"Wait, what?"
Xandra was confused by Dante's words. She had thought that they had relieved themselves of the problem, but never did she think that the gigantic monster would actually come back running at them.
Hearing her, Dante kept smiling to himself before answering Xandra's confusion.
"You're not thinking of making me handle the problem alone, or do you?"
Dante's smile turned into a smirk as Xandra realized what he had implicated. She understood what he meant regarding the gigantic monster. It was their problem, to begin with since they were the ones that got ambushed.
It would also be disgraceful to let the one the recruits previously condemned take care of the problem. That would be too shameful that Xandra herself wouldn't be able to have a good sleep.
"I understand what you're trying to say."
"It was our problem to begin with. Apologies for thinking of letting you take care of the problem alone. That was embarrassing of me."
Xandra lightly bowed to Dante, and a determined expression emerged on her face.
"No need to bow that way, Xandra."
"I was simply suggesting of fighting the gigantic monster together."
He shook his head while smiling since this young lady before him was too stiff and serious. From her words and her appearance, he could easily guess that she was a noble like him. What she was doing in the outskirts was a question in itself.
Though, that wasn't something he was willing to pursue.
"Eh, I thought you were about to leave. After all, the first rule of survival is if you can't fight it, you must run away from it."
Xandra was confused as to why Dante was willing to say. There was nothing to gain from killing the gigantic monster, even if they could even harm it. The second checkpoint of the marathon test was mainly about the Kryftis.
There was no need for the gigantic monster, and their meeting with it was nothing more but an accident and an ambush.
"What do you mean it's coming back?"
"Didn't you let your monster bait itself to save us?"
A random recruit said in frustration, not wanting to face the monster even again. They had just left death's embrace. Why should they go back into such ridiculous circumstances?
"That's right! You should let your monster handle it."
"Yeah, why would you force us to fight against that monster!"
The other recruits have the same thoughts of not wanting to face the monster. They would die if they faced such a thing, and they didn't want death to ever be near them.
Dante's eyes glinted upon hearing their words as a cold voice escaped from his mouth.
"I simply baited the gigantic monster to give us a bit of time."
"And you're expecting a Kryftis to defeat something that's stronger than it? Can you even hear yourself?" His eyebrows furrowed themselves since he was annoyed by the bastards in front of him.
He was now regretting saving them, though this was the only way to have more bodies in the fight. Obviously, he and Roshan wouldn't be able to handle the gigantic monster alone. So the recruits before him would be the numbers he needed.
"Why are you so useless, as expected of the third son."
One of them quietly mumbled to himself before Xandra coldly condemned such words.
"I'll give you a warning. Don't ever speak like that again."
"You have been saved, and he brought us time. And you have the guts to call him useless? Are you an idiot?" Xandra was becoming pissed off as the people behind her were more problematic than she thought.
She had already noticed this during their fight against the gigantic monster or the Kryftis. They would panic and sometimes even use her as a shield against the gigantic monster.
At first, She didn't mind it since she had the capability to defend herself while they did not. But they have been becoming shameless the more time passes by.
"No need for that, Xandra. Let him speak for himself."
"In any case, it looks like you know the rules of survival."
"So I wonder…."
"Why didn't you run away since you have the capabilities of doing so. You can easily escape the clutches of the master and go back to the second checkpoint to report it."
Dante questioned since escaping the monster would be plausible while it mangles the recruits before him. Xandra could easily do that, especially if she knew about the rules of survival.
According to such rules, there are times to be brave, but they are times to retreat. It's not cowardice to escape the clutches of death. Since it is nothing more but living.
Morals don't matter in the rules of survival.
Dante's last captain in his former world taught him this simple lesson during their hunting sessions in his past life.
"I am not the person to throw people under my banner to death. My father taught me that those within my responsibilities will have their deaths under my name. As a leader of this group, I could simply not abandon it."
Xandra answered with an air of melancholy while preparing herself for the incoming battle. Dante furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing it and simply did nothing more but smile.
People have different beliefs, whether it be their way of life or mindset. While he would disagree, maybe there would be a time when he would get subordinates. Would he abandon people under his banner?
It was an answer he could never answer at the moment.
'I was fearful and horrified before, so I can understand the thinking of this recruits. But even I wouldn't be an asshole to someone who save me.'
'Though, did I look like an asshole when I said that the monster would come back?'
'I hope not.'
He thought to himself before looking at Xandra.
He never noticed it at first, but she was quite a beauty. She exudes the elegance of a leader. Her appearance of grayish black hair in a ponytail, along with her purple amethyst eyes, makes Dante wonder what noble bloodline she comes from.
'She seemed to also have excluded her family name during the introduction.'
'Well, there is no reason for her to introduce her family name to an outside like me.'
Dante stretched his limbs and calmly uttered.
"Roshan's about to reveal himself with the gigantic monster a distance away from him."
"Before then, why don't we create a strategy."
He needed their help to gain what he needed from the gigantic monster. The experience and biomass it has would be a treasure chest for him. With the help of Xandra and the others, it might be possible to defeat it.
This was the reason why he revealed himself in the first place. An opportunity arose, and it was up to him to get it.
"Strategy?" Xandra raised an eyebrow, wondering what Dante wanted to do regarding this strategy of his. Does he have an idea of defeating the monster? Or maybe, the two of them will brainstorm for a viable strategy.
"Yes, I want all the pieces of information you know of the gigantic monster. I need to learn of its weaknesses." Dante needed more information regarding the gigantic monster. And Xandra might be knowledgeable about it.