Levelling Up the Fallen God

Half Survivors (2)

Kraaoo! The cries of the goblins grew more ferocious, and it was clear that monsters were sensitive to the changing momentum.

The goblins had eagerly anticipated the moment when humans would succumb to fear, but now the atmosphere was shifting, spelling trouble for them.

Phinence took a decisive step forward, leaving the trembling humans behind.

“Weapons,” he commanded, extending his hand to the mercenary standing beside him. The sword was passed to him seamlessly, without a trace of awkwardness. The gesture flowed so naturally that neither Phinence nor the mercenary felt out of place.

“Are there any other weapons available?”

“I have one more sword and five throwing daggers.”

“If we are to fight together, it would be wise to distribute the daggers evenly.”

“Indeed,” the mercenary agreed, complying once again with Phinence’s request. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Could this be seen as a test to reach Valhalla?”

Regardless, the mercenary’s cooperative attitude was a welcome development. With two longswords, five daggers, and the staff wielded by the wizard, the group now possessed a total of eight weapons. This meant that, except for two people out of the ten, the rest could be adequately armed.

Except for the women.

Casting a brief glance backward, Phinence noticed a common trait among those lacking weapons—they were all women. Although one woman among those holding daggers had been chosen due to the shortage of men, it was still a noteworthy observation.

Well, it was probably a rational decision.

In a world where laws and societal norms favored protecting the weaker individuals, excluding physically weaker women from combat roles would be considered reasonable. But this place defied the conventional wisdom everyone knew.

[Strength 1] [Agility 1] [Endurance 1] [Magic Power 1]

Upon crossing into the Dimensions Sea, everyone started on an equal footing. While there might be slight differences, but overall, everyone’s combat skills evened out.

If they couldn’t grow stronger on their own, survival would become increasingly difficult for them in the future. Thus, the two individuals excluded from the battle were essentially being denied the opportunity for their “first battle” experience, rather than receiving any special privileges.

It would be advantageous to quickly grasp the laws of this world.

Phinence shook his head, dismissing these futile thoughts. In a situation where his own life was at stake and time was of the essence, he couldn’t afford to dwell on other people’s circumstances.

“…”

Thump, thump.

A gentle pounding near his chest resonated within him—the strongest heartbeat he had ever experienced. However, he managed to maintain his sanity, guided by his preexisting mental disposition that forced composure upon him.

“…!”

At that precise moment, the same inexplicable phenomenon as before occurred once again.

Whoosh! A radiant light suddenly emanated from the mercenary’s entire body, but this time, it wasn’t crimson—it was golden.

A golden light…?

[Intermediate Mercenary Beidan]

[Lost all power while crossing dimensions.]

[Vaguely remembers basic strategies and the sense of combat when facing monsters.]

[Mistakenly believes it to be a test for the tutorial battle to reach Valhalla. Sacrifice and dedication are what he desires.]

Phinence swiftly read the golden message. Based on people’s reactions, it was clear that the radiance emanating from the mercenary’s body could only be seen by himself.

The goblin and the mercenary. When the crimson and golden lights appeared within the same field of vision, Phinence’s realization sparked.

That’s their leader.

Phinence pointed his sword at a specific location, then turned back to the mercenary and murmured, “Beidan.”

“…!”

“I’ll be watching your choice.”

The mercenary’s pupils dilated, momentarily displaying an expression as if struck by a hammer.

“Gladly… I understand.”

The golden flash surged towards the enemy lines, catching everyone off guard.

Swish!

In the next instant, a feeble final gasp escaped from a goblin’s mouth. Allies and enemies alike blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend the situation. It was only after the sequence of movements had concluded that they began to grasp what had transpired.

Even in a world where strength and speed were reset, the combat senses accumulated by the mercenary were not to be easily disregarded.

The mercenary’s sword pierced the goblin chieftain’s chest with precise accuracy. Simultaneously, the goblin soldiers’ weapons impaled him, covering his body like quills on a porcupine.

Squelch…

The man’s body was instantly soaked in blood as he was stabbed.

“Val… halla…. Cough… Cough…”

Time, which had momentarily halted when the mercenary let out a faint laugh, resumed its flow.

Thud.

The goblin with the pierced heart fell to the ground first.

Crash!

Then, the mercenary shattered into countless pieces, transforming from a human form into polygon fragments that collapsed like a line of falling dominoes.

Phinence had witnessed this scene countless times and had even experienced such a death himself. Those who lost their lives within the dimensional rift left behind no traces of their bodies or souls.

“…”

The crimson and golden radiance faded away.

“Kyaaa! Kaaa!”

While the goblins lamented the loss of their chieftain, some of the humans were still struggling to accept the reality unfolding before them. The disappearance of the physical bodies that had been moving vividly was more shocking than mere death. Those with weaker mental strength found it difficult to take another step forward.

“The enemies have lost control.”

It falls upon the ruler’s duty to command those whose feet refuse to move.

Phinence shouted, raising his sword in front of him. Seizing this moment, when the goblins were at their weakest, was the only path to victory.

“Now is the time! Attack them all!”

Pointing his sword, he charged into the battlefield himself.

It was akin to a miracle. Humans who had experienced a fight on the precipice of life and death for the first time today overcame their fear and charged at the enemy.

Was it also the ability of a monarch to stir the motionless into action?

“We can win!”

Or perhaps they believed that following the enigmatic man was their sole lifeline—the one being who brought hope from despair.

Every word spoken by Phinence carried an indescribable power that ignited faith within others.

“You sons of bitches!”

“Die! Die! You bastards!”

The initial struggle was difficult, but the subsequent moments became relatively easier.

Crash!

As green blood began to splatter through the air, the fear that loomed over the battlefield transformed into madness. They focused solely on killing the enemies, even as their own wounds increased. Some even discarded their daggers and wielded the clubs of fallen goblins, swinging them wildly.

Now, only Phinence maintained a clear mind on the battlefield.

“It’s still a close call.”

Phinence calmly assessed the situation. Modern humans had no reason to fight for their lives.

[Strength: 1]

Moreover, most men had lost their original physical strength upon crossing into this dimension. Dealing with disoriented and frenzied goblins was no easy task for these newcomers. As a result, allies began to fall victim to the goblins’ blind attacks, one after another.

“Ugh…!”

Spears and arrows pierced the fragile skin of the humans.

Crash!

Their bodies turned into shattered statues like the mercenary from before, crumbling down.

“I should minimize the damage as much as possible…!”

Whoosh!

Within Phinence’s field of vision, crimson and golden auras blossomed simultaneously. The crimson was a goblin holding a crossbow. The golden was a woman swinging her weapon wildly while mounted on a goblin.

There was no time to think. In an instant, Phinence grabbed the woman by the collar and pulled her forcefully.

Swish!

An arrow grazed her eyebrows and passed by.

“Ah…?”

The woman’s teary eyebrows shot up. In her pupils, amidst the madness of the battlefield, an emotionless man’s face reflected, which did not fit the surroundings.

“T-Thank y…”

There was no time for small talk. Phinence thrust his sword with all his strength.

Phoof!

The sword grazed the woman’s cheek, slicing through a few strands of her hair, and pierced through the head of another goblin that was ambushing from behind.

Whoosh!

Disgusting goblin bodily fluids spilled over the woman’s head, but she seemed unaware of the smell, as if she couldn’t even perceive it at the moment.

“Your vision is limited.”

“…”

“Watch your back.”

Leaving behind brief advice, Phinence turned without looking back and headed elsewhere.

Shrrrk!

The sound of human bodies being shattered and scattered somewhere reached his ears. To restore balance to the battlefield, he had no choice but to rely on his own abilities.

“Kraaack! Kyaaah!”

The screams of monsters and humans mingled from all directions. Except for one person, everyone else didn’t know how they were fighting, how they were surviving. They simply repeated the act of killing the enemies before them.

The battle with the goblins lasted only about 10 minutes, but for everyone whose senses had dulled, that time felt fleeting or like an endless eternity.

And finally…

Silence fell upon the field that had been drenched in madness. Even though all the goblins had fallen, those who survived couldn’t utter a word. There was no triumphant cheer of victory. Only the panting breaths of exhaustion were heard.

And in that moment…

Ting!

[The battle has ended!]

[Oh my, the total annihilation of the enemy… Could this be the emergence of dark horses? We look forward to your future!]

Sentences began to flow on the hologram at the top of their field of vision.

[All survivors will receive 100C credits!]

[Credits are simply the truth! It’s the currency of this world that can buy anything. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to slowly discover the methods of using it for yourself?]

As the tutorial had just ended, the messages were more talkative than usual.

[100 kg of floating stones has been accumulated on the ship!]

[Floating stones are the fuel needed for the ship to fly freely in the sky. I don’t think I need to mention what will happen if the fuel runs out, do I?]

[In this rift like this, players can obtain the necessary credits and floating stones, so please remember that!]

Phinence pushed the sentences that were lingering in his field of vision to the side. He had already heard these explanations once before. Having reached the top of Sky Islands, he knew most of the knowledge. The message he was waiting for now was not an explanation of the tutorial but the contents of the rewards that would follow.

[Tutorial completed!]

[May good luck be with you on your journey….]

The heads of everyone who had been looking up at the sky turned back to their front. Phinence, too, turned his gaze forward. The subsequent individual achievement rewards were visible only to his eyes.

[In your first battle, not only did you survive unscathed, but you also annihilated the enemies! As a reward for your boldness, we present you with a gift!]

[Achievement Unlocked: Reckless Newbie]

[Bonus Stat +1]

[You led humans who didn’t even know how to fight and move voluntarily! The qualities of a commander are already apparent!]

[Achievement Unlocked: Ragtag Commander]

[Credits +600C]

[It’s not just about killing numerous enemies. You contributed more than ten times the average members!]

[Achievement Unlocked: One-Man Carry]

[Credits +300C]

It took quite a while for the waves of messages to pass.

In stark contrast to the first playthrough where no achievements were accomplished, the rewards this time around were substantial. Phinence received a tenfold increase in credits, which would be highly valuable in the early stages. As an added bonus, he even obtained important stat points.

“Now, it begins.”

Despite finding himself in a much better starting position than before, Phinence’s expression remained far from cheerful. The tutorial experience had truly hammered home just how dangerous this world was.

“In the new world, you’ll have to use your true self completely.”

[Death Count: 1053]

The voice of his older sister during the battle still lingered in his ears. The countless deaths he had experienced in the first playthrough kept flashing before his eyes. If he settled for his current state, it wouldn’t be any different from his reckless past.

Phinence mentally replayed the recent battle. Did he miss anything? Could he have found better strategies if he had been more skilled?

“…!”

Wuuuung!

The movement of the ship jolted Phinence out of his thoughts. As the tutorial came to an end and the rift disappeared, he and his party found themselves back on the deck of the flying ship.

The survivors remained silent, lost in their own contemplations. Some were stained with blood and vomit, while others simply stared into the distance.

Being the sole bearer of information that others didn’t possess, it felt as though they were waiting for him to speak up.

“So, only five of us are left.”

Phinence rose from his seat. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, he walked to the edge of the ship and calmly gazed out into the vast sky. Beyond the layers of clouds lay a beautiful yet treacherous hell.

To survive in this harsh reality, he would have to push himself to the limits and be prepared to sacrifice his life. Otherwise, there would come a day when he would truly lose his life.