Jessica listened intently, her gaze shifting briefly to Madi, then back to Jack. She hated how easily he took command, hated how naturally the group seemed to defer to him. But damn it, he was good at it. Too good. And when his smirk softened into something less calculated, less guarded, it hit her in a way she hadn’t expected. There was something beneath all that stoic authority, something raw and genuine. She didn’t want to admit it, but she liked it. And it scared her.

Madi blinked, her voice quiet but steady. “And the node?” she asked again, pressing harder now.

Jack gestured toward the darkened passage they’d emerged from earlier. The jagged stalactites piercing the floor of the chamber seemed to loom larger now, like the jaws of some demonic beast. “Back the way you came,” he said, his voice matter-of-fact but laced with caution. “Through the room with the pedestal trap. I don’t know how far, but I’m sure you know the place I’m referring to. That’s where the node is hidden.”

Jessica’s stomach twisted at the memory of that room - the traps, the mobs, the suffocating sense of danger. Her pulse quickened, but she pushed the fear down, burying it under layers of resolve. She wouldn’t let him see her falter. Not now.

“Great,” she said, her voice dry but tinged with grudging acceptance. “Back into the belly of the beast. Sounds like a plan.”

Rando threw up his hands, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. “That place was a deathtrap!” he said, his tone laced with exasperation. “We skipped those mob-filled areas intentionally because we weren’t stupid enough to get ourselves killed for unknown rewards. And now you’re telling us we were stupid for not going in and clearing them?” His expression darkened as he let out a disgruntled huff. “Well, sonofabitch!” he finished, his bravado faltering under the weight of his own words.

Jack didn’t so much as glance at Rando, his focus locked firmly on Jessica. He caught the flicker of fear in her eyes - an involuntary reaction, gone as quickly as it had appeared. But he also saw something else beneath it. A fire. Not the reckless, misplaced confidence he’d seen in so many would-be leaders, but a steady, resilient blaze that refused to be extinguished. It was impossible not to admire her for it. She wasn’t just enduring the weight of her crew’s expectations; she was standing taller under it.

He didn’t like admitting it, even to himself, but Jessica - Little Red, as her team called her - was more than just a stubborn leader. She was capable. And, if he were being honest, dangerously captivating. The way her jaw tightened, the way her hands rested near her machete like she was ready to fight the world if she had to - it was a strength he couldn’t ignore.

Still, she was young, inexperienced. And the truth was, that combination could get her team killed.

Jack shrugged, his expression slipping into one of practiced indifference. “That’s the point,” he said, his tone calm but firm. “The dungeon doesn’t want to make it easy for you. It’s not supposed to be easy. That room was your test, and you skipped it.”

Brick scowled, his broad shoulders tensing as his grip on his rifle tightened. He wasn’t the type to back down easily, but Jack could see the frustration etched into every line of his face. “You mean the one crawling with mobs?” Brick asked, his teeth clenched. “The one we decided wasn’t worth dying over?”

“That’s the one,” Jack replied with a curt nod, his voice matter-of-fact. “It wasn’t just another combat room - it was a challenge. You clear it, you find the node. But instead, you bypassed it. Classic rookie mistake.”

“Great,” Molly muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes dramatically. She twirled one of her knives in her hand with a practiced ease that belied her growing unease. “So now we have to go back and deal with the mess we skipped in the first place. Fantastic. I’m thrilled.”

Rando piped in, his usual flair for sarcasm bubbling to the surface. “Oh yeah, can’t wait. It’ll be like Christmas morning, but, you know, with more screaming and blood.” His grin didn’t reach his eyes, and Jessica shot him a sharp look that silenced him instantly.

Jessica turned her focus back to Jack, her glare unwavering as she stepped forward. Her grip on her machete tightened for a moment before she released it, crossing her arms instead. “How do we know you’re telling the truth?” she asked, her voice cutting through the chatter. “How do we know this isn’t just some elaborate way to get us killed?”

Jack’s smirk widened, though it carried no humor. If anything, it was tinged with a hint of exasperation. “You don’t,” he said simply. His voice was cool, steady, but there was an edge to it now. “But I’m still standing here, aren’t I? If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have bothered saving you in the first place.”

Jessica’s glare didn’t waver, but her jaw tightened, and for a moment, she said nothing. Jack could almost see the gears turning in her head, weighing his words, calculating the odds. Finally, she let out a low sigh, her shoulders relaxing just slightly as she spoke. “Fine,” she said. “But if this goes south, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

Jack nodded, a flicker of amusement sparking in his eyes. “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied, stepping away from the wall and gesturing toward the darkened passage they had come from. “Now, let’s get moving. The longer we wait, the more this dungeon adapts - and the harder it’s going to be to clear that room.”

Jessica watched him for a moment, her gaze narrowing. She didn’t trust him, not entirely, but damn it, he made sense. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Her team depended on her, not him, and she wasn’t about to let his sudden takeover undermine her authority. But even as she reassured herself of that, she couldn’t ignore the gnawing realization that he might’ve just saved their lives by showing up when he did.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Rando let out a low whistle, his usual bravado creeping back into his tone like a well-worn mask. “Man, this just keeps getting better and better,” he said, his grin returning with a nervous edge. “I can’t wait to see what kind of fresh hell is waiting for us back there.”

Molly began whistling a familiar melody. Jack finished the lyrics in his head as he ignored Rando’s comments. Following the leader, wherever he may go.

His focus was already on the task ahead. He moved toward the makeshift passage into the trap room, his steps steady and deliberate. The faint hum of the crystalline veins lining the walls seemed to grow louder as he approached, a sound that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The dungeon was aware of them. He could feel it. And it didn’t like what they were planning.

Behind him, the group exchanged wary glances before falling into step, their unease palpable in the heavy silence. Jessica took one last look over her shoulder, her eyes lingering on the dimly glowing walls, their light casting shifting shadows that seemed almost alive. Her grip tightened on her machete as she turned back to follow Jack. His words pressed heavily on her mind, the weight of his calm certainty sinking in like a stone.

System Message: Group Dynamics Updated

Leader Assigned: Jack

New Party Bonus Unlocked:

* Tactical Insight: +10% to perception rolls for hidden traps and nodes.

Jack saw the message and smirked. Thanks Sis, he thought.

Big Red’s brow furrowed as he stepped closer to the group, his massive axe resting on his shoulder like a silent threat. “You said we have to go back. Fine. But how?” His deep voice rumbled through the cavern, carrying frustration and no small amount of doubt. He gestured at the collapsed entrance to the trap room, the columns of calcite and shattered stone forming what looked like an impenetrable barrier.

Jack followed Big Red’s gesture, his sharp gaze tracing the jagged edges of the blocked passage. He rolled his shoulders, the movement deliberate, as if shaking off the weight of their doubts. “Depends,” he said, his voice level but carrying just enough edge to make the question feel rhetorical. “You want to survive this place, or do you want to stumble forward and hope for the best?”

The group exchanged uneasy glances, the silence stretching a beat too long before Jessica stepped forward. She tilted her chin, her fiery hair catching the faint crimson glow of the dungeon veins. “Fine,” she said, her tone sharp and challenging. “Show us.”

Jack’s lips twitched, not quite forming a smirk. He pulled out the Echo Sense card, the smooth surface glinting faintly in the dim light. Activating it, he felt the familiar ripple of energy spread out in waves from his position. The dungeon walls seemed to shiver in response, the soundless pulse of the card mapping the immediate area in his mind.

His suspicions were quickly confirmed: there were no easy routes back to the resurrection node. The only clear path was through the trap room, and the collapsed passage made that option impossible without significant backtracking. Jack muttered under his breath, his mind turning over the oddities he’d already noticed about this place.

No resurrection nodes. He’d nearly made it to the third floor without encountering one, which was abnormal for a dungeon of this tier. Normally, nodes were positioned strategically - often near dungeon entrances or just before major challenge rooms. This lack of apparent nodes made the dungeon feel... wrong. Misaligned. And while Jack wasn’t particularly thrilled to rely on them himself, he understood their purpose. Resurrection nodes were a gamble, a lifeline that came with its own costs, but in situations like this, they were invaluable.

He frowned, thinking back to his solo runs in other dungeons. Without a party, nodes were a mixed blessing. Most required someone else to activate them, and without a healer, it meant a corpse run - a miserable trek back to recover the gear left behind on your body. But a healer-class party member changed the game. With the right setup, you resurrected directly at the node, mostly intact. Madi, despite her inexperience, was a solid advantage for this group, even if they didn’t fully grasp the significance of that yet.

Jack’s thoughts shifted to the trap room with the pedestal. It makes sense. The placement of the node would likely be there, just before the challenge. A deliberate test of skill, coordination, and perseverance. The dungeon wanted to separate the bold from the foolish. A team that couldn’t clear the mobs wouldn’t be able to survive the challenges ahead.

His attention drifted back to the group. How did they even get this far? He studied them with a critical eye, his frustration rising alongside his curiosity. Their survival up to this point felt like an anomaly. They were inexperienced, and it showed. Sure, they carried themselves like seasoned dungeon divers, but their kits told a different story.

Big Red and Little John had the right instincts - their axe and hammer were practical and powerful tools for this kind of dungeon. Brick wasn’t bad either, his heavier-caliber rifle suggesting he had at least some idea of what he was doing. But Rando, Nick, and Jason? They were woefully under-geared. The brothers didn’t even have enchanted weapons, none of them did, and Rando’s slapdash approach to everything made Jack’s teeth clench.

And then there was Jessica. Jack’s gaze lingered on her longer than he intended. She was using a machete, and while there was something admirable about the brutal simplicity of it, it wasn’t enchanted like his. He could see the wear on its blade, the nicks and dull edges from too many encounters with creatures tougher than her weapon could handle. It was a testament to her grit that she’d gotten this far with it, but grit only carried you so far. She needed better gear. They all did.

He grimaced, his fingers brushing against the hilt of his own machete, the enchanted steel humming faintly under his touch. He had spare gear - decent stuff, too. But the idea of wasting it on a bunch of newbies who seemed as likely to get themselves killed as they were to clear this dungeon didn’t sit well. They needed to prove they had what it took to survive before he started handing out hand-me-downs. Still, he couldn’t just ignore how vulnerable they were. As much as it grated on him, they were his responsibility now, if only because their deaths could easily become his problem.

Jack’s Echo Sense flickered in his mind, drawing his attention to a narrow passage connected to what appeared to be another dead end. He studied it for a moment, the mental map taking shape. It wasn’t an obvious route, but he could see a faint glow behind the wall - likely another chamber beyond the blockage. He’d have to punch his way through the stone, just as he’d done to save them from the trap room earlier. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a hell of a lot better than doubling back.

“Follow me,” he said, his voice cutting through the tense silence. He didn’t wait for their response, turning and striding toward the narrow passage. The faint crimson veins lining the walls seemed to pulse in time with his steps, the dungeon humming with a quiet, oppressive awareness. He could feel its eyes on him, as if it was watching, waiting for his next move.