"Dong... dong..."

The bell tolled with less than ten minutes left before Sain Dungeon’s closure.

At the blessing point in front of the checkpoint, Uffie, Fanen, and Isha sat silently together, each lost in their thoughts, eyes filled with confusion.

It was like contemplating the ends of the universe, possessing a certain beauty.

"Just now... what exactly did we fight?" Isha finally broke the silence, "How did you all die?"

The three of them fell one by one, and the battlefield was so chaotic that none saw how the others perished.

"I..."

A humanoid gray wolf sat hugging its knees beside the blessing, releasing a melancholic voice—this was Fanen, returned to his true form.

"I thought that since the Omen Demon’s movements were all slowed, I could run over and slash him a couple more times before he moved, injuring him while recovering some stamina. But then,"

He sighed, his voice turning into a sorrowful beast-like whimper.

"Turns out his movements returned to normal immediately, and I couldn’t even make out his actions before getting spun around on his hammer dozens of times and passing out. When I came to, I was already here."

Ah, his death was due to the whirlwind attack.

"Bro, it’s all because you didn’t go for the Tear-Drop Embryo; you insisted on using Transformation Technique. Now look, you’re back in your original form."

Isha pouted and slapped a Transformation Technique scroll on Fanen, and he instantly reverted from his beastly appearance to human form, clothes and all.

"I tried to Gun Counter him, but he was too big, completely unaffected," she shrugged helplessly, "and then I got killed. I guess it was my lack of experience."

Isha was lying.

She indeed attempted to Gun Counter the Omen Demon, and with her keen eyes for spotting weaknesses, the Mercury Bullet did have an effect on him.

The Mercury Bullet hit a weak spot on one of the Omen Demon’s arms, causing his movement to warp for just a fleeting moment—something you’d miss if not paying close attention.

But that was already quite an impressive feat. Why lie about it?

From her injuries, it seemed she was pierced through by a long spear since her clothing had a hole in the abdomen.

So the real situation was:

She managed to deform the Omen Demon’s arm holding the long spear, disrupting his throw.

Then the spear fell and pierced through her belly...

Embarrassing, utterly embarrassing. It’s something you just can’t speak of.

Uffie gazed at her with a look that seemed to understand everything.

Her death didn’t need much explanation; she fought the Omen Demon head-on with all her might.

Though she hadn’t adapted to his erratic tempo, getting injured from his mighty blows causing heavy bleeding, leading her to dodge as best she could to avoid further injury.

Yet Uffie exuded fierce fighting spirit, with both sides exchanging blows, showcasing her expertise.

When all was done, she was covered in blood and on the brink of death, yet she had inflicted several deep wounds on the Omen Demon, possibly taking one-fifth to one-sixth of his health bar—it was a respectable performance for a first encounter.

Reflecting on adventurers’ first encounters with other area bosses in Sain Dungeon, a significant number were defeated without landing a hit, and those who could resist were the standouts.

But Uffie’s death wasn’t from severe injuries or being finished off by the Omen Demon.

It was when she retreated to the bridge’s edge, contemplating a life-risking final strike when the weathered bridge gave way, taking her with it down the cliff.

Damn, terrain destruction too...

It seemed like an embarrassing death to confess, so she remained silent, feigning confusion to avoid questions about her demise.

"Are we going back to fight?" Isha turned her head towards her.

"With less than ten minutes left, even if Torret grew wings, we wouldn’t make it."

Uffie lay back nonchalantly, waving a hand as she laid in the grass, saying:

"Let’s rest a bit. We’ve done enough today and there’s a lot to handle once we’re outside."

"What’s waiting for us outside?" Isha tilted her head.

"Lots," Uffie replied, resting with her eyes closed, "With such a commotion in the Dungeon, some will definitely come sniffing around."

She suddenly chuckled, talking to herself, "The biggest headache will probably be Tepi; after all, he bought this land. Let’s see how long he can hold it."

Fanen curiously said, "What’s Basque up to now? He can’t still be hiding in the initial area."

Tepi certainly wasn’t cowering in the starting area; he chose a path entirely opposite to the others—a ’Road of Suffering.’

Time flows back to moments before the dungeon bell chimed.

"No, I can’t keep hiding here. If it were Leon, he wouldn’t do this." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

After everyone left, Tepi, previously paranoid, stopped trembling, seemingly thinking of someone he absolutely couldn’t lose to. His expression stiffened, pressing fear deep within.

"Since I’m here, I have to seek a path to strength."