They didn't stop.
Skreeches didn't mourn. They didn't hesitate. One's death only fueled the others' frenzy.
And worse—the Vylemaw began to move.
It didn't charge. It didn't roar.
It simply watched, its gaping maws flexing open and shut in a silent rhythm, as if savoring the chaos. Its parasites wriggled excitedly across its back, spilling to the stone and joining the swarm.
Lena crushed another Skreech underfoot, her boot grinding into its twitching carapace. Blood splashed up her leg. She didn't flinch.
But I could see it now.
The cracks forming in her rhythm.
She was fast—too fast for their eyes—but they were adapting. They spread out, avoiding the blast zone of her punches, waiting for the gaps between her attacks.
And she was bleeding.
Not badly, not yet—but this wasn't sustainable.
A swarm like this didn't die with brute strength. It was like trying to punch a flood.
-----
[Lena's POV]
Lena had many things to ask Rin. For example, did he know about this doungen ahead of time.
But looking at Rin's expression Lena thought that he didn't know anything.
And as matter of fact, she followed Rin here with her own free will. So, even if Rin know something Lena wouldn't blame him.
But for now, the important thing is fighting against so many numbers of monster.
Fighting a single Vylemaw Lord would've been easier.
At least then, she could have focused all her strength on one target.
But this—this was different.
Every time her fist struck, two Skreeches dies .
Their skulls caved in under the force of her blows, and their frail bodies crumpled like rag dolls.
But for every two she felled, four more took their place.
Like a never-ending tide.
'There are too many…!'
The Skreeches weren't supposed to be this strong. But judging by their slightly enhanced abilities, she knew that it's all because of that Vylemaw.
[Lena's POV – continued]
Lena ducked under a leaping Skreech, her heel sliding against the slick stone floor as she pivoted. Her fist tore through its ribcage before it hit the ground.
She didn't stop moving. Couldn't.
Any pause meant death.
Her breath came faster now—not panicked, but sharp, measured. She was burning through stamina at an alarming rate, her limbs already screaming in protest.
And still they came.
She narrowed her eyes at the Vylemaw Lord, still motionless, still watching. Like a conductor overseeing a symphony of horror.
"Tch… you think you're smart, don't you?" she muttered, barely audible between her blows.
A claw scraped her shoulder, breaking skin. She responded by grabbing the creature mid-air and smashing it into the floor hard enough to splinter stone.
But she couldn't deny it—she was slowing.
Her punches weren't hitting as cleanly. Her reactions were still precise, but the fatigue was starting to dull her edge.
And that was what the swarm wanted.
The wounds were shallow, barely more than scratches—but they were adding up.
She could feel her movements slowing.
It wasn't a problem yet.
But at this rate, it would be.
Lena was an A-rank hero.
A professional. One of the elite.
Many admired her strength—her speed, her precision.
But no matter how much she pushed herself, she wasn't an S-rank.
There was a gap—a wall so wide that no amount of sheer willpower could bridge it.
If she were an S-ranker, this would be over already.
The swarm would've been ash.
The Vylemaw would've died before it even blinked.
But Lena wasn't that kind of monster.
She was strong—damn strong—but she had limits. Bones that could break. Muscles that could tear. A heart that could only beat so fast before it failed.
And right now, she was nearing that edge.
Another Skreech lunged. She sidestepped, twisted, drove her elbow into its eye socket with a wet crunch. It fell limp—but another one immediately leapt onto her back, shrieking as its claws dug into her shoulder.
She slammed herself into the wall, crushing it flat—but its teeth had already scraped skin.
Blood ran down her arm.
Her mind screamed to keep going, but her body staggered. Her next punch missed its mark, grazing only air. That didn't happen before.
They were pressing harder now.
Testing her.
Sensing it.
The parasites didn't think. But they could smell weakness. They swarmed toward it like flies to rot.
She felt her legs buckling slightly, just once—just enough for her heart to skip.
'There's no time for self-pity right now.'
Her teeth clenched, she slammed her elbow into a Skreeches temple, caving it in.
Blood splattered her face, warm and sticky. She didn't flinch.
So what if she wasn't an S-ranker?
That didn't mean she was going to fail here.
No.
She was an A-rank hero.
And right now, that was enough.
Because it had to be.
She wouldn't let this boy die.
Not while she still had breath in her lungs.
With a sharp exhale, she pivoted and slammed her palm into the next Skreeches's chest.
Crack!
Its ribcage buckled inward.
It let out a gurgled scream before she grabbed its face and slammed it into the cave wall.
The rock split its skull open with a wet, dull crunch.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw the boy huddled behind her, trembling.
His frail hands clutched the hem of her cloak.
Her lips curved into a small, reassuring smile, despite the blood dripping down her chin.
"Sorry," she said, her voice steady but gentle. "It's going to take a little longer to get out of here than I thought."
The boy, Rin, didn't answer. His eyes were wide—too wide—and his skin pale, his breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps. But he nodded, clutching tighter to her cloak as if it were the last solid thing in the world.
Lena turned back just in time to sidestep a leaping Skreech.
Her boot snapped upward, shattering its jaw midair. She landed, swept low, and spun—three more fell. But they were getting smarter. They were circling now, probing her reach, testing the limits of her stamina.
And above it all, the Vylemaw Lord watched.
Its obsidian eyes glistened in the cavern gloom, unblinking. Like it knew something she didn't.
Like it was waiting.
Lena felt it too.
This wasn't the main wave.
"It's going to over soon."
A lie, she knows but at this time this what she could say to the boy behind her.
She knew her words probably didn't offer much reassurance.
Not when her arms were slashed and her legs were streaked with blood.
But she still smiled.
Because that was what heroes did.
They smiled, no matter how dire the situation.
It was one of the first things she had learned when she started down this path.
A hero's smile could be more powerful than their fists.
It could give people hope.
Even if she was barely holding on, even if her lungs were burning with every breath, she couldn't let that boy see her falter.
Always keep smiling.
That was fundamental.
Even if she was slowly losing her breath.
Her chest felt tight.
Her movements were sluggish.
Her vision flickered slightly at the edges.
Poison?
Maybe.
Some of the Skreeches' blades were coated with filth. It wouldn't be surprising if they were laced with a slow-acting toxin.
She had already killed so many.
And yet, their numbers hadn't dwindled.
Her fists were still moving, still smashing bone and splattering blood.
But she was slowing down.
They were closing in.
And she knew—she wouldn't last much longer.
Suddenly, she heard a faint sound, echoing sharply through the cave.
Swoosh—!!
Her eyes snapped toward the source.
A portal had appeared, swirling faintly with otherworldly light.
She recognized it immediately.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
(Rin's POV)
Lena was strong
But she was also human.
And humans had limits.
Her mind was a battlefield of its own—haunted by doubts and self-criticism.
She knew she wasn't weak, but she wasn't strong enough either.
Not like the S-rankers.
'You'll never be like them.'
That whisper of inadequacy —that whisper of inadequacy had always been there.
It gnawed at her whenever she stared too long at the rankings board.
It echoed every time a mission report praised someone else's heroics, while hers were only noted as sufficient.
And now, in this hellish cavern filled with blood and screams, it came roaring back louder than ever.
Rin stared at the portal.
Its swirling glow was soft, almost inviting.
Like a hand offering escape.
But it wasn't just a doorway. It was a question.
What she's supposed to to? Will she save herself or let that boy to go out with that portal?
Her fingers trembled. Not from fear, but from indecision.
Lena was fighting with everything she had.
Fighting for him.
For the sick boy cowering behind her.
For someone she had no obligation to protect.
But this what meant to be hero.
Her eyes softened as she glanced at the boy.
And she smiled again.
"Go," she said softly, her voice steady despite the pain burning in her chest.
She gestured toward the portal.
"Hurry. Get out of here. I'll hold them off."
The words left her mouth without hesitation.
No bitterness.
No regret.
Just pure resolve.
Even when she could have resented the boy for holding her back.
Even when she could have saved herself.
She didn't.
Instead, she offered herself as the sacrifice.
Because that was who she was.
A hero.
And no matter how much her body ached, no matter how much blood she lost—she wouldn't let this boy die.
Not while she was still standing.
I had to admit it.
She was naïve.
In the original story, I never liked her much.
Her idealism seemed foolish—her kindness a fatal flaw.
Nothing but empty words and misplaced compassion.
But here…
It was different.
Because now, she wasn't just a name on a page or a supporting character meant to meet a tragic end.
She was a real, living person.
One who could make rational decisions, who understood the risks she was facing.
She knew what kind of situation she was in.
Yet, despite that, she was still letting me go.
Letting me escape this death trap.
Her eyes remained steady—calm and unwavering—as if she had already accepted the danger ahead.
Even knowing the odds were against her, she was determined to hold the line.
To protect me.
I clenched my fists at the thought.
Now that I had seen her in reality—seen the warmth in her eyes, the quiet strength in her actions—I had to admit…
She was kind.
Too kind.
And that was exactly why she died in the original novel.
It was unfair.
The world didn't deserve her.
But it still needed her.
At that moment, something inside me hardened.
A decision.
No.
I wouldn't let her die.
Not here.
Not in the future.
No matter how the original plot unfolded—no matter how the story was meant to go—this time, I would save her from her fate.
Because people like her…
They were far too rare.
And this world needed every last one of them.