----

'That was a normal setting? A single Mini-Boss level monster? I hope it doesn't follow this pattern. If so, it'd be tough to level up before coming across the truly difficult enemies,' Kieran thought while dismissing the notifications before him.

Although Kieran speculated that this floor was inherently set to mimic a Normal Mode dungeon, it didn't feel that way. Kieran only entertained this earlier thought when he noticed the lack of other monsters.

With the system's confirmation, he no longer had reason to speculate about its difficulty. Conversely, he now wondered how many floors this secret dungeon possessed.

Unlike the spiraling stairway that first greeted the party, the walkway now couldn't be called stairs. They were more like ramps for disabled people to traverse inclined spaces easily. The only difference was that they were angled down and situated beside one another.

So, while Kieran descended one half of the walkway, his peripheral vision could still see the others following behind him at a languid pace.

"Do you think we'll be able to fight more? I feel like I was blue-balled and teased. How could they prepare a single monster and then cut us off cold turkey? It's ridiculous," Nemean complained.

"Would you prefer an ocean of nonstop monsters then?" Bastion sneered.

"No, no. That sounds equally as bad. Is a moderate flow of monsters to support a steady stream of experience too much to ask for? I don't think so," Nemean responded.

Despite how simple it seemed on the surface, dungeons rarely followed the most logical trend. Instead, dungeons were primarily designed in a way that exhausted a large portion of the party's Stamina if defeated too quickly. Granted, this only rang true if the party's damage wasn't high enough to avoid high Stamina consumption.

"Damn, you're such an optimist. Learn how to be a realist sometimes," Bastion scoffed.

Nemean could only glare at Bastion in silence before looking away. Bastion had a point, but Nemean felt a realist was far too close to a pessimist, and that was something he vowed never to become. Negativity usually bred a hostile environment, and he preferred not to step into such an environment.

Meanwhile, Kieran continued to talk about their earlier topics, learning more about the styles Luna witnessed and what famous fighters or teachers they came from. However, while she revealed the name and a small demonstration of some of her sparsely used moves, she didn't disclose the essential information.

Of course, Kieran somewhat expected this development. There was no trust between them. What would happen if they were to become enemies in the future and all of her combat weaknesses and strengths were laid bare? Luna would end up at an immediate disadvantage.

Moreover, because she intended to train her followers properly, those same strengths and weaknesses would become intrinsic to her followers. Naturally, this could put her entire team at risk. Thus, Luna made the wise decision to withhold that information.

However, what Luna didn't account for was Kieran's ability to analyze and detect familiar movements cultivated through his years of close combat training.

'Sooner or later, you'll be forced to reveal the training you've put yourself through. Once that happens, you'll no longer be able to hide these defining movements that you don't wish to speak about,' Kieran thought.

Nevertheless, Kieran wouldn't deliberately expose Luna to a situation that forced this outcome. If the circumstances became too forced, Kieran was confident Luna would catch wind of it. One of the leading traits he commended her for was her vigilance and cautiousness displayed in combat.

After allowing a short break, Kieran clapped his hands and gained everyone's attention. "This floor may be completely different from the one up above. Because of the Difficult setting, we'll adopt a proper battle formation."

"Is our current formation not proper?" Luna asked. From what she saw, Nemean and Bastion were situated at the front of the team, with Kieran being the only person that followed directly behind them. The healers: Sera, Sithik, and Cygnus, were stationed at the back.

In her eyes, the formation was already a decent one. If it were up to her, Luna wouldn't make any change. This wasn't a wrong decision, but Kieran felt there was an even better one.

"It's proper in a way, yes. But, I want my guys to become familiar with war formations that can be employed in small-scale battles," Kieran answered while raising his hand into a fist. The first one to stop was Altair since he was familiar with the gesture. When the others noticed his pause, they followed suit.

"War formations? Why are you worried about that when the ability to make guilds isn't functional yet?" Luna muttered. Her brows furrowed as visible confusion graced her stellar appearance.historical

"Because enemies will be inevitable, and we have already made a few. Besides, do you think the lack of official guilds will stop leaders of gamings organization from preparing their foundations? I even dare say that once we get back to our kingdom, the race to grab ahold of advantages will intensify," Kieran answered with a serious look.

Luna's mouth opened and closed, but she didn't know what to say. Everything Kieran said was the truth. All types of conflict were bound to arise in a game where an open world was utilized to further one's power and influence.

While that may be true, Luna was truly taken aback by the fact he had acquired enemies already.

'It's only been a week.. If he already possesses enemies, then could he be some kind of troublemaker?' Luna wondered while giving Kieran a complicated look. It wasn't filled with scorn or disdain, but it was filled with skepticism.

Could interacting with him make her a target by default?

"I know that look. You have no need to worry. You won't be roped into my issues; I can promise you that. Still, you should at least learn some things if you're to be a fine leader. With that being said, the healers should never be located at the vulnerable rear. What would you do if an enemy overtook your flank?" Kieran questioned before bending down to pick up a few pebbles at the area where the ground became flat again.

"That's true. But, what's the best solution? You can't exactly sacrifice firepower to continually man the rear. There's a chance the vanguard will be overtaken due to the lack of forces," Luna said with a pensive look. She rubbed her chin in deep thought while glancing around the team.

Because of what Kieran said, she viewed the situation as if they were about to enter a war. As a result, Bastion and the others weren't treated as an individual but as units capable of being manipulated to provide the best results.

Eventually, Luna frowned while looking at Kieran. "I can't come up with the answer. Despite the obvious risks, I still think it's best to place the healers at the rear."

"Perhaps. Or, maybe you have your rotational offense protect the healers," Kieran said. Not just Luna, everyone looked at Kieran in complete bewilderment. Until now, they had never heard the term "rotational offense."

Simply put, the rotational offense referred to close-range members in a fight that only relied upon their skills to deal damage. Once the fighters unloaded their entire arsenal of skills, they would return to a position close behind the tankers until their skills came off cooldown.

Due to the confusion plaguing the team, Kieran quickly simplified his meaning. "The first line should always be defense. Behind them, you want to layer in your close to mid-range fighters. Behind this layer should be the healers. The last layer should be your medium to super-long range fighters which comprise classes like Mages and Archers. They're like the snipers in the army. Are they ever the ones to make direct contact? No, they provide long-range assistance. The real focus of any large-scale battle is that second layer. Of course, there are other vital factors, but I can't comment on those."

"I see," Luna muttered as realization hit. This was a valuable solution to employ in future battles. The only issue was that once other teams caught wind of this, it would make pincer attacks extremely difficult to execute.

As per Kieran's instructions, the team rearranged their formation. Bastion and Nemean kept their current positions at the front. But, Kieran handled the area directly behind them while Altair and Luna spread out to the far left and right. With their movement speed, it wouldn't be challenging to close the gap they created instantly.

Behind Kieran was Sera, Sithik, and Cygnus, with Alice approximately 5 meters away. Her spells had the longest range and cast time, allowing Alice to wield her newly acquired spells involving the elements comfortably.

After adopting this formation, the party tried to move at a pace that agreed with everyone. However, because of the varying Agility, it was difficult to obtain this without someone stumbling or stepping on another's heel. Luna, Alice, and Altair were the only ones unaffected by this problem because of their distance from the group.

"Spread out a little more. Stop stumbling over each other and be mindful of your surroundings. This is the most fundamental way to increase your combat awareness. These little mistakes shouldn't appear in the future."

Suddenly, as he spoke, Kieran narrowed his eyes and jumped forward while slashing his sword.

Ting!

The metallic sounds of sharp metals colliding resounded as Kieran landed on the ground and signaled for Bastion and Nemean to move up. As they moved up a few steps, just over ten arrows whizzed through the air, aimed directly at them.

Whereas Nemean slammed his shields together, creating a small shockwave of might, Bastion stabbed his shield into the ground and ducked behind it. Both of these actions were skills, and because their shields properly deflected the projectiles, neither of them suffered damage.

In the meantime, Kieran looked at the deflected arrows by their feet. 'Long-range monsters? But those arrows feel different from the ones we faced before.'