Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139845879269541
At the bottom of the stone steps lay a vast hall.
It was the same enormous space as when I had visited before, but this time, it seemed to be on high alert from the start; the magic circle in the center was glowing bright red. With every pulse of the circle’s patterns, a low, prolonged, and unpleasant sound echoed through the hall, causing the air to tremble.
“Doesn’t exactly feel like a warm welcome…”
The red glow grew even stronger, and the flickering grew faster.
The next moment, just as before, hordes of monsters appeared, materializing right through the floor and walls. Unlike before, there was a wide variety of them: four-legged beasts, distorted humanoids, and even bird-like monsters.
All of them bared their fangs, drooled, and roared as they charged toward me.
(They’re all about the strength of the early-to-mid-game in a typical game. Do they really think they can stop me with this? —Or is this “all” they can bring out “yet”?)
I let my thoughts race as I stared down the approaching monsters.
The first dungeon run in the game was practically a tutorial.
Since it was the first time, the preparation period was shorter than usual, and the dungeon itself was almost a straight path, with explanations of basic controls and teamwork interspersed between battles.
The “Alert Level” won’t truly show its fangs until the next time. —In other words, there’s no precedent for raising the dungeon’s alert level to the maximum from the very start. It’s an unknown even to me.
(I can’t help but recall my first time playing the game.)
Unpredictable behavior. Unexpected reactions.
I remember the feeling of gripping the controller without knowing any walkthroughs or optimal strategies.
In my past life, I wasn’t the type to tackle challenges at the recommended level set by the developers. I was the type who would grind levels relentlessly until I reached a point where I felt I could crush every enemy and every puzzle mechanism in one fell swoop—only then would I proceed with the challenge.
To put it simply, I hated losing.
(Thanks to that, my alert level hit MAX early on during my second dungeon run… Back then, I couldn’t help but laugh at that mechanic.)
As I let my thoughts drift to memories of my past life, I deal with the approaching monsters.
I sidestepped the bite from the beast-type monster’s flaming fangs at the very last moment. Instantly, I struck its side with a fist strengthened by the “Strength Boost” I’d cast on myself.
The monster spat out something resembling dark red blood, took the rest of the approaching pack with it, and was blown away.
Without a moment’s pause, I cast a water spell. I held out my open right hand toward them, concentrated magical power in my palm, and released it all at once. A torrent of water, like a waterfall, crashed down in front of me.
With a deafening roar, the torrent gouged the floor, swallowing up the pursuing monsters and obliterating them.
“――!!”
High above, a bird-like monster circled overhead and fired a wind blade at me—
“Too easy.”
I kicked off the ground and leaped. Closing the distance in an instant, I twisted my body mid-air and slammed my lightning-wrapped elbow into the creature. Lightning seared its wings, and a black corpse fell to the ground.
“…Is that all you’ve got?”
The moment I landed, I strode confidently toward the center of the hall.
My destination was the center of the countless stone doors arranged in a fan-shaped pattern.
Monsters swarm to block my path, but I pay them no mind.
“Get out of the way.”
I extend my left hand and casts a spell once more.
Just as before, I uses a wide-area wind spell to blow away the horde of monsters before me, then combines it with a fire spell to unleash a searing vortex of flame that sweeps through the area. The monsters swept up into the air were burned to ashes, their screams fading away with them.
A silence descends—no more grating roars, no flapping wings, no grinding of fangs.
“…They’re not coming.”
I muttered briefly and looked around.
Even though I had rampaged spectacularly and annihilated every monster in the room, no new horde appeared. Since the magic circle in the center of the hall was still flickering crimson, the alert couldn’t possibly have been lifted.
Just as I was thinking this, the air grew heavy once more.
A vibration like tinnitus and a red light streaking across the floor. Just as the center of the magic circle seemed to warp, a rift tore open directly in front of the central door. Dark red flames erupted, a pale blue chill swirled, and golden lightning flashed as a massive, four-legged form slowly emerged from the fissure.
“I see. If numbers won’t do, you’re betting on quality, then.”
The creature that had torn through space was clearly in a different league from the beast-like form from before.
A three-headed beast, twice as large, with a mane wrapped in flames, cold air, and lightning. Each head glared at us with eyes glowing red like molten iron.
Its appearance was—truly that of a hellhound.
The three heads glared in different directions, growling in unison.
“‘Hellcerberus,’ is it…”
I let out a small sigh.
The monster roaring before me is a mid-boss that normally appears near the end of the middle section. It’s a formidable foe that stands in the way of players who have cleared the second and third dungeons and are just starting to get the hang of the game’s mechanics and strategies.
It is absolutely not a monster that should be encountered at the entrance to the dungeon.
“Does that mean you’re rejecting me that much?”
I gave a wry smile, and as if in response, Hellcerberus answered with a growl.
Exuding an aura of intimidation befitting its name, its three heads opened their mouths one after another.
One spewed pure flame. One spewed white smoke tinged with cold. And the last one spewed black smoke wrapped in lightning.
The three types of breath closed in simultaneously.
Pure flame scorched a straight path, the cold air mixed with white smoke spread while freezing the ground, and the lightning wrapped in black smoke tore through the air.
But—
“Too bad. It won’t reach me.”
The moment I cast the light spell, a translucent wall of light unfolded directly in front of me.
A shield of light engraved with geometric patterns. In the game, it’s a defensive spell that “halves the damage from magic and elemental attacks,” but—in reality, its performance is a bit different.
That’s because magic in this world isn’t consistent in either power or effect.
Even the same spell can have completely different output and intensity depending on the caster. If cast by an average mage, it would shatter under a single powerful blow, and an attack from a high-ranking monster might even pierce through it, causing damage.
So, what about in my case?
The wall of light, bolstered by my unparalleled magical power and precision, is no longer something as simple as “halving” damage. —In essence, it is the strongest shield.
With a deafening roar, the three types of breath strike the wall of light head-on.
But the wall of light does not waver. It does not even creak.
The moment the breaths make contact, they are repelled, eroded, and vanish.
As if denying their very existence.
The flames dissipate, the cold air vanishes, and the lightning scatters.
When my vision clears, the only ones standing there are me, unscathed, and Helcherberos, its three heads slightly wide-eyed.
The three heads growled lowly. Was it unease? Confusion?
In any case, it was an unexpected reaction.
“What’s the matter, guard dog?”
I took a step forward.
“Is it over already?”
Helcerberus kicked off the ground.
Fangs closed in from three directions simultaneously. —But they were too slow.
I gave my right hand a light flick.
The air trembled, and the compressed wind before my palm transformed into a crescent-shaped blade, flying in a straight line toward the three necks. The blades, released almost simultaneously, flew through the air, slicing through it, and—effortlessly severed Helcerberus’s neck in two.
The headless colossus collapsed, and the wind blades released by the shockwave gouged deep into the edge of the central door.
The massive gash that remained looked as if it had been torn open by a sharp claw.
“…That was anticlimactic.”
I muttered, staring at Helcerberus’s corpse as it faded away into black particles.
This was supposed to be a formidable foe I’d struggled against countless times on the screen, yet now that I was actually facing it, I’d defeated it far more easily than I’d expected… Honestly, I was a little surprised.
Normally, this is the kind of opponent you’d need a team to coordinate against—exploiting its weaknesses and rotating elemental attacks to chip away at its health.
It’s the final hurdle of the mid-game, where a single misjudgment could lead to a total wipe.
And yet, I’d broken through it alone, head-on, and unscathed.
It feels a bit strange to say it myself, but I’m a monster.
“…I think I understand why the Labyrinth is so determined to keep me from moving forward.”
A wry smile escapes me.
But that’s no reason to stop.
My role is to be the decoy.
By causing a spectacular ruckus and drawing the labyrinth’s attention, I’ll increase the other students’ chances of survival, even if only slightly.
That’s all there is to it.
Stomping down on the scorched floor, I step through the central doorway. Behind me, the magic circle had begun to pulse eerily once more. —It seems the welcome isn’t over yet.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !