“Tough!”

That was my first exclamation.

A shield user, a mage, and an assassin.

Each of them would be easy to defeat on their own for me now.

In fact, I had defeated them before.

However, when all three of them were together, it felt like I was fighting against an adventurer party.

“What should I do…?”

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to attack until I entered the room, so I decided to devise a strategy.

It seemed like I couldn’t return from this alternate space without conquering it, so I couldn’t run away either.

“The most troublesome one is the assassin. Their combat power should be the highest. But it’s not dark, so it might be easier? Still, leaving the mage’s fireball unchecked is tough, and if I instantly kill the shield user first… hmm.”

I sat cross-legged, pondering what I should do.

After thinking for a while, I came up with a plan.

“The mage takes about 5 seconds to cast a spell. If I run at full speed now, I should be able to cover 50 meters within 5 seconds… Let’s defeat the mage first.”

That was my strategy.

The remaining two were the shield user and the assassin.

I had instantly killed the shield user earlier, and the assassin shouldn’t be much of a threat to me with my eyes.

It would be a tough fight, but if I fought carefully against the assassin, I should be able to win even in a two-on-one situation.

“Alright!”

I took a deep breath and crouched down, as if I were in a starting position in front of the opened door.

I could hear the sound of my heartbeat, pounding.

But perhaps it was the thrill, there was a part of me that was enjoying it.

Until now, I was too weak to be allowed to fight.

But now that I’ve gained this power, I can feel myself getting stronger, little by little.

I find the battle against strong enemies enjoyable, and the feeling of growth is enjoyable as well.

It’s strange.

There is fear.

But there’s also enjoyment.

Unclear emotions coexist.

Maybe I’m a battle junkie.

“Is it the backlash from being weak?”

I chuckled a bit.

The idea of being able to grow through effort.

That the world would change.

How enjoyable it is.

“Phew…!”

I exhaled and took a deep breath.

Timing my dash, I sprinted with all my might.

Slipping past the shield user, ignoring the assassin, feeling the wall of wind as the distance between me and the mage rapidly closed.

The mage hurriedly raises both hands, but I’m faster than the fireball coming together.

Success!

I swing my raised sword down.

All I have to do now is swing it down, and I should be able to defeat the mage.

With this, I’ve conquered the challenge.

I did it!

However, when you think you’ve succeeded, that’s usually when you fail.

“UOOOO!!!”

“!?”

A loud voice comes from behind.

The source of the voice is the shield user, and I find myself looking back at them.

Why?

Even if they raised their voice, I should have continued swinging my sword down.

But somehow, I was forced to shift my focus and ended up facing the shield user with my sword.

“Provocation!? It works on humans too!!”

I quickly regain my composure and understand.

This is the shield user’s skill, Provocation.

The consequence of instantly killing them earlier has caught up to me. If I had faced the shield user in the first room and received the provocation, I would have noticed.

But I assumed that provocation would only work on monsters.

That it shouldn’t have any effect on intelligent humans.

“Damn it!!”

I forcibly shift my thoughts and turn my gaze back to the mage.

I can still make it; I can still do this.

I raise my sword again, but…

“Gaah!?”

I’m blocked by the assassin who silently approached from the side.

With a flying kick, they hit my side with full force.

As I roll across the ground with momentum, I quickly get up and ready my sword.

However, a red fireball approaches right in front of me.

With my eyes wide open, I luckily spot a pillar in my field of vision and roll behind it.

But I’m not fast enough, and my leg gets burned by the magic.

“Argh!!!”

Even so, it was just a moment, so only my shoe melted, and I suffered a burn.

It’s a minor injury, my foot is stinging, and a blister is forming.

It’s a minor injury that makes me want to cry when I walk, it really hurts…

“Haah haah, that was close. Let’s go outside for now… but… yeah, the door is closed.”

I look at the door to go outside, but as expected, it is closed.

It seems that the only way for me to survive is to defeat these guys here.

“I said the thrill was enjoyable, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense…”

I notice the status on the edge of my vision as I feel the heat on my back.

In other words, this is…

“Can’t you give me a break!?”

I clash with their dagger and guard.

First, let’s defeat the assassin.

I raise my sword.

“UOOO!!!”

“Damn it!!”

But my focus is taken away.

The assassin vanishes again during the distraction.

I didn’t think that the skill called Provocation, which only attracts attention for a moment, would be this troublesome.

Because of the distraction, I momentarily lose sight of the assassin, and they disappear silently into my blind spot.

“So this is a party. It’s strong… In reality, there’s also a healer and a tank. Of course, an advanced party would be strong.”

I was experiencing the strength of a party firsthand.

Although each opponent could be easily defeated individually, when they come together, they become this powerful.

This is what high-level clearers, like the elite force of Avalon, must be like: each one of them refined, and even more so as a team.

That’s what gives people the power to stand up against mighty monsters, the strength of professional clearer teams.

I bet Tanaka-san’s team is tens of times stronger than this.

“But I don’t have time to think about that!!”

The shield user, with their shield in front, slowly approaches me while drawing the sword from their waist.

Because of their high defense power, they can’t be defeated in an instant from the front.

Besides, I have to be cautious about the assassin and avoid the magic.

I dodge the sword swung down by the shield user.

I also dodge the magic and the assassin’s attacks.

My breath is sustained by the magical enhancement of my body, but the limit is approaching.

“Haah haah… damn it!”

How long have I been fighting? I’ve been on the defensive for several minutes.

However, it feels much longer than that.

Cuts from failed evasions are all over my body.

Blood drips, and my burnt foot is overused and turning purple.

“Am I going to lose?… Here?”

Shield user, assassin, mage.

Despite my injuries increasing, I still haven’t been able to land a single solid attack on them.

If I can’t land an effective hit, then at this rate…

Death.

That single word crosses my mind.

I am prepared for it, and I thought I had overcome it.

But I still don’t want to die.

Up until now, the feeling of not wanting to die had created fear.

So, what about now that I’ve changed?

“…That’s right, I can’t overcome anything if I don’t risk my life… Alright!!”

With a scream, I make a desperate resolution.

This is my last chance; if I fail, I might die.

But still, I’ll grasp that one chance in a thousand.

I can’t achieve my dreams or anything else if I don’t risk my life.

Miracles only descend upon those who never give up.

I hold my sword and face forward.

A golden sparkle like a flame, lights up in the depths of my eyes.

Five seconds until the next magic.

The shield user is preparing to provoke; I look to the left.

There, on the status screen, the assassin aims their attack at me.

A single strike with a dagger, I’ve been sliced many times.

Even if I try to counterattack after dodging, they will escape due to provocation.

In that case, I…

“Gwaaaah!!!”

I stretch out my left arm.

I block the assassin’s dagger with my left arm.

The dagger pierces through my arm, tearing it deeply.

The pain is so intense that it feels like I could scream, spreading throughout my body from my left arm.

I grit my teeth and keep my eyes wide open.

I fall on top of the assassin with the dagger still in my arm, pinning them down.

Then, with one hand, I grab my sword and raise it to impale them.

As usual, my focus is taken away by provocation.

“Ugh!!”

Still, I keep the assassin in place with my left arm and my whole body weight.

The pain of the dagger tearing through my flesh almost makes me lose consciousness.

Fortunately, the pain quickly refocuses my attention on the assassin from the provocation.

“Aaaah!!!”

I swing my sword down and impale the assassin.

At the same time, without a moment’s delay, I charge at the shield user.

That’s because the mage’s fire magic is floating behind them, but they can’t shoot it because the shield user is in a straight line in front of it.

“If you’re going to provoke me that much!!”

The shield user hastily draws their sword, and with blood seeping from my wounds, I grip my sword with both hands and swing it with all my might.

“Aaaaaahhhhh!!!”

I shout from the bottom of my stomach.

With the intention of giving it my all here, I push forward with reckless abandon.

Before I know it, my sword reaches the shield user’s neck, and I push through, severing their head from their torso.

The knight falls, seemingly about to collapse powerlessly backward.

But I don’t let them fall, as they’ll turn into smoke soon.

So, I hug the armor even tighter with both hands and throw it.

“Nurraaaah!!!”

To hit the fireball flying in front of me.

I throw the armor at the fireball, and the fireball explodes and disperses.

Due to the explosion happening at close range, an intense heat assaults me, causing mild burns all over my body.

My eyes flicker, and I feel like I’m about to fall to my knees.

Still, I don’t collapse and let out a heartfelt shout.

As if to encourage myself, I can’t give up here; I muster up my strength with my mind to motivate my body that’s about to give up.

And then I run towards the magician.

“You keep shooting from far away, over and over again!!”

As if to clear my past resentment, I strike the magician with a full-power downward swing.

There’s no form or technique, just a reckless blow relying on brute force, but it’s faster than any strike I’ve thrown so far.

Unable to resist due to the magic cooldown, the magician is slashed apart.

Only a tattered robe remains behind.

“Haah…”

I collapse on my back, sprawled out.

With my eyes closed, I catch my breath, breathing heavily with my shoulders.

“I won… It’s always a close call. For me… Haah…”

Lying on the ground with my arms spread out, I breathe with my shoulders.

The cool stone floor cools my heated body.

I raise my right hand towards the sky and clench it.

I’m about to lose consciousness, but I grin and make a small victory pose with my right hand.

“I really am… Haha, I’m going to die someday.”

Contrary to my wish for this to be the end.

『The final test will begin』

Mercilessly, the trial stands in my way, as if to say, “Show me you can overcome this much.”