[Goblin Den - E-rank dungeon]
Dungeons.
Dungeons were gates that teleported anything and anyone coming in a pocket dimension. Space and time varied greatly, making it quite challenging. Most often, though, the time was only slightly dilated by a factor of three or four, meaning that a week-long expedition in the dungeon would only last for two or three days.
Dungeons were dangerous not just because of the monsters it had.
Dungeons were dangerous because unless you found and killed the boss monster holding the return stone, you would be in enemy territory.
Clearing an E-rank dungeon usually required at least a D-rank hunter, because the boss monster was usually extremely strong. Efficient teams, however, could attempt to clear dungeons that were of the same rank as their hunters. The most efficient teams, in some specific settings, could even attempt to clear a dungeon above their official rating, though it was extremely rare to see in practice.
Clearing gates a rating below your actual rank was actually the most common practice.
*SPLASH*
"There is no end to them!", Eres shouted in the Goblin Den, an E-rank dungeon that had been cleared times and times again. It was quite famous because despite being cleared, goblins would spawn inside the dungeon again and again, including its boss monster, the [Goblin Shaman].
Although this dungeon contained one of the weakest creatures in the hunter guides, goblins were dangerous nonetheless. Clearing the dungeon required to kill one hundred to one thousand goblins on average.
[Elise Huntingwood - D-rank Mage]
[Miguel Sanchez - D-rank Priest]
[Arthemis Tortos - D-rank Archer]
[Eres Yegger - D-Rank Warrior]
[Greem Knight - D-rank Warrior]
Fortunately, Greem's attack squad was not composed of beginners. It was an active attack squad composed of high-potential hunters.
[Frozen Icicle]
A goblin archer, about to fire an arrow, was struck by a massive icicle claiming its life instantly.
Mages were incredibly valuable among hunters. Because of their rarity, it was not unusual to see them in attack squads averaging a rating higher than their current rank. After all, a C-rank mage could deal as much damage as a B-rank warrior with its spells. The higher their rank, the bigger the gap.
More importantly, in large-scale battles, mages could actively disrupt the enemy's flow with area-of-effect spells, a perk that archers and warriors cannot replicate.
Elise Huntingwood was a strong mage, and there was no denying she had potential. In Greem's past life, she had become a team leader, and if not for a red gate, she would have most likely become a successful hunter.
However, Greem's experience destroyed her ego.
"What are you doing, Elise?", Greem scolded the mage in their team, causing the rest of the hunters to shudder. This was not a harsh tone. Greem was releasing bloodlust. He continued: "I did not hire you to waste your spells like a beginner. We are in a dungeon, I expect my team's mage to be more thorough with arcane management"
Elise stuttered, but did not answer, too shocked to answer.
Before the others could say anything, Greem unsheathed his sword for the first time since entering the dungeon. Dodging the goblin's spears, he charged forward towards his enemies, beheading each one of them in the process.
*SPLASH*
*SWOOSH*
Greem took each step with utmost precision, wasting no effort. Each strike was lethal, each dodge minimal. He did not even bother to use skills. Basic swordsmanship, once elevated at S-rank, was more than enough to deal with C-rank monsters with his stats, not to mention mere goblins.
"This is how you fight. You don't waste time and effort. You don't wait for orders. Arthemis, you missed two shots before you adjusted to their agility. Adjust first, then shoot. This is basic archery. Miguel, you joined the fighting, and that was decent. But you should not expose yourself so much. You are our priest. Leave the fighting to Eres and me. Eres, don't complain in a fight. That would get you killed"
*GULP*
"I selected you based on your stats and potential from my family's list", Greem lied, "I must say I am quite disappointed. If you don't show improvement by the end of this dungeon, I am afraid I will let you go. Don't show off. Just apply the basics you should have learned"
Inwardly, Greem was laughing.
'With this, they should respect me even more. At least, they won't slack off just because it is an E-rank dungeon!', he thought.
However, his actions had a completely disproportionate effect.
Arthemis' accuracy became close to 100%.
Eres' [Provoke] skill, which drew the attention of monsters towards him, leveled up from E-rank to D-rank, something he had failed to achieve in the past ten years.
Elise kept her calm, and mastered the skill [Danger Sense - E-rank]
Finally, Miguel stopped exposing himself so much.
A single directive and advice had improved the teamwork by leaps and bounds.
The Goblin Den, an E-rank dungeon that took the strongest D-rank teams six days to clear, was about to be cleared in only four days.
"Tsk...How familiar...This brings me back bad memories", Greem said bitterly, remembering his own experience of clearing the dungeon as a D-rank in his past life.
This time however, everything was different.
He was stronger, much stronger.
His team, too, was strong.
'With this much potential, how far can they go before I have to change teams?', Greem thought with excitement.