Reset After Solo Clear: Shadow Master Rebirth

The Beginner Party

"Hey, you! Want to join our party? We need one more player!"

Nox turned and found three young players waving enthusiastically from in front of the beginner dungeon bulletin board.

"Me?" Nox pointed at himself, making sure they had not mistaken him for someone else.

"Yeah, you!" A muscular young man with a large shield strapped to his back stepped closer, flashing a wide grin. "My name's Ironwall. I'm the tank for this party. We're about to enter the Old Root Dungeon, but we're short one DPS."

A girl in a white robe nodded behind him. "I'm Brightpetal, the healer. The one over there is Swiftfeather, our archer."

Swiftfeather raised his bow slightly and offered an awkward smile. "Nice to meet you. What level are you?"

"Twenty-four," Nox answered briefly.

"Perfect!" Ironwall exclaimed excitedly. "This dungeon is recommended for levels twenty to twenty-five. So, what do you say? Want to join?"

Nox actually wanted to refuse. The easiest excuse was already on the tip of his tongue. But something made him hesitate.

You don't have any other plans today, Erebus murmured from within his shadow, as if reading his thoughts. Besides, when was the last time you actually watched how new players develop from scratch?

Nox sighed softly, realizing Erebus was right. After six years as a solo player, he had barely paid any attention to how others learned the game from the beginning.

"Sure," Nox finally replied. "I'll join."

The three cheered softly, as if gaining a new party member were an achievement in itself.

The Old Root Dungeon turned out to be far from easy for the three players, though to Nox, it felt like taking a walk through a park. The moment they entered the first room, three Root Crawlers attacked simultaneously.

"AAAH, WHY ARE THERE THREE?!" Swiftfeather screamed in panic, firing arrows wildly without even aiming.

"Ironwall, hold them!" Brightpetal shouted, hurriedly throwing a healing potion even though no one was seriously injured yet.

Ironwall charged forward recklessly, his shield raised but his positioning completely wrong, allowing the other two Root Crawlers to rush him from the side.

Nox nearly stepped forward to finish them all with a single attack, but he held himself back, remembering why he had joined this party in the first place.

"Don't move forward yet," Nox said firmly, loud enough to stop Ironwall in his tracks.

Ironwall stopped and looked back in confusion. "Why?"

"Root Crawlers attack repeatedly when you get cornered," Nox explained. "Back up two steps and let them chase you into an open area."

Ironwall hesitated for a moment but followed the instruction, slowly retreating. The three monsters pursued him, their formation breaking apart as they emerged from the narrow corner.

"Swiftfeather, wait until the one in the middle finishes using its root skill," Nox continued. "Then attack during that split second when it stops moving."

Swiftfeather held his arrow, his eyes focused on the monster's movements. The moment the middle Root Crawler finished stomping and activating its skill, he released the arrow straight into its weak point.

"GOT IT!" he shouted excitedly.

"Brightpetal, don't waste your potions while their HP is still above half," Nox added. "Save them for critical moments."

Brightpetal quickly nodded, forcing herself to suppress her panicked instincts.

Within a few minutes, all three Root Crawlers fell without a single party member losing any significant HP, a far cleaner result than the chaotic start of the battle.

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Ironwall exclaimed, staring at Nox in admiration. "How did you know their attack patterns?"

"Just pay attention," Nox answered flatly, having no intention of explaining his six years of experience.

They continued through the next room. The stone floor looked completely ordinary until Swiftfeather nearly stepped directly onto a slightly raised tile.

"Swiftfeather, stop," Nox said quickly, instinctively grabbing Swiftfeather by the shoulder.

"Why?" Swiftfeather froze in place.

"That tile is a trap," Nox explained, pointing at the faint cracks surrounding the raised stone. "It usually fires poisoned arrows when stepped on."

Ironwall stared at the tile, then looked back at Nox, even more incredulous. "How do you know it looks like that?"

"I've read about it," Nox answered briefly, leading them along a safer path on the side.

Brightpetal tossed a small stone at the tile from a safe distance to make sure. Sure enough, three poisoned arrows shot out the moment the stone touched it.

"Crazy. It really is a trap," Brightpetal muttered, shuddering at the thought of what would have happened if Swiftfeather had stepped on it.

They continued their journey more carefully, and the same pattern kept repeating. Nox gave short instructions, the three followed them, and the result was far more efficient than what they were used to.

"Don't fight over the loot yet," Nox said when he saw Ironwall and Swiftfeather nearly getting into a minor argument over who had the right to take a dropped item. "Just divide it based on what each role needs."

"That's fair," Swiftfeather muttered, giving the defensive item to Ironwall, who needed it more.

When the final room's boss finally fell, a victory notification appeared on all four of their screens.

[Old Root Dungeon: Cleared]

"This is the first time we've ever cleared a dungeon this quickly," Brightpetal murmured, still out of breath but beaming.

"Seriously, who are you?" Ironwall asked, staring at Nox with a mixture of suspicion and admiration. "You're only level twenty-four, but you know everything like you've been playing for years."

Nox fell silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I just read a lot of strategy guides."

"Reading alone lets you know details that well?" Swiftfeather raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"Whatever. The important thing is that we won," Brightpetal cut in, laughing softly to ease the tension. "Thanks for joining us. Want to play together again sometime?"

"Maybe," Nox replied, not wanting to make any definite promises.

They parted ways at the dungeon entrance. The three players waved cheerfully before walking away, still discussing the strategies they had just learned.

You looked like you enjoyed that, Erebus murmured once they were far enough away.

"It was decent," Nox answered honestly, slightly surprised to hear himself admit it. "Not as bad as I thought."

But they're starting to get suspicious. The way you taught them was far too precise for someone who supposedly only ‘read about it’. Erebus added.

Nox fell silent, realizing the truth behind those words. Ironwall and Swiftfeather's questioning looks still lingered in his mind.

"I need to be more careful from now on," he murmured, walking away from the dungeon entrance and toward the crowded city.

Behind him, he could still faintly hear the three players excitedly telling other players they encountered along the road.

"Seriously, that guy's like a walking encyclopedia," Ironwall could still be heard saying enthusiastically. "I've never seen a player at that level who knows every monster pattern like they've memorized them by heart."

"Maybe he's just a genius," Swiftfeather replied, though his tone sounded more curious than convinced.