Part 1: The Cube's Verdict
At the top of the frozen staircase overlooking the amphitheater, Elian signaled for a complete stop. The air was thin, biting at their lungs.
He reached into his inventory and pulled out the Cube of Analysis. The artifact hummed, casting a faint grid of light over his ten companions.
He needed to be perfect. One mistake here meant death.
"Orion," Elian whispered into his comms.
"I am here, Captain," the ship's avatar replied softly. "I am currently entertaining the little ones. Noya and Naya are... enthusiastic about the snow, but I have contained them in the lower hold with a game of holographic tag."
"Good," Elian said. "Keep them safe. We are going dark."
Elian scanned his team. The Cube highlighted their hidden traits, confirming his strategy.
Titan & Valen: Highest Aggro generation. High physical resistance.
Jax & Isara: Highest Burst Damage. Traits centered on "Opportunity Strikes."
Seraphina & Lyra: Perfect synergy. Seraphina's healing output increased when targets were buffed by Bardic music.
Luna & Kael: The Utility backbone. Traps, barriers, and structural control.
Caelum: The Processor. His mana sense could predict enemy movements before they happened.
Roger: High Critical Accuracy. The fail-safe mechanism.
"Listen up," Elian whispered, the vapor from his breath freezing instantly. "This isn't a brawl. It's a surgery."
He laid out the plan:
"Titan, Valen. You are the Anvil. You drop down and draw their eyes. Make them hate you."
"Jax, Isara. You are the Hammer. Wait in the shadows. When they engage the tanks, you slit the throats of the backline."
"Seraphina, keep the tanks breathing. Lyra, slow the enemy down. Make them feel like they're moving through molasses."
"Kael, Luna. Watch our backs. If the King moves, throw up a wall."
"Roger, you are the Watchtower. Stay in the back with the supports. If a stray Yeti slips past the tanks, or if something tries to flank us, put a bullet in its knee. Keep the healers safe."
"Caelum. You are the eyes. Call the shots."
"And you?" Roger asked, adjusting the scope of his rifle.
"I am the Executioner," Elian said, gripping The Reaper's Edge. "I'll weave through the chaos and chip them down."
Part 2: The Silent Descent
They began to move down the massive spiral staircase carved into the ice.
Step by step.
Crunch. Crunch.
The tension was suffocating. Usually, in a dungeon like this, the monsters would smell intruders and charge. They would roar, beat their chests, and rush blindly up the stairs.
But the Frost-Rage Yetis did nothing.
The eleven elites stood in their two rows, motionless. Their breath came out in synchronized puffs of white mist. They watched the Eclipse team descend with cold, intelligent blue eyes.
They didn't growl. They tracked.
"I don't like this," Jax whispered, his stealth active. "Why aren't they angry? They're named 'Frost-Rage'."
"Steady," Elian commanded. "Roger, keep your eyes on the King."
Part 3: The Shield Wall
The team reached the bottom platform, the floor a sheet of polished black ice.
They stood twenty meters away from the Yeti guard.
Elian raised his sword, ready to initiate the chaotic skirmish he had planned—a plan reliant on the enemies acting like wild beasts.
"Now! Titan, engage!"
Titan roared, activating [Taunt], and stepped forward to slam his shield.
But the chaos never happened.
CLACK.
At the sound of Titan's roar, the eleven Yetis didn't charge wildly.
They moved as one.
The front row dropped to one knee, slamming massive ice-tower shields into the ground, locking them together to create a solid wall.
The second row stepped up behind them, extending long, jagged spears of black ice over the shields of their comrades.
The third row raised their heavy clubs, ready to smash anyone who tried to jump the line.
[Enemy Formation: The Phalanx of Winter]
"What the..." Valen froze mid-step. "That's not monster AI. That's military doctrine."
They weren't facing a pack of animals. They were facing a disciplined unit. A shield wall. Impenetrable. Spiked. Ready.
Part 4: The King's Gaze
On the throne, Glacius, The Winter King, slowly rested his chin on his fist. He watched the players with an expression that looked disturbingly like amusement.
He didn't move to attack. He simply watched his soldiers execute the formation.
Elian's mind raced. He frantically searched his memories of the past timeline.
No. This is wrong.
In the walkthroughs, the Frost-Giant's Hall was a chaotic smash-and-grab. The Yetis were berserkers. You just kited them and killed them.
They didn't use tactics. They didn't use phalanxes.
Elian stared at the wall of ice shields and spears.
His plan—based on splitting them up and creating chaos—was instantly dead. You couldn't assassinate a phalanx. You couldn't flank a wall that spanned the room. Even Roger's sniper shots would bounce harmlessly off those heavy ice shields.
Part 5: The Unknown
A cold realization settled in Elian's gut, colder than the dungeon air.
The Tower is learning.
My presence... the anomaly of the Eclipse Guild... it has forced the System to upgrade the difficulty. The Butterfly Effect has changed the AI behavior.
He tightened his grip on his sword until his knuckles turned white.
"Scrap the plan," Elian hissed to his team. "Forget everything I told you about their patterns."
"Elian?" Luna asked, her voice wavering as she saw the doubt in his eyes.
Elian looked at the disciplined wall of monsters. He realized that from this moment on, his "future knowledge" was a double-edged sword. It could guide him to the location, but it could no longer tell him how to survive the fight.
The walkthrough was shattered.
"New plan," Elian said, his voice dropping to a growl. "We improvise."
The Yeti in the center of the formation slammed its spear against its shield. THOOM.
The others followed. THOOM. THOOM.
A rhythmic war beat.
The King on the throne lifted a single finger, pointing at Elian.
The Phalanx took its first synchronized step forward.