Raive’s expression was fierce, his heart was hot, but even in that state, his mind was cold. At first, he thought he could just restart it all, but upon thinking deeper, he realized how foolish that was.
Unless they figured something out about the enemy, no matter how many times he restarted, the result wouldn’t change.
As such.
’I’ll at least figure out how to beat these bastards first...!’
The enemy was plant-like, and the flowers a short distance away were part of its body. Moving sharp, spear-like roots through the ground was its main method of attack.
But...
"HAAAP!"
THUNK!
Even if he hit a root with all his might, it didn’t look like any damage was being dealt. Instead, it seemed he only made himself a prime target.
More roots moved to catch him.
The vibrations from under the ground were growing stronger.
And one after another, they popped out from where he stood moments before.
"Kuh...!"
Raive dodged the attacks, barely each time, leaving him with no chances to fight back. He was stuck on the defensive, unable to even make the enemy reveal its face.
"You said your team is strong..."
Only when a solemn voice reached his ears did he realize... He wasn’t alone. Behind him, Hazel stood still, head lowered. Weirdly, no roots dared to attack her during that time.
"You said you cleared a green dungeon. That a red dungeon shouldn’t be too hard... but what now? Only you remain."
She let out a deep sigh, filled with profound emotions. A mix of disappointment, anger, pity, and sadness. But more than that, a deep loneliness.
And then.
SNAP!
With a snap of her fingers, the situation changed rapidly.
"I shouldn’t have believed in you guys."
As if moving at her will, the earth around her moved fast. As if each particle had gained a life of its own, they formed a vortex so large it hid her figure from even Raive himself.
The space where she stood remained intact, but everywhere else, the earth got upturned. Not just the surface level either, but deep enough to reveal the enemy’s main body.
"KIEEEEK!"
The flower bed about fifty meters away got pulled out as the earth around it moved to join the vortex. That revealed the monster’s true visage.
The flowers weren’t individual monsters at all. Rather, it was more like the hair of a single plant monster. It was a giant monster about 10 meters tall, looking like a golem made from thick roots twisted together!
The monster, losing the ground that was practically its home, panicked and flailed around, as if unable to find its balance. Even the roots attacking Raive pulled back, leaving him completely free.
Seeing such a scene, Raive felt awe.
"S-So powerful...!"
He thought she was strong, given that she managed to kill her former teammates unscathed. But he never imagined it would be this strong!
He estimated that even if three Shymines ganged up against her, she would still come out on top!
A smile found its way to his lips.
Having such a powerful ally was nothing but reassuring!
With the enemy monster exposed, Raive quickly knew what to do.
"Good job, Hazel! Now, I’ll land a hit on it—!"
With his bat, he jumped down, using the force of his fall to increase the damage he could deal. With a powerful swing, he successfully hit the "head" of the monster, creating a resounding slam.
CRACK!
Not only that, but the monster’s body even showed faults, as if it were made of twigs that had gotten broken.
’We can do this...!’
Seeing that damage was passing through, he felt elated.
However...
SLASH!
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, Raive’s vision spun.
No, his head was literally spinning, as if thrown into the air.
So high up that... he could see his headless body down below.
"You’re in the way. Move."
That was the last thing Raive heard before his world completely turned black.
[User’s Heart had Stopped Beating.]
[Please select which save slot to load.]
[Confirmed selection: Second Slot.]
[Auto-Load activating...]
[Success.]
Slowly, Raive opened his eyes.
He made the right choice closing his eyes while saving, as it gave him a moment to gather his bearings. He blinked a few times, calming his wildly beating heart.
"Phew..."
After he was calm enough, he turned around to face Hazel.
She’d ended up killing him while they were still inside.
And the reason? Probably because she felt he was nothing but a burden. She was way too powerful, after all.
Raive noted her tendency, but he didn’t blame her at all.
After all, it was true that their getting wiped out right at the entrance was too much for a team claiming that a red dungeon would be easy—a party that pulled her into danger with nothing but "fake" confidence.
Raive scratched his head and sighed.
"Alright," he said. "I saw a bit of the future inside, so listen up."
After that, he explained the destination: how it looked, its dangers, and how to handle it. After that, they began planning, changing their equipment, and mapping out a strategy.
"...Alright, everyone ready?"
After five minutes, the planning phase was over.
"Then, let’s enter!"
This time, all of them entered at the same time. Coming in one after another wouldn’t matter if the enemy wouldn’t attack until they’d all entered, after all.
However, unlike before, they didn’t stand still.
"Go to your positions! Plan A!"
As Raive shouted, everyone moved to their designated spots. He and Khamish, with pickaxes, stood at the front. Shymine stood diagonally behind Raive, to his right, and Therese diagonally behind Khamish, to his left.
Hershey stood at the back with Hazel beside her, but Hazel seemed to still be in shock.
"It really is a grassland..."
It was her first time hearing about Raive’s ability, after all.
And even if she was distracted, it didn’t really matter. She wasn’t a part of the initial attack force, after all.
Raive did this to let her see, firsthand, how they were also "powerful" enough. That they weren’t worthless to the point she wouldn’t bat an eye to cut them off.
That they were worthy of becoming her "ally."
Soon, Raive and Khamish reached the target. It was the flower bed that was initially 50 meters away from them. Although it was something that made the scenery look good, the two didn’t hesitate to swing their pickaxes right in the middle of it.
THUNK!
The strike was powerful enough that Raive’s got buried almost completely, with Khamish’s digging halfway through.
"KIIIIIIEEEE!"
And without delay, a pained cry reverberated from right below their feet.
"Alright!" Raive smiled, turning to the others. "It’s coming out!"
It was time for a hunt!