After Einhar won the [Wings of Greed] lottery, Raven treated her like a puppet and tested the essence's functionality. First, about the most important thing.

"I... I can't fly...!

Flight with these wings was impossible. Since they were made of light, they could not only be used to attack or defend, but also to move them at will. They just moved depending on Einar's mood.

*Swipe, swipe!*

It doesn't sound good, it looks like she's in a bad mood.

Nevertheless, it was necessary to think about balance. If they could also fly, it would be unfair.

— ... Nevertheless, it suits you very much.

"Yes, yes, you look very strong.

"Really?!"

In response to Misha's compliment, his wings began to flap again.

*Clap!*

Hmm, it seems to make her happy. Well, even I had to admit that the wings look cool. The effect of air suction during regeneration also looked quite impressive.

"If we knew it would be so, you could have it for yourself, Mr. Yandel. Do you regret it?

"Huh?"

"Now that the Vampiric Essence is gone, you don't have any ability related to regeneration.

Ah, that's what she meant. But this essence doesn't work for me. To begin with, the passive ability was not suitable for tanks. Regeneration in any case can be provided by just one indicator, and there are tons of essence in the labyrinth for better.

Moreover, she is very compatible with Einar.

The effect of the [Explosion Scars] was simple: Two hits to the same point would cause an explosion. In the game, it was similar to a critical hit, only it worked better against slower monsters or if you increased Accuracy. But combined with the [Repeated Strike], it was a completely different story.

"Then let's move on.

Shortly after we resumed our exploration, a group of monsters appeared, and everyone was able to see Ainhar's stature firsthand.

*BACH!*

As soon as she used the [Repeated Strike], an explosion occurred. The heads of rank 7 monsters instantly burst and disappeared in the beams of light.

This power was enough to make even Raven startled.

"So that's why you gave the essence to Miss Einar?" Because of my assumption that she can create an explosion from repeated strikes?

Well, it wasn't a "guess" to me. Of course, I couldn't say that, so I came up with an excuse.

"You are the mage of our team. Of course, I trust your opinion.

"Uh... Thank you, but...

As expected, Raven couldn't say anything and fell silent.

Meanwhile, Einhar couldn't contain her delight and continued to push through the monsters.

'Behellaaa

With each swing of the sword, explosions rang out.

*BACH! BACH!*

Thanks to the stats - Strength and Agility - tied to Berthas' essence, her movements are much smoother and more powerful than before. Of course, since I wasn't attracting aggression to me, her body continued to accumulate damage.

"Wings!"

When the [Absorption Vitality] and [Wings of Greed] were used together, the wounds quickly healed.

That, in fact, is the whole concept of her character.

She will be a Barbarian Berserker. I did not hide my delight as I watched Ainhar's battle. And I was also a little jealous. Before I discovered the Shield Barbarian, I had always nurtured my characters in this way. Exciting battles are a man's dream.

I wonder if it would be a bad idea to increase her Strength stat so that she can use dual swords, one sword in each hand...

I thought about it for a moment. A barbarian warrior spinning like a whirlwind and rushing across the battlefield with a huge sword in each hand, and even with an accessory in the form of wings of light on his back? Oh Lord.

It's pretty damn cool.

You can even get visual "satisfaction".

"B-Bjorn!"

"Understood. Now let me help you.

However, it was too far from perfect to overcome numerical superiority, so I joined the battle and helped end it. But isn't that in itself impressive enough?

"Wow, so you can become so strong with one essence..."

Mike looked at me with slightly envious eyes. After all, she doesn't have a rank 5 essence or higher yet. Watching Ainhar, who had both rank 4 and 5 essence, could make her feel deprived. After all, Einar was a first-year, too, just like me.

"Don't worry. You will also become stronger.

"Yes...

Misha suddenly became sad, but I couldn't say anything more to her. I planned to get everything I could from Hellfire Gorge before finding an essence for her. I assumed that it would take half a year, and it would take years to acquire the swords that were the core of a freeze-type swordsman.

Now that I'm on the 5th floor, I have a lot of work to do.

After collecting the mana stones, we continued our exploration. A huge forest of hot trees radiated the beauty of desolation.

While we were hunting monsters, time passed quickly, and before we knew it, the 30th day came.

[08:10]

There were 16 hours left before the closing of the labyrinth.

We're finally here. There was very little time left.

A huge tombstone appeared between the trees.

"Everyone stop!"

"Do you think it's a trap?"

"I don't know. But maybe.

As soon as she saw the man-made sculpture, Raven was wary.

It's a good attitude, but... It's just a tombstone.

The tombstone did not have any function in the game. In the fields in other directions, there were the same ones, and they served as a kind of landmarks, a sign that this was the center. There may have been hidden elements here that I hadn't discovered yet, but the chances of that happening were slim.

Out of suspicion, I tried all sorts of nonsense, but nothing came of it.

"Then what should we do?" I asked Raven.

"Prepare for battle first. Maybe it's the kind of thing that triggers something when you go within its range.

"Good.

Ignoring the mage's instructions in this situation was not the best solution, so I obediently followed her instructions.

Fortunately, Raven was cautious, but not one to waste time.

"I don't feel any mana. But just in case, I'll approach it slowly.

We gradually shortened the distance and soon stood in front of the tombstone. Of course, no monsters appeared.

"Mr. Yandel, could you touch the tombstone?"

Yes, you always make me do things like that.

Knowing that it was safe, I simply raised my hand to him.

And again, no reaction.

"Do you mind if I stay for a while and check everything?"

"If you want."

Even when I asked Raven, I just said yes. Since it was a real world, I figured we might be able to get some clues that weren't in the game. Half an hour passed in this way.

"Raven, let's go."

"N-no!" A man-made structure in the middle of the forest, there must be something behind it!

It seems that she fell into the same trap as me.

"Phew... I feel like I can learn something if a little more...

And how long will your "little bit" take?

"We don't have much time. If you're really interested, look for the relevant notes when we're outside.

When I drew the line, Raven put all her regrets aside and did as I said. Be that as it may, she is the kind of person who does not like to disturb others. In other words, it is easy to deal with.

"All right, then send it."

After that, we began to look around the tombstone, because there could be something nearby. In the time we had left, we still couldn't get very far, so no one complained.

If you walk a little, it should appear...

After we spent about two hours searching, Misha pointed somewhere and shouted:

"Bjorn!" Look, look there!

— ... House?

In the middle of a burning forest teeming with monsters, there was a two-story brick house.

Phew, we won't have to come back here next time.

This was exactly the place I was looking for.

***

The blackened wooden door swung open without difficulty.

*Scriiiiiii*

Almost like a scream.

God, that sound. He annoyed me, so I just tore off the door and threw it on the floor.

"Hey, could you please not break anything?"

— ... Grumbler.

"I'm not grumbling...

"Understood. I'll be careful.

She only scolds me for breaking down one door.

— ... It's a creepy place.

Inside there were only ruins. With the help of magic, we made sure that there were no monsters here, but since there could be a trap here, we searched the place carefully. However, it didn't take long. Everything from the sofa to the outer wall had been burned, leaving only skeletons. The search on the 1st floor was over in an instant, and we went up to the 2nd floor. In a room that looked like an old bedroom, we found a book.

"Raven!" It's your favorite thing!

The book was relatively intact, probably because it was in a drawer. Of course, it was all charred on the outside, but inside there were a few normal pages.

… Was she here?

It was an item I didn't find in the game.

Raven, her eyes shining, took the book from Einhar's hands and opened it.

"It is written in an ancient language.

"Can you read it?"

— Yes. This is my specialty. It looks like a diary.

As if to demonstrate her knowledge, Raven began to read aloud.

The content turned out to be very interesting.

Day 192. There was no salvation today either. Now there are only three of us left in the expedition. Tarvian offered to build a house, and I agreed. Demonic meat, as always, tastes disgusting.Day 271. The decent-looking house was finished. The three of us drank the wine we had in store. I don't know how long it's been since we last laughed and chatted like that. Heck, if only Zephyros hadn't gotten drunk and talked all sorts of nonsense, I'd still be in a good mood. Even if everything burns out, there is still hope. The proof of this is that we are still alive.Day 467. Tarvian is pregnant. Whose child can it be? Neither I nor Zephyros asked. Ah, Tarvian. The wisest and most compassionate of all women. Today I desperately want a drink.Day 672. No, 673? I don't know, but something important happened. The Fiery Sphere began to lose its power. Already the outer walls are scorched by fire. Only the mage Tarvian can fix the situation. But even if she sacrifices her life to extend the validity period, what's the point of it? Zephyros and I have come to a consensus after a long break.Today we are going to die.If the world has not perished at the hands of a witch and if someone ever finds this place, I hope you will use the item in the basement to save the world.

The author's name was missing from the diary, and only four pages remained intact. However, when Raven reread the last words, she was shocked.

"A witch...

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Of course, I thought about such a possibility, because the text was written in an ancient language, but... The person who wrote this diary is from our dimension!

"So what?" Mike asked.

However, Raven wasn't in the mood to kindly explain it to her.

"So what?" And the fact that this is another dimension! Why are there records from that time? No, how did these people get here in the first place? Raven muttered to herself, trying to get her thoughts in order.

Surprisingly, this did not last long.

"Cellar!" Let's go down to the basement first! If these words are true, then there must be something there.

— Good idea.

Going down to the 1st floor and raking the collapsed furniture, we opened a passage to the basement. It was quite dark there, so we used the magic of the light sphere.

*Top! Top!*

Going down, we found a small room with an area of about 3 square meters. It appeared to be used as a warehouse to store food, but there was a box that clearly looked valuable.

"All right, I'll open it," I suggested.

"Oh, can you?"

Finally, the performance of such work earlier bore fruit.

It seems natural, right?

Thinking so, I opened the box. Inside was a single bead. Before Raven could say anything, I raised my hand to him.

[You are registered as a Firesphere user].

It was a tying object.