Another Stupid Isekai

The third level of the dungeon wasn't much different from the rest. There was noise coming from the depths. Growls, and shouts. At the end of the staircase was a tunnel that led forward. The walls got rough again and felt more like natural ones. The path also wasn't exactly straight and led to another big chamber.

I approached it slowly. From afar I could see many red orcs, resting on the bedding next to the walls all around a shallow pit, where two of them had a fistfight. They were smacking one another mercilessly, and many, surrounding them, cheered loudly.

I returned to my friends, to inform them what I saw.

- How many, asked Will?

- Maybe two hundred? It's hard to tell. Something around that for sure.

- That's a lot - Boris pointed out. - It might be hard to deal with that many.

- I'll go first, and make busy as many as possible, then you try to fight the rest in the tunnel. This way we can manage even that many.

- Will you be ok? - asked Alice. - I only saw a few of them, and those things were strong. A hundred around you sounds like a bad idea.

- I'll be fine.

- I think Peter is the last person we should worry about - said Sanders.

- Yeah - Boris immediately agreed. - Ok, let's get moving.

With that, we headed out. I jogged ahead of everybody, and at the end just sprinted inside the chamber, and shadow walked few times to get to the center. They noticed me only when I was almost at the center. Then they screamed angrily and started to grab weapons. There was a bit of ruckus, as most of them were unarmed.

I just started swinging, aiming at their necks to cut the heads off, so they wouldn't have a chance to strike back. Few fallen, but those guys were quick, and they kept coming as soon as they managed to put their hands on anything sharp.

I was engaged with few dozens when my friends finally got to the end of the tunnel. I couldn't watch them, because I was too busy constantly repositioning.

'Eyes of Duelist' skill actually was a gigantic help there, because I didn't always have a clean strike at the neck, and then had to aim for something else, and thanks to it I knew exactly where. My hits were either deadly, bad enough to make the orcs heavily immobilized, or were making them bleed out from cut arteries.

I actually had no idea I could be this deadly because I got used to slashing my enemies in half thanks to the raw strength and sharpness of Rishi's creation.

I also parried few strikes, just to test my weapon. There weren't even any marks left after those hits, that's how durable the weapon was.

It was a long flight and took several minutes before we cut their numbers enough to be sure its a clear win. From that point, everything got faster, as we could allow ourselves to be a bit more reckless with our attack. The difference for me wasn't that big, but for my friends it was significant. Nobuo could just get out of the tunnel and show his skills. The same case was with Ryuu - that guy needed space to fight properly.

Few people got minor injuries, but I healed them quickly, and we could take a break, before moving further.

I had still plenty of strength, so I decided to pile up the crystals, as the rest just sat down. A couple of minutes in Nil came to help me.

- Just can't stand watching you work as I'm sitting around - he said.

- Did that girl from the Followers also spurred your ambitions?

- Eshe?

- Yes, her.

- A bit. I'm not gonna lie. She is impressive. They all are. You are like a lighthouse to many of them, which is good. You have to work hard and be diligent in your life.

- Luck is more important to get the money.

- Fuck money. Money should be a byproduct of hard work and diligence. That's what I always believed in.

- Even when you realized how screwed your life was?

- Don't be cynical about it. Sometimes things don't work your way even when you deserve it. There are other people around you, and some of them work harder. That was my case. I was diligent, but not crazy, and the maniacs like you are usually at the top. Those who charge at their goal without care that they might get swallowed by a dragon.

In my past life, on earth, I never gave anything my hundred percent, like here. There was a lot of truth in his words that I could see myself.

- Maybe you are right.

- I know I'm right, so let's continue to try our hardest and show everybody else.

- I'll think about it.

He chuckled.

- Said the guy who spends the past three months or more hunting like a mad man. I'm scared of what might happen when you decide to give it your all.

His comment made me smile. From afar it could definitely look like I'm constantly giving it my all, but it was not my decision. I felt like I have to do it to ding out the truth behind the invasion, to punish those who were behind it, to protect my friends, to not lose anybody else I cared for.

I got lost in my thoughts and Sanders probably saw it, so he didn't say a word, allowing me to figure it out myself.

We piled up all the crystals we could see, and the rest came to an end. We regrouped and approached the next tunnel, which led us to yet another staircase. There was not much difference, except the crystals that now became red.

The change in lighting made the dungeon look creepy.

- Is everybody ready? - asked Will.

- We should take it slow - said Boris. - We don't want to get a fireball to the face.

- We need to spread around - Nobuo pointed out. - Those who are not confident should stay at the back, and let the rest do the work. We don't want any casualties.

- I'll go first.. Join me if you think you can - I said and ran down the stairs.