The team watched in horror as the Awakener disappeared under the powerful magic, the Guild team standing in a circle around them. Seconds later, a gust of wind freed their sight, and the mangled remains of the poor Awakener became visible.
The Fog Knight, seizing the opportunity, retreated into the mist to heal its wounds, its form fading away quickly.
The Guild team, now alone in the clearing, began to converse among themselves. Their voices were low, but James's enhanced senses picked up snippets of their conversation thanks to the Boss' departure, which allowed the mists to ease up somewhat.
"...needed to keep growing for a while longer." One of them - a tall man - was saying. "Can't let anyone clear it just yet."
"Yeah, the higher-ups want more attention on these G-rank dungeons. It's better to just let it play out. If the AA sends rookies, they'll just die to the Fog Knight, and we won't even have to dirty our hands." Another added.
The realization their worst suspicions were right hit Team 0 like a cold wave. The Guild Awakeners were manipulating the dungeon for their own ends, allowing the Fog Knight to remain at large for their own gain, wanting it to wreak havoc so that they could discredit the AA. It was a callous, calculated move that endangered the entire area.
"I don't like having to be here. It's just a matter of time before someone decent comes along." The second voice said, and James refocused, not wanting to miss anything.
"As long as it's idiots like this guy." A new one interjected, and James could just make out them scoffing in the corpse's direction. "We won't have to worry. The AA will send their team soon enough, so we have to return to the entrance. They will want their precious rookies to be seen getting in by everyone, lest they lose the opportunity for publicity."
Soon after, the Guild members left, melting into the fog in the direction Team 0 had just come in, though luckily from a different path.
"This is even worse than I expected." Daniel said, voice somber as they slowly left their hiding spot, walking to where the poor Awakener had been left out in the open, probably with the expectation that Sprites or Mephits would chance upon it and clean up the mess.
James could barely stand to look at the corpse. Not because it was too gory, as he was by now wholly desensitized, but because he felt shame at having stayed back while the Guild team attacked the poor man.
The team was silent, each member processing what they had just witnessed. The reality of the situation was stark and unsettling. They had come to clear the dungeon, but now they faced a quandary far greater than they had anticipated.
"We should leave and report them immediately. We can call Miss Walker, she'll come by in a flash." Maria said, her voice firm.
James nodded. "I would like to do that, but first, we need to clear this dungeon. We can't let that Knight remain, especially now that it’s injured. Then we'll make sure the AA knows exactly what the Guilds are up to."
For a moment, he expected the others to put up a fight. After all, he was suggesting they go face a known F-rank Boss. Despite their meteoric growth, they wouldn't be wrong for thinking it too far beyond their capabilities.
But no one disagreed. Rather, they all seemed grimly determined to get it over with so they could bring about justice.
We'll come back for you. James thought of the poor man's corpse, turned around, and left in the direction the Fog Knight had gone.