6. First Victory

The atmosphere got tense as Clyde finished briefing his new teammates. They were all still dumbfounded when the mighty beast seemed like it was the only one who responded to Clyde’s suggestion, pouncing at the Gambler without any hesitation.

But right at that moment, numerous barrages of fireballs stopped the Alpha Fenrir right on its track. Though she was still unsure, but Lucielle decided to go along with the newbie’s plan. Clyde used that moment to readjust his distance, safely spinning his roulette.

[BEGINNER LUCK]

Clyde looked at his board before it spun. Out of 6 panels, only 2 of them were penalties. Seemed like it was still on his favour. And indeed it was.

[BOOSTED GROUP DEF BY 50%]

“Ralphie, that’s your cue!” directed Clyde at the Berserker. “Get ready for some epic clash and pin our furry friend down!”

Though he didn’t really like to be bossed around, especially by others beside Leon, Ralph kept his eyes open to intercept the incoming attack from the Fenrir pack leader. Just like before, from that screen of smoke, the beast came through one more time, but this time it was in for some big surprise.

“Uoohhh! Here goes nothing!” cried Ralph while activating his special skill, allowing him to increase his strength and a little bit of his size. He was already big in posture, but thanks to his ability, he found himself able to stand toe in toe with the dungeon master. “Let’s play with Papa!”

It was such a marvelous sight to see. A giant covered in greenish scales, holding the front paws of a great wolf. Both of them were in a stalemate, refusing to back down even for just an inch. As they insisted on keeping their ground, all eyes were astonished, dazzled for a while and enjoying that remarkable scenery.

“Whoa, it’s just like that they were dancing…” commented Lottie who gaped to witness that fantastic view.

“They are not, but you can,” replied Clyde at the skimpy Thief. “Care to join them, Lottie? Because it is your turn now to shine!”

Lottie looked at Clyde with a shocked expression. She was unable to speak a word, but her finger pointing at her own face indicated that she was still doubting his capability. A simple yet firm nod from Clyde was all that it took for the speedster to finally utilize her ability to the utmost.

“Well then, I’m sorry, Mr. Wolf!” apologized Lottie beforehand while starting his sprint around the hind legs of the murderous canine. Her target was just like Clyde mentioned, a blue crystal that was so small compared to the size of its wearer. She faced no meaningful problem to snatch that crystal away, safely tucking it on her palms.

“Awesome, Lolo! I knew I could count on you!” praised Clyde sincerely at the Thief. Lottie who wasn’t used to be praised genuinely due to the bad habits of his teammates couldn’t help but to get flustered in red as nervousness took over her whole nervous system.

“Uh, yeah! But actually no! I could only do it because it has been far easy for me to steal from an immobile target rather than a moving one!” Lottie responded awkwardly to avoid her embarrassment.

“Uh huh? In that case, she was praising you, Ralphie!” told Clyde to Ralph on purpose, aiming to take advantage of his unrequited feeling to the team’s favour. “Lolo is very grateful to you as she is now, she would thank you even more if you can slam that pesky furry to the ground!”

Clyde already use his 3 good spins. Now he need to roll 2 bad spins. Clyde saw the bad ones only affect himself, so he didn't hesitated to spin it carelessly.

[YOUR HP DROP TO 50]

Adrenaline started to rush on the whole body of the Berserker. His crush had acknowledged him, or at least that was what Clyde wanted him to believe. Nevertheless, overtaken by a sense of accomplishment, he yearned to do more. And just like Clyde calculated, Ralph started to dominate the Alpha Fenrir in the show of strength. The crystal that Lottie stole also played huge part in that too.

After 15 minutes, Clyde ready to spin another dud.

[YOUR SPD DROP TO 10%]

"Not bad," sigh Clyde.

WHIMPER!

Finally the majestic canine let out a sound that was too cute for a beast its size to make. It sounded more like a whining puppy, when Ralph finally managed to push it down on the ground, leaving it defenselessly and wide open for the major attack.

“Mr. Leader, did you hear that whimpering sound? That was the sound a cute little puppy makes when it invites you to fool around,” explained Clyde to Leon who still stood there flabbergasted, as the rest of his subordinates danced around on the palm of the Gambler. “Don’t leave it hanging, play a bit with it!”

Leon still hesitated. It was not like he was scared at the Fenrir master, nor was he doubtful of his own ability. It was solely to the fact that all of the actions taken by the members had been orchestrated solely by this shady character he just met a few moments ago. He couldn’t let Clyde take all of the credits.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Leader? Don’t worry, I made it so nobody can steal your spotlight! Look, I even reserved the final blow to be delivered by you!” continued Clyde further, as if he could peek inside Leon’s petty mind.

“Guys, I can’t take it anymore! It will get loose!” yelled Ralph who was at his limit. It was understandable since the defense boost had been past its time limit. Though the Fenrir boss had been weakened due to the crystal being stolen by Lottie, it was still a force to be reckoned with.

[BEGINNER LUCK]

“Mr. Leader, like it or not, here we go!” announced Clyde while executing his final spin. Nobody knew for sure how it worked nor the mechanism system behind it, even it was still a mystery to the user. But one thing for sure, the reward promised by this skill is the real deal.

“AAARGGHH!!”

The Knight charged at his full speed and power, focusing his entire energy on his blade, now burning brilliantly and enveloped with flames.

[GROUP CRITICAL HIT: 100%]

He jumped in the air, intending to use gravity to further maximize his offensive and proceeded to slash down the Fenrir leader. The seemingly invincible beast now had been down with a single attack.

It was supposed to be the time for hooray and cheering but learning from Lucielle’s premature celebration, they still held back to do so. Was it really over?