*18th floor, Loki familia camp*
After Bell and the others woke up, they were invited to the fire pit around which Loki's family held dinners and had fun during raids.
The hunter positioned himself a little to the side, a few meters behind Welf and the others.
Finn made a welcoming speech in honor of the arrivals, and then began to talk about further actions.
- Several members of our family were poisoned. We have already sent one team ahead to return with the antidote. When they return, and according to our calculations this will happen in two days, we will also go to the surface. So consider it your day off.
- Finn, - Crowley's voice came from the side, - I have a large number of universal antidotes, I am ready to offer them to you, but this will be considered one of the favors I promised to you. Agree?
- Is it true? How do we know they will work?
- If the poisoned are still alive, then the antidote will help them. It helps deal with much stronger poisons, ones that can kill high-level adventurers in a few seconds. I am not asking you to blindly trust me, but I was never caught in a lie.
- Then I agree.
While the cured adventurers were recovering, and others were spending time in company around the fire, voice of a certain goddess was heard from the passage to the 17th floor.
She flew head over heels down the slope. Naturally, this led to everyone running out to watch. As soon as the aforementioned Hestia came to her senses, she tearfully rushed to hug Bell.
- I was so worried...
- Sorry.
A hunter standing to the side saw a group of people following Hestia.
- Ryuu? What have you forgotten here?
- Mister Hermes asked me to participate in a rescue operation to save your party. And even though I know that in your presence you will be fine, but I was too worried.
- Worried? About me? I thought that I would never hear these words in my life. And correct me, but aren't the gods forbidden to be in the dungeon? And here there are two of them.
- As long as the labyrinth does not detect their presence, everything will be fine.
- That's what worries me. There is an agreement between the gods and the dungeon. And if a violation is discovered, then it will not be good for everyone here.
.........
The cycle of day and night on the 18th floor was determined by the glow of the crystals that covered the entire ceiling. At night, when many adventurers were already sleeping, a hunter sat on one of the slopes, looking at a gigantic tree. Footsteps were heard behind him. Crowley didn't turn around.
- Miss Ryuu, what are you doing here at such a late hour?
-You look very lonely. Once you helped me remove a burden from my heart, perhaps it's my turn?
- Considering the number of years I have lived, the story will drag on too much, but I think it's worth starting somewhere. What would you like to hear?
- What were you doing before you came to our bar?
- I was a terrible person. Not of my own free will, but that doesn't justify me in any way.
- If you consider yourself a terrible person, then what will you say when you find out that without a doubt I destroyed the family that was at enmity with mine. The guild even issued a contract for me.
- The motive for your actions was the death of your family. I don't think you're a bad person.
-Then why do you feel guilty for your actions?
- Because along the way I killed more than one thousand children and their mothers. Because there's too much blood on my hands.
Because even knowing that a different ending to the story is possible, I will not change it. Because I began to like the actions I was doing.
Because my very existence leads to destruction, but I decide to stay here. Because even now I want to kill something.
Deathly silence reigned on the ledge. The elf's eyes filled with tears. She hugged the hunter from behind and pressed his head to her chest.
- Y-y-you said that you didn't do it of your own free will and that you feel guilty. You try to help even those people who have offended you. You haven't killed anyone in the month you've been here. I believe that despite your past, you are not a bad person.
Now let's go back to camp. When you're ready to tell your story, come find me. I'll listen.
.........
*Morning of the next day*
The group of adventurers decided to spend their last day in the dungeon in Rivira, the only settlement founded by adventurers in the safe zone of the 18th floor.
Most of those present looked like bandits, and the exponentially inflated prices for the goods sold only strengthened their image. The end result was that, through manipulation, the blond god incited a group of bandits to kidnap Hestia in order to provoke Bell.
Which led to subsequent events.
Surrounded by bandits on the edge of a ledge, the gray-haired boy fought with the leader of the thugs, Mordo, who, with the help of a magical object in the form of a helmet, became invisible. On a high ledge in the distance sat Hermes and Andromeda, and behind them a small stone was moving.
- Hermes, why are we doing this?
- To check whether he is worthy to lead us into a new era.
- What if the boy breaks down?
- Then he's not worth it.
- Not worth it, huh?
The creeping stone dissipated and a hunter appeared in its place. With a quick blow, he knocked the god to the ground and pointed a gun at him.
Andromeda was about to come to the rescue, but a gloomy voice stopped him.
- Don't do anything stupid, otherwise a new set of holes will appear in this freak's head.
I really don't understand, Freya spoke about necessary evil and I fully support her, because for millennia this world has lived by these rules.
But why did you decide that mortals are bargaining chips? If something happens to the boy, I will deal with the bandits first, and then with you. Am I making myself clear?
- Yes.
..................
Bell's friends found him and began making their way through the crowd. At that same moment, the boy knocked the helmet off Mordo's head and now confronted him in a face-to-face duel.
The problem was that the leader of the bandits was an old level 2 adventurer specializing in strength, which is why Bell was injured when weapons clashed.
It all ended when the escaped Hestia released her Arcanum. Despite their criminal past, the crowd chose to run away from the angry goddess.
The boy was saved, but the presence of the goddess was discovered by the dungeon. The crystal ceiling dimmed and Goliath began to burst out of it, but unlike his normal version, his pressure indicated that he had at least level 5 strength.
- So this is the price of breaking the rules...