Giant's-Print Fort, the Raven Rescue, and Why I Restarted Chapter 8

I thought the solution to the first tournament was simple: find the highest level dungeon I could reach, grind until everybody was powerful, and arrive with a roster that could one-shot the enemy.

So I went looking for Giant's-Print Fort. I got lost in the south near Salacia Posthouse, eventually found the road through the Megaira area, and walked into a level-35 dungeon.

The best surprise was Support 5 with the Pale Raven. My party sometimes got into serious trouble, then Eshmel jumped in and finished the entire enemy group. The fort went from impossible-looking to manageable.

Cai gained ground rapidly — I saw him around 30 or 31. The others were still roughly 22-23. He was succeeding at exactly the thing I had already learned was not enough.

I made a second costly discovery too late: I had been finishing nearly every dungeon encounter. Retreating before an encounter's last wave can preserve opportunities for proficiency practice, but I'd used up most of the convenient enemies already. By the time I asked, I was down to roughly 40 turns from about 80 earlier in the expedition.

I restarted Chapter 8, deliberately choosing to bring my lower-level people up first this time.

The new approach is not perfectionism. It's seven recognizable jobs, level 25 as a working floor, better weapons where they change a matchup, and a real plan for the first main tournament match.

One other small discovery matters: I had been steered toward Light Cavalry for Cai and didn't like the drop in Speed. I have Sword D+ and want to stay spear-focused, so I am choosing between speedy Ornius Rider and Armored Ornius Rider by the actual follow-up forecast. There's no prize for a class upgrade that makes Cai less fun to play.

And I learned the name of the blonde warrior in red and gold: Jasmine, not Esmeralda. I briefly had her on the run I restarted. At Renown 8, Support 1 and 2,000G, I can aim to bring her back as a heavy defender. Until then, Noctula gets the seventh spot.

My exact current turns and levels after the restart are still to be logged. I will not carry the abandoned attempt's numbers forward as though they're still my save.