In the ever-deepening maze of the unbeatable dungeon, the guild stumbled into a massive circular chamber—complete with ominous pillars, shifting floors, and a boss monster that looked like it had crawled straight out of someone's sleep paralysis dream.
"Alright, team," MC announced, dramatically pulling out a stick he claimed was a 'strategic pointing device.' "This is where we prove our worth! Formation Meme Alpha!"
"That's not a thing," Ciel said, already drawing her blade.
"It is now," MC winked.
The monster roared, and the fight began.
Something changed this time, though. As Lina hurled a fireball, Iris warped time to slow the boss's dodge. Kira jumped off Ciel's shield mid-spin, unleashing a synchronized slash with a shout of, "Linked Hearts Style: Fluster Cutter!"
It connected. The boss reeled.
Everyone blinked.
"Wait, that… worked?" Lina asked.
"We did a combo move?" Iris gasped.
MC was already scribbling in his notebook. "We need names for these. Cool, over-the-top names. Like… Flame Time Death Spiral!"
"No," the girls said in unison.
They kept fighting — syncing better with every exchange, magic and blades blending in flashy, over-dramatic anime fashion. Even Ciel found herself instinctively moving in rhythm with MC. When they ended up back-to-back after a dodge-roll combo, MC shot her a grin.
"Nice move, Knighty."
"…Thanks. You weren't completely useless either," Ciel muttered.
Then froze.
Did she just… compliment him?
Her face turned red so fast it could have powered a generator.
"D-D-Don't get used to it! I didn't mean it like that! You just didn't completely mess up for once and—UGH!"
She turned around and slammed her sword into the ground, accidentally creating a shockwave that knocked over a statue.
"Ciel.exe has crashed," MC whispered to Kira.
"Rebooting in 3... 2…" Kira replied, smirking.
Despite the embarrassment, something clicked. The team, through chaos and sass, had unlocked synchronized abilities. The Guild Link Network was evolving — not just through stats, but actual teamwork.
By the end of the battle, the boss was dust, the chamber was wrecked, and MC was trying to high-five everyone while Kira pretended not to notice.
"Teamwork," MC declared proudly, "makes the memes work."
No one laughed.
But no one disagreed, either.
END OF CHAPTER 77