Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

It was something that had bud in his heart a long time ago for the very first time he had met her. At that time, he wanted to approach and talk to her, but his presence was too low and he could never muster up the courage.

Unlike those near her, he was not a monstrous genius. He had tried his best but he couldn't even enter the top thirty rankings in the battle of the finest tournament. Whereas, she was easily able to enter the top five.

She was like an unreachable fairy blessed by the heavens. Compared to her, he not only lacked in talent, but he also lost to Marcus when it came to the looks department.

Gallio smiled, his eyes that were looking at Hallie, suddenly met with hers. At that moment, he felt like his heart had suddenly stopped beating.

There was no mistaking it, she was looking at him. Those beautiful tranquil eyes that hid an inborn haughtiness were at this moment, looking at him. Perhaps this was the first time that somebody other than a monstrous genius like Marcus was able to attract her attention.

Gallio was at a loss, the girl in his heart was finally looking at him. What should he do? What kind of face was he making? S-Smile… He wanted to make a statement with his smile since he didn't want to appear uninteresting or inconspicuous.

However, his smile had only just formed when it froze in place.

Puff…

"Hn?... What's wrong senior sister Tiana?" Hallie pulled her eyes away from Gallio and looked at Tiana when she felt some liquid drop on her face. Her eyes which had only turned around widened to their limits when she saw blood trickling down from the mouth of her senior sister and a dagger protruding out from her heart.

"Hallie… get away…"

Tiana managed to form a few words and pushed Hallie away from her.

"Dammit, I didn't expect a level 430 to be able to use such a powerful magic. Thanks to you, I had to revert back to my racial form" Bea's cold voice mixed with some anger, came from the space behind Tiana.

The figure that appeared, although had Bea's voice, and was wearing the same armoured maid clothes, looked very different from her usual figure.

Exotic tanned body, coupled with abundant muscles and feminine curves. Mysterious red patterns that ran across her skin all the way to her hands and legs, gave her a unique enigmatic aura.

Her peach colour hair which was usually combed neatly and tied into a braid, was all dishevelled and formed locks in the shapes of snakes. On her forehead, in between her two eyes, an unknown third eye had opened.

She had grown a lot taller and her nails had turned piercingly crimson, just like that of a wild beast. An intimidating primitive aura emitted out of the current her. This was Bea's true form, the Night Amazoness race.

"Rupture" she activated one of the skills of her dagger before pulling it out from the girl. Her three eyes then turned towards Hallie who had frozen in her place.

"S-Senior sister…" the latter was so shocked that, she had trouble believing her eyes. Just a moment ago, she shared a joyful conversation with Tiana and all of a sudden there was a dagger protruding out from her chest and an unknown enemy behind them.

"R-Run" Tiana muttered in her last breath as those eyes slowly became dim.

Tiana's body which fell towards the ground, was hurriedly caught by Hallie who tried to smear potions and other healing elixirs at her.

"It's useless, wounds inflicted with this dagger cannot be healed. I was told that your enemy would be the Andromedas. But now that they have been outsmarted and destroyed by you guys, Master wouldn't blame me for taking action personally. You don't have to worry about the other girl though, since you will be joining her soon" Bea commented coldly.

Cannot be healed? Hallie didn't want to accept these words and kept on using one healing potion on Tiana after another in a futile attempt.

The other members of the tertiary team who were similarly shocked, also woke up at this moment. Everything transpired so fast that even the veterans didn't have a chance to move their fingers. All they could do was watch in a daze as Tiana's lifeless body fall down on the ground.

They tried to move and save the other girl but they were too far and late to react.

"No… No… No.." Hallie who was clumsily trying to stop Tiana's bleeding with her hands when the potions had no effect was continuously muttering the same words of denial like a broken tape recorder.

She hugged Tiana's body close to her and watched the dagger magnify in her eyes.

STAB… Blood gushed out and a painful groan sounded in her ears. The dagger that should have claimed her life, was stopped by a figure who appeared between her and the dagger at the very last second.

"Hmm~" Bea was amused, she didn't expect somebody to catch up to her speed.

Looking at the person who willingly dived in between her attack and receive it on himself to save the one behind him, she realised that the person wasn't fast, he had simply rushed here before she even teleported behind them.

"Y-You are… that person" Hallie looked at the person who saved her life with trembling eyes. Surprisingly, it was none other than the guy who had come up with that surprising plan.

"Haha… the name is Gallio Stallard… " Gallio smiled trying to appear unfazed but the dagger penetrating through his stomach and the traces of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth suggested otherwise.

"W-Why?" Hallie couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice.

Gallio had saved her life but it came at a price and that price was his life. She who was resigned to her fate, didn't expect anybody to save her. Not to mention Gallio had no reason to save her, so why?

"I don't know… my body just moved before I could think anything. I just didn't want to see you die… ugh" Gallio smiled, even he himself didn't know why he would do something so reckless; nevertheless, now that he did it, he surprisingly felt relieved.

Relieved that Hallie was fine and the attack unable to reach her. It was a complex feeling and many would not be able to understand it but it didn't matter, he was satisfied with the result.

'I'm sorry master Cassius, I'm unable to live up to your expectation' he said sorry to his guild master in his heart and a light of resolution flashed in his eyes.

"Kuh!!" Gallio moved his body and grabbed the maid's hand tightly.

"What are you doing?" Bea asked perplexed.

"Hehe… I will not allow you to harm her. The others are rushing over here right now, as long as I can delay you…" Gallio stepped forward, doing so he inserted the dagger deeper inside his body. His actions were simple, he was sacrificing himself to buy time.

Perhaps it might have worked if the enemy was someone else but Bea was far higher levelled than he was not to mention she was currently in her true form which drastically increases all her stats and prowess.

"I think you are misunderstanding something, I don't need a dagger to finish someone like you".

SLASH… Bea moved her hand and her sharp nails easily beheaded the latter.

Gallio felt his vision turn upside down and the next thing he saw was the tearful and pale face of the girl.

'Ah, I failed again, maybe I should have gathered my courage and talked to her eight years ago. Perhaps we could have become friends... Haha'.

These were the last thoughts of Gallio Stallard, a level 420 [Shadow Assassin].

"What's with that smile? You were the first person to have died at my hands with such a relieved look on your face" Bea who enjoyed taking joy in the agony and pain of others, was unable to understand this behaviour.

The dagger Blood Bane was a weapon that was made to inflict torture and pain on others, even the slightest cut from the dagger hurt like hell so much so that even a grown man would bawl out loud. Nevertheless, this assassin never showed any expression of pain even until his last second.

"Hallie are you alright?"...

Perhaps she had dilly-dallied a little too much, the others have caught up and encircled her.

"Shit, I can't believe we allowed two of the geniuses to die right in front of our eyes. We will bring shame to our guilds if let any more of them. Everyone, prepare to fight with your life on the line" A veteran from one of the twenty guilds shouted. He pointed his weapon at the enemy and activated his skills.

"Take Hallie and the bodies of those two away, at the very least we can do is give them a proper burial outside".

Anna who had rushed towards her junior sister, nodded her head with difficulty at those words from the veteran adventurers.

"Let us help" Marcus and the other geniuses also rushed towards their two fallen comrades at this moment.

"Tiana… Gallio…" they couldn't believe that the two were dead when just a moment ago they all worked together to grab the victory in their hands.

"How… can this happen? Because of me, they died. I am the reason…" Hallie muttered in a broken doll-like manner.

"Hallie, it's not your fault. Elder sister Tiana and Gallio did all that to save you" Although she was hurting inside herself, Anna tried to comfort Hallie.

Tiana's existence was like the elder sister of the geniuses of the mage guild. While Gallio was someone who everybody was starting to recognise as equal. Losing those two was a big blow to the morale of the tertiary team.