Chapter 19: Enough! Stop Chasing Me!

Why are you here!

No, I had a vague suspicion when I ran into that guy Norus, but I really didn’t want to meet you all.

In the game, Cliff and his team also came to the Dungeon to level up in preparation for next month’s challenge, so it was possible to run into them.

Cass in the second round deliberately avoided them—though his Lv was high enough to crush Cliff, he still took his harem to the Dungeon to train.

But right now, this is first-round Cass!

He doesn’t know any of this. If Cliff and his crew find him first, a beating is inevitable.

Cliff’s party was still chattering away, but as long as they looked ahead, they’d definitely spot Cass and his group.

Cass, on the other hand, might not even notice Cliff behind him.

After all, Bried and Kersey, being beautiful girls, stood out too much—being discovered was just a matter of time.

Once inside the Dungeon, there were no Tuners, no Teachers, no Cameras or other forms of supervision.

Everything depended on self-restraint.

Combined with the Dungeon’s complex terrain, it was a paradise for muscle-brained punks!

You could almost predict Cliff forcing Cass to his knees, the wounded Bried screaming, Cliff demanding they strip…

You couldn’t call out to Cass’s group directly—doing so would definitely alert Cliff.

Siloque stifled a wave of nausea and quickly took out his Ring Chart, entering a string of numbers on LINE.

***

Bzzz—

“Cass, you still haven’t set your Ring Chart to Static Mode? Message alerts during battle can distract you. A moment’s carelessness could cost your life.”

The static mode on the Ring Chart detects status without disturbing the wearer, saves new messages, and only vibrates silently when the user’s guard is down to notify them.

“Um, Bried, maybe Cass just forgot by accident, isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Kersey spoke up for Cass.

She was wearing a pure white Priestess Robe embroidered with beautiful designs, comfortable and form-fitting, accentuating her curves, and even came with a special effect that reduced physical attacks by 30%.

“I’m just stating the facts. Monsters don’t care what you forget.”

By contrast, Bried wore a gray Combat Suit from the School Shop.

Nothing special, just durable—suitable for a high-mobility Swordmaster like her.

“I agree with that. Sorry, it was my oversight.”

Cass awkwardly opened the Ring Chart window and adjusted the settings.

“Mm-hmm.”

Bried nodded in agreement, and Kersey gave a shy, supportive smile.

Cass saw that he had a message.

Mom?

Hyder?

Bried and Kersey were even less likely.

After deciding to play the role of older brother, Cass had cut off contact with old friends.

Who could it be?

The moment he saw the message, Cass froze.

The avatar was a melancholic, handsome anime guy in profile, with an ID: Melancholy of Solitude.

Spam?

What caught Cass’s attention was the message itself—

Be careful of Cliff behind you.

Cass slowly turned around, and soon spotted a red-haired figure in the crowd.

“Cliff…”

“?”

Bried and Kersey followed Cass’s gaze, spotted Cliff as well, then quietly turned away.

“I think it’s best not to get involved with that bunch of scum.”

Bried suggested bitterly.

“Agreed… I don’t like them either…”

Kersey’s face showed fear, recalling unpleasant memories.

Cass agreed as well: “Once inside, let’s see where they go and head in the opposite direction. Of course, only if it’s safe.”

Cass glanced again at the ID, but it still didn’t ring any bells.

Thank you for the warning.

In any case, the other person had helped him, so Cass replied out of courtesy.

***

The gates opened, and Siloque flowed in with the crowd.

Seeing Cliff’s group heading left and Cass’s group going right, Siloque finally relaxed a little.

“Thank goodness I remembered Cass’s LINE number… But seriously, Melancholy of Solitude… That avatar and username are such black history.”

It was obviously the kind of thing a guy trying to act all broody and cool would use.

Siloque wondered if he should change his avatar, but worrying about it seemed pointless, so he decided to leave it for now.

Getting stronger was more important.

Wishing himself luck, Siloque, armed with only three weapons, stepped resolutely onto Dungeon territory.

***

“Gugagagaga!!”

“No way—!”

Seriously, no way.

“You cheating bastards, using mob tactics is unfair!”

“Gaaah!!”

Siloque sprinted full-speed away from the Goblin squad, three monsters in hot pursuit.

The location was Dungeon Level 1, Area A.

Dark blue walls and ceilings filled the entire view.

This endless underground maze stretched in all directions without a sky, creating orderly roads at regular intervals. In this space, Siloque ran at full speed.

In his game memories, the entire first floor could be described in one word—huge.

He’d run almost three kilometers, and the ridiculous part was that the Goblins were still chasing him, just as stubborn as in the game.

After entering the Dungeon, Siloque had been successfully avoiding crowds and monsters toward his destination, but with bad luck, he ran into this Goblin squad.

At first, there were actually six of them.

Luckily, he remembered the map and used the complex paths to escape before getting surrounded.

“You guys… You’re all dead meat!”

Siloque charged into a sharp corner, stopped, and slipped into the shadows, holding his breath.

Ambush was his choice.

He’d eliminate the Goblins one by one whenever he slipped out of their sight.

He felt a bit bitter about having to use tactics against such low-level monsters…

But running endlessly wasn’t an option—keeping it up would only risk getting sandwiched by more monsters.

If he was going to fight, it had to be fast.

Dun dun, dun dun, messy footsteps drew closer.

As the monsters appeared, Siloque glanced at the Greatsword in his hand.

The blade was 30 centimeters long—more of a giant dagger than a sword, and it would decide his fate.

Listening to the monsters’ breathing grow louder, Siloque followed the breathing technique Bried had taught him, forcing his pounding heart to quiet.

In the next instant, a veiny Goblin appeared at the edge of the wall.

The last Goblin passed Siloque without realizing he was being watched.

“——!”

“Guga!… Gah?”

As their eyes met, the Greatsword pierced its heart—the first one.

Two more Goblins noticed the sudden attack from the corner, hesitating in confusion.

Siloque didn’t hesitate—he used the fallen Goblin as a Shield and rammed into the other two, knocking them to the ground.

“Gaaah!”

“Guga, ga!”

“!”

Unlike the two Goblins slammed into the floor, Siloque rolled and sprang up.

The blade flashed white as it stabbed into the throat of a moaning Goblin.

The second one.

“Gyaaaaaaa!”

Terrified, the third Goblin finally reacted.

With yellow eyes wide, it hurled its Long Spear wildly and fled.

Siloque dodged the thrown spear, grabbed it off the ground, aimed at the retreating Goblin’s neck, and hurled it with all his strength.

A snapping “pakak” sound echoed—the Goblin’s head twisted at an impossible angle.

The third one.

“Victory!”

His first time experiencing the living Dungeon maze, his first monster hunt…

First battle, so many enemies—thankfully, all defeated.

He was glad he’d trained with Bried; real combat and games were two different things.

Not realizing how much blood was on him, Siloque stabbed the motionless Goblins a few more times to make sure they were dead, then collapsed onto the ground, breathing the fetid air and savoring his survival.

“And no injuries, so it’s a three-star clear.”

Maybe brute-forcing the fight with stats would work too, but this kind of comeback kill felt great—once in a while.

Siloque absolutely didn’t want a second time.