"Do you think our team can take those Boss Monsters down?" Bob asked Alex as they followed Dim Dim. "You know what they say—the greater the danger, the greater the rewards."
"I didn’t know that you liked to live your life dangerously," Alex replied. "It will be best if we don’t mess with those monsters. A Rank 4 Monster is not something we can fight on our own."
Alex had already fought against a Rank 3 Named Monster, Aurhorn the Stag of Twilight.
It had been a very cunning monster, even using hit-and-run tactics against them.
If Cairo, Elaine, and Efa were with him, he would definitely not hesitate to challenge such a creature.
But Bob, Grint, and Jorven had just become Rankers, and they were not strong enough to deal with that kind of Boss Monster.
"Alex is right," Lavinia commented. "I think you haven’t seen a Rank 4 Boss Monster in your life, so you dare to say such a thing without worry."
"Is it really that strong?" Bob frowned. "I saw a Rank 2 Boss Monster in the past, and a party of Adventurers in my hometown was able to defeat it."
"A Rank 2 Boss Monster is not really that much of a concern compared to a Rank 4 Boss Monster," Lavinia explained. "In fact, ten of those will not be enough to fight against a single Rank 4 Boss Monster."
After she made an easy-to-understand comparison, Bob finally understood what kind of existence a Rank 4 Boss Monster was.
Because of this, he decided to change the subject and ask about Alex’s last comrade, Charles.
Since he was already very impressed by Lavinia, he was looking forward to meeting Alex’s other friend, who would definitely make their team stronger.
Fortunately, Charles was also headed toward the center of the island, so Alex’s group found him just an hour before sunset.
However, when Alex saw the person accompanying Charles, he couldn’t help but smile. One of his guesses was confirmed.
Nessia was also taking the trial, and it seemed that she and Charles had formed a team together.
’What a stroke of luck,’ Alex thought as he waved at his friend, who was now heading in their direction.
"Alex! Lavinia!" Charles exclaimed. "It’s good to see both of you safe. By the way, this is my friend, Nessia. She’s a very talented Mage. Nessia, these are my friends, Alex and Lavinia. They’re the people I’ve been telling you about."
"It’s a pleasure to meet the two of you," Nessia greeted with a courteous smile. "Charles only has praises for his two friends, and it seems that the two of you are indeed no ordinary Rankers."
Nessia had been observing Alex and Lavinia as she followed behind Charles.
Of course, she also greeted Bob, Grint, and Jorven politely since first impressions mattered.
Now that the three friends had finally reunited, the group decided to find a safe place to rest for the night.
Just like always, Dim Dim led the way. A few minutes later, it found a small cave, which could easily be defended by two people while the rest slept for the night.
While having dinner, naturally sponsored by Dim Dim, the group happily chatted with each other and shared some stories about themselves.
When Charles told them about what had happened to them in the Dungeon of Beginnings, Nessia, Bob, Grint, and Jorven thought he was just joking.
However, when Alex and Lavinia confirmed that it was the truth, the four teenagers couldn’t help but look at them in disbelief.
"How did you manage to survive and escape until help arrived?" Nessia fixed her glasses with her middle finger as she asked her question.
"We just got lucky," Alex replied. "It seems the academy sensed that something was going on inside the dungeon, so they promptly sent Peace Keepers to our rescue."
He didn’t want to make the story sound too ridiculous, so he gave Charles a telling look to remind the teen not to say anything else.
Nessia, who was very good at observing people, saw this but chose not to say anything. She then expertly changed the subject and asked how Dim Dim was able to create food out of thin air.
"Dim Dim is a nature spirit," Bob said with a smile. "Isn’t that right, Alex?"
"Yep," Alex nodded. "Dim Dim is a Nature Spirit that helped me when I was lost around the area of the Floating Islands of Thaloria."
"Oh, you came from the Town of Thaloria!" Nessia’s eyes sparkled in wonder. "I was there a year ago, and even now, I still find the place truly magical. Imagine so many floating stones the size of mountains in one place. Truly a breathtaking sight to behold from a distance."
After the group chatted for a bit, Bob decided to once again ask the most important question of all.
"We still have two days before the trial ends," Bob said. "What plans do you have in mind? Should we continue to hide here and wait until it’s over, or should we actively eliminate some trial takers?"
Lavinia and Charles instinctively look at Alex, which everyone noticed.
Clearly, the two had recognized the young man as their temporary leader for the second trial.
"Actually, there’s someone else that I want to recruit for our team," Alex said. "His name is Renard, and I met him shortly after we were sent to this island. I believe he will also be an indispensable helper if we manage to bring him to our group.
"After we succeed in making him a part of our team, we should find a place to defend until this trial ends."
The young man then gave Nessia a sideways glance because he knew that the young lady was very good at creating magical formations.
Although she was still far from becoming the Phoenix Tactician, he was sure she would be able to help them create a formation that would fend off most threats on the island.
"What will you do if this Renard fellow doesn’t agree to join us?" Grint asked.
"If he doesn’t agree, then we will make him agree," Alex said. As he and Dim Dim grinned evilly, Lavinia and Alex could only smile faintly. "By force if we have to."
"Bro, you sound so evil right now." Bob smirked. "I like that!"
Grint and Jovern also smiled as it matched their way of doing things. If they hadn’t met Alex earlier, the three of them might still be actively hunting candidates and forcing them to join their group.
Of course, those who refused would be eliminated, so they couldn’t join other groups and potentially threaten the trio in the future.