Chapter 90: Splitting Up
The whole party stood before the Light Tree, its soft glow spilling over armor, cloth, and polished weapons. The mood from the room had already faded.
Now that they were here, with the dungeon entrance waiting and everyone’s gear in place, the mood had changed. Chairs and food were behind them. This was the part that mattered.
Ao Tenshin sat on Martin’s shoulder with the tiny seriousness of a general inspecting her troops, though at her current size she fit there a lot less neatly than before. Martin had one hand up the whole time to steady her and keep her from sliding off. When his palm settled more firmly against her side, she puffed up proudly and planted both little hands on his shoulder as if accepting her post. Her little head turned from one woman to another, as if making sure everyone had truly caught up to the decision she had already made for them.
Martin let his gaze pass over the group and went over the route in his head one more time. The plan itself was simple. Each of them would grind the boss that best suited their class until the drops started lining up into proper equipment sets.
For him, that meant picking one target and sticking to it. He had three options: the Baby Kraken, the Triple-Headed Wooden Wolf Boss, or the Dark Blue Goblin Boss.
The same logic applied to the rest of the party.
NukEncore spoke first, leaning in so quickly it was obvious she had already made up her mind. "The Baby Kraken is a no-no for me. I don’t know the Triple-Headed Wooden Wolf, and it gives me bad vibes. I’m going for the goblin boss!"
Martin gave a small nod.
Chaosgraphy picked up on it at once. Tilting her head, she set a hand on her hip and let her eyes slide toward Martin. "The wolfie turned Thorn’Shield into a bruiser, didn’t it? Then I’ll take it and tame it myself."
Martin looked between them for a moment, weighing the split. "Then Chaos takes the wolf."
Kill Clause stepped in beside NukEncore with the quiet certainty of someone already thinking about the run itself instead of the talk around it. "I’ll pair up with NukEncore. We already know the Goblin Boss. Those crystal weapons fit archery well too, especially with the mana regen."
"That works. Encore’s in good hands, then," Martin said.
"Are you saying I can’t handle the boss alone?" NukEncore puffed up at once and leaned even farther forward, her mood clearly better after all the food and conversation. "Just wait until I level up!"
Martin liked seeing her like this, especially when leaning in like that pushed her tits right into his line of sight.
He cleared his throat. "It’s an Unleashed Boss now. It’s tougher."
"Unleashed?" NukEncore blinked.
After Martin explained that the boss was much stronger than before, NukEncore turned to Kill Clause with a bright grin. "Of course you can leave the ugly boss to this party’s ranged stars!"
Chaosgraphy gave her a lazy sneer. "Calling yourselves stars is cute when there are only two of you."
NukEncore ignored her completely and hurried to Kill Clause’s side, planting herself there like the choice had already been locked in.
Kill Clause barely moved, but the corner of her mouth shifted before she spoke. "We know the throne room best, too. If we want level twenty before the guild expansion, we pull as many goblins inside as possible."
"Doesn’t that sound... like a lot?" NukEncore asked.
A second later, she clenched her hands into little fists and lifted her chin at Kill Clause with a focused, determined look. "Nuh-uh. We’re going in hot. Encore after Encore until we’re fully geared!"
"I won’t let you rest, then," Kill Clause said with a faint smile. She gave NukEncore one short nod after that, already angling herself toward the route that would take them to the goblin side. The tiny gesture was enough to make NukEncore straighten beside her, as if being treated like a real partner had put steel into her spine.
Knowing who Kill Clause really was, and knowing how easily she could push people to work harder for her, NukEncore’s smile wavered for a few brief seconds.
Crimson Halo noticed it. Her gaze lingered on NukEncore for a moment, then moved back to Martin with quiet interest.
The closer they stood to the dungeon gate, the more informative the party became. No one looked hesitant now. They looked relaxed, ready, eager to step into the dungeon and come out stronger than before.
Watching that easy hunger stir through the group made something similar wake inside her too.
Martin turned to her. "What’s your plan?"
Crimson Halo let her gaze pass over the group before it settled on him, one elegant hand coming to rest at her waist. "For now, I’ll stay with Chaos and learn her combat habits. After that, I can rotate. I know too little about the bosses to choose properly just yet." Her lips curved slightly. "And you, Martin?"
He rested a hand on the Baby Trident strapped diagonally across his back. "Then I’ll take the Baby Kraken."
Chaosgraphy’s gaze dropped at once to the Baby Trident across his back, and her smile sharpened as if that answer had made him just a little more interesting.
Out of the three, that boss still made the most sense for him. Angel could disarm it. That alone made the runs cleaner.
More than that, every fight against the Kraken gave her another chance to take revenge on the thing that had humiliated her before. Martin liked that part more than he expected. There was something satisfying about turning the same monster into a repeatable source of progress.
And the rest of the logic was hard to ignore. The Baby Trident was already in his hands. If the boss dropped a full matching set, the weapon would stop feeling like one strong piece and start feeling like the center of an actual build.
The Water Monster Hunter idea still had its hooks in him too. It no longer felt like a random title or a stray direction. It felt like a path that might reward commitment if he pushed it hard enough.
A proper set built around the Baby Kraken could turn him into something much nastier than a beginner Guardian with good luck.
Kill Clause adjusted her grip on her bow and looked at him with the same steady focus she brought into combat. "The Dungeon watches our actions. We should rotate and work with each other from time to time, especially you, Martin."
Martin’s eyes narrowed slightly. He already knew she was right.
Otherwise, he could end up like Thorn’Shield, a selfish bruiser.
The warning landed because the signs were already there. He had received selfish shield and armor. Even his offensive skill pushed him in the same direction, toward a style built around his own gain, his own offense, and his own durability.
If he kept feeding only that line, the dungeon would happily shape him into exactly that kind of player.
Martin was not interested in becoming easy for the dungeon to read.
He glanced at Kill Clause and then at the others, his mind already moving ahead of the problem. He did not need to be told twice. He just needed a method that made sense.
A grin tugged at his mouth. "I’ve got something in mind for that."
Chaosgraphy’s eyes sharpened at once, amusement flickering there like she had just been handed a more interesting toy. NukEncore looked at him with open curiosity. Crimson Halo’s smile deepened, small and knowing, while Kill Clause gave a single short nod as if that was the answer she had expected from the start.
Ao Tenshin puffed up proudly on Martin’s shoulder, steadying herself against his hand like she was ready to march with the rest of them.
That was enough for him.
Martin reached back, pulled the Baby Trident from across his back, and turned toward the dungeon entrance beneath the Light Tree’s glow. Pale light slid along the trident’s prongs. Behind him, the others fell into motion. "Let’s move."
As soon as everyone appeared inside the dungeon, the party split off toward their chosen bosses.
Kill Clause and NukEncore headed for the goblin route together, trading light conversation while cutting through wooden monsters and enjoying the easy rhythm of early kills and quick experience.
Then NukEncore’s eyes snapped wide. "Wait, wait, wait! How are we supposed to stop the cart without Martin?!"
Kill Clause froze too, her usual composure slipping for the first time in a while. "We... need to find a new solution for that."
NukEncore turned to her so fast she nearly tripped over her own next step. "Got any idea?"
Kill Clause narrowed her eyes and looked ahead, already measuring distance, timing, and the narrow stretch of route in her mind. "The closest thing we have to Martin’s tether is my trap. If I place it far enough ahead and time it well, I might be able to stop the cart."
NukEncore searched her face. "You think you can do it on the first try?"
Kill Clause answered at once, flat and blunt. "No."
NukEncore’s face fell.