34 (34) Training

Lysine told Kraton her suspicions, but what annoyed her was that Kraton merely shrugged it off.

"If they come here, we'll beat them, if they don't then who cares." Was the exact words Kraton had spouted nonchalantly in reply.

In the end, she had to agree with Kraton's words, as could she do? Instead of worrying over this thought, Lysine focused her attention on remembering what advice Zefyre had given.

One of the most interesting - and if she must says so herself - one of the more important advice among the whole guidance he gave, was that levelling up and helping the Dungeon Minions was equally as important as oneself. This idea had sparked a loud debate in the Gathering, most of her fellow Novice Bosses disagreed with Zefyre, saying that they can just replace their Minions in time.

Zefyre's words still echoed in her mind: "You cannot just claim the powerful, but you must set a solid foundation, else it will collapse and bury you under disloyalty and rebellion."

Just like any wise man, he sounded absolutely crazy, so no sane monster listened to these words seriously as they were 'all-to-powerful to give a damn about their underlings. However, now after thinking about it, Lysine's heart felt the same way as what Zefyre had said, she had even felt that since she had been with the Nagas for most of their whole lives, there was no other beings more loyal to her than them, the same went for herself; she couldn't leave them, and she vowed that she never would.

Her plan of action would be like long-term investment. She would nuture the Nagas to become a formidable force, this would be beneficial for everyone, including the oaf Kraton.

"You coming up?"

"Lead the way."

The pair of them left the dimly lit Boss Room and made their way towards Floor 3. The more times they had done this, the more Kraton seemed to change. When they first met, Kraton acted like a barbarian, demanding what he pleased and acted all domineering. Now, Kraton seemed to have found a purpose, he even looked forward to hanging out in Floor 3, not that he admitted it.

"Sister Lysine and Brother Hairy is here!" A young, sweet voice called out. Calea quickly ran out to greet the two and was rewarded a gentle headpat from Lysine. She quickly turned to Kraton and let out a loud raspberry before running back to join the Nagas.

"Did you teach her that" Kraton blankly stared at the energetic figure of Calea. Lysine chuckled loudly but didn't think she had a need to answer his question. After settling down, Lysine called over the entire swarm of Nagas.

"After going to the Novice Boss Gathering, I was given advice that will benefit you all. With Kraton's help," Lysine paused and caught a glimpse of a questioning gaze on Kraton's face. She hadn't told him anything on the way here, for all he knew, he was meant to be having fun right now so why was he dragged into this.

"Kraton and I will try and teach all of the skills that will help you defend against the daily raiders, as well as levelling up at a faster rate." (And help prepare for the possibility of a human event) she added in her mind.

"The first thing that I- We would like to teach you the startegies of the human players and how to interrupt them, and avoid some of them..."

Kraton was the first, and only person to fall asleep, everyone else listened attentively to Lysine and absorped all of the information wholeheartedly.

*Punch*

"Owww" Kraton yelped out and woke from his nap when he felt a sharp pain just below his ribs.

"Sister Lysine is gonna murder you." A voice whispered into Kraton's ear. He turned and found the instigator of the attack with her two fingers still pointed outwards. Calea had jabbed at Kraton when Lysine had suddenly stopped talking and the air grew noticeably colder. Kraton shuddered as he felt Lysine's gaze lock onto him, his palms started sweating when a glimmer danced through her eyes.

"Kraton will now explain all his experiences with player formations and how to deal with them in detail."

...

"If you can't kill them head-on, then escape their formation and flee or call in re-inforcements and over-power them. It is always handy to have a few of you hiding in the shadows, waiting for the players to drop their guard - even if it is boring to not confront them."

Kraton finally finished his explnation, he had been forced to explain everything for more than an hour, but at least he was lucky that Lysine wasn't savage enough to not provide him with with fresh groundwater. Still, by the end of this, his throat was dry and voice was croaky.

"We will now practice our own formations and strategies. Kraton will pose as a human player."

The Swarm of Nagas quickly split themselves into groups, one by one Lysine coordinated them to surround and attack Kraton in a hit-and-run fashion. Many youngsters found this activity fun and would often attack from behind.

As the Nagas got used to working together in coordinated formations, Lysine introduced to them the usual weakpoints of the humans, namely the head, stomach and heads. And on certain humans, the crotch.

When Kraton finally got the permission to fight back instead of soley defending, he was in no state to move properly to counterattack. The pitiful figure of Kraton was now a permanent joke with the Nagas, but they were thankful to him for letting them get experience and practice.

"Can't you defend next time?" Kraton weakly asked as he hobbled down the stairs.

"You're asking a female to get beaten?" Lysine exclaimed, aghast at the suggestion.

Kraton's face paled and hurriedly told her "No, no it's fine. I'll do it."

"Did you at least learn something today then?" Lysine asked sweetly.

"Um.. Not to sleep during your lectures?"

*WHACK*

"I was talking about the sparring!"

"Ah... To not get surrounded."

"More or less" Lysine sounded happy that Kraton at least picked something up from the spars.

"Can you kill me?"

"Why..."

"I'm in pain."