The group moved forward, deep into the darkness of the Vermin Den. The moss-covered ground was uneven and damp. Water dripped everywhere. Their footsteps echoed eerily, and the light radiating off their magical weapons and armor only seemed to make the shadows deeper. Leo’s gaze was fixed on the dungeon map in his field of vision, his brow furrowed. The red dots on Katjenka’s map were moving, getting closer.

"Two... from here. One from there," Katjenka Novalina murmured, her voice pressed as she took a slight defensive stance with the axe in her hand. Her eyes, though marked with fear, followed the invisible movements that only she could see.

"Prepare," Leo ordered, his voice calm, almost academic, despite the approaching battle. He analyzed the schematic corridors in front of them. "Markus, you in front. Katjenka, hold the flanks, but leave room for Omar’s..." He faltered. Omar. He wasn’t here. Leo’s team was gone. His thoughts were still on the old formation. "...uh, Katjenka, cover the right side. Luna, you in the back. Clara, stay in the middle. Walter, I need your support, whatever your... skillset... is."

A soft crackling sound now emerged from the darkness before them. Then it burst out of the shadows: an insectoid monster, larger than the ones they had seen on the surface, its many-legged limbs clicking menacingly on the damp rock. It was followed by a second one. And a third from a side corridor.

Markus Brandt screamed as the first beetle charged at him, but his warrior instinct kicked in. He raised his spear, his face a mask of fear and determination. One powerful thrust and the monster howled, its brown shell cracking. Katjenka whirled her axe, its blade flashing in the semi-darkness, and severed one of the beetle’s legs. The creature staggered, its screams echoing through the cave.

Clara Becker, her healer’s staff glowing, but her eyes still glazed over from the uncertainty of her children. She hesitated as Markus was hit by another bug and went down. Her staff twitched, but the ability didn’t come fast enough.

At that moment, as Markus gasped and Clara seemed to hesitate, Walter Steiner raised his gnarled staff. Not a word, not a visible gesture, but a wave of warmth swept through Clara. Her eyes cleared and the burden of her worries seemed to lift for a moment. She took a deep breath and pointed her healing staff at Markus. A soft golden light enveloped him, the wounds closed, his gasping stopped.

Luna, meanwhile, charged, a dark shadow attracting the attention of a beetle. Her daggers danced, precise stabs at the creature’s joints, which Leo had identified as weak points. She used her stealth to dart quickly from one shadow to the next, disorienting the creatures.

Leo saw the synergy. He saw how his Archfiend skill worked, how Markus’ blows hit harder, Katjenka’s axe cut deeper. They fought effectively. But these monsters were tough and the space was tight.

After a fierce battle in which the cave walls echoed with the sounds of fighting, the three insectoid creatures finally disintegrated into smoke. Markus slumped down exhausted, his hands trembling. Katjenka leaned against the wall, her axe dropped. Walter Steiner stood there in silence, his gaze unfathomable again. Clara rushed to Markus to apply bandages to his remaining wounds.

"Effective," Leo muttered as he typed a note into his mental interface. "Synergies confirmed." He looked at Katjenka. "Katjenka. Your class is ranger. Why do you wield an axe? Rangers are... traditionally equipped with bows."

Katjenka shrugged her shoulders. "I had an axe in the shed. It was the first thing I had to hand when the thing appeared. And... it felt right. Better than a bow."

Leo’s eyes widened slightly. A new variable: personal preference. He immediately opened his own game menu. Navigated to the equipment tab. His hands no longer twitched for notepad and pen; they were in this digital space. There, under his scholar’s robe, his rimless glasses and the notepad icon, he found it: an old, leather-bound book with the words Grimoire written in curved letters. He tapped on it.

A new window opened: Grimoire of Adaptation. It listed the skills of his party members, but only those that were not tied to equipment or were passive bonuses:

• Healing (physical) from Clara Becker.
• Damage absorber by Clara Becker.
• Reducing worries by Walter Steiner.
• Alleviating fears by Walter Steiner.
• Protective prayers by Walter Steiner.

Next to it a slot: Adapted skill (0/4).

Leo felt a shiver. Up to four skills. Not equipment-dependent. A way to perfect the group, to multiply their abilities. And he was the only one who had it. The game had only just revealed its true complexity. Knowledge was now not only its currency, it was its greatest arsenal.

Next Chapter: The nests depths