"I Was Reincarnated Into Another World So I Want to Teach Them a Lesson in the Dungeon." ~I May Have Been Expelled as a C-Rank Sorcerer, but Since It Seems Everyone Wants My Cheat Skill, I Think I'll Teach Them a Lesson~ - Chapter 7

I came to realize just how cruel this dungeon was, far beyond what I had imagined.

The threshold at which humans could be reduced to mincemeat was astonishingly low.

There I was, watching in horror as the Ryner Investigation Team was decimated by a single orc, blood mixed with drool dripping from its maw.

The blood that welled up from deep within me filled my throat, choking my respiratory system.

“Help me…! I don’t want to die…!”

“Why, why…! Why is this happening…?!”

Even though they were provisionally A-rank, the team’s composition was largely made up of fodder to increase the chances of drawing good unique skills, so it didn’t take long for them to be trampled.

Lokiel, who had been chatting around the campfire just the night before, was now effortlessly lifted up.

“Lokiel—!”

“I don’t want to die here—!”

Lokiel was crying out in agony as he was kneaded into an unrecognizable form, like clay in a child’s play.

Watching him get distorted beyond recognition, our mouths agape in shock, it was impossible to stay sane.

What followed was a scene from hell, a reckless operation akin to the Battle of Imphal. The one willing to take the gamble was none other than Ryner, who had not earned our trust.

“Is this some kind of monster…?”

“My magic isn’t affecting it at all!”

The thick wall of flesh, rich in fat, deflected swords and bounced off magic like pebbles. It was because beneath it lay hardened, well-trained muscles, evident from the bulging veins on its powerful arms.

Seeing the orc’s massive frame effortlessly reduce the team members to chunks of flesh made it clear that it was an enemy beyond my league.

“Soma! If you’re still alive, help out! You deadweight!”

“I can’t… stand up anymore… look at me… I can’t even stand…”

“What was the effect of your unique skill? Whose fault do you think this is?!”

“The effect was to detect traps within the dungeon. But I didn’t detect this trap… I’m telling you the truth, believe me…!”

“That’s enough! How long are you going to lie there?!”

Miria’s arrows, too, turned to splinters against the orc’s thick hide, leaving us at a severe disadvantage. The blood flowing freely might have been the taste of despair.

“Damn it—!

With all these useless skills, there’s nothing we can do! We need to retreat for now!”

“No! We don’t have much time left; we have to break through and defeat the area boss demon! Otherwise, this exploration will be meaningless!”

“Even so…!”

“We should just expel the deadweight…”

“That’s right… might as well die anyway…”

Ryner glanced at me with a smug, contemptuous smile, and said, “Nice idea.”

With Ryner and Caroline’s departure, we were left to face the reality of our defeat.

The scattered chunks of flesh and what remained of Lokiel mingled together to form an unidentifiable shape.

“Soma…! I’m scared… I’m so scared…!”

“Move…! If you don’t move, Miria will die…! If you move, you might be able to save her… Move, my body…!”

Miria, too, trembled in despair, her arrows falling powerlessly to the ground.

She had been broken by the fear she had confessed by the campfire.

The orc, shaking its enormous form, inched closer to Miria.

I was already collapsed on the ground, powerless, so it was only natural that it targeted Miria next.

Miria was swept aside by the orc’s powerful arm.

The bow, her keepsake, lay in splinters at the orc’s feet.

“Lokiel is dead. Ryner has abandoned us. I can’t fight anymore—

We’re going to die… Miria and I… we’re going to die…”

But truly, I didn’t want to die.

I wanted to save Miria.

“Fireball…!”

“Guooooh—?”

Out of nowhere, a blazing fireball soared over my head with the speed of sound, scorching the orc’s belly.

With an immense shock, the orc stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

“Magic…? But who…?”

“Are you still alive?”

The voice came with minimal vocal vibration, clear and composed.

“Hmm. I finally found you, and this is the mess I see. This isn’t just any orc… impressive vitality.”

“Please… defeat that orc… please…”

“Cough. So you’re dying then.”

“Eh…?”

“You’ve just died. You’ve denied your own existence and lost all value. That’s the same as death, isn’t it?”

Through the hood, I could see skin that seemed devoid of bodily warmth, looking down on me.

With a nonchalant air, those plump, cute red lips pronounced my death sentence.

From those lips, cold words spilled out, sending chills down my spine.

Peeking through the silky strands of hair were round iolite eyes.

As the long lashes veiled her gaze,

“Dying is actually very easy. Living is considerably more difficult. That’s a lesson I’ve learned from living so long—

You’re about to face both physical and spiritual death. How pitiful.”