Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

Ren took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure after the shock. His legs were still trembling, and his body felt like it was slowly relaxing after the intense confrontation.

The cold winds in the underground space seemed to tear through the silence, but the light from the glowing crystal continued to shine, albeit dimming as Ren's unsettled emotions took their toll.

"Alright," Ren exhaled, his voice faint, but he couldn't afford to show his fear. Everything had happened so quickly, so terrifyingly fast that he hadn't even had time to process it.

Copper watched him for a moment, his gaze never leaving Ren. Although his voice remained calm, Ren could feel the sharpness in every word.

"Keep it together. This is only the beginning." Copper's tone was steady, but something about it demanded Ren's attention.

He wasn't just strong; he was someone who could control his emotions and the situation—something Ren couldn't do. He couldn't help but feel afraid.

Eylis approached, her eyes still fixed on the monster that had vanished into thin air, but the concern in her gaze remained focused on Ren. "Are you okay? Really okay?"

Ren looked at Eylis, feeling her worry slightly warm his otherwise cold mood.

"I'm fine." Ren replied, trying to smile even as a cold shiver ran down his spine.

From a distance, Tarek let out a mocking chuckle, but his attention was now fully on what lay ahead.

He no longer cared about Ren. "Keep moving. Don't linger. Let's see if there are more of those monsters."

Tarek's words felt like a cold wave crashing over Ren.

He couldn't help but feel the heavy weight on his shoulders whenever Tarek spoke, as if he were nothing more than a tool.

Scholar remained silent, his gaze cold and detached, but his silence made Ren feel suspicious. He couldn't understand Scholar, couldn't grasp what he thought about what had just happened.

But there was no time to analyze it, as the march through the dungeon continued.

He had to keep moving, despite the doubts in his mind, despite his body still trembling from the near-death experience. He was the guide, and no one in the group seemed willing to replace him.

The feelings of exhaustion, disorientation, and despair were slowly drowned out by the echoing footsteps of the group.

Yet, deep inside, a question suddenly echoed in Ren's mind: How long would his group survive?

"That one was just a scout," Copper announced, his sharp eyes staring into the darkness ahead.

"They've blocked all the paths ahead." As Copper's voice faded, dozens of red, glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.

Rows of health bars moved closer to the light.

Unconsciously, Ren shrank back under the weak glow of the crystal. But... his grip on the spear tightened.

The others began drawing their weapons and preparing for battle.

Tarek charged forward, swinging his axe at one of the monsters, but the blade only left a small cut on its scaly, rough back.

"Don't attack the back," Copper said as he deflected a leaping frog monster with his sword. He took advantage of the moment it exposed its belly and slashed at the vulnerable spot.

"Their weak point is the thin skin under their bellies. A few basic skill hits should be enough to take one down. Just aim for the belly; it's not too difficult..."

Copper spoke as he moved gracefully, dodging the long, whip-like tongues lashing out at him.

They missed, cracking against the stone floor with an eerie echo.

Tarek took a deep breath as pain surged from his shoulder, where one of the monster's tongues had cut him. But he didn't back down, continuing to strike at the monster's vulnerable belly. The pain didn't make him hesitate.

His twin axes were like merciless guillotines. One by one, the sewer frogs fell under his powerful strikes.

"Also... don't let their tongues touch you. The slime on them causes mild paralysis," Scholar warned as he pierced one of the tongues with his spear.

Scholar's belated and somewhat malicious warning made Tarek shudder, though it was unclear whether it was from anger or something else.

But he was a calculating man. Tarek ordered his underlings to form a shield wall at the front, while he waited for the right moment to attack.

He always aimed for the finishing blow, knowing that delivering the final hit would grant him more exp than merely contributing to the fight.

Seizing the moment when Scholar had a monster under control, Eylis darted forward like lightning. Her thin blade struck repeatedly at the monster's belly.

Ren's arms felt numb as he watched the warriors fight. He knew what he had to do, but fear still held him back.

Until one of the frogs broke through Scholar's defenses and lunged at Ren. He reacted instinctively, thrusting his spear into its back.

But the monster's health bar didn't drop at all. Instead, Ren became its target.

The frog leaped high, bypassing Tarek's shield bearers and lunging straight at Ren.

He could see its movements clearly, knew he should dodge. But his legs were frozen stiff.

The monster's body slammed into his stomach, throwing him back against the stone wall.

A sharp pain spread from his abdomen, where the impact had hit. He wanted to scream but couldn't; his throat was locked by fear. His legs felt heavy and unmovable.

[HP: 124/250]

A chill ran through Ren. He gripped his spear tightly, thrusting wildly, but the monster's rough scales deflected every hit.

The frog's mouth opened wide, its sword-like teeth inching closer. Ren's eyes widened in terror, his blood freezing.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't stop his trembling. Those fangs were ready to devour him.

"Watch out!"

Just as the monster was about to bite down on Ren, a sword flashed from the right, slicing into the side of its head.

The frog turned away from Ren to face Copper, who stood before it, his eyes cold and unwavering.

Seeing it ready to jump, Copper swung his sword powerfully, slashing a long wound across its belly.

Without pause, he moved behind Eylis to provide support.

Scholar wasn't idle either, skillfully weaving between monsters and striking at their weak spots like the neck and chest, leaving them no chance to counterattack.

The battle was chaotic at first, but under Copper's leadership and the skills of the other two beta testers, things gradually stabilized.

More than a dozen sewer frogs were pushed back and defeated.

Victory was within reach.

As the final blows rained down, the tanks charged fearlessly into the monsters.

The frogs tried to counter, but they couldn't penetrate the shield wall.

Eylis aimed for a finishing strike, but a tongue lashed out, knocking her down.

Before it could attack again, Ren charged in, driving his spear into its belly, distracting it.

Eylis seized the opportunity and delivered the final blow.

She looked at Ren, her eyes sparkling with gratitude, and gave him a warm smile. "Thanks, Ren. If it weren't for you, I would've lost a lot more HP."

Her words brought an unfamiliar warmth to Ren's heart, leaving him momentarily speechless.

He simply nodded and turned his attention back to the battle. His spear skills weren't great, so he stayed behind to provide support.

The fight ended with no casualties.

But Ren had defeated no monsters, gained no exp, and received no loot.

Never... had he felt so... useless.

"Leveling up has never been this easy. If only I had known about this sooner..."

Tarek let out a greedy laugh, his eyes glued to his status screen. Ren sensed something sinister in the way Tarek observed everyone, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that Tarek wanted more than just the rewards from this battle.

It seemed Tarek had leveled up after the intense fight. The others also appeared to have gained something.

Especially the three beta testers, who had taken down nearly half of the sewer frogs. Yet, their faces showed little reaction. It was as if the post-battle rewards didn't matter much to them.

Ren felt a wave of disappointment rising within him as he watched everyone receive their rewards. He still couldn't feel proud of himself. Never before... had Ren felt so... useless.

He glanced at his HP bar again, anxiety creeping through his body.

124 HP... If he encountered another monster, he wouldn't stand a chance. He didn't have any healing items with him and had no idea what to do.

Copper shot a quick glance at Ren, his eyes sharp as if he could read every thought in Ren's mind. After a moment of silence, he began to explain the recovery options available to the group.

"Leveling up in Sword Art Online doesn't restore your HP to full. After a battle, everyone definitely needs to recover the health they lost."

The others watched Copper in silence.

"The simplest way is to rest in a safe zone. The second option is to use healing items. But they're quite expensive at this stage."

Copper paused slightly, as if gauging everyone's reactions.

"There's also another way... setting up camp. Resting by a campfire can help restore lost HP over time, but... just barely enough."

Tarek frowned, seemingly displeased with the idea of stopping to rest, but he said nothing.

Meanwhile, Eylis looked at Copper and nodded in agreement. "I think setting up camp is the best option."

Scholar, wearing his usual serious expression, started planning to find a safe place to set up camp.

Copper turned his gaze to Tarek, his eyes gleaming as if he had seen right through him.

"I guess you wouldn't want to fight alone, would you?" he said, emphasizing "alone" in a way that made Tarek's eyes flicker.

A flash of defiance appeared in Tarek's gaze, but he merely scoffed and nodded, keeping his emotions hidden.