With Audrey's support, I trudge through the battlefield, crossing mountains of bodies and rivers of blood. It is chaotic, engulfed by clouds of sand and dust.
The pale glow of the starry night casts an ethereal ambience. Waves of cries and screams resonate through the night.
"Kragh!" "Rargh!!"
Goblins drop dead around us like flies to the merciless turrets. The goblins who are still alive now retreat with faltering resolve, running away from the fortress but to no avail. The arrows always find their targets. They trample across their fallen comrades and weapons as volleys of wooden shafts hail down.
"Ugh..." Audrey grits her teeth, her arm wrapped around my chest to support my heavy weight. She slowly manoeuvres through the chaos with caution, her eyes darting around for potential dangers and obstacles.
"Help! Arsto! Arsto is hurt!" Audrey shouts.
Leo, the closest, runs to the opposite side and helps me. His eyes tremble at the sight of a dying man.
As they get closer to the fortress, everyone hurries to examine my body. Tenderly, they place me down on the tilted bed in the medical tent, with Leo holding the sword in place.
Melissa, her eyes wide open and pale, holds my hand. "No. Kasli, please heal him."
Our mage, Kasli, is a woman with long, untidy, and dirty black hair cascading in waves that match her void-like eyes. "Yes! I will try!" she says.
A faint glow pulsates from her fingertips. The energy sways through the air and seeps into my wound, beginning to mend it.
At that moment, Leo carefully pulls the sword out. Blood starts pumping out, and the wound worsens. The damage outmatches the healing.
"I-I don't have enough mana!" Kasli exclaims. Melissa jumps behind Kasli and places her hand against Kasli's back. A wave of rejuvenation fills Kasli's energy core as Melissa shares her mana. Others follow her footsteps and collectively combine their strength and will.
The glow grows into a blinding light, subsiding the agony. A tsunami of calmness washes over me, freeing me from the torture.
My eyelids feel heavy, and I fall asleep.
----------------
Wave two cleared!
Mvp: Samuel Turner(Alias: Arsto)
+120,000,000 exp
Level up!
183->217
+34 free stats
Wave three will arrive in twelve hours.
Prepare your defences.
----------------
----------------
Side Mission completed!
+100,000,000 exp
Level up!
217->238
+22 free stats
Stats boosted:
+100 Atk
+100 Def
+100 Dex
+100 Mag
----------------
==================================
6 hours later...
==================================
It's hot. The sun emerges from behind white clouds, casting its warm rays upon the world below. Occasional flocks of birds hover above, their chirps harmonizing with nature's melody. Trees sway and dance in the breeze, adding their chorus to the vast orchestra.
Colourful two-story houses line the streets, their gardens bursting with an array of blossoms. Cramped between the neighbourhood, a playground stands out as a childhood paradise of fun, games, and nostalgia. A soft carpet of green grass embraces the playground, adding a sweet aroma and charm.
I recognize this neighbourhood. It's my hometown. But... I shouldn't be here. I was inside "Elvis Arcane" a moment ago. Did I... die?
Amidst the ambience of calmness and peace, many people, adults, and children, stare at me in terror, their eyes wide open and faces pale.
Huh...?
Red?
I glance down to find my body drenched in blood.
!!!!!
No...no no no...
"No!" I jump up in my bed.
"Huff huff huff huff..."
No no no no no...
A sharp headache scratches my mind. I grab a cluster of hair and lean forward.
"No no no no I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it-"
"Arsto." Melissa grasps my arm, and I jolt. "I-Is everything okay?"
...
A smile immediately lit up my face as if nothing had just happened. "Yeah, I'm fine."
She stares into my eyes. "You..."
...
"If you need anything, you have to tell me. I can help."
I nod. "I know, but I can't always ask you to solve my problems. Besides, you and the rest saved me. I wouldn't want to instantly ask for a favour from my saviours."
My torso is protected by a cocoon of bandages, particularly on my chest and abdomen. It stings to move, but it doesn't hinder me.
"We didn't do much. Your physique is the special one," Melissa says as I get up from the bed.
"Haha... you are too humble," I reply.
"You don't look or act injured. How can someone recover that fast? Kasli's low healing magic was vastly amplified on your body; no ordinary human could have survived that with only 'basic heal.'"
...
Kasli... so that's her name.
"I don't know how to answer that. As you said, it's my physique," I reply, looking back.
Melissa sighs and nods. "Yeah... that's right. There's no way a person can make a physique. That person would be a god."
... So Rena is a god.
"If there's nothing else, I will go. Enchant all of the turrets with 'Fire.' I researched it at the research centre. Afterwards, try to find the escape ticket and leave at least two hours for rest... if you haven't," I say.
"What will be the next wave?"
"Insects. Lots of them."
I leave the medical tent. The sky, initially draped in a velvety tapestry of midnight blues and purples, gradually softens and pales with the approaching dawn. The darkness retreats, and the first light of dawn transforms the horizon into a mesmerizing display of colours. It's another day in this hellish dungeon.
I climb onto a turret near the gate, the highest turret on the terrain. The orange hue casts its light upon the never-ending bleak desert. Hidden in the darkness before, many rows of wooden towers emerge, etching their silhouette against the barren landscape.
I sit beside the dark figure and sigh. Images of my nightmare play in my mind on a loop. There is more to my past, but I don't want to think about it.
...
But why? I just don't want to think about it. I can't remember the reason... why such memories of my childhood are locked away.
With Audrey's support, I trudge through the battlefield, crossing mountains of bodies and rivers of blood. It is chaotic, engulfed by clouds of sand and dust.
The pale glow of the starry night casts an ethereal ambience. Waves of cries and screams resonate through the night.
"Kragh!" "Rargh!!"
Goblins drop dead around us like flies to the merciless turrets. The goblins who are still alive now retreat with faltering resolve, running away from the fortress but to no avail. The arrows always find their targets. They trample across their fallen comrades and weapons as volleys of wooden shafts hail down.
"Ugh..." Audrey grits her teeth, her arm wrapped around my chest to support my heavy weight. She slowly manoeuvres through the chaos with caution, her eyes darting around for potential dangers and obstacles.
"Help! Arsto! Arsto is hurt!" Audrey shouts.
Leo, the closest, runs to the opposite side and helps me. His eyes tremble at the sight of a dying man.
As they get closer to the fortress, everyone hurries to examine my body. Tenderly, they place me down on the tilted bed in the medical tent, with Leo holding the sword in place.
Melissa, her eyes wide open and pale, holds my hand. "No. Kasli, please heal him."
Our mage, Kasli, is a woman with long, untidy, and dirty black hair cascading in waves that match her void-like eyes. "Yes! I will try!" she says.
A faint glow pulsates from her fingertips. The energy sways through the air and seeps into my wound, beginning to mend it.
At that moment, Leo carefully pulls the sword out. Blood starts pumping out, and the wound worsens. The damage outmatches the healing.
"I-I don't have enough mana!" Kasli exclaims. Melissa jumps behind Kasli and places her hand against Kasli's back. A wave of rejuvenation fills Kasli's energy core as Melissa shares her mana. Others follow her footsteps and collectively combine their strength and will.
The glow grows into a blinding light, subsiding the agony. A tsunami of calmness washes over me, freeing me from the torture.
My eyelids feel heavy, and I fall asleep.
----------------
Wave two cleared!
Mvp: Samuel Turner(Alias: Arsto)
+120,000,000 exp
Level up!
183->217
+34 free stats
Wave three will arrive in twelve hours.
Prepare your defences.
----------------
----------------
Side Mission completed!
+100,000,000 exp
Level up!
217->238
+22 free stats
Stats boosted:
+100 Atk
+100 Def
+100 Dex
+100 Mag
----------------
==================================
6 hours later...
==================================
It's hot. The sun emerges from behind white clouds, casting its warm rays upon the world below. Occasional flocks of birds hover above, their chirps harmonizing with nature's melody. Trees sway and dance in the breeze, adding their chorus to the vast orchestra.
Colourful two-story houses line the streets, their gardens bursting with an array of blossoms. Cramped between the neighbourhood, a playground stands out as a childhood paradise of fun, games, and nostalgia. A soft carpet of green grass embraces the playground, adding a sweet aroma and charm.
I recognize this neighbourhood. It's my hometown. But... I shouldn't be here. I was inside "Elvis Arcane" a moment ago. Did I... die?
Amidst the ambience of calmness and peace, many people, adults, and children, stare at me in terror, their eyes wide open and faces pale.
Huh...?
Red?
I glance down to find my body drenched in blood.
!!!!!
No...no no no...
"No!" I jump up in my bed.
"Huff huff huff huff..."
No no no no no...
A sharp headache scratches my mind. I grab a cluster of hair and lean forward.
"No no no no I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it I don't want to remember it-"
"Arsto." Melissa grasps my arm, and I jolt. "I-Is everything okay?"
...
A smile immediately lit up my face as if nothing had just happened. "Yeah, I'm fine."
She stares into my eyes. "You..."
...
"If you need anything, you have to tell me. I can help."
I nod. "I know, but I can't always ask you to solve my problems. Besides, you and the rest saved me. I wouldn't want to instantly ask for a favour from my saviours."
My torso is protected by a cocoon of bandages, particularly on my chest and abdomen. It stings to move, but it doesn't hinder me.
"We didn't do much. Your physique is the special one," Melissa says as I get up from the bed.
"Haha... you are too humble," I reply.
"You don't look or act injured. How can someone recover that fast? Kasli's low healing magic was vastly amplified on your body; no ordinary human could have survived that with only 'basic heal.'"
...
Kasli... so that's her name.
"I don't know how to answer that. As you said, it's my physique," I reply, looking back.
Melissa sighs and nods. "Yeah... that's right. There's no way a person can make a physique. That person would be a god."
... So Rena is a god.
"If there's nothing else, I will go. Enchant all of the turrets with 'Fire.' I researched it at the research centre. Afterwards, try to find the escape ticket and leave at least two hours for rest... if you haven't," I say.
"What will be the next wave?"
"Insects. Lots of them."
I leave the medical tent. The sky, initially draped in a velvety tapestry of midnight blues and purples, gradually softens and pales with the approaching dawn. The darkness retreats, and the first light of dawn transforms the horizon into a mesmerizing display of colours. It's another day in this hellish dungeon.
I climb onto a turret near the gate, the highest turret on the terrain. The orange hue casts its light upon the never-ending bleak desert. Hidden in the darkness before, many rows of wooden towers emerge, etching their silhouette against the barren landscape.
I sit beside the dark figure and sigh. Images of my nightmare play in my mind on a loop. There is more to my past, but I don't want to think about it.
...
But why? I just don't want to think about it. I can't remember the reason... why such memories of my childhood are locked away.
