Published: January 24, 2026
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― Tsutolairu District Outer Southwest: Near the Second Dungeon ―
A lion demonic beast leaped at an explorer from a blind spot.
“Waaah!?”
By the time the explorer noticed the lion demonic beast approaching, it was right in front of him, leaving no chance to dodge.
“Got it! 【Space Leap】!!”
Hearing the scream, Rain instantly activated the constructed 【Space Leap】.
She forcibly separated the explorer and the lion demonic beast by teleportation.
“Th-thank you...”
“Don’t let your guard down! If you do, next time you’ll die!”
As the explorer, who had just narrowly escaped death, relaxed, Selma’s sharp reprimand cut through.
“Y-yes!”
The explorer refocused and headed back to the front lines.
“One-minute rotation starting! All explorers on the front line, don’t relax until the switch is complete!”
“Yes!!”
Selma sent orders via telepathy to the explorers facing the massive horde of demonic beasts.
Explorers who had been resting at the rear took up battle positions.
Just seconds before those fighting and those resting were to switch, Rain, at the very front line (...), raised her voice.
“I’ll cover the rotation’s gap! Everyone, fall back! — 【Super Explosion (Explode)】!”
An explosion struck the front lines, easing the demonic beasts’ advance.
Seizing the opportunity, the explorers fighting at the front retreated.
As the front line thinned, Rain activated her magic.
“—【Space Leap】!!”
She teleported rubble from the collapsed outer wall of Tsutolairu, visible in the rear, up into the sky.
Debris rained down, striking the demonic beasts.
Meanwhile, the resting explorers returned to the front.
“...Rain! Enough already, you need to fall back at least once! Continuing this fight any longer is dangerous!”
Selma shouted at Rain in frustration.
Rain herself was breathing heavily through her shoulders, a nosebleed running.
Since the demonic beasts first appeared on the ground, Rain had been fighting nonstop.
Clearly, she was overusing her magic.
The damage manifested as a nosebleed.
She was already suffering from a severe headache.
“...Sorry for making you worry. But I can’t run away from this battle, no matter what!”
Rain said to Selma, refusing to ease up her attacks.
At the same time, demonic beasts also emerged on the surface from the Fourth Dungeon, where Katina and others were located, but the strength of each demonic beast on this side was superior.
On top of that, a cyclops had appeared here as well.
Though Selma and the others were at a disadvantage, because Rain was freely using 【Space Leap】 without restrictions, no deaths had occurred yet.
(I took the cult’s words at face value and drove the Village of Dawn to ruin. What happened can’t be changed now... But if something is about to happen (...), I can change it. If the cult is going to mess up Tsutolairu, I will do whatever it takes to stop it!)
Rain learned through telepathy from Selma the identity of their enemy this time: the Cyclamen Cult.
She had been used in the past, triggering a massive massacre.
Even after nearly ten years, that event still weighed heavily on her.
(This isn’t atonement or anything like that... But I don’t want to live with regrets anymore. I absolutely won’t back down here!)
From the guilt of having destroyed the Village of Dawn, Rain had sealed off the use of 【Space Leap】 as a form of penance, but now she was fully utilizing it to support the disadvantaged front lines.
Supporting the switching of fighters as before, teleporting explorers in danger from demonic beast attacks to safety, and more.
Despite the headache tormenting her, her will to fight remained unbroken.
Still, the heavy use of magic steadily drained her combat abilities.
Yet, together with the other explorers, she continued fighting the massive horde of demonic beasts, and finally, their numbers began to visibly decrease.
“Hah... hah... hah... Good, if this keeps up...”
“Rain! The number of demonic beasts has settled down. It’s about time you take a break! This might not be over yet, though.”