Chapter 35 - DUNGEON RESORT?

The first thing I feel is a heaviness, like my body is weighed down.

I don't know how long I've been here. My arms and legs feel like dirt and I keep flowing

in and out of consciousness. After a long time fighting the sense of nothingness that

comes with a deep slumber, I finally break through.

Everything's all blurry.

I blink a few times to clear my vision. My mind is still blank.

I see… fabric. Probably the inside of a tent.

I'm on my back, looking up at the ceiling.

Just as I start looking around the area—my eyes fly open as the memories flood my

brain.

"Lilly, Welf?!"

Our desperate search through the middle levels, the Goliath's appearance, the

eighteenth floor. Everything came back at once.

Adrenaline starts pumping through my veins. I don't know what happened; I need to

find out.

All of my muscles fire to help me sit up. A fresh wave of pain washes over me a second

later.

" ?!"

I curl into a little ball.

I think it was a scream that came out of my throat. No, the scream came from my entire

body.

It feels like every hit I've taken, every cut, scrape, and bruise I've received since

entering the thirteenth floor cries out all at once. I'm in tatters; all the abuse has really

taken its toll.

I'm writhing in so much pain that I might pass out again.

"Are you okay?"

—Once again, my eyes open.

That beautiful voice came from right beside me. I lay there for a moment, unable to

believe my ears before lifting my head.

The first thing I see is a wall of white fabric, probably part of the tent. Then the long,

golden hair of an adventurer sitting right next to me comes into view.

"Eh, huh, whaa…?!"

"…Are you all right?"

Her eyebrows furrow in concern as she speaks with that beautiful voice.

A-Aiz… Aiz Wallenstein…?!

I'm not hallucinating! It's actually her!

Why is she here?! I silently scream as my last memories before passing out come back

to me.

Long, beautiful golden hair reflected in my cloudy eyes.

I gulp down the air in my throat. The person I begged for help was… Aiz?

I, I grabbed her leg…?! A new firestorm whips up within me as I clench my shaking fist.

"W-why are you here…?!"

"Returning from our expedition… We stopped on the eighteenth…"

Aiz's group, Loki Familia, must've come back from trying to explore previously

unknown levels deep in the Dungeon. So that means they're resting here at the safe

point, level eighteen.

They left on their expedition almost two weeks ago… Considering what Lilly said

earlier, we must've just crossed paths.

That was my train of thought as I lay there, marveling at her beauty.

"…! My friends! Are they ?!"

Lilly! My shoulders shake once my brain connects the dots.

—Are they okay?! I'm about to ask as my body flings forward on its own.

My elbows leave the ground, my body straight up.

It feels like something's pushing me from behind. I can't even blink. Suddenly all the

pain I was in doesn't matter. My sense of urgency cancels it all out. That doesn't mean

my muscles can take it.

I can't balance. The floor is rushing up to my face.

Aiz rises to her knees beside me and holds out both of her arms.

Pwff.

"…"

"…"

She catches both of my shoulders in her hands. My face, however, is buried deep in her

chest.

I can feel her golden hair on my nose.

Her metallic breastplate feels cool on my cheeks. It caught my fall.

I-I'm so glad it was a breastplate and not there's no time for that kind of thinking?!

"S-sorry!"

My body launches itself away from her faster than the Goliath blasted me down the

tunnel.

My face burning red, I get away from her chest as fast as possible. Ignoring the

excruciating pain, I bend away to put some distance between us.

My body moves almost like it's a reflex. Losing my balance again, I hit the back of my

head on the ground, and stars dance in front of my eyes. To add insult to injury, I yelp

in agony in front of Aiz and grasp the back of my neck.

Shame and pain course through my body when… Swish. My hair brushes against

something.

"Ah… Welf."

He was fast asleep under thick covers right where I fell. Putting up with the pain, I

force my body up again and take a good look around. Lilly is next to him on the other

side.

I can feel the tension leave my shoulders as I look at their sleeping faces. Finally, relief.

"They are both okay… Reveria and the others healed them."

Upon closer inspection, Welf's right leg and Lilly's numerous injuries have been

treated. I don't think our rescuers did anything fancy, but both Welf's and Lilly's

wounds have been carefully wrapped in bandages.

"They had taken a lot of damage… but you were in very bad shape…"

Only after she says that do I notice that my head is also wrapped in bandages. She

parts my bangs with her fingers and slowly strokes my head.

My cheeks flush pink as I feel her fingertips run through my hair.

And then: "Any pain?" She tilts her head to the side as she asks. That is the final blow.

My whole body turns red.

"T-thank you very much… for saving us, really…"

Somehow I manage to force my body away from her gentle hands and express my

gratitude.

Aiz sets her hands in her lap and shakes her head from side to side. "It's nothing," she

says with a small smile. I don't know why, but I feel really happy right now.

Then she looks at me with her golden eyes and asks what our plans are from here on

out.

She slowly moves her head to look toward the exit of the tent.

"Can you move?"

"Umm… Y-yes."

"Finn told me… Our commander told me to contact him. Come with me, would you?"

Aiz stands up as I give her a sharp nod.

I quickly climb to my feet. She offers her hand to help me up, but I can't afford to

embarrass myself even more. Trying to display some amount of manliness, I

respectfully decline. There's a new shot of pain… owwww…

Focusing completely on my teetering legs, I finally stand straight up. Every muscle in

my body is complaining, but I can handle it. I follow Aiz through the exit as she lifts

the fabric door out of the way.

"Whoa…?!"

A huge campsite comes into view.

We're surrounded by trees, but the forest isn't that dense here. Tents have been

pitched all around us. All of them are facing in toward a central area. Large cargo boxes

are sitting on top of tree roots throughout the camp.

Dwarves, animal people, elves… A surprising amount of them are women. Another

group of adventurers, a mix of demi-humans, has a very serious air about them. But

some are just talking, almost relaxing with one another. Two animal people are sitting

beside each other in the grass. A dwarf and an elf, one leaning against a tree with his

arms crossed while the other uses her hands to make gestures as she talks… Their

armor and weapons show signs of fierce battles, and yet still sparkle. Whoever made

their equipment was extremely good at what they do.

A party of adventurers from what could be called the strongest Familia in Orario… I

can feel the aura of strength radiating from all of them. My body is instinctively trying

to pull away.

The members of Loki Familia start to notice us.

But they look right past Aiz and straight to me. They don't seem all that happy to see

me. Then again, it's only natural, looking at it from their point of view… But what is

it… They're looking at me like some kind of enemy. Aiz tilts her head.

A bead of cold sweat rolls down my neck as something occurrs to me. Is it because Aiz

has been taking care of me? I'm mulling that spot over as Aiz starts walking. I almost

trip trying to keep up.

A barrage of inquisitive looks keeps coming as I move forward. Yet, thisis a forest, I say

to myself as I look at the dim canopy above, trying not to catch the eyes of anyone else.

The leaves and branches create a kind of dome canopy over our heads.

However, sunlight flashes through the openings.

It feels warm on my face. To top it all off, I think I can see blue through the leaves.

This is the Dungeon. No sunlight ever makes it down here—so why is there shade and

a blue sky? I'm so confused.

Is there really a blue sky and warm sun on the other side of those leaves?

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's… um, well…"

Aiz must've sensed my bewilderment because she turned to face me.

My confused brain tries to think of how to respond. In the end I can't control my

curiosity so I ask her a question.

"This is the eighteenth floor… of the Dungeon, right? Why is it so bright…?"

I look at the sky as I speak. Eina never mentioned anything about this—I bet she'd

never thought I'd come this far on my first day in the middle levels—so I'm completely

clueless. Aiz follows my gaze, her thin chin rising.

"…Should we take a detour?"

She looks at me again and I clumsily nod.

We turn off our original route and leave the camp area. This part of the forest,

completely untouched by humans, spreads out even wider as the canopy towers above

us. I don't know why, but I feel like a weight is coming off my shoulders.

I follow her swishing gold hair for a few minutes before the scenery takes my breath

away.

Crystals.

Clear and sparkling, they're absolutely gorgeous.

Some of them are really small, no bigger than my foot. But there are some that are

large enough that I could stand inside them. A giant could use one of these things as a

dagger. Crystals of all shapes and sizes dot the landscape.

My head is on a swivel. The crystals seem to be sprouting in small groups, tall, thin

crystals emitting azure light. The entire forest is silently illuminated by their glow. The

forest floor is covered in little blue fragments, along with a good amount of moss and

tree roots.

It's a mystifying, wondrous sight.

It's impossible not to stand and stare.

The sound of flowing water fills my ears. A small river runs through this forest.

Members of Loki Familia are drawing water from it. An elf notices Aiz and waves.

It's said that the elves' homeland is somewhere deep in a forest.

Even though I've never seen it myself, I had a feeling it would look a lot like this.

"Ah…"

The forest opens up.

Aiz keeps walking forward, toward a semicircular arch-like exit to the forest bathed in

white light. I cover my eyes as they adjust to this new, brighter path.

I blink a few times as everything comes into focus.

"…Amazing."

A wild frontier opens up in front of me.

The first thing my eyes take in is the expansive great plain. My vision is filled with a

rich green that I've never seen on the surface. The small shadows moving about are

probably monsters. Even here, crystals are scattered throughout the landscape.

There is a pond on my left… On second thought, it's big enough to call it a lake. The

perfectly smooth surface is an amazingly pure blue. There are some large rocks—no,

islands—sticking out of the middle of it.

The forest spreads out to my right. It's a lot larger than I thought. And then right in

front of me, I can clearly see a towering tree jutting out of the middle of the plains.

My eyes follow its massive trunk up and up until…

I happen to catch a glimpse of the ceiling.

"…Ah, aren't those?"

"Yes, all crystals."

Aiz was nice enough to answer my unfinished question.

Just as she said, the entire ceiling of this level is covered in a sheet of crystals.

They go from corner to corner and all the way around, like a field of blooming flowers

looking down from above. They are divided into two colors: The big ones in the center

are white and remind me of the sun; the ones surrounding them are blue like the sky.

There is no blue sky in the Dungeon.

All the crystals above us make it look like there is.

"The light from the crystals disappears after a while… That's when night comes."

My eyes peel back in surprise.

According to Aiz, the amount of light changes the same way all the time. Right now it's

the "afternoon." Apparently it's not matched up with the real sky, though…

It's almost like the Dungeon prepared this by looking outside, I think to myself as I look

at the blue crystals.

"…"

The safe point, level eighteen.

A world full of nature and crystals far below the surface.

It has another name: Under Resort.

Plains and a lake, complete with a blue sky. I stand next to Aiz and take it all in.

Back at the campsite in the middle of the forest, there's a tent a bit bigger than the

others.

A flag bearing Loki Familia's emblem hangs inside.

And now I'm standing in front of some of the most famous adventurers in Orario.

"Aiz told me about your situation… but I didn't think you had already been carried into

our camp."

The person speaking to me has blond hair, very similar to Aiz's golden locks. His eyes

are a deep blue, the same color as a lake. Right now, he's doing his best to force a smile.

Just standing in front of this grimacing prum boy is making every hair on my body

stand on end.

No, it's not just him. There are two incredibly strong demi-humans behind each of his

shoulders. I steal a few glances in their direction, but I avoid eye contact at all costs.

"Oh-ho, this that adventurer you were talking about, Reveria?"

"Indeed, Galess. This is Bell Cranell."

A dwarf built like a stone fortress and a very refined elf. I can feel their gazes; just by

listening to their conversation I know they're appraising me, judging me. It's making

me even more nervous.

The prum Finn Deimne is Loki Familia's highest-ranking adventurer and field general.

The strong, wise dwarf elder is Galess Landrock. And Orario's most powerful magic

user is the elfess Reveria Riyos Ahrve.

The three of them are all top class and are practically the face of Orario's adventurers.

"Th-th-thank you for everything you have done. I-I-I can't thank you enough…!"

I just became an upper-class adventurer myself. But looking at these three—and Aiz

as well—there's no doubt they are in a league of their own, far above me.

I'm doing my best to express my gratitude, body low and head down. But for whatever

reason I get the feeling that my pathetic stuttering and weakness are only annoying

them. Even Aiz, standing right next to me, is looking at me funny.

The skin on my body is red enough to rival the salamander wool covering it.

"Don't be so tense, take it easy. We're all adventurers, aren't we? It's at times like these

that we have to help each other out," says Finn Deimne as he stretches his shoulders.

"And considering that you're a friend of Aiz's, we can't exactly turn you away. She'd

hold a grudge worse than you can imagine. If we didn't do everything in our power to

help, none of us would be able to sleep at night."

There's a tinge of humor in his voice. I'm so nervous that I almost miss it. A smile

grows on my lips before I know it. Every fiber of my being is telling me to keep my

distance from them, but the air feels lighter somehow.

Aiz flashes him a look. I think it meant something like "don't say anything weird." All

the tension in the room suddenly leaves. The atmosphere in here is almost comical.

Mr. Finn smiles at me like a boy his age actually would. All my nerves have settled

down.

"I believe I understand exactly what happened, but could I hear it in your own words?

I'll tell you about our situation, too. Think of it as an exchange of information."

"Ah, sure."

This boy has very good people skills. I feel very comfortable telling him everything. It

must come from experience. I nod and start talking.

From the thirteenth through the eighteenth, I spare no detail in my explanation.

"Ga-ha-ha! All the way ta the eighteenth on yer first day! Finn, Reveria, ya were right!

This youngster's quite interesting!"

"Galess, this is not a private conversation. Please hold your tongue."

The elf Reveria shoots a one-eyed glare as a warning to the laughing dwarf, Galess.

Actually, I told them that coming down to the eighteenth floor was Lilly's idea… but

the dwarf warrior didn't pay attention. Instead, he kept praising me, saying things like,

"Got some shifty feet, there, laddie! Escapin' from the floor boss like that!" I can't help

but smile back at him.

"As for us, we're taking a rest here. Usually we pass right through the eighteenth floor

and straight up to the surface when returning from an expedition… but this time we

encountered some monsters with particularly potent venom."

Mr. Finn goes on to say that a good deal of Loki Familia's adventurers, excluding the

higher-level ones like Aiz, are infected. Many of them can't move on their own.

Since they were returning from an expedition… meaning that their stock of healing

items was very low, they had no way to heal everyone. It was impossible for them to

keep moving as a group.

"We sent Bete, the fastest member of our Familia, up to the surface to gather some

antidotes. With any luck he'll be back tomorrow, but in any case we're stuck here until

he arrives."

Apparently he set off to collect the healing items just before we arrived on the

eighteenth floor.

We must've just missed him because we used the holes instead of taking the regular

path.

"We're very low on supplies, especially food. We'll give you all we can spare, but please

understand it's not much."

"N-no, we'll be extremely grateful for anything at all!"

Considering the fact they've already given us a tent to use even though so many of

their members are suffering from venom, they've already treated us extremely well.

We have no right to complain.

"It's just for a short while, so we will treat you as guests for the time being. As long as

you don't try to stir up trouble, you can use that tent for as long as we're here. I'll let

everyone know myself."

"…Really, I'm so grateful for everything… Thank you very much."

I thank him, filling my words with as much gratitude as possible.

"You owe us one," Mr. Finn says with a light smile. I say a few more thank-yous as Aiz

and I leave the tent.

"Are you sure, Finn?"

Reveria asked Finn a question after Bell left the tent.

Her emerald-green hair swished around her shoulders as she looked down toward the

short general.

"It is true that Aiz has taken a liking to him… Plus, there is a member of Hephaistos

Familia in Bell's party."

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes. One of the smiths told me."

High Smiths belonging to Hephaistos Familia had joined this expedition alongside Loki

Familia. One of the smiths had informed Finn that he recognized Welf when the young

man was carried into the camp.

"Goddess Hephaistos doesn't consider any of her followers to be more important than

another, yes? I'd hate to get on her bad side just because we refused to help one of

them."

"Logical," nodded Reveria with a satisfied look on her face.

Finn swiveled his eyes up to meet her gaze.

"The icing on the cake is that you are interested in Bell Cranell as well, aren't you,

Reveria? Aiz has taken an interest in him, so how could you not?"

"…I will not deny that."

"Ga-ha-ha! Look at you, Reveria! Bein' all motherly!"

"No teasing, Galess," she replied, looking somewhat annoyed.

The large dwarf's hearty laughter continued all the same.

"It's good for her to show interest and initiative… Personally, I think this is an

opportunity for her. But what about your perspective as the leader of our Familia? It's

highly likely thatthe reason that Aiz left home early before this expedition was to meet

with Bell Cranell."

Finn, like Reveria, had noticed strange changes in her behavior before the expedition,

such as asking how to issue commands to adventurers. They could see the effect that

Bell's early-morning training sessions had on the girl.

"Hmm, I think that it would be good for Aiz to change as well… But for now, let's keep

Loki in the dark about this."

"Oi, Finn! Ya should challenge Bell Cranell ta a wrestlin' match! It's a style of fightin'

Loki was talkin' about. And this geezer would very much like to know how strong he

is."

"Hmm… no."

Finn explained that as the leaders of the group, there was no room for carelessness.

They could unknowingly put the white rabbit of a boy who was following Aiz around

camp in danger.

"In any case, there shouldn't be any problems. Bell Cranell doesn't seem like the kind

of human who would go looking for a fight. We'll keep an eye on him for the time

being," said Finn, casting his eyes back toward the exit of the tent.

I follow Aiz back to the main camp after meeting with Mr. Finn and the others.

If I had to guess, I'd say there's more than ten white tents set up in the forest. I'm sure

there are people suffering from poison inside each of them.Healthy adventurers stand

guard outside each tent.

The light filtering down through the branches and leaves from the canopy above is

soft. Leaves rustle in the trees above us, but we're not the only ones out and about

right now.

"Aiz, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon…"

Members of Loki Familia greet Aiz as they walk past.

That's right, she's one of their leaders…

Forgetting something that important sends a twinge to my body. I belong to a different

Familia, and yet here I am walking with her like this. No wonder I've been getting all

these strange looks.

As proof, "welcoming" is the last word I would use to describe their attitude toward

me. Men and women either look at me like I'm some kind of criminal or stare at me

with very serious eyes.

An elf who just walked by, probably a magic user, didn't stop glaring at me until she

passed. I'm scared…!

I'd be overpowered in an instant if I tangled with any of them. They're higher level

than me, for sure. And I'm sure they aren't exactly happy I'm walking around their

campsite like this.

"Level eighteen…"

"Huh?"

Aiz suddenly speaks with her back to me.

I look up and see that she's looking over her shoulder at me, her face in profile.

"You've… already made it to level eighteen…"

"Eh, umm… Just like I told Mr. Finn, you see, one thing led to another and we just kind

of ended up here… We weren't planning on it, though, and we a-almost died!"

I trip over my words as I try to respond and scratch my bandaged cheek.

Aiz spins on her heel to face me, as if she isn't satisfied with such a weak answer.

"Did slaying that Minotaur make you Level Two?"

She's not blinking at all. Her golden stare is rather intimidating, so I nod.

She stays like that for a moment before twisting her body like she's trying to get a look

at my back.

Then: shuffle, shuffle. She moves to my side. I do my best to shrink away, and break out

in a cold sweat.

…Is she trying to look at my Status?

I don't know why I'm getting thatimpression but once again,shuffle,shuffle. She moves

once more. So do I. Shuffle, shuffle, step, step, shuffle, shuffle, step, step. What is going

on?

Other members of her Familia are watching us. The white-haired boy glistening with

sweat and the airheaded Aiz—it must look like we're doing some kind of footwork

practice… Out of nowhere:

"Wow—it's really Argonaut!"

A very energetic voice reaches my ears.

Sure, I wasn't expecting anyone to speak up, but it was what she called me that makes

my heart skip a beat.

I quickly spin around to face the owner of the voice and see two girls with wheatcolored skin coming up to me.

"Tiona, Tione…"

"You've been busy, Aiz. I hear you've already talked to Finn?"

"I heard you'd been carried in, but you're awake, too! You're one lucky guy, Argonaut!"

Aiz called these two Tiona and Tione… twins, maybe? One has shorter black hair just

long enough to cover her ears; the other's is the same color and extends halfway down

her back. Their clothes are different, but their faces are almost identical. Their height,

too.

Based on how much tan skin is showing, it'd be a safe bet to say they're Amazons. The

long-haired one talks to Aiz first, while the one with short hair comes right up to me…

However.

She's called me "Argonaut" twice. That's the same name as my Skill. Blood is tearing

through my veins.

She knows?! My mind is racing. I open and close my mouth,trying to speak, but nothing

comes out. On my third or fourth attempt, words finally emerge.

"A-Argonaut? How do you mean…?"

"Ahh, don't mind her. It's just a name this blockhead came up with to call you."

"All of us saw you fight that Minotaur! And watching you reminded me of this fairy tale

I used to love when I was a kid. So, yeah, you were incredible!"

Somehow, my battle with the Minotaur on the ninth floor reminded her of the legend

of Argonaut. I take a deep breath and feel the relief wash over me. It wasn't my Skill,

but this girl's free-spirited personality that led her to dub me Argonaut. An

adventurer's Status, basic abilities, Magic, and Skills are his lifeline. They're best kept

protected.

We start to introduce ourselves.

The girl who calls me Argonaut is Tiona Hyrute and the long-haired girl is Tione

Hyrute… Wait a minute. The Amazonian Hyrute sisters? Aren't they famous top-class

adventurers just like Aiz?

Sure, I'd never seen them face-to-face or knew their first names, but it took me way

too long to figure it out.

"The fact that you're here means you've reached Level Two, am I right? I know you can

take down a Minotaur on your own, but you're something else, kiddo."

"Ah! He's blushing! So cute!"

"…"

Their teasing makes me smile, but to be honest, I can't focus on what they're saying.

My eyes keep drifting toward the wide expanses of healthy, wheat-colored skin.

Tiona only has one strip of fabric wrapped around her chest. Her pareu-style skirt

goes down to her knees, but her stomach is completely exposed. Meanwhile, Tione's

attire looks like little more than underwear—bra and panties… That is to say, there's

no safe place to put my eyes. It's either watch her large breasts sway as she moves or

follow her long, slender waist down…

This pressure is a new kind of overwhelming.

Surrounded by beautiful girls who are more than likely a few years older than me… I

feel like I could pass out at any moment.

((((Don't get cocky!))))

"—"

I didn't exactly hear that so much as I felt it.

It came from all the men around the camp with their eyes on us—cold, glaring eyes.

The color drains from my face in an instant.

"I—I'm going to go check on my friends?!"

I think I hear someone say, "Ah, there he goes," while I make my escape.

I nearly fall several times as I dash like a madman to put some distance between the

girls and me.

The forest is getting darker.

The "sunlight" coming down through the many leaves above my head is getting

dimmer… The light from the crystals is fading.

"Afternoon" in the Dungeon is over. "Night" is about to begin.

It really is getting dark…

I take a look outside the tent.

There is no red twilight between the two; the "sky" goes from blue to black. While it

does feel a little strange that the natural progression outside it doesn't exist down

here, it's still amazing to me that night can fall in the Dungeon.

I leave the tent entrance and go back inside.

Lilly and Welf are still sleeping. Even though there is nothing to do, I feel like I'm taking

care of them as I look at their peaceful faces.

The campsite gets livelier as time passes. I space out for a little bit, but they're

probably making dinner right now.

"Hnnn…"

Welf's body moves. At the same time, the blanket over Lilly starts shifting little by

little.

Another wave of relief flows through my body.

"…Where are we?"

"Mr. Bell…?"

Both of them slowly blink their eyes as they look around. Knowing that both of them

are alive takes the last bit of weight off my shoulders, and I can finally breathe easy.

I talk to them, my voice loose and calm.

"Lilly, Welf, are you two okay? Do you know who I am?"

"…Lilly doesn't think there will be a day when she doesn't recognize Mr. Bell's face."

"Ah… Li'l E's just as sassy as ever, I hear. Nothin' wrong with me. Heya, Bell."

A smile works its way across Lilly's lips as Welf responds like his usual self.

I grin from ear to ear and wait for both of them to wake up completely.

They're both a little bit woozy after opening their eyes, but once their heads are clear

enough they sit up on their own. They stay on the ground, blankets covering their legs

as I explain everything that's happened.

First, that we made it safely to the eighteenth floor. Next, that Loki Familia is taking

care of us.

I try to be as simple and precise as possible. Both of them sit quietly, staring at me

until I finish. Then… they apologize.

"Lilly's so very sorry, Mr. Bell…"

"Held you back there, didn't I… Sorry, man."

"I-it's not like that at all!"

Both of them fall silent as words come pouring out of my mouth.

I sound almost angry as I unleash everything all at once. If Lilly hadn't been there, we

would've wandered aimlessly around the Dungeon for who knows how long. If Welf

hadn't been there, the hellhounds would've roasted us alive.

Lilly's and Welf's eyes seem to shrink away as they quietly listen to my tirade.

"It's thanks to the two of you, thanks to all of us… that we're here right now, that we

survived."

"…Well said."

"We would've died if one of us wasn't here. Lilly agrees."

Their confidence seems to be coming back. Their faces transform from grimaces into

actual smiles.

At the same time, I feel a little bit embarrassed about my outburst.

A moment later, all three of us wrinkle our faces as we laugh with one another.

"…Dinner's ready. Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes!"

I jump to my feet in response to a voice coming from outside the tent. Aiz pokes her

head in.

Lilly's and Welf's jaws drop as the Kenki appears in front of their very eyes.

"Th-thank you, really. Sharing food with us and all…"

"It's nothing… Can you come outside?"

I freeze for a moment. I've got a bad feeling about going out there, but they've done so

much to help us, so… it would be rude not to say hi, wouldn't it?

I look back at Lilly and Welf and use my eyes to ask them if it's okay. Both of them nod.

They climb to their feet and all of us follow Aiz out of the tent and toward the camp.

"Hey, Bell. How do you know the Kenki?"

"Umm… It's a long story."

"Mr. Bell. Please tell Lilly all about it sometime soon."

I'm lending my shoulder to Welf once again and Lilly is smiling beside me, but it's a

little frightening.

That story is one embarrassing moment after another, so I'd rather not tell her if I can

help it…

The three of us force an empty laugh as we keep up with Aiz.

Lilly and Welf start looking around and taking everything in. We reach the center of

camp in no time.

"Humph, it's them…"

A large number of people are sitting in a circle in the open space at the center of their

campsite. A few specialized magic-stone lamps are set up in the middle. Bright and

flickering, they look almost like flames. If I remember right, this design is called a

"campfire."

This big circle isn't just made up of Loki Familia members. Hephaistos Familia's High

Smiths are here, too. Aiz explains what is going on as Welf recognizes someone in the

circle and groans.

"H-hello there..."

All eyes are on us. We make our way to an empty spot and take a seat.

The moment my rear touches ground, plop, Aiz sits down on my right. Lilly takes a seat

on my left and Welf on the other side of her. We've naturally sat down according to

rank… which is kind of scary.

I've sat next to Aiz before, during our morning training sessions… but it still feels like

there's a lot of distance between my idol and me. I don't know if it'll ever go away.

I sneak a peek in her direction.However, she notices right away and makes eye contact.

Her golden hair is silky and shiny, like she's just taken a bath. Come to think of it, the

air around her smells like a pure hot spring.

"Something wrong?"

"…N-no! Everything's fine!"

I can feel my face heating up, so I break off eye contact before my face starts burning

red.

"Everyone, please listen. As I've told many of you, we are hosting some guests tonight.

All of them courageously risked their lives to save one another, and managed to safely

arrive on the eighteenth floor. I won't ask you to be friendly with them. However, I

would like you to respect them as fellow adventurers while they're with us… Now

then, let's have a fresh start."

"Wow, he's really good at this…"

Mr. Finn walks to the center of the circle and addresses everyone. He appeals to

everyone's pride as adventurers to help avoid arguments and fights. Sounds like Lilly

is really impressed by his approach.

At long last, the food arrives. Two or three fruits to a person.

They're red fruits, shaped like gourds. The amber-colored flesh inside looks sweet…

I've never seen anything like this on the surface. They must grow here on the

eighteenth floor. I carefully take a bite out of the fruit that looks like cotton dipped in

honey. No wonder it's been named the "honey cloud."

My mouth is instantly filled with a thick, sweet juice—and I almost spit it out.

It's sweet—much too sweet. I'm not all that good with sweet stuff to begin with, but

this is making me tear up. I feel like I'm gonna die! Doing my best to swallow, I take a

look around. The female members of Loki Familia seem to be enjoying it. Just one bite

and their faces melt, their hands on their cheeks. I can tell that shivers are running

down their spines.

"Mr. Bell, Mr. Bell? Lilly would be happy to finish that for you, if you don't like it?"

"S-sure. Here…"

"Oh, okay—Ahhhh."

"All right, Bell. Leave it to me, I'll finish it for you… Whew, you were right, way too

sweet."

Lilly shifts in front of me and perches like a bird with her mouth open, like she wants

me to feed her. But before I can put the rest of the fruit in her mouth, Welf snatches it

out of my hand and wolfs the whole thing down in one bite.

Lilly's fuming mad, her face beet red and a little vein popping out of her forehead as

she kicks Welf over and over in the shin. He doesn't seem to notice, though, because

he's pounding his chest as if the fruit is stuck in his throat.

Aiz watches the events unfold, completely speechless.

"But yeah, I've heard stories about this place… Not the usual Dungeon floor, is it?" The

fruit must've passed through, since Welf is taking in the scenery.

All of the white crystals on the ceiling have gone dark, meaning only the larger blue

ones are producing any light. The entire forest is covered in a dark blue shadow. A

"night sky" not much different from the one outside the Dungeon is on the other side

of the leaves above us.

Everyone in the circle around us is illuminated by the orange and bronze light emitted

by the campfire-style magic-stone lamps. They're all eating, drinking, and chatting

with one another. They look like they're having a great time, their shadows dancing

on the trees behind them as several throw their heads back in laughter at the same

time. This whole scene looks like a picture out of the tales I used to read—a group of

adventurers having a meal together, deep in a forest under a full moon.

Mr. Finn, Ms. Reveria, and Mr. Galess are being served by other party members—more

of those red gourd sugar bombs, by the looks of it. I don't know if it's because they're

almost finished with their expedition, but the members of Loki Familia don't look

anxious at all.

I can see that they do have a few people surrounding the camp as lookouts, but

everyone else looks like they're on vacation.

"Exotic fruit, a sky… There's supposed to be a town here, too, right?"

"Eh… A t-town?!"

That's a word I wasn't expecting to hear.

A "sky" being this far underground was hard enough to swallow, but an actual town in

the Dungeon…

I turn to Aiz without thinking. She looks up from her plate of nutrition cubes and

quickly nods.

"…Tomorrow, shall we go?"

"Yes, please!"

I don't think I've nodded my head up and down faster in my life.

This is so exciting! I try to picture this Dungeon Town in my head. What would the

buildings look like? What would people do there…? So many questions race through

my head. This must be one of the charms of being an adventurer! I say to myself as my

enthusiasm reaches yet another level.

My face must be beaming right now. Aiz looks at me from the side… I think she's

smiling.

"Hiya, Mr. Argonaut!"

I know exactly who it is even before I look up to see Miss Tiona walking this way.

Her older sister Miss Tione is just a few steps behind. The Amazonian twins came right

up to me earlier. Swoop. They sit down on either side of me.

"What?"

"You must tell us your story. Think of it as paying us back for the food and lodging. You

wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Please, please!"

Lilly gawked at Miss Tione as she forced her way between us. Aiz just tilted her head

to the side as Miss Tiona wiggled her way in. All the breath leaves my body as their

skin brushes against me, my body sandwiched between them. My face must be the

color of raw meat by now.

Lilly looks pissed, her eyebrows standing on end. Miss Tiona's face appears on my

right. She looks really happy and excited for some reason. Then she asks me a

question.

"How did you get all of your basic abilities to 'S'?"

My face tries to hide behind my skull.

Muscles kind of twitch their way into a smile as I look to my left. Miss Tione is giggling,

her eyes narrowed. The message I get from that look is, you're not getting away until

you talk.

A new round of questions erupts in my mind: How long ago was my Status exposed?

How does she know what my basic abilities were? More and more pop up every

second. My heart shakes inside my chest and it won't settle down.

And if I answer her honestly… Would she be satisfied if I bluntly say "effort"? All I did

was try to pursue my goal, my idol.

As for said idol, she's sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees and not doing

much. However, I can tell that her ears are on high alert… My idol can be cruel

sometimes.

Mr. Finn and Ms. Reveria are enjoying the forest view a little ways away, but they do

nothing to intervene. Mr. Galess is staring right at me, stroking his beard and taking in

every word.

Welf is my last hope. "What, Welfy-boy? You miss us so much that you follow us down

here like a lost puppy? How sweet of you." He's surrounded by Hephaistos Familia's

smiths.

"Hey, enough! Get lost!" He sounds really angry. Lilly's still fuming, glaring at the

Amazon twins and even me.

I'm completely isolated.

Rivers of cold sweat flow out of my skin. I would give anything to pass out right now.

"—GUnuAHH?!"

It comes out of the blue.

"?!"

I know that voice better than anyone, but this is the last place I should hear it.

Lilly and I immediately look at each other. She knows, too. We both firmly nod.

"Excuse me, please, let me through!"

I don't wait for any of them to answer and jump to my feet.

I take off with Lilly right behind me and Welf not too far behind her.

I run headlong in the direction of the sound. The forest quickly opens up. I can see a

massive cliff in front of me and the entrance to a circular cave at its base. That's the

tunnel that connects the seventeenth and eighteenth floors, for sure.

Loki Familia's lookouts are already gathering at the scene. I squeeze my way past their

shoulders and see—

"Owwwww…?! No one ever told me the monsters got that big?!"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! I thought I was a goner!"

The goddess is on all fours, gasping for breath.

I feel my eyelids pull open. There's also a male deity sitting on the ground next to my

goddess, as well as a number of adventurers trying to catch their breath—a girl

wearing glasses looks absolutely exhausted.

They must've just barely escaped the floor boss, just like us. I recognize the fear in

their eyes.

"…Ah."

The group starts to notice me and the goddess raises her head. She looks around until,

zing! Her eyes lock onto me.

Her soft blue eyes grow rounder and rounder by the moment. Without warning, she

lunges forward, tripping as she tries to run toward me.

"—Bell!!"

"Ouff?!"

The lookouts step aside as she rushes forward. The goddess leaves her feet and comes

crashing headfirst into my stomach.

Unfortunately, I was flat-footed and not prepared for the impact. I fall and land hard

on my back.

"Bell, Bell! Are you the real one?!"

"G-godeshh…?!"

She's straddling my stomach, patting my arms and legs vigorously until she reaches

my face. Grabbing my cheeks, she pulls my face into many different shapes. I reach up

and somehow manage to get her to let go.

I'm about to ask why she's here as I prop myself up on my elbows, but she wraps both

of her arms around my neck so tight that I can't get the words out, and presses her

body against mine.

"…?!"

My eyes are opened wide, skin bright red.

I feel like I'm being squeezed by many soft pillows. I can almost hear the air being

pushed out from between our bodies.

The goddess completely embraces me, nestling her head underneath my chin. Hot

breath on my neck, all of her weight on my shoulders, and I have no idea what to do.

I try to say something, but what? I open my mouth and close it again more than a few

times, when suddenly I hear:

"…Thank heavens."

I can feel her soft voice on my skin.

My nerves calm down, tension draining from my shoulders.

The goddess's body is shaking like a small child's. Her thin arms pull me up and closer

to her. I hear something wet coming from around my neck.

There's no need to ask why she's here anymore.

She was worried and put herself at risk to come and find me.

I take a look at one of her black ponytails that's brushing against the side of my face.

Our bodies and minds feel very close, and even our breathing has aligned. The warmth

of her body makes me feel like something irreplaceable is being replenished.

Should I hold her? I sit there thinking about it for a moment and start to raise my

hands… That's when I notice we have an audience.

They've been here the whole time, quietly watching.

My body goes stiff as a board again as embarrassment floods my system.

My hands are off the ground but not yet around the goddess. With nowhere to go, they

just kind of float there.

"Please get ahold of yourself, Lady Hestia."

"Hey! Don't go ruining our beautiful reunion! Gah! Lemme go!"

Lilly has ahold of the collar of the goddess's robe. She does her best to resist, but the

prum has a Status. Lilly's stronger. A little girl is pulling another little girl as the latter's

arms and legs flail around trying to escape.

Free of the goddess's embrace, I watch the two of them with a bead of sweat rolling

down my cheek.

"Mr. Cranell, are you injured?"

"Eh… L-Lyu?!"

An adventurer wearing a hooded cape comes over and kneels next to where I'm sitting

on the ground.

Not only do I recognize that voice, but I can make out two sky-blue eyes partially

hidden beneath the hood.

There's no mistake. It's the beautiful elf waitress who works at The Benevolent

Mistress.

"Lyu, too? Why…?"

"A certain deity was rather insistent I accept a quest. He wanted me to join the search

party to find you."

She shifts her light-blue gaze.

I follow her line of sight to the god who was next to the goddess a moment ago.

He's just sitting there, orange hair shifting as he looks around. Slapping the floor a few

times with his hands, the deity stands up.

"Okay, I've got a good idea what's going on."

He looks at Aiz and other members of Loki Familia in turn, giving each a hearty smile.

Then he notices me looking at him.

He comes over, face still locked in that charming smile.

"So you're Bell Cranell, eh?"

"Y-yes."

I can feel his narrow orange eyes sweeping over me.

My body won't move, mouth won't open. His eyes meet mine and narrow.

"Ahhh… I've been looking for you."

His eyes seemed to smile after he said that.

"The name's Hermes. Nice to make your acquaintance."

"Lord… Hermes?"

"That's me, Bell."

He sticks out his hand without breaking eye contact as I do my best to respond.

It's quite the first impression, this charming smile and handshake. He seems like a

friendly deity.

"L-Lord Hermes, if you don't mind my asking, um…"

"The reason I would come this far to help someone I'd never met?"

"Y-yes."

"You see, Hestia is an old friend of mine, so of course I'm going to help her out. She

wanted to find you, so naturally I did, too."

He glances over to the spot where the goddess and Lilly are having a rather spirited

conversation and chuckles to himself.

Once he looks back at me I bow my head and say, "Th-thank you very much, sir."

It's probably thanks to him that the goddess was able to make it this deep into the

Dungeon. I've got a feeling he pulled a few strings to make it happen.

"It's not me you should be thanking, it's them. It's thanks to the hooded adventurer

and those children over there that we managed to get this far."

He gestures toward a small group of adventurers still standing at the entrance to the

tunnel.

One is a young woman with aqua-blue hair and silver glasses. The other three wear

matching armor—probably members of the same Familia…

"…Hey, Bell."

I notice them even before Welf points them out.

Those people are—

I've seen those bluish purple eyes. They were filled with tears on level thirteen.

They're the main reason why we're on the eighteenth floor right now… The

adventurers who led a swarm of monsters straight into us.

There is a shining emblem on all of their armor: a sword sticking out of the earth.

"—Our deepest and most sincere apologies."

Back in the tent provided by Loki Familia.

We've come back here after meeting up with the group led by my goddess.

Lyu, Lord Hermes, and his follower, the girl named Asfi, didn't come with us.

The girl in front of me has her knees, the palms of her hands, and her forehead pressed

to the floor in apology.

"Whoa…" The goddess and I take a step back at the overwhelming, almost divine

power of her stance.

So this is Takemikazuchi Familia's ultimate technique: the dogeza bow…!

"…All the apologies in the world won't be enough for Lilly to forgive you. We almost

died."

"Yeah, this isn't about to go away with a few words."

Lilly and Welf, however, aren't fazed by the full-body bow. They stand tall and speak

with a serious edge to their voices. It's a little intimidating, to tell the truth.

Ouka and Chigusa stand behind their straitlaced ally Mikoto, not sure what to do. The

girl on the floor raises her head to meet Lilly's eyes. She keeps eye contact as she raises

her body into a kneeling position.

"Um, you see, really… We are very sorry…"

"Your anger is justified. You are free to berate us to your heart's content."

The shy Chigusa stuttered as she spoke, her eyes hidden by her bangs. Mikoto, on the

other hand, spoke clearly and with great remorse.

Passing off monsters to other adventurers in the Dungeon is normal. So much so, in

fact, that many adventurers consider it a necessary tactic for survival. No one expects

it to happen to them… but as long as there is no malice to it, all adventurers are

expected to accept that they could be on the receiving end of a pass parade at some

point. At least that's what I've heard.

However, in our case, coming so close to the line between life and death because of

their stunt has left a sour taste in my friends' mouths. Even the goddess crosses her

arms and lets out a long "Hmmmm" as the drama unfolds before her.

"I was the one who gave the order. Even now, I believe it was the correct choice."

Said Ouka as his towering frame steps in front of Mikoto.

I gaze in awe at him for a moment. He doesn't shake or quiver at all, a mountain in the

middle of the tent.

More than likely… Ouka had carefully considered and weighed all the options. He

chose the lives of his friends over the lives of complete strangers.

He was prepared to face this kind of outcome the moment he gave the order, all for the

sake of his allies.

I don't know if it's right or wrong… but he made the decision for the sake of his party.

"…You've got some nerve saying that to our faces, big guy."

Welf steps in front of Ouka and squares his shoulders. It wouldn't be an exaggeration

to say that the look in his eyes might kill a weaker man.

It feels like a ticking time bomb in here. Everyone's glaring at one another, sizing them

up for a fight. But I'm kind of caught in a no-man's-land, looking back and forth at

everyone.

Something bad is going to happen… I have to find a way to defuse the situation, fast—

"Hello again, everybody. We're back. Loki Familia was very understanding of our

situation."

So that's where Lord Hermes and Asfi disappeared to. They were getting permission

to stay at the camp from Mr. Finn and the other leaders.

"My, my… What's going on in here, Hestia?"

"Oh, you know. This and that."

My goddess's summary is a little bit too brief, but Hermes seems to be satisfied with

it and puts on a smile larger than I thought possible.

"No need to think so hard about this! Look at it this way: Mikoto here owes you a big

favor. At the same time, you want a chance to atone—am I right?"

"Of course we do…"

"Think about it, Lilly. Should the time come, you can have them bend over backward

to help you out of a sticky situation. Doesn't that sound good?"

"…If the time comes."

Lord Hermes moves away from Lilly and Mikoto's staring contest and turns his

attention to Welf and Ouka.

"Welf. Sure, this group in front of you got you into one heck of a mess, but they came

down here because they wanted to help you. My presence had nothing to do with it."

…A heavy silence falls.

"…I'll play nice. But don't think you've been forgiven."

"Yes… That's fine."

Ouka doesn't look particularly happy, either. Welf steps away and returns to my side.

All of a sudden, the gathering storm clouds have vanished. It might not be anything

special for a deity like Lord Hermes… but seeing him effortlessly clear the air like that,

I can't help but be impressed.

"Now then, what are the plans from here on out?"

Lord Hermes smiles again and opens his arms as if nothing were wrong in the first

place. The rest of us just had all of the anger sucked out of our bodies in one fell swoop;

we weren't going to say no.

Lord Hermes gestured toward Asfi. The girl looks a little perplexed but comes forward

anyway.

"First of all, concerning our return to the surface… We will leave this floor once Loki

Familia slays the Goliath. It's in our best interest to avoid danger."

All of us nod in agreement.

"Loki Familia will move out two days from now at the earliest."

"Which means we have a whole day to kill… Since we're already down here, why don't

we do a little sightseeing on the eighteenth floor?"

Looks like everyone likes Lord Hermes's suggestion.

This may be a safe point in the Dungeon where no monsters are born, but it's still the

Dungeon. We decide to stick together as a group. Considering that Aiz had promised

to take me to the town tomorrow, we agree that that's where we would go.

Our planning session ends rather quickly. Now all that's left is to get some sleep.

"Oh, that's right. Welf."

"What is it, Lady Hestia?"

The ladies had claimed the right to sleep inside the tent, so the men were on their way

outside to keep watch and find a comfortable place to lie down when Welf was pulled

aside.

The goddess also calls over Chigusa and receives a long, weapon-like thing wrapped

in white cloth from her.

"This is something Hephaistos was holding on to. She also had this to say. Let me see…

'Stop compromising allies for your pride'…or something like that."

"…"

Welf falls silent as he takes the weapon from the goddess and quietly walks outside.

"Welf?"

"…It's nothing. Don't worry about it," he responds to me, but he never takes his eyes

off the cloth-covered thing in his hands.

"Night" on the eighteenth floor has ended. It's "morning" now.

Loki Familia was nice enough to give us some food for breakfast. Aiz leads us toward

the town, just as she promised she would. Miss Tiona and Miss Tione must've had

some free time as well because they're coming with us.

…Lyu's not here.

I wonder why. We talked briefly yesterday, but she never came to the tent. Lord

Hermes did say that she had something she needed to take care of and not to worry,

but it feels strange. I follow Aiz out of the camp with Lyu on my mind.

The town has a lake view… or rather it was built on the main island in the middle of

the lake. We move out of the forest covering the southern part of the eighteenth floor

toward the lake in the west.

"Um, Goddess…"

"Hm? What is it, Bell?"

"Something about you seems different since you got here yesterday…"

Aiz and the others have gone ahead. The goddess is right next to me, so I ask her a

question.

It had been bugging me for a while, but now is the first chance I had to ask. "Ahh," she

responds and grins back at me. "All gods and goddesses have a special aura. I'm

concealing mine right now—so nothing knows that I'm here."

Aura… The way for the people of Gekai to know that the person standing in front of

them is a deity. It's almost like a glow. At some point I'd heard that when a god uses

their divine power, Arcanum, their aura goes into overdrive and other deities know

about it. Basically, everyone would know that they had violated their own rules, and

they would be exiled back to Tenkai—.

"Generally speaking, gods and goddesses aren't allowed in the Dungeon."

"Can I ask why?"

"Because it would be bad if they found out."

Who are they? I tilt my head in confusion. But I have a feeling that I shouldn't press her

for an answer, so I let it drop.

"I know we're headed to that massive lump of an island… but how do we get across

the lake?"

"There's a really big tree lying on its side that makes a bridge between the two. Look,

see?" Miss Tiona answers Welf's question without hesitation. I look to where she's

pointing… and sure enough, there's a tree big enough to see from this far away on top

of the water, connecting the island to the rest of the Dungeon floor.

The immense rocky island seems to grow by the second as we get closer. The tree

bridge has been stripped of all leaves and branches and is basically just a giant log. I

follow the girls onto it, looking at all the footprints on its surface. It's not at all flat and

there's no railing whatsoever; I really have to focus to stay upright. It's not just me,

either—I catch the goddess just as she was about to fall off the tree.

"Morning"is not quite as bright as the "afternoon"in the Dungeon, butthe light coming

from the faintly glowing crystals on the ceiling is warm. There's enough light for me

to see my reflection on the surface of the water beneath me.

"If there's a town down here, wouldn't you guys have been better off staying there

instead of the woods…?"

"They'd rob us blind, so no."

Miss Tione immediately put my question to rest. That begs a new question on what

she meant by that, but I keep my mouth shut as we reach the island.

The road leading to the town is a steep one. The island looks like a mountain from far

away, but from here it looks more like a cliff. Small plants and crystals jut out from the

cracks in the stone wall. We climb high enough to get an incredible view of the entire

floor.

"Yeah. Now that's what I call beautiful."

"Huff, huff… ha, wow. This is amazing."

Lord Hermes seems perfectly fine, while my goddess is gasping for breath, but both of

them have the same reaction to the scenery. Don't get me wrong, the rest of us are

absolutely astounded. We can see everything from here.

There are no walls or rooms on the eighteenth floor, it's just a fat cylinder with a

domed top. The crystals cover every inch of the ceiling and spread all the way to the

other side of the floor.

The tunnel to the seventeenth floor is on the southern edge of the forest. Loki Familia's

camp is in that area. The forest itself extends far into the east and has many rivers and

springs throughout the greenery. The trees thin out considerably in the north. I don't

know if it's because the rest of the land is an open plain, butthe dark shadows roaming

around really stand out. There's nothing else they could be but monsters.

"Monsters come to this floor, just like us…"

"It would be appropriate to say that this is their haven, not ours."

Aiz and Asfi explain that the monsters come here looking for all of the abundant fruit

and fresh water.

The colossal tree I saw before stands in the center of it all. It's the only place higher up

than the island in the western lake that we're standing on.

That's the true identity of the eighteenth floor, a wilderness deep underground.

"Lilly's never been far away from Orario but… this is very pretty."

"No, you can travel far and wide and never find a view that will rival this one."

"…Reminds me of the mountains in our beloved homeland in the East."

"Yes…"

First Lilly and Mikoto, then Ouka and Chigusa. It's impossible not to be moved by the

natural beauty surrounding us. I'm doing my best to engrave this view into my

memory.

We leave the cliff overlooking the eighteenth floor and follow what's left of the path to

the top of the island.

"Whaa…!!"

An arch-shaped gate decorated with flags at the end of two rows of wooden pillars

greets our eyes.

HELLO FRIENDS, WELCOME TO RIVIRA! is written in the common language of Koine

across the top of the gate.

"Better not let that fool you. They're just warming you up, making you feel good before

coming for your wallet."

That's the second time Tione has warned me to be careful here. In any case, we pass

through the gate.

The town is on the very top of the island, mixed in with beautiful white and blue

crystals and the natural scenery.

The "buildings" are nothing more than shacks made out of scraps of wood and large

tents with signs on them. A few of them are built into large cracks in the walls of stone

and tunnel entrances. The town's hotel is like that, too. Since the town is built halfway

into the cliff next to a relatively flat area, many stairs are necessary to help people go

from shop to shop. No matter where you go around town, the pristine lake below and

the amazing backdrop of the eighteenth floor are always in view.

The rest-stop town surrounded by rock and crystals… Rivira.

"This town is run by adventurers, of course. There are no bothersome rules or

regulations here, so everyone is able to do business as they please."

The goddess, Lilly, Welf, and I look around the town and listen to Asfi's explanation.

She says that this town in the middle of the Dungeon was once controlled by the Guild

as a frontline base of sorts. Adventurers themselves took over the place after the Guild

gave up trying to maintain it. The reason that this spot was chosen out of everywhere

else on the eighteenth floor was because the lake and rocky cliffs provided protection.

With the exception of the south gate, where we came in, the north gate, and the east

gate overlooking the lake, the town is surrounded by a thick wall. It isn't much

compared to the wall surrounding Orario outside, but the crystal and rock structure

looks plenty sturdy.

Many adventurers use this town as a base camp for repeated trips below the

eighteenth floor. Rest up, go dungeon crawling, come back, and rest up again… It's not

uncommon for people to follow that cycle until they physically can't continue

anymore.

"So do the monsters not attack this town?"

"Of course they do. Just last month it was overrun and they completely destroyed

everything."

"That was a close one! We just happened to have front-row seats!"

The Amazonian twins respond awfully casually about something that should be really

scary. My mouth twitches just thinking about it.

"But all the adventurers here are really good at running away. They wait for a little bit

after an attack, come back, and rebuild."

"Set up, get smashed, set up again… It happens over and over."

According to them—despite this being a safe pointin the Dungeon—the town of Rivira

is under the constant threat of monster attacks. Even though all of the residents are

upper-class adventurers, the town is reduced to rubble as soon as an irregular

monster shows up. But as soon as the monsters go away on their own, the adventurers

come back to set up shop again.

The current Rivira is the 334th reincarnation.

The town's namesake comes from a great female adventurer named Rivira Santilini,

who helped establish the first one.

"Excuse me, Miss Asfi. There are tons of crystals all around town…"

"Indeed. Any of the crystals that are found on the eighteenth floor can be turned in for

money at the Exchange aboveground."

"—Mr. Bell, let's collect as many as we can before we leave!"

Lilly's eyes sparkle as she smiles at me while we walk into the town's main square.

"We'll only block the road if we try to stay together like this. Let's break off into smaller

groups and have a look around!"

Lord Hermes gestured all around the square as he spoke, and all of us agree with him.

No one is allowed to travel alone, so we start making our own groups.

"All right, Bell. Let's go out on the town together! You there, stay away!!"

"Eh, Goddess, what are you…?!"

"…"

The Goddess growls at Aiz, grabs my hand, and pulls me farther into the town.

Due to the nature of the town of Rivira, almost all of the structures in town were shops.

Of course, there were a few cramped hotels and a tavern here and there, but weapon

and item shops dominated the streets. Every single establishment was owned and

operated by adventurers.

Only adventurers and a few supporters filled its streets. Being upper-class

adventurers, their armor and weapons were also top-notch—as well as equipped to

be used at a moment's notice. Two-handed swords, halberds, and full-plated body

armor were everywhere. It was a much more extreme version of "Adventurers Way"

on the surface.

Only monsters would stand a chance, trying to assault a town with residents who were

as heavily armed as these people.

"You?! Why are you here?!"

"G-Goddess, please calm down…?!"

"Ha-ha, the more the merrier, am I right?"

Bell walked along a twisting path of rocks under a blue sky composed of crystals that

look like they could fall at any moment.

Aiz was leading the way, followed closely by an angry Hestia, as well as Hermes and

Asfi behind Bell. Everyone was taking in the sights and sounds of the prospering town.

However, the landscape was so uneven that large crystals and even trees needed to be

used as ladders to get from one section of the town to another.

"Um, these items on display… Aren't they a bit… expensive?"

"That's one of Rivira's features…"

Bell's eyes had been running over the price tags of weapons and items in the windows

of the shops they passed, and he asked Aiz about it. The very same equipment was

available on the surface with one or two fewer digits in the price.

Asfi and Hermes explained as the group entered a new street.

"Things like weapons, items, and food are sold at many times their original price here."

"It's not easy to get these things in the Dungeon, so most adventurers break down and

buy what they need no matter the cost."

Just as Hermes said, supplies were very difficult to obtain. The business owners of

Rivira knew that and took advantage of the adventurers who failed to prepare enough

stock.

"Water is expensive in a desert… It's the same thing."

No matter where anyone travels around the world, there will be places where they can

get specific items much cheaper than others and vice versa.

Spend a large sum of money on an item that could save your life, or save that money

for later and risk death.

The adventurers who passed through Rivira were all forced to make that choice.

Everything right down to magic-stone lamps was extremely expensive.

"Lilly can't believe this! Twenty thousand vals for a backpack… absurd!

"That much for a grindstone? You've got to be kidding…"

Lilly flung her new oversize backpack over her shoulders, fuming with rage. Welf had

considered buying a grindstone at one of the weapon supply shops in town and came

down with a bad case of sticker shock.

There was no one outside the shops trying to attract customers; instead they sat

comfortably in a chair in the back of their establishments as they blurred the line

between a profitable business and outright stealing.

The town's beauty could do nothing to hide the greed of its inhabitants.

"This is why we're camping in the woods rather than staying here overnight."

"The amount of money required for everyone in our expedition to stay at one of those

hotels would be outrageous."

Tiona grinned as she interlaced her fingers behind her head when she saw the look on

Welf's and Lilly's faces. Tione let out a long sigh in disgust. The two Level 1

adventurers were trying to replace everything they'd lost on their journey to the

eighteenth floor. The Amazonian twins offered to help them find what they needed.

"This is exactly why Lilly hates adventurers! They are so obsessed with money that

they'll jump at any opportunity to take advantage of someone else."

"There are many things I'd like to say to a certain money-obsessed prum that I know…

Li'l E, you should open a shop down here!"

"…"

"Hey, don't take it seriously."

All that they had learned was they would leave empty-handed if they tried to purchase

something for the established retail price.

"Th-that's an Exchange…"

"They really can get away with anything down here…"

"…W-wow."

A sign decorated with drawings of a Minotaur and purple stones stood out from the

other shops on the street. Its purpose was to encourage people to sell their magic

stones and drop items.

Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa stared in amazement at an adventurer who was trying to

sell the fang of a giant monster to the Exchange. The man was dissatisfied by the

amount the clerk offered for the drop item he'd hauled all the way up here. Despite all

the angry yelling, the clerk just shrugged his shoulders and said, "You can take it

somewhere else." In the end, the adventurer agreed on a price, sold the fang, and

stomped away with his fists clenched and face boiling with anger.

It was a very simple system. The adventurers who ran this Exchange would buy drop

items and magic stones for less than half their value and sell them to the Guild for full

price when they returned to the surface. Of course, the adventurers who sold the items

would get upset, but they realized that there was a limit to how much they could carry.

It was better to sell off their extra items here than throw them away. This also gave

them the opportunity to continue crawling the Dungeon for more magic stones and

drop items to take to the surface.

From the buyer's perspective, it was an easy way to get valuable items and profit from

them.

"This is a scam…"

"Captain Ouka, you are correct, but please be prudent."

The compensation was low, but no fights broke out over it.

The owners were quite strong—strong enough to keep the other storeowners quiet—

and ran the most profitable business in Rivira.

One such owner noticed Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa. He glared at them while tapping

a massive club against his shoulder. The three adventurers quickly took their leave.

Buy low, sell high.

It wasn't just the motto of the adventurers in the town of Rivira, it was their way of

life.

"…But Hermes, no adventurers carry large amounts of money down here. How are

they supposed to buy anything with prices this high?"

Bell's group, just like Lilly's and Mikoto's, had seen the high prices. It was Hestia who

asked the question that was on everyone's mind. She had found something… a small

bottle of perfume. Her eyes were locked on it even as she spoke.

Hermes gestured toward the man sitting at the back of the shop who took out a piece

of paper and requested a signature.

"Just like that, they put it in writing. The shop gets the adventurer's signature and their