And so, the Plot Moves Forward. (10.2)

…

Expendability. I prided myself in being able to distance myself from the concept of worth for the sake of efficiency. Of course, limited as I was in terms of foresight, my habit and action stemming from it once ended with an unexpected, painful consequence, once upon a time. I was forced to confront the fact that even if I was fine with getting hurt for the sake of accomplishing my task, that the same couldn't be said for the people who I was close to. In the end, I'd promised, if tangentially and unsaid, that I wouldn't sacrifice myself, allow myself to be the only one hurt, as I would cause more pain to not just me, but also those I didn't want to be hurt.

Somewhere along the last few years, I must have forgotten of that promise. Somewhere along the line, I'd crafted myself into some facetious martyr who suffered so that others wouldn't have to. Somehow, I'd believed that I was important enough to believe that I'd be the only person sent over here, when there were hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions that could've suffered the world of Orario to a greater degree than me.

After all, wasn't that the point of all this? For suffering? To behold the terrible things people would do for power, all the while facing hundreds of thousands of monsters for the sake of mere survival? To act for something's amusement, struggling in their sandbox, and either surmounting or dying within it?

If that were the case, then why had I believed I was the only one who was here? How arrogant was I to believe that I was some sort of special case! That I could suffer enough on my own, gather power ever so slowly and methodically, and never have to worry about the fact that there could be other people from Japan that could've used my help?

How many died, I wondered, because I hadn't been quick or fast enough? Even if they were given powerful skills to survive, even if they had the very same ones I did, how could they have survived? How many of the unmarked graves added to the fields outside Orario were actually that of fellows, because I chose to be secretive and quiet? And what if I was the only one who was sent to the 'safety' of Orario, while all the others were simply placed in the Dungeon, spread along the trail that I was supposed to follow home?

I should have known, all this time, that there would be others. That people with more to lose than me were here. That I hadn't been alone all this time.

So… why?

Why was I, instead of being disgusted and horrified at myself upon coming across someone who represented every single one of those possible mistakes… so happy?

In the end, I supposed that I just had to accept the fact that I was an incredibly selfish person.

…

Twin, ebony forms ripped themselves free of the crystal ceiling. Where they touched, the light faded and darkness crept into the 18th Floor. Torches began appearing from doorways from Rivira, along with Magic Lanterns, held by wary Adventurers. Immense chunks of crystal began to fall forth from the ceiling. An immense piece fell right atop the entrance to the Floor. Large, but not immovable, but something that couldn't be moved with the twin, ebony giants dragging themselves out of the crystal sky.

Screams of both fear and frustration started to echo from the town.

"Bors, rally Rivira!" Orimoto, despite nearly crumbling with the same relief I felt upon locking gazes with her, acted swiftly. In the blink of an eye, at the sudden danger, my former schoolmate seemed to change personalities. Already, I knew that the two of us must have variations of the same mind-altering skill. Perhaps hers was based on focus, due to the fact she was using weapons that required great accuracy? Those thoughts of mine subsumed the myriad of emotions welling within me, only to be replaced in turn by the scenario. "We'll need everyone for this, they're nothing like the regular Goliath! Sound the alarm!"

"You got it!" Elder ran off, sprinting with the speed expected of a veteran level 3. I was curious as to why the scarred man took orders from Orimoto, especially since he apparently wanted to have me teach her, but I supposed it could've simply been a layer of subterfuge. My students used my name often enough to be known by Elder, so I was sure that there was no reason for my former classmate to not catch wind of it. Though, probably out of caution, she didn't pry in case she somehow misheard. Only problems and difficulties could arise from being wrong, after all. "Stay alive, Orimoto!"

"I don't plan on dying now." Orimoto's words, accompanied by the firmness of her gaze, told me everything I needed to know regarding that little byplay. I supposed that even though I was too spineless to attempt to do it myself, the same couldn't be said for others. Despite the fact my classmate was obviously being subsumed by her own combat mindset, there was resolution in her eyes when she locked gazes with me. "Especially not now." The moment, whatever it was, passed quickly and she turned away and began to run towards Rivira. I followed. "Hikigaya-kun, we need to get to your students. You have a Level 4 and 5 with you, correct?"

"Tiona Hiryute and Lefiya Viridis." I supplied, however, she gave a slight shake of her head, and I knew that I had to specify. I didn't know how long my brown-haired fellow was present in this world, but given the fact that she acted familiarly to Elder, I assumed it was safe to use the terminology that Adventurers preferred to use. "Experienced Level 5 Warrior and New Level 4 Mage. They haven't fought anymore more than a few monsters on the way here."

Earthquake. Roar. Evaluate foes. Massive. Larger than original type. Black skin? Upgrade to defense likely. Moving away from one another. Splitting up. Searching for something. One facing Rivira. Slow gait. Purposeful. Terror method? No. Still searching despite obvious dangers. Taking time. Cautious. Knows something can defeat it. Intelligent? No. Cunning. Powerful opponent. Knows own weaknesses. Deadly if underestimated. Possibly capable of killing all adventurers present. Need to rally forces. Forces already being rallied by ally. Focus on supporting ally.

"Then, this shouldn't be impossible." Oh? The look of absolute concentration on Orimoto's face was how I imagined I would look while in combat. To live in Under Resort, my former classmate at least had to have some powerful Skills at her disposal. If I never heard of her in Orario, that could only mean that she's been in Rivira all this time. Given how Elder had treated her, I had the feeling that the leader of Rivira knew of the 'special' nature of people like Orimoto and I, and decided it was for the best that she wouldn't go to Orario to be exploited. "We can win this with them taking on one of those. The rest of Rivira can take on the other one. One hundred and one Level 3s, 254 level 2s should be capable of taking one on no matter what tricks or changes it now has, even possibly killing it, but not both. How about your students-."

Incoming projectile, crystal, push ally away from path. Ally hadn't noticed? Inept in battlefield? No. Not possible with current environment. Tension on features. Aware of what happened. After effect of Skill? Currently gathering information, formulating plan. Already constructing plan to confront threat. Obvious trust by village leader. High chance skill based on monofocus. Would allow for rapid mastery of various weapons on body. Detriment is lack of attention to other matters. Surmounts one challenge supremely, but fails in others. Powerful, but with obvious weaknesses, similar to Tireless Consciousness's ability to cause Madness with prolonged stress. Cannot address weakness. Move on. Provide better support. Cover weakness.

"Don't worry about the rocks. I'll keep them off you." I grunted past the flash of information that flooded my head. My mind didn't know whether to focus on Orimoto or the twin, ebon-skinned Goliaths that were searching for something within Under Resort. What my brown-haired, former classmate had, as expected, was the opposite of my own. It made her focus on a single target, no, a single goal, while almost ignoring smaller matters. I can only imagine how much of a nightmare she must be while fighting in combat. Especially if she could use each weapon she had on her person masterfully. Also, from what I could tell, her Skill didn't need the time to 'build up,' meaning she could change her Focus from one goal to another with ease. "Keep doing what you're doing. Don't stop."

"We need to deal with the other one decisively." Orimoto corrected herself from my push, still speaking despite nearly being crushed by the fragment of Floor eighteen's sky. Soon enough we were within Rivira, running atop the rooftops, as Adventurers below were amassing weapons, supplies, and donning armor to confront the massive threat. More than a few ballistae were being ushered out from storage sheds, their Monster Crystal arrowheads glinting in the dim torchlight, and Mages were gathering in groups of three with escorts carrying massive shields. From the way they moved, so organized and efficient, it was completely possible that Orimoto had been putting whatever her Skill was to judicious use here. "We're going to need the Goliath Crystal you brought in."

I had to admit, that I was already liking the sound of this plan.

…

"Sensei!"

Group consists of Students. Capable fighters. Single Mage. Cranel. Need to utilize effectively. Erisuis, Nelly, and Laulos can only suffice as backup. Keep together. Arde will be second-in-command. Possible use of Arde as deliverer of Goliath Crystal. Flight capable. Drop from above reach? Would greatly diminish effect on friendly individuals.

"Hikigaya-sama!"

Yamato Mikoto. Level 2 Swordswoman. Capable of tracking monsters. Also capable of powerful area-of-effect spell of unknown damage type. Hesitant to use unless in dire circumstances. Keep in group with Cranel. Will be more inclined to utilize high-risk maneuvers. Filvis Challia. Level 3 Mage. Focused on fighting singular monsters. Spells do mediocre damage to Goliath. Give Amplify Stave. Also pair with Cranel.

"Hikigaya, where have you been?!"

Welf Crozzo. Level 2. Blacksmith, but capable warrior. Has single, powerful, Magic Sword and several, lighter backups. Request all be given to Cranel for use with Argonaut. Place with frontline Students. Capable of inflicting high amounts of damage thanks to Strength. Attach to Mage Group first and switch to Frontline. Possible to convince to turn Goliath Crystal into Magic Sword. Enough time available to do so?

"Hikigaya-kun!"

Viridis. Level 4 Mage. Most powerful of group. Multiple Skills towards amplifying magical damage and currently has powerful Amplify-Guidance Combination Stave. Incapable of Concurrent Chanting. Long-Range Artillery Support.

"Hat-kun!"

Hiryute. Level 5 Fighter. Frontline. Might be completely capable of taking on Goliath alone. Adamantium Blade. Extreme Magic Resistance. Immense physical resistance. Vanguard. Partner.

A chorus of voices greeted us as soon we entered the Bar. It was empty of all the other patrons, food and dishes simply left on tables, and even the barkeeper was nowhere in sight.

It was just going to be them, me, and someone they've just met against some sort of empowered Monster King on a warpath. A dozen people to save every adventurer in Under Resort from the first ever appearance of two Monster Kings enhanced and changed by the Dungeon for some unknown reason. No matter what happened to lead up to this moment, this attempt of destruction of Rivira, I knew that upon surviving, there could only be a new outcome from this event.

A new legend, a new mythos…

And a plethora of problems and enemies.

…