Newbie Despair (5)
As they pushed open the door and stepped inside, a massive colosseum greeted them.
"Ma, my god."
Siu's legs were already trembling. In the center of the colosseum stood a knight of dizzyingly enormous size.
His black iron armor was darkly stained, as if it had absorbed blood long ago, and the greatsword gripped in both hands looked too heavy for any ordinary human to even lift.
LV. 89
"I-impossible."
Tears streamed down Siu's face as he clutched at Beatrice's sleeve, shaking uncontrollably.
"How are we supposed to beat that…?!"
"…Are you really a guy?"
But Siu wasn't the only one terrified.
"Seriously, we have to take that thing down just us…?"
Ruby was trembling too.
'So cute.'
Sisilia flashed a dazzling smile to reassure her.
"Don't worry. With your skills, Ruby, it's totally doable."
"Huh?"
Of course, it did absolutely nothing to ease her fears. Sisilia's smile just came off as utterly mad.
At that moment, the knight commander detected the humans and stomped forward with his massive foot.
Thud!
Thud!
The space rumbled heavily.
Siu lost it completely.
"How are we supposed to beat that?! This makes no sense! Save me, please save me…!"
"Si-Sisilia, even I think that's a bit much."
Siu was on the verge of a breakdown, and Ruby looked ready to faint any second.
But Sisilia didn't waver.
"It's no different from before. If you try hard, you can do it."
"Sorry, but."
Ian adjusted his glasses.
"That thing looks impossible no matter how hard we try."
Sisilia tilted her head at the Royal Knight Commander.
'Is it?'
The 5-meter-tall commander certainly looked intimidating, but that was it.
'Seems catchable if I con it right.'
There was a common misconception. Big size means high difficulty.
But in reality, big size meant simple attacks and slow speed. The hitbox got bigger, sure. With that bulk, chopping off one leg would topple it easily.
'Even cavemen could hunt mammoths.'
Take elephants, for example. Their attacks were just lifting a foot to stomp or swinging the trunk. Assuming you had something to pierce elephant hide, a human could handle one from behind, dodging kicks and wailing on it.
'…They're overreacting.'
Sisilia asked for real, not knowing better.
"Betty. For user levels, is that a tough monster?"
Beatrice touched her lips ambiguously.
"Tough…? Maybe?"
For reference, Beatrice was top apprentice from the elite Windsor Knights, the ones deemed super high-level.
Sisilia teased her as lame all the time, but outside, Beatrice got treated like a monster.
"At what age did you take down something like that, Betty?"
"…Saying it like that makes it sound tough. But when I first picked up a sword, I could beat the strongest mercenary in our territory."
"Hmm. Pretty average."
"Right?"
'Average?!'
Ruby's sense of normalcy was twisting.
Ian, who'd been watching quietly, pondered seriously.
'These two might both be insane. Better not get involved.'
Not for nothing was he top of Seoul Med.
"Sorry, but aren't the Windsor Knights supposed to be untouchable even in this world?"
Sisilcat and Yellow Fool nodded in unison.
"…Then shouldn't we not use them as the benchmark? We were just civilians who'd never fought before today."
"Ah. H-huh, yeah, you're right."
Beatrice made a face like she'd just remembered that basic fact.
Definitely Sisilia's influence messing with her head.
"Got it. Understood."
Sisilia acknowledged cleanly, drew her sword, and headed for the monster.
Siu collapsed, legs giving out.
"G-good. She's handling it for us."
Had to be. Ruby's heart raced at the thought of seeing Sisilia's swordplay up close.
-Roooaaarrr!
An overwhelming pressure filled the space, forcing them to shrink back.
Sisilia glanced indifferently at the 'commander' charging like it would shatter the air.
Even as the enormous sword filled her vision, Sisilia didn't flinch.
Just before it hit.
"—!"
Clang-!
Sisilia swung her sword at invisible speed.
All the users heard was something shattering.
Then—
The commander raised his arm high.
His stance had crumbled.
Even the users could see how wide open he was.
That's when Siu gulped and muttered.
"Parry…?"
Beatrice, figuring he had an eye for it, explained.
"You know it. That's a parry—Sisilia's specialty."
"F-frame-perfect timing, basically impossible on purpose…"
Siu pointed at Sisilia in horror.
"Mo-monster. She's definitely a monster!"
"…."
Beatrice couldn't even argue.
Windsor knights parried mostly on instinct, not pure dynamic vision like Sisilia.
"Anyway, it's over."
With Beatrice's simple conclusion.
Sisilia slowly raised her sword overhead, then slammed it down.
"Roooaaar—!"
A gruesome scream echoed as a line appeared on the monster's shoulder.
Thud-!
His arm severed clean off.
Sisilia lightly stabbed the fallen arm and tossed it into the air.
Then swung as it descended.
Whoosh-!
The arm shattered into molecular dust and vanished.
Magic-like swordsmanship.
Sisilia turned back with a bright smile.
"Easier than you thought, right?"
"…?"
"B-behind you!"
The enraged Royal Knight Commander behind Sisilia swung down.
Sisilia blocked overhead without looking.
Kreeee—!
"Roooaaar—!"
"Kyaaak!"
The sword shook wildly.
But on closer look, only the monster's hand trembled.
Sisilia hadn't budged a millimeter.
"I adjusted it to your level. Now, fight."
Sisilia lightly raised her sword overhead.
The commander lost balance and toppled.
Boom-!
"…."
Everyone stared, speechless.
Sisilia wondered why, then remembered she'd forgotten something important.
"Don't worry. When the arm regens, I'll chop it off again."
Siu's pants were already soaked.
He stared at the fallen commander like the world had ended.
LV. 68
It was real. The commander's level had visibly dropped.
But so what? His presence alone crushed their will to fight.
"Huuup."
Then Ruby took a deep breath, gripped her sword, and stood tall.
"I'll give it a shot."
"That's my Ruby. Such a good girl."
"…One question."
Ian, after his calculations, asked.
"No intention of just taking it down for us?"
Sisilia beamed.
"Wouldn't that be a waste?"
"…."
Ian gritted his teeth and stepped up.
Unlike the first trial, no hope stirred at all.
But one thing was sure: if this weren't unavoidable reality, he'd have quit this trash game long ago.
**
"Taking a break!"
Ruby plopped down in a daze.
It felt just like an AD calling cut on a drama or ad set.
But this wasn't a shoot.
The one calling break was a knight named Beatrice, not some broadcaster.
Ruby wasn't an idol anymore, and what she was doing was life-or-death combat.
"You okay, Ruby?"
Trial count: 172.
Kills: 1.
And that one was just Sisilia botching her power control while severing the arm.
Overwhelming skill gap.
Even one-armed, the monster was ridiculously strong.
"I… guess I really have no talent."
This was different from before.
No confidence it was winnable.
"Wasting time on someone talentless like me is just a waste, like Ian said. Sisilia. Yeah, I… should stick to laundry."
Sisilia crouched beside the despondent Ruby.
"Ruby has pure sword aura. As clear as mine or Betty's."
"…Me?"
"Yes. That means no stray thoughts cluttering your heart."
Sisilia took Ruby's hand with a faint smile.
"…From my experience, people with such pure sword aura always turn out great in time."
"…!"
"Don't give up. Your potential is infinite as this dungeon, and I'll keep watching over you at least."
Sisilia Windsor is watching you.
A message always floating in her status window lately.
Now Ruby got it.
It was rock-solid encouragement.
"Yes, Sisilia! I'll do my best!"
"Awesome, Ruby!"
"…Don't you guys ever get tired of this?"
Ian, lounging and listening, looked fed up.
"That conversation's on repeat like the 30th time."
"…."
Yeah.
Ruby despaired and moped, Sisilia encouraged from the side.
Ruby rallied and tried again, despaired again.
Over 30 cycles already.
"And from the start, beating that with our power alone is impossible."
Ian stated flatly.
"I suggest we end it here."
Not a skill issue.
Ian had cleared trials without a single hit.
Problem was DPS.
This Eternal Dungeon thing— the monster regenerated HP every 30 minutes.
Ian's math: even wailing nonstop for 30 minutes, no kill.
"Initial goal's met, right? Stats around level 50, that pathetic guy's passed-out ass said so."
Siu lay drooling on the floor.
Beatrice was poking him with a stick.
"Let's call it. It's enough."
Users' stamina regenerated infinitely every 30 minutes too.
But they were human. Mental fatigue didn't recover.
Ruby and Ian were exhausted beyond measure.
Siu was dead weight from the jump.
"But."
Sisilia pressed anyway.
"If we stop now, it'll just feel like I was bullying you."
Ruby, Ian, and Beatrice thought simultaneously.
…Wasn't it?
"Effort deserves reward. Not just stat gains—tangible rewards."
Sisilia said firmly.
Beating tough bosses after endless tries.
That achievement sense was irreplaceable.
Sisilia wanted newbies to feel it.
"Me clearing the dungeon now means nothing."
"N-no, that's not."
Ruby mustered courage.
"…To me, your words mean more than any dungeon reward. They're priceless."
Sisilia's heart ached.
If no one was around, she'd have kissed her.
"…I don't need more either. I've got plenty of reward already. This experience alone will help massively living in this world. Thank you so much for going this far for us."
Sisilia rubbed her eyes.
Couldn't cry like a sap in front of newbies….
"So please, just end it now."
"…You're not saying that just to thank me, right?"
Ian averted his gaze slyly.
"Sisilia. Me too."
Beatrice said carefully.
"…It's taken longer than expected. Worried about the work I left behind."
Sisilia sighed and stood.
-Sisilia. Listen to your adjutant usually. And treasure her.
Beatrice speaking up—couldn't be stubborn.
Chiron said so too.
"Okay."
Sisilia finally nodded.
"Ju-just ten more tries?"
"You! That's the third time you've said that!"
Ian snapped.
But Sisilia was serious this time.
"Really the last. 10. Exactly 10 tries, then we wrap if no good."
"…On your knight's honor?"
"…."
Sisilia zipped it for 5 minutes, then nodded heavily.
"On my knight's honor… I promise."
"Phew."
"Finally."
As user tension peaked, knowing it was truly last—
Sisilia's eyes widened, aura shifting sharply.
"Betty. Burn all your mana shielding them now."
'She's for real.'
Beatrice didn't judge.
Sensing Sisilia's intent, she drew and slammed her sword into the ground.
Chanting her top skill.
Sanctuary
Golden waves surged.
Sisilia kicked off the ground into the air.
Thrust her sword toward the massive mana source.
Tempest Air
As colossal storm erupted from Sisilia's sword—
BOOM—!
The dungeon wall exploded, massive flames rushing in.
Wind and fire clashed, devouring each other.
Ruby had no clue what happened.
But clear: wind shielded them—
Fire incinerated everything else.
When it all subsided.
"…."
Nothing left.
Not the tormenting commander, nor the demon clan's 'Eternal' dungeon.
All vanished without trace.
Only people remained.
Sisilia blinking on the ground.
And—
"Captain."
A platinum-haired handsome man in the same cloak.
"Sisilia."
Edward smiled leisurely.
"Had enough fun?"
But that radiant smile hid unmistakable irritation.