Alex and his team returned to their temporary base to recover from the earlier battle.
The Oathkeeper’s clothes were burned and singed in several places, so he had no choice but to change.
He had just taken off his shirt when Lavinia noticed the bruises, cuts, and burns still lingering on his skin despite the healing potions he had consumed.
"Alex, sit down for a bit," Lavinia said as she took out a healing potion from her storage ring. "I’ll treat your injuries."
"Thank you." Alex didn’t resist and let Lavinia sprinkle and spread a bit of the healing potion on his body using her hand.
A sigh of relief left Alex’s lips as the potion’s cooling sensation eased his discomfort.
A few minutes later, Lavinia handed him another bottle of potion.
"I’ve already treated the injuries on your upper body. I believe you can apply these on your... lower half yourself," Lavinia said before heading to the entrance of the cave they had chosen to be their temporary base.
"She’s mellowed out, hasn’t she, Dim Dim?" Alex asked.
"Dim." Dim Dim nodded before chugging on a small bottle of healing potion as if it were some kind of fruit juice.
After removing his pants, Alex poured healing potion over the injuries on his legs. He also asked Dim Dim to help with the spots he couldn’t see or reach.
A few minutes later, Alex also went to the cave’s entrance, feeling better and dressed in a new set of clothes.
"That punch is really amazing," Bob said to Renard. "Who taught you that move? Can I learn it too?"
"I’ve never seen anything like that," Grint added. "Are you perhaps a disciple of a famous Martial Artist?"’
Jorven, sensing that Renard wasn’t the kind who liked to talk with others, just watched as his two friends tried to make conversation with the boy who’d shown exceptional potential.
"..." Renard ignored the two boys talking to him and focused instead on the stew Nessia was cooking.
The sun was about to set, and he planned to rest after eating dinner.
Alex smirked at the sight of this scene. Renard was someone who would never talk to people unless absolutely necessary.
His serious trust issue made it hard for anyone to cozy up to him. In fact, it was nearly impossible.
"I have an announcement," Alex said, catching everyone’s attention. "The Trial ends in a day and a half. So tomorrow, we’ll need to find a more secure location.
"We all know the mechanics. The mist will soon force all the remaining trial takers to the center of the island. It’ll only be a matter of time before chaos explodes. I’m guessing, by the final hours of the trial, the remaining space will be reduced to more or less two kilometers."
Alex had checked his map and found a special feature that let him see which areas would remain habitable during the final hours of the trial. That was how he had discovered that their current camp would be later overrun by the mist. It would be unsuitable as their last stand.
Lavinia and Charles nodded to acknowledge the young man’s explanation.
Nessia, who seemed to have also approved of Alex’s abilities, also nodded her head in understanding.
Bob, Grint, and Jorven felt indebted to Alex and had seen how much he cared for his team. They were thus more willing to agree to his proposal.
Only Renard eyed Alex critically, clearly debating whether to listen or not.
However, he had to agree that without a team to help him, it was impossible to survive the attack of a Rank 4 Boss Monster. They had to work together to defeat the previous one, but there were others left.
"I’ll listen to you until this trial ends," Renard replied. "But after this, I will settle our score."
"You still haven’t moved on?" Alex arched an eyebrow.
"No," Renard answered. "I’ll make you pay for what you did to me."
"Hah..." Alex scratched his head. There was no helping it. Renard held grudges even in the game.
"I have a question." Bob raised his hand. "What are we going to do with the sigil?"
This was the question that had been in his mind since the beginning, and he wanted to know what Alex planned to do with it.
"The sigil will remain with Dim Dim," Alex replied without missing a beat, clearly expecting the question. "If any of us touches it, we will automatically be sent out of this Dungeon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not letting Dim Dim keep it because I want to use it myself.
"The only reason I had Dim Dim keep it is because I believe everyone here will be able to pass the trial as long as we all work together.
"Just like how we defeated the Rank 4 Boss Monster, everyone has a role to play. If one of us disappears, then wouldn’t things become harder later on?"
Bob rubbed his chin. "So there’s still a chance you’ll use the sigil for yourself, right? After all, Dim Dim is your... pet?"
"Muuuh!" Dim Dim glared at the teenage boy who had just called it Alex’s pet. Perhaps out of annoyance, it took out a brittle vial from its dimensional storage and prepared to throw it.
"Dim Dim is not a pet." Alex hurriedly scooped up the little guy before it could throw the brittle vial in its hand. "It’s a Nature Spirit. Dim Dim is my partner. But you’re right. My words will not be enough to convince you that I won’t use the sigil for myself.
"And frankly, I don’t really care if you don’t believe me. If you wish to walk away, feel free to do so. I won’t force you to stay."
"Hmph!" Dim Dim glared at the teenage boy and made a shooing motion, clearly telling Bob to leave the group pronto.
Bob shook his head and raised both of his hands. "I’m not leaving this team even if you kick me out by force. We’re going to survive this together! Also, sorry for calling you a pet earlier, Dim Dim. That was wrong of me."
"Hmmph!" Dim Dim ignored Bob’s attempt to reconcile. However, it did return its brittle vial to its storage space, making Alex sigh in relief.
To prevent any more conflicts from escalating, Alex changed the topic. He came up with a schedule for them to follow at night when guarding the cave.
He asked Bob, Grint, and Jorven to act as the night watch for the first four hours.
After that, Charles and Nessia would take their place.
He and Lavinia would be the third batch of night watchers.
Last but not least would be Renard and Dim Dim.
The reason he paired up the two was for a simple reason.
Renard didn’t really trust people. However, Dim Dim could befriend anyone.
Alex wanted the two to get along, and maybe let the Dim Sum God smooth things up so Renard would no longer come after him after the trial ended.
Fortunately, no one tried to attack them all through the night.
When morning came, Alex asked Dim Dim to help them find a place that could be defended properly.
Naturally, Dim Dim was more than happy to help, so it led everyone to a hidden path that led to a temple at the center of the island.
The temple was concealed by an illusion, appearing as nothing more than a patch of forest trees.
Even Nessia, well-versed in magic formations, was impressed by the intricate symbols drawn to form it.
"Nessia, use this Rank 4 Monster Core to create a killing array," Alex said. "Then use the cores that we have all gathered for a defensive formation. Do you think you will be able to finish both of them in half a day?"
"I don’t need half a day," Nessia replied. "Four hours will do."
"Good." Alex nodded. "We will defend you in those four hours, so work without worries."
"Understood." Nessia then took Vulkarath’s Core and made preparations to transcribe the killing array that would fight off any threats that might come their way.
"Charles, guard Nessia closely," Alex said with a mischievous smile. "Don’t let her get disturbed by anyone, okay?"
"You’re not playing matchmaker, are you?" Charles asked calmly.
"Matchmaker?" Alex blinked innocently. "What are you talking about? Wait, could it be that you—"
"Of course not!" Charles insisted before Alex could finish whatever he was going to say next. "We’re just friends."
"Of course, I know that." Alex smirked. "That’s why I’m asking you to guard her. I mean, are you not friends?"
Lavinia couldn’t help but smile because she was quite amused by the exchange between her two companions.
Fearing Alex might say something else, the teenage boy hurried to Nessia’s side. She was already using her staff to draw symbols on the ground, laying out the foundation of her killing array.