Hellmode ~A Hardcore Gamer Becomes Peerless in Another World with Retro Game Settings~

Cecile asked what they would do now that they had conquered the Earth Labyrinth.

"It should be obvious. We'll go to the God of Magic Isiris' research facility. We'll leave Magra's horn there."

"Now I'll get a new Divine Technique, I can't wait."

Cecile was so visibly excited that it was hard to believe she was a noble.

[Wishlist from the God of Magic]

-Extra Mode: Heart of Nestiad

-Divine Technique: Horn of the Dragon God Magra

-Blessing: Fragments of the Sun and Moon

-Divine Artifact: Tail of the Beast God Garm

They had obtained Magra's horn and a Fragment of the Sun, so it was time to move forward with the quest.

Fighting Nestiad would be the hardest part so they would leave it for last, and Zew was searching for a Fragment of the Moon.

That left the Beast God Garm as the option for Allen.

"Hmm, about that, I think it's best if I go alone to see the Beast God Garm."

"Hm? What do you mean? We'll all go."

Even though the dwarves were still making a lot of noise in the background, the area around Allen became quiet all of a sudden.

"It means what I said. You've seen how hard going through the Earth Labyrinth was without you, Allen. You'll have to keep going to the 80th floor to gather materials, and you also need to gather Faith Points for Merle, right?"

Shea explained her thought, and also mentioned the Faith Points they needed.

Allen needed a large amount of Faith Points, so if he stayed at the Earth Labyrinth, he would get more of them in a short time. That would lead to Merle's abilities getting stronger.

They also did not have much time, so every second counted for Allen to get stronger, and that included his party. So Shea wanted him to prioritize that.

She did not think she was the one who needed the most help now.

"Shea, what's gotten into you? I thought we were a group."

"Merle, that's exactly why. I just want what's best for the group."

Shea wanted to go alone to meet with the Beast God Garm.

"Shea, you don't need to think so deeply about it. We all worked together to get through my trial too."

Sophie still remembered how everyone came to help her with her trial in the Spirit Paradise.

Allen had gotten terribly hurt, but he never demanded any sort of favor in return.

"That's true. It was also thanks to Allen's support that I got through Lord Giran's trial too."

"Then…"

"Sophie, you and Luck are necessary to go through the Earth Labyrinth efficiently. But without you two, Allen can't manifest all of his power either."

Allen needed to reset his Skill cooldowns and extend their duration to increase his Skill Levels.

So those two needed to be around Allen for him to become stronger more efficiently.

"I guess that's true…"

"I can't allow myself to slow down the hope of the world. So for that and my friends, I'll go talk with the Beast God Garm, overcome his trial, and come back stronger, and with his tail."

Shea's eyes glimmered as she said that. She had discarded her royalty, but her pride and confidence remained.

(I guess that's her decision then. I never asked what she thought when joining us. But hey, Luvanka, is that something she can actually do?)

Shea usually kept her emotions to herself, unlike Kurena, Merle, or Cecile.

She also never really spoke much about her childhood.

'Hm?'

Letting her go alone was easier said than done, and Allen did not want to lose her as a companion. He also could not bring himself to ignore her resolve.

Her idea was also the best in terms of letting everyone get stronger.

So Allen decided to consult with Luvanka, who was watching the conversation in silence.

"Shea says she wants to go there alone. You've met Garm before, right? What kinda guy is he? Is he reasonable?"

Allen wanted Luvanka to reply audibly so everyone could hear that information.

He also addressed the Beast God Garm as just Garm.

Meanwhile Shea seemed determined to go alone.

'...Your lack of respect aside, Lord Garm isn't someone lenient, and he'll certainly be severe even when dealing with a beastman. Whatever trial he gives will be difficult, even for his descendant.'

The Beast God Garm was the ancestor of Albahar's royal family.

"Hmm, I see. Maybe we should go with her after all then?"

'Like I said, he's not very lenient. Don't think he'll give you an easier trial just because there's more people there.'

"Then what?"

Luvanka crossed all of his arms and closed his eyes, saying it would be a difficult trial.

'I'll take her there.'

"Hm?"

'There's nothing more to it. It would be best if I guide her to meet Lord Garm. You'll probably have to go through this Earth Labyrinth a lot of times, but I'm not of much use here.'

Luvanka's role was not indispensable, and the group would manage without him.

(I feel like that was his plan all along. I guess this is how beastmen think though.)

It was common for beastmen to always do everything they could for others.

But everyone still waited for Allen's decision.

"Luvanka, you'll go with Shea."

'Alright.'

"I'll be counting on you. If you fail, I'll go straight there."

'Of course, I don't want any wars breaking out.'

Everyone grimaced a little hearing Luvanka's reply.

They knew that if anything happened to Shea in Garm's trial, Allen would go fight him.

After that they all raised a toast for Shea's departure.

Then the next day they all saw Shea and Luvanka off.

"We'll be going then. I'll get through it really quickly and then come back to fight Nestiad together."

"Yeah, but if anything happens we'll all go there together."

"Heh… We might have different goals, but our destinations are the same. I'm going then."

Shea chuckled for a bit but then turned serious again. She really wanted to say that there was no need for the rest to follow her, but she knew they would not listen.

At the same time, realizing that everyone there had become such close friends made her feel a bit embarrassed.

But the pupils of her cat eyes were thin, showing her determination.

"Alright, take them all the way to Garm's stronghold, Tsubamen."

While they were in the Earth Labyrinth, a Bird A summon had left a [Nest] near the Temple of the Beast God Garm.

'Pii!!'

A moment later Shea and Luvanka vanished from there.

"So this is the temple of Lord Garm. I feel him more strongly now."

Shea placed her hand on her chest. Usually she could feel the Beast God Garm's presence there, but now it was all around her.

'Pii!!'

The Bird A summon began circling around the two.

"Allen, we're going now."

'Pipii!!'

A moment later the Bird A summon turned into a card and vanished as light bubbles.

It did not matter how far away they were, Allen could always turn summons into cards and return them to his holder.

Shea looked away then, seeing a lot of dried up trees, and an enormous pyramid behind them.

"That's the temple of Lord Garm…"

'Yes, this is where Lord Garm resides. Let's get going.'

"Okay."

They walked from a wild trail into a path paved with stone.

There were many statues of beasts alongside the path leading to the building.

'They're all Beast Gods. Though they aren't around anymore.'

"The Twelve Beast Gods? This is the Deer God…and this one is the Boar God."

'The Twelve Beast Gods, which are Higher Gods, are enshrined in their Temples. These here are new Gods.'

"The Gods who were born after the God of Law was defeated…"

'But they all have vanished.'

Luvanka explained the statues to Shea as they walked forward.

"So there were this many Beast Gods born in the last 1000000 years, and they're gone too."

Shea looked at the dozens of statues there in shock.

1000000 years had passed since Elmea defeated the God of Law Axilion, and in that time so many Beast Gods had been born, and then vanished.

"Lord Giran looked rather elderly as well. I guess Beast Gods don't live the longest…"

'That's not it. You beastmen keep fighting each other for control, and that makes some Beast Gods rise and fall over one another. I heard that Lord Garm's health declined dramatically when Bek killed Gil.'

"So there's a correlation between beastmen fights and the Beast Gods."

After joining Allen, Shea had learned a lot about how the world worked.

1000 years had passed since the Beast Kingdom of Albahar was founded.

That seemed like a long time, but this world's history spanned around 10000 years.

10000 years ago, the Dragon King Magra had tried conquering the world.

He managed to go through the Gates of Judgement and entered the divine realm, but then was restrained by the Gods and sealed away for 10000 years.

But the divine realm had existed for a much longer time.

Around 1000000 years ago the world had changed greatly, when the 3 Highest Gods, Elmea, Amante, and Axilion fought.

In the end the God of Creation Elmea won, and the whole world followed his rules.

The Beast Gods that were in front of Shea now, were those who had been born and died between 1000000 years ago and now.

Since they were Gods, they also needed people who prayed to them.

Seeing how many there were, it was evident how many battles there were bestween beastmen countries.

The pyramid Temple started after the rows of Beast God statues ended.