Chapter 40

※This contains graphic descriptions.

Xiaohui stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly held the letter containing the secret given to him by his mother.

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Holding the letter, Xiaohui leaned against the window, gazing at the distant mountains while deeply reflecting on yesterday's events.

Xiaohui, who had removed his mask and approached stealthily, received Lars' greatsword.

Even a slight graze could be fatal, and Xiaohui's right hand went numb from the impact.

His teeth ground together with a creaking sound.

His knees buckled slightly under the weight of the attack.

Xiaohui was able to block the greatsword not because his physical abilities were superior to Lars', but because the ground had trembled slightly just before Lars attacked.

If Lars hadn't relaxed his grip slightly due to the sudden tremor, Xiaohui wouldn't have been able to block the greatsword.

This is not even his full strength.

The weight of the greatsword attack made Xiaohui's spine freeze.

Next, Xiaohui pressed a dagger against the neck of Shikabu, who had moved his feet.

Just a slight hesitation, and his feet stopped moving easily.

"Kill Halia!!"

The arrow drew a precise trajectory and approached the backs of Hiren and Oiso.

But,

"Lea"

A potato stone released from Xiaohui's shoulder hit the side of the arrow.

With the power of Lea's throw, the arrow shattered easily.

"…Alright."

Confirming that Hiren and Oiso's figures had disappeared through the gate, Xiaohui let out a sigh of relief.

Of course, Lea was still applying pressure to keep Shikabu and the others from moving.

If they tried to move, potato stones would fly to their feet with an unusual sound.

In fact, Lars with the greatsword was performing a strange dance.

"…Where are you?"

"Damn it! When we try to move, something dangerous flies to our feet!"

"Show yourself, you bastard!!"

…No, I'm right in front of you?

Xiaohui waved his hand in front of them, feeling exasperated.

However, it had no effect at all.

Shouting didn't work.

They couldn't hear him.

Even Oiso, who was close enough to hear Xiaohui's voice, didn't seem to notice…

Perhaps their detection skill was at zero?

Traps were only as effective as a pitfall. Moreover, they weren't densely set on the floor.

When fighting the boss, the tank could pin the boss, so there was no danger of falling into a trap during the battle.

With a well-balanced team, even if they pushed a bit, there was no danger to their lives.

They had never needed to develop their detection skill.

Xiaohui put his mask back on and canceled his stealth.

"Wh-When did you get there!?"

I've been here all along.

I've been here the whole time!

…Dangerous.

Almost kneeled from the surprise of the words.

"Again, you! How many times do you have to interfere with us?!"

"Last time, I didn't interfere at all?"

"Don't act so cool! This time, Masatsugu isn't even around!"

"So what? What's your point?"

Despite being provoked, Xiaohui's body remained completely calm.

'How dare you hurt our comrades!'

'Are you still an adventurer?'

'You're the worst!'

Various responses ran through his mind.

Despite the emotional words that came to mind, Xiaohui's heart was calm.

To the point of questioning his own humanity.

However,

"Are you prepared?"

The words that came out of his mouth were filled with a killing intent that exceeded Xiaohui's expectations.

The three of them, including Shikabu, flinched slightly at those words.

"Hey, are you serious? We were just joking. We never intended to kill anyone, right?"

"Yeah. Don't get serious, man."

"Is that so? Then you injured Hiren without being serious?"

"That… It was an accident. We didn't mean to hurt her that much!"

"You were kicking Hiren's jaw as she was about to wake up?"

"Ah, that was also an accident. It was a joke that went too far, but I'm reflecting on it. I'm really sorry. Right? Will you forgive us?"

"……"

From the beginning, Xiaohui had never forgotten Masatsugu's words, "It's better not to come to Chikaho for a while."

He had assumed they would be there, and he had gathered information about their team from "Narou."

However, Xiaohui had wanted to believe that Masatsugu had properly guided them.

He wanted to believe in the goodness of adventurers.

He wanted to believe that even a little bit of ambition remained in qualified adventurers.

That the power gained in the dungeon was used to protect people…

That's why it was disappointing that they were still targeting Xiaohui and his companions.

"Is that so? Then the blog comments were also a joke?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"Ten abusive comments with only six total views. After excluding the regular viewers, that means three more people. The same number as your team, right?"

"……"

"Did you really not notice? Or did you not know about unique visitors?"

"…Your blog had so few views?"

"The replies that annoyed me were actually sincere gratitude…"

"Because I was so happy to get comments, even if they were provocations… Gah!"

Xiaohui's words made the three of them look at him with pity, their eyes welling up.

Stop it.

Don't fill your eyes with tears!

Don't look at me with that face!!

Thinking he had cornered them, Xiaohui found himself cornered instead.

Talking about the blog was a complete mistake.

Damn it!

I'll never talk about the blog again!

"……?"

Shaking again?

At that moment, Xiaohui felt a slight tremor and looked up.

What the hell is this?

Sharpening his senses, he immediately noticed the anomaly.

"…You've got to be kidding."

The walls and ceiling were beginning to warp slightly.

The warping was accelerating rapidly.

"What the hell is this!?"

"What did you do!?"

Shikabu and the others also noticed the dungeon's anomaly and directed accusing glares at Xiaohui.

However, Xiaohui had no idea what was happening.

He didn't know what was happening, but he had a hunch about the situation.

"Monster Parade…?"

Xiaohui muttered in a daze.

He had never expected to encounter the starting point of the Monster Parade in such a situation.

"Let's run!"

At Shikabu's shout, the three of them moved in unison.

Naturally, Xiaohui also moved.

Not to take revenge on them—of course not.

To escape with them.

If they died, everything would be over.

He couldn't correct them or make them atone for their sins.

However, the parade started just a moment before they could reach the gate room.

"Damn it!"

Ten silver wolves spawned from the dungeon ceiling, blocking the path to the gate.

"Damn it!!"

Lars swung his greatsword.

With a single strike, he severed the bodies of two silver wolves.

But while he was killing two, three more silver wolves spawned from the walls.

Moreover, the parade included the presence of a master.

"…Damn, this is bad."

Seeing the unfavorable battle situation, Xiaohui took out his skill board.

Kuuhoshi Seiki (27) Gender: Male

Skill Points: 5

Rank: Imitator → Imitator Master

- Vitality

Stamina 2

Natural Recovery 0

- Strength

Strength 2

- Agility

Burst 1

Dexterity 2

- Technique

Weapon Proficiency

One-Handed Sword 2 → 3

Throwing 1

Light Armor 1

Stealth 1

Mimicry 1

- Intuition

Detection 1

- Special

Accelerated Growth 3

Taming 0

"…My one-handed sword skill has increased."

During the battle with the master, he had realized a more efficient attack method, and his attack power had increased dramatically.

He had suspected it, but it seemed that his one-handed sword skill had indeed increased by one level in that battle.

"Does it increase when I can perform refined movements? Or does it not increase even if my movements improve unless I accumulate a certain amount of experience? And the rank—no."

Xiaohui shook his head to push the questions aside.

It's really concerning.

But now is not the time to think about such things.

He quickly slid his fingers to increase his skills by the number of points.

Kuuhoshi Seiki (27) Gender: Male

Skill Points: 5 → 0

Rank: Imitator Master

- Vitality

Stamina 2

Natural Recovery 0

- Strength

Strength 2 → 3

- Agility

Burst 1 → 2

Dexterity 2

- Technique

Weapon Proficiency

One-Handed Sword 3

Throwing 1

Light Armor 1

Stealth 1

Mimicry 1

- Intuition

Detection 1 → 2

- Special

Accelerated Growth 3 → MAX

Taming 0

Strength to increase attack power, burst to increase attack speed.

Detection to react to attacks from all directions.

And accelerated growth to compensate for his still insufficient physical abilities during battle.

There's no point in holding back here.

If he died, it would be meaningless.

Xiaohui allocated the points without hesitation.

"What is that item you have?"

"That doesn't matter. Focus on getting out of this situation."

Xiaohui put away his skill board and drew two short swords from their sheaths.

The gate room was still free of monsters.

Xiaohui threw the slimy eel he had on hand to block the entrance to the gate room.

The slimy eel was effective against the monsters on this floor, but its effect was weak during the Monster Parade.

This was because even if the monsters tried to avoid the eel, the density of monsters was too high for them to escape.

They would avoid it but couldn't push through.

Therefore, it was better to secure an escape route with the slimy eel.

Monsters could still enter the gate room, but blocking the entrance with the slimy eel would reduce the likelihood of the gate being occupied.

If the gate wasn't blocked by monsters, they could escape to the surface.

Confirming that the slimy eel was effectively blocking the entrance to the gate, Xiaohui slashed two nearby silver wolves.

"Run to the gate!"

"Shut up, you bastard!"

Reacting to Shikabu's angry shout, three silver wolves approached.

Shikabu kicked one silver wolf and slashed another with his longsword.

He blew the remaining one away with a shield bash.

Impressive skills.

Highly trained.

Even with enhanced skills from the board, Xiaohui could barely keep up with the smooth, continuous attacks.

But—

"Ah!!"

A silver wolf, coming from a blind spot, rammed into his side.

The sound of his ribs breaking echoed.

With low detection skills, he had no reaction to the attack from the blind spot.

"Shikabu?!"

"Leader!!"

Shikabu, who almost fell to his knees, made Lars and Halia's eyes widen.

"Focus!"

Xiaohui shouted.

There was no time to be surprised.

The Monster Parade had already begun.

Monsters were being spawned one after another in the corridor.

Not just silver wolves.

Naturally, the master was also among them.

There was no room for complacency.

Xiaohui had no intention of forgiving Shikabu and the others.

But he had no intention of abandoning them either.

There was no one he could abandon.

Such thoughts might be considered naive.

But that was Xiaohui's backbone.

A line he would never cross.

"We're getting out of here alive."

"Shut up, you brat! A low-level adventurer like you should keep quiet!!"

The volume of his voice changed the direction of the silver wolves' attacks.

They all lunged at Halia.

He was quite agile.

Even surrounded by monsters, he continued to shoot arrows while dodging attacks from silver wolves.

Xiaohui was impressed by his movements.

Dodging while shooting.

Sharp aim.

Fast arrow nocking.

His arrows hit the vital points of the silver wolves, reducing their numbers one by one.

However, after attacking twenty silver wolves, his arrows ran out.

Still, Halia continued to dodge.

But it didn't take long for Halia to be cornered, unable to reduce the number of monsters.

"Ughhhhh!!"

Halia, who had lost his escape route, had his arm cleanly torn off by a silver wolf.

Damn it!

Xiaohui gritted his teeth.

Adventurers in the upper floors had weaker armor compared to their weapons.

This was different for the tank, Shikabu, but not for Lars and Halia.

This led to a fatal outcome.

If he had equipped entry-level gear, the result might have been different.

"Ow, it hurts!! Shikabu, help me!!"

"Damn it! I'm coming—uh?!"

Shikabu, who tried to help, was hit directly by the master's arm that had been flung away.

It was an attack from Shikabu's blind spot.

But this time, he reacted slightly to the master's attack.

He braced his feet to prevent being blown away.

But that was a mistake.

"…Ah"

The joint of his right arm, hit by the master's attack, bent in an unnatural direction.

A careless mistake typical of a tank, specialized in endurance.

By absorbing the impact with his body, he suffered greater damage.

He wouldn't be able to hold his sword anymore.

"Shikabu, Halia! Form a defensive circle with your backs to the wall! I'll clear the path!"

As expected of a high-damage dealer. Using the centrifugal force of his greatsword, Lars tore through the silver wolves like paper.

But his attacks soon lost their precision.

"Wh-What!?"

Surrounded by a large number of monsters, the space to swing his greatsword for maximum power was reduced.

Lars' greatsword could no longer cleanly cut through the monsters' flesh.

"Damn it!!"

Lars swung his greatsword in small arcs, killing the silver wolves.

But the time it took to swing was too long.

Stabs and strokes were too long.

For every one he killed, two more appeared.

The circle of monsters gradually pushed Lars back.

Shikabu and the others, who had been in a favorable position in the 8th floor battles, were easily cornered by the Monster Parade.

There was no formation or strategy when caught in the chaos.

The team couldn't function in a melee.

It became a forced individual battle.

And the quality advantage was overwhelmed by the overwhelming number of enemies.

This was the terror of the Monster Parade.

Only those who could survive the hundreds of monsters alone had a chance to live.

Moreover, popular weapons like bows and greatswords were difficult to handle in a melee, no matter how skilled the user.

The Monster Parade was a disadvantageous situation for most adventurers.

They might be able to break through if the opponents were overwhelmingly weaker.

But against equal or stronger opponents, victory was hopeless.

That's why adventurers who encountered the Monster Parade fled.

Escape was the only way out.

Naturally, the monsters' attacks were also directed at Xiaohui.

He slashed, blocked, and killed the attacking monsters with his two short swords.

Lea complemented his attacks by launching potato stones.

Faster.

We can still make it.

We can still be saved.

So move faster!

Move faster, my body!!

The wave of monsters was thick.

His attacks couldn't keep up.

He wanted to save Shikabu and the others, but he was struggling just to fend off the monsters, unable to break through the wall in front of him.

It was like a nightmare.

Extremely frustrating.

More.

More!!

Xiaohui expanded his detection awareness, recognizing each monster occupying the space.

How fast each individual would attack.

In what order to kill them, and when to dodge.

Finding the optimal solution instantly based on the situation.

Silver wolves mixed with masters.

Different hardness.

Different vitality.

Different intelligence.

Troublesome.

Simple attacks would be dodged.

Openings would appear.

Counterattacks would be received.

So, he became cautious.

But he would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of attacks.

Not yet.

More!!

He was aware of, observed, analyzed, and understood every monster.

Imagining the future and reflecting it in his movements.

Different attacks for the different hardness of silver wolves and masters.

Using the minimum effort for silver wolves,

and full power for masters,

Slashing, tearing, stabbing, kicking.

Defending, dodging, countering.

"Roar!!"

He let out a roar like a beast, dispelling the dizziness from leveling up.

His body was hot.

His entire body was tingling pleasantly.

He felt like he could keep moving forever.

He felt like he could keep fighting forever.

Perhaps it was the work of adrenaline.

In extreme excitement, his pores opened and his hair stood on end.

Slashing, tearing, deflecting, dodging, kicking.

Finding an opening, pushing monsters away, and trapping them in traps.

"There's no way… we can survive this…"

Lars, whose arm and side had been torn off, closed his eyes in the gaps between the silver wolves.

To him,

"Don't give up!"

If you give up, no ideas will come to mind.

If you don't struggle, there is no future.

Despair should be embraced only in the last moment.

"…Gah!!"

But Xiaohui's angry shout was in vain. Before Lars could rise from his despair, a silver wolf tore out his throat.

Spraying blood.

The dungeon suddenly became iron-tinged.

The man who had been acting