Sumire and I both jumped in confused surprise. New challengers? We’re probably the only people left on the 20th Level. The supervisor of the Last Dungeon knew we were still in here.
“If you wish to cancel your challenge, please move outside the territory at once. If you remain inside the boundary, the Deus Discipline will begin automatically,” the voice continued.
What the hell? Are you kidding me? Hey, we’re on the 20th Level, dungeon supervisor! Why are you starting a Deus Discipline as if that’s a normal occurrence here?! But I couldn’t say any of that out loud. The Divine Beast Cerberus was camping outside the tree.
Now that I thought about it, we’d only assumed that the Deus Discipline was exclusive to the 100th Level based on precedent. Not once had this been an actual concrete rule. Simply staying here wouldn’t solve our problems either. Sumire was trembling, pale-faced. I had to protect her. I was her guardian.
Steel yourself, Eugene Santafield!
“E-Eugene...”
“Sumire, put your trust in me and stay here.”
“Where are you going?!”
“I’ll act as bait.”
“A-Are you nuts?! The Martial Arts Club had so many members, and that thing defeated them all!”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
“B-But—”
“There’s no time. Sumire, do not move from here.”
With that final admonishment, I left the hollow. To lose a Deus Discipline, you had to let the timer run out. I’d heard that once a challenger used up their allotted time, the Divine Beast would return to its summoner. Apparently, this rule was to prevent people from using stall tactics against an unkillable Divine Beast and to give other challengers a chance to attempt the Deus Discipline. Losing to one due to the time-out rule wouldn’t end in the challenger’s death either.
The question was whether I could buy time against the Guard Dog of the Underworld. Regardless, there was no point in complaining about the situation. I had to drag out the fight until either the dungeon staff rescued us or the Deus Discipline timed out. Those were my only options.
We could continue to hide in that tree, but the supervisor of the Last Dungeon knew Sumire and I were still here inside the Divine Beast’s territory. The Divine Beast could sniff us out if we continued to stay in the hollow. If that happened, I would have to fight it while protecting Sumire, and that simply wasn’t feasible. It would kill us both.
“I’m heading out, Sumire,” I said.
“Eugene...”
“Can I borrow your mana?”
“Yeah...”
Sumire was still trembling, so I took her hand and squeezed it. Mana Link. I siphoned the red mana from her, feeling the immense heat flowing through my body. She moaned softly as I did, so I might’ve taken too much at once.
“You all right?” I asked.
“Uh-huh. Please avenge Miss Leo—” She cut herself off and shook her head. “Eugene, you have to survive.”
“I know.”
Sumire was staring up at me, tears welling up in her eyes, so I forced myself to smile before I headed outside. Once I was out of the hole, I cast a second barrier over the entrance. I absolutely had to prevent Cerberus from noticing her inside the tree. After I finished my task, I looked around the 20th Level again.
It’s quiet. I couldn’t hear birdsong, let alone the sounds of animals in the rainforest going about their lives. Every living creature on the 20th Level was prostrating itself before the might of the Divine Beast.
“I, Eugene Santafield, will challenge the Deus Discipline,” I said to my D-ranked explorer badge.
“Challenger Eugene Santafield’s request to attempt the Deus Discipline has been processed. Good luck,” the mechanical voice of the supervisor’s announcement rang through the air.
It’s been processed, huh? In that case, I couldn’t back down now. A shimmering white line—the Challengers’ Area—was drawn around me, marking me as prey to the Divine Beast.
Thud...thud... Cerberus’s footsteps drew close. All three heads growled as the mythological monster stared down at me. My heartbeat was roaring in my ears. My entire body trembled from either fear or adrenaline.
Dad, what should I do in this situation? I asked him in my heart. He was my swordsmanship teacher, but also the model I strove to emulate.
Smile. That’s what you should do whenever you’re in trouble, Eugene. If you keep your spirits high, you’ll solve any problem that comes your way.
The father in my memories was as ridiculous as ever. But he never once steered me wrong.
I let out a soft exhalation before grinning and holding up my sword in the Niten Enmei-ryu stance. “All right. Let’s do this!”