Inside the rock wall, Roxy sat slumped on the ground.
Her back rested against the cold rock wall, her staff lying limply across her as she faced an endless horde of monsters.
The monsters crowded densely ahead, pairs of vicious eyes fixed on her as they advanced, baring their fangs and claws.
Her mana had already run dry while she defended against their attacks, and so had her stamina!
Roxy's fingertips kept trembling. Even gripping her staff had become a struggle.
And now, facing the monsters before her, she no longer had any strength left to resist.
Sensing death drawing near, Roxy could not help shedding tears, which slid down her cheeks.
Memories of the past kept flashing through her mind.
Faced with a crisis it could not handle, her brain kept recalling every detail of her past, trying to find hope of turning things around.
Countless images flashed by, finally settling on a face. It belonged to a boy named Radeus Greyrat.
"Rad..."
Roxy murmured Radeus's name, hoping for a miracle.
Hoping that a tall, masculine young man, whose expression still held a trace of boyishness, would happen upon her deep in the labyrinth and save her.
Even though the chance was pitifully small, she could not help thinking that way in her despair.
Just then, an endless Hollow Technique swept through the entire horde in an instant, reducing every monster to dust in that single strike.
As the strike landed, Roxy's body slowly rose as well.
A pair of strong arms caught her, and her head rested quietly against a broad, solid chest.
"Huh?"
Feeling the warmth of the embrace, Roxy slowly looked up...
A pair of azure eyes gazed gently at her, the boy's expression holding a hint of joy and relief.
Roxy's ideal was overlapping with