Solo Dungeon Runner

It was early morning, the air was cold yet the spirits were high.

Alexander sat in the stands next to Nagano, more part of a crowd cheering for the various guilds fighting it out on stage.

They sat at the front, the upside being that people couldn't turn around and take pictures like they had done earlier. Nicely enough, they had been upgraded to better seats.

"We could've just used the VIP lounge area, up there," said Alexander.

"We wouldn't be able to see anything from there, also being part of the crowd feels different, you can feel the energy, you know?" replied Nagano.

I would be able to see just fine.

The fights weren't incredible, but he didn't mind. The hype for the open tiers tournament was higher than it ever was before. They kept showing Alexander's non-reactions on the giant screens, the announcer saying things like "Will this get a reaction out of our cultist?!"

"Why watch these events?" asked Alexander. "Why not participate, if you have the time, anyway."

"Ehh," replied Nagano. "I find watching more interesting. Two guilds lining up their best members and trying their best to win, using tactics and interesting spells to make it work."

"That's the main reason people usually watch the S-tier bracket, you'd have tactics and spells but on a whole different level."

Nagano shook his head with a smile.

"Oh no. I'll have to disagree on that."

"Why?" asked Alexander.

"Tactics and strategy is a lot better here, I believe. These guilds only have a limited amount of spells, and their effects aren't that great. They need to come up with better plans and they need to execute them well. You see everyone's role clearly, and they move on the stage like chess pieces."

Alexander nodded along.

"I think it's a lot more interesting to see fights like this. S-tier guilds just use the biggest spells they know and hope they hit. Strategy is minimal, and it feels like everyone in S-tier has a protagonist syndrome," continued Nagano.

Now that I think about it, he's not wrong.

He could recall the few Dungeon Setters he watched. He would only watch the S-tier bracket, like everyone else. Besides Gilded Order, it was true that a lot of those guilds didn't use much strategy.

They would use a minimal set-up, have tanks up front, casters in the back, and that sometimes felt like the only strategy. It was hard to admit, but like everyone else, he had been distracted by the flashy magic.

The S-tier bracket was even emphasizing this, most matches always went over everyone's individual strengths, barely talking about the team as a whole.

"See them?" said Nagano, pointing at the stage before them. "They're trying to bait a flank. They pushed the tanks forward, leaving an obvious open spot, too obvious, even. Now, the enemy team doesn't want to push that flank because they believe it's a trap, but I don't think it is. Looks like a bluff to me, if I was them I would push that flank and pressure the tanks."

Alexander gestured toward the team baiting the flank.

"The mage, the one near the open spot, he's got a sword under his robe. It's hard to see, he's hiding it extremely well under his clothes, but with the right flutter of wind you can see his robe kind of molding the sword's hilt. On the opposite side you can see the one dual-wielding glancing at that flank every so often."

Nagano narrowed his eyes, nodding along. "There's no way I can see that… Interesting, so then they're wise to not push through that flank."

"You know, I think they should."

"Why?" asked Nagano, surprised.

"The trap itself is good. The mage pulls out his sword, the dual-wielding man runs over, they just get whoever flanks. But, if they flank anyway, they would be able to shred their front line in the meantime. As they're focused on the flank, the enemy team would be able to get rid of the frontline. They should push the flank as a calculated sacrifice."

Nagano's face went back to neutral, in thought.

"I don't like that kind of strategy."

Alexander frowned, "Why? They lose one member to a trap, but they can deal with two tanks, opening up the entire enemy team."

Nagano shook his head.

"I think it's dangerous for a team leader to get used to tossing out their own allies."

"But they would win. Easily. The tanks at the front are the only things standing in their way, this would get rid of them," replied Alexander.

"They win the fight, sure. But, whenever other similar situations arise, what's the team dynamic like? You would never know if you're the next pawn getting tossed out for the win. If you were part of that team, you would question every direction given to you, wondering if it's just another pawn sacrifice. You can't lead a team without promising to fight for every single person, or every single person might not fight for you."

"How about being willing to die for each of them, so they're willing to die for you?" said Alexander.

Their attention was directed once more to the fight. They took the bait, pushing the flank. The person flanking was the team leader, an assassin archetype from the way he moved and wielded short daggers.

He moved low to the ground, in a fashion similar to Fae, but his speed far from being close to hers.

He described a wide arc, going straight for the mage—who, as described by Alexander, instantly got his sword out.

The dual-wielding swordsman left his position, rushing through the stage extremely quickly to turn on the flanking assassin.

The team leader was cornered, but took a defensive stance with his daggers held raised above him. He blocked each strike the best he could, unafraid to take steps back whenever possible.

He did his best to waste as much time, while his team dealt with the tanks on the front line.

"They'll actually win," said Nagano, his gaze sparkling.

The assassin fell, but so did both tanks.

As the rest of the teams clashed, the fight ultimately was one-sided, the assassin's team winning easily.

"That was impressive," said Nagano. "Now we know who's your opponent this evening."