My Will To Live Forced Me Into A Second Life ?!

Chapter 34 : Team Dungeon Raid

I return to the inn around two in the morning, exhausted. I head straight to the room and collapse in fatigue on the bed, where Elvaria was already peacefully sleeping. I fall asleep almost instantly.

Today, I killed a god, eliminated some bandits, and, most importantly, devoured my plate of pasta at the guild. Honestly, I deserve at least a good night's sleep...

I expected to see Elvaristria in my dreams tonight, but she didn’t appear.

Morning finally arrives. The rising sun lights up the room through the window, and Elvie and I are still lying there, enjoying the last moments of calm.

"What am I gonna do now.." I murmur, staring at the ceiling, speaking to myself.

Suddenly, a soft voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "We need to find our home, and conquer the Verdesable dungeon. You're the one who keeps saying that all the time," murmurs Elvaria, who has just woken up. She turns towards me, and the morning light makes her long scarlet hair shine.

"Elvie," I say softly, looking away from her gorgeous green eyes that are staring at me intently. "Since I got here, I've killed a lot. I've killed, killed again, and destroyed... yet I feel nothing. Until now, I've always lived a peaceful life. Something's wrong with me."

Elvaria seems to search for her words. "Aley... I also feel some sort of excitement at the thought of fighting, or even killing... i-it's strange. There's something wrong, but what do you want us to do about it? It's probably because of what we were before," she says, a little hesitantly.

"Where will all this lead us?" I ask, like a question without an answer, half sighing.

Elvaria grabs my hand, a smile on her lips. "We'll go where we need to go," she answers simply.

— Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, knocks at the door interrupt our moment. I get up and walk over to open it, and I come face to face with... Alfira and Valentin.

"LET'S GO!" Alfira yells, so loud that Elvaria jumps out of bed, completely caught off guard.

"Not so loud, Alfira..." murmurs Valentin, as shy as ever.

I'm a bit confused. "Why are you here? And the tournament? Where are we supposed to go, anyway?" I say in rapid fire, barely pausing between the questions.

Valentin speaks with his usual seriousness, contrasting with Alfira's overflowing enthusiasm. "The tournament has been postponed, to find better participants and to avoid another disaster like yesterday."

Alfira, still smiling, seems like she hasn't listened to a word.

— KNEEL BEFORE GOD.

A voice suddenly echoes in my head, this time a man's voice. It sounds like mine, but older, deeper. And with those words, as if by magic, Alfira and Valentin instantly kneel, as if they too had heard it.

"Why are you kneeling?!" I ask, stunned.

Valentin, visibly embarrassed, tries to come up with a lame excuse. "Ah... sorry. My knees just went weak, all of a sudden."

"Same," adds Alfira, looking vaguely curious.

Behind me, Elvaria slowly gets up from the bed. Still calm, she walks over to the closet to put on her armor. She then approaches the door and asks in turn: "Why did you come, exactly?"

Valentin answers with a curious tone. "Well, it's to accompany you to the dungeon. You're looking for the Blue Flower Dungeon, right?"

"We're going today!" shouts Alfira, raising her fist to the sky as if it were a great victory. But her elegant white dress contrasts sharply with the idea of an adventure.

And so, without me really having a say in it, it was decided that today we would set off to conquer the Blue Flower Dungeon. Elvaria, on her side, was visibly excited at the idea of a group adventure. It reminds me that she loves this kind of expedition, and honestly, a little break from the tournament won't hurt. It's been a while since we've explored a dungeon like this, and I kind of miss it.

Here we are, in front of the guild building, which is packed this time. We're here to submit a quest and make sure we'll be rewarded if we manage to conquer the dungeon. No one has ever managed to open its entrance, so the reward for opening, exploring, and conquering it is huge.

"Finally, a real adventure!" exclaims Alfira, her blue eyes sparkling in front of the guild's emblem, a goofy smile plastered on her face.

Valentin, on the other hand, seems to be looking elsewhere, as if he doesn't really want to go inside.

As for Elvaria...

"Elvie, you're clinging..." I murmur in her ear. Since the beginning of the journey, she's been hanging onto my arm, refusing to let go, a satisfied smile on her face, happy to spend time together. It makes me happy too, but she still hasn’t realized the reputation it gives us...

Our group, Novus Obris, has also inherited a second name given by a country in the East: Venali Pamoira. In Elvish, it means "Apostles of Pamoira," or more precisely "Apostles of the Goddess of Love." Honestly, it kind of ruins the cool warrior image I had of myself...

"I have the right to cling to you, Aley! Come on, let's go in?" replies Elvaria with a slight frown, feigning annoyance.

Suddenly, Alfira rushes towards the guild's door, reaching out her hands to push it. But at the moment of impact, her eyes start glowing, a sign that Gift of Kings has activated.

— BAM!

The door is sent flying across the guild at full speed, abruptly cutting off the adventurers' conversations. All eyes turn to us: me, Elvaria, Valentin, and Alfira, standing in the doorway. Of course, whispers start to spread.

"Novus Obris is here... and they're accompanied by the hero Valentin?" murmurs an adventurer to his companion.

"There's also Princess Alfira Si Iveralmn..." adds another.

"Do you think the hero joined the Novus Obris group?" whispers a third. I'm starting to get annoyed. They're already talking about us. It stresses me out over time.

I try to ignore these comments and head towards the counter. "Excuse me, ma'am, this is for the dungeon quest that no one has managed to open..." I say, forcing a smile, but at my words, Valentin suddenly looks shocked.

"ALEY, DON'T SAY-"

He's cut off by the commotion that follows my words.

"Novus Obris is going to try the dungeon that no one has ever opened?!" the other adventurers shout. Some stand up, while others, already standing, almost fall over. It's like I said something unimaginable.

"If it's them, it's possible. Valentin has always wanted to go. If Novus Obris is going, it must be because of Valentin, so..." murmurs an adventurer, completely off the mark.

Another suddenly shouts: "So Valentin joined Novus Obris?!" He screams so loudly that Valentin takes on a frustrated expression, covering his face with his hand as if to hide his embarrassment.

He then mutters to himself: "I knew it would end like this..."

Alfira, still smiling, observes the scene. Suddenly, she raises her arm and slams it down against the floor, having copied my strength. The gesture creates a shockwave that pushes the adventurers around us back. She speaks in a proud voice: "Silence, please! Novus Obris deserves royal respect in my presence!" she says, trying to sound imposing. But with her small size and adorable face, it's hard to take her seriously...

The receptionist, who had been silent until now, finally speaks: "Very well, I will register your names for the quest. Can you give me your ages again?" she asks, trying to appear calm, though it's obvious she's nervous.

"Aley Vrodwil, 17," I answer.

"Valentin Mossé, 19," adds Valentin. He's older than me? I didn't know...

"Alfira Si Iveralmn!" exclaims Alfira proudly. "16!" she continues, as energetic as ever.

"Elvaria Ofcroft, 17," says Elvaria, crossing her arms under her chest, a posture that has become almost automatic for her.

The receptionist writes down our information on a parchment, then stamps it before giving us a smile: "I've registered you all for the Blue Flower Dungeon quest. I should tell you to be careful, but given your group's strength, I have full confidence in your abilities. You can leave whenever you're ready!"

Around us, the adventurers are still silent, but their eyes follow us, fascinated. They seem surprised that such a group has formed here, in this guild.

"Shall we go now?" I ask, turning to Elvie, Valentin, and Alfira.

"Let's go!" they answer in unison. With that, we head towards the guild's exit, where the door is now missing, Alfira having sent it flying across the room. Our destination: the Blue Flower Dungeon.

We leave the guild and walk through the bustling streets of the capital, drawing curious glances from passersby. Arriving at the city’s gate, I recognize the guard who had accidentally let me in the first time. He's still there... It's surprising he hasn't been fired yet.

"Aley, we don’t know what awaits us in this dungeon. We might not make it out alive," Valentin said suddenly, in a grave tone. The sun, high in the sky, illuminated his face, giving him the appearance of a true hero. But Elvaria, ever optimistic, cut short his concerns.

"We'll conquer it without a problem!" she declared, a confident smile on her lips.

"Probably," I added with a slight smile.

I expected a comment from Alfira, but when I turned to where she was supposed to be, I was surprised to see she had vanished.

"Oh no..." I muttered, already frustrated by her sudden disappearance.

"Don’t worry, Aley, she’s just over there," Valentin replied, noticing my reaction. He pointed toward a hill in the distance, and there, indeed, Alfira was sprinting at full speed, too excited to wait for us.

"We have to catch up to her... Quick Step," I said, speeding up in an instant, leaving behind a shockwave that made the city walls tremble. Elvaria immediately followed, using her own magic to increase her speed.

Valentin, however, was still behind. Could he move as fast as us?

Suddenly, a scream echoed across the plain. "AAAAAH!" It was Valentin, screaming like a gorilla before launching into the chase, not using magic or skills, but simply running... on foot.

But... BUT?! He was running so fast that he managed to catch up to us, sweat dripping from his forehead. He was pushing his body beyond its limits, all with just the strength of his legs, while we were using magic!

"I'M COMING!" he shouted, his body trembling from the effort, but his determination unwavering. In just a few seconds, he was running at the same speed as me, even though I was repeating Quick Step to go faster.

"You're incredible, Valentin..." I said, watching him sweat profusely but neither slowing down nor giving up.

Elvaria, on the other hand, kept her gaze fixed on Alfira. Indeed, she was the only one who knew the exact location of the dungeon. We had no choice but to follow her, or risk losing sight of her. She could have at least waited for us... Damn it!