“What is this place?”

My field of vision went dark, and when I opened my eyes again, I seemed to be in a fifty-meter square space surrounded by stone tiles.

It was like being inside a giant cube.

There seemed to be torches burning with a pale blue flame set up around me, and while it was dim, the room was bright enough.

Looking around, it seems that all the clearers participating are present.

However, the Cube to return to reality isn’t here; a one-way ticket huh.

“So there’s no Cube to return, huh… Alright, let’s start by checking the number of people! Please respond when your name is called!”

Tanaka-san called out names one after another from the participant roster.

I also responded, and after all the names were called, the American soldier next to me also took attendance.

“Hmm, it seems like everyone is here. First, everyone standby! There’s no cube to return, but don’t panic!”

We were given the standby order, and several people including Tanaka-san began investigating this room.

A giant box surrounded by stone on all sides.

And in front of me were three huge paintings drawn on the stone wall.

The three paintings were lined up in order. As I started looking at them from the left-

“Is this a battle? Between a demon… and a human? No, a knight?”

On the first painting, there was a depiction of a battle between a human and a grotesque creature resembling a monster.

The human held a sword and wore armor, giving the appearance of a knight.

That knight was fighting something that looked like a demon, although it was unclear what exactly it was.

“Next… a knight and an angel?

So, the first one is also a knight after all…”

On the second painting, there seemed to be a knight and an angel.

A person knelt down with both hands clasped and prostrated towards what seemed to be an angel.

I felt like I had seen it somewhere before… oh, that thing, a Knighting Ceremony. I saw it in an anime; I’m pretty sure I remember that it’s the pose a knight makes when pledging loyalty to their lord.

“And finally… I can’t tell anything from this one, it’s all torn up and I can’t make sense of it…”

Only the last painting was in tatters, and although it was clear that it was a painting, it was impossible to tell what was depicted on it.

Still, one thing could be vaguely discerned. At the top of the torn painting, there was a triangle-shaped mark.

It was like a pyramid-shaped triangle with an eye in the center.

I’ve seen this painting before.

I think its name was the Omnipotent Eye or something like that right?

Somehow or another, I’ve seen it on the web before.

As I stared at the mural lost in thought, Tanaka-san came over to me and looked up at the painting. He murmured as he looked at the eye symbol in the center of the triangle.

“That is… the Eye of Providence… God’s all-seeing eye. Where on earth are we?”

I seem to have seen this painting somewhere before. Wasn’t it called that? I think I saw it on the internet or something.

As he slowly touched the painting…

It happened.

『The Trial of Strength will begin. 60 participants… Time until start, 10, 9, …… 』

“Wha-?!”

Immediately, an artificial voice resounded in our heads.

We looked at each other, realizing that it was not just our imagination, but something that everyone could hear.

“Everyone, get ready for battle!! We don’t know what’s going to happen!”

Tanaka-san quickly unsheathed his sword and took a stance back-to-back with his comrades. I, too, didn’t know what was happening, but I unsheathed my long sword and prepared.

『6, 5… 』

“What the hell is going on!! What’s happening?!”

Satou showed signs of panic and agitation, along with his comrades.

“Issei, what on earth is happening…”

The woman next to Tanaka also drew her sword and stared at the door with sharp eyes.

“I don’t know. ‘The Trial of Strength… For now, don’t die, Midori.”

『０──』

“I-I’m! I’m ready to die! For the sake of Nagi!”

『──It’s time. The Trial of Strength will now begin.』

And then my vision went black.

…

“…Where am I?”

When I noticed, I was alone, holding my sword in a room similar to the first one.

The other challengers had disappeared, but it’s probable that I arrived at a different room alone.

It was a 50-meter square room, but the only difference from the first room was that the huge door was missing.

And there was one more difference.

“…The Trial of Strength… It’s telling me, ‘Fight.’ huh…”

In front of me, about ten meters away, stood a hobgoblin.

Holding a wooden club, a green, ugly demon.

It had long ears and a long nose, but it was clearly bigger than the normal goblins and about the same size as me.

“GYAAAHHH!!!”

The hobgoblin is the gateway boss for beginner clearers.

It appears as the boss in many E-class dungeons.

Therefore, it is generally not a difficult enemy.

However, in my case as an unranked adventurer, even the E-rank Hobgoblin can pose a challenge.

If I have this magic powered imbued sword with me, I might have a chance in this fight…

“Huu… so this is the trial, to defeat this guy. The weakest boss… still, it’s a high hurdle for me.”

The hobgoblins are always massacred by Sato and his friends.

However, that’s because as D-Ranks and since there’s three of them, they are able to do that.

For me, it’s my first encounter with a monster, let alone a one-on-one battle.

I wouldn’t survive a single hit from that club.

“Guu!”

The hobgoblin runs towards me, attempting to kill me, and swings his club downwards.

I dodged to the side, avoiding the strike.

I broke out in a cold sweat, but I successfully managed to avoid it.

I seem to be faster than this goblin, but I’m probably weaker in terms of strength.

I look at the stone tile floor that the goblin hit with its club. It’s cracked.

Even if I had that club, I have no chance of being able to crack that.

“While dodging, slowly whittle it down… carefully carry out both.”

My strategy is to gradually whittle it down with my sword without taking a hit.

As someone who has the advantage of speed, I thought this strategy would be the most effective.”

“Gaahhh!!!”

“Ahhh!!!”

The intense battle had begun. Despite the fear, I was able to keep my composure because I had prepared myself for this moment. Even if I died, my little sister would continue to receive treatment from the country as the surviving family member of a clearer.

For that reason, I challenged this over-the-top dungeon.

Still, I don’t want to die. I have resolved that it’s okay to die, but there’s no harm in being able to clear it.

I cut carefully, finely, without making any mistakes. If I get hit once, with that power, I’ll lose consciousness and it’ll all be over.

That’s why I won’t let my guard down even for a moment.

The only things I, who has nothing, can do is not to give up and…

Risk my life.

“Gi…”

The hobgoblin was breathing raggedly. Perhaps it had shed too much blood? It was covered in light wounds and purple blood was dripping down its green skin.

“Haa haa haa…”

However, I was the same. In order to safely avoid its attacks, I had been dodging with all my might and was consuming a lot of energy.

It will be decided by the next blow.

I thought so, and maybe the Hobgoblin thought so too. I grip my heavy sword tightly, and the Hobgoblin grips his club tightly.

We both start running at the same time.

The Hobgoblin swings his club from above, just like before. I’ve seen it many times, so I dodged to the side in the same way.

At that moment,

“Ugh!?”

I was hit in the stomach by the Hobgoblin’s swipe.

I was naïve, I hadn’t intentionally let my guard down.

Even so, I had underestimated this life and death situation.

Just like in the previous attacks and defenses that we repeated over and over, it was again an overhead swing, I thought.

After all, it’s just a monster with no thinking ability, I thought.

The hobgoblin probably anticipated that I would dodge to the side, using the overhead swing as a feint.

They understood that their side was the one truly putting their life on the line. They understood what it meant to fight.

I roll to the side with the same momentum.

“pant, pant…this hurts….”

Blood flows from my mouth. And I glare at the hobgoblin.

Its ugly face grins at me, confident of its victory.

As my consciousness began to fade, I thought to myself:

I don’t want to die.

As soon as I thought that fear took over my body.

The moment I felt the reality of death, my body and mind were hit with a sense of dissociation. I couldn’t muster any strength.

I’m scared.

If I don’t do anything here, if I just stand here, certain death will come in a few seconds.

Death is right there.

An indescribable feeling of my 18-year-long life ending so easily overwhelms me and my body stiffens.

“Don’t come near me!!”

Grinning, the hobgoblin walks toward me while dragging its club.

I took a step back for the first time, probably out of fear.

Although I thought I was prepared to die, I really wasn’t prepared at all.

I didn’t understand what it meant to fight, what it meant to risk your life and kill each other.

When I felt scared, it was only for a moment; my then body froze with the realization of death.

“Giyyyy!!!”

The hobgoblin raises its club and runs towards me.

“NO, nO, DON’T COME!!!”

I closed my eyes in the middle of the fight. I turned my gaze away.

(Nagi…I’m sorry…)

The last thing that came to mind was the words of my little sister.

And then…

＊

『Nagi, I’ll definitely save you. I promise.』

＊

The last words I conveyed to Nagi.

Immediately after, I opened my eyes wide.

“Ah!!!”

I screamed from the bottom of my heart.

Angered by my own foolishness, I forced my trembling body to move with a loud voice.

I had certainly prepared myself for death.

But to think that I could just accept dying, am I an idiot?

I decided to do my best, and Nagi is also doing her best. I, who can move freely, can’t give up easily!

I lifted my face up.

I caught the hobgoblin’s club that it swung down with one hand using my left arm.

With a crunching sound, my left arm was shattered, but I deflected the club back behind me. A pain that made me want to scream shook my whole body.

Even so, I gritted my teeth and grabbed the heavy sword with both hands. Bones were broken, and blood spurted out when I exerted my strength.

But even then, I still held on tightly.

“Waaaaa!!!!”

I gripped the sword tightly with both my broken left hand and right hand.

I stabbed the sword into the hobgoblin’s exposed belly in a frenzy.

The hobgoblin didn’t seem to expect to be countered and reacted slowly.

It tried to stop the sword with its own arm, grabbing onto it.

“Gyaaa!!!”

“Raaa!!!”

From then on, it was a battle of strength. Would I be able to pierce it? Or would the hobgoblin stop me and kill me?

I must shout from the bottom of my stomach.

This is where I need to pour everything I have out.

“Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!”

“Gyaaaaa!!!!”

I kept screaming.

I screamed and screamed, and even while my left hand was spouting blood and my bones were visible, I never let up.

I won’t die like this.

I won’t die here like this.

I haven’t done anything yet; I haven’t achieved anything yet.

I haven’t been able to save Nagi!

“AAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

I kept pushing with all my might, in a frenzy.

I didn’t know how much time had passed, I just kept screaming.

It wasn’t until my grip, contrary to my willpower, reached its limit and the sword slipped from my bloodied hand that I realized my voice was the only one echoing in the room.

I fell forward onto the goblin with momentum.

Immediately, I lifted my face and tried to grab my sword.

However, in the process, I realized that the goblin had completely stopped moving.

“Haa haa… I… defeated it?”

I look at the hobgoblin’s condition.

My sword had pierced its stomach and the hobgoblin had died with its tongue hanging out.

“Did I win?”

I won the battle.

It was a narrow victory, hardly deserving to be called a triumph.

But still, it was my first victory. For the first time in my life, I had defeated an opponent I wasn’t sure I could beat.

I fell back and looked up at the ceiling.

Suddenly aware of the intense pain in my left arm, I writhed in agony, unable to savor the sweet taste of victory. Then I heard that voice.

『Challenger: Kai Amachi. You have cleared the Trial of Strength. Teleporting now.』