Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Melissa! Are you alright?"

What Melissa saw as she cautiously opened her eyes was a monster lying on the ground and a boy of her kind wielding a spear. Finn, who had just narrowly killed the monster, gave the stunned girl a smile.

"Finn...?"

"It's me. That was close. Loki, I'm counting on you."

"Yes, I understand."

Loki appeared from behind Melissa, who looked completely bewildered.

Half an hour had passed since the monster attack, and Finn and Loki, who had come from halfway up the mountain, arrived in the village. They had slain countless monsters along the way, and Finn's spear was completely stained red.

"Well, even though you made it in time, it's already too late, isn't it? No matter how strong Finn is, you can't do anything on your own. To encounter such a chaotic event so quickly after descending to the mortal realm... even though it's my own experience, it's really laughable."

"I don't understand what 'Event' means... but I have no choice but to give it my all. Let's go and annihilate the monsters."

Just as Loki was chuckling frivolously, Melissa, who had heard Finn's words, suddenly snapped out of her daze and leaned forward.

"No, Finn!"

Finn looked back at the girl who was holding his arm and asked, "Melissa?"

"It's too dangerous, you'll definitely die. I know you're capable of fighting, but you can't go! What can someone as small as us do?"

"..."

He hugged the girl like a child, just like the modern dwarfs in Finn's mind.

Melissa, who symbolizes the entire race, desperately doesn't want to lose the person she cares about, and speaks through tear-filled eyes.

"Because we are a race of little people...!"

Her feelings were conveyed. It was the tenderness of a young girl thinking of Finn.

Seeing Melissa pleading desperately, Finn spoke up.

"That's not how it is, Melissa."

“Eh…”

Finn understood her feelings, but even so, he spoke back with even greater force.

"It's not because we are dwarfs, but precisely because we are dwarfs, that we must pull ourselves together."

"!"

"Even though we are small in stature, there are things we can do, no, there are things that only we can do."

The shimmering blue eyes, like the surface of a lake, ignited an unwavering will.

Melissa, who had initially thought he was just a boy younger than herself, was speechless at the unwavering gaze he received.

Finn, whose eyes met the girl's, revealed his true feelings.

"That is, demonstrating the 'courage' to not yield no matter how enormous the object is."

Releasing Melissa's hand, who was speechless, Finn turned his gaze forward.

Watch as the monster horde continues to ravage the village.

Seeing the small figure swing his spear and take a step forward, Loki, who had been watching silently, smiled.

"You've only just joined the Familia and you're already on 'adventures'? That's quite something, Finn!"

It was as if the main god was responding to the sarcastic remarks thrown in this direction.

Finn laughed without fear, but rather with a resolute and fearless air.

"Adventure? Is that all? This hardly qualifies as an adventure, Loki."

Then, the enlightenment hidden in that profile was revealed.

"Besides, I've been at the heart of the 'adventure' ever since the day I called myself 'Finn'."

The process of becoming a hero, becoming the hope of the race.

The adventure of the little people.

Gazing at the endless journey stretching into his field of vision, Finn swung his spear with considerable flair.

Loki gently curved his lips into a smile as he stood beside Melissa, who had been standing there the whole time.

"Okay, I got it. Then—go on."

With a push from behind by the god, Finn started running.

"call!!"

"Gah!?"

He shot down a "wild ape" that was about to rush towards the villagers, then headed towards the city center.

Finn acted swiftly and decisively.

All the monsters encountered along the way were met with a flash of gunfire, their necks spurting blood like rain. The goal was to kill the monsters instantly or inflict fatal wounds to render them immobile, thus rescuing the villagers and advancing towards the 'destination' where a breakthrough could be achieved.

"You damned bastard!?"

"Damn it, don't come any closer!"

In every corner of the field of vision, besides Finn, there were others fighting. They were the guards whose lines had been breached and the mercenaries hired by the caravans that had reached the village. Unfortunately, they were on duty today, the day of the monster invasion, and they were cursing as they fought desperately to protect the crying villagers.

But that was nothing more than a candle flickering in the wind. Right now, they were also thinking of abandoning their swords and fleeing. When they collapsed, not only would the village be beyond saving, but even the helpless people now in disarray wouldn't be able to be saved.

"How could we let you succeed?"

He resolutely cut down the giant body of the pig-headed, human-bodied "half-orc" blocking his path.

Finn, speeding along, arrived at the village's main square.

The place where Loki first met, in the heart of the village.

And this is precisely the 'destination' that can rewrite the course of the battle.

"—Brave warriors!!"

In the heart of the main battlefield where humans and monsters clashed most fiercely, Finn shouted loudly.

Upon hearing the Lilliputians' resounding shouts, not only the crowd but even the monsters seemed to stop what they were doing and looked at him standing above the fountain.

"We must not succumb to the monsters' invasion! Abandoning this village will only lead to a greater tragedy! It is you who, by fleeing the village, will bring even more blood and tears!"

Finn's words were delivered accurately.

More importantly, these insightful words embody a firm and inspiring determination.

The guards and mercenaries were drawn to the little boy who had begun his speech—a kind of "inspirational" speech.

"Do not let the monsters trample us! Protect your loved ones! Roar like heroes! Then the winds of victory will blow towards us!!"

Finn could not possibly misunderstand that he could save the village single-handedly.

The boy suffered failure because of this. When he was young, he did something foolish that he tried to solve on his own, which led to the loss of his parents in his hometown.

But the current Finn will not repeat the same mistakes.

The guards, who should have been panting, bleeding, and covered in wounds, clenched their fists.

Finn's voice shook the hearts of the mercenaries who were trapped in their predicament.

Because of the outburst of an unknown brat, a raging fire was ignited in everyone's hearts.

Or perhaps—

at this time.

As if to crush the little people who were emitting annoying shouts, multiple monsters charged forward.

As cries of agony rose from the frozen villagers and mercenaries—steel guns flashed at high speed. Countless shots, too fast for the eye to follow, instantly turned the monster into a bloody pulp.

The spearman, brandishing his spear fiercely, revealed his back, turning only his profile to show a smile.

"—You don't care if you're left behind by a little race like me? My fellow non-humans!"

That was a smile that came from the bottom of his heart—arrogant, conceited, and disdainful of everyone.

That was a provocation from Finn, who displayed a talent that ignited the fighting spirit of others.

It is precisely because they are the dwarfs who have always been belittled that his encouragement is so effective.

Enraged, the guards and mercenaries gritted their teeth and finally began to shout back.

"Stop being so cocky, you little brat!"

"We've been protecting this village all along!"

Then, the passion transformed into a mighty fighting spirit.

With a battle cry, the warriors, wielding guns and swords, charged towards the monsters.

"!?"

The monsters were utterly astonished by the resurrected humans.

The prey, weakened by the surprise attack, began to fight back. It was the will of those who bravely went forward to protect those they were meant to protect—a will that monsters, driven by instinct, could never comprehend.

Even if the monsters that were forced back resisted, they would be cut apart by the swinging swords and pierced by the thrusting spears, and their cries of agony rose and fell in an instant.

"Very well! Prove your courage to me! Like the ancient heroine, the goddess Fiana, who fought on countless battlefields!!"

Finn smiled knowingly at their soaring fighting spirit, and while continuing to encourage them, he himself began to mop up the enemy. Understanding the boy's intention to ignite their fighting will, the people even smiled and joined in the rising battle cries.

A strong fighting spirit and burning determination are contagious.

Hearing the shouts of the rising guards and mercenaries, the villagers who weren't in the main square rushed out one after another. These ordinary people, lacking any fighting skills, united and picked up shovels and clubs to fight the monster. Inspired by Finn and his companions' voices, everyone transformed into brave warriors and joined the battle.

"The weapons of the little people are 'courage,' huh... I see. They're quite a remarkable race."

Beside the speechless Melissa, Loki narrowed his eyes at Finn, who was still fighting fiercely in the center of the battlefield.

Witnessing the boy's heroic figure, burdened with an ambition and great "courage" disproportionate to his small body, Loki offered his sincere praise.

r—Wow, wowa ...

Just as the overflowing courage of the people was about to drive back the monsters' offensive.

"Th-that is...!"

"'Garmina'...!? The leader who brought the monsters from the mountains here!"

People screamed in terror at the 6-meter-tall monster, 'Garmina,' which was even larger than a large orc.

"Garmina" is a giant monster with a black beard and horns, and a single exposed eye. Finn's theory of a "powerful monster leading a horde of monsters" undoubtedly refers to this creature. It was this monster that roused the monsters of the mountains, causing them to attack human villages teeming with prey.

"Awoooo ...

"Gaa ...

The giant swept the mercenaries away with his arms, which were as thick as giant trees, and then unleashed a fiery breath.

Although Finn thought, "I have to stop this monster leader, the true giant hunter Garmina," and rushed over.

"Gurgle!?"

"Finn!?"

But the giant shoved him into the rubble with his tail, which extended from his massive body, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

Melissa screamed at the sight of the boy being suddenly sent flying. Seeing their leader Finn at a disadvantage, the villagers' morale was also clouded. The momentum that 'Prebrica Village' had managed to muster was waning, and they were once again forced back by the monsters.

"...!"

Finn, bleeding as he stood up, looked up at the giant hunter Grmina, who was glancing at him sideways.

That latent ability, so incongruous with the monsters on the ground. Absolutely right, it's an 'enhanced species'. This is perhaps the worst example of the dangers caused by neglecting the corpses of monsters. It's likely that the giant hunter Grmina became the leader of diverse monster groups by devouring numerous of his own kind to obtain 'magic stones'.

It was just a single strike, yet it caused such immense damage. My hand trembled, and my whole body felt weak. My thumb was experiencing an unprecedented, excruciating pain.

The monster before them was the same monster that had previously forced Finn to retreat.

The giant hunter Garmina, who commands the monsters of the mountains, is so detached. Finn, who has only recently gained [ability points], will likely fail no matter how hard he tries. All your knowledge will be overturned by foolish violence. Just like when Finn lost his parents in his hometown village.

"—Don't joke around. We will never make the same mistake again."

However, Finn now has a way to win.

To borrow Loki's words, Finn has "awakened." He has come to realize his immense power.