Chapter 247: Alex’s Ultimate Guidebook Many eyes couldn’t help but stick to the two students walking side by side. Beside an elven beauty with long silver hair was a handsome, well-built young man. They looked like a match made in heaven, save for the invisible pressure emanating from the beautiful elf, who seemed to be annoyed at the moment. The young man also happened to be smiling most insufferably. The two walked together for a few minutes until they arrived in what seemed to be a cave, with an entrance made up of obsidian. A single fang was etched on the black gate, indicating that this was the headquarters of the Obsidian Fang. "Come in," Aeris said as she pushed the gate open. Alex followed behind her, not feeling intimidated in the slightest. Several members of Obsidian Fang, who had been waiting for their president’s arrival, glanced at Alex who was walking about two meters behind her. When the young man noticed a familiar face among those looking at him, he gave that person a wink. Despite the tension in the room, the person nodded her head in acknowledgement. She was none other than Phoebe Amaris of the Silver Horn Tribe. The young lady who had suggested that Renard join Alex’s club instead of Obsidian Fang. After walking through what seemed like a maze of tunnels, Aeris and Alex finally arrived at a room. "Come in." Aeris opened the door and waited for Alex to enter first. The young man dipped his head in thanks and entered the room as he was asked to do. The room looked like the sleek offices of young, handsome, yet inexplicably single CEOs in romantic comedies. Clearly, this was the place where the Presidents of Obsidian Fang conducted their business with important people. "Please have a seat and fulfill the promise you made to me," Aeris said as soon as she sat down. Alex could see that the elf was very annoyed. After all, a First Year had just used her to bail him out of the Student Council Room. An hour before his meeting with Theo, Alex had gone to the Club Room of the Obsidian Fang and asked to have a private meeting with Aeris, the club president. "I know you are going to challenge the Darkest Dungeon, but if you don’t listen to my advice, many of your members will die there." Those were the words that Alex had said to Aeris during their first meeting. Back then, she had dismissed his warning as nonsense and warned him to leave while she was still in a good mood. However, Alex had brought up a few things about the Dungeon, including information that only the members of Obsidian Fang should only know. "I will tell you how to prevent your members from dying on one condition," Alex had said back then. "I will enter the student council room soon. If I’m not out within thirty minutes, come and get me out of there by any means necessary." "And what if Theo refuses?" Aeris had asked. "Simple," Alex had replied. "Just say that if you don’t see me right now, you will let others know what happened a year ago during the campaigning period of the Student Council election." "That’s it?" "That’s it." And just as Alex had predicted, Theo decided to release the young man. That made Aeris wonder about what had really happened during last year’s election. After all, there was no smoke without fire. "I don’t see that little bun who’s always with you," Aeris commented. "Dim Dim is my Plan B," Alex answered. "Just in case Plan A didn’t work. Fortunately, Theo gave up as soon as he heard your threat." "A threat I have no idea about." "That’s the problem with smart people like Theo. They tend to think about all the possibilities that might endanger their position. It worked perfectly because he is a smart person. Lastly, he understood that there was more to gain by not making me an enemy." Aeris eyed the young man stonily. She could feel her dislike of him growing stronger. During the Battle Royale, she had kept her eye on Lapiz. She had seen Lapiz chance upon Alex. Of course, she had heard Alex declaring that he was Lapiz’s future husband. There had been a collective gasp from the seniors watching. Coincidentally, the cup in Aeris’ hand had shattered at that exact moment too. And now, her self-proclaimed future brother-in-law was sitting right in front of her. She realized this was a good chance to strangle him and prevent future problems from happening. However, she resisted the urge. For now. "What are you planning, Alex Stratos?" Aeris asked. "Why did you meet me and the Student Council President?" "I’m just laying down the foundations for a big surprise that will happen tomorrow," Alex replied mysteriously. "You should look forward to it." "A surprise for whom?" Aeris pressed. "For the people who have been making life difficult my club members. Don’t worry, I know you look down on such behavior and that your club has no part in it. The Lionheart Society has been spreading rumors that you ordered your people to target me. Luckily, I can easily see past their paper-thin attempt to damage your reputation." The young lady narrowed her eyes before shifting the topic back to the Darkest Dungeon. "You said that if I don’t listen to you, many of my members will die," Aeris stated. "We have made ample preparations, so we believe we will be able to at least reach the fifth floor and fight the Boss without problems." Aeris was a Rank 4 Radiant Valkyrie. It was a Hidden Class that only those worthy of it could get. She was confident in her martial and magical abilities, especially since they were why the previous president of Obsidian Fang had chosen her as successor. Alex also knew that before Aeris graduated from the academy, she would become a Rank 5 Radiant Valkyrie, as befitting one of the Main Heroines of ELO. "There’s nothing wrong with that mindset," Alex said. "But it’s always good to remind ourselves that overconfidence is an insidious killer. The Darkest Dungeon is no place for the weak or the foolhardy." "Are you saying that me and my club members are weak?" Aeris arched an eyebrow. "Of course not." Alex smiled diplomatically as he took out a small notebook from his storage ring and handed it to Aeris. The young lady took it and read the words written on its cover. The Ultimate Guide to Darkest Dungeon: From the First Floor to the Fifth! A frown appeared on Aeris’ face. She raised her eyes to look at Alex just to make sure he wasn’t messing with her. "Just read it," Alex insisted. "You’ll understand after a few pages." Aeris decided to humor her guest and opened the book. She wasn’t expecting much from it, but after reading for only a minute, her expression went from skeptical to serious. Alex watched as the president of the Obsidian Fang carefully read the strategy guide that he had made yesterday. He had used 200 Arcana Points to create this guide, and it was sure worth it. As it might take a while for Aeris to finish reading, Alex excused himself because he had plenty of things to do. "I’m sure you have many questions you want to ask me, but now is not the time for that," Alex said as he got up from his seat. "Just read the guide and make sure your club members stay alive." Alex could still remember Aeris’ and Lapiz’s devastated expressions after they escaped the Darkest Dungeon in his previous playthroughs. While they did prepare extensively for their Dungeon Expedition, they simply couldn’t prepare for what they didn’t know. Some of the monsters they encountered had secret traits and abilities that took them by surprise. This cost them dearly. Other members of Obsidian Fang sacrificed themselves just so Aeris and Lapiz could escape. Alex didn’t want the two ladies to experience that heartbreak this time around, so he decided to extend a hand to prevent that tragedy. ’After this, I hope I’ll have a good relationship with Obsidian Fang,’ Alex thought. ’Now, all the preparations for tomorrow are set.’ It had taken Alex nearly a week to put together the "surprise" that would end the bullying once and for all. Nessia and Lotte had played a role in this operation as well. The former looked especially happy since she understood what Alex was planning to do. Nessia was smart and adaptable, but the relentless bullying had taken a toll on her. Given her tough mentality, she had not lost all hope. But she was not a pushover either, so her grudge had been silently accumulating. Knowing she couldn’t do anything just yet, she put all her pent-up indignance into motivation. After discovering the Codex of Eternal Weave, her knowledge about Rune Magic had increased drastically. As she had only read a portion of the book, the things she learned were only the tip of the iceberg. But that was enough to make her regain some confidence. Alex could also tell that a shift had happened to the young lady’s personality. To be more specific, some of his bad influence had, for better or for worse, rubbed off on her. Lotte had originally been quite hesitant to help Alex, but after he had successfully convinced her, Latifa’s second Alter had gone above and beyond, allowing them to succeed in their plan. And now, they only needed to wait for the student assembly to start and bring about chaos to the fools who had dared to bully the Endless Horizon club.