'Her destructive power isn't bad.'
Watching the small skirmish before him, Bell gave a slight nod.
The timing of the Rune Stone's use was actually quite decent. Every chance to attack had been seized. If the vanguard hadn't gotten too caught up in the shock of the power and lethality, Daphne's performance this time would've been flawless.
'But Daphne was nearly hit by a monster. That's a mark against her.'
Bell recognized Daphne's strengths—but he also saw her flaws.
Compared to a full-time commander, her combat style was too aggressive.
Maybe that aggressiveness came from her desire to prove her value in front of her Familia. But in doing so, she exposed her own shortcomings.
It was the exact opposite of what she intended.
Still, Bell's overall evaluation of her hadn't changed. She clearly had considerable potential, though there was still room to grow in certain areas.
He didn't know how Finn and the others would assess her, but to Bell, Daphne's future definitely looked brighter than Raul's.
The title of "High Novice" had essentially already defined Raul's limits. Without remarkable talent, he was just average—and so were the achievements he could hope for.
Only adventurers with true talent could thrive in the Dungeon. The deeper you went, the clearer the gap between the talented and the ordinary became.
All things considered, Daphne had more than enough talent. With gifts in both magic and leadership, she had what it took to rise within the upper ranks of the Loki Familia.
'Talented people... really are different from the rest of us.'
Bell had never had a gift for command. His abilities were patched together bit by bit. Maybe someone else could've done the same if put in his shoes.
Which is exactly why he couldn't let arrogance get the better of him.
His thoughts slowly settled his heart. The constant string of level-ups had made him restless lately. If he'd kept a steadier pace, the Loki Familia might not have caught on to his slip.
He didn't rely on Runes to force calm. Instead, through reflection, the turbulence in Bell's heart began to ease on its own.
What was done was done—there was no point in getting hung up on it.
If he really needed to dwell on anything, it should be how to be more cautious going forward.
With that thought, Bell turned his eyes to Liliruca.
Daphne had already proven her leadership. Now it was Liliruca's turn to show what she could do.
Taking a deep breath, Liliruca stepped forward with her team, ready, and took Daphne's place.
"Archers, begin reconnaissance."
The prepared archers gave a small nod and swiftly darted into the forest.
"Everyone else, get ready. Two archers, load Rune Stone arrows. The vanguards with rock enchantments, alternate positions with the others to widen the defensive spacing as much as possible."
Liliruca, lacking combat abilities herself, knew that the only way she could face the monster tide was through a more cautious strategy—fortifying the vanguard's defense and enhancing the rear guard's offensive strength. That was within her power.
Coordinating the battle and guiding the team as their eyes—that was her role as commander. She might still be inexperienced, but Liliruca understood this was the path she needed to take to grow.
Calming her thoughts, she waited silently for reports on other hive locations.
It didn't take long. In just a moment, the scouts returned.
"Captain, there's a new hive 1,000 meters ahead on the left."
"What about the surroundings?"
"It's all forest. No other hives detected."
"Hmm. As long as we don't provoke them, the worker bees won't come out. The hive is where the bulk of the workers are spawned. If we can avoid alarming them, there might be another way to deal with this."
Liliruca fell silent in thought for a moment, then made a decision.
"Miss Limi, how close can you safely get to the hive?"
"Huh? The closest would be around 200 meters. Any nearer and I'd risk being spotted by the worker bees guarding the perimeter."
"About 200 meters, huh..."
Not too far, not too close—an awkward range. But Liliruca already had a plan forming.
"How many oil bottles do we have for ignition?"
"I've got three on me."
Judging from the blast radius and power earlier, Liliruca was confident that if they attacked the worker bees directly, they could likely wipe them out in a short burst.
"Good. Miss Limi, set fire to the trees 200 meters out using the oil bottles, then detonate them with a fire Rune Stone to draw in the worker bees patrolling the perimeter."
"That distance won't lure out all the bees from inside the hive, but it should attract the sentries. Once those outer bees are gone, the hive will be blind on the outside. If that happens, how close can we get?"
The archers silently calculated for a moment, then answered in unison.
"Around 50 meters."
If the perimeter guards were pulled away, the outer hive would become a blind zone. That would allow them to approach within 50 meters without being noticed by the bees inside.
It was an answer that filled everyone with confidence.
"What about shooting range?"
"Between 70 and 90 meters."
Taking accuracy into account, all archers could reliably hit targets within 90 meters.
"Excellent. Then Miss Limi will ignite the trees 200 meters away and use a fire Rune Stone to draw out the outer bees. The remaining three will take up positions at the hive's maximum range in other directions. When you hear the rune blast, move in toward the hive."
"Mr. Kevin, Mr. Lira, you'll support Miss Limi as vanguard and center guard. Help her handle any bees that come her way using wind and fire Rune Stones."
"Miss Lar, your role is even more critical. Once you hear the signal, move in immediately to take care of the hive. The moment the sentries are gone, the hive will react. We'll need to act fast to wipe out both the bees and the hive itself."
This was the true test of their coordination. One mistake could lead to complete failure.
But the four archers, along with the vanguard and center guard members, all smiled. They were no longer strangers fumbling to work together. Now bonded by shared understanding, they believed—they could pull it off.
"Don't worry, Captain. We've got this."