All the assaulters were ready to begin their counterattack.
With the window that Justin opened for them, and the other minor traps and debuffs like Eric's [Blindness], they were set to go.
Then—
"KRIIIIIIIIIKKKKK!!!"
—The most unexpected occurred.
~SWIIIISHHH!~
One of the centipedes wiggled its way through the strings and rushed towards Justin in a bid to devour him.
Perhaps even crush him.
"Justin, no!" Swiftly leaving his own position in the formation, Clark rushed towards his friend.
Shockwaves radiated as a result of his impulsive action, causing others to shift ever so slightly from their formation.
Justin, who was too distracted in his celebration, did not notice anything off until Clark called out his name.
Once he opened his eyes wide, he noticed the centipede which lunged at him with dangerous precision.
It's disgustingly black body was about to crash on him when Clark charged towards it and knocked it away.
~BOOOOOM!~
The knockback effect caused the centipede to wriggle and try to gain its footing.
Clark rushed towards it before it could recover and sent it a flurry of punches while burning it with his Heat Vision.
"JUST! STAY! DOWN!" He screamed, finally dispatching the Centipede with a powerful strike involving a clasped fist descending on the wounded Centipede's head.
Yes, he was able to defeat that single Centipede.
However, thanks to his disturbance, the restrained Centipedes not only woke from their slumbering states, but they grew erratic and wriggled out of their restraints as well.
With Justin too startled to tighten the hood of his strings, they successfully escaped their constraints and charged at Clark all at once.
"Clark!"
"Look out!"
Clark's classmates rushed through the wall of massive insects, but even they could not make it in time.
It would seem as though all hope was left, when—
"Dissipate."
—All of the Centipedes suddenly turned into dust.
Their sandy remains fell to the ground, instantly eliminating the danger that would have ended the life of one Otherworlder.
Perhaps even two, if Justin was counted.
The only reason they were able to survive was due to the masked man who appeared before the kneeling Clark and glared at him with his crimson eyes.
Despite the threat being extinguished, a powerful pressure still filled the room.
It screamed of more danger than the swarm of Centipedes could ever generate.
And all of it stemmed from Ralyks.
"Why did you break formation?" He asked, glaring at Clark.
His tone was calm, but the undertone clearly displayed his dissatisfaction with the boy's action.
He waited patiently for Clark's reason.
"Justin was in danger. I couldn't just watch while he—!"
"I would have saved him. I'm here, remember?"
Ralyks had given his word that none of the Otherworlders would die as long as he was around.
So far, he had managed to keep his word true.
The mere fact that he easily destroyed all the Monsters that were giving them so much trouble meant they really weren't anything to him in the slightest.
Surely, he would have helped Justin even without Clark's impulsive action.
Clark should have recognized that too.
But—
"I-I'm sorry, but… I just can't sit by and watch someone get hurt right in front of me. Not… not anymore…"
Clark's face fell, becoming slightly downcast.
Ralyks still looked at him with his cold, crimson eyes. No mercy or compassion could be found in his gaze, and this continued for a few moments.
"Sir Ralyks, maybe—"
Ralyks instantly held up his finger the moment Adonis spoke up, instantly shutting up the Hero.
No one dared say anything afterwards. They only gulped and watched in anxiety as Ralyks looked down on the boy.
"By doing so, you would have put the rest in greater danger. Is that truly a better alternative?"
Clark couldn't answer the question. He just looked away and stared at the ground.
"What would you have had me do? Just watch my friend die…?" He murmured.
Ralyks would have saved Justin for sure, but at that moment, nothing of the sort registered in Clark's mind.
He simply wanted to save his friend.
"The desire to protect is indeed an important aspect in being a hero."
As soon as Ralyks admitted this, Clark beamed and looked at the Dark Adventurer with bright eyes.
"Exactly! I just—!"
"BUT, there are no heroes in a Dungeon. There is only the predator and the prey. The hunter and the hunted. The Adventurer… and the Monster."
Ralyks narrowed his eyes as he stared at Clark's trembling facade.
"You will do well to remember this, boy. In here, your desire to destroy must exceed the will to protect."
Destroying the Monsters, eliminating the enemies, and growing stronger while doing so… that was what mattered most in the Dungeon.
The primary reason one had to protect their teammate in a Dungeon wasn't due to some altruistic reasons or selfless action, but simply because the chances of survival would reduce if said teammate died.
You protect your ally in a Dungeon because your survival hinges on it.
Because you can kill more Monsters by working together.
"It's a cold and dark world down here, kid. You'll do well to remember that."
"I think that's enough." Justin stepped forward, his voice quivering as he did so.
He looked nervous as he stood up to Ralyks, but his gaze went to Clark, who was already crying.
"I think he gets it already."
Sobs escaped the macho Clark's lips, and tears flowed down his eyes.
It seemed Ralyks' words had completely broken him.
"Very well. We'll be taking a small break here, so relax a little while I do some scouting."
Ralyks stared at Justin for a few seconds, causing the boy to tremble a little.
"I won't fault you for your carelessness. Mistakes happen in the Dungeon, especially with newbies like yourselves."
Ralyks looked at everyone else and addressed them all.
"That is why I am here. To prevent you from dying whenever you make a mistake."
Then, he looked at Clark for the last time.
"So you do your job… and let me do mine."