Chapter 5
A HERO’S DESIRE
It’s common knowledge that the Dungeon gets wider with each floor.
The fifth floor is about the same size as Central Park. However, the fortieth floor is rumored to rival Orario itself in size and scale.
While there are some floors that don’t follow this pattern exactly, most people have accepted the idea that the deeper you go into the Dungeon, the broader the floors become. The hallways and rooms within each floor also increase dramatically in size with each floor going down.
This creates an interesting problem for battle parties going on expeditions. These parties are typically large groups of adventurers that have come together to go as deep into the Dungeon as they can. It’s no problem to move together on the lower floors, but things get complicated on the narrower upper floors of the Dungeon.
A full expedition party on the first few floors is the very definition of a traffic jam. All the cargo crates, along with lines of people, make going forward nearly impossible.
Not only do monsters have to be dealt with in a smaller space, but it also blocks the movements of other adventurers in the area.
Therefore, several rules have been implemented to keep the peace. One such rule is that expeditions will go into the Dungeon in two or three groups and meet up at a predetermined point farther down.
Loki Familia was no different. They broke into two groups and made their way into the Dungeon.
“Hey, hey, Tione. Why are there people from another Familia coming with us? We don’t need that many supporters, and they don’t look the part at all…”
“Stupid Tiona. Have you already forgotten why we had to turn back last time?”
“?”
“They are smiths, Tiona.”
“Ah!”
Fynn Dimuna, the prum field general of Loki Familia, led a group of top-class adventurers through the winding halls of the lower-seventh floor.
Their party consisted of fifteen people, Tiona, Tione, and the elf Reveria among them.
“Our weapons failed us before we ran out of strength during our previous Expedition. The general was kind enough to find an answer.”
“As long as we have smiths that know the Forge skill with us, we’ll always have sharp blades! Nice one, Fynn!”
“It was unreasonable to bring another cargo box just for spares. Turns out Loki and the Goddess Hephaistos are good friends, and we couldn’t have set this up without her.”
“Come to think of it, isn’t it strange that we don’t have smiths with a Forge in our own Familia. It would be nice to have one, don’t you think?”
This was how Loki Familia’s top adventurers were before reaching the lower levels…The supporters took care of the monsters en route, and the strongest adventurers could only kill time until the group made it farther down.
They might have seemed carefree on the surface as they waited for their turn at the front of the caravan, but a large amount of vigor dwelled within each of them.
“Aiz! Hey, Aiz! You hear that? Some of Hephaistos Familia’s High Smiths are coming with us!”
“Yes…I heard. That’s great.”
“You bet it is! Now we can go crazy on the lower levels! This is going to be so much fun!”
“Just to let you know, even Hephaistos Familia’s High Smiths can’t fix a shattered blade. Don’t forget.”
Tiona had run up to Aiz and wrapped her arms around the shoulder of the quietly walking Aiz as she spoke. Aiz lightly smiled when she turned to face the young Amazon.
A big grin bloomed on Tiona’s face upon seeing Aiz’s reaction.
The vast majority of Amazons were not like her. Tiona would have been much more at home if she were born into another race. But her warmth and energy had succeeded in melting the wall of ice that was Aiz Wallenstein.
Tiona’s younger sister Tione was quick to warn her sister, but still sounded playful. Despite the three girls being absolute powerhouses in combat, they could still enjoy teasing each other as friends.
“All right. As long as these guys are from Hephaistos Familia, they ain’t gonna get in our way, even if they screw up. That’s a relief.”
“It was just a matter of time. Bete’s macho complex is at it again.”
Still clinging to Aiz’s shoulder, Tiona turned to look at her ally, a twitch in her eye.
“Got a problem?” Bete responded, glaring back at the girl and baring his fangs.
“Bete, why do you always say things like that? Does it feel that good to look down on others? Honestly, I can’t stand that about you.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. It’d be embarrassin’ to get all high ’n’ mighty by comparin’ myself to small fry like that! Just bein’ realistic, here!”
Bete jerked his head back toward the High Smiths and said, “Was payin’ ’em a compliment.”
“You must learn the power of your words. The way you said that makes me believe you want us to get the wrong idea.”
“Oh-ho-ho! Shut it! I’ve had it with you elves and yer teachings! Don’t go butting inta other’s conversations either, Reveria!”
The sharp, ash-gray fur covering Bete’s head and shoulders ruffled as he snarled back at the elf.
The lips around his jagged teeth softened as his cheeks relaxed.
“Who are ya ta talk, anyway? All ya high ’n’ mighty elves are thinkin’ the same thing. Can ya tell me straight that ya don’t get pissed when ya see some weaklin’ tryin’ ta run with the big boys?”
“Tione just stole everything from meeeee!!”
“Stop the strange accusations, will you…”
“While it would be a lie to say that I have never once felt pity for them, do not compare my compassion with your contempt.”
“Ya know what? Just by takin’ pity on wimps makes the high ’n’ mighty elves seem snooty—ya get me?”
Fynn let out a long, heavy sigh as Bete and Reveria continued their argument.
He knew that Bete was making a point about how elves in general interacted with other races, and not making a personal attack on Reveria. Then again, werewolf animal people were not known for their acceptance of others, either, particularly Bete.
Arguments like this were nothing new between these two; in fact, it was almost normal. Reveria often started them when Bete said something she couldn’t agree with.
Fynn and the rest of the group knew this as well, so no one tried to stop them. Even Aiz watched quietly a few paces behind them.
“I just despise weak trash. Actin’ all tough when they can’t do jack shit! Makes me sick just thinkin’ ’bout it!”
“All I hear is overconfidence from someone who once walked in their shoes.”
“She’s right, Bete, wasn’t that long ago you were weak.”
“Know your place, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
Tiona still hanging off her shoulders, Aiz quietly repeated “your place” under her breath.
She had some thoughts on that.
For her, it wasn’t pity, contempt, or disgust, but a clear question.
How did a boy who hated his place so much manage to rise so high since that time? What drove him?
Aiz couldn’t remember much about the first time she met him, just his ruby-red eyes about to burst into tears.
That’s when it happened.
Without warning, Aiz snapped to attention.
“…Maybe four?”
“What’s that, those rumored somethin’ or others?”
One by one, other members of the group found the source of a sound coming their way. Tiona shifted her weight to Aiz’s other shoulder for a closer look, as Bete’s wolf ears zeroed in on the oncoming intersection.
Echoes of hurried footsteps barreled around the right corner of the four-way crossing. Judging from the sound, they were panicked steps.
Supporters quickly jumped in front of their leader as shields against an ambush, but Fynn raised an arm and waved them off. He told them they didn’t have to move from their posts.
At last, the party of adventurers came around the corner.
“They seem to be in a rush. Should we ask why?”
“That’s out of the question. We can’t interfere with another party within the Dungeon.”
“Hey, you guys! Where’s the fire?”
Ignoring her sister’s warning, Tiona called out to the approaching battle party.
All four of the adventurers were running while looking over their shoulders, as if they were being chased. Tiona’s voice made them all stop on a dime and jump backward in surprise.
“W-what the heck are… ? Huh? An Amazon?!”
“Tiona Hyrute?!”
“Wait—Loki Familia?! An expedition?!”
All of them stopped, shaking in surprise and completely starstruck at the sight of the top-class adventurers before them.
Tiona flinched as one of them started screaming bloody murder, but Bete didn’t think anything of it and approached them.
“Right, quiet now. We’re askin’ the questions, you’re answerin’. What the hell were you doin’? Run into a horde of killer ants or somethin’? Abandon a supporter or two t’get away?”
“How dare you accuse… ?!”
“Oi, out with it.”
“…Compared to that, I’d take one hundred killer ants any day!”
The man spoke like the words were falling out of his mouth. Bete raised his shoulders in suspicion.
Looking at all of them in succession, Bete lowered his eyebrows as if asking for more information. The adventurers exchanged glances at one another before a human, most likely their leader, stepped forward.
“…There was a Minotaur.”
“…Yeah?”
“A Minotaur, I tell you! It’s walking around the upper levels!”
Seeing the lack of color in the man’s face, Bete looked back over his shoulder at the rest of his own party.
Fynn and the others hadn’t joined in the conversation, but heard everything. Each wore a sour expression.
Even though no one was looking at her, Aiz’s right hand started to shake.
“You don’t think…Could it be one of the ones that got away from us?”
“Not possible. We got every single one, didn’t we?”
“It would be very strange if it was one of ours, even if we did overlook it. A month has passed since that expedition. If a Minotaur were lurking up here, there would have been an appalling amount of casualties among the lower ranks of adventurers. That kind of information has yet to reach my ears.”
“…My apologies. But would you mind explaining what you saw in detail?”
“Ah…sure.”
Fynn approached the other party’s leader and asked him face-to-face. The leader began talking about what happened.
He said that they were on a usual route when they saw two figures at the end of a long hallway: a Minotaur and a white-haired boy.
The boy’s screams and the Minotaur’s howls echoed through the hall and scared them half to death. They had been running full-out ever since.
The leader then added that the Minotaur was equipped with a cleaver.
“A cleaver—?”
“Not a landform?”
“Y-yes…There’s no doubt.”
“…Had you heard anything about a Minotaur before seeing it today?”
“Hell, no! You think we’d come down here if we did?”
“General… ?”
“Yeah…this sounds really fishy.”
While the members of Loki Familia were able to confirm it was not one that they were responsible for, it only raised more questions about this new Minotaur.
Fynn, whose intuition was usually spot-on, suggested that this was a prank by some god with a grudge.
At the very least, a god had to be involved in this incident. There was no other logical explanation.
The rest of the expedition party had caught up to the conversation and came to a halt.
“Where did you see the Minotaur?”
Amid the mass of humanity, one blond head moved forward.
Her voice was soft as she walked just within earshot of the party of four.
“Huh?”
“On which floor did you see an adventurer fighting a Minotaur?”
“The n-ninth…if they haven’t moved…”
The instant she heard the number, Aiz shot off into the Dungeon.
“AIZ?!”
“What the heck are you doing?!”
“Hey you guys, we’re on an expedition here?!”
“……Fynn?”
“Yes, I know…The party will advance! Take the shortest possible route to the lower eighteenth! Raul, you’re in charge!”
“S-Sir?”
“‘In charge’…Which means you plan to investigate personally?”
“Just until I get back. I want to see this through. Reveria, don’t tell me you’re planning to stay with the expedition?”
“…If your feelings are telling you to go, Fynn, I shall accompany you whether you like it or not.”
“Ha-ha-ha!”
Members of Loki Familia and Hephaistos Familia stood in stunned silence as a small group of top-tier adventurers took off into the Dungeon.
The small group was on a new quest—to find answers on the lower ninth.
Gramps’s face.
I don’t want to see my grandfather’s face.
With my parents gone, he was the one who raised me.
He’d always get this funny look in his eye and say things like, “Sure would like to save some cute girls and score!” or “Serving the ladies is the definition of romance!” or “Nothing wrong with playing the game!” and even “Just don’t go cheating, you hear?” He said some other things that I didn’t understand, too, but he was always upbeat and cheerful.
He often told me stories about heroes that were so vivid, it was like I was actually in the party with them.
It was a long time after he died that I found out that he drew all of the pictures in the book he gave me for my birthday all those years ago.
—They’re really something else!
—Any one of them can stand up to an enemy even stronger than themselves.
—Not possible for a geezer like me.
While claiming he was nothing compared to them, he always did so with a big smile on his face.
But it was a lie to say he didn’t do anything heroic.
Gramps was legendary.
When I was a kid and a goblin was about to kill me, he charged that monster like a bolt of lightning, armed with nothing but a garden hoe.
He always wore loose clothing, but at that moment I realized how big his muscles were, how powerful he was. He shone like a warrior that day.
Even when another two goblins showed up, Gramps stood his ground and shielded me. I still remember his arms, thick as tree trucks as he wielded his “weapon.”
And then he embraced me. I’d never felt safer than when I could feel his big hands on my back.
Now that I think about it…
The first hero I idolized was my grandfather.
If you’re in danger, run.
If you’re scared, get away.
If you’re about to die, call for help.
If a woman is angry, apologize immediately.
It’s not embarrassing to get made fun of or picked on.
The most embarrassing thing is not being able to make up your mind and take action.
Gramps was always saying that.
Even after he disappeared from my life, his teachings are still with me. Gramps was the one who gave me my drive.
His words led me to Orario in the first place.
But I don’t want him to see me like this. I can’t bear to see his face.
“MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Gramps.
Right now, I can’t move.
“…N…ah.”
I lift my head up only to see a stream of saliva dripping out of the Minotaur’s mouth.
The monster is still a ways away from me, but it’s howling and brandishing its sword over and over, as though gloating.
I can see the beast’s whole body, its fur like heavy armor. Even after all those Firebolt impacts, there are no deep wounds anywhere on its massive frame.
The realization that my Magic won’t work makes me feel absolutely powerless, my body weak and empty.
I can’t win. I have no idea how many times those words have echoed through my head.
My arms and legs won’t move.
I get to my feet, but my knees are shaking. They could buckle at any moment.
“Hnnfff…!!”
“…… ?!”
I feel a chill in my spine as the monster’s eyes lock onto me again.
The cold fear that had enveloped me up to this point is replaced by despair, as all the muscles in my body go slack.
My mind is going full-speed, but my instincts tell me the end is near.
I’ll be pulverized by the next hit.
Both Lilly and I are as good as dead.
I have to move…!
My fingers start to twitch.
“MROOOOOOO!”
—I’m too close to the wall!
The second I see the Minotaur make a move for me, I get my ass moving.
That thing is so big that if my back is against the wall, I won’t be able to dodge or escape.
First priority: get into the open field. Running away from Lilly, I make a break for the middle of the room.
The Minotaur’s eyes follow my every move. It sees where I’m going and makes a sharp turn, its feet sending dirt flying as it charges in from my right side.
It’s coming up fast!
I can see it growing huge in my shaking eyes.
“MROOONN!!”
“—Grk!!”
It kicks the ground and goes airborne.
I have no choice but to do the same, to have any chance at avoiding the oncoming cleaver.
I just clear the blade, my body snaking out of the way of the cutting edge as I dive forward.
The shock wave from the blade’s impact behind me makes me lose my balance the second my hands hit the ground, shivers running up my spine. But I manage to tuck my chin into my chest and roll a few times before jumping up to my feet.
Spin around, back step.
The ground beneath my feet is cracked, the break starting back at the blood-soaked cleaver, still in the monster’s grasp. The beast glares at me as I put more space between us as fast as I can.
“MROOOOAAAAAAH!!”
But the moment it plants its massive hoof on the ground, the Minotaur instantly reduces the distance to zero.
My eyes are wide in surprise as it holds the cleaver in both hands, preparing for a full swing.
I feel my face turn a dark red.
Hearing the sound of wind being torn asunder, I fall to my knees and duck with all my might. I feel the power of the beast’s swing as the edge of the monstrous sword passes just above my head.
I feel like my shadow just got sliced in half—that’s how close it came to taking my head clean off my shoulders. It cut some of the hair off the back of my head.
“MROOOAH!!”
“Hnn?!”
Amid a small flurry of white human hair, my hair, the Minotaur swings the blade down on my crouching body. I roll forward as if my body were shot out of a cannon. BANG!
That’s where the onslaught starts.
The Minotaur swings down again and again, the blood-splattered sliver blade aimed right at my neck. No matter which direction I go, I can’t get out of the blade’s reach. Soon, punches and kicks graze my body. I can’t see where they’re coming from, but if I stop rolling, it’s all over!
Each heartbeat, each breath burns in my chest.
The realization that one wrong move means certain death clamps down on my brain like a vice.
The alarm bells in my head keep going.
My ears are going to shatter.
“?!…Guh?!”
By the time I notice, my body is a wreck. But what did I expect would happen after rolling on the floor that much, just barely avoiding killing blow after killing blow from the Minotaur’s rampage?
There’s no room for error, and how could there be? I’m so covered in cuts and bruises that I’ve practically got one foot in the grave already.
If these attacks keep coming…
Vague images of the future in my head now feel strange.
I dodged the final blow by a hair, again.
It’s just a matter of time. Even if I manage to dodge another, I can’t avoid death.
Run away.
Get out of here, there’s no choice!
If I don’t escape, no one can save me!
“Mister…Bell……”
My eyes snap to the sound. A small mound of earth flinches away.
It’s Lilly. Her whole body is unsteady, like she could fall at any moment. She’s looking at me, her eyes cloudy. She’s still bleeding, a red streak running down her cheek.
I scream with everything I have left in my lungs:
“Lilly, get out of here!”
My voice almost shrieks as a new shiver passes through her body.
Jumping back to avoid the cleaver yet again, I yell at her over and over to run.
But she’s not moving. She’s just standing there looking at me, about to cry.
Gah…This is so frustrating!
“Run…Get the hell out of here!”
She shakes her head no, tears streaming out of her eyes. Is she not thinking clearly? She’s acting like a spoiled child who’s not getting her way.
WHY?!
As long as you’re here, I can’t run!
Once you get away, I can escape!
Don’t you understand? Why don’t you get it? I’m begging you, wake up!!
“GET GOING!! NOOOW!!!”
Anger fills my voice as I scream at her again.
Tears pouring down her bloody face, she turns her back to me.
Tup, tup, tup. She takes off and disappears from the room.
Yes! Now I can make my escape!
Finally, I can get out of here!
I can leave…
Like hell I can…?!
If I’m gone, what’s to stop this bastard from chasing her down?
If this mad cow goes after her, Lilly will…Lilly’s going to…
“…DAMN IT!!”
I jam my right hand into my protector and pull out the baselard.
Coming up from one last roll and throwing my leg into the dirt, I face the beast head-on.
I don’t know if I want to be angry or if I want to cry. My mind is already a wreck from everything that’s happened, I can’t think straight.
I engage the Minotaur in combat out of desperation.
“MROOOOAAAAAAAHHH!!”
“?!”
I quickly get out of the way of a sudden punch and bring the baselard down on its wrist.
Feeling the backlash down my right arm, I jump back to dodge a slash from the cleaver. There’s no way the baselard could block that amount of sheer force.
I land and brace for the next attack.
My wide-eyed gaze locks with the beast’s sharp glare.
“ROAAA, WAOO, OOOOH!!”
“Gah!”
I continue to dodge blow after blow, dancing with death without any armor at all. The cleaver slams into the ground over and over, each time showering me and my wounds with dirt and rubble.
The Minotaur’s breath is heavy and ragged. Is it getting frustrated because it can’t hit me?
Meanwhile, my breathing is even, almost calm. Sure, I’m sweating like there’s no tomorrow. I feel like I could drink a lake right now.
Waves of power blast out of each of the Minotaur’s attacks again and again, but flow harmlessly out over the prairie. Every sound in the Dungeon right now is coming from this battle alone.
Two shadows dueling in a vast, grass-covered room, under one light on the ceiling far above.
“FOO…WWOOOOOOHH!!”
I can feel the beast’s rage in its howls.
Like it’s yelling, “Stand still!”
Only after working up the courage to face it with only the baselard for defense do I see that my Agility is of a level with the beast’s.
But I can’t press forward.
Each time an attack whizzes by my head, I get cold feet and take a step back. I’m still too scared.
Don’t advance.
Focus on the retreat.
Dodge, dodge, dodge. Buy as much time as possible.
Just as long as I can live to see another second, that’s good enough…!
Right… ?!
“Ha-ahh!”
I breathe hard as I duck under yet another powerful sideswipe.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen death pass by my face. I’ve got shallow cuts all over my cheeks from near misses. My heart feels like it’s being strangled by the power of the beast’s aura.
I may be trembling, but I’m still here, still running.
Managing to jump out of the way of a downward slash of the cleaver, I see a hole in the Minotaur’s attack pattern. With its body folded down and the sword out in front, it can’t attack to the side without me seeing it coming. A safe spot!
Just as I jump into the open area, the Minotaur’s eyes narrow.
“?”
Fuhh-fuhh. Its heavy breaths filling my ears, the Minotaur takes its eyes off the massive sword and whips its neck around to face me.
“—Dah?!”
It had one option from that position I didn’t think of—a head butt.
And on top of its head and coming right at me, a horn!
The tip of its thick, curved horn is aimed right at my chest!
“Yeeh?!”
Even though I knew it was about as useful as tissue paper, I brace my protector in front of the oncoming spearhead. The horn penetrates the protector like a knife through butter.
Thanks to the angle of the attack, I escape another killing blow. By some miracle, even my arm is in one piece, with just a shallow gash across the front of my left arm.
However…
The horn is stuck inside the protector.
The protector is still strapped to my arm. My feet leave the ground as the Minotaur stands up, with me hanging on.
“Gehe?!”
“OOOooWOOOO!!”
It flicks its neck, swinging me around like a rag doll.
It flips the other direction, and my body goes with it.
Every joint pops; I’m in shock. I have no idea where the ground is—all I know is that I’m two meders above it.
I can’t see anything! Going too fast!
The sudden whips are getting more intense, knocking the wind out of me.
My left shoulder is at its limit, popping and pulling painfully.
Two, three more crazy swings from the beast and the protector breaks, just a second before my shoulder joint would have given out.
The protector was already broken, but now it cracks down the middle from the penetration point.
At that exact second, the Minotaur flings its head upward. My arm is free; there’s nothing to stop me from flying straight up.
“UUHH—WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
I come within touching distance of the ten-meder-high ceiling of the lower-ninth floor before feeling gravity take hold of my body.
Tracing a mountain in the Dungeon, I start my descent.
Unable to brace my body for impact, the ceiling falls away from me—fast.
“GeHAAHH!”
I land flat on my back.
A scream of pain shoots through my spine and out to every nerve in my body. Stars are flashing in my eyes.
I can feel my arms and legs convulsing, again and again.
If it weren’t for my Defense, I’d already be dead… ?!
“Aa…ah?!”
My eyes won’t stop blinking.
The wave of pain forces sounds out of my mouth. I scrunch up my forehead and force my eyes closed.
But I can feel the Minotaur, the impact of its footsteps coming through the ground.
This is bad, but there’s nothing I can do anymore. I can’t move; I can only make the strange sounds coming out of my throat.
Not being able to move brings back the terror I’d been holding down by sheer force of will. The fear is back with a vengeance.
Click, click—my teeth start chattering. Tears begin to flow out of my eyes.
Scared.
I’ve never been so scared.
I’m in pain. Everything hurts. I’m overwhelmed.
But above all that…
I’m absolutely terrified.
Too scared to stand.
“Uuuh…!”
The vibrations of the oncoming footsteps make my hair stand on end. It’s coming closer, slowly.
I’ll be slaughtered. Panic is taking the feeling out of my arms and legs.
The fear is taking me, breaking me. But if I give in, will that make what’s about to happen painless?
I open my eyes to see the bright lights overhead. Each of their light beams silently reflect off my tears.
—It’s over.
The terror within me pushes every shred of hope I had left out of my body in one long sigh.
“… ?”
The vibrations stop.
The execution block that I can’t escape from has become eerily quiet.
In the place of the vibrations, a breeze.
How strange. What happened? I’m caught between terror and curiosity. What’s going on?
I relax my face and try to move.
My body is still quivering, but I manage to raise my head off the ground.
That’s when…
“—”
…I see her.
“…”
Long, flowing blond hair. Blue armor. Thin, sliver saber.
Just like she had a day before, the female knight has her back to me.
Time stands still.
“Uhh…uwooo… ?!”
The Minotaur is afraid.
Its eyes locked on the silent warrior, it takes several shaky steps backward.
I feel wind.
And she’s at the center, her presence filling the room and forcing complete stillness.
Her aura has taken over.
—The Kenki. Aiz Wallenstein.
“Found her! Hey, Aiz!!”
“Heh, ya drag me all the way down here for somethin’ this boring? Pathetic!”
More vibrations of footprints through the ground, even new voices in my ears, but I can’t take my eyes off her back.
Her eye and the tip of her nose.
Aiz is shielding me from the Minotaur, facing it down.
My head is all mixed up. What’s going on?
What’s going to happen?
My torso comes off the ground as if pulled up by invisible ropes. I don’t even notice, my attention completely on the girl in front of me.
“…Are you okay?”
—Am I okay?
Just like the first time.
Her standing in front of me, looking back over her shoulder, her thin face saying those words.
Everything in my body shudders as if struck by lightning.
“…You did well.”
I did…well?
Unlike the last time.
Words of sympathy, encouragement.
Ba-bash! My heart thrashes.
“I’ll save you now.”
Save…me?
My heart pounds away in my chest.
Everything else in my line of sight suddenly snaps back into color.
Everything is white hot.
Save?
Being saved?
Again?
By her?
Just like before?
Like a pattern?
Who?
—Me.
“… ?!”
A fire lights within me.
That spark grows into an inferno that purges all other emotions from my mind.
The fear disappears as the blaze roars through.
A new strength, one I’ve never known, uses the flame to fill my body with power.
Stand.
Stand up!
STAND UP NOW!!
How long are you going to just lay there?!
How many times are you just going to let her save you?!
I’ve seen this once before!
I can’t stand being saved by her yet again! I won’t allow it!!
“??!”
Body, move forward!
If you’ve got enough time to be afraid, make up your mind!
She’s your idol! Do you want her to see you like this again?
She’s the one you want to impress—don’t show her anything more embarrassing than you already have. What good will that do?
I can’t stand it, I won’t stand it, I refuse to put up with it!
If I can’t impress her now, when can I?!
If now isn’t a good time to look her in the eyes, when is a good time?!
If I can’t stand up on my feet now, when will I?
If I can’t reach a new height now, when the hell will I?!
My legs kick off the ground.
I’m up and moving again.
“?!”
“…can’t…”
I grab hold of her hand.
It feels so thin and delicate that I might break it if I squeeze too hard. I gently pull her around behind me.
I’m going forward; it’s my choice.
“I can’t be saved by Aiz Wallenstein yet again!”
I yell from the pit of my gut as I grab my knife.
The Minotaur sees me step forward. Its eyes pop open for a moment before it greats me with vicious laughter.
As if granting my wish, the beast points the tip of the cleaver in my direction.
“I challenge you…!”
It’s time for an adventure.
For the part of me that has to know.
Today, for the first time, I find out what’s on the other side of the wall.
The boy charged.
Aiz, stunned, watched as the little rabbit rushed headlong toward the monstrous bull.
“Well, it’s goin’ against the rules ta steal someone else’s kill. Looks like ya got rejected, Aiz.”
“……”
Bete’s carefree, almost joking voice came up from behind the now alone Aiz.
He continued by saying that the kid was in the right, being an adventurer.
Bete and Tiona were the first to enter the room behind Aiz, follow closely by Tione and finally Reveria and Fynn.
They all arrived just in time to see Bell engage the Minotaur in combat.
Bete’s eyes followed the boy’s movements as Bell cleanly dodged the monster’s first strike. “Ohh!” he said in surprise, his mouth an open circle. “Ahh?” He noticed something peculiar.
“White head there…isn’t that tomato boy? Keh! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Poor kid! Looks like Minotaurs have a thing for ’im!”
“You mean the one Aiz saved at the last moment?”
“That’s him, all right! Can you see the hearts in the ’Taur’s eyes? It’s love for White Head that made the beastie run all the way up here just to be with him!”
“Stop messing around, Bete.”
Bete just shrugged at Tione’s warning.
A smirk appeared on his wolfish muzzle as the wolf man looked back at the battle.
“Fine, fine. But I ain’t gonna go rescue the kid. White Head got his ass saved just like this not too long ago, and ran off like the weakling he is then, too.”
“Are you sure about this? He’s Level One, right? The Minotaur will gut him for sure!”
“Tomato boy made his decision. It’s not our place. Ain’t that right, Tione?”
“Would you leave me out of this?”
Bete saw a tick of annoyance on Tione’s face, but he couldn’t care less. So he turned his focus back to the battle, a smile still on his face.
The three adventurers stood in a small circle, but Tiona couldn’t sit still. She wanted to help the boy, not see him die.
“Either way, we can’t just ignore that monster! We clean it up before or after the boy dies, that’s it! I for one am going to help!”
“Leave ’im. The kid’s bein’ a man. Any idea how painful it’d be to be saved again now after bein’ humiliated before? If it were me, death would be better than goin’ through that again.”
“I don’t care about your aesthetics, Bete!”
The three of them forgot where they were for a moment, laughing at themselves. But under their chuckles, there was a voice that struggled to be heard.
A small shadow at their side, barely able to stand.
“…Please, honorable adventurers. Mr. Bell…please save Mr. Bell…”
“L-little prum…”
“Hey, hands off! I said, OFF!”
The completely unchanged, natural Lilly fell forward, grabbing onto Bete’s clothes to keep herself from falling.
“Lilly will repay. Lilly will do anything, absolutely anything…Please save Mr. Bell…please…!”
“W-what did I just say…”
As the young prum got more and more desperate, Bete looked down at her with his wolf ears pinned back. But after seeing the girl’s face, only then did his expression soften.
Reveria glided up behind Lilly and crouched down behind her, putting her right hand in front of the prum’s eyes. She then wrapped her left arm around the girl’s stomach and drew her into an embrace.
“Do not strain yourself. Wounds may close, but spilt blood has yet to replenish.”
As soon as Reveria finished her spell, a jade light erupted from her right hand, illuminating Lilly’s eyes. Just as the high elf had just said, Lilly’s wounds came together; the stream of blood running down her face went dry.
It was no coincidence that Loki Familia’s adventurers appeared in this room—it was all thanks to Lilly.
Even though she should have escaped after leaving Bell behind, she kept running circles around the lower-ninth floor, injuries and all, desperately looking for help. That’s when she found Aiz.
Endless pleading from the supporter to help her friend led Loki Familia to this room.
“Please save…please…save……”
“…Tsk.”
Bete had reached his limit. He snapped his tongue as he looked down at the incoherent girl.
He scratched the back of his head, ash-colored fur rippling. Clearing his throat, Bete took a step toward Aiz and the battle farther beyond.
“Are you going?”
“Don’t go gettin’ the wrong idea, I hate savin’ trash. But I just can’t stand bein’ begged to save somebody weaker than me from torment. That’s worse.”
Bete didn’t even look at Reveria as he gave her a blunt answer.
“Outta the way, Aiz. It’s mine!”
“……”
“Hey, what’cha starin’…at…”
Bete had advanced as far as Aiz’s position when he came to a sudden halt.
Just as usual, Aiz’s face was devoid of emotion—with the exception of her golden eyes. They were wide open in surprise.
She was watching the scene unfold with the utmost intensity.
“…Huh?”
Bete looked that way.
And his jaw dropped.
The Minotaur, swinging a massive cleaver, and a boy wielding a knife.
Neither was giving ground as their blades clashed again and again.
“……Wha… ?”
Their battle filled the room with layer upon layer of metallic echoes.
But not all were the same; some of the vibrations carried a force that felt strong enough to destroy anything. Others felt so fast that they could slice through any material.
Bete’s ears braced for impact over and over as the psychotic melody spread throughout the Dungeon.
His eyes followed the sliver flashes of the cleaver and the violet streaks of the knife. Just when it looked as though a burst of silver was going to connect, a violet arc intercepted its path, adding yet another clashing echo.
Bell and the Minotaur locked eyes as they continued to trade attack and defense. Neither was backing down.
“Eh…huh, wha… ?”
“…Who is Level One?”
The battle had caught Tiona’s and the others’ attention.
It was obvious to everyone present that the Minotaur had an advantage, just from its size alone. However, all of them could see that it wasn’t a one-sided battle, not by a long shot.
It was a duel, both sides evenly matched in a fight to the death.
A sudden high note in the echo melody pierced their ears.
Tiona’s group took their eyes off the battle as Bell blocked the cleaver with his knife yet again and looked in Bete’s direction. All of them were looking for answers.
Bete didn’t know how to respond.
“If my memory is correct…”
A calm voice cut through the chaos.
Bete’s shoulders dropped, a look of shock that even he didn’t comprehend on his face, as he turned around to face the speaker.
Their leader, Fynn Dimuna, took small, calculated steps as he quietly approached. He stopped just behind Bete before continuing.
“Isn’t this the boy who, one month ago, you considered to be ‘the newest of the newbies,’ Bete?”
“……”
A burst of sparks lit up their faces.
The instant the bright red light faded, a shock wave from the combatants’ blades passed between them, ruffling hair, fur, and clothes on its way by.
Fynn didn’t budge, his blue gaze looking up at Bete, who was squinting to protect his own eyes.
The boy was a newbie, there was no doubt.
He knew nothing of combat and was getting run around in circles by a Minotaur. One look had told Bete all he needed to know.
He was a pathetic, laughable excuse for an adventurer.
This boy.
What the hell happened?!
He had become so much more.
The person who was engaging this Minotaur in a fight to the death was not the weak trash that he despised.
The boy had visible potential, a genuine rookie.
Just one month. That’s all it took.
Even adventurers who started off with talent and combat experience couldn’t improve so much that their very aura changed in a span of thirty days. By and large, adventurers improved at a snail’s pace.
He’d made an unbelievable jump from rock bottom to where he is now.
Bete stood there in awe.
This ain’t freakin’ possible! Lost in thought, confusion took over as Bete once again counted the days it took for Bell’s transformation.
No matter how hard he tried, Bete couldn’t find any possible explanation. That realization sent shivers down his spine.
“…”
Standing right next to him, Aiz was also fixed on Bell.
While there was a glint of surprise in her golden eyes, her expression had shifted to one of interest.
“UWAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The combatants’ voices joined the chorus of metal clashes.
The human and the Minotaur collided again and again in a battle of strength against speed.
The Amazon sisters had joined Bete and Aiz to get a front-row seat for the battle. Reveria wasn’t far behind, with Lilly resting in her arms.
They stood in a line, their jaws slack as they watched the ebb and flow of every attack with unblinking eyes.
“…”
The elite adventurers of Loki Familia watched the duel to the death from the sidelines.
By their standards, this was a very crude battle.
A low-level skirmish that wasn’t even worth their time.
However, there was something about it that captivated them. At the very least, they had to know the outcome.
Some of them watched in amazement, some of them followed movements with sharp, focused eyes, still others looked on in calm silence.
Constant explosions of sparks surrounded the battle.
Whistles of air-splitting strikes rang out.
All the light in the already dim room seemed to focus on them alone, their duel in a spotlight.
It was like a page out of folklore.
A man facing down a fearsome beast in a desperate battle to the death.
Tiona squinted her eyes.
“Argonaut…”
That was one of the legends.
It was the story of a boy who dreamed of becoming a hero. He journeyed deep into a labyrinth to save his queen after she had been kidnapped by a bull-monster.
At times, he was fooled by others.
The king even manipulated him on multiple occasions.
His desire to help others sent him in many different directions along the way. But it was meant to be a humorous tale.
The boy made many friends, borrowing their knowledge.
He received weapons from fairies.
Every one of his endeavors somehow led to his rescuing of the queen, making his name known throughout the land. The kind, funny, and yet heroic Argonaut.
“I’ve always liked…that story…”
Tiona clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes glistening as if she had discovered a vast treasure as the battle unfolded in front of her.
Nostalgia swept over her as she smiled, memories of the story flooding her mind.
Like ripples through water, each of her comrades made the connection to that legendary tale, the sounds of battle still filling their ears.
The battle still raged on before them, flashes of white and red continuously plowing into each other.
The elite adventurers looked on as a fairy tale came to life right before their eyes.
My body is light.
My mind is clear.
My soul is on fire.
A massive sword passes my face, and I charge forward.
I challenge the monster’s howls with roars of my own, and press forward.
My entire body is focused, looking for a chance to seize victory, pressing forward.
The only thing that matters is the enemy in front of me.
Well, this is a first.
This isn’t some pathetic fantasy.
I’m not caught up in my own ego.
I’m not daydreaming; this isn’t some unattainable wish.
I want to be a hero.
A hero who can take this thing down.
This is the first time I’ve wished from my heart that I wasn’t some weak kid, but someone who is a heroic man.
I—
I want to be…a hero.
“……!”
Clatter.
A chair fell over as Freya jumped to her feet.
Bell and the Minotaur were in the middle of their battle.
A look of shock overtook Freya’s face as she watched the battle through a window floating in the middle of her room.
“……Is this really happening?”
The Divine Mirror was one of the only Arcanum—the godly powers—that was allowed on Gekai.
Originally, it was used to allow gods and goddesses to watch the children’s activities. It was a tool that opened a one-way window to any location in the world. Since its main purpose was entertainment, the Divine Mirror was exempt from other Arcanum laws.
Of course, any use of the Divine Mirror for any purpose other than entertainment was strictly prohibited. If abuse of this power were discovered, the offender would be banished to Tenkai, the upper world of the heavens.
Also, once a Divine Mirror was activated, any nearby god or goddess could observe what was going on by activating their own mirror. It was extremely risky for any god or goddess to use this ability for their own gain. None of them had been that foolish.
However, this particular goddess had a way to “convince” male gods to allow her to use this ability: her beauty.
“Just for today.” “It won’t cause any problems for any other Familia.” “One room in the Dungeon.” These were the conditions of her contract. She had accepted the risk and opened the mirror.
This was all to make sure she saw the battle with her own eyes.
“…Ahh!”
Freya’s expression shifted from surprise, to joy, then enchantment at the scene unfolding in front of her.
“Ha-ha, ha-h-aha… ?! Can you see this, Ottar? Can you see the beauty… ?!”
It was shining.
Bell’s spirit shone through.
Bright enough to burn his image in Freya’s eyes.
Despite being so radiant, the light from his soul was still clear.
A pure wish.
He was pure, no hidden agenda and completely clean. The boy only had one thing on his mind.
Unlimited possibilities were blooming within Bell.
The battle raged on.
Bell and the Minotaur exchanged blows rhythmically, each jockeying for better position.
Two sets of legs dug into the grass, spun, kicked, and dodged.
Neither of them stopped moving.
Don’t worry about its size.
Bell looked up at the monster with a strong calm in his eyes and ice in his veins.
The fear that had consumed him before was gone.
Free from the despair that bound him, Bell had no intention of retreating.
He engaged the Minotaur’s attacks without hesitation, his newfound courage guiding him past each blow.
It’s big, that’s all! Keep your eyes open!
His mind was in complete control; his eyes did what they were told.
Indeed, the Minotaur possessed amazing strength. If Bell took a direct shot, his very bones would shatter under the force of impact. That’s what Minotaurs were known for: being strong enough to kill in one shot.
But that was all.
No matter how strong the attack, it had to hit its target first. Even the cleaver in its right hand was nothing more than a slab of metal if it couldn’t connect.
Bell’s eyes saw things more clearly than ever before.
His ruby-red eyes were sharp enough to see everything, from the Minotaur’s expression to the movements of its muscles.
As long as he stayed calm, this information told him everything he needed to know. The beast put all of its strength into every attack, muscles bulging menacingly under its skin. However, this not only told Bell the timing of each attack but the direction as well.
The Minotaur’s movements were straightforward, uncomplicated.
The beast’s attacks were so obvious that Bell could predict them easily.
I fought an opponent hundreds of times faster than this thing!
Compared to the girl who trained him, his current opponent might as well have been a tree in the wind.
Even the fact it was wielding an adventurer’s weapon just meant it had learned how to use a sword, nothing more.
If he couldn’t handle something like this, he had no chance of catching up to her.
The Minotaur’s attacks would not connect. He wouldn’t let them.
Each swing of its massive sword hit nothing but empty air. Bell used his jet-black knife to guide each strike into the ground.
Speed had become his trump card. He used every bit of it to dodge, evade, and defend against every attack.
“…The heck’s up with that knife? Blockin’ something that big with nothin’ more than a tooth pick?”
“No, something more than just the knife…”
“Impressive. He’s using technique against the Minotaur’s attacks.”
A burst of violet light, and the cleaver was thrown backward with a metallic echo.
The words rolled out of Bete’s mouth as he watched the battle. Reveria and Fynn answered him.
While the Hestia Knife was special in that it improved along with the user’s Status, there was no way it could take the nearly two-meder cleaver head-on. Add the Minotaur’s brute strength to the attack, and it had no chance.
Therefore, Bell was aiming for the side of the blade.
The impact of Bell’s knife created just enough space for his body to slide past the Minotaur’s attacks. It was a keen strategy, but there was absolutely no room for error.
It was a technique he “borrowed” from Aiz. However, every second and every movement determined life or death.
Every one of the girl’s teachings that had been pounded into his body now put Bell on equal footing with the Minotaur.
Everything he had learned on top of the city wall was being put to use in this one battle.
“He really is good at dodging. But…”
“The boy can’t finish it off.”
The Amazonian sisters watched, Tione with a distant look in her eyes and Tiona nervously shaking, as Bell intercepted the cleaver with his knife and went for a counterattack with the baselard in his left hand. But it wasn’t enough.
The short sword had succeeded in cutting the Minotaur a few times, but the wounds were not deep enough to inflict any damage. They were nothing more than scratches on the surface.
The Minotaur’s breath was ragged as it lined up another shot at Bell.
“…Minotaurs are hard to cut.”
The Kenki gave her opinion on Minotaurs. Considering she had taken down hundreds of thousands of monsters, her words carried a lot of weight.
The bulging muscles all over the beast’s body were not just for decoration. Of course they were visual evidence of the monster’s overall strength, but their density made them feel like rubber.
In addition, Minotaur skin was an extremely valuable drop item used to create armor with very high Defense. Even if an attack was strong enough to pierce the skin, there was a very real chance the blade would get stuck in the muscles. Only a strong direct attack had any chance of slaying a Minotaur.
The Minotaur was one of the few monsters that had broken away from groups. It could do this because its Defense was so high. When adventurers thought about the area of the Dungeon known as the Middle Fortress, the Minotaur was always first to come to mind.
“MROOOOOOAH!”
“GEH!”
Little by little, Bell was starting to turn the tables against the monster that exemplified attack and defense.
The Minotaur was categorized as a Level-Two monster. Being at only Level One, Bell was in a hole that should be impossible to overcome.
That was the Minotaur’s distinct advantage.
For Bell, this was a wall of despair.
The Status the Minotaur was born with should have been strong enough to overcome any techniques Bell could throw at it.
“Mr. Bell…”
Lilly had recovered enough to stand on her own two feet, but it took a large amount of effort to squeeze Bell’s name out of her lungs.
She joined the line of onlookers as Bell yet again guided the monster’s cleaver just past his face and into the dirt.
Not losing a beat, the Minotaur used its forward momentum to launch a powerful kick toward Bell’s chest. However, Bell saw it coming and used his agility to get out of the way and bring the Hestia Knife forward.
The Minotaur flung the cleaver in front of the knife. Another sharp metallic echo filled the room.
“……!”
“MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Bell couldn’t hide his surprise at the Minotaur’s reaction. It was almost as though the beast was scared of the Hestia Knife.
Without a doubt, the Minotaur realized that this knife was the only legitimate threat that Bell presented.
Bell had reached the same conclusion.
His enemy, the Minotaur, only let its guard down the moment Bell’s knife was no longer in position to counterattack.
If the blade could pierce the muscle, the Minotaur’s bones were in danger. The beast understood.
As Bell stared into its eyes, sensing its unnatural intelligence and looking at its broken horn, Bell knew what he had to do.
“EAT THIS!!”
Jumping back to get space, Bell cleared his mind.
Almost as if signaling “stay back,” he thrust his right arm forward.
The Minotaur’s eyes went wide for an instant before—
“FIREBOLT!!”
An electric inferno thundered forward.
Amid explosions and crackles of burning lightning, the beast was forced backward.
The Minotaur let out a ferocious roar that echoed off the ceiling from behind the smoke and flames.
“…Was there a spell? That was Magic.”
“No…Didn’t even see ’im chant words.”
What allowed Level-One Bell to take on a category Level-Two monster like the Minotaur was Magic.
Even though Bell could be physically overpowered, his ticket out of certain death was without a doubt his Swift-Strike Magic, Firebolt.
Unfortunately—
“UuWWWAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“……!”
—it didn’t work.
“Too weak.”
“Ahh, that won’t end it.”
“The activation speed was very impressive, but his opponent is too strong. Under the right circumstances, a spell like that could be extremely useful…”
The flaw in Bell’s Magic had been revealed.
It didn’t have enough power.
There were injuries and burns all over the Minotaur’s two-meder-tall body. However, there was nothing more. Its skin had not been pierced deep enough.
Normal offensive spells might have been able to, but Bell’s Firebolt was not yet strong enough to deliver a killing blow to the Minotaur.
It didn’t have enough power.
“Out of options?”
“It’s too early to call this match…is what I’d like to say.”
A new wave of rage engulfed the Minotaur as Bell once again charged forward to engage it in combat.
Reveria and Fynn appraised the battle realistically as Bell’s assault on the Minotaur grew longer and longer.
No matter how long Bell could hold his ground against the Minotaur, he had no chance of winning unless his attacks inflicted damage on the beast. Even going for the one-hit kill by piercing its chest was doomed to fail. Bell’s knife was not long enough to reach the magic stone inside.
His only viable option now was to accept death and try to take it down with him.
Once Bell made that decision, there was a 99-percent chance that the Minotaur would win.
Attacks were meaningless. That signaled failure in any battle.
The Minotaur roared again.
Yet another full-power swing from overhead and Bell moved to evade. But this time he was too slow. While his body got out of the way, the baselard was hit and split in two on impact.
Bell’s face went hard as a rock.
“Now the boy has no weapon.”
Fynn’s voice rode a soft breeze throughout the room.
The Minotaur’s ferocious swing continued past Bell and into the floor, making a small crater in the process.
Bell flung his right arm in front of his face, what was left of his short sword still clutched in his fist. Debris bouncing off his body, Bell was thrown back by the sheer force of the blow.
Bell was airborne for mere moments before landing and looking back at his opponent.
—No weapon? There’s one right here!
His eyes looking just over his right elbow, Bell locked onto the Minotaur’s cleaver. Taking a step forward, he threw his own broken sword at the beast with all of his might.
“UOO?!”
Bell’s surprise attack caught the Minotaur off guard.
The reflection of the oncoming weapon grew in the Minotaur’s eyes, light glancing off the broken blade as it spun.
At this rate, the broken baselard would hit the Minotaur right between the eyes. The monster quickly jerked its neck to the side. The cutting edge made contact with the Minotaur’s cheek; a drip of blood rolled down its face.
As for Bell—
He didn’t wait to see where his sneak attack landed; he’d already launched his next plan.
“—?!”
“YEEEEEAAAA!!!”
The diversion had cost the Minotaur valuable seconds, and it was slow to react.
Bell’s body was twisted, lining up the Hestia Knife for a strike with his right arm hidden behind his back.
The Minotaur had been trained very well. Eyes focused, its put the cleaver between itself and the oncoming human, directly in the path of Bell’s oncoming attack.
Forcing the massive sword out of the ground, it used the flat part of the blade as a shield against the Hestia Knife.
It worked!
A shred of surprise swept over the Minotaur’s face when its eyes caught something unexpected.
The blade that was hidden behind Bell’s shoulder was not black.
A white blade; an ordinary dagger.
Bell had switched the Hestia Knife to his left hand the moment he threw the baselard.
He pulled the dagger back, and brought his left arm out of the shadows.
His ruby-red eyes were not keyed onto the Minotaur, but on the cleaver.
“HEH!!”
“GUWAAOO?!”
Holding the Hestia Knife so the blade came out of the bottom of his hand, Bell’s upward swing connected with the Minotaur’s right hand.
While the Minotaur had managed to get the blade into position, its stance was weak. Knocked off balance from Bell’s charge, the cleaver was useless in defense.
SHINK! The knife buried itself into the Minotaur’s right hand, cutting flesh, bone and tendons alike.
Amid the beast’s screams of pain, Bell used his momentum to spin the knife and kick the flat part of the massive cleaver. The monstrous sword went airborne with the Minotaur’s fingers still attached.
Fynn and the others watched as blood sprayed from the Minotaur’s injured hand.
“MAAAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!”
The beast reeled backward and grabbed its wrist in pain.
Ignoring the blast coming from the Minotaur’s throat, Bell crouched down before springing forward.
Using the beast’s body like a ladder, the boy jumped up to eye level with the Minotaur. One last kick to it shoulder, and Bell flipped backward, carving an arc in the air.
But this was no ordinary attack. Bell’s thin body was aimed directly for the blood-splattered cleaver lying on the ground.
Whoosh-whoosh. Bell landed on his hands just short of the blade. A heartbeat later, he grabbed it.
A quick roll and he was up again.
“M-MOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!”
Fighting back the pain in its arm, the Minotaur turned around to find Bell, and immediately charged forward.
Its left arm thrust forward, it howled as if to say, “Give that back!” The Minotaur wasn’t about to give up its weapon so easily.
Bell stood with his back to the beast, the hilt of the cleaver clutched in his left hand as he turned around and raised his right arm.
“FIREBOLT!”
An explosion ensued.
“?Mo-oo?!”
The Minotaur’s feet left the ground after getting hit by the Magic at this close range.
Just as it had before, the speed and power of Bell’s Magic pushed the Minotaur back. But this time, the beast flew backward with its feet floundering in the air.
The sudden web of burning lightning ensnared the Minotaur, sending pieces of singed fur falling to the ground. But the beast got its footing and pushed through the cloud of smoke rising around it. Violet sparks of lightning ignited the grass, creating a ring of small flames and pyres of smoke around the battle.
Before anyone could blink—
It was Bell who emerged from the smoke, carrying the cleaver in both hands.
“HYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
He hoisted the massive weapon above his head and brought it down with all his might.
“UWAAOooo?!”
A thick red line appeared on the Minotaur’s chest, cutting through flesh that was thick as armor.
“That hit?!”
Blood sprayed out of the diagonal cut that started at the shoulder and ended just below the beast’s rib cage. The singed grass beneath was splattered with the dark liquid.
Words of surprise escaped Tiona’s mouth before she realized it. The Minotaur stumbled backward yet again.
Bell wasn’t about to let this chance slip by.
“TAKE THHHHIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!”
“Muwoo?!”
Bell charged the Minotaur, using its own blade against it.
The boy unleashed all the destructive power contained in his arms as the massive blade cut through the air itself.
Thrusting his heels into the ground, he brought the blade crashing down.
He missed his colossal target, but the Minotaur had no time to rest. The next attack was already coming.
“Heh, the kid sucks…!”
“But he is pushing it back.”
It was safe to say that large blades were not Bell’s strong suit.
It looked more like the blade was swinging him around. In a different situation, it would have been a very comical picture: a thin boy trying to wield a blade twice his size and losing.
However, his vigorous assault had the Minotaur on the ropes.
He had become a bladed tornado. Flashes of brilliant silver surrounded him as Bell’s constant screams echoed throughout the room.
The bull-monster was visibly shaking. Still in shock from this drastic turn of events, it wasn’t able to mount a defense. Its only hope was to dodge the onslaught.
While the Minotaur managed to avoid a direct shot, more thick red lines crisscrossed its arms and legs. Even more of its blood splashed onto the ground following streaks of silver light.
Where Bell’s short sword had failed so many times, the cleaver was inflicting actual damage at an incredible rate.
“Mmoooh—MWWAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
The Minotaur howled in an attempt to instill fear.
The beast’s instincts had awakened. Eyes narrowed and teeth bared, it was as if the beast were screaming, “DON’T GET COCKY!”
Driving its heels into the dirt, the Minotaur punched the blade out of the way and charged forward.
“—!!”
The last round.
The two combatants locked eyes, each howling sounds that had lost all meaning.
The Minotaur menacingly flexed its muscles. The human responded by swinging the sword above his head. This battle would come down to swordsmanship and technique versus primal strength and power.
The two charged and collided, going blow for blow, one step forward, one step back. Neither showed signs of slowing down.
The Minotaur threw an off-balance kick toward Bell’s face, but was blocked by the sword.
Bell used the sword to swing himself up and land a punch just beneath the Minotaur’s eye.
The impact cracked bones in his hand, but he flew past the Minotaur, landing just behind.
The battle raged on. Hoof-shaped imprints in the grass; slices of dirt missing after the deep impacts of the cleaver; even the lights above began to dim. The stage of their battle was breaking.
Each blow was thrown at full strength with the intent to kill. Neither combatant was going to pull any punches now.
Can’t stop, won’t stop, can’t give ground.
Blood-splattered silver sword met horn; sparks flew. Bell spun and struck again.
Everyone watching the battle taking place on the lower-ninth floor of the Dungeon knew the end was near.
“YYYYYAAAAAAAAAH!!!”
“UGOOUU?!”
Bell ducked under the Minotaur’s punch and turned, using every muscle in his body. The cleaver connected with the Minotaur’s exposed side, digging deep into its gut.
However, the blade stopped as it hit abdominal muscles that were as hard as rocks. The force of the collision threw the Minotaur to the side and withdrew the blade in one solid motion.
Crack. Bell thought he heard a strange noise come from the cleaver, but it was quickly drowned out by the Minotaur’s screams of agony.
“FOOHH, FOOHH, UWWAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
There were five meders between the two combatants.
The Minotaur squeezed its wound shut, eyes bloodshot and fuming. Taking in a deep breath, it thrust its hands into the ground.
Despite being hands, the beast’s appendages were so badly damaged that they looked more like hooves. With all four limbs on the ground, it lowered its head. Its hindquarters up high, the Minotaur had become in essence a raging bull.
Bete and every one of his compatriots stood silently, completely focused on the battle.
The Minotaur had been pushed all the way into the corner of the room, and its only way out was to charge through Bell.
It still had its trump card: the sharp horn on top of its head. And it was aimed right at Bell’s heart.
The Minotaur was preparing to unleash a rush powerful enough to obliterate anything in its way.
However at this distance, it wouldn’t be able to build up enough speed. It could hope for half power at best.
The fact that it was this desperate was proof of just how much it had been driven back.
“—”
The Minotaur’s eyes glinted as its last shred of pride, the one compete horn on its head, took aim.
The utmost concentration shot out of the deepest part of the combatant’s eyes. It was an unspoken understanding. Two wills were about to clash.
Each took in one last breath and for a moment an eerie stillness filled the air.
Bell’s gaze met the Minotaur’s glare.
And then…
“HYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
“UUUWWWWAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
They collided.
—Naïve.
Reveria almost looked away as the combatants charged head-on.
“Idiot!”
“No, Mr. Bell!”
The voices of Bete and the others rang out, punctuated by Lilly’s screams.
Their cries rode the shock wave of impact, reaching Bell’s and the Minotaur’s ears as nothing more than part of the hurricane of sound engulfing them.
In that moment, all eyes shot open as each poured every ounce of power into one spot. Their skins burned with a desire for victory.
A downward strike and an upward thrust.
Both hit head-on at full force.
In that moment, the battle turned yet again.
“—”
A metallic crack rang out.
A web of cracks ran down the cleaver’s blade from the point of impact with the Minotaur’s horn.
“UUWWOOOO!!”
The weapon shattered.
Just as Loki Familia found out on their last expedition, all weapons would eventually become useless without repair.
And this heavily neglected blade had reached its breaking point.
It had been trapped in the Dungeon for almost a week.
The cleaver had survived Ottar’s training, as well as taken countless lives at the hands of the Minotaur. It just couldn’t take any more punishment.
The impact broke the blade just above the hilt, shattering the base and sending the rest of the weapon flying into parts unknown.
On the other hand, there wasn’t even a scratch on the Minotaur’s horn.
A rain of silver shards clouded Bell’s vision.
Bell followed through with his attack angled to the right, the scrap metal in his hands passing harmlessly by the Minotaur’s face.
The Minotaur’s attack had been a leftward thrust. The combatants slid cleanly past each other, no damage inflicted.
The two locked eyes for a moment. Bell caught a glimpse of the smirk on the Minotaur’s face.
It was not a ridiculing smile of a sore winner, but a burly smile of someone desperate for victory.
The Minotaur could see its chance at triumph, now that its opponent had lost his last trump card.
Bell was silent for an instant, white hair covering his ruby-red eyes in shadow.
The beast flew past his line of sight, almost as though in slow motion.
My trump card—
Bell…
—is right here!!
…drew a jet-black knife from its sheath.
“!!”
Bell slammed on the brakes.
He came to a sudden halt behind the Minotaur’s ferocious rush.
Ignoring the screams of agony erupting from his knees, Bell turned around.
The two had been back to back. However, Bell’s Agility had gone beyond normal limits. His second ace in the hole opened a new window for attack.
The blade sticking out beneath Bell’s fingers in his right hand, the Hestia Knife carved a brilliant violet arc through the air.
The Minotaur had come to a stop as well, its head still tilted left and the light emitting from Bell’s blade reflecting off its eye.
“SHAAA!!”
“UWOA?!”
The Hestia Knife plunged into the Minotaur’s exposed right flank, piercing its defenses.
Power, momentum, and centrifugal force combined into one spot. The impact of Bell’s sudden sneak attack shook the Minotaur to its core and sent its body listing to the side.
Bell drove the knife as deep as it would go with all of his might before yelling:
“FIREBOLT!!!”
BOOM! A shock wave rocked the Minotaur’s body.
The beast’s chest expanded suddenly, as if something deep within had exploded.
Scarlet flames erupted from the wound made by the Hestia Knife. The Minotaur’s bloodshot eyes opened as wide as they would go.
“FIREBOLTTT!!!”
One more blast.
As strange as it seemed to the onlookers, the Minotaur’s upper body swayed like sails on a boat.
No matter how thick its muscles, nor how resistant its skin was to Magic, its insides were a different story.
Bell’s Magic drove the knife even deeper still, a web of flames burning the Minotaur from within.
The flaming electric current searched for a way out and suddenly found the beast’s throat.
“GEGAHH!” Scarlet flames erupted from its nose and mouth.
“GAHA, GEHAH……GUWAAOOOOOOOOO?!”
Its throat and mouth being burned to ashes, it put all of its remaining power into its elbow and thrust it backward at Bell.
A rejection of the utmost strength.
This attack, even without aiming, would undoubtedly turn Bell’s body into a pile of meat.
Death would come a moment later.
And then at the very moment the hammer made contact with the skin of Bell’s head—
Bell was faster.
“FFFIIIIIIRRRRRREEEEEEBOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!”
Another burst.
“??!”
A blinding flash of light—and the Minotaur’s upper body burst into pieces.
More explosions filled the room as flames overtook the still-intact remains of the beast.
Scarlet sparks had reached as high as the ceiling, smoke covering them moments later. Bete and the others gazed at the carnage and thought it looked more like a volcanic eruption than the climax of a duel. The Minotaur’s legs, which had mostly survived the blast in one piece, remained upright for a heartbeat before collapsing to the ground.
Next came a rain of charred flesh and blood.
The rising smoke colored each of the thousands of fragments as they passed through and eventually hit the ground.
Amid the sounds of the remaining pieces showering the ground, a single magic stone fell from the ceiling. It spun over and over before hitting the ground with a sharp smack.
“Did he finish it… ?”
Bete whispered in a state of shock.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Bell, unable to believe what he’d just seen.
Bell had his back to Loki Familia, but Bete’s question was only aimed at himself.
Bete wondered how long ago it was that he himself had became strong enough to take down a Minotaur.
No, how long had it taken him to become strong enough to take one down alone?
These questions ignited a fire within him, his face turning red.
What started as irritation flaring up in his gut turned into full-blown embarrassment. It spread to every corner of his body.
“…Mind Down.”
“He…he’s standing there, out cold…”
The Amazonian sisters stood there in shock. Their voices couldn’t hide their disbelief as they looked at Bell, frozen in his last attack position. His right arm was still in front of his body, his hand curled as if holding the Hestia Knife.
The girls were in awe at the boy who’d spent every last drop of energy to win the battle.
It was as if a book were open in front of them, the hero of the story jumping out of the pages.
“…! Answer me, prum! Just what the hell is that kid… ?!”
“Mr. Bell…Mr. Bell!!”
“Hey, I’m talkin’ to you…Tsk!”
Bete snapped his tongue at the girl as she ran toward Bell on unsteady feet.
The wolf man watched her go, tormented by feelings he couldn’t understand.
Then he noticed the state of Bell’s back. Armor long since broken, his black inner shirt had been torn to shreds. His shoulder blades were completely exposed, only a few threads of fabric kept the shirt on his back.
What’s more, hieroglyphs were visible just beneath the damaged cloth.
“—! Reveria! Tell me the kid’s Status—now!”
“…Are you telling me to steal personal information?”
Only the skin on Bell’s upper back was visible.
The slots containing his Magic and Skills were obscured by what was left of his shirt. Despite all the holes, most of Bell’s Status remained hidden.
“It’s not freakin’ stealin’ when it’s that wide-open. Fine, if ya ain’t gonna look I’ll ask someone who will. I can’t be the only one that wants answers.”
Bete felt it wasn’t against the law if the information just happened to come into your line of sight. He fumed at Reveria, for she had the eyes to see at this distance and the knowledge to decipher the hieroglyphs.
The knowledgeable elf sighed and cast her gaze toward Bell. Perhaps she, too, was interested.
Her dark emerald eyes found the hieroglyphs on Bell’s back.
“Dammit, what’s takin’ ya so long?”
“Be patient, I’ve almost finished—”
Reveria suddenly stopped talking, her words trailing off.
Bete glared at her. Tiona and the others drifted toward the elf, drawn in by curiosity.
A moment later, the elf let out an uneven laugh.
“…Heh. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
“The heck’s wrong with ya, hey?! Son of a…Yo, Aiz. Ya can read hieroglyphs, too, right? Can ya see anythin’ from there?”
Bete angrily bared his fangs at Reveria. It looked as though something had popped loose in her head, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. So, Bete directed his question a few meders ahead where Aiz was standing.
The human girl was still rooted to the same spot, her eyes focused only on the boy. She gave a quick nod and looked at his back.
Her golden gaze honed in on their target with the precision of a blade.
“…S.”
“…Huh?”
“All of his abilities are S.”
“ALL S?!”
Bete’s voice joined Tiona’s and the others’ in surprise. All other words had left them.
In reality, Aiz couldn’t see Bell’s Magic level due to what remained of his inner shirt. However, considering what had just transpired she had a feeling it was close enough.
There was one other fact she hadn’t told Bete and the others.
It was the very thing that had sent Reveria for a loop. SS. The boy possessed an ability that went beyond normal limits. It made her eyes spin.
“His name?”
A new sound echoed.
A voice cut through the stunned silence.
Everyone except Aiz turned around to find the source.
With the eyes of his compatriots on him, Fynn slowly walked forward while tapping the shaft of his spear on his shoulder.
He eyed the human with a calm gaze as he came up to meet the rest of his battle party. Asking his question again, the prum had a more serious look on his face.
“What is the boy’s name?”
“Hell if I know…Haven’t heard it.”
“…Reveria. Please stop laughing like that.”
“Hee-hee…Ahh, my apologies. What were you asking?”
“Please check the boy’s Status for his name. I’d like to know.”
“Yes, that would be good to know. Please wait a moment…”
The Status worked like a contract between a god and the being who received their falna—their blessing.
To make the contract binding, the god engraved their seal next to the recipient’s real name.
Reveria squinted her eyes in an effort to read the boy’s name. But before she could open her mouth, another voice beat her to it.
It was Aiz.
“Bell.”
“Aiz…”
Her soft voice cut through the air.
She hadn’t budged an inch.
She didn’t even turn to face Tiona when the Amazonian girl responded. Her eyes were planted firmly on Bell.
“Bell Cranell.”
They could see the boy’s reflection clearly in her golden eyes.
Period of Employment: one month
Total Monsters Slain: 3,001
Three days ago, he became by far the fastest adventurer on record to reach Level Two.
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