The planning on everyone’s build wasn’t a extensive conversation, probably because the idea of what to work on was on everyone’s mind well before we even entered the dungeon.

  Duncan would concentrate on Constitution first since his HP aura needed to be able to take hits with Hellene's Force Mantle destroyed so easily. After a few levels of concentrating on HPs though, he'd concentrate on Wisdom to raise his MP for doing class abilities.

  Hellene would keep a portion of her skill points reserved for crafting abilities and wouldn't use them until after the dungeon was conquered. The rest she'd use on Intelligence to increase her MP. Eva would concentrate her skill point spending on increasing dexterity and buying a couple more combat abilities for fights.

  As for myself, I wanted to upgrade the Disguise Self ability to 1st Class, the best version of it. Getting it before the dungeon dive ended was pretty much a necessity for future plans. But at this point I wasn’t so terrified I wouldn’t gain enough levels for it. In fact given Squire’s Tattoo, I rearranged my plans to add a couple of points to Constitution.

  Afterall I was out there with Duncan taking hits and I needed a stronger HP aura if I didn’t want elbows to the head to incapacitate me.

  Finally we made a few small changes to the tactics of fighting a Shark-Man. Hellene would use a Frost spell instead of Mana Chain and Duncan would avoid Daring Challenge given how noisy it was.

  Eva rubbed her hands together with excitement, her eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Let's grab that magic chainmail and trident before we move the body. Those enchantments looked powerful."

  I shook my head, gesturing toward the fallen Shark-Man's equipment. "Don't get your hopes up."

  Everyone's gaze followed my pointing hook hand, and a collective realization settled over the group. The blue magical glow that had surrounded both the trident and chainmail was completely gone. What had moments ago been gleaming with enchantment now looked like ordinary, albeit well-crafted, steel.

  "What happened to the magic?" Duncan asked, kneeling beside the corpse to examine the now-mundane chainmail.

  "It's something I've seen before," I explained, recalling previous experiences. "In some dungeons, the enchantments on monster equipment are tied to the creature itself. When the monster dies, the magic fades away."

  Eva's eyebrow twitched visibly as she stared at the ordinary equipment. "You're telling me we will be risking our lives fighting monsters with magical weapons, and all we get is... regular steel?" Her voice carried the unmistakable edge of someone who felt thoroughly cheated.

  "I know it's disappointing," I said quickly, seeing her frustration. "But trust me, there will definitely be magical treasures deeper in the dungeon. Four Sigil Dungeons always have valuable rewards—chests, hidden rooms, rare materials. The monster equipment is just the beginning."

  Eva crossed her arms, her lips pressed into a thin line as she glared at the now-worthless trident.

  Hellene stepped forward with a practical air, bending to pick up the steel trident. "Every bit of coin helps," she muttered, stuffing the weapon into her magical backpack with surprising ease. "We can probably get a couple of silver pieces for this at a blacksmith's shop."

  Duncan and I exchanged knowing glances. The disappointment was palpable, but in the end the benefits would out weigh the costs of effort. At least I hope to God they did given what we were about to go through. With silent understanding, we moved to grab the Shark-Man's massive corpse.

  "Give us a hand?" Duncan asked Eva, who still looked irritated but joined us anyway.

  Together, we dragged the heavy body back toward the intersection. The Shark-Man's rough skin scraped against the stone floor, leaving a dark trail of blood that glistened in the dim light. We didn't go far—just about thirty feet—before propping the corpse against a wall.

  "This should do," I whispered, carefully positioning the body so it was clearly visible from the main junction. "We’ll move it farther away after we take care of the other two Shark-Men."

  Duncan nodded, then headed back to where Hellene waited with our supplies. Eva and I remained, melting into the shadows as we activated our stealth abilities. We still had slabs of meat to use for baiting, but the corpse will also help encourage our next target to keep moving down the tunnel to investigate.

  ***

  It started out near identical to our last battle, the only real difference being I stayed much closer to our prey as he stomped down the tunnel.

  The Shark-Man charged forward, exactly as we'd anticipated. Duncan burst from his hiding spot, his body blurring with the activation of Vanguard Thrust. His longsword found the same mark as before, plunging deep into the creature's thigh. Dark blood sprayed across the cavern floor.

  I didn't wait for Duncan to fully complete his move before I sprang into action. Using my hook hand, I yanked up the chainmail covering the monster's back and drove Blood Thirst deep just above the monster’s waist. The ease at how the blade sank was expected at this point, I was growing much more used to my Opportunity Killer and Initial Strike Bonus working for me. I felt the warm rush of life energy flowing into my arm as Blood Thirst drained the creature's vitality.

  The Shark-Man released a strangled gagging sound, its massive frame lurching forward before dropping into a defensive crouch. With surprising dexterity, it twirled its glowing trident from one clawed hand to the other, creating a defensive barrier between Duncan and me.

  I recognized the movement wasn't an attack but a desperate attempt to keep both of us at bay. The spinning trident forced me to take several steps back, and I saw Duncan do the same across from me.

  A familiar incantation echoed through the chamber as Hellene's voice rose in power.

  The air temperature plummeted around the Shark-Man, each exhale from its gills now visible as puffs of white vapor. Tiny ice crystals formed first along its knuckles, then raced up its forearms like lightning in reverse, leaving delicate white ferns in their wake. The trident's spin faltered mid-rotation, its wielder's joints creaking audibly as they fought against the invisible weight of a Frost spell.

  Duncan seized the opportunity, deflecting a weak swing with his mithril bracer while simultaneously driving his sword forward with his other hand. The blade sank deep into the creature's side.

  A whistling sound cut through the air as Eva's arrow struck with incredible force, burying itself halfway into the Shark-Man's uninjured thigh. The monster howled in pain, its leg buckling beneath it.

  "That's my new Tri-Force Shot ability," Eva called from the shadows, her voice tinged with pride. "Triple the normal penetrating power."

  With the Shark-Man crippled and unable to escape, I seized the moment. The creature's crouched position made it the perfect target as I launched myself onto its back, wrapping my legs around its torso for stability. It thrashed beneath me, but the frost and arrow had done their work—it couldn't stand.

  "Hold him steady!" I shouted to Duncan as I raised Blood Thirst high.

  I plunged the crimson-hilted dagger into the thick muscle where the shark head met its shoulders. The blade sank deep, and I felt that familiar rush of energy flowing up my arm as the creature's life force transferred to me. The Shark-Man bucked wildly beneath me, but I held on, twisting the dagger deeper.

  Duncan darted forward, his sword flashing not at the monster but at its weapon. With a precise swipe, he pinned the magical trident against the creature's side, preventing it from swinging at either of us. Blood sprayed from the wound I'd created, showering Duncan's already-stained armor with fresh crimson.

  "By the System, I just cleaned this," he grunted, not taking his eyes off the pinned trident.

  A searing pain erupted across my back as the Shark-Man's free hand found me. Claws like daggers tore through my leather armor and into the flesh beneath. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let go of my position despite the agony.

  But almost immediately, I felt a strange warmth spreading across my torn back. The wounds began knitting themselves closed, the pain receding as Blood Thirst's life-drain ability redirected the monster's vitality to heal my injuries. It was a bizarre sensation—being wounded and healed almost simultaneously.

  Emboldened by this magical protection, I wrenched the dagger sideways, creating a wider gap in the creature's flesh. Dark blood poured freely now, the monster's movements growing increasingly frantic and then gradually weaker.

  "Almost there," I muttered, sawing deeper into muscle and sinew.

  With one final, gurgling sputter of blood from its elongated lips, the Shark-Man went limp beneath me. Its massive body pitched forward, and I rode it down like a falling tree, still straddling its back as it crashed face-first into the stone floor.

  I lay there for a moment, still mounted on the corpse, my chest heaving with exertion. My arms trembled from the force it had taken to cut through the creature's tough hide and dense musculature. Blood Thirst had made the task possible, but it had still required every ounce of my strength.

  "Impressive work," Duncan said, extending his hand toward me with a proud grin splitting his blood-spattered face. "Though I think your mount might be permanently out of commission."

  I grasped his offered hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet.

  "You did well," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. Once again I found a response frozen on my lips, I just didn’t know what to say to praises. Hearing them directed at me felt so foreign.

  I reached behind me, fingers finding the tear in my armor. The Reinforced Hunter's Leather Armor that Duncan had given me now sported a sizable hole where the Shark-Man's claws had struck. I gave him an apologetic look, genuinely sorry that his thoughtful gift had been damaged so quickly.

  "Don't worry about it," Duncan said, waving away my concern before I could voice it. "Armor's meant to be damaged. Better it than you."

  I noticed Hellene rolling her eyes as she set her backpack down with a soft thud. She knelt beside it and began rummaging through the contents, her white hair falling forward over her face. After a moment, she pulled out a needle and what appeared to be a spool of black thread.

  I squinted at the thread, noticing something distinctly wrong about it. The black strand seemed to writhe and twist of its own accord, like a living thing trying to escape her grasp.

  "Don't move," Hellene commanded, approaching me with the needle already threaded. "I'm going to repair that hole before it gets worse."

  Eva leaned in, her eyes widening as she watched the thread squirm between Hellene's fingers. "What in the System is that? It's... moving."

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Web thread from a Phase Spider," Hellene explained matter-of-factly, her fingers deftly manipulating the strange material. "Hard to come by and one of the strongest materials a Crafting Enchanter can find."

  I stood perfectly still as she began working on the tear in my armor, feeling the occasional brush of her fingers against my back. Meanwhile Duncan pulled out yet another cloth to clean himself of blood although I was starting to wonder what the point was. Eva pulled out the arrow from the corpse’s leg, studying it for a minute before giving a satisfactory nod and putting it back in her quiver.

  After what felt like an eternity but was probably closer to half an hour, Hellene finally straightened up with a grunt.

  "That's the best I can do," she announced, tucking the needle away. "Not my finest work, but it should hold."

  I reached behind me, fingers exploring the repair. The hole was mostly closed now, though I could still feel a sliver of a gap where the tear had been particularly wide. Still, it was far better than before.

  "Thank you," I said, genuinely grateful. I turned to face the others with a determined smile. "There's only one Shark-Man left now."

  “Well this should be easier compared to the others,” Eva said, already checking her bowstring.

  It’s funny how an off hand comment can come off as jinxing people an hour later. We didn’t have any meat left this time to bait. Eva said that was all her ‘Aunt Ovesen’ had given her, all she had now was dried jerky, cheese, and bread. Luckily I also packed a lot of extra rations in my Inventory Box just to play it safe so the risk of starvation was low.

  This time we had something else to use as bait- two corpses. Hellene stuffed the trident in her magic backpack and then we dragged the corpse all the way to the tunnel intersection. We propped it right at the entrance of our tunnel and I stayed while the others went back to the supplies point. As soon as my intuition picked up the single Shark-Man coming, I just entered Darken Stealth and watched as the Shark-Man stared at the corpse.

  Predictably he went down the tunnel, then paused when he saw yet another corpse of another comrade, staring for a minute as he tapped his trident against the ground. This was the part where I messed up. I was so certain it was all going to go exactly as planned, nothing in terms of our fight would change. I never considered the idea that when he saw he was the only remaining one of their group, he would change his tactics.

  I never thought about the fact that while a trident was a deadly melee weapon… it was also a ranged weapon.

  When the Shark-Man saw my party members, there was no roar of rage. Just one twirl of the trident into a underhanded position, raised and thrown. Eva, thank God, had the brains and quick reflex to shove Hellene right next to her. But it was only just fast enough reaction to stop a killing blow, not prevent the blow itself.

  The trident struck the rock wall with terrifying force, one of Hellene's arms caught between the prongs. Her shriek echoed through the tunnel, the sound piercing my eardrums as I watched helplessly from the shadows.

  Duncan's head snapped toward her, his face contorting with concern. It was the wrong move, he should have instantly used Vanguard Thrust. But maybe his days as a Holy Knight when he could heal people caused him to still assess injured comrades. Or maybe it was just a case of a young man showing instinctive concern for an elderly woman. Either way, he was taking a moment to not concentrate on the fight.

  That moment of distraction was all the Shark-Man needed.

  "Duncan, look out!" I shouted, breaking my stealth, but it was already too late.

  The Shark-Man launched itself into the air with impossible power, its massive body sailing through the space between them. It landed directly beside Duncan, who barely had time to raise his sword before those massive jaws clamped down on his armored shoulder. The sickening sound of teeth puncturing metal made my stomach lurch. How was that even possible? The steel armor should have protected him!

  The Force Mantle didn’t even slow the bite, just add a sound effect of breaking glass. Bizarrely I was suddenly reminded of a nature documentary noted that a shark’s bite had four thousand pounds of force.

  Duncan managed one solid punch to the creature's face with his free hand, the impact loud enough to crack bone. But the Shark-Man only bit down harder, its neck muscles flexing as it began violently shaking Duncan back and forth like a ragdoll. Duncan’s massive frame lifted completely off the ground with each savage jerk, his arms and legs flailing helplessly.

  The image hit me like a physical blow—Lord Eric Lasair, Duncan's father, being torn apart by warg fangs. The same horrible death was unfolding before my eyes again, this time claiming his son. I froze, paralyzed by the terrible symmetry of it all.

  Then Duncan's sword clattered to the ground, the sharp metallic sound snapping me back to reality.

  I moved without thinking, rushing forward while activating both Scorpion Sting and Displace Image simultaneously. The world around me blurred slightly as my hook hand took on a sharper and darker shape, poison dripping from its tip. I reached the Shark-Man in seconds, scratching its arm with my poisoned hook as I passed.

  I sheathed my dagger, ignoring Eva's furious voice nearby.

  "What the fuck are you doing? Use your weapon, you idiot!"

  I dropped to my knees, scooping up Duncan's fallen sword. It was heavier than I expected, designed for someone with far greater strength than mine. Duncan's face had gone pale, blood flowing freely down his armor from where those terrible teeth had punctured both metal and flesh.

  I lifted the sword, placing it into Duncan's limp hand. The poison was already working—the Shark-Man's frenzied shaking had slowed, its movements becoming more erratic. I grabbed Duncan's other hand and placed it on the sword grip as well.

  "Whirlwind of Death!" I shouted directly into his face. "Do it!"

  I ducked just in time as the Shark-Man's massive claw swiped at where my head had been a moment before. My Displace Image ability saved me, making the creature miss my actual position by inches.

  Duncan's eyelids fluttered once—a weak signal through the haze of pain. I leapt backward, putting distance between us. His blood-drained lips parted.

  "Whirlwind... of... Death!"

  The words emerged as a ragged whisper that somehow filled the cavern. Duncan's right boot scraped against the stone, finding purchase. His massive frame—shoulder still locked in the Shark-Man's jaws—suddenly blurred into motion. The creature's webbed feet, which had been planted firmly on the ground, instantly lifted up as Duncan spun inhumanly fast, defying all reason.

  A high-pitched whine escaped the Shark-Man’s throat as centrifugal force pulled its massive body horizontal. Its claws grasped desperately at empty air, legs whipping wildly as they spun together in a grotesque dance, connected by those terrible teeth still embedded in Duncan’s shoulder.

  What I was seeing shouldn’t have been possible by the laws of physics. The Shark-Man had the superior weight, muscle, and position to stay on the ground.

  But the System didn’t care about the laws of physics when it came to Abilities.

  The Shark-Man flopped back onto the ground, probably not even sure what just happened to him.

  "Again!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the cavern walls. Duncan's eyes met mine—bloodshot but understanding—as he planted his back foot and gripped his sword with white knuckles. Blood Thirst slid from my sheath with a metallic whisper.

  "Whirlwind of Death!"

  The words tore from his throat as he began to spin again, his massive frame becoming a blur of steel and flesh. The Shark-Man's webbed fingers scrabbled against Duncan's armor, leaving wet streaks of crimson. Its jaw muscles spasmed, teeth grinding against metal with a sound like nails on slate. A final desperate rotation sent the creature airborne, a spray of blood trailing from its mouth as it sailed through the darkness and crashed against the stone wall with a sickening crunch.

  The Shark-Man slid down the wall, webbed hands splayed limply at his sides, blue-gray chest heaving. Duncan's knees hit the stone with a dull thud, his steel sword point grinding against the floor as he leaned his weight onto the hilt. Blood darkened his shoulder armor, dripping in steady pats onto the ground.

  From behind me came Hellene's voice—raspy, determined—chanting words that made the air crackle. When I glanced back, her face was contorted, sweat beading on her forehead, one arm still trapped between the prongs of the trident. Empty bottles of healing potions lay around her feet.

  A crackling wave of white energy surged from Hellene's fingertips, crystallizing the air as it traveled. When it struck the Shark-Man, ice bloomed across his blue-gray skin like frost on a window, the creature's joints seizing mid-motion. His webbed feet slipped against the stone as he toppled backward with a wet thud, ice particles shattering around him.

  There was a roar of pain from the Shark-Man as an arrow shaft suddenly stuck out of one of his eye sockets. Eva had taken advantage of the monster's dazed state to make a perfect shot.

  I dashed forward, intentionally approaching from the side of the damaged eye. The Shark-Man was getting to his feet, but his movements were erratic and sluggish from the combination of poison, frost, and injury. I didn't try for a killing blow—that would be too risky. Instead, I focused on creating a distraction, making quick slashes at his arms and legs with Blood Thirst.

  My Displace Image ability made me nearly impossible for the one-eyed Shark-Man to hit, but I knew the effect wouldn't last much longer. I just needed to keep it occupied until—

  Duncan appeared on the other side of the monster, looking significantly healthier. The color had returned to his face, and he moved with renewed purpose. He drove his sword deep into the Shark-Man's gut while using his mithril bracer to block an attempt to bite him.

  Unlike with the steel armor, the shark teeth broke instantly against the mithril, and the Shark-Man's head reared back with a hiss of pain slipping between the large lips.

  I saw my chance. Darting behind the distracted monster, I used my hook to lift the chainmail, exposing vulnerable blue flesh. Blood Thirst slid into the gap with deadly precision, the blade sinking deep between the creature's ribs. The warm rush of stolen life energy surged up my arm as the dagger did its work.

  The Shark-Man's body jerked violently. I twisted sideways, anticipating the counterattack I'd seen before. The massive elbow whistled through the empty air where my head had been a moment earlier.

  As I leaped clear, I caught the gleam of Duncan's sword arcing through the dim light. The blade connected with the Shark-Man's face in a spray of dark blood, carving through the remaining eye with surgical precision. The monster's agonized scream echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off stone walls and amplifying into something almost unbearable.

  Suddenly, all fight seemed to drain from the creature. Its massive shoulders slumped, and it sank to its knees with a heavy thud. Blind and poisoned, it made no further attempt to attack, just swayed slightly on its knees, blood streaming from both ruined eye sockets.

  I didn't hesitate. It was time to end this. With Blood Thirst gripped firmly in my hand, I lunged forward and drove the blade deep into its back, twisting as I pushed it to the hilt. The creature convulsed, coughing a spray of blood that spattered across the stone floor before toppling forward with the movement of a corpse.

  For what felt like an eternity, the only sound was our collective panting as we stared at the massive corpse. My chest heaved with exertion, sweat mingling with splattered blood on my face. None of us spoke, each processing the intensity of what had just happened.

  Duncan was the first to break the trance. He sheathed his sword and rushed to Hellene, his face etched with concern.

  "Don't move," he commanded, his voice gentle but firm as he examined the trident embedded in the wall. The weapon's magical blue glow had vanished, leaving nothing but ordinary steel pinning Hellene's arm.

  I watched anxiously as Duncan studied the situation, assessing the best approach. After a minute of careful examination, he sheathed his sword and gripped the trident with both hands. His biceps and forearms bulged with effort as he began to pull, the muscles in his neck straining. He moved with deliberate slowness, clearly aware that a hasty extraction might cause Hellene further injury.

  "Almost there," he whispered through gritted teeth.

  The trident slid inch by excruciating inch from the stone. When it finally came free, Duncan hurled it to the ground with disgust, the clatter echoing through the tunnel.

  Hellene immediately slumped against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position with a long sigh of relief. Her injured arm lay limp across her lap, the sleeve of her robe torn and soaked with blood, though the healing potions she'd consumed earlier clearly undid the more serious bodily injuries.

  "Thank you," she murmured, her eyes closing briefly.

  I moved toward her, pulling a Superior Heal Potion from my Inventory Box. "Here, this should help with the rest of the healing."

  She accepted the potion with a nod, uncorking it with her teeth before downing the contents in one long swallow. Almost immediately, she began moving her arm without trouble and clenched a fist with it.

  [Level up! Level 38 > Level 39]

  “Why didn’t you just stab the stupid thing right away?”

  Eva’s words weren’t exactly harsh, but there was a tinge of accusation in them. I sighed as I turned to her, I didn’t like having to justify my actions, it brought up too many bad memories of arguments with Andy.

  “There’s no way I could have killed it before those jaws finished off Duncan. I had to prioritize getting him off Duncan first,” I said, hoping this wasn’t going to turn into a long debate. Luckily for me I had an ally when Hellene snorted as she got up.

  “Girl, I’m thankful you saved me, but please don’t criticize a plan which actually worked. There’s no logic for doing such a thing,” Hellene said with a wave of her hand. I could see a flash of regret in Eva’s eyes as she nodded.

  I was thankful for Hellene’s support, but her words reminded me of something- if Eva hadn’t pushed her a foot away then that trident would have pierced her heart. Given Hellene’s weak Constitution stat there was no way her HP aura would have saved her. It was Duncan who said the words we were all thinking.

  “We got cocky and nearly died for it.”

  No one disputed what the knight said, but I was desperate to move the conversation along to something else.

  “I just leveled up, did anyone else?”

  “Aye, I did as well,” Duncan said with the nod. The news didn’t have the same celebratory cheer to it like before, the costs for the levels had nearly been too much. Still though all we could do was acknowledge what happened and move on.

  “Right, change of plans, since Duncan has gained another level than his HP aura should get strong enough to take more hits. Hellene from now on you are going to keep a Force Mantle spell on yourself instead of Duncan.”

  Tactics and strategy were discussed in length and I could tell it was helping with the stress. When you have a problem, talking about solutions for it was a good way to get over the fear of the problem. Even if the said fear was to be horribly killed.

  I couldn’t help, but think of the rpg video games I used to play back on Earth. How many times did I have a random character die? Hell, how many times did I have a total adventure party wipe and have to restart a save. There were no loading a save game here though and I had to remember that.