Estimated reading time: ~6 minutes
Chapter 67
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I was in the S-rank clan, Vienetta, to get them to participate in the upcoming battle, and to have Sensei heal the clan master’s younger brother.
The healer is of course Sensei.
She is an extraordinarily skilled healer, and I have benefited from her abilities countless times before.
The excruciating, almost torturous training that Sena and Sensei imposed on me, to use my body without imbuing any mana. At the end of the harsh and grueling training, I was battered and worn out many times, but each time Sensei’s healing techniques restored me.
Sensei’s healing arts far surpass the efficacy of the incredibly potent potions I used to chug(?), not only fully healing injuries but also curing fatigue and sickness.
Based on those experiences, I thought Sensei might be able to fully restore the clan master’s brother.
What if Sensei can’t do it?
Don’t worry. Even if Sensei can’t, it’s not a problem. I have an idea.
As I explain that, I also want to talk a bit about the past.
Thinking back on it makes my chest tighten, so I haven’t been able to talk about it much until now, but that’s exactly why this situation might be the perfect opportunity to reflect on those times.
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For me, dungeon attacking the Strength Dungeon was an extremely painful and difficult experience.
I’m not saying the Strength Dungeon was especially brutal compared to the other Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons.
Of course, in terms of difficulty, the Strength Dungeon was exceptionally high-level compared to normal dungeons, as one would expect.
That aside, then what was so painful for me?
Before answering that question, let me talk a bit about what kind of dungeon the Strength Dungeon was.
Perhaps because it bore the name 「Strength,」 the Strength Dungeon was clearly a dungeon specializing in physical power and speed, with extremely tough enemies, heavy attacks, and fast-moving foes.
There were armored knights so hard that even I, who could slice adamantite in two, found myself saying 「Damn that’s tough!」; two-legged dogs(?) that unleashed surprisingly refined and heavy jabs; and even puppets that accelerated at breakneck speeds. Each and every one of them was quite a powerful enemy, and in my estimation, even an A-rank party of multiple people would struggle against just one of them.
However, for me, who specializes in brute-forcing things with physical abilities and explores almost solo, the characteristics of the Strength Dungeon’s enemies meshed relatively well with my strengths, making it one of the easier Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons for me.
So then what was painful for me?
I want to return to that topic.
To be frank, it was the human relationships I was placed in that were painful.
Bitter memories that I had sealed tightly away, wanting to forget, come flooding back.
While I was slashing at tough enemies and running away until my numb hands recovered, Ryūgūin, Mika and Angie were flirting behind me.
While I was engaged in a real fight with the two-legged dog monster, Ryūgūin, Mika and Angie were flirting behind me.
While I was surrounded by multiple Puppet Masters and getting the crap beaten out of me, Ryūgūin, Mika and Angie were flirting behind me.
No matter what scene I recall, Ryūgūin, Mika and Angie are flirting.
Three out of four party members dumped horrifically tough battles on just one person, goofing around and flirting in the back.
Of course, even when I was in danger, no one came to help me.
At that time, despite being in a party, I was plagued by a strong sense of loneliness.
Humans feel more intense loneliness when they are in a group yet perceive the other members, indifferent to them, getting along well with each other, than when they are alone.
I explored the Strength Dungeon alone.
I had a party, but I was alone.
There were no bonds, no comrades, no compassion.
For me, that situation was more painful and excruciating than anything else.
That’s why–
Surrounded by the eight Puppet Masters, the bosses of the Strength Dungeon, getting pummeled, yet still seeing my party members giggling, I made a firm resolution.
I would dive into the next dungeon alone.
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The next Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon, the Immortality Dungeon, I challenged completely solo without bringing them along.
Although my Light Magic as a Holy Knight worked to my advantage against the Immortality Dungeon, the exploration was grueling in the extreme, not only because I was dungeon attacking solo, but also due to the diverse traps along the way and the considerably tenacious small fry monsters.
In terms of difficulty, this Immortality Dungeon was undoubtedly top-level among the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons I had conquered so far.
However, as challenging as it was, my gains were also substantial. Chief among them was the orb I obtained in a hidden room at the end of a passageway I happened to destroy during battle.
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There are two patterns to the boss rooms in Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons.
One where you can retreat, and one where you can’t leave the room until you defeat the boss unless you use a special item.
For a normal dungeon it would be the former, but the particularly nasty Immortality Dungeon was, as one might expect, the latter.
The viciousness of the Immortality Dungeon is in a league of its own even among the Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons I’ve experienced so far. I should have easily predicted that retreating from the boss room would be impossible.
Yet when I reached the depths, I who had been cautious to the utmost in the dungeon up to that point, opened the boss room door without hesitation– no, I ended up opening it.
At that time, perhaps aided by the confidence of having conquered multiple previously uncharted dungeons, I had forgotten just how dangerous it is to challenge a boss solo with no possibility of retreat.
Completely controlled by unnecessary emotions like carelessness, loneliness, and impatience, here in the depths of the Immortality Dungeon, I would pay a fatal price.
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