Peach looked at Morintis, then at Ethan.
She found Ethan's actions despicable.
But lacking a DPS made clearing the Nightmare dungeon basically hopeless.
Completing the trial would be impossible.
Right now, every team was looking for Mages; Ethan was in high demand.
That's why he chose this moment to make his move.
Putting Peach in a dilemma.
Losing Morintis would push the average party level over the limit.
But finding a lower-level member wasn't difficult, at least easier than finding a Mage.
Isla Ning wanted to say something, but Morintis gently stopped her, signaling her not to speak.
He knew what she would say.
If he was forced to leave the party, Isla Ning would definitely leave too.
Morintis said nothing, just watched quietly.
Now it was up to Peach to choose.
After an internal struggle, Peach made her decision.
Her gaze fell on Ethan.
"Ethan, you leave the party."
Ethan, full of confidence, thought Peach would surely choose him.
He never expected this answer.
"What?"
He thought he misheard.
"Captain, if I leave, your trial is ruined."
"Don't you want to get into Genesis Academy anymore?"
Peach said gravely, "I do.
But you forget my class."
Peach's class was Elven Knight.
Knights had their own code of honor.
Everyone here owed their presence to Morintis.
Asking Morintis to leave now was something she couldn't do.
Ethan gave a cold smile.
"So be it.
Don't regret it."
He left the party.
With Mages in high demand everywhere, finding a new team wouldn't be hard for him.
Morintis slowly stood up.
"Let's enter the dungeon."
Huh?
Peach was stunned.
What was the situation?
Morintis couldn't be unaware.
Both sides were in a ceasefire; neither could approach the dungeon.
As Morintis stood up, Isla Ning followed suit.
Isla Ning giggled.
"Sister Peach, let's enter the dungeon."
Peach asked, "How?"
Morintis was already walking towards the dungeon.
"Follow me."
Isla Ning bounced along after him.
She seemed to have blind faith in Morintis.
If Morintis said they could enter, then they definitely could.
Daniel and Jade hesitated, unsure what to do.
Peach thought, At worst, we just come back.
With her there, at least there wouldn't be any real danger.
The other side probably wouldn't dare kill anyone either.
"Let's go."
As the captain, her word carried weight.
Daniel and Jade followed.
Peach quickly stepped in front of Morintis, holding her shield tightly.
It was clear she was nervous.
The five suddenly approaching the dungeon immediately drew a reaction from the Sakura Nation group.
"Get back!
Don't approach the dungeon!"
"Divine Dragon scum, get back now!"
The Sakura Nation people shouted loudly, arrows nocked, staves raised.
If they dared get closer to the dungeon, they would surely face a heavy attack.
Morintis acted as if he heard nothing, continuing towards the dungeon.
Peach's heart was in her throat.
Daniel and Jade were also very tense.
Only Isla Ning was nonchalant.
"Don't be nervous, it's fine, it's fine."
"Bro, what are you doing?"
"Come back, something bad will happen!"
"Let's go too, protect our brother!"
They all knew Morintis.
If not for his skeletons earlier, none of them would be here.
Although they didn't know what Morintis intended, most chose to protect him.
Ethan sneered, "Idiot, asking for death?"
Seeing Morintis ignore the warning, the Sakura Nation group instantly unleashed their skills.
Arrows, spells, all sorts of attacks rained down.
Peach raised her shield first.
Morintis pointed a finger forward.
Whoosh!
Twenty Skeleton Warriors instantly appeared beside him.
The twenty Skeleton Warriors formed a shield wall, firmly protecting the five and blocking all attacks.
Peach was dumbfounded.
Everyone was stunned.
"Holy crap, so many!"
"How is that possible?
What class is this?"
"These skeletons are so tough; they don't even flinch under attack."
"They look pretty ragged, how are they so sturdy?"
Despite the Sakura Nation's attacks, the skeletons remained motionless.
"Enter the dungeon.
Nightmare difficulty."
Morintis looked completely calm, ignoring the various attacks from the Sakura Nation group.
Peach was infected by Morintis's composure.
Instinctively, she chose to believe him.
Following Morintis's instruction, she selected the dungeon.
The five disappeared into the dungeon entrance, along with the Skeleton Warriors.
"They're in!"
"Five people entered the dungeon."
"Probably Nightmare difficulty, right?"
"Of course, what's the point of Normal?
Must be Nightmare."
"Wonder if they can do it."
"Whether they can or not, we can't let the Sakura Nation scum enter the dungeon."
"Right, don't let the Sakura scum enter!"
Once Morintis entered, the two sides outside returned to a standoff.
No one would enter the dungeon now.
Inside the Mermaid's Tear Dungeon, Peach finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"We really made it in."
Isla Ning giggled.
"I told you, just trust Morintis.
No need to worry."
Peach said, "But even though we're in, we have no DPS.
How do we clear the dungeon?"
Isla Ning, although an Assassin-type class, was only Level 19; her DPS was completely insufficient.
As a Knight, her own DPS was also lacking while ensuring safety.
They might manage a Normal difficulty, but Nightmare would be very, very hard.
Isla Ning said, "No need to worry.
We have Morintis."
Him?
"But he's only Level 17."
Isla Ning smiled.
"His skeletons are very powerful."
They were indeed powerful—at least very tough and fast.
At this point, they could only trust Isla Ning's words.
Peach said, "Alright then.
I hope the skeleton DPS is enough.
I'll try my best to block the monsters.
Jade, heal me promptly and handle crowd control."
Jade patted her small chest.
"Don't worry, Sister Peach."
Daniel started applying buffs, but Morintis was already walking forward.
Since the Skeleton Warriors couldn't receive buffs anyway, no point wasting time.
Soon, monsters appeared ahead.
A Mermaid over two meters tall stood on the necessary path.
A Detection Skill flew out.
[Mermaid Elite Warrior (Enhanced Elite Monster)]
[Level: 21]
[Strength: 2000]
[Agility: 1200]
[Spirit: 800]
[Constitution: 2200]
[Skill: Screech]
With a thought, the Skeleton Warriors swarmed forward.
The ones at the front simultaneously used Furious Strike.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Several hits landed.
The Mermaid Elite Warrior fell to the ground with a scream.
[Killed Level 21 Mermaid Elite Warrior.Experience +10000]
[Obtained Fish Skin 10]
Daniel, still applying buffs, was startled by the sudden prompt.
What just happened?
How did they get experience all of a sudden?
Peach also stared wide-eyed, looking at Morintis in disbelief.
This was a monster from the Nightmare dungeon!
An Enhanced Elite Monster!
Even a perfectly configured party would need a minute or two to kill it.
But what was that just now?
A few skeletons went up, bang bang bang a few times.
The monster died.
Practically a one-shot kill.
Morintis's skeletons weren't just tough and fast; their attack power was terrifying.
"That's it?
Dead?"
"Almost like a one-shot kill..."
Peach murmured, not quite processing it yet.
Isla Ning looked completely unsurprised.
"I told you, Morintis's skeletons are amazing."
She quickly followed Morintis.
Daniel called out, "The buffs!
The buffs aren't finished!"
"Forget the buffs, keep up!"
Peach shouted, quickly running after them.