The Boss had been slain.
The great heroes had fallen.
However, if there was a silver lining, it was the mere fact that, just like before—when the lights of Mass Teleportation flashed out—everyone suddenly found themselves on the ground floor.
The thousands of Adventurers—an approximate number of 5,700—made it to the place where it all began.
The stony walls of the Dungeon's door echoed with salvation, and every single soul who gazed upon it cried tears of joy and raised their hands in victory.
In terms of loot, not many things were gained from the mission. Sure, the Adventurers were able to take many Items and ores from whatever Zones they found themselves in, but those were simply the ones lying around.
No one had the time to actively search for treasures of mine the heck out of the Dungeons.
Miasma was a corrosive element to humans, so naturally, any proceeds from the Dungeon would have the taint of corruption. Still, it was possible to purify Miasma-powered Items, or even wields it as it is.
If Miasma was poisonous to humans, it was the same for Monsters who weren't Undead.
As such, when fighting powerful beasts, imbuing Miasma into one's attacks was a sure way of dealing more damage and achieving victory. Of course, overexposure to Miasma was a detrimental thing, and several consequences followed.
However, with the aid of sufficient defensive measures, that consequence could be delayed or downright halted.
The bottom line was, despite the sheer scale of the Conquest, and the overall lives as well resources that were expended to challenge the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon, the benefits they gained was as impressive.
No Adventurer thought about that, though—not yet, at the very least.
Right now, the only thing on their mind was the very definition of an Adventurer; FREEDOM!
Many who thought they would have to spend even more days searching for the exit were overjoyed. The ones who had the hidden fear that they would be trapped in there forever were happily disproven.
No one really knew where the theory of "Defeat the Boss, and we can go home" came from, but it turned out to be true.
As everyone stepped out of the Dungeon's embrace, taking in the fresh breeze, rather than the stifling air within Dungeon, they couldn't help but fall to their knees and cry.
Grown men and women burst out in tears.
They cried for three reasons.
The first and most obvious reason was for the mere fact that they survived the onslaught that wiped out their comrades.
The second was for those comrades who had perished within the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon. The Adventurers honored them in their hearts.
The third and final reason for their tears and loud cries was for the man who had brought them this far; the one who saved them from death.
Without them, they would have perished, without the shadow of a doubt.
With an unanimous cry that ascended high into the heavens, everyone sent forth their loudest voice and let out their gratitude.
"Sir Jet… THANK YOU!"
The Conquest was officially over, and now—despite having lost so many people, including the Guildmaster—the only thing everyone could do was move forward.
Standing in front of everyone, like a leader braving the storm, was Sherlock. Beside him was Britta, and they both took the first steps towards the City.
As soon as everyone saw them move, they did the same.
It was instinctive—the response to the hierarchy that existed at that point.
As the Chaos Blade remained in Sherlock's grasp, and Britta's resolute face giving off the very definition of strength, the Adventurers knew they were not without hope.
Only two of the Heroic Rank Adventurers remained, but these two were no longer the same as before.
There seemed to be an awakening within them.
The desires emerged—to grow stronger, and lead the Adventurers into their ideal world.
… A world of freedom.
**************
"That was a chore…"
Rey sat opposite Esme and sighed, blinking a few times just so he could adjust himself to the current state of the room around him.
Countless rotting corpses, destroyed by Esme's Magic, surrounded the two of them. Just from the looks of things, she had been busy in his absence.
Rey could spot tons of Greater Undead , with a sprinkle of the Grand Tier ones.
"Ah! You're back already?" Esme's voice woke him out of his observation, and he nodded in response.
"Yeah. Everyone got out safely." He said with another tired sigh. "As for Adonis and the rest, I've decided to transport them directly to the Capital."
Rey had initially suspected that there would be somesort of time discrepancy—with maybe the time in the Dungeon flowing faster or slower than in the real world—but based on what he had observed, that didn't happen.
The Adventurers indeed spent nearly seven whole days in the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon.
"It'll be hectic, having them return to the Adventurers City, especially after all the drama that they caused."
"What drama? Wasn't it just the guy acting as Sebas that caused a scene. I remember everyone else was lowkey." Esme responded.
"Oh yeah…" Rey chuckled a little before speaking once more. "I forgot that you weren't there for the most part."
Right when Adonis began his rampage and wanted to reveal his identity as a 'Dragon Spy'—whatever that meant—Rey ended up using his illusion ability and his [Duplicate] to swiftly replace the girl.
And so, during most of the fight, it was his duplicate that was there.
'I also replaced my main body with a duplicate, teleporting myself an Esme to a safer location.'
Back then, he was so confused—needing a breather and room to think—so he had to resort to such means.
In the end, that was the optimal choice, considering all that followed.
"Well, it's quite a long story." Rey said, rising to his feet while stretching his body.
Esme slowly rose as well. She knew what time it was; exterminating the rest of the Undead in this place and mining rewards.
"Let's talk while we move."
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Thanks for reading!
