Apocalypse with my SSS Harem Beauties-Chapter 165: Together

The room fell into silence after Lilian’s explanation. The warm amber light continued to pulse softly through the chamber while the healing Ether slowly restored their bodies, yet the atmosphere had grown noticeably heavier.

The possibility of encountering another group inside this dungeon trial hung over them like a shadow.

For a while no one said anything.

But then Myles finally leaned forward in his chair. His elbows rested on his knees while his gaze moved across the group.

"Well," he said calmly, "that doesn’t really change anything."

Several heads turned toward him.

"The only thing that’s certain is that we keep fighting. No matter who or what ends up in front of us."

His voice was simple. Not loud or dramatic. But the certainty in it carried a clarity to them.

In this world they had already learned the truth the hard way. Strength was survival. Weakness meant death. There were no shortcuts and no safe paths waiting for them.

If another group appeared, then they would fight them.

If monsters blocked the path, then they would fight them as well.

Fear would not change the outcome of anything.

"So worrying about it now is useless," Myles continued. "When the time comes, we deal with them just like usual."

For a moment the others looked at him in silence.

Then Kade nodded slowly. "He’s right."

His voice was low, but the fire in his eyes burned intensely. The faint glow of his gauntlets reflected across his face as his expression hardened.

"We need to get stronger." His hands tightened slightly. "And I will find Ryan."

The room grew quiet again when he said that name.

All of them understood what that meant.

Kade had once served in the same military company as Ryan. They had fought together and trusted each other.

Then Ryan had betrayed them.

Or rather... something had taken over him that made him betrayed them,

That unknown entity had turned Ryan into something else entirely. Something that had killed Nadine.

The memory of that moment still lingered heavily among them.

Kade had taken it the hardest.

Even if Ryan had been controlled by something else, Kade still carried the weight of responsibility in his mind. Like he had somehow failed to stop his friend.

So now his goal was clear. He would be the one to end it.

Victor exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.

"I agree. In order to get stronger in this world we need to fight," he said simply.

George nodded.

"Yeah. That’s the only thing that matters anyway."

Clara gave a faint smile.

"We’ve already made it this far together."

Daniel rolled one of his daggers across his fingers before sliding it away. "Right. We’re not stopping now."

One by one the tension in the room began to ease. The quiet determination between them strengthened again.

They had already faced death many times together.

Now their resolve felt even clearer.

Their spirits lifted as they shared that understanding.

For now they simply remained in the chamber, letting the healing energy restore their bodies completely. There was no need to rush forward while they still had this rare moment of safety.

They would move again once they were ready.

Across the room, Lilian turned her head slightly as she watched them.

These lower creatures were strange.

In the higher realms she came from, bonds like this were rare. Families, clans, and races existed for power and survival. Individuals were pieces on a board, meant to serve the larger purpose.

Sacrifice was common.

Losing one member for the benefit of the whole was considered normal.

Yet these people were different.

They were weak compared to higher beings. Fragile and much more short-lived.

And yet they clung to each other.

They protected one another and refused to abandon their companions even when survival would have been easier alone.

Lilian’s gaze slowly drifted toward Myles.

She could see it clearly in him.

He had already lost someone once.

And he had no intention of letting that happen again.

Her lips curved slightly.

Perhaps this lower world wasn’t as dull as she once thought.

There were still things here that could be... interesting.

She returned to studying the runes carved along the chamber walls. But now, without noticing it herself, her attention had shifted.

At some point she had begun trying harder to understand the structure.

Perhaps... even to help them.

—

Far away within another branch of the same dungeon structure, the battlefield looked completely different.

A wide hill covered in thick grass stretched beneath a gray sky. Wind swept across the field in long waves.

Bodies lay scattered across the slope.

Dozens of armored warriors stood across the battlefield. Each one of them wore heavy full plate armor and carried long weapons that gleamed under the pale light.

At least fifty of them still remained.

In front of them stood twenty exhausted fighters.

They were the team Red had sent into the dungeon.

This was the thirteenth floor.

The ground around them was already covered in fallen enemies. Nearly half of the armored warriors had been destroyed during the brutal battle.

But the remaining ones still stood in perfect formation.

And the twenty fighters were barely holding themselves upright.

Several of them were kneeling. Others leaned on weapons or held bleeding wounds.

Their breathing was ragged.

"This is pointless..." one of them muttered. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The leader stood at the center of the group with a dark expression on his face.

They had already fought this exact battle more than a dozen times.

Each time the result had been the same.

They pushed forward. They killed dozens of the armored warriors. Then they were slowly overwhelmed.

This floor had a reset mechanic.

If the leader gave the command, the battlefield would revert to its starting point and the fight would begin again.

They had used that reset again and again. But the mental strain had begun to crush them.

Fighting the same hopeless battle repeatedly drained more than just strength. It crushed their morale.

Several of the twenty fighters stared at the endless line of armored warriors in front of them with hollow expressions.

One of them turned toward their leader. "...Just reset it already."

Another sighed heavily. "I can’t do this again."

The leader clenched his jaw while looking across the battlefield.

The remaining enemies slowly advanced.

Step by step. Unstoppable.

And for the thirteenth time, the same hopeless choice stood in front of him.

—