Alex found himself in a similar place to before. The Space was surrounded by strange curtain like air that blocked vision. The many other people caught his eyes. There were maybe 30. Alex then realized that his leg injuries had healed. Only the holes in his pants remained as a warning. He could see similarly damaged clothing on many people.

A young woman came up to him with a big smile. She seemed like the kind of person who would be the center of any party. "Hello. the things that happened to us are awful, don´t you think. Now we organize ourselves by weapon type. The spearmen are around there.” She pointed to a group of around seven people.

Alex nodded and walked over to the group. There he might get more information. Then he looked back at the woman one more time. There was something special about her fiery red hair. She wore a rapier on her belt and dozens of parts of her clothing were missing. Alex wondered how she managed to get so many. Not like they were trophies.

At the spearman group, he got to know that they were supposed to be the first line of attack. Not many talked. Most were busy by themselves. Just as Alex tried to understand the strange things happening to him.

A little later and two bright lights came. Two people appeared.

“You are now complete. A final match awaits you in 10 minutes. Afterward, you can return to your place of origin. This fight is a matter of life and death.”

Although no one wanted to show it, everyone was uneasy. Alex repeated the words life and death in his mind. He got goosebump. His hands became sweaty. He wanted to faint right now.

"Okay, did you hear that?” asked a man. His voice echoed across the field. “My name is Georg. I am an army officer and I would appreciate your support. If things get messy, we have to group up and fight. None of us can escape. Together we will live.”

Everyone started to scream and Alex got carried away as well. He calmed down. He was not alone. In the sea of voices, he forgot his anxieties.

George bashed his sword against the shield. The others followed suit. The atmosphere got even rowdier. “Spearmen attack first. The rest will follow.”

A shallow calm returned. People started talking. Some tried to joke but Alex only focused on the remaining time. He could see it running out. Every time he closed his eyes, he knew the time, the moment they would have to fight.

Three minutes.

A minute.

Zero seconds.

He opened his eyes. His hands were a little shaky. He was surrounded by people. Exactly 20 unarmed orcs appeared opposite of them, while they were 30 humans. Some people cried out in horror apparently never seeing the creature before.

"Hold the line," shouted Georg in a movie theater performance. That was easy to say, but the first line was a handful of spearmen. Alex could feel the warm breath of the people behind him. Those in the row next to him trembled, their weapons swaying. Alex readied himself. It was the time to fight. He became unnaturally calm. His doubts had but vanished.

Then came the charge of the enemies. Alex cut into the thigh of an orc. The beast stopped barely and Alex jumped aside. He did not want to use the special power yet in fear that he would die shortly after becoming immobile.

A spearman next to him put his body weight against the attack but the orc couldn't be stopped and ran him straight over. Meanwhile, Alex retreated instantly. He didn't want to die that easily.

The two men behind him were taken by surprise. They were not ready or didn´t even want to fight yet but the concentrated power of the orc approached them. One of the men hesitated and was grabbed by the orc. The beast hurled him to the ground like a wet sack. Alex took advantage of the careless moment after the small victory of the orc and cut its stomach open with a wide blow. Guts fell out but the monster now charged at him. Even with its death approaching, it wanted to see blood.

Alex backed away as far as he could. But then, out of nowhere, a second orc rushed towards him. Alex dove aside and managed to cut the new orc in the knee joint while jumping. He must have cut a tendon because the orc began to go limp. Meanwhile, the other men dealt the original orc a mortal blow.

After that, the battlefield turned into a chaotic skirmish. Alex avoided direct confrontation and preferred attacking the orcs from behind. He was able to help some small fights in this way.

But none of that mattered in the great scheme of things. He watched as the left flank collapse. Ten dead people were already lying on the floor and the orcs kept pushing forward from there.

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From the corner of his eye, he saw Georg, right in the center. He tried to gather enough people to stop the charging orcs. But in the face of the orc horde, their will to fight broke, and most fled. The slow ones died without even having a chance to fight. Their situation deteriorated dramatically. Alex was sweating cold sweat. He didn't want to die! His panic mode set in. He fought manically.

During his desperate struggle, he saw a muscle-bound giant run towards an orc near him. It only took the man one blow with his warhammer to crush the orc's head. While Alex marveled at the performance, the hectic pace of the fight seemed to stand still for a moment. Confidence re-emerged in him. Others fought and killed. He followed the man and as they fought more people gathered around them. A little later they found Georg and the rest of the resistance.

It was her very last attempt. Across them were ten orcs. The beasts had run around uncoordinated but the stragglers had already been killed. Alex and the others had about the same numbers. Then the orcs came.

Alex's blood boiled. He was ready to put everything on one card. Now he had to use his ace. In a "normal" fight they would die, outnumbered as they were.

He focused on this mysterious force. This time he felt it a little more clearly. He closed his eyes. A huge bang was audible. The giant must have smashed an orc to pieces. So near were they already. Time was running out for him. Now. Alex opened his eyes, having found the power.

He bundled his thoughts into one will and pushed his strength into the glaive. Now he only saw the orcs. He cut the nearest one in half by the waist. Then he raced to the next one. His concentration was starting to wane. He pierced the chest and heart of the second orc. His attacks had unmeasurable power.

In the end, he dropped his concentration and the powers and glow of his weapon disappeared. There was a big grin on his lips but severe exhaustion set in. Yet it was milder than the last and he could still move a little. He saw that they had the upper hand. All the surviving orcs were surrounded.

Alex wondered what happened, but then he saw the glow of a sword and shine that flew through the air, apparently being fired from the sword. A head, neck, or heart was injured with every ray of the sword. He wasn't the only one using these powers.

In the end, all the orcs were dead. The remaining fighters fell to the ground, mentally and physically at their limits. A man next to Alex started laughing desperately. Others cried and some stared into the thin air. Then the voice rang out across the battlefield.

“Congratulations on completing the first floor. All survivors will now receive rewards based on their contribution.”

The dead, whether orc or human, disappeared. What remained were the tortured souls of the survivors. Then the voice spoke in Alex's head.

“You get the mark of the tutorial. This will enable you to go to the next floor whenever you like.

Your weapon will be bounded to you.

You receive 2 healing potions (minor) and one healing potion (medium).

You will also receive a ring of healing (minor). "

When the words ended, new strength went through his body. His exhaustion decreased. In addition, a broad and flat ring made of bronze appeared on his finger. That had to be the healing ring. There was an attraction that seemed to connect with the force in his body.

The pattern from his dreams appeared on the back of his right hand. Alex could only smirk to himself. That was the thing he tried so hard to remember. What foolishness. The pattern lit up briefly and then seemed to faded away, but Alex could still feel it.

Ultimately, the palm of his hand absorbed up the glaive. That was probably what frightened him the most. He couldn't cope with the idea that the weapon was now in his body but he knew that it wasn't harmful. Rather, he could summon it at any time and the glaive would reappear in his hands. The abundance of new feelings overwhelmed him. Joy overwhelmed him.

He had survived and now, despite being battered, he felt better than ever. Was it wrong for him to ignore the dead he saw or was it a protective measure from himself? He didn´t know and was too agitated to process.

Then Alex realized that a man was screaming painfully. He didn´t for how long already. The man lying on the floor. He tore the cork stopper from his healing potion and emptied the bottle. His stomach had previously a bad bite wound but in no time his flesh began to regrow. The wound disappeared and the man dropped to the floor, visibly relieved. Alex was stunned. That was nothing short of a miracle. He then stared at his finger with the ring. Could he do something like that with this piece of metal?

Georg's voice rang through the air. "I have a ring of healing, does anyone need healing?" A man with a swollen arm stepped out. Alex, still coping with the situation and out of imminent danger, looked as Georg put his ring over the wound. Georg furrowed his brow. He concentrated hard. Ultimately, a fine, green haze trickled down from the ring. Upon contact with the skin, whatever it was, the liquid or powder disappeared. It didn't take long for the swelling to subside.

Alex wondered was it that difficult? He willed some of the force into the ring. It happened nearly automatically when compared to empowering his glaive. Without much effort, fine green haze trickled to the ground.

Then the red-haired woman clapped her hands. “As soon as we get back, we should warn people.” Her mind worked fast. Realizing the danger everybody was in.

“That's the best but do you think they can avoid coming here?” asked the giant. His voice was deep. Alex couldn't help but look at him.

“I have no idea,” said the woman, “I woke up this morning, briefly remembered the dream, and then I was here.”

“So you were forced coming here and I was stupid enough to try hard. I drew and remembered the patterns yesterday and today only to end up here,” said Alex.

“That’s problematic. First of all, I will warn the people. Nobody should come here unprepared.” Said the woman and disappeared in white light.

“She's right. We have to warn the people,” said Georg and disappeared. They went one by one until only Alex was left. There was dead silence. Not a stain of blood, not a breeze remained. His time on the first floor was over.