James still had more than 40 minutes left before he would be left unconscious because of the moon. Nevertheless, he felt exhausted. Thanks to the trio preparing the tent, he could get some sleep before his timer ran out.

  The purple moon faded off several hours later. However, the sky was still dark. Sanders came out from the tent and confirmed that the life-leeching drain had completely disappeared.

  “So, what are we gonna do? Scout the area?” Anderson asked. James was asleep. Anderson wanted to do something, but he knew such decisions would be risky.

  “We could, but what's the point? We would be goners without James if enemies found us,” Sanders answered. “The only thing we could do was help him. If we attacked the monsters, we would level up and get stronger.”

  “But it would make us look like parasites. James didn't like it either. You know that we were supposed to cajole him into the guild. If he joined rogue guilds, he would be a terrorist, and our journey here would be in vain,” Anderson sighed.

  What made him worried was that James looked like some of the survivor terrorists that had appeared after the dungeon trial. He could see the same hatred in his eyes against society.

  “First of all, we should obey him. He is more experienced. Secondly, instead of promoting the guild, we should first ask whether he loves dungeon exploring. Joining the guild is not mandatory. There are other groups that cooperate with the guild,” Sanders answered. “His behavior is a bit crass, but I don't think he is insufferable either.”

  “I see. You are certainly right. But James’s power and skills are above others. We need him to be in the guild, right? He could be another railcar like Andrew.”

  “He is certainly strong, but I don't think he is good at teamwork. He is more like a jack of all trades,” Sanders said. “He is more like Kouki, I guess.”

  “I see.”

  “Oh yeah, here. I bought two bullets for you. Please use your gun. I can't stand seeing them not being used just because you had no ammo. You are low on points, right?” Sanders said.

  “Eh, what about him saying that we need to save points?”

  “What he hated was wasting points. This is not wasting points. We are simply using them correctly. Even when a boss monster shows up, we could blind him using the gun or the flashbang James gave us,” Sanders said. He further added, “Points, bullets, and food are all important. But life is even more so. As long as you use it all to save a life, I think it's worth it.”

  “Thanks.” Anderson took the bullets.

  “At the very least, one of you should save the points.”

  James suddenly came from behind them. He felt groggy. The system had to wake him because his debuff had worn off. He cursed them for such a useless message, but he also recalled asking the system to report anything to him. So, his feelings were mixed.

  “Whoa! You scared us to death there,” Sanders exclaimed.

  “The coins are yours; you may do as you wish. However, I suggest you save up and upgrade your advanced shop to Level 2. That way, those corpses can be sold for some coins. Then, you can buy more bullets, ammunition, or health potions.” James explained while pointing at the imps' carcasses that were strewn on the road.

  Deep down, he wanted Anderson to shoulder the cost of his consumables, such as arrows, bullets, grenades, and potions. To upgrade the shop, he needed a thousand coins. That was a steep price to pay. Moreover, he didn't know how many coins he would earn per corpse.

  He might not be able to use Anderson's coins to upgrade his skills, but he should be able to use them to upgrade his weapons instead of just consumables. Anderson's ability to buy even food and water from the shop was valuable.

  “I see. I didn't know that! Thank you for your guidance!” Anderson bowed. He saw James in a new light. He had thought James was rash and rude, but apparently, James thought further ahead than him. He knew something that he didn’t.

  “I didn't know that. The system didn't tell me. Did you already open Shop Level 2?” Kaina said. She checked with the system, and the system answered her with Information Classified.

  “I didn't open it yet. But the system told me. Huh? They told you it was a secret?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, once you have gained 1,000 coins, ask the system again. Maybe they will tell you.” James shrugged it off. He wondered why the system told him but not them. Was he special? Or did the system not tell them because they couldn't even buy it in the first place?

  The group then continued their journey. Occasional imps were found hovering on the ground. James bit a crossbow bolt before aiming at them. This time, he didn't use any skills. He didn't want to kill them too soon. He wanted to share the exp and coins with these three.

  “I leveled up!” Kaina exclaimed. The three people high-fived at their level-ups.

  “Listen. I will give you a chance to hit the boss monster. You can use your gun if you find an opportunity. However, don't die. I might not care much about you, but it would disturb my sleep if I found your mangled corpse inside my dreams. Understand?”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Yes, sir!” Sanders saluted. He smiled broadly as he was finally given the chance to prove himself. Anderson, not used to being talked down to like he was in boot camp, frowned.

  “Ara, are we seeing Mr. James’s tsundere side?” Kaina giggled.

  Being a weeb, James knew what tsundere meant. He then gave a death glare to Kaina but refused to elaborate any further. It was true that James didn't want them dead.

  James continued the journey toward the castle on the mountain. He expected the gate to open, welcoming the new challenger once he arrived. However, the gate remained shut.

  “James, are we waiting for something?”

  “The gate isn't opening. That's odd,” he answered as he admired the iron gate. Purple runic marks were engraved along its border. In the center of the gate, the same purple signs adorned it, forming a circle that etched the two gates shut.

  “Was the gate supposed to open by itself? Maybe we are supposed to push it open,” Anderson said. He motioned for Sanders and Kaina to help him, and they obliged. However, the gate didn't open. James’s mood soured. He knew what the system wanted him to do.

  “Maybe there is a secret door?” Kaina suggested.

  “Not within eyesight, at the very least. Maybe we should climb it,” Sanders answered.

  “We are supposed to wait until nightfall before we can challenge the boss,” James sighed in defeat. He understood the theme of this floor. The bridge that appeared only during the moonlight told him what he needed to know about this floor.

  “Huh? Are you crazy? That would kill us,” Anderson answered.

  “Then you may try to find another entrance, but you must return here when the sun sets. The boss will be tough because I will be weakened, and we have a time limit before the moonlight kills us all,” James answered. He then sat on a nearby boulder while fixing his cloak to give him shade. “I would prefer resting before the boss battle.”

  The sun was quick to set. Anderson and Sanders couldn’t find any other entrance besides the giant gate, and they gave up when the sun was near the horizon. A few moments after the sun sank into the horizon, the wretched purple moon began to rise, shining everything in its draining light.

  As James expected, the light lit up the runes on the gate. Soon, the gate creaked open.

  “I will go in front. If you are down to ten minutes, please find cover and use the cloak to shield yourself from the moonlight,” James said. He soon ran toward the gate after drawing his lightning axe and longsword.

  The trio soon followed, but with their lower stats, they trailed behind. James thought this would be easy; he just needed to go inside the castle, and the debuff effect would stop. Of course, there was no such thing as an easy lunch in this cruel world. A demon, four meters tall, stood with his trident at the ready while four imps gathered beside it.

  “James?” the group asked.

  “Find shelter! I will deal with them!”

  “We will help! Let us deal with the imps!”

  James glanced at them. Admiring their bravery, he then threw a gun at Sanders. “Take this then! I will beat the boss!”

  This boss was hardly the biggest nor the most menacing boss he had ever met. But the moonlight had made him nervous. Moreover, the beast had wings. It would likely fly when things didn’t go according to its plan.

  James leaped at the beast in haste. Golden lightning enveloped his axe as he activated his skill, Powerstrike. James thought this monster would flee like a coward, but it didn’t. The beast activated its spear skill and met James’ axe head-on.

  While it may look like a demon, the beast was not a demon. It was a Guardian of the magical palace. The witch who was exiled and tried to exact revenge on the whole world had died. She drew runes on the moon, which colored it purple. The moon strengthened the beast while draining the living.

  The two weapon skills clashed. Even when he was weakened and the beast strengthened, it still lost against James. James didn't only have stats to rely on. His arm further augmented his strength.

  Nevertheless, the beast held its ground. James didn't push it far, and the beast activated another one of its trident skills, which was met by James’s sword skill. The beast then breathed out its Astral Flame, and James did the same. The beast’s flame was ethereal, so it passed through James’s flame like it was nothing.

  The beast roared in pain as it flapped its wings. It had lost the straight-up fight.

  Two gunshots took James's attention for a split second. The trio had downed two imps. Sanders had taken down an imp with James’s gun, while Anderson took out another imp with the pirate gun he had pilfered before. In the moment of confusion, Kaina took down another imp with her spear skill.

  The beast had flown away. It was using the imps' tactic of flying away and homing in on James like a missile. However, James was ready for that. He took out his crossbow. As the beast came closer, a golden meteor blew a hole in its abdomen. It crashed onto the stone floor as red blood spilled out from its guts.

  However, it was not dead yet. With a roar, it charged toward James. James turned around and found that the trio had finished fighting the imps. Anderson decided to use the bullet given by Sanders and popped another imp. However, this time, the bullet merely hit its shoulder. It was enough, though, as the trio surrounded it and whacked it to death.

  “Are you finished?” James was about to share the boss's exp with them by letting them hit it once, but the beast didn't let him. It lunged at James in a desperate attempt to bring him down with it. James couldn't afford to go easy on it. Golden lightning flashed on his axe as James activated his skill.

  The beast didn't aim for a skill clash this time. It veered its trident to the side as it accepted its fate. James widened his eyes when the beast didn't dodge or parry his skill. As his skill cleaved into its skull, so did its trident into James' stomach. It blew a hole in his stomach.

  James cursed as he let down his guard. The moment he acted tough and tried to mentor the group, this happened. A moment of carelessness was all it took to lose one's life in a dungeon. It was an unforgiving world.

  “James!” Kaina screamed. But a chime took James' attention away. The door to the chapel inside the castle was finally opened, and they could rest easy there as the moonlight didn’t reach them.

  “Quick, go into the chapel,” James said as he pried the trident from the demon’s hand. Blood spurted out from the hole in his stomach.

  “James!” Anderson and Sanders ran over while James was busy taking off the trident that had lodged into his stomach.

  “System! Health potion! How many do I need?”

  [One should be sufficient to heal your wound. But rest is paramount. If you want to expedite the process, you would need two hematonic potions to heal your internal organs and rest for three days.]

  “Health potion first!” James cursed. Pain blocked his thoughts, and he could feel himself losing consciousness as blood poured out from his wound.

  “We need to seal the wound!” Sanders and Anderson ran over. Their faces were pale because the moonlight had taken a greater toll on them.

  “Shut up. I told you to go to the chapel!” James was irritated. In that moment, a black box filled with the potion finally appeared, and James quickly took the medicine and poured it on his stomach. The potion was magical, as blood stopped pouring from his guts, and his skin regenerated before their very eyes.

  Nevertheless, health potions did not restore blood, and he fainted.