Fwahahaha! Follow my lead!

You wont beat me!

Xeno and Daryl, the teams Tanks for today, were competing with each other to pull the aggro of a gigantic Snow Golem. With Xeno using his silver <<Combat Cry>>, Daryl refused to be outperformed, releasing a black aura. Ever since Garm joined the Clan, Daryl had stopped using the indigo aura for his <<Combat Cry>>, turning it black to better match his own color scheme.

<<Enchant Flame>>.

With the Snow Golem turning toward those two, Amira went behind it, and then relentlessly attacked with her fire-enchanted greatsword. Due to her being in her <<Dragon Form>>, her eyes were shining in bright red and leaving behind a trail of light wherever she moved.

ORAAA!!

In the end, the gigantic snowman-like monster got sliced in half, its torso melted through by the greatsword. Amira, now able to control her <<Dragon Form>> to some extent, set her sights on attacking the other Snow Golem to her side.

<<Mystic Blade>>.

And on that same side, Garm, wielding a short sword, came walking through the snow. He proceeded to use a Knight-exclusive attack skill to stagger the Snow Golem, enabling him to run up its arm. Then he used his sword to smash the core attached to the nose-like part of the Golems face, finishing off the monster.

As the Snow Golem began to disintegrate into light particles, Garm jumped down and got his stamina refreshed with <<Medic>>. Then, after looking around to confirm that his surroundings were safe, he let out a sigh of relief.

Amira, eyes shining red, disengaged her <<Dragon Form>> and threw the Magic Stone she had just picked up to Tsutomu. Garm, seeing that Daryl was digging through the snow to collect the rest of the Magic Stones, went over to help him out.

At one point, Garm asked Daryl as the latter was sweeping the Magic Stones together with his black-furred tail,

By the way, why did you change the color of your <<Combat Cry>>? Ive noticed that for a while now.

Ah, um, thats

Speak up, boy. I cant hear you.

Um, you wont get angry right? Daryl asked as he picked up the Magic Stones with his hands.

Garm nodded, and Daryl seemed relieved as he proceeded to say,

W-well It doesnt look as cool I think?

Garms expression quickly turned deadpan halfway through Daryls explanation, causing the latters voice to grow progressively feeble as he finished the rest of the sentence. Then, in response to the whole answer, Garm heaved a sigh.

Seriously? Thats your reason?

I was just being honest! I thought you wouldnt be angry, you know!

Im just surprised. Seeing that you went back to using the red aura towards the end of the battle on layer seventy, it takes extra energy to change the color of the <<Combat Cry>> aura, doesnt it?

Yes, it does.

Now, Garm, Xeno approached the two and interrupted them with a joking remark, Your exasperation was quite uncalled for, dont you think?

Despite the tone of his voice, however, Xenos expression was more serious than usual. As such, Garm shook his head in response.

This isnt about you. His approach to combat is starting to resemble the way you Xeno fight as shown on the Pedestals. I have no say on what is best for each individual fighter

Oh-ho?

But Daryl is my apprentice. Hes not suited for a flashy combat style, unlike you.

Or is he? As far as Ive seen, he actually is quite adaptable. He even worked my style of <<Combat Cry>> into his arsenal in no time at all.

He might be able to do it on a technical level, but his personality is not likely to accommodate it. Hell improve more efficiently if he focuses on training for pragmatic combat.

Hearing Garms reasoning, Xeno put a hand on his own chin and fell silent for a moment, apparently deep in thought. Daryl, standing between the two, looked rather small in this situation despite being just about as tall as Xeno.

Right. That isnt a bad line of thinking at all, Xeno proceeded to say. But Garm, you dont think putting on a show for the audience is a bad thing, do you?

I am well aware of how useful it is, but personally, I dont particularly like it.

Garm sounded annoyed, but did not deny the question. After all, he had one of the best examples of its effectiveness close by. Amy, as an Attacker, was naturally inferior to those with unique skills, but in terms of her influence as an individual, she was second to none. She also had plenty of funds to invest in Dungeon exploration.

Dungeon exploration sessions were shown on various Monitors throughout the town, and were watched by many non-Explorer people. It was practically this worlds equivalent of professional sports, and in that context, a local idol like Amy was sure to draw fans to the screens just by entering the Dungeon.

Amy also received sponsorships from various shops, and she would bring them up in conversations so that they could be heard on the Monitor. This turned into an for the sponsors, increasing the shops sales, and then some of the profits were reinvested into equipment and supplies for Amys Dungeon exploration.

In addition, the higher ones fame and influence got, the easier it was for them to do various things, so it could be said that entertaining the audience was quite important for exploring Gods Dungeon.

Garm seemed unimpressed as he talked about it, though, as if he did not want to praise Amy too much. From an outsiders perspective, he might seem intimidating especially since Daryl was also frightened but Xeno was unfazed as he proceeded to make a proposal to Garm,

In that case, there isnt a need to focus on just one way of training, is there? He can do both at the same time the abilities to progress through the Dungeon and entertain the audience.

Can he even manage something so technically demanding?

Hmph! The keys are Elegance! Style! Beauty! Nail all of those down just like me, and anyone is sure to be popular with the masses! But even that will not be enough to win the audiences heart. Daryl possesses his own kind of beauty As do you and your ability to also fight as an Attacker, Xeno said, smirking while combing his silver hair.

Garm spent a moment thinking, and then turned to look at Daryl.

I guess you do have a point. Daryl, what do you think?

Huh? Me?

You are free to do whatever you want. But if your fighting prowesses start to decline

No worries. Im sure he can handle both.

Daryl seemed frightened to be stuck in between Garms intimidating eyes and Xenos carefree attitude. But then, after a few moments, he seemed to have made up his mind and looked firmly back at them.

Yes. Ill give it my best.

Hehehe! Leave the teachings to me!

Just dont slack off on training.

Xeno smiled and shook Daryls hands, while Garm looked on at them with a healthy degree of doubt. The three immediately proceeded to discuss their training, then they carried the Magic Stones to where Tsutomu and Amira were.

As for the God Eye, Xeno had directed it away from him, sending it to monitor Tsutomu and Amira instead. While the three others were talking, those two passed the time with a snowball fight which was then broadcast on the Monitor.

And so the teams half-day Dungeon exploration ended.

[Man, todays team lineup was not ideal,] Tsutomu grumbled in his mind as the team made their way back to the Clan House, in part due to the relative lack of balance and also the fact that Amira whose masculine qualities dominated over her feminine side was the only woman in the team today.

In addition to that, the snowball fight had caused him to feel dead inside due to how one-sided it had been, with the snowballs flying at him like a curtain of bullets.

Well? How did I do as an Attacker? Garm asked after coming out of the bath, sitting down in the living room while Tsutomu was taking notes on what he had learned and felt during todays Dungeon exploration.

Garm had fought as an Attacker today due to him having asked to be so as a test. Tsutomu tapped the bottom of his pen on his own temple and considered how he should answer Garms question.

Not quite as good as Hannah, but decently functional, I would say. But why the test, anyway? I didnt ask any questions at first because I thought itd be worth a try as well, so

Hmm, I just figured it wouldnt be good to just keep doing the same thing. The test was to explore the options I might have.

Oh-ho? Tsutomu said jokingly, unsuccessfully imitating Xeno.

No joking around, Garm struck back, chuckling dryly. Im serious.

Sorry.

Both of them then tanked Ollie as she brought them some cold drinks.

Hannah, being a Boxer, is a perfect fit as an evasion-based Tank. And Daryl, being a Heavy Knight, has the highest VIT rating out of all of us. Xeno, a Paladin, has <<Ember Aura>> and a range of skills that are effective against the Undead. Each of them has their quirks that are well-identified, too.

So youre exploring your options to find whats best for a Knight like you?

Thats right. Im new here, so while I may be used to fighting alongside you, theres no telling who Ill have to work with later on I mean, I know Korinna is also an excellent Healer in her own right, of course.

Garms slightly damp indigo-furred ears twitched, seemingly conscious of his surroundings. Then he picked up his glass and gulped down the iced lemon juice.

But to be honest, I joined this Clan so that I could team up with you, so Ill have to put in the effort to not be left behind.

I dont think theres much need to worry about that its not like were operating on very clear team hierarchies or anything. Well, I might be hand-picking my teams members for our first win on layer eighty, but after that, I plan to have everyone else get through as well, of course.

Thats the thing I want to be one of the members of that first try. Honestly, I was jealous when I saw your team score the win on layer seventy on your first try, no less.

Garm put down his glass and folded his hands. On one hand, Garm had been happy to see Tsutomu winning he was proud of the fact that no one made fun of Tsutomu anymore.

But on the other hand, he regretted that he could not be there. He wondered what would have happened if things had been different if he had been fighting alongside them. Garm ended up not getting any sleep later that night because he kept replaying that battle in his head and imagining the different other ways it could have played out.

Thats why I want to be there this time around. And Im going to make every effort to achieve that.

I see Lets start with leveling you up, then. Aim for level 70 for now, Tsutomu suggested, albeit while averting his eyes due to Garm giving him such a serious look.

Due to their work at the Guild, Garm and Amy had not been able to raise their levels as much as they would have liked. Both of them were currently level 66 as a result.

Garm nodded and stood up.

Got it. Im heading out now.

Hey, wait a second. Havent you fought enough for today already?

Time is a limited resource.

Always is. But theres such a thing as too much, you know?

Persuaded by the look in Tsutomus eyes, Garm very reluctantly sat back down on the sofa.

Honestly though, I think youre already going at a good pace right now. Your skillset is different enough from Daryl and Xeno, too.

Im not satisfied with just this.

If you say so. Ill think up something for tomorrow, so make sure you get some rest for now.

All right.

Tsutomu sighed, unable to resist Garms unusually cheerful smile. He then proceeded to think about the various capabilities of Knight-type Jobs and about what to do with them.

<hr/>