Pick Me Up!

I took a deep breath, drawing it in and exhaling gently.

“Phew.”

Beside my bed, a brazier with firewood emitted a flickering warmth. It had become a ritual, countless times of self-inflicted pain. I stuffed a rag into my mouth and reached my hand into the brazier.

“…!”

A torrent of profanities automatically echoed in my mind.

Counting to ten, second by second.

Beyond the pain, my senses began to fade away. Instead of the searing agony in my flesh, an unfamiliar sensation trickled through my fingertips.

[‘Han (★)’ has acquired the ‘Flame Resistance’ skill!]

At last.

I hastily withdrew my hand. The faint scorch mark caught my eye. As I turned my head and waited, the numbed sensation gradually receded.

Now, it was time to test the difference before and after acquiring Flame Resistance.

This time, I managed to endure for over thirty seconds. I swiftly extinguished the fire by placing a water jug beside the brazier. I couldn’t bear to witness it any longer. Just as the flames dwindled completely, a new message materialized.

[‘Aaron (★)’ has acquired the ‘Flame Resistance’ skill!]

“He did it.”

Aaron had extraordinary patience. It was as expected.

But there was one individual who posed a slightly different problem. Shortly after, Jenna entered my room, her eyes glistening with tears.

“I can’t do it. I can’t put my hand into the fire.”

She decided to have the Fire Resistance Skill too, but she couldn’t gather the courage to go through the process.

“You could ask Eolka to burn you, but only to the point where you won’t perish.”

“I don’t want to do this. If I had known, I would have begged to have that old man instead!”

“…”

“…Help me.”

I reignited the fire in the brazier.

Jenna approached me, her voice choked with sobs. She sat on my knee, shielding her eyes with my shoulder. I put the rag in her mouth, ensuring she wouldn’t bite her tongue from the ensuing pain. Before her mouth was filled, Jenna whispered softly.

“Why me?”

Why me, huh?

We were brought here, compelled to fight without understanding the reasons behind it. Perhaps those who instantly synthesized, without even comprehending the situation, may be happier than us. At least they were spared from experiencing any torment.

Jenna had fainted numerous times before finally acquiring the Flame Resistance skill.

And the following day arrived.

Edis’ party ascended to the 9th floor.

Kururur.

The entire waiting room quivered leisurely. The vibrations were more profound than during the facility’s construction—a sensation peculiar to ascending floors.

It didn’t take long before Party 2 emerged, and Edis seemed rather unsettled. Dica and Asher wore strained expressions. With a grin, I spoke up.

“Did they chop off your limbs or something?”

Both of them hurled, unable to provide an answer. Roderick came to their aid, supporting them as they made their way back to the lodging.

“So, what was the mission about?”

“We were tasked with conquering the Goblin Lair. There were approximately 50 of them.”

“Anything else?”

“Asher and Dica…”

“Besides that. Did you notice anything peculiar about the place? If there was anything strange, spill the details.”

Edis narrowed her gaze and responded.

“The floor was like a pool of mud as if a torrential rain had just passed.”

“A mud pool. Was that it?”

“I’m not sure about anything else.”

“Understood.”

Edis wearily retreated to the lodging, appearing exhausted from the intense battle, lacking the energy for further training.

As Party 2 left, Iselle, with an air of authority, summoned the next members.

“Han, Jenna, Aaron, Eolka!”

“I’m already here.”

“Oh, really?”

Party 1 had gathered instantly.

We ventured into the rift of space and time.

‘Are we not filling the fifth spot in the party?’

We were nearing the 10th floor, yet I couldn’t comprehend Anytng’s strategy.

If he intended to fill the spots, he should have done so earlier. Bringing in recruits from the training camp at this point doesn’t seem doable, they simply can’t adapt now.

As the mirror on the left began to enshroud the room, I spoke up.

“Eolka!”

“What’s the matter?”

“You remember what I said last time, right? Only use the first tier until I say otherwise.”

“But…”

“But what? Do you understand? Or should I say it again?”

“Yes, I got it…”

“Good.”

Through my conversation with Eolka, I gained a rough understanding of how she employed her magic.

Currently, Eolka is classified as a 3-Class mage. And that simply means that she has three tiers of magic.

The first tier involved invoking flames.

The second tier involved igniting the flames explosively.

The third tier involved spinning the explosion into an updraft.

As the tiers increased, the consumption of magical power intensified.

[Floor 4.]

[Mission Type – Subjugation]

[Objective – Annihilate the enemy!]

[Goblin Lv. 4 X 3]

[Harpy Lv. 6 X 2]

It was a familiar forest that we had traversed many times before.

“To the designated location.”

Following my instructions, the party members scattered. I took the front position, Aaron on the left, Jenna on the right, and Eolka in the center. We formed a triangular formation, emphasizing the protection of the central figure.

The goblins and harpies eyed us warily, well aware of the significant difference in power. They cautiously started to encircle us, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

I stood firm, my sword and shield at the ready, observing the unfolding scene.

“Kee-yah!”

Finally unable to contain themselves, two harpies swooped down, launching their attack against me. As I deflected their sharp claws with my shield, I stole a quick glance behind me. Eolka was in the midst of casting her spell. Flames danced from her feet, reaching up to her head.

“Now.”

【Ignite!】

I swiftly sidestepped, evading the onslaught.

In an instant, the billowing flames engulfed the two harpies like a crashing wave, leaving nothing behind.

The remaining two goblins met their demise swiftly, courtesy of Jenna’s well-aimed arrows.

‘Huh, they even put up a fight. We can’t practice our formation this way.’

[Stage Clear!]

[‘Eolka (★★★)’ leveled up!]

[Reward – 2,000G, Iron Ore (C) x1]

[MVP – ‘Eolka (★★★)’]

Through this battle, Eolka reached level 4.

It marked the highest level attainable on the 4th floor.

“I’m at level 10, Jenna’s at 8, Aaron’s at 6, and Eolka’s at 4. Decreasing by two with each level.”

We have raised our levels as far as possible.

Party 2, led by Edis, experienced the same growth. Especially Edis, who quickly rose to the challenge after her initial defeat against Jenna. Her low-level dagger skill soared to level 4. Now, in their dagger duels, she could win 6 out of 10 matches against Jenna and even managed to secure victory in 7 out of 10.

The 10th floor drew closer and closer.