One Blow

Several minutes later.

Il and I finally reached the dungeon's exit safely.

As we stepped outside, the bright sunlight greeted us.

Il murmured emotionally.

"I feel like I'm finally alive..."

Indeed, if my support hadn't arrived in time, Il would have lost his life.

He seemed to be coming to terms with that fact.

Then, it happened.

"What? No way! Il actually made it out alive!"

"Seriously!? Did he take down the boss with a shield!?"

"Wait a minute, who's that next to him?"

"No idea, but it looks like I won the bet! Hitting the jackpot feels great!"

Several gruff voices echoed around us.

Looking over, I saw a group of adventurers I had noticed when we entered.

They were staring at us with surprised expressions.

(Actually, more like at Il than at me—)

At that moment, Il, who was standing behind me, started trembling.

"Il?"

"T-Those guys are the ones who told me to defeat the dungeon boss."

"I see."

Understanding the situation, I nodded as the four adventurers approached us.

Judging by their gear, they all seemed to be over level 20.

From the visible weapons and emblems, it looked like they had the [Emblem of the Sword], [Emblem of the Spear], [Emblem of Martial Arts], and [Emblem of Magic].

All of these are excellent gifts capable of dealing damage from the early stages.

As I analyzed this, the adventurer with the [Emblem of Martial Arts] stepped forward.

"Hey, what the hell, Il! I bet on you not being able to take down the boss and dying, and you had to go and ruin it..."

"B-Betting? What do you mean?"

"Huh? I mean exactly what I said! Did you really think we'd let a shield-bearer like you into our party? It was all a lie! We made you challenge the dungeon solo just to bet on whether you'd die pathetically or not!"

"…!"

Il's face stiffened.

He had already suspected as much.

But hearing it directly was still too much for him to handle.

(…I can't just stand by and watch this.)

I don't usually like to interfere in other people's problems.

But this was an exception.

"Damn it! Because of you, I lost a lot of money!"

"—!"

The man yelled as he reached for Il.

But his hand never reached him.

"That's enough."

I grabbed his hand with my left hand.

"…Huh?"

The man glared at me with irritation.

He shook off my hand and started speaking quickly.

"Who the hell are you? You've been an eyesore since earlier... You came out with Il, so what's your deal with him?"

"What's my deal? I just met him on the way back after defeating the boss."

"Huh? You mean you took down the boss? Alone!?"

"Yeah."

I nodded, and the man looked strangely delighted as he turned to his companions.

"Hey, did you hear that!? It wasn't Il who defeated the boss, it was this guy! So I win the bet!"

The man declared loudly.

Reacting to this, the man with the [Emblem of the Sword] sighed and spoke.

"Man, don't be so easily fooled. Look at his emblem."

"Emblem...?"

The man with the [Emblem of Martial Arts] glanced at my left hand.

After a few seconds of silence, he scowled.

"The [Emblem of Null]? No way that garbage emblem could defeat this dungeon's boss! Stop messing around...!"

A vein bulged on his forehead.

It was clear that they held the [Emblem of Null] in very low regard.

(They won't understand just by talking.)

That's fine with me.

The issue is what they did to Il.

"Forget the emblems for now. Do you understand? What you did to Il is a serious crime."

Honestly, this kind of thing was common even in Creon.

Spreading false information about newly implemented dungeons, enjoying the suffering of other players.

In some cases, they even resorted to PKing—player killing.

I was always disgusted by those who did such things just for their own amusement.

But in the game, I accepted it as part of the reality.

But now it's different.

This is not a game, but reality.

In a world where even a small lie or mistake can lead to death.

Trying to cause that yourself... such a thing should never be allowed.

"You guys are not just failures as adventurers... but as humans."

"Hah... Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

At my words, the man in front of me and the other three started laughing loudly.

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you mocking us!? This world is survival of the fittest! The strong can do whatever they want! I'm level 22! Unlike you weaklings barely surviving this dungeon!"

After laughing, the man raised his fist.

"Fine. I'll teach you what happens when you defy us!"

His fist glowed faintly.

Probably the martial arts skill [Killing Fist].

A powerful move that increases the speed and power of the punch.

Considering the level difference, it's not a blow I could withstand.

But—

"One blow is enough for you! Now, take this—"

"Too slow."

"Wha—gah!"

I took advantage of his opening and delivered a full-force punch to his abdomen.

It was a critical hit, and his body flew back effortlessly.

"What!?"

"No way!"

"What happened!?"

The remaining men shouted in confusion and panic.

I let out a small sigh.

(...As expected, this is their level.)

[Killing Fist] is indeed a powerful skill, but it requires a brief charging time before activation.

While it works against low-rank monsters, against higher ranks, if not timed perfectly, it leaves one open to counterattacks.

He didn't understand that and tried to use it straightforwardly.

It's only natural he got countered by me.

Sure, in terms of level and skills, he's higher than I am now.

But he lacks the most important things for fighting: technique and experience.

Such people could never stand against me, the former world rank 1.

"You... what did you do...?"

Ignoring the man with the [Emblem of Martial Arts], I looked at the remaining three.

Seeing their tense faces, I spoke with unwavering confidence.

"Now, whose turn is it next?"