"Ah—" I jolted awake from the bizarre dream, drenched in a cold sweat. It's an experience I'd rather not try again.

Peering outside my tent, I noted the humid air and the sun already ascending. Gathering my belongings, I noticed the absence of the magic stones I'd gathered from goblins. The pouch remained sealed, adding to the mystery of their sudden disappearance.

"Stolen?" Unlikely. The kid likely has more coin than I.

With less than a hundred valis to my name, it's a pity I might have to sell my weapon just to gain favor from a God. I've heard deities often favor Familia members based on strength, lineage, and wealth. It seems unjust, yet pragmatic, securing the Familia's future.

Swish! Swish!

An unnatural sound cuts through the air at a steady pace. Unnoticed before, the wind had masked it. The sound of a blade slicing through the air.

"That fool, he didn't…" I rose, tidying up as I swiftly packed my things.

Fael. I assumed he possessed some semblance of common sense, but I was mistaken. He's been training till dawn, risking exhaustion. The human body isn't designed for constant exertion–it requires rest.

"Hey, what's going on?" I approached Fael.

"Um, training…?" He lowered his sword, looking perplexed.

"We're slowing our pace. Consider yourself fortunate I'm mindful of it," I sigh, it's just as I thought.

Fael stood there, wearing a puzzled expression. A common trait among workaholics; they push themselves until their bodies give out. Thankfully, not everyone falls into that trap. Experience teaches some to manage their time effectively.

After explaining to Fael the importance of pacing ourselves, we continued our journey at a more slower pace, allowing Fael the chance to rest.

It's been half a day since Fael and I embarked on our journey, and so far, we've been fortunate not to encounter any monsters since departing from the village.

The travel has been smooth, almost too smooth to be believable. I couldn't shake off the suspicion lingering in the back of my mind. Not a single merchant cart crossed our path, which struck me as highly unusual. Business slowdown doesn't explain this absence, merchants are never that predictable.

"Is this normal? We should have come across at least one merchant by now," Fael voiced his growing unease, keenly aware of the abnormality of our situation.

"We need to hurry," I replied, my mind racing through possible explanations. Few things disrupt a merchant's routine, a festival, a conflict, or an emergency.

As far as I'm aware, there are no ongoing festivals or wars in Orario. That leaves only the possibility of an emergency. In a city teeming with hundreds of level threes, the surface threat typically narrows down to Evilus.

Evilus, from what I've heard they are a group consisting of several Familia lead by Gods who claimed themselves as evil. They have enough strength to be an enemy of Orario as a whole.

I can only hope that any situation is swiftly resolved with minimal casualties. Unfortunately, history has taught us that humans are adept at inflicting harm upon each other, driven by their insatiable desire for dominance.

"That's smoke!" Fael's shout jolted me from my thoughts.

On the horizon, the figure of a prosperous city was hard to be seen. Crumbling walls, shattered gates, rampaging monsters, and at the heart of it all, the still majestic and towering Babel.

What had led to this catastrophe? Was it an all-out war between Orario and Evilus? Even with formidable fighting forces, Evilus shouldn't have had enough power to topple Orario. So where did they gain this additional strength?

"Fael, stay close. You're not ready to face hordes of monsters yet," I drew my sword, preparing for battle.

Leading the charge, we swiftly dispatched the monsters, which seemed oblivious to our presence. They are of the small categorized monster, which can easily be handled by soldiers of the Empire.

Inside the city, chaos reigned, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Another reason to focus solely on exterminating monsters. With each swing of my sword, the bodies of monsters piled up.

I noticed Fael trembling as he struggled against three monsters. Despite his seemingly steady attacks, his fear was there. He hadn't been taught proper footwork or positioning yet, relying solely on his instincts—a raw talent indeed.

As we neared clearing the hordes of monster, screams echoed nearby. Three figures raced through the chaos, cutting down monsters as they went, heading towards the center of Orario.

What is the merit in doing that, they'll only tire themselves out. The center of Orario was the Babel, the Dungeon beneath it. Were the Evilus aiming to destroy the Babel, unleashing monsters upon the surface?

"I won't let them. Fael, stay here. There are only a few monsters left," I instructed before sprinting towards the trio.

My sword have long been worn out, it won't last long, but it mattered little. Weapons littered the ground, providing ample replacements. With this assurance, I fought on, determined to hold the line.

"What a mess I've gotten myself into," I grinned, closing in on the three figures.

After catching up, I introduced myself and inquired about the situation. Noir explained they'd been at war with Evilus for a week, defending the Orario from relentless attacks. Their goal was to destroy Babel, releasing monsters to the world.

Despite our best efforts in killing monsters, we were still overwhelmed in every skirmish. We lacked mages, relying solely on close combat—a glaring weakness against overwhelming numbers.

"I'll handle this side. You defend elsewhere," I couldn't keep pace with these three, they're total powerhouses.

"Understood. Dine, Bara, let's go," Noir said, assessing my resolve before departing with the others.

The gap between us was vast, my combat skills insufficient to bridge it. Furthermore, Imperial combat techniques lean more on dealing with humans than monsters.

"I should have taken the hunter group leader's offer to teach me back then," I chuckled reminiscing about the past.

As the monster horde thinned, my burden lessened. These monsters were stronger than usual, a testament to the Dungeon's dangers.

Boom!

A sudden explosion from where Noir's team had gone. Hastily, I rushed towards the source.

There, I found several people, but Noir and the others were missing. They must have been overwhelmed, detonating explosives amidst the monster horde.

"Tsk, they could've used the explosives more tactfully," mixed emotions flooded my mind as I considered our options.

Among the monsters, I spotted men in white, clearly enemies. One stood out, exuding strength comparable to Dine's. Recognizing the danger, I retreated—they were at least Level-3.

But before I could escape, a massive force sent me crashing into a building.

"Guh!" I coughed up blood, staring at the cause. It was an Orc, a strong large category monster. I didn't notice it before, because of my hurried retreat.

Despite my injuries, the orc ignored me, lumbering towards the central plaza, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground.

It's actions were good for me at the same time it is not. My injuries demanded immediate attention, yet the absence of an immediate threat does not mean I'll live. My injuries meant certain death if left untreated.

How funny, it's the same situation as with those goblins back then. My eyelids grew heavy, darkness enveloping me once more, strangely comforting.