Naomi stared at James, and he ignored it as he quietly laughed to himself at the result of his exploration through the dungeon.
‘I should have expected it honestly. The dungeon would punish me when I left them behind. I suppose I could test a few more things but I am tired of dying so quickly and letting the novices fight will slow that process down a little bit. I might find some trouble on the last two floors, but they and their monsters are always a pain to fight in the cold. Preparing Ian will be required if we all want to continue.’
“Let’s gather everyone at the 18th-floor entrance,” said James, “We can catch up to the others by then.”
James started to consider how he should approach this run through the dungeon and maybe future ones as well. There was always a bit of tension between his team and Ian in particular. The first step to appeasing him and then winning over the others would be to let Ian kill the skeletal knight. It was for this reason James’s pace was a little slower than usual.
He and the other two arrived just in time to see Derek and Ian kill the boss by themselves. Seeing the boss’s head roll James stepped in and made his presence known as he started his speech.
“Good job-fighting. It is a great show of skill that you were able to defeat the skeletal knight without the other's help but that will not last. From here on out, I need all of you to stay nearby and fight well next to each other and with each other. I have tried solo killing the bosses of these floors and I have failed more times than I have one. I was lucky enough to receive help and get second chances in those cases, but it will not be the same for you. I will not be able to always save you. Especially when it might mean endangering myself. But don’t worry now because I have some good news depending on how you feel. Behind you is a single portal as you can see. And it only leads in one direction. That means only one thing. We will have to travel further down into the dungeon and reach the 25th floor.”
James paused at that revelation and waited for the information to sink in before continuing.
“That means I want no more harassing words. Intentional or unintentional sabotage and I want you to work together if we are to continue. Do your best to follow my lead and instructions. I may make suggestions that could keep you less injured in the current and future fights. I have been around this area of the dungeon especially well.”
‘They have no idea.’
“So, I know some trick to help make this dungeon delve faster. Now you may lodge your complaints along the way. Let us get going.”
Similar questions arose this time around and James answered them adequately enough that the novices were satisfied. Perhaps only Naomi was still a bit skeptical, but she still followed James’s direction when called upon.
James’s focus throughout the 17th floor and the start of the 18th floor was watching how the novices fought and how well they did it together. In the past, he had done it rather passively. Now however he searched for their flaws and considered what he could do to help them fix them in the limited time he had.
He knew it was a long shot but something he needed to do eventually. James remembered his own experiences with the 25th floor especially and knew that his group was not ready yet. Even with the improvements, he had made throughout repeated deaths. If he challenged the 25th floor now then at least one or two of the novices would die trying to beat the boss.
“Keep your quiver well stocked if you can manage it,” said James to Naomi, “The monsters won’t wait for you to summon more arrows. Always have some ready to go.”
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“Wes. Your footing is off-balance. I know that the spear will take time to adjust to. Adjust your weight and foot positioning in between our combat encounters as needed until you are rooted to the ground. Your abilities can’t completely save you if you don’t have a good foundation.”
James kept up the criticism with some positivity and encouragement. With his help, the novices fought their way through the 19th floor and then the 20th floor. Due to having the others around him, he opted to not use his volley shots and let them take the lead while sniping the enemies from a bit further away. James needed the novices to improve and not just rely on them as total support. As they progressed further through the dungeon James held more control over the situations as the enemies became harder to defeat. James gave them just enough room that they were pushed to their limits to improve but not so much that they could be dealt a fatal blow.
He knew that this loop would very likely not be his last, so James let the novices get injured and learn what happens when mistakes are made. Throughout this delve, James also avoided using his magic arrows. They were too powerful and would hinder the novices' training. While James considered going all out to get as far as he could and push the current limits of the dungeon he knew what he needed to accomplish this time around.
The last few times James had explored how far he could push himself to improve and get through the dungeon but that was now over. The dungeon had shown him that he was at the end of the dungeon if he wanted to go at it alone. Now though. He was here to see what the novices could do.
Their collective efforts were better overall. James had watched Wes use the added spear a dozen times by now and had seen Wes’s initial efforts each time. This time around James quickly pointed out the steps Wes needed to take to adapt to the added weapon and how to deal with the boss enemies for the floors.
Each time Derek fought James was surprised. His greatsword was difficult to handle and his saber moves did not always transfer well onto the new weapon. James had less to say to Derek but continued to encourage him and kept him in optimal spots to do as much damage as possible. Arrows from James held back the demon and forced it to change tactics as Derek swung at the monster. Derek started to sweat more and more as the fighting continued.
To assist Naomi James kept in mind his own improvements throughout the dungeon and pointed her toward his insights. She fought fiercely with a full quiver of different types of arrows and stayed quick on her feet as the situation with the boss’s changed. While James could output more arrows and damage than her she had a natural talent for dexterity and speed which was further aided by her new item. Together the two meant she had little trouble getting close to and behind the demon, while Derek occupied its front, and pelted it with arrows before getting away.
James stayed back to let the novices finish off the demon. He kept an eye out for Ian and made sure he did not step out of line. Ian did step forward on occasion and did not always want to stay on the backlines, but James kept him back. James recognized the importance of the next floors and did not want to see Ian waste any energy on this floor if possible. They were not fully geared for the next floors and would require his magic and strength to survive.
The final blows against the demon were brought by Derek. His wild flurry of blows had slowed to a more methodical targeted attack while waiting for an opening and Wes defended. He had kept opening wounds on the demon and slowed the demon’s healing enough to finally finish it off.
Once it was dead James finally relaxed. In between his occasional attack, he had focused on activating traps early and pushing the demon into doing the same. His actions kept the novices focused on the dangers of the demon instead of on the volcanic environment around them.
James stepped up to the demon and collected the fire resistance ring that rested where the demon’s body once lay now that it had dissolved. He did not even check its power and passed the ring to Wes. Wes smiled after inspecting the ring’s properties and promptly slid it on. The effects were immediate, and he relaxed a little bit more as the temperature of the floor lessened on his shoulders.
James caught a glance at Ian who scowled briefly before returning to normal. Ian had held back but desperately wanted one of the items and eyed each of the other novices. All of the other novices now held a new magical item except him. James made a note to change up who held what magical items and watch what Ian did this time around and the next.
Moving on from the boss fight they stepped into the safe zone which healed their few wounds and kept them refreshed at a more comfortable temperature. While the others rested James began planning his moves on the next floors of the dungeon.