Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? Chapter 26 THE SMITH’S SITUATION

"Finally, the eleventh floor!"

Mr. Welf pats his lower back a few times, his weapon over his shoulder as he

announces our arrival to no one in particular.

Just like he so vigorously said a moment ago, we're on the eleventh floor of the

Dungeon.

We've just stepped off of a very wide stairwell and into the room that serves as the

starting point for this floor. Just like the tenth above it, a thick fog fills every room on

this floor except for this one.

With nothing to block my vision, I can see that the floor in here is covered in anklehigh grass just tall enough to hide my boots. There are also several dead trees

scattered throughout the room. Monsters can use these landforms as weapons.

"Didn't you say this is the lowest you've ever been, Mr. Welf?"

"Yep, that's right. Sorry about this, Bell. I've thrown a lot of information at you since

we met."

At first I was really surprised when he asked to join my battle party yesterday, but

after hearing why, I invited him right away.

We'd already agreed on a direct contract so there was no reason to refuse him. I was

looking for another battle party member, too, so I'd call it a win-win.

"Don't worry about it. And this is all to get Forge, so I'm already involved as it is…"

"Glad to hear you put it like that."

Mr. Welf's request was to help him level up so he could acquire the Advanced Ability

called Forge.

That ability is a complete game-changer for the smiths who acquire it. It wouldn't be

an overstatement to say it can make or break the future for a smith. Mr. Welf explained

with a very sad look in his eyes exactly how much more his fellow smiths in Hephaistos

Familia could do as soon as they leveled up.

Normally, whenever a member of any Familia goes into theDungeon, they form a party

with other members of the same group…

"It's a little embarrassing to say this myself… but what's their deal?! Whenever a battle

party goes into the Dungeon, I'm always left out! Can you believe that?"

…So, that's what's going on.

Mr. Welf needs high-quality excelia in order to level up, but since his allies always kick

him out, he's had to work solo. Therefore, going deeper than the top few levels is

impossible—no one can make it out in one piece. So he started looking to join battle

parties with members of other Familias as a last resort.

It sounds like the members—smiths of Hephaistos Familia—have to overcome many

obstacles on their own, as well as engage in friendly competition with other smiths in

order to improve. But the Forge ability—in other words, leveling up—is the equivalent

of life and death for a smith. Since they're all in the same boat, most form deep

friendships as they fight their way through the Dungeon…

I asked Mr. Welf why he was always left behind, but all he said was, "They're just

jealous of my hidden talents,"in a really sullen voice. I wonder what's really going on…

Mr. Welf must have noticed me looking at him as he scratches his head. He drops his

shoulders and flashes a warm smile.

"In any case, I'm grateful, Bell. Familias tend to be picky about who they work with,

but I'm glad you could throw that way of thinking out the window."

"W-well, um… I couldn't exactly refuse, not after receiving all of this…"

Mr. Welf smiles at me again. I take another look at my new equipment before smiling

back at him. It can't be helped.

The armor on my chest sparkles like new, even in the dim light.

"…Lilly heard that we had a new friend, but what's this? Mr. Bell's trust was bought by

such simple things?"

A very annoyed voice cuts into a pause in our conversation.

A bead of sweat rolls down my cheek. Lilly's disapproval of the arrangement came

across loud and clear. I look over my shoulder to see her a few paces behind, hands

clamped firmly on the straps of her backpack and a very irritated look in her eyes.

I tell her there's a misunderstanding, but from her point of view, it really might look

like I was bribed.

At this moment, I'm wearing the new light armor set that Mr. Welf made for me.

The set isn't all that different from my old equipment. It's a plate of armor over each

knee and a breastplate, along with two ruby-encrusted wrist guards that cover my

forearms all the way up to my elbows. A little fancier than before.

It's just as light as the last one. Mr. Welf said that the material is a little thicker, but I

can't feel that much of a difference. It takes time to adjust to a new set of armor, but it

feels like I've been wearing this for years.

It's not that I didn't want an armor that my body was used to… but, yeah, I'd be lying

if I said it wasn't a factor.

The pressure from Lilly's half-eyed gaze is so strong that I can't even crack a grin.

"Oh, Lilly's sad. Very, very sad. It was supposed to be a nice, easy shopping trip, but

Lilly's hopes were completely dashed and now we're stuck with a problem… Mr. Bell's

kindness is making Lilly cry."

The sheer sarcasm in her voice is like a body blow. But Mr. Welf's armor can't block

that…!

But what does she mean by "problem"…?

"Isn't that going a little too far, Lilly?! Mr. Welf's not trying to do anything bad… There's

no problem, just a misunderstanding!"

"—What is Lilly misunderstanding?! 'Until an ability is acquired'? He's just taking

advantage of us! And isn't this too-perfect timing to find a party member?! As soon as

this no-name smith meets his goal, he'll leave and we'll be back to where we were

before! One step forward, one step back! This is a complete waste! There's no light at

the end of this tunnel!!"

Her eyebrows sink lower with every word, her eyes sharpening like daggers.

Her relentless barrage attacks me from every angle, a swarm of verbal bees coming

out to protect the hive. At this rate, she'll break me in half!

The way Mr. Welf is looking at me… It's too pathetic…!

"Why didn't Mr. Bell talk with Lilly before adding someone to our party?! Why, Mr.

Bell?!"

"Was… Was that bad…?"

"Not bad, no, not bad, but if Mr. Bell doesn't talk with Lilly first, Lilly might get in

trouble! Lady Hestia entrusted Lilly with making sure Mr. Bell is safe!"

R-really? The goddess asked her to do that… I guess that's how little she trusts me.

I can feel my head drooping as I look back over at a still very hostile Lilly. I get the

feeling that the real reason she's angry has nothing to do with Mr. Welf.

Maybe she's trying to take care of me… No, that can't be right.

She must think it's dangerous for me to be doing things on my own and wants to keep

me under her thumb. Probably.

"Oh, am I getting in the way, Small Fry?"

Mr. Welf had been watching us talk in silence but chooses this moment to jump in.

Lilly isn't too fond of Mr. Welf already, but her chestnut-colored eyes went ablaze after

being called "Small Fry."

"Lilly is not Small Fry! Lilly's name is Lilliluka Erde!"

"Okay, pleasure to meet'cha, Li'l E."

"…Lilly doesn't care anymore. It's pointless!"

Mr. Welf bends over and sticks his toothy grin in Lilly's face like he's making fun of her,

which I'm pretty sure he is. Lilly lets out a small "Humph" and looks the other way.

He doesn't seem to mind Lilly's reaction; on the contrary, he looks like he's enjoying

it… I don't have a good feeling about these two from here on out.

"…Well, um, Lilly. I know it's a little late, but I'll introduce him. This is Mr. Welf Crozzo.

He's a smith belonging to Hephaistos Familia."

Lilly should at least know Mr. Welf's full name, so I tell her. I wanted to tell her earlier

this morning when we were on our way to meet up with him, but her mood was so

bad it just didn't seem like the right time.

And Mr. Welf already knows Lilly's full name, so there shouldn't be a problem.

I wasn't expecting any kind of response, and Lilly is looking the other way anyway—

"Crozzo?"

Lilly's body shakes as if she'd been slapped in the face the moment she hears Mr. Welf's

family name.

"Huh?" The sound escapes my mouth before I knew it. What's with that reaction?

"The cursed house of magic swordsmiths? The noble family of smiths that fell into

ruin?"

Magic swordsmiths…?

Even more than that, what does she mean by "noble family of smiths"?

I turn to Mr. Welf in confusion and look for answers.

His playful grin is gone; a sour face has taken over.

"Ah, um… Crozzo?"

My eyes jump back and forth between them, Lilly in shock and Mr. Welf with an

irritated twitch in his eye. I have to break this uncomfortable silence, so I ask him

about his family name. Lilly's eyes go wide as her face snaps right to me in surprise.

"Do you not know about them, Mr. Bell…?"

"Eh, well… No, I don't."

What reason is there to say anything else? I shake my head no.

"Long ago, the Crozzo family was granted noble status by a king for the magic swords

they forged. It's said that the only thing they made was magic swords… tens, hundreds

of thousands of them."

"So that means…?!"

"They were the masters of the magic sword, the symbol of their time. Some claim that

their magic swords were so powerful that they could 'set fire to the ocean'…"

Lilly pauses for a moment and looks up at Mr. Welf.

Her fingers curl; she looks like she's building up courage to say something difficult.

"…But one day they fell out of favor with the king. They lost their noble status and their

house fell into ruin…"

Lilly speaks as quickly as she can. What kind of face am I supposed to make now? I try

to keep my expression as neutral as possible as I look over to Mr. Welf.

He scratches the back of his head for a few seconds, his hair wavering back and forth.

Then he lowers his hand and waves, a forced smile on his face.

"…Well, that's not important right now, is it? We're here to crawl the Dungeon, aren't

we? Right?"

"Ah… y-yes."

Mr. Welf's slightly higher gaze falls on me as he tries his best to change the subject.

He takes the weapon resting on his shoulder, a surprisingly wide-bladed longsword

with incredible reach, and thrusts it into the ground.

I give him a quick nod as Lilly takes a step back, like she's waiting for something to

happen. She looks up at him, her penetrating gaze looking for anything unusual.

"—?"

"Hm?"

Crack! All of us hear it at the same time.

We freeze for a moment. The three of us have spent enough time in the Dungeon to

know exactly what that sound means.

A monster is being born from the dungeon wall.

"W-woah…!"

"…Big one."

"An orc, for sure."

All of us respond as our eyes seek out the source of the noise. It doesn't take me long

to find a massive crack in the wall.

Another series of cracks echoes through the room as a thick brown arm forces its way

out.

Pieces of the dungeon wall fall to the ground like bits of a broken eggshell. A huge

chunk crashes to the ground as the monster's right arm blasts through, followed

closely by the beast's head and torso.

"BUGGIII… ooOOOHHHH…!"

Announcing its birth to the world, the orc fully emerges.

I've never seen an orc birth before…

I clear my throat to steady myself. Large-category monster births are quite a sight.

The only word I have for seeing the dungeon wall crumble like that is "overwhelming."

The monster falls onto all fours as it lands with a loud crash. Slowly but steadily, it

climbs to its feet.

"…It ain't over. This is why the Dungeon is so scary from the tenth on down."

Crack, crack, crack! Sounds keep coming from the dungeon walls. Now the sounds are

echoing from every direction in the room, and monsters are right behind them.

Many adventurers have reported that monsters will suddenly emerge in large

numbers in the same room, starting around the tenth floor of the Dungeon.

The walls basically fall apart as the room is inundated with monsters. A "monster

party," that's what this is called.

They are, of course, very dangerous. Especially if you happen to be in the middle of the

room when it happens, since you'll be surrounded in no time flat. I take a step back, a

dumbfounded smile on my face.

"There is no reason to panic. There is no fog in this room and it is very wide. There's

little chance of being surrounded and we can retreat to the tenth if necessary."

Lilly speaks calmly as she adjusts her backpack with a small sigh.

She has traveled with many battle parties, and this isn't her first trip to the eleventh

floor. Her Status might be far below ours, but she knows what she's doing.

I take a quick look behind me and see the stairwell right there, just as Lilly had said. A

little of the tension gone, I take a deep breath and survey the room.

"All right, I got dibs on the orc."

"Eh, are you sure?" My eyes pop open at Mr. Welf's declaration.

Orcs are extremely strong. If a Level 1 adventurer, or even a Level 2, takes a direct hit

from one of these monsters, that person won't be getting up for a long time.

Mr. Welf's eyebrows sink, a grin back on his lips as he looks at the surprise on my face.

"Should be great news, yeah? The things are slow and stupid. Even I'm more than a

match for them."

Oh, so people can think like that…

Whether I'm still a novice or Mr. Welf is a daredevil, I'm not sure. But in any case, he

seems to believe that an orc will be no problem. He takes a step forward, jerking his

jaw in the direction of the beast.

Hephaistos Familia might be a group of smiths, but they're also very powerful. Warrior

smiths, if you will. And Mr. Welf is no exception—although he claims it's all just to get

the Advanced Ability Forge. From what I've seen of his fighting style so far and what

he did on the lower tenth floor, he won't hold us back. He may be a Level 1 adventurer,

but there's no doubt he's one of the most powerful.

"Mr. Bell, please fight as you like. Lilly will support the smith from behind. To be

honest, Lilly would appreciate Mr. Bell checking on us from time to time."

"Oh? What's this? I thought you hated my guts, Lilly?"

"Of course Lilly does. But Lilly doesn't want you to get in Mr. Bell's way."

Lilly grins at him, her eyes sparkling. I can only grimace at the look on her face.

She's probably made this suggestion to give me a chance to try out my new Level 2

abilities. She's determined that I'll be okay on my own in this situation.

I'm not going to argue with her.

…And also, it might be a little reckless, but…

I want to test myself.

"Let's get cracking! Before the imps swarm in, yeah?"

"You don't have to tell Lilly twice. Mr. Bell. Lilly thinks Mr. Bell knows, but…"

"Yes, don't worry. I won't let my guard down."

A chorus of sliding metal and snapping sounds surrounds us as we each arm ourselves

for battle.

I do a few quick stretches, take a deep breath to focus, and charge into the fray.

"Hyyeeh!" "Hyyeegii!"

I race across the open plain, a swarm of imps heading right for me.

Mr. Welf has taken care of the monsters that we encountered on the way down to the

lower eleventh floor. This will be my first actual combat today.

A small group peels off from the swarm and swoops down at me, all of them shrieking

at the top of their lungs. It's five on one for now.

I have no clue how many monsters are emerging from the dungeon walls. Loud cracks

are still echoing through the room, and the imp swarm is growing larger by the second.

—For the first time ever, I dash toward them at full speed.

I lean forward while on the move.

The distance between us rapidly disappearing, I slam my foot into the ground and

push off.

Dirt goes flying in my wake.

"—Hye?"

The imp flies up to my face.

No.

I closed the distance.

This speed is no joke. The wind is whistling in my ears.

Even though I'm flying through the air faster than ever before, my senses are keeping

up.

I take a swing at the imp in front of my face with the Divine Knife.

SHING!

"?!"

The imp's head leaves its body and flies toward the ceiling.

About half of the accompanying imp swarm is distracted by their comrade's flying

head and by the arc of purple light that took it off.

Their surprise at the sudden turn of events opens the window I need to keep going

forward and take on the rest.

Downward slash.

My body light as a feather, I weave my way from imp to imp like a lightning bolt

through the sky. One of the monsters drops to the ground in pieces with every hit. I'm

on to the next before they even knew what hit them.

It only takes one hit. Armed with my dagger and the Divine Knife, my black and white

fangs, I tear through the imp swarm and leave a trail of bodies in my dust.

They're so slow… Wait—

I'm taking the first strike. None of them have even tried to counterattack.

My enemies aren't slow.

I've become so fast that—

They can't counterattack!

I've changed. I've completely changed. Nothing's the same as before!

So this is the true meaning of leveling up!

The goddess's blessing!

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!"

"GAHII?!"

I land one of Aiz's spin kicks square into the chest of an oncoming imp. It's launched

with the speed of an arrow off of my foot and straight into the dirt. After bouncing and

tumbling a few times, it comes to a dead standstill and doesn't move.

An imp swarm that once contained more than ten individuals is now completely wiped

out.

"RWOOOOOO!!"

"!"

A new monster appears in front of me, howling.

It's about as tall as I am. It stands on two short, stubby legs, but its two long arms end

in a very deadly looking set of claws. Its back and arms are completely covered by a

series of shells, almost like it's wearing a suit of armor. The shell on its head comes to

a point in front of its eyes, like it's wearing a battle helmet.

Another one of the armadillo-like monsters emerges. The two of them advance on my

position.

"Hard Armoreds." They first appear on the eleventh floor.

I've never seen one before, but luckily I've got a monster encyclopedia in my head

courtesy of Eina's aggressive lectures. What did she have to say about these guys

again?

Much like the killer ant, Hard Armoreds have very strong defense courtesy of their

thick shell-like armor. However, their unprotected underbelly is very vulnerable to

attack. Compared to the killer ant's full-body protection, it's easy to see where to

strike… However, their Defense is by far the better of the two.

Out of all the monsters on the lower eleventh and twelfth floors, their Defense is

second to none. In other words, when it comes to taking a hit, they can withstand more

damage than anything else in the upper levels.

A Hard Armored is basically a walking iron fortress that can repel a dwarf's attack

with ease. It has often been said that a Level 1 adventurer doesn't stand a chance

against one of them in hand-to-hand combat.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that adventurers need Basic Ability levels

ranging from B to S, in order to survive on the lower eleventh and twelfth because of

Hard Armoreds.

"—HEH!"

Time stands still for a moment as we size each other up. The instant our eyes meet,

we charge.

My powerful legs burst forward.

One of the Hard Armoreds curls his body into a ball and rolls at me with blinding

speed.

That thick shell on his back is a very sturdy defense, but it can be a powerful weapon

at the same time. One of these attacks has enough power to plow through entire battle

parties and send them flying. Nothing short of a powerful blow will bring them to a

stop.

The rolling beast is practically a man-size boulder careening toward me. Covering the

area between us in no time flat, I barely avoid an impact that would have sent me

reeling for days.

I set my sights on the other one.

It's still on its feet, so if I take care ofthis one first, then I can focus on the roller without

having to watch my back.

"OOAAAHHH!!"

The beast charges at me, claws drawn and ready.

I bring my blades forward and hold my ground until the last possible moment—before

jumping up and to the side.

"?!"

My body arcs just in front of the monster's nose and eyes.

Unable to follow my movement, I completely disappear from its line of sight.

I'm in its blind spot, diagonally behind its head.

Bringing my knees up and flipping forward with the Divine Knife upside down in my

grip, I slash downward.

"—GAAhhh?!"

The Hard Armored's shell splits cleanly in two under the force of my attack.

—An opening!

The best Defense in the upper levels is breakable.

Rotating in midair, I catch a glimpse of the amount of damage I inflicted on the

creature's body and tighten my grip on the knife.

"ROOOOOOAAHHH!!"

The remaining Hard Armored has regained its balance and is rolling at me at full

speed.

I curl my head under my shoulders and roll over my back as I land. The instant my foot

hits the dirt, I raise my right arm and spin around to face the oncoming monster.

"Firebolt!"

An electric inferno roars to life.

Each bolt is louder, faster, and thicker than ever before. Violet light flashes over the

beast just before the flames tear into it.

KABOOM!

The shock wave from the explosion blows past me, the Hard Armored's burned body

emerging from the smoke a moment later. Part of the shell on its back is completely

gone. Other pieces fall off as its lifeless body collapses to the ground.

The completely exposed Hard Armored's smoldering remains lie in silence, smoke

pouring out from its mouth.

Even my Magic is stronger…

Watching the remaining sparks fizzle out, I bring my arm in front of my chest.

My power is on a whole other level. The scale is completely different.

It's not just my Firebolt; I can't deny that I feel like I don't have full control of this

power yet, but…

I'm getting closer, for sure!

I can see her in the back of my mind, one female knight.

The place I want to be off in the distance, behind that long, flowing blond hair, I'm

closing in.

My heart is racing, pounding in my ears. I use all of my might to force myself to calm

down.

"—ooOOHH!"

The roar of an orc caught me off guard and brought me back into the present.

Suddenly, Lilly's words run through my head and I look in that direction. The noise

leads my eyes to the spot where Mr. Welf and an orc are preparing for combat.

"Now that's speed…"

Welf muttered under his breath.

He caught flashes of Bell's attacks out of the corner of his eye.

Bell's movements, reflexes, attacks, and Magic were all extremely fast to his eyes.

While he didn't know where it came from, Welf realized why Bell had been described

as a "rabbit."

"Heh-heh-heh, don't get flattened into a pancake by getting distracted. Mr. Bell will be

very sad."

"Li'l E, I've figured you out."

Welf responded to Lilly's words and gave a big nod to the girl directly behind him.

He didn't turn around to face her, the reason being there was a large orc howling an

ugly howl and charging right for them. It would be on top of them in moments.

Noticing Bell's gaze, Welf flipped up his chin and grinned as if to say, "Quit checking on

me."

"All righty, then. Big piggy number two."

His back to the body of the first orc that lay motionless next to Lilly, Welf swung his

longsword up to rest on his shoulder.

"OOoooOOOOO!!"

Slam, slam, slam! The orc took clumsy but powerful strides as it advanced.

The edges of Welf's mouth curled upward as he took a few bold steps toward the

monster.

"BUGURUAAA!!"

Seeing that its prey was in range, the empty-handed orc swung its meaty arm forward

with all of its might.

Welf ducked under the reckless sideswipe without any hesitation.

Squatting as low as possible, left hand on the ground and right hand holding his sword

against his right shoulder, Welf had the eyes of a beast not unlike the one he was about

to strike.

Seeing an opening the moment the massive arm passed by him, Welf sprang forward

and swung his thick blade at his target.

"—RAAA!"

The sound of steel through flesh. The blade hit its mark, slicing straight through the

orc's exposed stomach.

A dark greenish blood spraying from its wound, the sheer force of the blow threw the

monster off-balance. It fell backward, slamming its head against the dirt.

"How'd you like that!"

Welf ran forward and jumped to the side of the orc's head.

Grabbing hold of his longsword with both hands, Welf's unblinking eyes locked onto

the monster's neck before he brought the weapon down in one fell swoop.

SHING-THUD! The sound of the impact reverberated throughout the room.

"Li'l E! Next!"

"Already here!"

Leaving the headless monster behind, Welf turned in the direction that Lilly was

pointing.

What greeted his eyes was the silhouette of another orc—this one carrying a landform

tree club in its right hand. The beast was already dashing toward them. Welf clicked

his tongue in frustration, but with his usual smirk still on his face.

"Well, isn't that a pain in the ass!"

"Lilly is aware!"

Lilly circled around the dead bodies on the ground to get a different angle on the new

orc.

She reached inside the sleeve of her robe and withdrew a bowgun, taking aim with her

slender arms.

PING! Her golden arrow pierced the beast's shoulder.

"!"

The orc stopped in its tracks to nurse its injured shoulder. The eyes of its pig head

narrowed, forgetting its original target—Welf—and finding a new one: Lilly.

There was a momentary pause.

Seeing an opportunity to attack the distracted orc, Welf took a step forward and

planted his left foot firmly into the dirt.

His black coat rustling like smoke in the wind, Welf's boot carved a new divot into the

dungeon floor as he took another step forward.

"EAT THIS!"

The blade that had been resting on his shoulder carved a massive arc through the air.

All of the strength Welf possessed was focused through his right arm and into this

single strike. It slammed into the monster's body at full force.

The longsword hit the orc with enough force to slice it clean in half. The orc's body

flinched, but it was unable to cry out in pain due to the blood spewing from its mouth.

The beast's bloodshot eyes caught one last glimpse of its attacker before its body

dissolved into ash on the spot.

Welf's attack had cut through and destroyed the magic stone buried deep in the

monster's chest.

"Mr. Crozzo, we're going to have a problem if you keep breaking magic stones! Mr. Bell

and Lilly will make less money!"

"What's done is done. Can't be helped. Oh, and don't call me that."

He turned to face the girl who stood a good distance away with a slightly annoyed look

on his face. She was always complaining about something.

"And what about my share, huh?" Welf retorted with a verbal jab at the prum.

Only specs of purplish ash remained on the grassy dungeon floor.

"…Mr. Crozzo!"

"What did I just say about that na—ahh…"

Just when Welf opened his mouth to yell at her, he realized why Lilly had screamed in

the first place.

Two new monsters, smaller than orcs, had quietly snuck up behind Welf.

"Silverbacks."

Muscular bodies covered in thick white fur, these monsters looked like massive wild

gorillas. Their name came from a silver mane around their necks and the thick stripe

of silver fur running all the way down their backs. The fur on their lower backs was

long enough to look like a short silver tail.

Not too long ago, Bell fought one of these beasts during Monster-philia. Along with the

Hard Armoreds, they made the lower eleventh floor of the Dungeon an extremely

dangerous place for Level 1 adventurers. While they didn't have the orc's size, they

more than made up for it with power and agility. Fangs bared and muscles bulging,

there was only one way to describe them: strong.

Welf turned to face these new attackers when suddenly, THUMP. A third silverback

jumped down from a particularly large dead tree and landed between him and Lilly.

"…"

"Geeeh..."

"Shit," he spat almost like a reflex.

They were ganging up on him. This was one situation that adventurers want to avoid

at all costs in the Dungeon.

Fantastic… Like I'm solo all over again.

Feeling the sweat dripping down his brow, Welf took a defensive stance and looked at

all three beasts in turn.

After being left out of other battle parties, he had equipped himself with as many

potions as he could carry and ventured out into the lower tenth on his own… All the

moments when he nearly died flashed before his eyes as he stared down the

silverbacks.

I have to run, now… Dammit, I'm pinned down!

His body getting impatient as the monsters started closing in, Welf's mind raced to

find an escape route.

He estimated as he sized up his opponents that he was slightly more powerful than

one silverback. However, that meant the moment he engaged one in combat, he would

be wide open for the others to attack from behind. Catching a glimpse of Lilly's startled

face, he knew in an instant he couldn't count on the supporter for any help.

I'm toast, was the only conclusion he could come up with, but Welf chose to ignore it.

Swinging his longsword in a wide arc, he brought it to rest on his shoulder before

taking a step toward the closest silverback.

He decided to break through a point of their net. A strange pinging sound filled his

ears. He would never get used to the tension that came from being surrounded by

enemies in the Dungeon, no matter how many times it happened. He braced his body

for battle.

A perilous ambience surrounded them.

The silverback Welf was staring down glared right back at him, its eyes glistening in

anticipation.

The monsters made their move as one.

A heartbeat later…

"—One, two, anddd!!"

"GehGOOH?!"

"?!"

Something incredibly forceful flew in from outside the net.

Bell had launched himself like a javelin, his fearsome kick catching the jaw of one of

the silverbacks. Caught completely off guard, the beast's head spun to a gruesome

angle as it plowed into another silverback.

Welf and the other beasts stood in stunned silence at the sudden turn of events. Bell,

however, drew his dagger from its sheath while still in midair.

"Mr. Welf!"

Ruby-red eyes meeting his gaze, Welf realized it was about to happen.

He leaned back as quickly as he could to get out of the way.

Not wasting any movement or momentum, Bell threw the dagger in his right hand

with all of his might.

"GEH?!"

"—!!"

The dagger whizzed past Welf's face and straight into the eye of the silverback behind

him.

The beast reared back, screaming in pain. Taking that as his cue, Welf spun in place as

he brought his own blade to bear.

The longsword cut a deep gash into the monster's body.

"…"

The limp monster fell to its knees. Welf had come to a stop, blade still at the top of its

cutting arc. Keeping the same pose, he looked back over his shoulder toward Bell.

Bell had just slain the second silverback and stood over their bloody, motionless

bodies.

Welf stared at Bell's back for a moment before grinning and returning his sword to his

shoulder.

"I could really get used to this battle-party thing."

The white-haired boy turned toward him, nodding in agreement with a big smile on

his face.

"You are one fast dude, you know that? I didn't even see you fly in."

"I-I'm not exactly sure when I did myself…"

Our battle against the monster party finally over, the three of us are now taking a short

break.

We're still in the same room on the lower eleventh floor. The aftermath of our skirmish

is scattered all around. Uprooted dead trees, divots in the ground, ash left behind by

monsters' bodies, even pieces of the dungeon wall are everywhere I look. It's an

absolute mess in here.

Mr. Welf's longsword is back in its sheath and strapped to his back. He's standing next

to me with his arms folded across his chest as we talk about what just happened.

"This dungeon-crawling thing sure is easier when you've got a strong ally with you.

'Course I can't rely on you always saving my ass."

"I have a feeling that I didn't slay as many monsters as I usually do."

"That's the good thing about being in a battle party. Your mind and body don't have to

work as hard, and you're free to move however you want. Your allies cover your blind

side."

Mr. Welf is making some good points. Since he has more experience working in the

Dungeon with a party than I do, I'm listening to every word.

"I thought we did pretty well, considering today's our first day as a group. We're not

exactly reading each other's minds, but our movements meshed… That's all thanks to

Li'l E."

"Thanks to Lilly?"

"Yeah. Her actions seem minor, but she had a big influence. Alerting us to new

monsters, keeping us from running into each other, she did a great job coordinating

us."

While that is a strange way to say it, simply put, Lilly was guiding us.

It might be better to say she was steering us in the right direction. She could see the

whole battlefield from her vantage point, so she knew exactly when and how to assist

us. That included keeping us apart.

I hear Mr. Welf say, "She knows how adventurers move."

I slowly nod as his words click and say,"Ah, that makes sense." Considering all of Lilly's

experience as a supporter and as a thief, I bet she knows the way adventurers think

like the back of her hand.

"She really is something else, Li'l E."

"It's times like these when you really can't think of anything bad to say about

supporters…"

"You can say that again," replies Mr. Welf as he looks over his shoulder at Lilly. She's in

a deeper corner of the room, collecting magic stones and drop items with amazing

speed and efficiency.

The two of us had slain a lot of monsters, so naturally there was a lot of work to be

done. We offered to help, but she turned us away immediately. "This is Lilly's job, rest

while there's time," she had said as she pushed us away from the monsters' remains.

She said she wanted to do her share.

"Well, whadda you know, we've got even more company. Should we head somewhere

else?"

"Hmm, we could do that…"

There are a few groups of adventurers in the room now who weren't here when we

arrived.

Many adventurers pass through here, since this room connects to the floor above.

Quite a few battle parties use this room as a staging area because there's no fog.

Needless to say, it's difficult to find any monsters to slay in this spot.

It would be miserable to have to compete with them for loot, and even worse to have

something happen that causes problems between Familias. Actually, there were a few

parties that edged around the room while we were in combat. It's an unwritten rule

among adventurers: We stay out of one another's way as much as possible while in the

Dungeon.

…Now that I think about it, Lilly was the first one to realize that other adventurers

were here. She immediately gathered the bodies of slain monsters in one spot to

protect our loot. Kind of like, "These are ours, don't get any ideas."

I don't know if she's just got an eye for details, but that's something that only an

experienced supporter can do for their party.

"…Since we're already here, why don't we eat lunch? There are a lot of people in here,

so we shouldn't need to worry about monsters sneaking up on us."

"Good point. Plus, it'd be a real pain to give up this spot. Let's take advantage of the

situation. Lunch sounds good."

His reasoning sounds a bit pushy, but at least he agrees with me.

We'll start eating as soon as Lilly gets back.

All these people… I know it's the lower eleventh, but each party looksinsanely powerful…

Even the air around each group exudes strength and experience.

The same goes for their armor and weapons. Sharp, sturdy… The list of words that

comes to my mind just looking at them goes on and on.

An animal person with a robust bow strapped to his back, an Amazon leaning on a

particularly large battle ax, a majestic elf wearing a silver white cloak and carrying a

staff… They're a mix of races of humans and demi-humans, with a few interesting

quirks.

How many of them have leveled up…?

By and large, the parties that crawl the eleventh and twelfth floors are preparing to

venture forth into the middle levels. So there have to be quite a few Level 2

adventurers in here right now.

…Am I really on par with any of these people?

I'm Level 2, so we're equal at least on paper… but looking at the huge muscles on that

dwarf makes me want to make myself as small as possible. My goal is much, much

higher, so it's not a good sign that I'm getting intimidated so easily.

I'm sure all of them have some impressive Magic and Skills…

Wait a minute, I have a Skill, too…

Can't believe it took me this long to remember that I learned one, too.

"Heroic Desire, Argonaut." I completely forgot about it up until now, so I wasn't exactly

trying to test it out…

I fought like normal, nothing strange happened… did it?

I'm faster and stronger than before, but that's because I leveled up. I don't think a Skill

will have any effect on that.

"Active Action. Choose to move. Attack, not counterattack."

I tilt my head to the side as I remember the goddess's words. "Hmmm…"

I have no idea what she was talking about. Choosing to move, attacking and all that…

That's normal to me. And yet nothing unusual has happened. Maybe it takes more than

movement to trigger it?

Magic needs spells to activate, so maybe this Skill does, too?

How did I…

…Learn a skill called Argonaut in the first place?

Because I leveled up?

Because I slew that monster, the Minotaur?

Because I wished from the bottom of my heart that Aiz wouldn't see me in another

embarrassing situation?

…At that moment, I…

I want to be—

"—a hero!"

That's what I wished for.

"…"

Just like the heroes in fairy tales.

Just like the men who could face down powerful enemies without fear.

Just like the women who risk everything to save lives.

To become that, to be one step closer, that was my desire.

Heroic desire.

"…Hey, Bell. What's that?"

"!"

A voice drags me out of the depths of my memories and back into the present in the

blink of an eye.

Welf is standing in front of me, eyebrows cocked in confusion.

I'm about to ask him what's wrong, but I follow his gaze to my right arm first.

Small specs of light are shimmering around my arm.

"…Eh?"

My eyes go wide as a dumbfounded sound rolls off my tongue.

The small lights are spinning around my forearm, their white light softly pulsing.

The lights are smaller than a snowflake, about the size of a grain of sand. They

disappear as they rotate toward my arm, only for new ones to appear in their place in

an endless cycle.

Sparkle, converge, dim, and repeat.

It's as if my arm is stuck in a whirlpool of sparkling white light.

Ping, ping. The lights are making sounds as they glisten.

All like little chimes.

"…"

Mr. Welf and I look at each other.

He looks just as surprised and confused as I am. I don't think I could give him any

answers even if he asked me.

What… what is this…?

My eyes are focused so hard on my right hand, and I'm surprised it hasn't fallen off yet.

I can see Mr. Welf's gaze going from my face to my arm over and over again. Just as

he's opening his mouth to speak—it happens.

"—oooOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

A ferocious roar stampedes through the room, making my ears scream in pain.

"?!"

Mr. Welf and I flip around to look in that direction. No, not just us. Every other person

in the room is looking that way, their eyes wide with terror.

It's in the room's entrance. Amber-colored scales emerge from the fog flowing in from

the next room.

Not only scales, there is a long tail, sharp claws, and a ton of fangs as well.

It's only about 150 celch at its tallest, but it looks like it's more than 4 meders long—

a small dragon.

"An infant dragon…?!"

The voice of an adventurer I've never met rings out.

This four-legged beast is a species of dragon, said to be the most powerful type of all

the monsters in the Dungeon. While it doesn't have wings, its muscular body is

covered in thick amber scales. I can tell just by looking at this thing that it has the

potential to overpower an orc. Its head twists from side to side as it scans the room

with red eyes the size of dinner plates.

Infant dragon.

It's a rare monster that only appears on the lower eleventh and twelfth floors of the

Dungeon.

Considering that only four or five of these things roam the Dungeon at a time, it takes

a considerable amount of luck to encounter one of them. Then again, infant dragons

have annihilated entire parties of Level 1 adventurers. So they weren't all that lucky…

There is no "Monster Rex" on these floors, so it's safe to say that infant dragons are the

bosses of the upper levels.

"—!!"

The dragon springs into action the instant the man screams, as though the cry is an

opening bell. Flinging its long tail around like a whip, it hits an elf who happened to be

close by and sends him flying. He slams into a wall in a heartbeat, eyes wide. He falls

to the floor like a puppet whose strings have been cut, head limp. A chorus of new

screams erupts throughout the room a second later.

It may not be as strong as that Minotaur, but I wouldn't be surprised if this beast is

also categorized as Level 2. Now is the time to ignore the adventurers' unwritten law,

and everyone else realizes it. All battle parties act as one. Numerous spell incantations

start as Amazons and dwarves charge forward with swords and axes drawn.

"Li'l E! GET OUT OF THERE!!"

Mr. Welf's scream cuts through the chaos.

Even in my state of stunned silence, I can see everything unfold in front of me.

The dragon is charging toward Lilly, who is still in the corner of the room collecting

magic stones.

I see her stand and turn to face the monster. Suddenly, my body starts moving on its

own.

My still-sparkling right arm thrusts forward as the muscles in my throat tighten to

yell:

"FIREBOLT!!"

Half a moment later.

Everything goes silent.

"—"

A beam of pure white light.

The entire room is bathed in a flash as a sound rivaling the dragon's roar rings in my

ears.

Flaming bolts of lightning explode from within the white light surrounding my right

arm. Firebolt.

But it's completely different. The usual scarlet bolts of my Magic are surrounded by

white shards of light and are so thick that they could swallow a person whole. The

flames are headed toward the infant dragon.

Engulfing the beast in plasma, the Firebolt continues past the dragon and smashes

into the wall beyond.

A massive explosion.

"…GAH, ahh…"

Those amber scales that looked so sturdy a moment ago flake off like ash in the wind.

The infant dragon leaves behind a soft moan of pain before collapsing to the ground,

a victim of the electric inferno. I've heard that dragons have a natural resistance to

flame, but its exposed skin is burning away amid the smoldering remains of

everything around it.

All that's left in the corner of the room now is the burned remains of the dragon

dissolving into the air. The wall that took the blast is heavily damaged. Covered in

cracks, more and more pieces fall to the ground every moment.

CRICK CRASH! A large segment collapses to the floor like an afterthought.

"…"

An uneasy stillness descends on the room.

All of the other adventurers have stopped moving and are looking at me. Lilly and Mr.

Welf, too.

Shock, shudders, and… hostility. I don't react to any of the emotions being slung at me.

Coming back to myself, I pull my right arm down and toward my chest. The

glimmering specks of light are gone, and my arm looks like nothing ever happened.

"...oww."

I push my head through the opening in my shirt. Every part of my body aches, and

every movement is painful.

Now fully dressed, I open the door and leave the shower room.

The goddess, already changed, is sitting on the purple sofa.

"Bell, if you're tired, go ahead and get some rest. I can make dinner on my own."

"No, I'm fine. I'll help!"

"Heh-heh, is that so? All right, we'll make it together."

It's been a long day at work and a very long day of dungeon crawling. Both of us were

late getting home that night, so I don't want her to do everything by herself. It's already

late evening.

We do most things around our home together as much as possible; I know that's what

the goddess wants. I shouldn't let her do so much, but every time I try to do something

on my own, she always says something like, "Aren't we in this together, Bell?"

But in the end, it really does feel strange…

"…Um, Bell? Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

I've just started washing vegetables in our small excuse for a kitchen when the

goddess, who was cutting meat, suddenly asks me a question.

I turn to face her, our eyes level because she's standing on a small stool.

"Have you ever met Freya… Ah, a silver-haired goddess?"

"A goddess with silver hair? No, I don't think I have…"

I think hard as I answer.

I can count the number of times I've seen goddesses other than Lady Hestia since I

came to Orario on one hand. I should be able to remember if any of them had silver

hair.

"Hmm, yes, I suppose that's right…"

The goddess mumbles as she looks toward the ceiling. Did something happen?

I feel like the goddess has had her head on a swivel ever since the Denatus ended. I've

asked her about it a few times, but all she does is shake her head and say, "Nope, it's

nothing at all."

I'm a little worried about it, but I've got food to make. In what feels like no time at all,

everything is ready and I'm sitting at the table with the goddess.

"Ohh? So then, that smith is a good one?"

"Yes. He's very open about what he's thinking and I feel like I can depend on him. I'm

a little bit concerned about him and Lilly, though. I don't think they like each other too

much…"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

I laugh with the goddess in the late evening hours while we eat dinner.

Recently, our dinners have gotten a lot fancier. There's a lot less of the most basic food,

anyway.

It's normal for us to each have a slice of bread, and typical to have pieces of meat mixed

in with our salad, and it's become our tradition to have a small mountain of crispy

potato puffs in the evening.

It didn't take much time to get to this point, but it feels like it did. Dirt-poor, that's what

we were a little more than a month ago. I'm pretty sure we've escaped that label by

now.

"Well, if he's that kind of person, I don't see a problem. I'm all for it and I'll raise a glass

to him. You better not let him get away, Bell."

"I think so, too. Mr. Welf is a smith and with him around, we can make a three-man cell.

I've heard it's much safer to crawl the Dungeon with three! I'd like him to stick around

for a long time, but…"

"You should make sure he stays. It's much too dangerous for you and the supporter to

be alone in the Dungeon. Much, much too dangerous."

A refreshing smile grows on the goddess's lips when I eagerly nod in agreement.

Even the goddess's twin black ponytails look like they're in a good mood, swinging

back and forth like that. She must've been really worried about us.

It's also become a routine by this point, but I've been telling the goddess about

everything that happened that day.

First, I told her about Mr. Welf. I told her about the direct contract and all that

yesterday, so today I tell her about my impressions of him as a party member.

"I still can't believe that you would form a battle party with one of Hephaistos's group

members… hee-hee, maybe it was fate, since you entered my Familia."

The goddess grins from ear to ear.

Lady Hestia and Lady Hephaistos have spent a lot of time together, dating back to their

days in Tenkai, so it makes sense that they would be friends down here on Earth.

However, I've heard that a lot happened in the time between coming to Orario and

before the goddess started this Familia. Now it's difficult for them to casually meet up

anymore.

The goddess seems to find this unbreakable bond rather amusing. She's giggling hard

enough to make her shoulders shake.

"…Um, Goddess? Mr. Welf's last name is Crozzo. Have you heard anything aboutthem?"

Seeing an opening, I decide to ask her what has been on my mind since earlier today.

Lilly's story about the Crozzo family and magic swords.

I feel a little bad about looking into his family history behind his back, but I'm unable

to control my curiosity.

"Crozzo's Magic Swords, right…? I've heard a little about them, too, but… I don't think

I know any more about them than you do, Bell."

"I see…"

I've heard that the goddess hasn't been on Earth very long. It can't be helped that she

knows about as much as I do concerning what happened on Gekai—Earth—long ago.

Looks like Mr. Welf is going to remain a mystery for a while...

"…While I don't know much about the Crozzo family, I might have heard a few things

about the smith, Welf Crozzo."

"Huh?"

"Hee-hee-hee. Bell, don't tell me you've forgotten where I work?"

OH! So that's what she's talking about.

The goddess works for a shop owned by Hephaistos Familia, the same Familia that Mr.

Welf belongs to. I'm sure just by working there, she's heard a few things about him.

"So how about it, Bell!" she says, puffing out her generous chest a little too much. I

respond with a quick "Please" as my face turns red. It takes everything I have to force

a smile so that the goddess will start talking.

Apparently, when she heard Mr. Welf's name yesterday, she started collecting

information on her own.

"He's actually a pretty good smith. The boy's still got a lot of growing to do, but

Hephaistos talks about him all the time. I'm sure of that."

"L-Lady Hephaistos talks about Mr. Welf?"

"Yep. I heard this when she was drunk, but that boy has a lot of hidden talent, and he

could be so much more."

To think that in a Familia known for highly skilled smiths, Lady Hephaistos would take

note of Mr. Welf. Is he some kind of prodigy within the Familia?

"Oh, Hephaistos has an eye on him, all right. She's given him a once-over and found

that he has a special glow about him… But, she did say that he's quite a

disappointment, in terms of sensibility."

"…"

"Pyonkichi," the name of my armor, quickly comes to mind.

By the way, my current armor was given the same name as its predecessor. The current

model is the MK-III.

"And now the juicy part. Hephaistos is extremely harsh on him inside the Familia,

completely the opposite of how she talked about him when drunk."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

That was completely out of the blue. I ask her for more information and she nods with

a soft "Sure.

"To get straight to the point, he can already make magic swords."

"…!"

"Not some cheap imitation, but the real thing. He can produce magic swords that are

strong enough to outdo the work of the High Smiths inside Hephaistos Familia. Magic

swords worthy of the name Crozzo."

—Magic swordsmiths.

I've heard those words before. I take a moment to chew things over in my head.

"But, wait a minute… That can't be right. Smiths can't make magic swords without the

Advanced Ability Forge… right?"

That's it. Eina told me as much on the day that we first visited that Hephaistos Familia

shop in Babel Tower. I'm sure of it.

Only high-level smiths who have mastered the Forge ability to a certain degree can

make them.

"Even I don't know the reason why, but he can. Hephaistos herself confirmed it."

"That means…"

"Yeah, the Crozzo family is the real deal. And he has their blood running through his

veins."

I feel like my brain just hit a wall.

Mr. Welf really is a member of a noble family of smiths that fell into ruin.

And he really can make magic swords without the ability Forge.

…A Skill?

That's the only thing that comes to mind. Maybe he has some special Skill that allows

him to make that kind of weapon without Forge.

Then again, Lilly said that the Crozzo family could all make magic swords… Did they

all have the same Skill?

Hmmm, that seems a bit… I rub the sides of my head.

It's no use. Random guesses aren't going to solve anything.

Doing my best to cool off the burning questions within me, I focus on the goddess's

story.

"However, he doesn't make them."

"…eh?"

"For some reason, he doesn't even try. If he did, his name would be famous and clients

would be knocking at his door, but he doesn't. He's so stubborn that he's turned down

a chair at the High Smiths' table."

He can make magic swords, but he refuses?

A blade with the ability to unleash magic—or something very similar—with just one

swing is extremely strong. While they do have a limit, magic swords make it possible

for anyone to wield the blessing of Magic. It's as easy as swinging your arm.

That kind of weapon can save hundreds of lives.

Not to mention the money he would earn, all the customers he would have, if he would

just make them.

Despite all that, Mr. Welf doesn't want to…?

"He's referred to as the 'Rotten Treasure' at the shop I'm working at. Members of his

own Familia call him 'Crozzo the Defective' and other kinds of cruel names."

The goddess goes on to say that no one ever says these things publicly.

…People understand these kinds of things without hearing them directly.

"Rotten Treasure"…A shop would say that, thinking about all the money they could be

making. As for the members of his Familia—they're smiths just like Mr. Welf, and

they're very jealous.

He has the potential to easily join the High Smiths and make all the money he wants

just because he's a descendant of the Crozzo family.

I can see why he's always left out of their battle parties.

"He has the ability, but for some reason… That's the smith you signed a direct contract

with, Bell."

"…"

He has a reason…

It's probably the reason why Mr. Welf never told me he could make magic swords.

No one tells their secrets to a person they just met two days earlier, so I'm sure that

Mr. Welf wasn't trying to hide anything.

Thinking back to how he reacted when Lilly was talking earlier today, it makes a lot

more sense now.

"Bell, you have to be able to accept a secret or two with a smile. Even the gods have

things they don't want others to know. Please welcome him with open arms."

"Goddess…"

She speaks with a very soothing tone in her voice, like she's watching over me, guiding

me.

Both of her elbows are on the table, her head in her hands as her eyes meet mine. My

shoulders relax and a smile grows on my face before I know it.

The goddess giggles at my weird expression.

"We've been talking quite a while. We should dig in to dinner. Or is there something

else you'd like to talk to me about?"

The goddess asks me with her eyes on our already cold dinner. I think about it for a

moment, and I decide to ask one last thing.

About that Skill.

"So, you activated it? That Skill of yours."

"Yes…"

I tell her that it came to life when I thought about the people I admire, heroes.

It starts with tiny specks of white light swirling around a part of my body. Then,

incredible power is unleashed from that spot… That's the effect of Active Action: My

strength flies off the charts.

More than likely, it needs to charge before releasing energy.

I tell the goddess everything I can think of about my Skill, based on what happened

today.

"…Bell, would you stand up for a moment and show me your Status?"

"Ah, yes, sure."

Her serious gaze catches me off guard.

Plunk. The goddess hops off her chair and walks over to me as I take off my undershirt.

I turn my back to her and feel her eyes skimming the hieroglyphs on my skin.

"…Hmmm."

Her warm fingertips graze over my back.

Then her fingers come to a sudden stop. The hieroglyphs under her soft hand start to

heat up.

I shouldn't be able to see them, butfor some reason itfeels like the symbols are written

inside my head.

Not just symbols… The story of "Argonaut" written on one massive stone tablet.

"That's enough."

I slowly turn around.

The goddess picks up my undershirt that was draped over the chair and hands it to

me.

"I'm going to go ahead and give you my personal assessment. That Skill is the power

to turn the tables."

That's what she tells me.

Her arm is still outstretched, her voice so quiet I have to focus to hear her.

"It gives you the power to defeat enemies stronger than you are… The ability to come

back from the most hopeless of situations. At the very least, it gives you the capacity

to do so."

I can see my reflection in the goddess's large, mystical eyes.

"This Skill is a key that only children obsessed with being a hero can receive—a key

that unlocks the hero within you."

—Argonaut.

A story about a boy who aspired to be a hero.

And the path he took, his head in the clouds.

The path to heroism.

"When you bet everything on one strike, this Skill drastically increases your strength.

Even in the face of overwhelming odds, it gives you a chance to punch through and

turn the tide."

Just as heroes have done many times before.

The goddess adds one last thing.

"You've acquired a 'heroic strike.'"

With those words, the entire room falls silent.

It takes me a few moments to realize that our eyes are locked on each other. I only

notice that we're looking deep into each other's eyes when the goddess hits my

shoulder a few times with my shirt.

I grab it and ram my head through, my ears turning bright red. I can still feel her

watching me as I wiggle and squirm my way back into my clothes.

Then she smiles.

But I've never seen her smile like this before. It's like she's looking down from a place

far away, a place that I can't reach.

A smile that a loving angel sends down to the child she's protecting from high above

the clouds.

This is the first time.

The first time the goddess has taken away my senses and robbed me of my thoughts.

I stand in awe of her, in complete silence, as I hear her say, "Remember this well."

"GWAAARRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!"

A ferocious roar echoed.

A shockingly swift kick hit a silent monster square in the face, shattering its skull.

Long, golden boots were splattered with fresh blood. Despite delivering the finishing

blow to hundreds of monsters up to this point and being covered in molten lava, their

golden sheen has not diminished in the slightest.

These metal boots were not designed to protect the feet of the wearer. They were

weapons, plain and simple. Tearing through the air with extreme velocity, they mow

down everything in their path.

"Out of the way, Bete! It's not my fault if you get smashed to a pulp!"

"Who the hell would get hit by a crappy weapon like that?!"

"Tione! Wolf soup for dinner tonight! Eww! Nasty!"

"I'll frickin' kill you!"

"…Idiots."

The forty-fourth floor.

A stage of the Dungeon's lower levels filled with sweltering heat.

The crimson floor looked like it was always burning, with oddly shaped rocks jutting

out all over the place. There were many cracks in the scorched walls, white-gray ash

peeling off the Dungeon itself. A deep red light glowed from within the cracks, as if

something inside was ready to burst forth.

Loki Familia's expedition was in full swing, with several adventurers having engaged

a group of monsters called Flaming Rocks in combat within what looked like the belly

of a volcano.

"What's got their britches in a bunch?"

"Gareth."

A surprised but low, growling voice reached the ears of Loki Familia's field general,

Finn.

A dwarf walked up to him from behind.

A long beard flowed over his thick chest plate; muscles like steel bulged out from

between the gaps in his imposing armor. A cape around his back, spinning an

enormous ax lightly in his hand, the dwarf exuded a powerful warrior's aura.

The dwarf called Gareth watched in amazement as Bete and the other adventurers

recklessly charged down monster after monster.

"Been pipin' hot since the middle levels, ya hear? The other youngsters can't grow like

this. See there, Raul's in dire straits."

"Hmm. I don't like it much either, but there's no stopping them now."

It wasn't just Bete's small group that was engaging the monsters right now. Many

members of Loki Familia had joined the fray. Most of them were Level 3, so they had

to be careful to avoid the attacks of the higher-level adventurers as well as the

monsters.

Bete, Tiona, Tione. The three of them slew more and more of the horde of monsters,

taking the valuable excelia for themselves. Finn watched them from his vantage point

on top of a large boulder, an exhausted look on his face as he sighed under his breath.

"Even Tione's inner monster's breakin' loose… Finn, what in blazes happened before

our rendezvous?"

One of the Amazonian twins, who usually behaved herself in Finn's presence, had a

frighteningly calm look in her eyes but a telling grin on her lips. Grasping her set of

Kukri knives, she hacked and slashed her way through the enemy ranks as her glossy

black hair danced violently in her wake.

Gareth looked up at Finn—who was still standing on top of the boulder—through the

eyeholes of his helmet.

"They seem to have been inspired by an adventurer we ran into on our way down."

"Inspired, ya say? Anyone that good crawling the middle levels?"

"No, the upper levels."

"The hell?"

Loki Familia had followed the Guild's requirements for expeditions by splitting the

group into two teams. Gareth had been in charge of the second group. Most of Loki

Familia's firepower had been in the first group to clear a path for the latter, leaving

him as the only top-class adventurer on his team. The two groups had met up at a

predetermined point in the Dungeon. Therefore, Gareth didn't know what Finn's team

had seen or experienced on their way down.

The dwarf's eyes went a little wider, his jaw slack in surprise.

"I think something was pulling the strings, but a Minotaur appeared on the ninth floor.

A Level One adventurer encountered and slew it."

"A Minotaur done in by a Level One? No, hold up there, how do y'know the laddie was

Level One?"

"The boy's Status was exposed and it was confirmed. Well, so long as Reveria can still

read hieroglyphs, that is."

"What's this? Are you doubting my vision, Finn?"

"Ahh, Reveria."

An elf walked up from behind them to join their conversation.

Her long jade hair sparkled in the crimson light. Even in this heat, there wasn't a bead

of sweat anywhere on her silky white skin.

She wore an elegant blue dress that flowed like water as she came to a stop next to

Finn's boulder.

"Finn, I would prefer to wear a robe next time. This Undine-made dress takes far too

long to put on."

"Hmm. After all that Loki went through to get it for you, you should be able to put up

with a little hassle."

"Aye. Y'wear it well."

"Just thinking about those eyes undressing me makes me want to set this wretched

thing ablaze right here and now…"

The head of her Familia, Loki, had suddenly appeared a few days before the expedition

and thrust this sheer blue dress at her and said, "Reveria, darlin', wear this, won'cha,

please?" Reveria had accepted the dress with a cold, hard stare.

Finn and Gareth had similar blue garments under their armor as well. Justlike Reveria,

neither of them felt the heat on this floor.

The material was enhanced with fairy magic and protected them from extreme

temperatures.

"Back to the matter at hand, one other person can confirm the adventurer's level. Aiz

Chapter 26 - THE SMITH’S SITUATION

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