A cup slammed down on a table as multiple bandits played cards and bet on games in a single room. However, a 17-year-old man sat at a table wearing padded leather armor, long brown sleeves, and a tailored coat. He also had long dark brown pants and dirty shoes. His name was Aurelius. In front of him sat a woman, around 19 years old, uncertain of her exact age. She had long brown hair and blue eyes that resembled the morning sky. She wore a jacket with large buttons lining the center, her chest tightly packed, causing the top three buttons to struggle to stay closed. She also wore mini-shorts and combat-ready high heels. Her name was Alen.
"Hey, Alen... Have you heard about the dungeon outside of Alessa?" Aurelius asked.
"Yeah, I have. But then again, everyone has," Alen said.
Aurelius leaned back in his chair, not enough to tip it.
"Well, I was thinking... I don't see us doing this line of work for much longer. Plus, it would be better to become adventurers with our skill sets. But also, I'd rather not see my little sister's reaction to her big brother being a bandit," Aurelius said, both disappointed in himself and worried about his sister.
Alen tilted her head to the left as if deep in thought.
"Well, yeah, I guess you're right. This place will only last so long; we should probably get out while we still can. But there's a problem, when we sign up, we'll have to start at D Rank, meaning we won't earn as much money. But then again, we could kill some monsters, sell their hides, or whatever useful things they have on them," Alen said, both worried about their future and optimistic at the same time.
Aurelius let out a heavy sigh.
"Yeah, that's the only problem, earning enough money to feed my entire family. I'm the only one who can work since, you know, my mother is too sick to get up anymore," Aurelius said as he took a sip of ale.
"I'm sorry for your mother, but that's how the world works; it takes a while for true success, unfortunately," Alen replied.
Aurelius put down his cup of ale back onto the table.
"Yeah, it sucks; I want my little sister to see me in a better light before she sees me in this line of work. But it'll ruin her view of me, and I don't want that; it wouldn't be good for either of us. We're already living on the edge of our teeth," Aurelius said.
"I get that, but if you want to get out of this line of work, I'll go with you. However, you must remember that getting started will take a good bit," Alen replied.
Suddenly, a large crash rang throughout the room from the door leading upstairs. Everyone in the room drew their swords, expecting someone to enter.
"What the hell is going on?" Aurelius said.
But as he rose from his seat, a body flew into the room, crashing through the door. The body landed on a nearby table, missing its legs and arms; however, its head was still there but looked diseased. Everyone then looked back at the door, prepared for whatever came next. However, no one knew the true terror they were about to face.
"[Grasp Heart]," an unknown entity said as a man closest to the door fell to his knees, his mouth bubbling with saliva.
'What the hell?'
"Alen, did you see that? He died without being touched, I didn't see any magic, but I did hear an incantation," Aurelius said.
"Yeah! I'm a little shocked, but let's try to fight whatever this is," Alen said, though she could tell from the shaking of her legs that this force, this entity that was upstairs, was something unrivaled.
Footsteps could then be heard coming down the stairs. Everyone looked into the darkness of the opening, and they saw its bright red eyes glowing in the shadows.
"[Triplet Maximize Magic: Burning Lance]," the unknown entity said as three burning lances shot forth, killing a handful of bandits. They dropped to the ground, dead, with the smoke from their burning bodies rising to the ceiling and the smell of their charred corpses spreading throughout the room, causing some bandits to nearly vomit.
"Firebolt!" Alen cast a quick spell, sending a bolt of fire forward. It hit the entity with full force, but it didn't cause any damage, as it was entirely blocked by what they believed to be a magic shield.
The unknown figure walked into the room, wearing elegant robes, a massive gauntlet, and a demonic face with a grin.
"Damn... this isn't good," Aurelius said.
'This guy is something else; I can tell all my instincts are telling me to run as fast as possible and not to look back. But can I even run? And what about Alen?'
"We should run..." Alen said, but her legs wouldn't move.
"I don't think he will even allow us to. So all we can do is fight back the best we can and hope we win," Aurelius said as he prepared for the fight ahead.
"[Triplet Magic: Shock Lance]," Momonga cast a spell, and Aurelius and Alen took the opportunity to move in that moment.
"[Fireball]," Alen summoned a fireball. Again, it shot forth with great speed, but it was blocked by what they believed to be a magic shield.
Three lightning lances formed and shot forward, killing a few more bandits that attempted to strike at the unknown figure.
'Let's see... where can I strike him from.'
Aurelius circled the man, trying to find an opening. Eventually, he did. With one swift move, he struck at the unknown figure with his sword. However, it did no damage; it was as if he wore armor beneath his robes.
The fight continued for another three minutes until only Aurelius and Alen were left standing. However, they were severely exhausted after all that fighting.
'Even after three straight minutes of hitting him with everything we have, he doesn't have a scratch on him... what on earth is he?'
"Alen, do you have any more mana reserves?" Aurelius asked.
Alen looked back at Aurelius, her eyes saying it all.
"Okay then..." Aurelius said.
The unknown entity began to speak.
"I admire both of you for lasting so long. As a reward, I will tell you my name: I am Momonga, the supreme being of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. But don't be mistaken, the only reason I'm telling you my name is that you won't be walking out of here alive," Momonga said confidently.
'Momonga? I've never heard that name in any books or lists of the strongest people in the world. This man shouldn't even exist, so why is he here? Ugh! No matter; I can't think about that right now. I have to think of a way out; if I die here, my little sister will die of hunger or become a slave.'
"Sir Momonga, indulge me for a second; why are you attacking us?" Aurelius asked.
"It's a simple reason: your leader stole something important to me and stalled my plans," Momonga replied with a hint of anger in his voice, though a green aura seemed to calm him back down.
'God fucking damnit it, Marcus, you always get us into deep shit!.'
Momonga started moving forward, and Alen and Aurelius responded by moving to his sides. But then something happened that shocked Aurelius to his core.
"[Death]." Suddenly, Alen collapsed to the floor, dead in an instant.
"WHAT!?" Aurelius screamed out in fear and confusion.
"YOU DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH HER, AND I SAW NOTHING!?" Aurelius exclaimed, panicked.
"It's not my fault she didn't have a defense against instant death magic. It's a resistance that must be obtained first when someone has the chance," Momonga said.
'Instant death magic? Is he saying that he can kill people instantly without anything harming them physically?'
"No... that's impossible!" Aurelius declared.
Momonga seemed to grow a little annoyed.
"Anyways... time to end this," Momonga said.
"Wait! WAIT! We can talk this out! I have a little sister, and I must take care of her! If I don't, no one will!" Aurelius pleaded, but he realized that Momonga wasn't listening. So he started to run away as fast as he could.
"Since everyone was using Fireball on me earlier, I'll return the gesture. [Fireball]," Momonga said. A gigantic fireball formed in front of him, hurtling toward Aurelius.
'No... please...'
Aurelius felt the sudden heat of the Fireball, and his body began to burn from the feet to the top of his head.
'I-I'm sorry, Hannah...'
With that, he was engulfed by the Fireball, leaving nothing behind him.