[What did you say?!]
Isel's mouth hung open. Her wings trembled visibly.
'I'm getting used to seeing her surprised like this.'
I chuckled softly and spoke.
"I said I'm not going out."
[Are you serious?]
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"Oppa?"
"What."
"Not going out? Can you do that? Don't you have to go out unconditionally if ordered?"
"Didn't I tell you before? You can refuse."
Heroes have the right to refuse a Master's orders. Although, they bear the responsibility for the consequences.
"This is the first I've heard of it. And didn't you say before that even people who didn't want to fight were dragged out forcibly?"
"Those guys didn't know the method."
Simply whining 'I don't want to' isn't enough.
You need to think with clearer intent, like making an assertion to the Master. Doing so causes the Hero's intention to appear as a system message to the Master. It was one of the know-hows I gained while living here as a Hero.
Isel flew circles around me and said,
[Think again, it's dangerous!]
"And blindly shoving us into dungeons isn't dangerous?"
[But still!]
I know what Isel wants to say.
There is an order a Hero absolutely cannot refuse.
It's the Synthesis command.
If Amkena gets angry enough with me to lose patience, I'm bound for Synthesis, no way out. Isel, being the Waiting Room's proxy, likely can't refuse a Master's order, unlike Heroes.
Still, I have no intention of backing down. My mind is already made up.
"I am not going."
"What are we supposed to do then? Fight without you?" Iolca snapped.
"The decision is yours. I won't stop you."
The three standing in the Space-Time Rift fell silent, bewildered expressions on their faces.
A brief standoff ensued. Aaron, who had been looking down, hardened his gaze as if having made a decision, and righted his spear. He then walked back into the square.
"If Boss isn't going, then I won't go either."
[Aaron(★) has refused deployment!]
"If there was such a good option, why didn't you say so sooner? You made me feel so frustrated." Jena followed suit.
[Jena(★) has refused deployment!]
"Wh-What am I supposed to do here alone?!" Lastly, Iolca practically fled from the Space-Time Rift.
[Iolca(★★★) has refused deployment!]
[Party 1 has entered an 'Inoperable State'.]
[Tips/Heroes sometimes go on strike. You can resolve this by listening to their demands or punishing the ringleader.]
'Punish the ringleader?'
Isel flapped her wings and made excuses.
[Th-This tip isn't from me!]
"I know, kid."
"So, Oppa, what are you going to do?"
"We'll have to wait and see. How the Master reacts."
Amkena seemed quite surprised, the control interface remaining still.
It seems they never even imagined a Hero strike could happen. Well, in other mobile games, such a situation would be impossible.
If they had kept up with the guides, they would have known about this, but since they stopped reading, they wouldn't know. Therefore, they wouldn't know how to resolve it properly either.
I didn't have high expectations either.
After pondering for a while, Amkena made the expected choice.
Isel, receiving instructions from the Master, shouted.
[Edith, Roderick, Usher, Dika!]
Shortly after, the members of Party 2 gathered in the square.
Edith approached me with a questioning look.
"Weren't you guys supposed to go? Why were we called?"
"We decided not to go."
"What? How..."
I explained to Edith that they could refuse deployment based on their will.
After hearing the full explanation, Edith muttered,
"That's dangerous."
"I know."
"If you fail to prove your value to the Master..."
"We die."
"Do you think the Master will like it if you disobey orders?"
"Would you die if the Master told you to? Weren't we fighting to survive?"
"..."
Edith didn't answer.
Naturally. It's impossible for the Heroes in this Waiting Room to have loyalty. They were fighting semi-forcedly simply because they didn't want to die.
Edith returned to where her party members were gathered.
It seemed they were discussing the matter. About a minute later.
"We're going out. We need to grow. We don't want to get Synthesized either."
As Edith spoke, she glanced back at Dika.
His complexion still wasn't good. He hadn't fully recovered from the shock of the 10th floor. He needed a bit more time to regain his condition.
Party 2 entered the Space-Time Rift.
I sat on the nearby bench.
'Growth.'
If Amkena's goal was simply to grow the party, there would be no reason for me not to go out either. There were quite a few members who hadn't reached their level potential. Farming lower floors would be welcome.
But that wasn't the case, which was the problem.
"What happens to us now?" Jena asked, moving close beside me.
"Who knows. Things will work out somehow."
"Somehow? That doesn't sound like you, Oppa."
"I can tell you one thing. If I die from Synthesis, stop this nonsense immediately and follow the Master's orders. Otherwise, you'll die too."
Jena waved her hands dismissively.
"Nah. There's no way you'd die, Oppa."
"I agree." Aaron added.
"Even I have to admit, you're tenacious," Iolca chimed in.
"..."
'These kids. They've grown up a lot.'
Just then, a message appeared in my vision.
[Dika(★) is inflicted with Bleeding. HP will decrease periodically.]
This was also expected.
Edith's Party 2, not fully rested, was struggling.
The stage would be the 12th floor. Unlike the 11th, it seemed to have considerable difficulty.
[Usher(★★) is inflicted with Bleeding. HP will decrease periodically.]
[Dika(★) falls into Fear...]
A series of messages indicating the party's worsening condition appeared.
The only fortunate point was that no death messages appeared.
Although Usher and Dika were semi-incapacitated, the two 3-stars seemed to be fighting hard.
After a while.
Party 2 returned along with the Stage Clear message.
Edith's face was contorted with extreme fatigue and frustration.
"Did you have a good growth spurt?"
"..."
Usher and Dika couldn't even support themselves. Roderick was propping both of them up.
"Han."
"What."
"Tell me how to refuse orders."
"That's easy enough."
I chuckled softly and explained the know-how.
Edith sighed deeply. She looked up at the sky and then said,
"Party 2 won't be deploying either."
[Edith(★★★) has refused deployment!]
In a well-united party, the leader's will often becomes the party's collective will.
Following that, another message appeared.
[Party 2 has entered an 'Inoperable State'.]
Choosing Edith as the leader of the sub-party seemed to have been the right decision.
Her joining the refusal indicated that Edith was thinking about the future rather than just temporary relief.
Edith sheathed the daggers in both hands and returned to the lodgings with her comrades. Displeasure heavily tinged their departing footsteps.
[Whoa, this is getting bigger than I thought...!] Isel fretted, unsure what to do.
It was indeed a big deal.
Both main clearing parties were simultaneously inoperable.
Most functions Amkena could use on party members were blocked. Let alone the Main Dungeon, they couldn't carelessly send them to Daily Dungeons or Exploration Dungeons either. It was fair to say the Waiting Room's operation was half-paralyzed.
Amkena remained logged in but had stopped manipulating the interface.
I stood up from the bench and walked towards the lodgings.
The three trailed behind me. I said,
"We won't follow the Master's instructions, but we'll carry on as usual. Training doesn't stop."
"If we're not doing it anyway..." Iolca began.
"Better to intensify it, actually. Since we'll have more time."
"Ugh!" Iolca grimaced.
This one worked hard on anything related to magic but showed an almost neurotic aversion to physical training. Still, it couldn't be helped.
"We'll go to the Daily Dungeons too. Conveniently, they're all open."
Daily Dungeons could also be entered autonomously.
Since the error compensation opened all dungeons for 3 days, gathering materials was necessary. Both to replenish potions consumed on the 10th floor and for Jena's and Aaron's 2-star promotions.
Daily life doesn't change.
Refusing deployment doesn't mean slacking off and playing around.
The only thing we were doing was refusing the Master's orders.
We sharpen our condition so we can fight anytime.
Amkena, who had stopped operating for a while, eventually logged off.
After dismissal.
I was looking over strategy charts in my room when Isel appeared with an urgent expression.
[What if the Master quits!]
"If they're going to quit, let them quit."
If that's all the resolve they have, they can't climb the tower anyway.
[What if Loki gets Synthesized!]
"Better to go painlessly than die after suffering like hell."
Resolving such a large-scale strike situation is surprisingly not that difficult.
As the tip suggested, there's a Hero who instigated it. Just Synthesize them.
Stress levels would skyrocket, and morale would hit rock bottom, but they wouldn't refuse orders.
After Synthesis, gently placating with gifts or rest facilities could potentially restore morale, though it's not guaranteed. Not that Amkena seemed to have the sense for that.
There are other methods too.
The most moderate approach is to identify the Heroes' complaints and appease them.
However, I don't expect this either. If they had that level of thoughtfulness, things wouldn't have gotten this far. That leaves Amkena with one remaining option.
The next day.
I gathered the party members early in the morning and went to the Daily Dungeon.
The purpose was to gather attribute stones, the promotion materials. Me and Iolca, Jena and Aaron. Paired up like this, we were sent to different dungeons. We managed to obtain Low-Grade Fire Attribute Stones.
After completing the rounds, training continued.
Low-Grade Sword & Shield Arts level was already 6. I had reached a point where the level barely rose through simple training. I needed to fight similarly skilled opponents or train with imposed penalties.
For Iolca, whose abilities were skewed, I gave special instructions: Train Telekinesis magic. The deadline was until she acquired the Telekinesis skill. Iolca whined that she could only use Fire magic, but quieted down when I threatened to feed her only potatoes. If she could use Telekinesis freely, she could at least manage minimal self-defense even without us.
Amkena did not log in that day.
Like this, several days passed. Just as Isel grabbed me with a terrified face, asking if they had really quit.
[Welcome to Pick Me Up!]
[Loading complete.]
[T O U C H !(Select)]
Amkena logged in.
It was late, after training had finished, and I was having tea with Edith in the lobby.
Looking up at the sky, Edith spoke.
"Did they change their mind?"
"No way."
If Najalhae Disease could be cured this easily, it wouldn't have gained such notoriety on the strategy sites.
Anyway, with Party 1 and Party 2 inoperable, the Master's options were limited. However, Amkena's control interface was moving rapidly, indicating some decision had been made.
Soon, a message popped up.
[Master, commencing High-Grade Summon! You have selected 3 consecutive High-Grade Summons. A total of 1,500 Gems will be consumed. Summon?]
[Yes(Select) / No]
'Here it comes.'
The third solution to the strike.
Simply replace the clearing party. Amkena had some Gems left over from the previous spending spree. Added to that were the 500 Gems received as error compensation.
[Master, commencing High-Grade Summon. I wonder what kind of Hero will appear!]
[Clack, Drrr.]
[Kaboom!]
[Rare!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired Hero 'Stein(★★★)'!]
[Rare!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired Hero 'Mazel(★★★)'!]
[Rare!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired Hero 'Tasir(★★★)'!]
Does this mean there are plenty of others to do the work besides us?
I finished the rest of my tea.