“That sounds fair,” Liam said beside me, holding a mana core in his hand and turning it a few times as if making a comparison. The two of us were standing on one side of the cave, discussing the aftermath of the floor while the rest of the students waited for us.
“It’s only natural. Everyone played their part perfectly,” I said as I looked at the students.
They kept stealing glances at us with anxious faces. The strategy I proposed only worked because of everyone’s cooperation. Of course, that didn’t mean our four-man team couldn’t have won if we had entered alone. In fact, it would have been much easier. We would have taken a straightforward approach, attacking the golems one by one while moving as a team.
The challenge with tackling the floor with a big team was deciding how to protect the weaker students.
“Mm. That’s a bit of a surprise. I thought you’d be much harsher on the other students,” Liam said, his face showing surprise as he looked at me. He was probably referring to the students who fell during the battle.
“They were following my lead. So as their leader, their failures are my responsibility. If you teach yourself to play the blame game at such an early stage, you won’t survive as a leader. Self-guilt can be a powerful teacher. They know they messed up just as much as everyone else. Don’t confront them. Let it eat them from the inside. That’s how they’ll achieve real growth,” I said, looking at the students in question as they kept anxiously avoiding my gaze. I wonder how Eliana is doing.
Liam stared at me for a while with a complicated expression. He then turned to look at the students and said,
“That’s… cruel,” he said in a low tone, but I pretended not to hear him as I prepared to leave.
“My team will head out first,” I said without looking at him, and sensing my intention, he nodded.
“Right,” he said as he walked away. My teammates immediately approached me, and we all faced the wall.
“We’re already low on time, but that doesn’t mean we’re changing anything,” I announced to my team, and they all nodded in understanding. Even if we were running out of time, it didn’t mean we had to rush through the dungeon. As these thoughts crossed my mind, the ten-second mark arrived, and a white light enveloped our bodies, instantly changing the scenery.
[The dungeon has recognized you as a challenger. There are currently 42 others with the same title. Killing them will earn you amazing rewards!]
[Status too low. Failed to block whispers of the dungeon.] (For your safety, do not listen to the status window from this point onward.)
[Golem’s Nest]
[Recommended Rank: E]
[Current: Floor 95]
[Difficulty: E+] (forced awakening, uncertainty rule activated)
[Objective: Kill the Formless Golem, Anita Frest; the Puppet’s Puppet] (forced awakening, uncertainty rule activated)
[Estimated Time: 2 hours] (forced awakening, uncertainty rule activated)
“The boss floor?” Roran said, staring into space, likely seeing the same messages on his status window.
Mixed dungeons, in particular, were notorious for pitting their challengers against each other. They start in the least obvious way, by shuffling us together on each floor and letting our selfishness tear us apart. This was why lessons on dungeon diving were mandatory for anyone looking to enter.
We were currently in a similar-looking setting, a spacious cave with a high ceiling. Just like on the previous floor, a large group of students had arrived at the same time. As we stared at each other, I could see words floating above their heads despite not activating my [Status] skill.
[Challenger #31] [Challenger #32] …
“What do we do?” Rin asked as she stared at me, Ruby hiding behind her as if already knowing what I would say. Before I could respond, the students started moving toward us. There were 12 of them in total, and I could spot a few familiar faces among them.
“We meet again,” the student leading them said, smiling at me.
His face was unforgettable, even without the help of [Recall]. With spiky blue hair and piercings all over his face, the student exuded an air of confidence. Class A student, Leven Drollen.
“What do you want?” I muttered, repeating the same words I’d said the last time we’d met. As if remembering, a small chuckle escaped his mouth as he responded.
“Hahaha. Straight to the point, I see. But… are you sure you want to keep that same attitude?” he said with a sly smile.
At the same time, the students around him stepped forward, gripping the hilts of their swords. Among the crowd, one student watched with a bored expression, not bothering to even sync with them. That’s so like him. I let out a sigh as I casually grabbed my sword and unsheathed it. The students took a cautious step back in surprise as they braced themselves. My teammates did the same, with Roran standing by my side, his hand on the hilt of his sword, though he looked reluctant as he gave me quick side glances.
“I doubt Precious put you up to this. I don’t want to think she’s that stupid, so I’ll give you a chance to voice your thoughts properly. I don’t feel like playing pretend, so if you want to fight us, I’ll kill all of you,” I warned as I glanced at each of the students, their expressions growing grimmer as they listened to my words. Before he could answer, I added,
“Even if you decide to surrender, I won’t spare any of you,” I said calmly, staring directly into his eyes. Leven didn’t seem threatened by my words. Instead, he took a glance at a certain student. The student had an average appearance—black hair and dark eyes—but after feeling Leven’s gaze, his right eye suddenly changed color, assuming a reddish glow as he looked toward me.
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I wonder what he sees with those eyes.
“We’ll win, but…” Lithe said as he closed his eyes, changing them back to normal and glancing at Leven.
“I’ll be the only one left standing,” he said, causing looks of surprise from the other students as they glanced back at me. There wasn’t any doubt in his expression as he spoke, a testament to his strength. But did that mean he would win against us? In a battle to the death, making such assumptions could cost you your life. I looked back at Leven.
“You heard him. You should stop this annoying act,” I said, continuing to hold onto my sword.
“I also agree. It’s getting boring to watch,” someone said beside me, and I nodded while turning my head.
Huh? A leg swept toward my face at breakneck speed as the world around me slowed down. Who the he—!? Instead of blocking, I quickly swung my sword toward his leg, predicting its arc with [Future Sight]. But in one fluid motion, he pulled back his leg, and the moment it touched the ground, he pivoted on it and raised his other leg as quickly as possible.
Because of my wide swing, I was completely exposed, my sword still swinging away from my body as another kick shot toward my face. Shit. Instead of bringing my sword closer, I switched directions, continuing with its momentum and stabbing toward the assailant’s face, but my eyes widened in surprise as he bent backward, dodging my strike while his boot connected with my face.
I recoiled from the impact and instantly lunged at him without pause, his face still facing the ceiling. I stabbed toward his face, but my eyes widened further as he brought his hand forward, letting my sword stab through it. The blade reached an inch from his face before he immediately twisted his hand, instantly changing its path.
This fuckin’ maniac~!
He had let my sword stab through his hand and then twisted it to the side to redirect it. I tried to pull back my sword as I retreated, but he suddenly grabbed onto it with his other hand, causing blood to drip from it as he held the blade. He then twisted his stabbed hand, knocking the sword out of my grasp before turning and blocking another attack.
Cling~! Roran’s sword clashed with his, his hand still stabbed in between while he used his other hand to hold the hilt. Why is this maniac here? I thought to myself as time started to move normally.
“Dammit, I told you not to do anything!” A woman’s voice suddenly drew our attention, and everyone looked toward the passageway of the cave, where a woman in a dark cloak stood, a plain white mask covering her face.
It’s them.
Where the eyes should've been, two T’s were drawn on the mask. But why is he with them? The person in question jumped back, taking a few leaps to reach the woman’s side. The man had short, brown hair and was wearing a tactical vest, usually worn in the military, without anything underneath. His bulking muscles were completely exposed, a very impractical attire for a fight.
“Who the hell are these guys?” Rin said as she stood behind me, preparing for battle.
I wasn’t too surprised that they were here, but did this happen in the past? Why wasn’t it reported?
They were from the most prominent criminal organization in the empire, second only to [False Peace] even in global influence. I glanced at the woman and responded,
“Ten Tedious.”
“Oh, you know us?” the woman said in an amused tone, but the students didn’t take it the same way.
“N-no. That can’t be…”
“T-they’re messing with us, right, Leven!?”
Their eyes widened, and some of them could be seen shaking in fear as they whispered among themselves. Leven simply looked at the two intruders with a serious expression and took a quick glance at me. Seeing my grave expression, he nodded and looked back at the two standing at the entrance.
“Everyone, prepare for a fight,” he said simply, unsheathing his sword.
The woman alone was already a problem, but the presence of that man was beyond me. I couldn’t even think of a valid reason for him to be here; the situation was that confusing. As if sensing my discomfort, he continued to stare at me while pulling my sword out of his hand and tossing it toward me. I caught it in my hand, blood still coating the blade, but I simply ignored it.
“Roran,” I called out.
“Yeah?”
“Join up with Leven’s team. All of you will face that man together,” I said aloud, making sure everyone heard it too.
“Hahaha, so you’ve heard of me? Maybe taking this last-minute job won’t be as boring as I thought,” the man said, laughing his lungs out, but I couldn’t help but frown. Last-minute job?
“Oi, is he really that strong? He managed to enter the dungeon; wouldn’t that mean his rank is suppressed to E? Who the heck is he anyway?” Leven asked in a confused tone as he glanced at the man, stealing some glances at me.
What kind of maniac would disarm someone and give them their weapon back?
“You’re right, he’s likely at E rank. But if I’m being honest, I would’ve preferred all of us fighting him together and ignoring that woman entirely. I can’t tell you his name, but you might know his title: ‘The Giant Killer of Elondale,’” I said, looking toward the man, causing him to smile as he responded,
“I don’t like that title. But since your empire has its very own Giant Killer, I can’t complain,” he said as he started to stretch his body, casually warming up.
Giant Killers were more of an urban myth since they mostly operated in the shadows. A group of criminals who make a name for themselves by hunting down and killing fighters far above them in rank. This one, in particular, was very dangerous.
Unconfirmed rumors in the future even stated that he had rejected multiple offers to join [False Peace], and yet, his influence was still just as great. Why would such a person be here, attacking students of all people?
“Eh, I don’t have any fancy titles like that. I feel like I’m being underestimated quite a bit,” the woman by his side said while childishly holding her figure, but despite her statement, her voice didn’t sound bothered at all.
I don’t know who she is.
“Oh, c’mon. The boy doesn’t seem to be underestimating you. He even wants to face you all on his own,” the man said as he chuckled to himself, but the woman didn’t seem convinced as she responded,
“Mmmh. That might be. But I don’t like the look in his eyes,” she said, and immediately afterward, she disappeared from sight. Instead, Rin suddenly appeared in her stead.
Teleportation!?
A cold shiver ran down my neck, causing me to squat down on instinct as the sound of a sword slicing through the air reverberated above me. Wasting no time, I twisted my body while swinging straight toward her legs, carrying enough force to slice through both of them.
Huh~!?
I stopped my sword the moment it made contact, blood dripping from the victim’s leg. I looked up, finding a surprised Rin staring back at me in shock. I turned around slowly, and next to the Giant Killer, the lady stood there, holding her figure with one hand while carrying a thin sword in the other. If it wasn’t for Future Sight, Rin would’ve lost a leg right here and now.
“Hehehe. Now that we’ve all introduced ourselves, how about we get this started? So, everyone!” the Giant Killer shouted, his voice reverberating throughout the whole cave, sending shivers down my spine as he added,
“Come at me all at once!”
This is bad. I don’t see us winning this…
I tapped on my earpiece as I thought this, and a low static sound reverberated from it, connecting me to the Professor.