The first level of the dagger’s realm had the appearance of a cave, with one major difference—all the passages were brightly lit up by an invisible source of light. While the effect was beneficial, it also felt unnaturally strange—nothing in the cave had any shadows, including the members of the group. It took Dallion several steps to get partially used to the notion. Not seeing a dark spot beneath his feet upon lifting them from the ground was just too creepy.

“Does anyone have a high perception?” he asked. The other members of the group looked at him with blank expressions.

Seriously? Dallion grumbled in his mind. Although this was a fantasy world, he’d have hoped that they would know basic tactics.

“It’s better if the one with the greatest perception is in front, like a scout,” Dallion explained. “Meanwhile, the ones with greatest body and guard stats should act like t…” he stopped himself. There was no way anyone would understand the meaning of the word “tank”. “Bodyguards of the group,” Dallion quickly corrected himself.

The silence indicated that while not objecting, no one thought the idea particularly good either.

“My perception is six,” Dallion offered.

The moment he put his hat in the ring, the group’s attitude changed. There was no longer the fear that he was taking advantage of them. Now it was only a matter of simple comparison, and where there were comparisons, there was pride.

“I’m at eight,” Bel said.

“Six here.” Arthurows shrugged.

Cellano didn’t bother saying, suggesting that his perception was the lowest of all.

“I’m at ten,” Falkner said, as Dallion suspected he would. Anyone who had improved his clothes to such a level had to have a high level of perception. “Guess that makes me the scout?”

“Sort of. Just walk in front. I’ll be a few steps behind in case something attacks.” Dallion tapped on his buckler. “The attackers should be a few steps behind me, so they can jump into action when needed.”

After some readjustments, the party moved forward. Given the nature of the cave, Dallion wasn’t worried about attacks from the rear and, provided there were no such things as grenades in this world, he wasn’t overly concerned with ambushes, either. If they faced an enemy with area attacks, though, some changes might be needed.

As they walked, Dallion kept an eye on Vend. The echo had chosen to follow the group a few steps away. Maybe that was how its owner usually behaved in group fights, but Dallion had the sneaky suspicion that the party was in for a serious attack at any moment now.

“I see something.” Falkner stopped, pointing forward. “Some kind of reptilian creatures.”

“Good.” Next time, maybe whisper that, instead of letting the whole cave know. “Get back here. Anyone with ranged weapons, prepare to fight. I’ll take the lead and act as a wall.” Although, it would have been better if he was equipped with a tower shield instead of a small buckler.

To Dallion’s surprise, Arthurows joined him in the front line.

“I’m also a good guard,” Arthurows whispered, then to Dallion’s astonishment, drew a large shield out of nowhere. “Here to lend a shield.” He smiled.

Dallion had no idea how that trick worked, nor what shield exactly Arthurows had with him, but he knew he wanted one. A shield that could be carried with such ease was a huge advantage.

“Thanks.” Dallion drew his dartbow, while raising his buckler to protect the upper part of his torso. “We go slowly.”

The effort proved quickly wasted. Before they could even take a step forward, the cave echoed with the sound of running. Dozens of claws hitting rock resonated throughout the tunnel, approaching closer and closer.

Species: Amphibion

Class: Earth

Statistics: 100% hp

Skills: Venom claws

Weak spots: Tail

White rectangles hovered above each of the creatures. There were dozens of them, filling the tunnel like a wave of water.

Dallion aimed and squeezed the trigger. As the bolt struck its target, the health in the status rectangle quickly turned to zero, before disappearing altogether. That was good, at least the creatures weren’t difficult to kill, although there were so many of them. Dallion shot again, this time accompanied by two others. Three creatures of the approaching wave popped out of existence, like balloons at a children's party. Sadly, there were many more, roughly twenty by Dallion’s estimates.

Green markers appeared on the ground, though this time there was something different—Dallion could see Arthurows’ as well, colored in a deeper shade of green.

This must be what it’s like fighting in a party, Dallion thought as he let out another bolt. Arthurows, on the other hand, drew a sabre from the air. It remained a mystery how he did that, but the question would have to remain for later.

“Stand back!” Cellano leapt over them, holding a two-handed sword.

A red arc appeared all over the first wave of creatures. Moments later, Cellano did his strike. The tip of the sword passed through four creatures, reducing their health totals to forty percent. The muscular teammate didn’t stop, following up with a second slash.

“Show off,” Arthurows whispered with a grin.

I can see their attacks, Dallion thought. Which means they can see mine.

“How many left?” Dallion shouted.

“Twenty-seven,” Falkner said.

An impressive number. Even if weak, the creatures were going to overrun them soon. Why wasn’t the rest of the group helping, though? Instants later, target markers emerged on multiple amphibions, followed by a rain of daggers.

“Keep it up!” Dallion kept shooting.

The creatures faltered. Having half of them killed off, as well as a sword wielding maniac spinning in their midst, quickly forced them to change tactics. Instead of continuing with the charge, all remaining enemies leapt at one spot, merging into a giant copy of themselves that filled the entire tunnel.

It was just like the time Dallion had fought a pack of puma-like creatures in the realm of a well. From what he remembered, the new beast would have the combined health of all the ones that composed it, also it would be considerably more intelligent.

“All back!” Dallion shouted. “That thing is—”

Before he could finish, Falkner leaped above him, heading to the new foe. Spinning through the air with the skill of an Olympic gymnast, he landed on Cellano’s shoulders, then propelled himself forward. A new set of markers had become visible in the air—white markers connecting each other through a series of white wavy lines.

Acrobatics, Dallion thought. So, that is what it looked like. In a way similar to guard makers, but also different, they let Falkner know how to twist through the air to reach where he wanted, and what surfaces to leap off from.

The boy made a somersault above the monster. As he turned, a series of attack markers appeared on the amphibion’s head. Falkner drew two dartbows—far fancier than Dallion’s own—and fired three sets of two bolts from each.

Before the monster could let out a roar of pain, Falkner let go of the weapons and drew his sword. Taking advantage of his momentum, he slashed in a downward arc. A swishing sound followed, after which the gigantic monster was suddenly gone.

What the heck? Dallion couldn’t believe it. A combined effort was necessary to reduce the creatures in half, and Falkner had just killed all the remaining ones off in a single attack?! True, he only had one beast to face, but even so the ease with which he had done it was outright impressive.

High perception, Acrobatics, and ranged weapons… the fighting style reminded very much of Gloria, too much for it to be a coincidence. Someone had to have taught her. Could it be that despite his echo, the village chief had prepared her for that?

All markers vanished.

“Sorry for the delay,” Falkner said with a smug expression. “I’m better at one-to-one fights.”

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind he was showing off. At the same time, no one dared say a word about it. Arguing with the son of a noble wasn’t the best choice, especially at his level of skill. He wasn’t the only one Dallion was impressed with. Excluding their abysmal tactics, every member displayed skills far superior to his own. Cellano was fast and confident enough to charge a horde, Arthurows could draw items from thin air, and Bel was a master in throwing knives. However, what was Dallion good at?

“What were those?” Dallion turned to Vend’s echo. “Cracks?”

“Neither cracks, nor echoes,” Vend replied. “The Academy calls them blockers. Their only purpose is to keep us from clearing the level. Like the guardians, they reappear each time you enter a sphere item’s realm.”

Just like in video games, Dallion thought.

“Can we get anything from them?” Arthurows asked.

“No. They are nothing but a nuisance. Better get used to them, there’s a lot more until you reach the level guardian.”

“Do we get an achievement if we kill them all?”

“Art,” Vend sighed. “Your only choice is to kill them all. Why do you think they’re names blockers? Their only purpose is to block people going forward. If you’ve reached the guardian, it means there’s none of them left to block you.”

“Figures.” Arthurows shrugged.

“We go on like before?” Falkner had already gone a few steps forward. “I don’t see anything in the next five hundred feet. Think we should run till the end, Dal?”

“Slow and steady wins the race.” Dallion returned his dartbow to his holster. “There’s no telling what we might find.”

“Good job, by the way,” Bel said as she passed by. “The group thing was a good idea.”

This was officially Dallion’s first compliment. Not the best one possible, but at least he was no longer considered an outsider. Maybe that would earn him a few contribution points going on? If they managed to reach the fifth level. This was the very first encounter, and already it was much more difficult than what Dallion had faced in the realm of the well.

Going forward, the group picked up the pace slightly, although everyone had their guard up. Discussions were scarce, mostly comments on skills and weapons—the first signs of opening up. The next common battle followed minutes later.

The creatures attacking were the same, and just as before, Dallion found himself issuing orders. Directing four people should have been the simplest thing possible, yet for some reason no one here seemed to grasp it. Looking at them, Dallion had no doubt that each of his group members could take down the wave of amphibions on their own, but working together proved a challenge. It was almost like watching a cat learning to walk with slippers.

Defeating the last of the creatures, the group went on. The cave tunnel went on and on, curving slightly as it did. It was as if they were walking along one giant spiral. Every now and again it would straighten, indicating a new group of enemies was about to attack.

With each battle, coordination improved. Roles and positions within the party shifted. Given their kill rate, Cellano moved to the front, alongside Falkner. Bel and Dallion took the second row, using ranged attacks to diminish the number, while Arthurows took the rear, with the role of guarding the echo of their future instructor, should any of the enemies pass through. All in all, it was a sound idea, although Dallion suspected that Arthurows was using it as an excuse to slack off.

Alas, the smoother their fights became, the more concerned Dallion got.

“Guys, how many were there in the last group?” he asked.

“Fifty-seven,” Cellano said.

“More like fifty-nine.” Falkner corrected.

“Any chance they could have been sixty?” Dallion wondered.

“Could be. Why”

“And the last time they were fifty-five?”

“I guess… What are you thinking?”

“Sir,” Dallion turned to Vend. “Do blockers depend on the size of the group?”

“No. They are always one and the same,” the echo replied. “No matter if it’s one person or a hundred.”

Dallion’s puzzle mind took over. A pattern had formed. The logic seemed flimsy at first. Nothing but a coincidence, but with each battle, his silly theory had got one step closer to being confirmed.

The first fight included thirty-five enemies, which was five times seven. Each subsequent fight the number increased by five. So far, they had gone through six waves, which suggested the next would be the last before the guardian.

“The next fight we’ll face sixty-five of them, isn’t that right?” Dallion asked. “And the first guardian will follow.”

“March didn’t exaggerate.” Vend smiled. “You catch on quickly. Just be sure not to die till the end.”

Everyone stared at Dallion, but his mind was elsewhere. This wasn’t the first artifact he’d seen with similar numbers. The awakened shrine had also had five trials, each helping Dallion to increase his level. Could this be the same? Very soon he’d find out.