After that, it didn’t take long for the others to figure it out, and Levi had his minions finish off the goblin boss. He wished he had more time. Ideally, they should do this every day for a week until they were fully capable of activating and utilizing mana at will, but he had already stayed here too long.

“Next, we’ll be practicing stamina-running.” He looked them over. Under ordinary circumstances, there would be some major penalty for failure to drive them on, but seeing the way they’d competed with each other - the way the last two had thrown themselves into the fight in order to catch up to their teammates - he got the idea that it wouldn’t be necessary for this group.

“What’s that?”

“Well, the basic concept is to be able to run indefinitely while drawing steadily on your stamina at the same rate as your regeneration. I don’t expect you to reach that level immediately, but it can also be used as an exercise to determine how you access stamina. Much like the last challenge where I wanted you to use mana, so you could learn the feel of it.”

He looked around the dungeon, then grinned. “Alright, here’s how this’ll work. You need to run from the final treasure room to the entry room as fast as possible. I’ll have Becca and Centoo and Skarm patrol to be sure any stragglers don’t get in the way. Once you get there, you hold up your weapon and activate it for five seconds, then run back here. Then do it again. It’ll be timed, so you’re racing against both your own best time and the best times of the others. If you don’t burn stamina, you’ll never win. If you burn it too fast, you’ll wear yourself out and not be able to finish the second leg of the race.”

He considered banning restoratives, but decided that if they wanted to waste their resources on a training exercise that was their own decision. They were already lining up, looking at each other.

“Ready? Go!”

They went. Levi followed more slowly, leaving his minions to supervise, and collected the items from both treasure rooms and piled them together in the final room. Four health, two mana, a blank scroll, an elixir base, and a hood. He left them for now and stepped out through the end portal, then back into the dungeon entrance, so he was waiting there when the racers arrived.

He couldn’t see their stamina percentages, but he could tell they were pushing themselves hard. Rachel and Laurence were tied for first as they ran up to him, held up their weapons, and both failed to activate them the first time. The ranger and one of the other men were close behind them, the fifth lagging behind apparently unable to use his stamina at all.

Laurence was the first to activate his sword, but he lost his concentration before finishing the five seconds. Rachel’s immediately lit up, staying steady for the five seconds, then she took off at a dead sprint.

Laurence got it the second try and sprinted after her, the fourth man close on his heels and the ranger not far behind.

By the time the fifth reached Levi, the others were out of sight around a curve in the dungeon hall.

“I don’t… see the point… of this,” the young man gasped, holding up his weapon feebly. It flickered once then remained dark.

“Right now, you can kill things with empty steel, but that won’t always be the case. Better to prepare now than be caught unawares later.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s not what I meant.” He raised his weapon again, but could barely power it for even a split second.

“What’s wrong?”

“This isn’t us, man. Dungeon Olympics? Who cares. We should be out killing another boss.”

“You don’t have to stay.”

He snorted. “Like I’m going to leave all the loot to your fan club. Nah, man. I’m just here to be sure everything stays on the up and up.”

Levi frowned, not liking the derision in his tone, but decided against confronting him. “Keep practicing,” was all he said, then took off at a sprint to catch up to the others.

They’d run on ahead with enough of a head start that they’d all arrived at the end point by the time Levi caught up. They looked varying parts excited and worn out.

“Two?” Levi asked.

The gremlin pointed to the four finishers in turn, Cen tapping out a quick code with his front legs as he did so. Laurence was first, the ranger second, and Rachel third, while the other man was fourth.

“Good. Round two, ready… go.”

They lined up in a rush, then took off again. Levi guessed he’d have to run them three or four times before they were exhausted, but he could afford to be patient. It was the middle of the night by now, Gordon would be resting, the kids had all left hours ago, all that remained were the most dedicated. He’d promised them a day, and he fully intended to ensure they got the full value of it.

The fifth guy finally meandered back, looking over the pile of treasures critically. “Is this some kind of act?” he demanded. “What is your problem?”

“What’s your problem?” Levi retorted. “I’m not even sure what you’re complaining about.” He should probably try to be civil, but this man’s attitude grated on him in a way few things could.

“This whole… playing the wise mysterious mentor, act. Why?”

“I made a deal, and I plan to keep it.”

“Dude, you’re only level eight. Okay? Sure, big deal, wooo, you beat us by a few levels. But that doesn’t make you special. I know people who are almost level fifteen, okay?"

Levi barely stopped himself from laughing, but his humor wasn't lost on the angry man.

"And the stuff you’re saying is pure nonsense. No one can confirm it, and you act like you’re some ultimate authority, but I see right through you.”

“Oh? What do you see?”

“You don’t care about any of this crap you’re spewing, you just want whatever that hidden thing is that Charles found and you’ll say and do whatever it takes to get it. And if that means playing kiddie games with the guild to get them on your good side, that’s what you’ll do.”

Levi considered arguing, but shrugged instead. It wasn’t like he could change the guy’s mind.

The others started returning, and Two relayed their scores. The fourth man had improved, moving up to take second place, while Rachel had slowed considerably and placed last.

Laurence remained the front-runner by nearly a full second.

“Again. Ready? Go.”

They lined up, then took off, leaving Levi and… he glanced at the fifth man’s nameplate… Doug Davis, level 4. Doug crossed his arms. “Not going to deny it?”

“I’m not a liar, and I’m not spreading misinformation. Even if you don’t believe me, what I’m teaching them will be directly applicable to survival - both theirs and others'. That’s good enough for me.”

“As long as you get what you want out of us first.”

“Exactly. Purely transactional. Everyone wins.”

“Not everyone. Only those willing to buy into your little story. What about the rest of us?”

“You were able to activate your sword in the boss fight,” Levi pointed out. “You know I’m not wrong.”

“All the best deceptions are built around truth. That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Then by all means, enjoy your observation and judgment. Another day and I’ll be gone and you can remember fondly how certain you feel about me.”

“You don’t get to come in here and mock me.”

“I think we’ve established our mockery is mutual. I don’t mind if you leave if you can’t take it.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Excellent. All part of the plan. Now, are you going to participate in the training, or just stand there like a grump with your arms crossed?”

Doug shifted, but didn’t uncross his arms. Instead he walked over to the table and sat down on it. “I’ll just keep an eye on things until Charles gets back.”

“You do that.”

This time when the others arrived, Rachel and Laurence were perfectly tied, though Laurence’s earlier time was still faster. He seemed to be slowing down a bit. Levi didn’t give them time to rest, but sent them to run the course again.

Just a little longer, and they’d be ready for the next phase.