Luna took a deep breath to calm down and gave Leon an angry look. “Why didn’t you tell me your sister was Titania?” She felt blindsided.

Leon broke out in a cold sweat as his anxiety spiked. “Um…S-Sorry, I didn’t-” Before Leon could even explain, Rose jumped in.

She walked over to stand in between them. “I told him not to tell anyone. If you want to be mad, be mad at me.”

Luna looked at Rose in silence. She moved her eyes to Leon behind her and noticed he looked very nervous, scared even.

She deflated as she sighed. “It’s fine, just no more surprises like that, okay?”

Leon quickly nodded. I should’ve given her a heads-up first. He had forgotten that the entire player base was speculating on Rose’s identity.

Suddenly, he noticed the last girl, who was awkwardly watching the drama unfold. “Sis, is she the one you mentioned?”

Rose kept looking at Luna for a second before walking next to the girl. “Yes, this here is StarRuby.” She gave StarRuby a slight push as a sign.

She got the hint as stepped forwards and gave a slight bow, “H-Hello everyone, nice to meet you!” Her voice had a hint of nervousness.

She looked around and gave a small glance at Leon. So this is miss Titania’s little brother? He looks…timid. Compared to Rose, Leon looked like a child rather than someone strong.

Leon nodded and put up a slight mask. “Likewise.” He didn’t feel too comfortable to go without a mask while meeting strangers. He noticed her white robes and staff. It was clear she was a cleric.

Luna also nodded but didn’t say a word. Occasionally, she would steal glances at Rose.

With the rough introductions out of the way, next came the creation of the party. Rose invited Leon and Luna to her and StarRuby’s party. Well, this is a surprise. I’m at the lowest level this time. Leon was level 16, Luna was level 17, and StarRuby was level 18. And Rose at a staggering level 21.

Leon clenched his fists in frustration. Despite being ahead of the average players, he was nowhere near Rose’s level. He shook his head, attempting to forget about it. Luna cast a worried glance at him, but Leon was completely oblivious.

“Alright, if we want to clear this dungeon, we need to know each other’s capabilities.” Rose took charge.

They each introduced their strong suits. Rose was a warrior with high DPS and speed. StarRuby was a cleric who specialised in healing.

“I’m a summoner with high DPS,” Leon stated, and Beans’s head popped out of his robes. “This here is Beans. He’s skilled in support.”

StarRuby grinned at Beans, saying, “Oh, he’s adorable! Is it okay for me to pet him?” Leon, accustomed to the question, simply nodded. All the girls until now have desired to pet Beans.

Every girl except for Rose. She was more interested in Beans’s stats as she gave him a quick assess. The HP is decent, but it’s a support and not a tank.

Beans cast a curious glance at Rose, questioning her assessment of him. Leon also looked at her, but with of a sense of disappointment because she didn’t appear interested in Beans.

“Are we all set?” With a serious expression, Rose inquired as she directed her attention towards the dungeon. StarRuby stopped petting Beans and everyone else got ready.

Rose opened the dungeon menu and selected hard difficulty. Upon stepping inside, the atmosphere suddenly grew colder for everyone. [Hard Small Dungeon: Kobold Mines. Death penalty increased by 25%]

The message caused everyone, except Rose, to take a sharp breath. “High risk, high reward.” Leon said softly, barely audible to the rest.

They silently navigated the dungeon with caution. The caves had darkened, torches barely flickering, creating an ominous atmosphere.

The echoing sounds of metal hitting the walls soon returned. It was louder and more harmonious this time, surpassing Leon’s previous experience.

They carried on until the cave revealed its opening. With her hand raised, Rose stopped them in their tracks. She grabbed some binoculars from her inventory and reported what she spotted.

“There are 18 kobolds with 3 wielding whips and the rest carrying pickaxes.” Everyone understood her words, 3 Elites and 15 commons.

Prior to the dungeon, Leon had briefed them on the Elites and their buffing skill. “What’s our strategy?” Luna glanced at Leon, thinking he had a plan ready.

Before Leon could even speak, Rose simply said, “We attack. Luna, come with me. Tempest and Ruby stay behind.”

Luna couldn’t believe it. “Seriously?” Appalled at the strategy. “Also, who appointed you as the leader?”

Rose gave Luna a casual look. “Okay, you can stay back as well.” In frustration, Luna gritted her teeth and glanced at Leon, hoping for his objection.

Despite this, Leon said nothing. He trusted Rose completely, not because she was his sister, but because of her remarkable abilities. “I can give you a stun if you need it.” He even offered support.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just observe me,” Rose said with a smile.

Leon and Ruby nodded, fully intending not to get involved. Luna felt unsatisfied, stating, “To simply observe goes against my nature.”

Rose remarked, “Do as you please,” as she unsheathed her rapier. With a small inhale, she charged into the cavern and towards the kobolds. Luna quickly followed her and assessed the kobolds.

[Kobold Enforcer] (Elite)

Level 22

HP 750/750

[Kobold Worker] (Common)

Level 20

HP 250/250

Luna clenched her jaw in frustration. Their strength is impressive. Does she actually have a plan in the end? Even following their discussion, she maintained her belief that Rose had a plan.

In an instant, Rose increased her speed and swiftly impaled the nearest enforcer in the chest with a single thrust of her rapier.

-654 Weak point!

With a single, smooth motion, Rose extracted the sword from the enforcer’s chest and swiftly decapitated it with one swift slice.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

-321

She didn’t give it any extra attention and continued on to the next enforcer. Luna was in disbelief as she effortlessly took down the elite. Is this the power of the frontrunner?

It was now clear to her just how much Leon trusted and believed in her. She was amazing. Surpassing her will not be easy for Tempest, as he has his work cut out. Luna finally realised the goal that Leon had set for himself.

As Rose dismantled the enforcer, Leon had his own thoughts. Could I take down one of those? It’s possible, but not very efficient or fast. He was aware of his limitations, and handling one was already challenging, let alone three.

Determined not to hold them back, Luna disregarded the elites and directed her attention towards the workers. With ease, she dodged a wild swing from a worker and swiftly moved her palms together.

Her palms emitted a radiant glow. She inhaled deeply and then forcefully pushed her palms into the chest of the kobold, sending it flying away.

-196

She jumped high into the air, and swiftly descended with a precise dive kick, effectively eliminating her initial target with a sharp snap that echoed through the air.

-103

Rose cast a brief gaze in Luna’s direction. Leon’s observation about her martial skills was accurate. She realised Luna was not only a trained fighter but also exceptionally talented.

While Rose continued her rampage against the elites, Luna turned her focus to the commons. Together, they quickly killed off the entire group in a few minutes.

[Kobold Enforcer killed. Obtained increased experience for killing a higher levelled enemy. Obtained 112 EXP.]

[Kobold Worker killed. Obtained increased experience for killing a higher levelled enemy. Obtained 34 EXP.]

The experience had to be divided among four people, so it wasn’t very significant for each person. Despite this, Leon’s progress was enough for him to reach level 17.

It’s likely that Gaia will fix this soon. Leon thought. Essentially, this was power levelling, a method of levelling up without engaging in combat. Gaia would not allow this sort of loophole to exist.

The group carried on, and Leon once again examined the walls to check for any issues. “Um, excuse me, Tempest. Why are you doing that?” StarRuby inquired.

Leon repeated the question he had previously asked to BrownBeard’s group. Unlike before, Leon didn’t encounter laughter this time as Rose also carefully examined the wall.

“Maybe they are searching for something. It seems like they dug deeper into the wall over there, as if they unearthed something.” Upon seeing holes in the wall, Rose remarked on their presence.

Leon also noticed them now and furrowed his brows in confusion. “Odd, these weren’t here with easy difficulty.”

As the conversation between Rose and Leon about the possibilities deepened, StarRuby and Luna were a little excluded. “Isn’t it merely a configuration for the dungeon?” Luna asked.

Rose shook her head in disagreement. “Whenever something is intelligent, there is always a motive behind its actions.” She explained.

Luna and StarRuby nodded in acceptance. StarRuby had complete trust in Rose, while Luna placed her trust in Leon instead of Rose.

They continued on their way while leaving the kobold bodies behind. The mechanics of the loot were different within dungeons. The lack of item drops during Leon’s easy difficulty run made it ineffective in showcasing it.

Until successfully clearing the dungeon, Gaia held onto the drops in a special location. Players couldn’t reach the location, but after completing the dungeon, they could upgrade their drops.

It didn’t take them long to stumble upon the next group of kobolds, which included two elites and eight common ones. Rose drew her rapier again when Luna called out to her.

“Hold on. Let’s consider having Tempest, StarRuby, and I take part in a fight. Learning basic teamwork skills now will prove beneficial in the future.” She said.

With Tempest in the lead, he can gain some confidence. Luna had noticed Leon’s frustration earlier and wanted to help him in any way she could.

Rose frowned in thought, unaware of Luna’s actual goal. It would take longer to clear the dungeon if she took a backseat. Still, she couldn’t deny the fact that teamwork would be good against the bronze boss.

She glanced anxiously at Leon, not wanting to witness her little brother in danger. Luna noticed the gaze and sternly said, “Tempest can take care of himself.”

Rose sighed and sheathed her sword. I guess this is a good time to see Leon in action. She opted to take a positive perspective on the matter.

Leon couldn’t comprehend Luna’s sudden emphasis on teamwork, but he wouldn’t oppose it. Perhaps I can try something. As he had watched Rose, an idea came to him.

He looked at Luna. “Would you mind if Beans and I take care of the elites?” he asked, giving Luna some déjà vu.

She gazed intently at Leon and whispered to him. “Are you sure? It is not the right time to put on a tough facade.”

“I’m certain. If things get difficult, StarRuby can heal me.” Leon pointed out the fact that StarRuby would also help.

Luna gave a nod of agreement and prepared herself. StarRuby was surprised to see Leon’s sudden change in demeanour and watched curiously.

Upon reflecting on Rose’s assaults, Leon realised that each of her attacks targeted the kobolds’ vulnerabilities with precision. He knew this resulted from years of experience. If I aspire to reach her level, I must also become proficient in it.

Taking a deep breath, Leon focused. Arcane Missile is blunt damage, Thunderbolt pierces. He was fully aware of why he didn’t get the weak point bonus anymore.

Keeping that in mind, Leon pointed his staff and aimed carefully at the enforcer. Sparks appeared on his staff and with one final push, a lightning bolt shot towards the enforcer.

Leon knew his limits. Firing at its chest, hoping to hit its heart, was unwise. The bolt cracked through the air and directly pierced the enforcer’s head.

-381 Weak point! Electric-elemental bonus! Stunned for 1 second.

Leon was ecstatic to hit his target and quickly saw the message. So there was a feature like this? He needed to become skilled at targeting weak points.

Luna smiled. Seeing Leon succeed, she charged in and went wild on the commons again. StarRuby was amazed as she saw Rose in Leon. They’re definitely siblings.

Rose was also greatly surprised to see Leon pull that off. He aimed for the head rather than the heart.

She noticed Leon’s smile and sighed with mixed emotions. “You’re really enjoying the game, aren’t you?” She said softly in a tone only she could hear.

The first enforcer seized and couldn’t move. The other one cracked its whip and ordered the commons to charge. Luna quickly intercepted and held them at bay, making the enforcer come to Leon personally.

Beans quickly erected a mound to trap it while Leon focused on the already stunned enforcer. He cast an Arcane Missile and tried to aim for its head. The missile went off target and struck the enforcer in the shoulder.

-190

Leon frowned as his shot didn’t go where it was supposed to. Thunderbolt was different. Gravity affects Arcane Missile more. He summarised.

The first enforcer shook off the initial stun and turned with a furious look at Leon. A rock was sent flying and smashed into its face before it could move.

-86

No bonus effect, even though it hit the face. Leon thoughtfully considered how to target the weak spot with blunt force. The enforcer shook its head and ran towards Leon.

Leon readied himself and activated his Arcane Steps ability to evade the enforcer’s whip. Teleporting a few steps, he surprised the enforcer and shot another Thunderbolt at its face.

-364 Weak Point!

The enforcer limped down as a second bolt went through its head. Leon ignored the EXP message and focused on the second enforcer, which was still stuck.

Beans wasn’t inactive either as he suddenly came up from the ground under the enforcer and took a bite out of its throat. The enforcer didn’t even have time to dodge or react as Beans came from under him.

-45

Too shallow? Leon frowned as he didn’t see a weak point bonus. He believed the throat was a weak point, so it must have been a shallow bite. The enforcer tried to cover the wound on his neck with his open hand while struggling to break free.

Leon quickly looked at Luna, who was having a blast while throwing punches and kicks. StarRuby healed her sometimes and closely monitored Leon.

Looks like they have everything under control there. He focused back on the enforcer as it broke free and got closer to him. Leon had an idea and ran towards it.

Leon’s charge surprised the enforcer, but it quickly readied its whip and struck at Leon. The whip bounced off as Leon activated his robe’s skill. Once he was close enough to almost touch the kobold, he readied his staff and pointed it at the wound on its throat.

Leon cast Arcane Missile, and the purple light slammed into the wound, forcing it wider open as the wound deepened.

-189

Leon frowned. He thought targeting an open wound was enough for the weak point damage, but he was sorely mistaken. Could blunt force not receive the weak point bonus? Perhaps I’m missing something else?

The kobold staggered backwards, clutching its neck as it tried to stop the bleeding. It tried to lash out again, but Beans stopped it and the other kobolds by using his Seismic Shock stunning all the kobolds.

With all the kobolds stunned, Leon finished the enforcer with one last Thunderbolt to the head for a weak point, killing it. Luna wrapped up the commons, as they could not defend themselves while stunned.

Leon turned around and noticed Rose had a proud smile. “Well done, Tempest. Keep this up and you’ll go far.”

Leon smiled widely hearing Rose say that, “Thanks sis! I try to be just as good as you!” But in his mind he added; Or even better than you one day.

Luna and StarRuby also came back from their fight. “Well, since you’ve seen how well Tempest can do. Perhaps let him lead the dungeon from now on?” Luna suddenly said, stunning everyone present.