"Argh!!"

"P-please don't kill me!"

"H-help!"

Dexter and Stella watched the Numbers bleeding and crying, fighting a horde of Orcs. Even Number Seven with his athletic physique couldn't help himself fighting an Orc Warrior one-on-one.

Though Stella had become addicted to killing "Bad" Players by smashing their head like a watermelon, she still cared about the Numbers, though they had only known them for a little more than a week.

Every Number struggled to fight, struggled to survive, except Number One, who moved like a shadow that even Dexter couldn't see her with his naked eyes, unless he transformed one of his bracers into something that could see invisibility.

"Hya!" shouted Number One, while pulling Number Three by her feet.

Looking back, Number One saw Dexter with his bored eyes, watching them, not even amused by their struggle.

Gritting her teeth, she commanded,

"We need to regroup! Come here... protect the Mages."

Number Seven immediately raised his shield and went forward, disregarding the Orc he was fighting.

"Get behind me!" he said, between pants.

Then suddenly, a golden flame burst out beneath his feet, burning his whole body.

"Argh! Help!"

"Wait!"

Number Two cast a Water Bubble, a supposedly attack magic that was used as a defensive spell.

"Oho... This girl's good, she can think outside the box..."

Though Dexter had named them for his own convenience, and arranged them based on their gender – from Number One to Five being woman, and Number Six to Twelve being man – he didn't even know their real names.

Even though the Numbers tried their best to stay alive, they were all dying one by one, in the most gruesome ways: being cut in half, burned by the Orc Shaman, or shot in the head by the Archers.

Since they didn't have a Healer in their group, they couldn't maintain the line.

Sighing, Dexter watched Stella continuously revive them, and make them suffer the same fate again.

Most of them lost hope. Continuously dying and reviving was torture to them, especially for their weak minds. Though Dexter had tried to train their minds through training, the short time was not enough to strengthen them like a soldier's should be.

Most of them thought they were just slaves, inside or outside the Game.

Number Seven, with his broken Sword and Shield, continued to fight using his fists, still protecting the women behind him.

Yet, all the women, with the exception of Number Two and Number One, had already lost hope, even though Stella kept reviving them after they died out of nowhere.

"Dying repeatedly doesn't mean you are weak... what makes you weak is the way you think..."

"I don't know what's happening in all your minds, but I know one thing... if you can still hear me, then you are alive... so fight."

"Fight and become strong, strong enough to be free... free from me."

Dexter then morphed his bracers into a Holy Staff and a Curse Staff. The former was used for resurrecting, while the latter was used to enhance the pain. Yes, pain is a good motivator not to get hit by something.

"Go suffer more, idiots! You think your drama is enough for me to be moved and stop your suffering? Hate me, your Master... as long as it can help you live, then that's good enough."

***

Bleeding, Sweating, Hungry, the Numbers struggled to survive the hellish dungeon training brought to them by Dexter.

With repeated dying and fighting, even with their broken equipment, they managed to survive until they came to the middle zone of the dungeon.

It had a small clearing free of orcs. Every Number was tired, yet no one was brave enough to take a rest. Not until Dexter told them to sit down.

Dexter then took a portion of food so small that it only allowed one bite each for the Numbers to finish eating. Even the water he took from his inventory was only enough for one gulp each.

"I'll tell you what: you would never want to experience appendicitis while fighting a horde of Orcs."

Yet, Stella, being exempted from training, had her meal, good enough for four people. Dexter just looked at her, smiling at her innocent look.

After their short break,

Another group of players came, but after noticing that they were outnumbered, they immediately left.

"See those guys? Someday... you'll be killed and get robbed by them..." Then he looked towards the female Numbers. "Or worse... getting raped."

It was not a warning; it was the truth.

In a world that even the Kingdoms couldn't control their subjects, violence was a norm, and the target? The weak.

"I hate to repeat these words, but I need you to be strong... Why? Because you should be my elite... that's the only reason I took you... And you know what would happen to those who couldn't fulfill that role... right?"

All of the Numbers took the warning to heart, steeling their resolve to continue living, especially with the Demon God Vessel giving them this warning. No one knew what would really happen to them if they were killed by a demon.

***

Now, every Number got their equipment broken, Armors tattered. Like Dexter, they only wear their Loincloths.

"It's good to see someone wearing the same as me, we look like a Tribe, you all agree?"

Tapping his bracers, Dexter took all the Tier VI equipment from his storage and let the Numbers equip themselves.

After making sure that everyone had their gears, Dexter commanded them to continue pushing through until they got to the gate before the Boss Room.

"Okay Numbers... Huddle..."

Then all of them made a circle, with the exception of Stella.

"Here's the plan..." Dexter said, squinting his eyes.

"You go there inside, then kill it... remember... this time, no resurrection... so if you die, you die... I don't care, got it?"

Upon hearing Dexter's calm tone, they couldn't help themselves but gulp instinctively.

"Demon God's Alliance could give me another slave to be a new member... so I think, losing any one of you will not be a problem to me... right?"

Their hands grip each other's shoulder, unsure of what to say to comfort each other.

"Sir... can I make a selfish request?" Number Seven said, his voice shaky.

"And what is it?"

"Can I borrow a Combat Mastery Tome, and a Holy Staff... I don't know when I will be able to pay for it, or if I will have a chance, but I don't want any one of us to die..."

Dexter then smiled. For the first time talking to Numbers, this was the first time he smiled genuinely.

"What's your name, Number Seven?"

Number Seven looked at Dexter's eyes, determined.

"I am Kur... Kur of Ludiversum."