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

Only the survivors who stand out from the crowd are qualified to be called "fierce warriors"!

As I was overwhelmed by the fervor of battle, with sweat glands throbbing all over my body, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a small flower swaying in the wind out of the corner of my eye.

Those are tiny flowers that, no matter how they are trampled, ravaged, or stained scarlet, still strive to bloom.

It was only then that I noticed these small lives located in the "courtyard," absorbing the blood of the warriors, and blooming endlessly in the "field."

"How dare they get distracted!"

"Well!?"

As Mr. Paine reprimanded me, I was momentarily distracted and punched in the cheek.

The attack that swung at me immediately tore a hole in my combat suit. As I desperately tried to create distance, the pursuing attack was poised to pierce my body.

There are no other options.

In a moment of desperation, I stretched out my free left hand.

"【Flame Lightning】!!"

"Whoa!?"

Lei Yan's shout, forced out of his throat, struck Mr. Pan En directly.

I accidentally used "magic".

No, it was forced upon them to use it!

Putting the monster aside, I never used "magic" during Miss Ais's training, but now I'm using it not to scare her, but because I genuinely want to attack an adventurer!

Mr. Pain, whose abdomen and chest were engulfed in flames, staggered back slightly, his body billowing black smoke.

But then he suddenly glared at me fiercely—and continued his attack.

Such incredible resilience. Their "skill and tactics" are beyond reproach. The others fighting around them are also clearly much stronger than other faction members of the same level.

It's hard to believe that none of the people present are yet members of the [Family]!

"Ughh ...

After hearing a scream from someone nearby before they fell, the other adventurers, having lost their opponents, turned their attacks on me.

I blocked the sharp blades coming from all directions, and clashed with them dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times—in the blink of an eye, everyone's time was intertwined!

I compressed the physical experience to the limit, my blood was pumping with the will to survive, and I kept flailing my limbs with anxiety, forced to throw myself into a "free-for-all (multiplayer melee)" that was different from the continuous battles in the dungeon.

I fought desperately.

As for everyone forgetting who I am...

What should I do...?

I banished all those negative thoughts and fought desperately.

I fought until my mind went completely blank, just hoping to survive.

They fought with complete focus.

So──

When the dawn had long since ended and the sun was high in the sky—

Of all the people still standing on this battlefield, only I remain.

"Ugh... Ugh... Ugh... Ugh...!"

Led by Mr. Paine, all the fallen members of the group gave me a look that was both angry and annoyed.

Compared to them—especially Mr. Pain and others who are also Lv.4—I am not particularly strong.

Thanks to quick-attack magic (fire and lightning), I was able to hold out until the end.

If it were all one-on-one duels from beginning to end, I, having only been an adventurer for half a year, would have been defeated long ago due to the difference in skill. However, this is a free-for-all (multiplayer melee), an eternal battlefield where as soon as an opponent falls, a new enemy is immediately sought, and there is no distinction between friend and foe. In this situation, I must survive attacks and ambushes from all sides, and in such a melee, my high-firepower and rapid-fire methods definitely give me an advantage over everyone else.

If someone targets me, I will retaliate with a sniper shot.

If multiple people attack me at the same time, I'll blow them all up in one go.

If one shot fails to take down the opponent, I will fire continuously.

The casting speed of the spell, which requires no incantation and is even faster than that of the "Magic Swordsman," was unexpectedly made me realize once again that the incantation-free [Fire Lightning] is most effective in chaotic battles.

The point is... if it comes to perseverance and patience, I, who once wandered in the "deep layers" for four days and four nights, will not lose to anyone.

But whether this actually happened—I desperately suppressed the doubts that kept welling up in my heart.

"Huff! Huff! Huff... Huff...!!"

That being said, the mental energy consumed was not to be underestimated, leaving me uncontrollably panting heavily.

I glanced sideways at Mr. Paine and the others, doing my utmost to avoid collapsing from my weakness.

—I am no longer able to fight.

As I struggled to breathe, this thought popped into my head—

"They performed quite well."

I heard "four voices".

"──────"

I was stunned by the voices coming from behind me.

"As far as adventurers are concerned, you have met the minimum standard of being 'usable'."

"Seeing that your memory is confused, I wonder what to do."

"That way, at least there's still a glimmer of hope."

"That's right, there's still a chance to fight."

It's unclear when it appeared in the "courtyard".

Four little people, each wielding a different weapon and wearing sand-colored armor, stood there in a "battle stance."

"All our power exists for the Goddess. In order to dedicate ourselves to the Goddess, we yearn for more power."

The dark elf ignored my complete daze and released the black sword from its sheath.

"Because time is limited, we will kill you as you are now and help you be reborn."

Finally, there's the master.

He crossed the grassland and stood before me.

"The real 'baptism' is just beginning."

Completely stunned, I (Bell Crane) was surrounded by the city's strongest Class 1 adventurers.

That adventurous instinct to survive, which had driven them to the brink of death, has now fallen silent, as if they had given up entirely.

*

Sunset

Even though I could barely see anything, I could still make out the red glow that represented the end of dusk.

The faint rustling of the wind could be heard in my ears.

And the sound of flowers and plants swaying.

I felt like I was lying face down on the field.

As for when I collapsed, I have absolutely no recollection.

He was hacked to pieces, his skin torn and flesh exposed.

He was beaten until his bones were broken and his tendons were torn.

He was burned beyond recognition.

I was slashed and torn apart by dazzling "skills", crushed and severely injured by unparalleled "tactics", and blown to the ground by irreparable "magic".

The dark elf's swordsmanship left me with nowhere to retreat; even my defense would destroy my weapon along with it. I couldn't even understand why my limbs were still intact.

Faced with the endless combined attacks of the four little quadruplets, I couldn't even fight back; they were completely leading me by the nose. The moment I showed a weakness, spears, hammers, axes, and greatswords from all directions would destroy my body.

The white elf's lightning strikes engulfed all the lightning I hastily unleashed, scorching my entire body black. The relentless, endless lightning strikes not only ravaged my physical body but also destroyed my spirit—my willpower.

The battle was completely one-sided; no amount of resistance from me was of any use.

Only now do I truly understand how unreasonable and cruel it is to be "besieged by first-level adventurers".

"………………………………………………………………ah."

I let out a pathetic, incoherent groan.

His entire body was fractured, not a single part of his body was intact, and his combat suit was completely stained scarlet.

Neither exhaling nor coughing up blood is possible. The initial attack was intensely hot and painful, enough to make me want to cry, but now I feel nothing. Speaking of which, I feel a chill all over my body, the cold wind biting to my bones—is it already winter?

The sound of a heartbeat was very distant, a reminder that life was about to end.

Death is so close to me.

I know. I've experienced that feeling before.

Just like the fatal journey to the "deep" where one tastes the dark end.

But this time, there was no elf (someone) to embrace me.

Life flashes through my mind like a revolving lantern, but it's all unnecessary, because I no longer have the energy to even think about it.

Even the concept of feeling cold all over my body had disappeared, and I just lay there with my eyes open, giving up on survival.

"【Ode to the Reborn Goddess (Zeo Gullveig)】".

The next second, "healing light" enveloped my entire body, forcibly blocking the approach of "death".

"────────────────────────Cough!?"

The revived heartbeat, the restored breath, and the surging torrent of life impacted my soul.

My eyelids, which were half-closed, were forcibly pried open, and my body jolted violently as if I had been electrocuted. I struggled painfully on the ground like a small fish washed ashore.

"Huff... huff... ...!? Cough cough! Cough cough... cough uh...!!"

"That was a close call! You really were one step away from dying this time."

I felt as if my entire body was trembling rhythmically, like a heartbeat, while my limbs were pitifully spasming. I ignored the dirt stuck in my fingernails and, as I dug at the ground with my fingers, a leisurely sound landed on the back of my head.

I blinked and looked up. The person who had brought me back to life—Miss Heather, the healer—was standing there, holding a long staff in one hand.

"Fellow Level 1 adventurers, let's call it a day. Although the wounds on our bodies can be healed, the blood lost cannot be replenished. Bell is currently unable to move."

"Useless."

"That's all?"

"How can he face the goddess Freya?"

"—But the sun had just set."

Following Miss Heci's announcement, the Lilliputian quadruplets laid down their weapons.

The sun had already disappeared below the western horizon. The fighting spirit around them vanished, and the clanging of swords and spears ceased. The battle was now over.

I just let my mind go blank, even forgetting the relief of not being killed anymore.

(How many times have I died...?)

The "near-death experience" that is repeated time and time again.

Every time I breathe my last and my heart stops beating, I am forcibly "resurrected" by the elixir, the magic of a healer, or the Thunder Sword. No matter how horrific the wounds, the mutilated limbs, or the shattered bones, they are instantly restored to their original state.

Looking around, I saw that the other injured people besides myself were also bathed in the light of healing, or were being bandaged by a herbalist.

With trembling hands, I reached for the ground and, after propping myself up, noticed something.

In addition to adventurers, the Freya Familia also has a considerable number of healers—it is said that medical personnel are even rarer than mages.

Is this the mechanism of "fighting each other"?

It is thanks to so many excellent therapists that the brutal factional infighting has been able to continue.

"We also receive training, and we can save any patient who is injured within three seconds of death."