(A/N: Hey everyone and happy Easter Sunday! I was able to get this chapter out this fast because it was supposed to be apart of chapter 3 and I decided to release early for the sake of this wonderful holiday celebration of resurrection, but I decided to break it up because I didn't want to post too long of a chapter and make it seem so run on. Essentially though, the story is now really starting and stuff like info and expo dump is pretty much over. Next couple chapters for a bit will be a bit more steady pace wise as I want to write the difference between the system in this fic as opposed to the normal canon. Character interactions and introductions are a little weird for me to write at the moment still, but I hope I manage to capture the characters and personalities as accurately as possible. Also, due to the fact that I technically have been writing this story for about 8 months since last year (with a lot of old drafts or major variations that are like 200 pages long) the next chapters are also pretty much done up to chapter 7, but I want to make sure I write them out as best as I can. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see again soon!)

While the party fought for their lives, Bell was now dealing with a living statue that seemed to be gazing into the depths of his very soul. It was then, the god statue's two stone eyes glowed a bright light. What happened next, was it the instincts of an adventurer? No, it was the instincts of a desperate rabbit who knew it was currently outmatched, and that what was coming was something it could not yet match. In that instant, there were beams of luminous energy that shot out from the eyes of the god statue.

Just before he was turned into a burnt stain on the ground, Bell dropped as quickly as possible. What followed was a loud buzz and then a flash of light that crackled with energy. The beam shot right at the spot Bell had been standing. It was less than a split second difference, had he stood for even an instant longer he wouldn't be here!

That was close! I barely reacted in time!

While still lying on the ground, Bell glared back into the eyes of the god statue. Its eyes were still glowing but it didn't fire that attack again. Is the attack… over? Bell questioned, far too weary and anxious to make a move at the moment. He didn't even know that was coming based on what he read from the tablet, only sheer instinct.

Meanwhile, the endless horde continued its attack on the party. The adventurers were locked in a constant never ending fight, they cut down monster after monster, but the beasts showed no sign of slowing.

"Hold the line!" the leader shouted, his voice hoarse from the effort. He swung his greatsword in a wide arc, cleaving through several creatures at once. Their bisected bodies dropped to the ground, only for more to replace them.

"They're not stopping!" one of the adventurers cried, parrying the snapping jaws of a monstrous hound.

A roar echoed through the dungeon, and a massive beast, larger than the others, came out next. Its eyes gleamed with rage, its body straining beneath its mangled hide. With a huge lunge, it slammed into the main vanguard, sending the shield bearer stumbling.

The line buckled.

"Regroup!" the leader bellowed, his arms trembling from the force of the clash. "Don't let them break through!"

But it was relentless. For every monster that fell, two more emerged. The air reeked of blood and sweat. "They're trying to keep us here," one of the adventurers gasped, his back pressed against a jagged stone wall. The realization was grim.

"They're keeping us away from him," the leader growled, his eyes narrowing.

Even so, they fought on. Every swing of the sword, every clash of steel against claw , it was all to buy time. Time to buy for their "god" has he judged Bell Cranel.

A little while had passed as Bell was starting to get unnerved by the endless waiting. Right, I can't stay here forever. But, what could he even do in this situation? If his suspicions were correct, then the moment he moved or raised above a certain height, he would be ruthlessly smited. And, even if he managed to evade the blasts and make it to the door, there were the two stone statues guarding the doorway whom both could move with a speed that was hard for him to track at the moment. It seemed that every outcome led to his inevitable demise.

Which meant that his annihilation was only a matter of time now. Wait… time? When Bell's thoughts came back to that thought there was a strong sense of wrongdoing that filled him up. A situation that shouldn't happen, but would happen anyway. Did I miss something here? Without a shadow of a doubt now, Bell was certain that the answer to his freedom lay in whatever that "something" was.

He knew the god statue could effortlessly kill him had it so chosen. But if that's the case, then… why am I still alive? It could kill him, but it hadn't yet. This was a completely different type of behaviour compared to the monsters that would have immediately launched an assault on any mortals they would see. But these statues only moved if certain things happened: the doorkeepers would only attack if someone approached the door, the eyes of the god statue firing that beam if someone moved. It was like a "system" that operated on set parameters.

Hang on… Could there be some kind of rules in this chamber? It was at that moment that Bell began recalling what he read from the stone slab. The laws of the temple, laws and rules were basically the same thing. The answer for his freedom from this infernal prison had to be inscribed within the text found on the tablet.

Worship the god. That was the first law he thought. If my breakdown is correct, then… Bell then slowly rose up. Bell kept his eyes focused solely on the god statue and carefully, slowly, cautiously raised his body centimeter by centimeter, picturing each vertebrate in his back stacking one on top of the other. Then! In a flash! The eyes of the statue locked onto Bell and that same dreadful beam of energy bolted towards him. Once again, had he been even just an instant slower, his face would no longer be with us. This time he lost a few strands of hair from the top of his head. Now once again lying face down on the ground, Bell worked on leveling his breath out. "Phew…" His life had flashed before his eyes just now.

Ok, so that's how it is huh? He came to a very crucial realization just now. It's not attacking based on simple movement . But rather when I get to a certain height. Like some kinda radar! As long as he stayed low enough, he could move to wherever he wanted and the statue's eyes wouldn't pick up on him. So I have to fly under the radar? It was one huge of a risk but it had just enough support from his brief experiment.

So now, he was sure of it. The meaning behind the first law. With this new information he proceeded to make the proper movements.

Making sure his posture was correct, he knelt down towards the god statue, placed his hands on the ground, and slowly lowered his head. At that moment, he could only let out a sigh of relief as the statue's eyes seemed to have powered down and faded into the stone's usual color once more. Bell then relaxed his head and let out a sigh of relief. "Whew….". It was just like he thought, this chamber was set to act accordingly with strict rules.

Ok so if that's the case… he thought, this cruel "game" wasn't even half way done. There still remained two other laws. The second one being "Exalt the god" and the final one: "Prove one's piety". And just on schedule another set of events had begun. An earth shaking rumble took over the room paired with a soul splitting noise. Bell's face instantly went back into analyzing mode. It's just as I suspected His instincts served as his guide once more. It was just the beginning. The god statue was now slowly rising up from the stone throne. The god statue now stood straight up from the throne, its gaze dead set on Bell and began walking towards the mortal. There was nothing but the sound of its devastatingly heavy footsteps, each one sending a tremor through the ground.

Crap, what do I do now?! I'm not sure what the next step is supposed to be!

If he recalled correctly the steps were as follows: worship the god, exalt the god and prove your piety. If he wanted to get out of here then he had to fulfill all three laws. Next one is exalt the god right?! But exalt means to have high praise? How am I supposed to show high prai- , before Bell could finish, however, his body moved out of sheer instinct as the foot of the god statue suddenly came down over him. It had run at him while he was deep in thought and nearly crushed him in an instant. So now, the chase was on. As Bell dashed around the room to gather his thoughts, the statue remained on his heels the entire time, never giving him more than 5 feet of space.

Dammit! The only things in here that can move are the statues… wait… Right at that moment a light bulb turned on in Bell's mind. The only things that can move… are the statues! Bell's eyes then widened at the realization.

It was right in front of my face this entire time! Due to the fact that the only things that were capable of moving were the stone statues, that must have meant that those were the only things they could use to "exalt the god"! Last time he got near them was when the statues executed a function. Maybe this was how he was supposed to complete the second law! So then… what if?! And in that moment with everything he could muster, Bell ran as fast as he could to make it a musical instrument.

He fell to the ground from the intense shaking caused by the statue's foot but still managed to roll from under the monster's foot to avoid being turned into a red stain on the ground. Bell did everything he could to both keep an eye on the statue's movement and direction of stomps while constantly scanning the room to find himself a musical savior. His speed increased as he pushed harder and harder to draw out what bit he had left. It was then, his eye caught a statue that held no weapon nor instrument.

Could that be a choir?! That would count right?! Bell decided to bet everything he had to reach it, with the last bit of strength he had he pushed and bolted to make it. As if noticing its prey had found a solution the god statue also went for one last desperate attempt and threw its foot forward. The ground cratered and debris flew everywhere, even impacting Bell in the back. However, this only served Bell for the better as it only propelled him further and launched him to the feat of his would be salvation. He barely had any energy to move.

"Pant, pant…" Bell turned and rolled onto his back to stare at the approaching god statue, its expression became significantly more scrunched compared to before as if it was now more enraged than ever by Bell's attempts. He constantly survived many times by now, as if he was spitting in its face and became a constant nuisance to its function. The demon now was right in front of Bell.

Huff...huff…

But it didn't crush him, it merely looked down at him with an expression of disdain. Bell could tell, he made it. The following melody only confirmed as such when a beautiful and otherworldly voice rang out from the angel behind him. The formerly enraged expression of the god statue now reverted back to the emotionless state.

When the song of the statue throughout the chamber came to an end the towering devil turned around and returned to its throne, settling down as if nothing had happened like the one prior.

" Just… barely… made it…" Bell managed to breath out, it was a hell of a quick "battle" but he managed to win it. There was still at least one more before they could finally win the war. Now was the time for the final battle as all of sudden there was a large rumble as an altar of sorts arose from the ground in the middle of the temple. Bell recognized that this was now the final trial. So now it's time to prove my piety? After the first two trials, he could form a pretty good interpretation now of what he should do based on the wording. So I need to show I'm devoted now? He thought as he got up and started moving towards, but then how do I sho- once again his thoughts were interrupted by the chamber, as the moment his foot crossed into the first circle of the altar, a flame appeared on the perimeter. Making him nervously swallow his saliva as he studied the situation carefully.

I'm guessing it is a timed event, but how long can I last here? I can't even wait for backup since today is the seventh day since the Gate showed up, and everything in here will likely escape and create havoc after the eighth day is reached…

A Gate would open up fully after the seventh day. The real goal of a raid was to kill the dungeon's boss monster and therefore close the Gate before that happened. If said task is not accomplished then the monsters trapped in the dungeons would be set free and roam the outside world.

Bell then looked behind him at the giant god statue. Said being was still looking down upon him with an arrogant and expectant face from above as if demanding him to prove himself worthy of it. If that thing manages to go outside, then it'd take nothing short of a party of second or maybe even first class adventures…

As that thought finished another change occured, at the outermost edge of the altar there appeared 6 small blue flames drew a circle all around the larger part of the structure. Once they finished setting up, without any warning, the originally sealed door burst open wide.

Hmmm… that has to be a trap right? There's no way there isn't some kinda ca- and before that thought could finish the first blue flame snuffed out, and with that flame came a gust of wind that flew past his head as he barely moved it to the side in time. In that moment he turned instantly to see the stone archer with its bow pointed directly at him. It was then he heard the loud creaking of every statue with a weapon seemingly become active and make their way towards him. At least…he thought so? Then at that moment Bell quickly pulled out his sword to deflect a javelin over his head that came from his right! What the heck is happening?! He thought panickily, each time he heard a noise and looked in the direction it came, the statue would be still and unmoving yet closer than it originally was.

His eyes then shifted down to the blue flames that got snuffed out one by one. To which, another one of them had been extinguished now. During that observation however his senses picked up on more movement as he heard the sound of… stomping? He looked up to see that once again one of the knights had moved. Wait so… In order to confirm his suspicions, Bell closed his eyes, and surely like he thought the sound of slow and heavy footsteps resumed throughout the room.

As soon as he opened his eyes, the noise stopped. At least in front of him, he could tell that from the sides and behind him or anywhere outside of his vision, the statues continued moving. Forcing him to quickly turn and constantly shift his attention to every part of the room he could muster. It's kinda like the angels from that show! He figured, the only time a statue moved was when he stopped looking at them.

They move and creep closer when I'm not looking at them! He thought as he began rapidly turning his head to look at each angle possible to keep the stones at bay for as long as possible. It was right then, another blue flame disappeared. However, now it seemed the statues' speed increased.

If I'm right then, the statues move whenever I'm not looking at them! And each blue flame has an interval of one minute before it goes out! With each flame that goes out these guys get faster and more aggressive like that one five nights game also! The blue flames are the timer!

It was quite likely that one of the main points of the third law was to stay within the altar until all 6 blue flames died out. So he had to keep an eye on every statue as much as he could and defend himself when things cut it close. He had three minutes left to go, and hopefully he'd be home free! So odds are the door is pure bait, the second I step foot outside this circle, that red flame goes away and those doors shut, leaving the statues to inevitably reach me and then it's over from there… The third trial was a test to see if he could hold his ground and not yield to sweet temptation, a test of his self control and endurance.

But he knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long as he started getting dizzy from all the constant rapid turning. He stopped and slowed down for a moment to reorganize himself when all of a sudden another flame disappeared, and with that several statues ran at him now and swung all at once, before they could land their blow however Bell quickly looked back up the moment each of their blades crossed over one another, freezing each one in place. Crap that was too close! But… Sure he stopped three of them in place, but now others also caught up, being as accurate as possible he dodged and parried each strike. Going for an offensive move would be too risky and take too much time and stamina to execute effectively. I just need to fend them off for two minutes! Come on Cranel you got this! He shouted to himself in his head as he used the guard of his sword to divert another statue's spear into the ground before quickly kicking his left leg back into the chest of another coming from behind, launching it back a bit.

Another statue that came at him from the side to which he quickly uses the pommel of his weapon to land a blow right on its chin. Another statue then swung at him attempting to cleave him in two, forcing Bell to nullify the blow as much as possible with his sword again before getting launched back a few feet, his sword starting to chip at its blade from the sheer power and weight behind each attack. That wasn't his only new problem however, as he was mid air now and couldn't effectively dodge, resulting in another statue managing to slam its mallet into his back, knocking the wind out of him as he launched back in the other direction. Before he gets too far however another statue extends its arm out and collides it with Bell's chest before grabbing him by the chest piece and slamming him into the ground. I *gasp* can't catch *gasp* my breath!

Another flame was now gone at that moment, but now so was a leg as one of the attackers slammed its great sword through the right leg of the poor rabbit while he remained pinned. The pain was so excruciating that he wanted to scream, but the hand currently crushing his chest wouldn't even allow air to pass through for such a thing. In that moment another statue wielding a great axe came in to try and remove Bell's head, but the adventurer still had some fight left in him and quickly brought his sword up from his side to block the attack. I only need to last a few…more… seconds. His body moved mostly on instinct at this point as his mind was focused on keeping track of time, when the great sword knight moved to his other side to try and take the second leg Bell managed to gain enough leverage to use as much force as he could to kick the statute in the lower abdomen, sending it back a few feet.

That should buy me some ti– He may have fended off that attacker, however the spearman once again made its presence known as it this time pierced Bell straight into his chest. Again the boy wanted to scream in pain but no air flowed, all that could be heard was a faint wheeze of desperation as he suffered injury after injury. His arms were failing him as he tried to keep his head attached, his left leg was now gone, his lungs were being crushed and now his side had a sharp stone in it. Before he could even try to recover mentally from pain, the spearman quickly then hoisted Bell up while he was still attached and then slammed him on top of the altar in the middle. "Gagh!" He finally screamed out, his breathing partial from the bruised lungs and punctured side.

As the mortal laid upon the altar, the axeman returned to finish its job and raised its weapon high to finally end the job. Bell tried to raise his sword only to realize that it was no longer in his hand as he dropped it from the impact of being slammed down. So as a last resort he raises both arms to shield himself from a seemingly inevitable demise. "Dammiiitttt!" He shouted out in one last act of defiance as the blade swung down…but it never came. Because just before it did, the last flame finally went out, and as if time itself was put on hold, the descending blade no longer fell, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the blade had slowed down so much that it could perceived as stopped.

"What huff is huff happening?" He questioned out loud, completely awestruck and confused about the most recent developments. Just then a screen-like message popped up in front of his face hovering in the air.

(Alert!)

[Secret Quest: "Hero's Appraisal" has been completed!]

"Hero's…appraisal?" Bell Cranel was now completely confused, sure he knew what the word's meant, but he didn't know what they "meant" right now. "And what's this about a secret quest being completed?" His mind was running a mile a minute as he tried wrapping his head around what was happening right now. His body was in immense pain and on its last legs after going through absolute hell, and now all of sudden he was getting a floating screen in his face talking about some secret quest? But sadly rather than getting any direct answers, he only got more questions as a new pop up appeared.

[You have been deemed worthy to carry the torch. Will the PLAYER accept?]

"To carry the torch? What torch? Deemed worthy by who? Player?!" Countless questions were zipping through Bell's mind, he could barely figure out the situation he was just in with all the trials and weird vibes of the dungeon. Now he was being called a player and told to carry a torch by a mysterious floating blue screen? As Bell tried to gather his thoughts and figure out everything that was happening, another message came forward.

[Your time is limited. What will you do PLAYER? If you decline now you will die from blood loss. Will you carry the torch?]

"So it's either I carry this new weight and live or decline and die? Not much of a choice right now. Besides…" At that moment memories and images of his grandfather and all the time they spent together, each adventure and bonding moment, and his promise to become a great hero. "I can't die just yet, not until I do my part and get out there to help the world, even if I can save just one person. I want to bring just a little bit more light to this world, no matter how tough things get. So my answer to carrying this torch of yours? Is hell yeah!" He shouted out with the little bit of energy he had left, vowing to pursue his dreams and path to be the greatest hero he could be.

[Congratulations Bell Cranel, the torch is yours! Welcome Back!]

Welcome back? What does that mea– However, before Bell could finish THAT thought now, a new pop up appeared once again.

(Alert!)

[Proto-Data detected in PLAYER's system! Data can be used to update the system, analyzing data now…]

"Proto-Data? Is it talking about the falna? And by update, does it mean to improve itself?"

[Analyzation complete! Updating the system with new data will further enhance capabilities, but also temporarily incapacitate PLAYER! Will you accept?]

"Kinda like a software update for a computer. Honestly I would prefer a nap right about now…can hardly…focus…" He breathed out, to say his body had take a major beating was an understatement, he could use the rest. "Ac..accept.."

[Updating system now! PLAYER will now be incapacitated and begin recovery!]

Back with the party, the endless horde of monsters suddenly started to die out one by one on their own. The red glow in their eyes dimmed, and without so much as a cry or roar they all crumbled into mist.

The adventurers lowered their weapons as confusion started to replace fear. For a moment, there was only silence and sound of their ragged breathing and the distant echoes of the collapsing dungeon.

"They're… gone," one of them murmured in disbelief.

Another looked around, still gripping his weapon tightly. "What in the world just happened?"

The leader's gaze hardened as he scanned the empty space where the monsters had once stood. He knew the answer before he spoke.

"Bell. He must have completed the dungeon!"

The monsters hadn't been fighting to kill, instead they had been stalling. Doing everything they could to keep the team from reaching the boy. But now with what they thought the dungeon boss being slain, the monsters and the dungeon itself began collapsing.

"We have to find him. Now!"

Without hesitation, the team sprinted toward the lower depths. The dungeon walls started to crack and fall apart piece by piece as the team made their way through. They moved as fast as possible as they pushed past the remnants of shattered pillars and broken pathways.

Then, as they rounded the corner, they found it.

A massive doorway, once sealed, now wide open. Beyond it, in the chamber atop an altar, lay an unconscious Bell.

His armor was battered and broken, his breathing shallow. Sweat matted his white hair, and his body showed signs of a major battle. He was even missing his left pants and armor, only a naked leg remained in its wake. To which they did not know what happened for him to have lost that piece of his set.

"Grab him! We need to go, now!" The leader shouted as he and two others moved to quickly pick the boy up and place him over one of their shoulders. The dungeon's walls gave another violent tremor, sending dust falling from above.

"Ok, let's go!" the leader ordered. "This whole place is coming down!"

With Bell secured they hurried back through the crumbling corridors. The once terrifying dungeon, was now falling apart and breaking down. As they made it to the portal they each quickly jumped through and emerged into the open air of the outside world as the portal closed behind them. The sky was overcast, much to the appreciation of the group as no one was in the mood for the hot beaming sun. Bell's body remained on the shoulders of one of the members, to which caused an extremely worried Eina to run over from the main tent and cry as she inspected Bell's body to check if he was alive.

Back in Bell's mind however he briefly heard a low and nearly inaudible voice speaking to him. So… you're him are you? The voice spoke out to him with a seemingly joyous and inquisitive tone, one not particularly teasing but rather genuine admiration and excitement. Bell himself however was barely even all there, his mind still hazy with his inner conscious barely hanging on as the system updated. Oh right forgot, you're not at that stage yet. Gonna be awhile before we can really 'connect', until then I guess it's time to get back to work right? The voice said, fading into the receipts of Bell's mind and…soul?