Bell was returning from a long day of observation and reflection in the pleasure district. As he crossed a less frequented alley, his attention was drawn to a slender figure: a golden-furred fox, wearing a slave collar around her neck. She moved with disarming elegance, but the heaviness of her chains told a different story.
Bell, curious and intrigued, followed her discreetly. She seemed to live at the back of the neighborhood, in a well-guarded house, surrounded by armed guards.
"A slave as precious as she is well protected... Who is she?" he wondered as he observed the dwelling from afar.
He knew he couldn't act on impulse, not now. Bell turned back, vowing to ask Aisha about the identity of this mysterious vixen.
Meanwhile, in the lavish Tower of Babel, Freya sipped a glass of wine, her silver eyes fixed on the city below. Ottar, her faithful captain, stood before her, listening to her orders with unwavering loyalty.
"Ottar," she said, a mischievous smile on her face, "I saw something in this young Bell Cranel. A rare, almost divine light. It shines every time he fights. But he is still raw… He needs a challenge. Prepare a minotaur. Not just any minotaur, a trained, refined monster. The next time he enters the dungeon, he will have to face this beast."
Ottar, ever the pragmatist, nodded.
"As you wish, Freya-sama."
Freya put down her glass and stood up, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Oh, Bell… Your courage, your tenacity, your potential… It's all mine already. You don't know it yet, but you're meant to be mine."
After an intense training session with Tiamat, Aisha, and Samira, Bell returned to his room in Ishtar's quarters. Exhausted, he didn't bother to turn on a lamp and flopped onto his bed, his mind still filled with the strategies he was devising.
But one detail made him jump: a human warmth under his sheets. Before he could react, a massive silhouette emerged from the darkness, followed by several other figures.
"Phryne…"
The imposing Amazon, self-proclaimed leader of Bell's "admirers," stood there with a lecherous smile on her face. Behind her, several other Amazons were grinning mischievously, all ready to pounce on him.
"So, Bell…" Phryne growled, her raspy voice echoing through the room. "I hear you resist everyone, even Aisha. But you won't be able to escape us tonight."
Bell, although caught off guard, quickly analyzed the situation. He knew that a direct affront would not work against these women.
"Phryne-sama…" he said in a calculated tone, masking his annoyance. "If you really want to conquer me, wouldn't it be more exciting to challenge me in an arena?"
Phryne raised an eyebrow, surprised by his answer.
"An arena?"
Bell nodded, playing on his pride.
"Yes, a real test of strength. If you win, I will be all yours. But if I win, you will have to leave me alone."
The Amazons exchanged intrigued glances. Phryne, though skeptical, seemed amused by the idea.
"Alright, kid. I'll break you in front of everyone. Get ready in 3 weeks on the full moon day you'll be mine."
They retreated, leaving Bell alone, but he knew it was only a temporary victory.
Meanwhile, Ishtar sat in her office, looking at Bell's update again. The Rise skill was disturbing her again and again.
"A complete immunity to charm..." she thought. "How can a mere mortal resist my charm?"
She summoned Aisha to discuss it.
"Aisha," Ishtar began, her tone icy. "I want you to keep a close eye on Bell. This ability, The Rise, could disrupt our plans. And if it turns on us…"
Aisha, though loyal to Ishtar, felt a pang of anger rise within her.
"Ishtar-sama, Bell is not a threat. He is… different. Perhaps instead of trying to control him, we should try to understand him."
Ishtar stared at Aisha, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Don't get too attached to him, Aisha. You know what happens to those who betray me."
Aisha looked away, but her heart was already conflicted. Bell was not a mere pawn to her.
The next day, Bell woke up early, his mind still preoccupied with the ambush of the day before. But he had one mission in mind: to find answers about the fox and continue to improve himself.
Arriving at the guild, he ran into Eina, who gave him some information about the monsters on the upper floors.
"Bell, be careful. There have been rumors of more powerful monsters recently."
Bell nodded, but he was already determined to go further.
In the shadows, Ottar watched. The trap was set. The trained minotaur waited for Bell, and Freya watched from her tower, her enigmatic smile lighting up her face.
"Show me your true strength, Bell Cranel," she whispered.
Chapter 22: The Scarlet Roar
On the 10th floor of the dungeon, Bell deftly dodged the claws of a group of War Shadows, his movements made fluid by his extensive training with the Amazons. His daggers sliced through the monsters with surgical precision. As he collected their crystals, a deafening howl rang out, echoing throughout the floor.
Bell instinctively turned toward the source of the noise. In the distance, he saw a massive figure: a red minotaur, much larger than any he had ever encountered, carrying a huge bloody sword. Behind him lay the mutilated bodies of several adventurers.
"What is this monster?!" Bell thought, his heart pounding.
The beast stared at him, its scarlet eyes glowing with hatred. Without wasting a second, the minotaur charged. Bell knew that running away would be useless. He clenched his daggers and whispered:
"This time I am alone. This time I must defeat him."
The fight began in an explosion of violence. The minotaur brought down his giant sword with colossal force, fracturing the dungeon floor with each blow. Bell dodged narrowly, his reflexes sharpened by his Ethereal Vision skill.
Red flashes danced around the monster, waves of anger and murder that Bell could see with his skill. It allowed him to read the minotaur's intentions, but its speed and power made every maneuver dangerous.
Bell leapt closer, stabbing the monster's tendons with his daggers, trying to slow its movements. But the minotaur's thick hide took the blows as if nothing had happened.
The minotaur roared and slashed the air with his sword, creating a shockwave that threw Bell against a wall. He struggled to his feet, coughing up blood.
"This is much stronger than I had imagined..." he thought, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
But Bell didn't back down. He drew a short sword from his belt, a gift from Aisha, and combined his fast and precise fighting style with heavier strikes.
At the other end of the dungeon, the Loki family was preparing to descend deeper when they came across a badly injured adventurer. Finn approached him and asked calmly:
"What happened here?"
The panting man replied:
"A minotaur... red... a massacre. It kills everything in its path... A boy... white hair... he confronts it..."
Aiz, who was listening from the sidelines, flinched at this description.
"Bell…" she whispered before dashing towards the fight, closely followed by Tiona and Tione.
However, their progress was abruptly halted by an imposing figure: Ottar.
"No member of the Loki family shall pass here," he declared in an icy voice, his massive sword blocking the way.
Aiz drew her rapier, her eyes filled with determination.
"If you think I'm going to stand by and do nothing while he risks his life, you're wrong."
Tiona and Tione, armed and ready, supported Aiz.
"We won't let you hold us back."
The fight broke out between Ottar and the three women, an epic duel between elite warriors.
Back on the battlefield, Bell was fighting for his life. The minotaur attacked relentlessly, and Bell used every bit of ground to his advantage. He leapt onto a rock, propelled himself into the air, and attempted to sink his daggers into the monster's neck.
The minotaur raised his sword and parried the blow, but Bell took advantage of the opportunity to slide under him, striking his leg with his short sword. This time, the blade penetrated slightly, tearing a roar of pain from the monster.
"I can hurt him, but not fast enough..." Bell thought.
He used a smoke bomb to disorient the beast, moving nimbly through the cloud of smoke. He struck repeatedly, aiming for the monster's joints. But the enraged minotaur dispersed the smoke with a swing of his sword and charged Bell, throwing him violently against a wall.
Bell gasped and felt pain surge through his body. But he straightened up, his gaze burning with determination.
"I am Bell Cranel. I am the grandson of Zeus. And I will not fall here."
He activated his skill The Rising boost, feeling an unusual surge of power. His movements became more precise, his reflexes faster. He closed in on the minotaur with blinding speed, using his daggers to deflect the sword's blows and countering with sharp strikes.
As the fight reached its climax, a distant roar caught Bell and the minotaur's attention. A swift shadow appeared in his field of vision: Aiz Wallenstein, followed by Tiona and Tione.
"Bell!" Aiz shouted, charging straight at the minotaur.
But Bell raised a hand to stop them.
"No! This is MY fight. I have to win it alone."
Aiz hesitated, but seeing the determination in Bell's eyes, she stepped back, ready to intervene only as a last resort.
Bell focused all his energy, observing the minotaur through his Ethereal Vision. He spotted an opening, a slight relaxation in the monster's movements.
He leapt forward, using a rock as a springboard. The minotaur swung its sword, but Bell dodged with pinpoint precision, sliding beneath the beast. He dug his daggers deep into its side before leaping again, landing on his back.
"It's over!" he shouted, thrusting his sword into the monster's neck.
The minotaur roared one last time before collapsing heavily, making the ground shake. Bell, exhausted, dropped to his knees, his breath short but victorious.
Aiz approached, her eyes shining with respect.
"You're amazing, Bell Cranel…" she whispered.
Freya, from her tower, observed the scene through a magical orb, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Yes, Bell… Keep shining. I won't let you escape from me."
Bell, for his part, knew that this fight was only the beginning. More determined than ever, he vowed to become even stronger to face the challenges ahead.
To be continued