Patrick went through the barrier first.

  It was the strategy that they’d used on the previous floor. Send the Tank in first, then a Caster to light up the tunnel as they explored. Except on this floor, there was a trail that led through the trees into a clearing where monsters huddled behind wooden barriers while Shadow Demons prepared to cast spells and shoot arrows.

  A Shadow Knight in blue armor stood in front of the rest of the monsters, just in front of the jagged row of wooden barriers. The massive axe in its hands pointed at Raelyn’s group in the middle, then the monsters charged.

  The area between the middle of the square and the central path was clear, with the opening in the trees on the other sides being littered with underbrush, thorns, and small trees. A fire-type spell would have helped clear away the flora littering their path, but Penelope didn’t have one of those, forcing them to push through the greenery as they entered the square.

  The Cengons went first, skittering back and forth through the open area as they converged on the group. Beams of magic slammed into the group, pushing Peter Spencer back.

  The dark-haired man had been one of the backup Tanks for Penelope’s group on the previous floor, but the twenty-five-year-old man had quickly joined Rae’s group once there had been an opportunity to be a part of one of the “main” groups.

  Penelope watched as the central group was pushed back into the tree line. Circe gasped in horror as the trees surrounding the path began to fall on Rae’s group. With a barrier behind them, the eye beams in front of them and falling trees beside them, the doomed group was trapped between the deadly columns.

  “And… there’s the reset.”

  Fine, you were right… Penelope growled. But don’t reset it yet. Let’s see what other tricks they’ve got.

  “I’m going in.” Frederica vanished into the shadows.

  Circe covered her mouth as the horror of watching an entire team get wiped out stunned her mind.

  “Don’t just stand there or we’ll be next!” Patrick ran forward, moving out of the treeline. “Give me some cover fire!”

  Penelope cast twice and spread the globes of light out in front of the charging man. Her could lock down a single enemy Caster, but there were too many of the Cypups and stopping one from shooting its eye beam wasn’t going to help them. She needed to find one of the Shadow Casters and lock it down before they had to deal with an even stronger Caster.

  The Cengons split in half, each of the new groups moving towards one of the side groups. Slorpies flew above them, the diminutive insect monsters focusing on the groups with their multifaceted bug-eyes.

  A shadow arrow erupted through the back of the head of the closest bug. Circe gripped the string of her bow and unleashed a volley of arrows at the charging monsters. The horned centipede Tanks in the front stumbled, then cowered in place as they were hit with a wave of Riva’s . The slithering Scaled Serpents behind them were unable to stop fast enough, causing a pileup on top of the cowering Cengons.

  Ding!

  Experience +3

  Penelope ignored the experience notifications as she unleashed the hovering globes of light, condensing them from the size of a baseball down to the size of a golf ball to make it harder for the Cypups to shoot them out of the air before they hit their target. Green light washed over the tangled mass of monsters as the Munhoks worked on healing the prone group.

  “Someone shoot those damned flying monkeys, or we’re going to be the next ones in the ground!” Patrick raised an behind and beside him, stopping the pushback from the Cypup’s eye beams and giving the four behind him some cover.

  “Enemy Caster!” Jeru pointed at the shadow-clad Demon peeking out from behind the wooden walls.

  Penelope to the side, out of cover, but within range of the enemy Caster. It took a moment for her to orient herself, then she blasted it in the face with .

  Ding!

  Experience +7

  You are now Level Twenty-One

  Stats increased: Speed +1, Magic +1

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  You have learned: Invisibility

  “Seriously?” Jeru groaned. “Of all the spells and passives you could have picked up, you want something that you can’t cast once the fighting has started?”

  Penelope’s eyes widened as a Shadow Spearman ran around the fallen Caster, its purple-tipped spear pointed directly at her heart. The Demon moved much faster than should have been possible for someone wearing metal armor, but that didn’t change the fact that a heavily armored Demon was about to run her through with a large spear.

  Ding!

  Experience +7.2

  The Shadow Spearman didn’t stop moving, meaning the Shadow that had been killed was somewhere else. The extra experience, despite the level up, meant that people in the other group were dying now.

  Penelope pushed the grief over failing those people out of her mind as she behind the charging Demon. That put her behind the wooden barricade, where she hadn’t been able to see.

  Electricity crackled down the arms of the yellow-robed Demon. On instinct, Penelope cast , dispelling the gathering spell.

  RAWR!!!

  Spittle rained down on her out of the screaming Demon’s mouth. Penelope adjusted her grip on the wands in her hands, slicing the wooden weapons through the air, releasing a blast of magic out in front of her.

  The Demon Debuffer staggered back as the spells slammed into it. Thorns dug into her legs as vines crawled up her feet and continued under her robe. Penelope released a pair of into the stumbling Demon, then out of the thorns, into the middle of the square.

  Right beside the Demon Knight.

  Ding!

  Experience +8.4

  Penelope raised her wands but only half-completed the motion before thorny vines wrapped around her wrists. She activated but instead of being yanked away from the sharp points digging into her skin, a headache slammed between her eyes.

  The glowing blue eyes of the Demon Knight grew brighter as a smile split its face.

  STUPID WORM.

  “It’s got a counterspell!” Jeru tugged at her arm.

  Penelope's stomach crawled into her throat as the axe sliced horizontally at her neck.

  Bright light washed over her.

  The Knight has , so I need to stay out of its range. Penelope mused. I need to figure out how to keep the trees from falling on the main group… She groaned as she realized that Patrick would be able to stop the trees from crushing the team. We have to be the main group…

  “Told you.” Jeru grinned, then motioned to her left. “Though you forgot about something.”

  Wha—

  “Pathetic.” Aiden brought the knife down.

  Bright light washed over her.

  Seriously! Penelope out of the way. How many times am I going to have to beat these guys?

  “Just every time you die.” Jeru chuckled. “You think you’ve got it bad? Nate caught a stray needle in the neck on the fourth floor boss and he died two seconds after the checkpoint. He had to restart all the way from the beginning.”

  Telling me how other people had it worse doesn’t make me feel any better. Penelope closer to Dawson. Now help me think of a way to fix this so Frederica doesn’t fall apart after this!

  “Then take them down.” Jeru shrugged. “If they’re not alive anymore, then she’ll throw her frustration at the one thing she CAN punch.”

  I’m not going to kill them. Penelope rammed into Dawson, knocking the Poison Caster over. This time, instead of trying to wrestle with him, she away, putting herself in between Derek and the portal to the surface.

  “Don’t make me kill you.” Penelope summoned a single set of , while keeping her focus on Derek and Dawson. Each time one of them tried to build up mana for a spell, she hit them with a .

  “Really, Red?” Derek rubbed his temple, then pulled out a knife. “Of all the people we’ve killed, you’re one of the last ones I wanted to do this to.”

  Penelope slammed one of her into his chest, driving him back two steps. “Surrender.”

  Gurgling from the other group let her know that Frederica had just executed Dawson. Isaiah, the surviving Tank, was receiving a beatdown from Patrick, while Circe was shooting arrows into Aiden’s back as the knife-wielding Buffer ran towards the opening in 20F that they’d entered from. Grayson, their surviving Healer, had his hands on his head as he dropped to his knees.

  “You think there’s a way that your boss lets me surrender and live?” Derek shook his head. “Sorry, Red, but that one’s not thinking straight…” He frowned. “Probably shouldn’t have let Dawson off your old boss. She sounded like she could have at least been reasoned with.” He watched for her reaction and furrowed his brow when he didn’t get one.

  “You knew?” His face contorted in confusion.

  “It was the only way Dawson could have used a Tier One spell when you first came down here and killed Abel.” Penelope used to grab Derek’s wrists and pull him down to his knees.

  The blond man tried to out of the restraints, but Penelope countered his spell.

  “She’s going to kill me!” Derek looked up at his captor. “Please, Red. If you let me go, I’ll hide in my tower and you’ll never—”

  His head rolled forward off his shoulders. Nina kicked the headless body over, then spit on it. “That was for Mom.”

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