Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka - Volume 5 - Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 

PRAISE TO THE HEROES 

The ceiling had lost its white light, casting a dark blue curtain over the entirety of the eighteenth floor. 

The adventurers gathering in the central square of Rivira could see everything from the top of the island in the middle of the lake. 

“Just what is that…?” 

A darkly hulking figure was running around the middle of the floor, chasing something. While they couldn’t see what, they could hear bloodcurdling screams from their position next to the cliff beside the central square all too clearly. 

An Irregular of this magnitude had never been encountered on this floor. The adventurers of Rivira were known for their ability to protect themselves, but none of them knew how to react to this. They all just stood there, watching. 

“—Boris! Boris, are you here?!” 

“A-Andromeda?! Where the heck you come from, thin air?! Right out of the sky…?” 

“That doesn’t matter right now! Boris, tell the adventurers to gather their weapons, we are going to slay that thing!” 

Asfi’s voice was fraught with desperation as she pleaded with the strongest man in Rivira, the owner of Rivira’s Exchange. The beast of a man wore an eye patch over his left eye. He was not, however, thrilled about this proposal and took a step toward the girl. 

“S-slay?! Don’t be an idiot, Andromeda. And who said our weapons stock needs to be wasted to take that thing down?! It’d be better to get our asses out of here!” 

“Escape is not an option! The southern cliff face has collapsed, making it impossible for anyone to leave this floor!” 

The large man didn’t take well to backtalk. However, his good eye happened to catch a cloud of dirt rising from the south. His neck slowly turned, jaw dropping lower and lower as he started to comprehend the situation. 

“We buy ourselves some time, then make like inmates and burrow our way out…” 

“A pitiful attempt at humor. How much time do you think it would take to remove enough stone to make the passage usable? Half a day? A full day? It would be interesting to see if any adventurers could buy enough of this time you mentioned for you to clear a path or if everyone would be wiped out first.” 

“…I-it’s just a Goliath. There’s no need for everyone to rush out there…” 

“Does that look like just a Goliath to you?” 

Asfi looked out over the cliff toward the black shadow rampaging under the cover of night. They could feel the impact of its mighty fists every time the Goliath swatted the ground from this distance. 

“This is just my intuition, but I believe that the Goliath and our exit being cut off are linked. No one will be able to escape as long as that thing draws breath. It would be pointless to hope for reinforcements.” 

“…Damn it all to hell.” 

The man’s muscular shoulders dropped the moment that Asfi finished her explanation. 

The Goliath took another swing off in the distance, accompanied by even more screams of pain and another tremor. 

“All right, maggots! You heard her, we’re ending that monster here and now! I will personally see to it that anyone who chickens out will never set foot in this town again!” 

All of the adventurers in the square couldn’t move for a moment after Boris gave the order. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, every single one of them sprang into action. Equipping themselves with their best weapons, they exited the town and rushed toward the plain. 

Asfi watched as the stragglers completed their preparations and set out as Rivira fell silent. Placing her hand on the railing above the cliff, she watched their advance. 

“I suppose I should get moving…!” 

Taking one last look at the giant, she planted her right foot on top of the railing and jumped off. 

The great plain had turned into a hellish battlefield. 

The Goliath had targeted Mord’s group of adventurers. The ones who were unable to get out of the way fast enough were thrown skyward with each swing of its monolith-like fists. Even if they managed to dodge the blow, the impact on the ground was powerful enough to throw their bodies into the air like tissue paper. 

“UWWAAAHHHH!!” Everyone could hear the screams of their allies, but none of them were able to think about anything but themselves. Self-preservation instincts had taken over as all of them desperately tried to put some distance between themselves and the black giant. 

Their desperation had turned to madness, unfortunate allies flying through the air while their own fear made them scatter like flies in a futile attempt to escape. 

“…oooo.” 

The Goliath followed each of its targets with a piercing gaze. 

Physically, its body shape wasn’t all that much different from an orc. Short but thick legs supported an upper body that made up about 60 percent of its total height. It slouched forward, long hair flowing halfway down its back. 

The Goliath’s eyes kept jumping from small shadow to small shadow as they ran in circles beneath it. So it stopped watching. Instead, it focused its two blood-colored orbs on the shadows farthest away and leaned toward the ground. 

A second later, the giant set off an explosion from its mouth. 

“?AAAAAOOOOO!!” 

A roar and a sonic boom erupted from between its jaws. 

The blast made impact at the feet of the adventurer farthest away from the Goliath. The man was caught so off guard that he couldn’t even scream as he was launched into the air along with large grassy chunks of the Dungeon floor. Mord and the rest of the adventurers watched him hit the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Their eyes grew large as every hair on their bodies stood on end. 

“H-howl…?!” 

This was no ordinary howl used to inspire fear and intimidate. This was a magical attack that turned the Goliath’s throat into a cannon. Its sheer power and range made the hellhounds’ fire breath look childish by comparison. 

Mord’s group was trapped in a nightmare. If they were too close, they would be physically crushed. But they would be shot down one by one if they tried to run away. Each one of the adventurers turned pale as a ghost. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” 

The Goliath leaned back and roared toward the ceiling. The sound carried to the far corners of the floor—and monsters responded. 

“WHA?!” 

From the forest, from the plain, from the wetlands. 

Every single one of the monsters that was lurking on the eighteenth floor started to make their way toward the Goliath. The adventurers broke out in a cold sweat as they saw various types of monsters emerge and surround them. 

Another wave of monsters arrived, cutting off any possible escape routes while growling and cackling at their prey. 

“Hyeeeeee—!” 

All of the adventurers had no choice but to draw their weapons, but now the Goliath was moving again. It released howl after howl, blasting adventurers and monsters alike into the air as it closed in on one particular target. 

The giant’s shadow overtook him. The werewolf adventurer could feel both of the monster’s bloodred eyes lock onto his back. 

He watched the shadow of a giant fist rise—monster or adventurer, whatever that wrecking ball–size appendage hit would die instantly. The Goliath roared once again as it brought the fist crashing down. 

“—!” 

However, another adventurer arrived on the scene as if riding a gust of wind. 

Lyu’s cape fluttered as she made her move. Taking advantage of the Goliath’s blind spot, she jumped up its leg from the side with amazing speed—and buried her wooden sword directly into its left knee with a powerful strike. Waves of pain coursed through the beast’s leg as all the adventurers heard a loud snap. Without one of its legs for support, the Goliath’s fist missed the werewolf adventurer by a considerable margin. 

Ouka and Mikoto arrived on the scene, trying to keep fear from appearing on their faces as they passed through the panicking adventurers toward the giant. 

“HAAAAAAAAAAA!!” 

“YAAHHHHHHHHH!!” 

Ax and katana hit the same knee that Lyu had just attacked, but what happened next left the two of them speechless. 

Sharp pain traveled through both of their wrists. Ouka’s battle-ax shattered on impact as Mikoto’s katana blade broke in two. 

The beast’s iron hide was stronger than both of their weapons combined. They didn’t even leave a scratch. 

“Retreat at once!” 

Lyu’s sharp order reached their ears in time to snap them out of their shocked daze. 

Ouka and Mikoto stared into the palms of their now-empty hands before looking straight up—and into the bloodred pupils of the Goliath’s eyes. They were very angry eyes. The giant twisted its waist as it swung its massive right arm behind its back. 

“GEH, EHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!” 

“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?!” 

Its arm whipped through the air as it swept forward. The Goliath’s fist traveled halfway around its body before finally striking the ground. While Ouka and Mikoto managed to dodge it at the last moment, the impact threw them into the air as they were blown backward by the wind in the giant’s fist’s wake. 

But the Goliath wasn’t going to leave it at that. It took another step forward and opened its jaws. 

“Blasphemous Burn!” 

The monster’s head was caught in a huge explosion just before it released a howl. 

Another roar from the giant was muffled as its face emerged from a cloud of ash and sparks, its mouth still spewing smoke. Its eyes quickly found the cause of the explosion, Welf and his anti-magic Magic. 

A howl required magic power; that’s what triggered it. The red-haired man stood in the plain not too far away, his eyes focused on the beast’s burned mouth…When suddenly— 

Welf’s eyes widened as he saw what the beast had in store for him. The Goliath was already in position for another howl, and the young man could see the magic energy gathering deep inside its throat. 

“Ha!!” 

“GUH?!” 

The howl aimed at Welf had missed. “Uwoo?!” he yelled as the ground behind him exploded. It was thanks to Lyu that he was still alive. 

She had scampered up the giant’s seven-meder-tall body and hit it in the back of the head to change the trajectory of the howl. She used her momentum to spin and land a kick directly to the giant’s cheek before retreating to the ground. 

“Strong…as well as fast. This is no ordinary Goliath.” 

Lyu whispered to herself, her eyebrows sinking under her hood as the Goliath recovered in no time at all. 

The Goliath that appeared on the seventeenth floor was about Level 4. The Goliath she was facing now was completely different from the ones that she and her former allies had slain countless times before. Its Defense was strong enough to make even her hands go numb after impact, its ability to use a howl, but most of all it had reflexes that did not match its massive size. 

—This enemy had the potential to be Level 5. 

That was Lyu’s conclusion. A feeling of dread and despair started to well up within her as she tried to come up with a plan of attack all by herself. 

Retreat was pointless. The moment anyone showed their back to it or lost the will to fight, they became a target. Lyu’s years of experience and combat instincts told her as much. 

With the weapon created from a holy tree in her homeland, the wooden sword Alvs Lumina, in her hand, the beautiful elvish warrior decided to use a distraction tactic to engage the beast, and repeatedly attacked its legs. 

“Urrgh—OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUGGH!!” 

Lyu’s Level 4 attacks were powerful enough to inflict pain on the beast. She was even fast enough to avoid its gaze, nothing more than a small shadow running around the Goliath. 

The Goliath roared angrily, swinging its arms around as if trying to swat a particularly annoying fly. 

About 100 meders south of where Lyu was fighting against the Goliath, Mord and the other adventurers were engaged in a widespread brawl with large swarms of monsters. 

“Scott, Guile, where are you?! Save me, save me, please?!” 

Mord was beginning to panic, trapped in the midst of monster roars and adventurers’ screams. He called out to his two closest friends, but there was no response. 

Mad beetles, bugbears, gun liberla, Minotaurs…middle-level monsters of all types assailed him with various combinations of claws and horns. He had somehow managed to dodge every blow and even counterattack with his broken longsword up to this point, but the attacks kept coming from all angles. 

His mind was at its limit. Forward-backward-left-right, there was something trying to kill him no matter where he looked. 

“GAARRRRRRRRR!!” 

“Ugho?!” 

A bugbear’s swat had caught him in the shoulder. The monster’s claws ripped the armor from his body and knocked the sword out of his hands as he collapsed to the ground. 

Flat on his back, he rolled to protect his injured shoulder and looked up in time to see three bugbears converge over him. 

Mord’s consciousness started to contort out of terror. Each of the monster’s three boulder-like bodies was just a few celch away. 

He caught a glimpse of their hungry mouths opening, sharp fangs glinting in the dim light as all of them went in to take a bite at once. 

“S-STOOOOOOOPP!!” 

However, a yell reached his ears before the monsters’ teeth sank in. 

Something flashed in front of his eyes. 

“…Wha?” 

A small human had just used Mord’s greatsword to decapitate one of the bugbears—a boy with white hair. 

The boy placed himself between Mord and the remaining two monsters. Wasting no time or momentum, he thrust the sword’s long, thick blade deep into the closest beast’s chest. The weapon pierced the magic stone inside the monster and it collapsed into a pile of ash. 

The remaining bugbear took a swing at the boy’s head, but he easily dodged it and spun into a counterattack. 

“…Why, you of all people…” 

The boy was already on to his next target. Mord watched the back of his white head disappear into the chaos as words spilled out of his mouth. 

Gashi! Someone grabbed ahold of the back of his collar. 

“You’re in Mr. Bell’s way—let’s fix that.” 

“Geh! Owowowow!! Who are—OUCH! DAMMIT! MY ASS!!” 

Mord’s view suddenly changed as he was pulled along the ground on his back. 

A prum girl, Lilly, carried her large backpack over her shoulders while dragging him with one hand—exactly the same way she would carry the corpse of a monster—over the ground without much concern for his well-being. However, the ground was not smooth due to small crystals that came up naturally from the Dungeon soil. The man yelped in pain every time he hit one. 

There was no panic in Lilly’s movements. Part of being a supporter was being able to accurately assess the movements of monsters and adventurers to stay clear of battle while fulfilling her duties. She weaved in and out of the brawl, dragging Mord closely behind her until they were finally out of danger. 

“Please find somewhere to hide if you are unable to fight. Don’t waste the life that Mr. Bell saved.” 

Lilly let go of Mord’s collar as soon as they were in a monster-free area of the plain. 

The wide-eyed man quickly sat up and asked her a question. 

“H-hey?! Why is he…helping us?” 

Even now, Mord could see Bell taking on monster after monster to save the adventurers who not too long ago were cheering at his pain. Bolts of scarlet lightning erupted from the boy’s outstretched arm, slaying monsters in their tracks no matter the distance. 

Lilly turned to him as he watched the battle from afar and said: 

“Be grateful that Mr. Bell isn’t the type of person to hold a grudge.” 

Lilly squinted her eyes and stuck her tongue out with a “Bleh!” before turning her back on him and rushing back into the fray. 

Tup, tup, tup. Lilly’s footsteps got quieter, leaving Mord alone with his thoughts. 

The man looked dejected and whispered to himself: 

“What the hell was that…” 

The only answers he received were the fierce sounds of battle. 

“Chigusa, are you sure it’s okay for us to leave?” 

“Y-yes…First, if we don’t gather enough weapons…” 

They were on the west side of the plain, moving away from the battle. 

Hestia and Chigusa ran toward the lake as fast as they could, a pouch and a backpack filled with items shaking as they went. 

“I’ve never experienced it myself but…weapons and shields break all the time when fighting floor bosses. So if we can’t get enough spares, Captain Ouka and the others…” 

Chigusa’s long bangs covered her eyes as she spoke between breaths. Hestia hit her fist to her palm as if to say I got it and nodded back to her. Of course, fighting a monster of that caliber for a long period of time would require a large stock of weaponry. 

Chigusa and Hestia were on their way to the town of Rivira. They were hoping to persuade the adventurers there to provide weapons and items for the fight. Chigusa was only Level 1 and Hestia was far below that—the two of them would only be a liability on the front lines. So they entrusted Lilly with the support of Bell and the others and decided that this was the best way to help them. 

“Wah…?! Ch-Chigusa?!” 

“…!” 

A bugbear spotted the girls just as the tree bridge to the island in the middle of the lake came into view. It charged straight at them. They had managed to evade any encounters with monsters up until now, but there was no way to avoid this one. 

Chigusa bit her lip as she jumped in front of Hestia to protect her. The monster’s forepaws slammed into the ground with each step, the vibrations in her boots getting stronger and stronger with each passing second. When suddenly—an arrow pierced the monster’s head through its eyes. 

“Whoa!” 

An elvish archer was the one who brought the bugbear to a screeching halt. He was not alone—the adventurers of Rivira had arrived. 

They ran around Hestia and Chigusa toward the floor boss on the other side of the plain. 

“Chigusa, reinforcements!” 

“The town’s adventurers…!” 

The two of them were filled with hope and admiration, blushing as more and more adventurers came into view. 

The ones who had already passed them were yelling out signals to one another and pointing in different directions. They split into three groups: one hung back to eliminate the monsters blocking the path to the battlefield; one broke off to assist Bell in the brawl; and the rest made a bead for the floor boss. 

All of them had weapons drawn and ready, yelling at the top of their lungs as they charged forward. 

“You’re always so reliable in a pinch!” 

The first person out of Rivira’s reinforcements to reach the floor boss was none other than Asfi. 

She had weaved her way through the surprised yelps of other adventurers all the way to the feet of the Goliath. Reaching into her belt holster, she withdrew two small bottles and hurled them at the beast. 

The giant was still trying to follow Lyu’s quick movements when both of the bottles hit it square in the face, exploding on contact. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!” 

“Oh come on, at least singe a little…!” 

Most monsters in the middle levels would have been incinerated by just one of those Burst Oil grenades—as an item maker, these were her specialty. However, they left no mark on the Goliath’s thick skin. 

The giant counterattacked with a howl, but Asfi was able to dodge it easily and meet up with Lyu. 

“Lyon! I believe you figured it out already, but our reinforcements are preparing to launch a large magic assault. Please keep the Goliath entertained until they’re ready!” 

“Understood. You and I shall take turns drawing its attention.” 

“Eh? No, wai—” 

“All right, you maggots! Andromeda is going to be the decoy, so get those spells going!” 

“—Boris?! You’re going to regret this!” 

Being given the most dangerous role in their operation, Asfi silently cried to herself as she and Lyu raced out in opposite directions to surround the giant. It was up to them to buy enough time for the others to prepare, with speed as their only advantage. 

“We’ve got more than enough weapons, dammit! If anything breaks, come get a new one!” 

A small group had gathered on a hill a little ways from the Goliath. The inhabitants of Rivira had established makeshift bases next to the crushed Central Tree and a short distance from the rock slide that covered the southern tunnel. Swords, spears, and shields were lined up on the outside of the bases with more spares on the inside. Dwarves and animal people with muscular builds took broadswords, greatswords, and thick shields without hesitation as they headed for battle. Hestia and Chigusa arrived at the supply base just behind them. 

“W-we have a shot!” 

“A-amazing…” 

Hestia and Chigusa watched as hundreds of adventurers from many different Familias worked together to trap the giant monster. 

“Surround it—! Surround it—!!” 

The adventurers moved to set up a perimeter around the Goliath. Even though none of them knew one another very well, much less fought side by side, they stayed close together while maintaining enough space not to bump into anyone. 

Elves and other magic users gathered together in small groups and started reciting their spells to cast Magic. Magic circles of various sizes, shapes, and colors appeared at the feet of a select few. These mages had acquired the Advanced Ability “Conjure,” which increased the power and range of all magic. It was proof of their prowess as magic users. 

However, their magic required a very long spell to cast. Each magic user was reciting their spells as quickly as possible. 

Their clear and rhythmical voices were quite pleasing to the ear. Unfortunately, they were completely defenseless in the middle of casting. Therefore, groups of dwarves wielding thick shields that stood as high as they were tall stepped forward to protect them. 

“—AAOO!” 

The Goliath had noticed their presence and launched a howl at the closest group, but the wall of dwarves held strong against the attack. Not even the slightest bit of energy made it past their shields to the magic casters. 

When compared to a direct hit from the giant’s fist, a howl wasn’t all that powerful. As long as the monster didn’t get close enough to land a punch or a kick, the dwarves’ shields were more than a match for the Goliath’s ranged attack. 

Knowing this, the lines of Level 3 adventurers left the attacking duties to Lyu and Asfi to keep the walls protecting the mages intact. 

“We need a front line! Get in there! Cut that thing down and claim your glory!” 

Fearless groups of attackers came out from behind the walls and charged toward the beast. Whipping themselves into a rage, the attackers broke off into parties of four to five adventurers as they closed the distance. 

The first ones to arrive waited for Lyu or Asfi to distract it long enough for a window of opportunity to attack one of the beast’s two legs. The Goliath looked down in surprise as greatswords, hammers, and axes slammed into its lower body before looking up as a shadow flashed in front of its face. Asfi threw another one of her Burst Oil grenades into its eyes, momentarily blinding the massive creature. It cried out in anger and frustration as six groups of attackers continued their assault on its knees and feet. 

“Bell, you all right?!” 

“Welf!” 

Rivira’s enforcements had rescued Mord’s group from the monster brawl, allowing Bell to join the adventurers at the forward base. He had never seen so many magic users casting at the same time and was a bit overwhelmed by their intensity as Welf came running up to him. 

“What about Mikoto and Ouka?!” 

“They’re fine; joined up with the guys fighting the normal monsters.” 

The Goliath might be taking center stage, but many smaller battles were taking place around the forward base. Considering that the tunnel to the seventeenth floor and the path to the lower levels under the Central Tree was cut off, no new monsters would be appearing on the eighteenth floor. At the same time, there was a considerably large amount of monsters on this floor already. Bell scanned the battle and quickly found Mikoto and Ouka fighting alongside lower-level magic users and adventurers to protect their stronghold. 

“So, what now? Want to join me in the monster cull?” 

“I…” 

Bell paused for a moment, when another voice came from a little ways behind him. 

“Yo! Rabbit boy! Get over here for a piece of the action! Or are you too scared?!” 

A group of attackers was getting ready for another run and their leader called out half jokingly to Bell. 

They had heard the rumors and invited him to join them in the adventurer style, a challenge. 

“…Show ’em how it’s done. I wanna brag that I’ve got a contract with the guy who took down this floor boss, got that?” 

“—Count on it!” 

Bell smiled as Welf gave his shoulder a small shove. The boy nodded as they wished each other luck and went their separate ways. 

Bell raced off to join the group of attackers, caught up with them, and joined their formation. A large man with an eye patch gave him an affirmative jerk of his chin as if welcoming him as soon as Bell arrived. 

“Little Rookie! Are you goin’ in with those weapons?!” 

“A greatsword, please, the best one you’ve got!” 

“I hear ya. Take this one!” 

One of the attackers in the group took a spare greatsword off his back and handed it to Bell. The boy thanked him. Bell held the greatsword in his right hand, resting the back of the blade on his shoulder as the group of attackers, four in all, left the forward base and charged toward the giant. 

However, it saw the group coming and ran to meet them. 

“““OH, SHIT!””” 

“Huh?” 

The “brave” attackers immediately changed course, leaving Bell behind. Still a relative newbie, Bell didn’t recognize the danger in time to get out of the Goliath’s path like they did. 

Bell wondered if maybe he was falling into a trap as he charged toward the Goliath, alone. The giant’s damaged, bloodshot eyes managed to lock onto the single figure charging toward it. 

Zing! The monster’s ferocious aura hit him hard. Bell looked around, searching for an escape route, when suddenly—the image of locks of golden hair passed through the back of his mind. 

“—” 

The girl who’d slain a floor boss just like this one, on her own. An image of the knight who was far more powerful than him. 

Bell’s ruby-red eyes flashed with intensity as he looked up. Gripping the greatsword in his right hand with all of his might, the boy kicked off the ground and charged headlong toward his target. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” 

“—!” 

He pointed the sword at the giant’s leg and sped up. 

One path, straightforward to the target—Don’t run, fight! He reached his top speed. He managed to pass under the beast’s oncoming fist by the slimmest of margins, the ground behind him erupting in a cloud of dirt and crystals. 

Legs a blur beneath him, he stayed on course. He was now inside the Goliath’s defenses, but the threatening presence of its massive fist just behind him kept his senses on high alert as he closed in on his target, the beast’s left leg. Grabbing the hilt of the greatsword with both hands, he swung—and hit. 

“Gah!!” 

A dull impact. The creature’s hide was too strong to pierce; however, the impact did inflict some damage. 

Bell’s strike caused the floor boss’s leg to quiver. The damage inflicted by the hit-and-run raids of the attackers had been immense. 

Bell took a page out of their book and escaped between the legs of the giant and out behind it, amid cheers from the people who’d witnessed his deed. 

“Mr. Cranell, that was reckless.” 

“L-Lyu…” 

“No amount of life will save you if you try that again.” 

Lyu caught up with him, running side by side as she scolded him. 

Bell could feel her sky-blue glare coming from underneath the hood. His shoulders sank like those of a child being put in timeout. 

“I will give a signal; follow my lead to attack. You should be able to keep up.” 

“…! Yes!” 

Lyu looked forward before speaking. Bell nodded enthusiastically and moved behind her. 

The two advanced like master and apprentice as they continued their assault on the floor boss. 

The attackers tenaciously targeted the floor boss’s legs in an effort to bring it to ground, or at the very least restrict its mobility. Although they were unable to injure the Goliath enough to keep it in one spot due to its extremely thick hide, their attacks made the beast’s movements clumsy and awkward. 

The mages finished their spells just as a group of attackers celebrated another successful run. 

“Front lines, get back! Big stuff’s comin’ in!” 

Lyu, Bell, and the other attackers immediately withdrew. They had drawn the Goliath into the middle of a small network of magic users protected by walls. The beast’s bloodred eyes opened wide once it realized what was about to happen. 

Every single magic caster grinned, knowing there was no escape for their target now, and thrust their staffs upward. 

New colors flashed throughout the battlefield. Magic circles shone brightly as wave after wave of magic hit the beast all at once. 

“??!” 

Magic of every element continued to pound the monster. It was assailed by burgeoning balls of flame, followed by thunderbolts in the shape of spears, all while being caught between massive tornadoes and skewered by a rain of long, thick ice shards. A group of attackers equipped with magic swords added yet another round of flames to the assemblage of smoke and explosions that had completely engulfed the Goliath’s body. 

At long last, the magic barrage came to a stop. Everyone’s ears were ringing as the echoes of the last explosion died out. Every set of eyes was trained on the ball of smoke in the middle of the battlefield…A massive arm emerged as the smoke started to clear, but there was no hand attached. Next, a heavily damaged head and shoulders were revealed as they slumped forward. The Goliath’s skin was torn to shreds, exposing raw muscle and spewing blood from every angle. 

White smoke billowed out of its mouth as the beast tried to draw breath, showing just how much damage it had absorbed. 

The adventurer ranks yelled out in celebration. 

“Let’s finish it off, maggots!! ATTAAAAACK!!” 

All of the attackers moved in at once. They came in from every angle, all of them looking to be the one who delivered the final blow. 

This time, their target was the Goliath’s head. 

“…?” 

“Lyu?” 

Bell had the same triumphant smile on his face as the other attackers, until he noticed that Lyu’s shoulders were shaking. 

Her eyes were very serious, narrowed beneath her hood, until they suddenly snapped open. 

“—FUOOOO.” 

The other adventurers noticed it at about the same time, too. 

The Goliath should have been too badly injured to move, and yet it raised its head. The injuries that it had sustained were gone. 

Red specks of light emerged from its body, more specifically from its wounds. The adventurers watched in horror as the Goliath’s skin regenerated right before their eyes. The red specks were multiplying while all the damage was being erased. Soon, all that was left on its body were scars. 

The Goliath stood up with renewed vigor. 

“Self-regeneration?!” 

Screamed Asfi in disbelief. The Goliath recovered from its injuries at an astounding pace and locked its eyes on the attackers who had charged in close—then the stunned and horrified mages—before raising its arms above its shoulders and bringing its hands together above its head. 

Then it brought both massive fists straight down into the ground. 

“?” 

The great plain split. 

The ferocious explosion sent a destructive shock wave through the ground. The attackers were instantly swallowed up by an ever-expanding tsunami of debris. It was no time at all before the adventurer walls were overwhelmed and the mages overtaken. 

Everything was launched into the air. 

“Huh…?!” 

Bell had retreated alongside Lyu, but he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

Their defensive web was destroyed in an instant. 

The attackers got the worst of it and most were on the ground, writhing in pain. But it wasn’t just them—the magic users hadn’t fared well, either. There were too many adventurers shaking on their hands and knees for Bell to count. 

Smoke wafted up from the cracks in the ground, shrouding a battlefield that looked like a scene from hell. 

“It turned magic energy into healing power…?!” 

The remaining crystals on the ceiling cast blue light over the battlefield. However, the Goliath glowed red. Its body was surrounded by thousands and thousands of red specks, the by-product of burned magical energy. 

The same energy it used for a howl had been used to accelerate its natural healing ability. 

Asfi gawked at the living nightmare, a monster with the ability to regenerate—a power only attributed to floor bosses. 

The remaining adventurers still able to stand looked at the Goliath. It was covered in so many red specks that it appeared to be burning in the darkness. 

To Bell, it looked as if Sodom had emerged from the fires of hell to punish evil in this world. 

“?AAAH!” 

The Goliath’s assault began without warning. It shot a howl at anything that moved, putting even more adventurers out of commission. They were blown backward, crushed under its impact, and were fading in and out of consciousness. 

“Oh no…Boris, reestablish formations, now!” 

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?!” 

Confusion and fear had completely overtaken the adventurers, who weren’t used to working in larger numbers. Some were retreating to regroup; others were healing the wounded. A few magic users had begun casting another spell. There was no unity, only panic. 

Seeing their teamwork completely fall apart, the Goliath seized the opportunity to use its trump card. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” 

“That bastard. More monsters…?!” 

Every remaining monster on the eighteenth floor responded to the Goliath’s second summoning call with a howl of their own. Not wasting any time, a fresh wave of monsters appeared on the great plain. 

The surviving adventurers suddenly had a lot more on their plate than they could handle. 

“…Mr. Cranell, stay here. Join their ranks and repel the monsters.” 

“L-Lyu! What about you?!” 

“I will join Andromeda and keep the Goliath at bay.” 

Bell looked at her with a mixture of surprise and concern as the elf took a few steps toward the giant. 

“Our forces will be overwhelmed if that monster is allowed to roam free. We will buy as much time as possible for another volley of magic attacks…May fortune smile upon you.” 

She cut the conversation short, as if to say there was no time. Bell watched her cape flutter as she sped off toward the giant, then looked around. 

Broken and shattered weapons littered the ground. Fallen attackers and wall members were trying to climb to their feet while other adventurers fought desperately to protect them. Their screams echoed throughout the battlefield. 

They were locked in a losing battle. Even if they somehow managed to mount another assault, there was no guarantee they could take down the Goliath. 

Bell’s throat shook as he tried to steady himself. His gaze drifted down to his right hand. 

—That’s the only chance. 

Argonaut. A Skill bestowed on Bell with the power to turn the tides of any situation. He decided to use it. 

Unfortunately, Argonaut was a double-edge sword that required enormous amounts of physical endurance and mental power. More than likely Bell would become nothing more than a lump on the battlefield after he launched the attack. He had one shot. 

If it doesn’t work…If I can’t fight…—Bell began charging as many thoughts ran through his mind. 

“Faster, faster…!” 

Launching the attack at anything less than full power would be a waste. He had to put everything he had into one blast. 

Gritting his teeth as screams of pain echoed around him, small sparkles of white light began to gather around his right wrist. 

“This is horrible…!” 

Lilly was on her way to the supply base when she saw what had happened to the defensive network. Her jaw dropped as she surveyed the landscape. 

The Goliath looked unharmed while adventurers’ motionless bodies were sprawled out in all directions. What was worse, groups of monsters were moving in from every angle to put the nail in the proverbial coffin. Lilly kicked off the ground as fast as she could and raced up the hill toward the base. 

“Are there still weapons and items here?!” 

“Supporter?!” 

“Gather everything we have! Lilly will deliver them to the front!” 

Lilly’s arrival got Hestia’s attention, as well as the few people left at the base. Like Lilly, they were people who would only get in the way should they join the fight, so they protected their position and took care of as many injured adventurers as they could. 

All of them were stunned, looking out at the battlefield with blank expressions. 

“You’ll deliver them? Are you sure you can do that?!” 

“No one else can move! Lilly has a much better chance than someone scared stiff!” 

It went without saying that the adventurers unable to fight, as well as the ones protecting the base, couldn’t leave. On top of that, even the adventurers who had received treatment wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything right away should they return to battle. Lilly practically threw her large backpack into the center of the base as she and Hestia ran around looking for items and weapons to fill it with. 

“What about Miss Chigusa?” 

“She ran off as soon as she saw the explosion. Probably found her way to Ouka and Mikoto by now.” 

Most likely, she couldn’t bear to just stand on the sidelines. Lilly could definitely relate to the human girl as an image of what most likely transpired flashed through her head. 

Even though she would be done for if targeted by a monster, Lilly’s devotion to Bell and Welf gave her the courage to fulfill her duties as a supporter in the face of danger. 

Ignoring Hestia’s looks of concern, Lilly filled her backpack to the top with anything that could be useful. 

“Eh…?” 

“Supporter?” 

Lilly’s hand had found a large weapon when fumbling through an old cargo box. She suddenly came to a stop. 

Her eyes caught a glimpse of something very interesting. Hestia drifted to her side out of curiosity. 

“Is that a drop item…?” 

The exposed black surface of the item shimmered in the dim light. It was roughly the shape of a sword but wrapped in cloth rather than a sheath. It could very well be a big black bone. A very poorly made hilt was attached to the bottom part of the “blade.” The cloth appeared to have writing on it, most likely the owner’s name. However, the fabric was so dirty and ruffled that it was impossible to read. 

There was a good chance that this was a spare weapon owned by someone who often visited Rivira. Many adventurers used the town as a place to store their backup weapons rather than carry them to the nineteenth floor and beyond because they took up too much space. The weapon must’ve been withdrawn from storage because of the emergency situation. 

“Hardly any effort went into this at all…No, wait…” 

Lilly gulped as she looked down at the item that could very well have been a natural weapon found within the Dungeon. The girl leaned in close to assess its density, cutting edge, and overall destructive power. 

This was once a piece of a large monster, a claw or a fang that became a drop item. 

What’s more, that monster was from the lower levels. 

Lilly immediately dropped the weapon in her other hand and snatched up the black item before jamming it into her backpack. 

“Oi, hey! Supporter?!” 

The backpack was bursting at the seams, but Lilly was able to carry it easily because of her own Skill, Alter Assist. She didn’t respond to Hestia’s call as she left the base as fast as her legs could carry her. 

If I can get this to Mr. Bell…! 

—If this weapon were combined with his white light, then perhaps…maybe… 

Lilly’s backpack shook from side to side, the weapon’s black tip sticking out of the top as she raced off to find Bell. 

“!” 

The Goliath’s finger passed just by Lyu’s body. 

She fought to control the adrenaline rush caused by the enemy’s attack missing her by a hair and rushed forward to strike its exposed legs. The giant’s earsplitting roars filled her ears while she stayed put after her first strike and landed two more before escaping. 

“Lyon, that will get you killed!” 

“Everyone is fighting with their lives on the line. I should do no less.” 

Lyu responded with unwavering resolve to Asfi’s voice calling out to her from a distance. 

She fought against the giant logically, adjusting her position and attack angles as necessary. The Goliath was unable to ignore Lyu’s sharp and precise strikes. Her cape was in shambles due to her constant, almost reckless assault. 

“Andromeda, shall we attack its core?” 

“Impossible. Its hide is too thick. None of our weapons is powerful enough to break the magic stone from the outside.” 

Asfi dodged another howl with a flying leap and landed next to Lyu in midstride. Both of them took advantage of this reprieve to take a swig of potion while on the run. 

“What about Magic?” 

“…My spell takes an absurdly long time and is rather dull. There is no possibility it will have any effect on that Goliath with its regenerative capabilities. Don’t hold your breath.” 

Asfi’s white cloak fluttered as she wiped her mouth with her arm, a look of hopelessness on her face. “Understood,” Lyu calmly responded to this information. 

“That being the case, we need another volley from the mages.” 

“It will just heal again after taking a direct hit.” 

“If so, we hit it again and again until it can’t heal anymore.” 

“Are you insane…?!” 

Asfi reached for her belt as Lyu picked up speed, leaving her behind. She changed her own path and withdrew more Burst Oil grenades, hitting the Goliath in the face on her way past. 

The two women attacked the giant again and again despite knowing the outcome. The Goliath loomed over them, still surrounded by the burning glow of the red specks of light. Their situation had become even direr than before. 

“The magic users…!” 

—Meanwhile, a short distance away from their battle with the Goliath… 

Ouka had made his way into the middle of what was left of the defensive net and rushed to the aid of an injured mage. 

Those who had weathered the initial shock wave well enough to continue casting were being targeted by the Goliath with howls before they could finish. Unable to move or protect themselves while reciting their spells, each was caught up in an explosion one by one. Still others were attacked by random monsters in the area. There was no way to mount an assault. 

Their magic attacks were vitally important to the success or failure of the battle against the floor boss. Without them, the Goliath’s physical attacks and defense would overwhelm the other adventurers. 

No walls were forming to protect them. The magic users were completely exposed. 

Ouka watched Lyu’s and Asfi’s maneuvers in despair, knowing that they were done for at this rate. 

“Ouka!” 

“Chigusa?!” 

He turned to face the girl who called out to him and answered her. 

At first he was shocked that she would come this far into a dangerous area by herself. Then he saw her backpack—filled to the brim with items and equipped with a shield. He breathed a sigh of relief. 

He ran to her at full speed, almost jumping to close the distance. 

“Chigusa, the shield!” 

His words didn’t register with Chigusa right away as Ouka stopped just out of arm’s reach. Then they clicked. Her normally hidden but beautiful eyes emerged from under her bangs. They were filled with fear. 

She violently shook her head from side to side. 

“Chigusa!!” 

“No, you’ll die…! If you join a wall against that thing…you’ll…you’ll die, Ouka!” 

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she practically screamed at him. 

The large man fought back tears of his own. Steadying himself, he looked down at the crying girl with as much sincerity as he could muster. 

“Chigusa, please, don’t rob me of my honor!” 

“…?!” 

“I don’t want to be known as someone who only talked while others died in vain. I don’t want to be the one who ran away. I’m a proud member of Takemikazuchi Familia!” 

Chigusa’s head was still, her eyes frozen in place as more tears emerged. 

Her face contorted, then she nodded. Slipping her arms out of the straps of the backpack, she set it down and handed Ouka the shield. 

He said a quick thank-you as he equipped it, and then ran out into the field without looking back. 

Chigusa stood there sobbing, watching Ouka recede farther and farther away. 

The white sparkles of light stopped circling Bell’s arm. 

“Full power…!” 

Three minutes. That’s how long it currently took Bell to fully charge Argonaut. 

The lights shimmering, making pinging sounds like chimes in the summer breeze, Bell held his right arm straight out to his side and kicked off the ground into a full sprint. 

He cut through the great plain like an arrow toward the raging Goliath. He wanted to make sure that he hit the beast with everything he had, meaning he needed to reach point-blank range. 

“Mr. Cranell?!” 

Lyu was first to notice him, followed closely by Asfi, and the rest of the adventurers engaged in battle with monsters soon followed suit. So did the bloodred eyes of the giant that towered over him. 

Bell’s body was already pulsing with so much energy that the pressure of the Goliath eyes had no effect on him as he barreled forward. 

“It can’t be—Lyon, get out of there!” 

Asfi knew that Bell had vaporized an infant dragon with an attack described to be exactly like this. She gave the order to withdraw as soon as she saw the lights around his right arm. Lyu hesitated for only a moment before vacating the boy’s line of fire. 

Then, Bell came to a stop less than a stone’s throw away from the giant. 

The Goliath stared him down and opened its jaws. 

“?OOO!!” 

An extremely powerful howl laced with magical energy. 

At the same time, Bell set his feet and flung his arm forward. 

A roar just as loud as the beast’s erupted from his mouth: 

“FIREBOLT!!” 

His feet plunged into the dirt beneath the grass. 

The sheer power of the electric inferno blasting out of his arm forced his body backward. 

His Firebolts intercepted the incoming howl, breaking it to pieces in midair. 

“?” 

The white sparkles shimmered marvelously as they were drawn up and into the burning lightning bolts. A deafening blast drowned out all other noise. The lightning bolts hit the Goliath in the mouth—and kept on going. 

The Firebolt Magic vanished in an instant, leaving only a small sliver of the right side of the giant’s head still attached to its body. The beast didn’t even have time to roar in fear. Only a small piece of its right eye sat on a broken cheekbone as the floor boss staggered backward. Bell’s magic blast traveled all the way to the opposite wall, exploding on impact off in the distance. 

He’d missed his target. 

Bell had been aiming for the Goliath’s chest, but he was unable to control the blast at full power and had hit it in the head by accident. 

Bell stood there with his arm still out, eyes wide as he watched the Goliath closely. Everyone around him gawked in awe at the attack that had so easily pierced the hide that they couldn’t crack. 

No living thing could survive without its head. 

We won—came the hopeful voices of many adventurers. However. 

A geyser of red specks shot out from the beast’s neck. 

“?!” 

The geyser grew into a volcano in the middle of the darkness. The adventurers watched in horror as the Goliath’s face began to regenerate. Despair took hold of their hearts as they watched a new bloodred eye wiggle freely without a socket. 

The Goliath was still alive even after losing its head. It had withstood a fully charged, Argonaut-supported Firebolt using its otherworldly life force and recovery ability to survive. 

Bell’s ace in the hole had failed. 

The newly reformed left eye joined its partner in finding the white-haired boy standing in the middle of the grass. The two red orbs glared down at him with intense hatred. 

“—Bell, run away!!” 

Gone was Lyu’s calm demeanor. The Goliath unleashed yet another howl right on top of the boy as she screamed out to him. 

The giant’s healing process was not yet complete—bits and pieces of muscle and fangs rained down on Bell. Argonaut had completely drained his Strength and Agility; he couldn’t get out of the way and took a direct hit. 

Bell’s feet left the ground as his body was cut and sliced in midair along with the dirt. The next thing the boy’s eyes saw was the Goliath’s mountainous frame coming right for him. 

The beast went after him, roaring at the top of its lungs. Lyu and Asfi could not reach him in time. The Goliath already had its massive arm cocked behind its back. 

Unavoidable, instant death was on its way. 

Time seemed to freeze for Bell as he waited for the giant’s fist to come down. 

Then, he arrived. 

“—” 

A large man wielding a shield jumped in front of Bell. 

Ouka arrived in time to place himself between Bell and the Goliath at the last possible second. He braced his body against his shield to protect the boy from a direct hit. Bell saw the Goliath’s fingers momentarily bend inward as the fist swallowed Ouka and the shield whole in slow motion. 

Blood shot out of the man’s mouth. Ouka’s body hit Bell’s with bone-shattering force. The shock of the impact traveled through the shield, through Ouka, and straight into him. The two of them were launched into the air, their eyes open to the brink. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” 

More splatters of blood. A broken Familia emblem. 

Their bodies spun through the air as the Goliath roared triumphantly behind them. 

“Bell—” 

A shocked Hestia watched the scene unfold from the supply base. 

She immediately came out from behind the protective barrier and rushed down the hill. 

“Mr. Bell—” 

Lilly watched his limp body fly through the air, the weapon she was too late to give him still in her backpack. She immediately changed course and rushed toward the battlefield. 

“Bell…” 

Welf’s voice shook as the name of his friend came out of his mouth. 

The sounds of battle around him seemed distant as a certain set of words popped into his head. 

“Stop compromising allies for your pride.” 

The words of a certain goddess cut into his mind like a sharp thorn through skin. They pierced his very soul. 

Remorse and guilt flooded through him as his face morphed into something like that of a scolded child. He stood in place for only a moment before turning around to face the forest behind him. 

“Damn it all!!” 

Throwing his broadsword into the dirt, Welf took off into the eastern forest as fast as he could go. 

“Ouka…!” 

“Captain Ouka!” 

Chigusa, her cheeks glistening with tears, and a mournful Mikoto arrived at the spot where their leader had slid to a stop. They embraced his broken and bloodied body. Ouka’s eyelids hung loosely over his closed eyes as the two girls worked together to move him out of danger. 

“No—?!” 

At the same time, Lyu rushed to Bell’s side and quickly scooped him into her arms. She carried him to a safe place like a merciful wind guiding a boat out of a storm. 

“Mr. Cranell, Mr. Cranell! Answer me!” 

Lyu set him down on the grass between the remains of the Central Tree and the supply base on the southern side of the eighteenth floor. The boy didn’t respond as he lay silently on his back. 

“Why now of all times…!” 

The elf threw her hood back as she rummaged through the item pouch attached to her waist. Her eyes filled with regret. 

There were no high potions left. To say the boy was critically injured would be an understatement. A normal potion would have almost no effect. Most of Bell’s light armor, including his breastplate, was shattered. His inner shirt and skin were torn to shreds by the shards of the beast’s fangs still sticking out of his body. A quick glance was all that Lyu needed to tell that his ribs were broken in several places. 

Her eyes quivered as she looked at all of the boy’s wounds, each leaking fresh blood. 

“Bell!” 

“Goddess Hestia…” 

Hestia was the first to arrive on the scene because the supply base was so close. 

The color drained from the goddess’s face the moment she saw Bell’s horrific condition, and she plunged her hand into her own item pouch. But just like Lyu, the pupils of her eyes shrank when she realized she didn’t have any high potions, either. She had used her entire stock while assisting adventurers injured during the battle. 

“Hood—no, elf-lady. How is he?!” 

“Breathing, but his wounds are deep. I fear the bones in his arms and legs might also be…” 

Hestia and Lyu kneeled on either side of the boy, who had taken a direct hit from a Level 5 howl. 

The sounds of combat still sounded off in the distance, but a voice cut through the din. 

“Lyon, get back here at once!” 

It was Asfi’s scream. She was engaging the Goliath alone. Her eyes shot open as the beast prepared to fire another howl. She wrapped herself in her white cloak just before impact. 

The shock-absorbent fabric of her own design withstood the blast, but the young woman’s thin body went flying. 

“…Elf-lady, please go. Buy us as much time as you can.” 

Hestia’s expression stiffened as Lyu watched Asfi climb back to her feet. 

“Bell will wake up. And once he does, he will kill that monster.” 

“But, Goddess Hestia…” 

“You saw, didn’t you?! Bell can do it. Bell can finish that thing!” 

Lyu was captivated by the absoluteness in Hestia’s eyes. “Understood,” she said with a curt nod. 

Regaining her composure, the side of the elf’s face disappeared behind her hood as she raced back to the battlefield. 

“…Open your eyes, Bell!” 

With Lyu gone, Hestia was alone with him. She held the boy’s right hand and called out to him. 

Bell’s eyes were hidden behind his white bangs, his mouth partially open. But he didn’t move. 

“You can hear them, can’t you?! Everyone’s fighting against that scary monster!” 

Lyu’s and Asfi’s shrill voices, the yells of other adventurers, the roars of the monsters, the Goliath’s howls—the noises came at them from every angle. 

Hestia squeezed both of her hands around Bell’s limp fingers. A tragic chorus of weapon clashes and courageous battle cries filled the air. 

“You can do it; you’re the only one who can! You’re the only one who can save them, Bell…!” 

Her beloved family member was badly injured, yet she urged him to battle as her eyes welled up with tears. 

Her voice became more and more desperate as she begged to see his ruby-red eyes open once again. 

She took in a deep breath and yelled from the bottom of her lungs with all the power she could muster: 

“Get up, Bell!!” 

Her voice reached him. 

The voice of the goddess whom he loved and respected more than anyone else reached Bell’s consciousness in the deepest, darkest corner of his mind. He couldn’t feel his body, and yet there was a powerful warmth surrounding a right hand that didn’t exist. 

Bell could feel his “teeth” grinding in response to the goddess’s repeated, tearful cries. They carved their way through the darkness, drawing him out. 

His soul ignited. Hestia’s flame, one more time. 

His body came back into existence, twitching. He could see the light at the end of the darkness. All that was left was to stand. 

Out of the darkness, to the other side of the light. To the place where the goddess’s voice was calling him. 

His body still would not move on command, so Bell focused on the warmth enveloping his right hand. Despite his best efforts, it would not move or even quiver in the direction of the light. 

Dammit! the boy screamed at his body, fully knowing that it was at its physical limit—and then. 

“If…if you have what it takes to be called a hero—” 

“?” 

Another voice cut through the darkness. 

“Hermes?!” 

A twinge of surprise in the goddess’s voice appeared along with the voice of another god. 

Bell knew that voice, those words, that echo—he remembered them. 

“It’s not someone able to draw a sword, or someone willing to raise a shield, or someone who heals others.” 

It was a voice he’d heard long ago. 

Back when he was very young. Words that shaped who he would become. 

Words from a divine messenger, a voice from his past—his grandfather’s. 

“Only someone who’s willing to risk it all can be called a hero.” 

The voice of the god became his grandfather’s. 

“Protect your allies. Rescue the ladies. Put yourself on the line.” 

A new light rose through the darkness, taking the form of his grandfather, the past. 

“It’s okay to break, to lose heart, to cry out in pain. The one to claim victory in the end always emerges from the defeated.” 

He remembered. He remembered it all. 

He remembered the words that those smiling lips said next. 

“Follow through on your dream, shout it out for everyone to hear. The one who does—” 

Yes, that’s the one who— 

“—the one who does becomes a glorious hero.” 

“!!” 

He awakened. 

“Bell…” 

Hestia could barely speak as the boy sat up on his own. 

The god standing over the boy’s injured body, watching over him, was Hermes. 

The image of Bell’s trembling body was reflected in the deity’s orange gaze as the boy climbed to his feet. 

Rise, fight, go to a sword so as not to disgrace his memory. 

But most of all, to save the people who meant the most to him. 

To go to the limits—beyond the limits, to put everything on the line. 

“Mr. Bell!” 

Lilly’s small figure appeared behind them. She used every muscle in her tiny frame to take a large weapon out of her backpack and throw it in his direction. 

The large black sword carved arcs through the air as it whisked toward them. Bell’s arm sprang to life as he snatched the weapon out of the air with one hand. 

Gripping the blade’s thick hilt with both hands, he swung the blade forward as he set his feet into a powerful stance. 

His ruby-red eyes flicked forward and focused on the form of the terrifying giant off in the distance. 

Let the aspirations burn. 

Let the dreams roar. 

If there was one advantage that Bell Cranell had over anyone else, it would be this one irreplaceable memory from his youth—that’s because it was all he had. 

“!” 

He started to charge Argonaut. At the same time, the characters engraved into his back began to glow red. 

Limit Release. 

A temporary state in which surrounding conditions combined with emotion to overload the Falna contained within a deity’s Blessing. Skill power increased exponentially during a Limit Release. 

A stone that would send ripples through a battlefield; a sword aimed for the giant’s throat. 

White sparkles swirled around Bell’s body as he charged for the attack before they climbed high into the air. 

Ping, ping, ping, the sound of chimes. Gong, gong—they turned into the sound of church bells. 

In a clearing on the edge of the forest, southeast of where the battle against the rampaging Goliath was taking place… 

Mord’s group of adventurers had peeled away from the main forces. They were on the brink of losing their will to fight. 

“I can’t take this anymore! We can’t win!” 

“We gotta get out of here! Maybe if we found a hiding place in the forest…!” 

A violent beast that no one could stop was on the loose. No matter how many monsters they slew, another one appeared to take its place. 

The situation was hopeless, just as dark as the false night that covered the floor. One person after another raised their voices in despair and threatened to leave on their own. 

“No turning tail, ya cowards!!” 

It was Mord who stopped them. 

“The hell are you saying, Mord?! We don’t stand a chance against that monstrosity! What’s the point in staying?!” 

“We fight! Are ya seriously considering running away when all those guys and ladies need our help?!” 

Mord yelled as loud as he could and pointed toward Lyu and Asfi’s desperate struggle to keep the Goliath contained. The others just looked at him, unable to understand why he was so passionate. 

“So yer just goin’ to bow out, not doing jack shit?! How the fuck are ya okay with that?!” 

Mord’s passion had turned to anger, his eyes alight with a flame burning within him. 

He broke off eye contact with those closest to him and looked around. The adventurers strong enough to form a wall were badly injured. The magic users were holding their own arms in pain. The man unleashed a verbal torrent upon them as they looked back at him with stunned eyes. 

“Hey, all ya filthy elves, are y’all just talk?! And you archaic dwarves there—those muscles just for show?!” 

Wave after wave of insults came out of his mouth. He waved his sword around, taking even more shots at their pride before the adventurers started to climb to their feet. All of the commotion caught the attention of the mad beetle, and it charged. Mord quickly dispatched it before continuing his tirade yet again—then the sound of a bell echoed through the air. 

“?” 

The unmistakable clang of church bells rang down from far above their heads. 

Time stood still for all of them. There wasn’t a single adventurer whose eyes remained small as the grand echoes filled their ears and reached their hearts. 

The group looked to the south only to see a single adventurer, a boy holding an absolutely massive black sword and illuminated by swirling white lights. The boy’s white hair reflected in their eyes. 

No words were necessary. 

His light cut through the darkness, lifting their spirits with hope. 

“—Let’s goooooooooooooooo!! All of you bastardssssssssssssssssss!! Cut them down, CUT THEM DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!” 

Every single adventurer charged forward at Mord’s command. 

The Goliath had realized the threat and summoned more monsters to its cause. However, Mord wasn’t going to let the monsters reach Bell, even at the cost of his own life. Ranks of adventurers and monsters collided. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” 

The Goliath charged forward at the sound of the bells spreading across the floor. 

Its roar was a much higher pitch than before, summoning all monsters still alive in an instant. Its red glare now a few shades lighter, the beast set its sights solely on the boy standing in the southern plain. 

“The Goliath…!” 

“Has it recognized Mr. Cranell as its enemy?” 

The area around the boy had become a widespread brawl between Mord’s adventurers and the surviving monsters. The giant was heading right for it. Asfi watched in shock as the Goliath completely ignored her and Lyu’s attacks. Meanwhile, the elf was in hot pursuit, doing her best to avoid the small quakes the monster was making as it ran. Her eyes locked onto her target. 

“We protect. The Goliath will not touch him!” 

Lyu yelled out to her companion with no waver in her voice. 

The Goliath paid her no attention as it quickly galloped along on its short, stubby legs. Fighting her way through the blasts of wind whenever its feet hit the ground, Lyu lined herself up beside it and hit one of its knees with all of her strength. 

The beast quickly lost its balance—a low center of gravity and high speed were not a good combination. The wide-eyed Goliath fell forward and hit the great plain with a thunderous bang. 

The ground cracked on impact, sending a thick cloud of dirt into the air. The Goliath’s face morphed into an expression of disbelief as all of its limbs were on the ground for the first time. 

“Did that actually happen…?!” 

Shaking off a sense of awe at what she’d just seen, Asfi moved in to start her own attack. The floor boss was trying to raise itself off the ground. However, the two women showed their opponent no mercy. 

“GUH—OOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOO?!” 

Face, hands, shoulders, thighs, and back—Lyu’s wooden sword and Asfi’s daggers struck every possible target with blinding speed. The Goliath’s rage increased as it roared out in pain. Forgetting its original target for the moment, the Goliath swung all of its limbs around as if trying to swat the world’s strongest mosquitoes out of the sky. It even used howls in an attempt to keep them at bay. 

Seeing the giant thrash around in desperation, Lyu started to cast a spell. 

“—Distant sky above the forest. Limitless stars set into an eternal night.” 

She continued her assault on the Goliath as the spell came from her lips. A bewildered Asfi watched as the elf continued to attack the beast even faster than she could while focusing on her Magic. 

“Listen to my feeble voice and grant the protection of starlight. Bestow the light of mercy upon those who have abandoned you.” 

Simultaneous high-speed combat and Magic: “Concurrent Casting.” 

It would not be an overstatement to say that magic required a tremendous amount of concentration and verbal enunciation to trigger. High output—a magic’s power was rated by the length of the spell. The longer the spell, the more powerful the magic. Therefore, all magic users needed to stand in one place and focus all of their attention into reciting their spell. 

However, Lyu was reciting a spell and attacking at the same time. The slightest slip of the tongue could result in Ignis Fatuus, and yet here she was attacking, moving, dodging, and casting at a blistering pace. Even to a top-class adventurer such as Asfi, it was extremely impressive. 

The amount of mental stamina and courage required to pull this off was enormous, not to mention knowledge of close-quarters combat and rhetorical expertise. 

Executing a combat style that even the Kenki wouldn’t dare attempt, Lyu kept up a strong physical assault while continuing to cast her magic. 

“Synchronized battle and casting…!” 

—Mikoto noticed what Lyu was doing and was just as fascinated as Asfi. 

She had left the care of the critically injured Ouka to Chigusa and returned to the battlefield, only to be baffled by what she saw. The way that the elf dodged the Goliath’s massive fists thrashing about while still attacking with unrelenting force was nothing short of gale winds in a hurricane. At the same time, the beauty and grace of her lithe form shook Mikoto to her very core. 

“What power…!” 

Mikoto could see that the elvish warrior was far beyond her own strength. At first it made her realize her own weakness, but then showed her a level of power that she could attain. At last, she swore that one day she would reach the same plateau and stand next to the elf as equals. 

She shook her head and took a look around—the adventurers around her were engaged in a spirited fight with the remaining monsters. Seeing their bravery and courage, Mikoto ran off to join the fight against the Goliath and assist Lyu. 

If her own Magic could help them, could buy more time for Bell…She found a low spot in the plains and began to cast a spell. 

“Fear, strong and winding—” 

She focused all of her mental energy into this one attack. 

There was no point saving any to continue the fight. She poured everything she had into her spell, enunciation strong and steady. 

“I call upon the god, the destroyer of any and all, for guidance from the heavens. Grant this trivial body divine power beyond power.” 

Mikoto’s and Lyu’s incantations reverberated through the air. 

Meanwhile, the Goliath managed to get its knees under its body and started to right itself. 

“You couldn’t stay down for just a little longer?!” 

Whether it finally gained control of its anger or it remembered what Bell was doing, the giant continued its advance across the great plain. Asfi quipped at the beast in frustration because Lyu’s magic was not yet ready. 

“I didn’t want to use this in front of so many people, but…!” 

A tone of resignation in her voice, she reluctantly leaned down and stroked the sides of her sandals. 

“—Talaria.” 

The golden wing decorations that were wrapped around the sides of each sandal flinched before coming to life. 

Two wings from each sandal, four in all, spread out as Asfi took flight. 

“?!” 

The Goliath tilted its head in disbelief as the girl flew in front of its face. Even Lyu and the other adventurers were momentarily stunned by the girl zipping through the air. 

Winged sandals, Talaria. A high-level magic item reserved for Perseus herself. 

Long ago, the young queen of an island nation had such a yearning to travel the skies that she used Enigma to create an item that made her dream come true. With these two sandals firmly strapped to her feet, Asfi alone was able to take to the air. 

An item that leveled the playing field against airborne monsters. Her white cloak fluttered behind her as she looped around the Goliath like a bird, faster and faster as she closed in on the giant’s face. 

Holding her dagger upside down in her left hand, she made her move. 

“??!” 

The Goliath roared in pain as the dagger tore through one of its red eyes. 

“—Come, wind of winds, wandering traveler of the ages. Across the skies, through the fields, faster than any, farther than all. Light of stardust, tear my enemies asunder!” 

The Goliath cupped its injured eye with one hand and looked up at Lyu as the elf finished her spell. 

Lyu’s thin eyebrows curved downward at the motionless beast before she unleashed her magic. 

“Luminous Wind!!” 

Hundreds of small orbs surrounded by swirling green wind appeared around her. Thrusting her outstretched arms forward, the stardust slammed into the beast in a torrent of magical energy and piercing wind. Each hit carved away a piece of the Goliath’s hide, causing countless bursts of blood every second. 

It was a powerful type of magic, very fitting for an elf, and it was driving the Goliath backward—until. 

“AAAAAAAAAA?!!” 

“?!” 

The Goliath stopped its retreat and pressed forward into the stardust onslaught. 

Fresh waves of red specks launched from the monster’s body, encasing it in a pulsing spiral of light. Its wounds healed just as fast as the remaining stardust orbs could open new ones, while the monster advanced on Lyu and Asfi’s position right in front of it. 

“Descend from the heavens, seize the earth?shinbu tousei!!” 

The Goliath’s arm was extended, on a direct course for Asfi, while its shoulder was coming down on Lyu. That was the instant that Mikoto’s magic was complete. 

“Futsu no Mitama!” 

A sword composed of violet light appeared directly over the Goliath’s head and descended. 

At the same time, several lights similar to magic circles appeared on the ground, surrounding the giant. 

The sword of light skewered the giant’s body, triggering a cage of gravity around the beast. 

“??!” 

A force field descended from the hilt of the sword ten meders in the air to create a dome. The leading edge of the field put a barrier between the two women and the Goliath just before the monster’s attacks could connect. Trapped inside the dome, the floor boss’s outstretched right arm fell to the ground, followed closely by its knees. The Goliath groaned in pain as the ground beneath it collapsed under the pressure of Mikoto’s magic. 

This was her trump card. Takemikazuchi had all but forbidden her to use this magic inside the closed spaces of the Dungeon. Her magic had the power to crush things in a certain area by dramatically increasing the effect of gravity. The Goliath was being pushed lower and lower by the violet dome that was holding it prisoner. 

She had been reluctant to use it until now because she might have caught the attackers and magic users under the dome by accident. Lyu and Asfi were clearly impressed as they watched the giant squirm. 

“Guh, aaaahhh…!” 

Mikoto’s face distorted in pain, grabbing her outstretched right arm with her left hand. 

Crick, crick, crick—the dome started to give way as the giant that had been literally brought to its knees was slowly climbing back to its feet. 

The Goliath’s body rose higher and higher, fighting against the gravity with all of its might. Mikoto focused all of her mental energy in a futile attempt to push the monster back down. 

She wasn’t strong enough. The Goliath’s status was far beyond hers. She didn’t stand a chance. 

The Goliath rose higher and higher, the force field warping to the giant’s will. All the while, Bell was still charging up for his attack. 

Welf was running. 

He made his way through a forest inundated with silence, using the light of the crystals to find his way through the dense foliage. The only sounds that could be heard were his heavy breathing and quick footsteps as the young man arrived in a part of the forest he recognized. 

“Damn it, Bell, that big guy…DAHH!!” 

He couldn’t get the image out of his mind of the Goliath punching Ouka and Bell. That large man couldn’t have wanted to take that hit, but he still protected Bell. All Welf could do was just stand and watch. 

It was funny, in a way. The thought of himself just standing there as everything happened. A whirlpool of regret raged within him. 

“Lady Hephaistos, I…” 

The weapon wrapped in white cloth he’d received from Hestia, sent to him by his own goddess. It also happened to be a weapon that Welf forged himself. 

He had made it immediately after joining Hephaistos Familia, at her command. It was his first work as a member of the group. 

His skills proven, he had given the weapon to Hephaistos because the very sight of it filled him with self-loathing. He swore to never make another one. 

She had said that was okay, for now. But she did leave him with the words, “You will regret not using this power once you have attained something important.” 

“Stop compromising allies for your pride.” 

Everything the crimson-haired, crimson-eyed goddess had told him replayed over and over in his head. 

His self-centered arrogance had led him to swear not to become a magic swordsmith. Even more, his ego refused to let him use one. 

If he’d been able to let go of his vanity, things might have turned out differently. 

“I…!” 

Welf hated magic swords. 

They gave anyone the power to take down the strongest of enemies with a flick of the wrist. They were nothing more than a magical weapon that indulged its user. They destroyed his family, other smiths, and users by rotting them from the inside. 

But above all else, magic swords would inevitably break and leave their user behind. 

Welf loathed magic swords. 

“…!” 

Suddenly, a hill of trees he’d seen before came into view. He was sure that the weapon had fallen among them and was sitting somewhere in the tall grass. 

Sleeping, never used by anyone, the hilt untouched and pure. 

Not broken, simply at rest. 

“Hey, where are you?! Say something!!” 

He yelled down the hill as he made his way farther and farther into the woods. 

It was much darker now than he remembered because of the subtle glow of the blue crystals far above his head. It was as if a dark blanket had been cast over the forest. 

“Ironic isn’t it? I know, I KNOW!! I threw you away and now I’m asking you for help!” 

Welf knew there was no chance of a response, but he kept screaming at the top of his lungs anyway. 

His head was on a swivel as he crisscrossed his way through the dense forest. 

“But there’s someone who needs my help! Please?let me break you!!” 

A soft red glow appeared out of nowhere as if to answer his call. 

Welf saw it immediately and sprinted to its side. It was sticking out of a pile of moss, hilt high in the air. 

The white cloth was starting to unravel, exposing the top part of the blade and guard-less handle attached to it. The blade of the weapon pulsed and flickered like a flaming red jewel at his feet. Welf swiftly grabbed the hilt and pulled it into the air. 

Resting the weapon on his right shoulder, he raced back up the hill. 

“…!” 

Welf grimaced at this new weight on his shoulders. 

The strength of a magic sword—it would shatter as soon as it was used too many times. That was the price for a weapon that wielded the same power as magic. That was its unavoidable fate. 

It could never become the trusted partner of its user, never experience the good times or the bad. It could never be counted on to be there until the end, always breaking first. 

Welf hated magic swords. They would abandon their user without fail. 

Magic swords could never fulfill their duty as a weapon. That was their destiny, and he hated it. 

—That was it, pointless and painful sympathy. 

While corrupting users and smiths alike, each individual sword could never fill the role of a dependable partner in battle. Therefore, they were left to sleep with no chance of meeting a user who would honestly consider it a valuable partner. 

As someone who could forge magic swords, Welf felt sorry for them?felt their pain. 

“!” 

He emerged from the forest. He could see the Goliath trapped under a cracking, violet dome off in the distance. Monsters and adventurers were engaged in an all-out brawl directly in front of him. Bell stood not too far behind their battle, a large black sword in his hands. 

The sound of church bells flooding his ears, Welf immediately understood what was going on. Swearing he wouldn’t let Bell take another hit like that, he charged away from the forest and toward the chaos in front of him. 

A swarm of monsters cut him off in no time. The red-haired man moved the cloth-covered weapon into position. 

“All of you! If you don’t have a death wish, get out of the waaayyyy!!” 

Welf swung the blade sideways in front of his chest—a wildfire stampeded forward. 

The wide-eyed adventurers managed to get out of its path at the last moment, armor singed as every single monster was reduced to ash on contact. The great plain turned into a smoldering mess in its wake. 

The adventurers stared in disbelief as the last bit of white cloth burned away, revealing the rest of the blade. 

There were no decorations to be seen, just a long crimson blade and a handle. The absolutely stunning weapon looked as though it were carved directly out of solid rock, simple and beautiful. 

Crack! A small line grew down the middle of the blade just below Welf’s hand. Welf glared down at the magic sword that started to fall apart after just one use before he took off yet again. 

“It’s breaking…?!” 

Mikoto yelled out a warning to the others as the giant slammed both of its fists into the outer barrier created by her gravity magic. “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” it roared as the field shattered around it, releasing the Goliath from its cage. Lyu and Asfi once again prepared for battle—when Welf ran out in front of them. 

The young man stood in front of the Goliath, his right hand gripping the hilt of the sword he was holding behind his back. 

A strange calm filled the air as man and beast locked eyes. Then suddenly, heroically— 

One swing. 

And just for this one attack, Welf yelled the name of his magic sword at the top of his lungs. 

“Burning Moon, Kadukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!” 

The blaze instantly cast bright shadows over everything and everyone. 

A crimson pyre sprang to life. Flames erupted from the blade of the magic sword; the Goliath was engulfed in a scorching inferno. 

The Goliath’s howls of pain were drowned out by the roaring fire as its body was overrun by the flames. 

“?AAAAaaaaa?!” 

The giant’s body burned as if trapped in the fires of hell. 

Its self-regeneration couldn’t keep up. The fire burned away any progress it made. The moment one of the red specks healed a piece of its hide, the flames burned it away. The Goliath only had enough magic energy to maintain a physical form, and it was running out of energy fast. 

For the first time during this long fight, permanent damage had been seared into the floor boss’s skin. 

“My word, a Crozzo Magic Sword…!” 

“It’s stronger—stronger than the original magic?!” 

Asfi and Lyu watched the firestorm intensify right in front of their eyes. This was not the power of some conjured magic. They were witnessing a power strong enough to incinerate an elves’ forest in the blink of an eye. 

As the legend said, Crozzo’s Magic Swords were strong enough to “set fire to the ocean.” Every ounce of that strength had just been unleashed. 

“?” 

The sword released one final torrent of flames before a small network of cracks appeared on the blade. 

The cracks started to multiply, cutting deeper and deeper until finally the blade shattered right in front of Welf. 

“—Sorry.” 

His shoulders drooped as he whispered under his breath while he watched the thousands of shards fall to the ground, clinking as they hit. 

—Three minutes. 

Bell stood silently when he realized how much time had passed. 

He had been patiently waiting, his ruby-red gaze trained straight forward. 

And right in the middle of his field of vision stood the black giant, Goliath. At this moment, most of its body was hidden by massive flames and billowing smoke. However, its red glow was by far the brightest source of light in the darkness that covered the eighteenth floor. 

Bell aimed the massive black sword in his hands toward the beast that had repelled so many other adventurers’ attacks with ease. 

His Skill required a mental image of a hero to trigger. The image in his mind: the Great Hero David. 

A hero who had defended his homeland by standing up to and defeating an enormous enemy in combat. 

David’s heroic deeds etched into his mind’s eye, Bell slowly but surely started to lean forward. 

“—Everyone, open a pathhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” 

He sprang forward. 

Hestia’s order came from behind as he closed the distance, slicing through the great plain. 

He was on a straight path toward the glowing red monster. Even more church bells rang out as his black sword was bathed in his own white light. Even the blood flowing out of his wounds seemed to propel him forward. His friends had given him this window of opportunity to attack—it would be the last, and he had to make it count. 

The adventurers still in the field heard Hestia’s order and immediately made way. 

Welf, Mikoto, Lyu, and Asfi— 

Everyone caught a glimpse of his face as Bell sped by. 

Their eyes were filled with belief, hope, and the urge to support him—Go! 

Bell picked up even more speed. No one could look away. 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!” 

The red eyes of the burning Goliath caught a glimpse of Bell’s advance. 

It bellowed with a mixture of anger and fear as it pulled one of its massive, burning arms behind its back. 

The giant was ready to punch. That attack had already destroyed so much, injured so many adventurers, including Bell. He knew the risk, but he didn’t slow down. 

—As Hestia had said before, Bell possessed a “heroic strike.” 

Her words etched deeply into his soul, Bell pulled the large black sword in an arc over his right shoulder. 

Less and less distance. 

The Goliath’s body loomed over him, a presence that could crush him at any moment. 

At the same time, power flowed into his grip, adrenaline coursing through his veins. 

Focusing every ounce of his being into the blade of the sword, Bell jumped into the air and took a swing. 

“YAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” 

Explosion on impact. 

“?” 

Welf and everyone else was forced to shield their eyes from the intense white light. 

Bell’s war cry had drowned out the Goliath’s roar until the explosion erased all other sounds. 

No one could hear a sound for several seconds. However, once their ears did recover…utter silence. The battle had been decided. 

A few adventurers worked up the courage to lower their hands and arms for a better look. They saw a giant with no torso and no right arm lying in the middle of the circle of ash. 

The legs and left arm made no sound, a bizarre statue in the aftermath. 

And just in front of it, standing how he landed after the follow-through of his attack, was Bell. The black sword was broken, white smoke emerging from what was left of the weapon. 

No one said a word, only tried to remember every single detail of this spectacle. 

“…He…cut it down.” 

Time flowed once again as those words fell out of Welf’s awestruck mouth. 

Bell lost his balance and his knee hit the ground. Using the broken sword as a cane, the boy watched as the Goliath’s legs and left arm disintegrated into ash in front of him. 

The monster’s magic stone had been destroyed along with its upper body. Its remains slowly started to fall apart and disappear. 

SHHHH. A light breeze started carrying a portion of the large amount of ash into the “sky,” revealing a drop item—Goliath’s Hide. 

“UUWWWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” 

Cheers rang out a moment later. 

The adventurers surrounding the battlefield raised their fists triumphantly, embraced their allies, and shed tears of happiness as they yelled as loud as they could. Flashes of silver light filled the area. They were waving their broken swords, spears, axes, and shields as their song of victory echoed throughout the eighteenth floor. 

The great plain shook with their waves of sound that were too distorted to form words. 

Everything that had just transpired in the Dungeon felt like a lie in this moment of jubilation. The walls and ceiling were silent; there was no threat of any new monsters appearing. The residents of Rivira celebrated alongside Mord’s adventurers, their faces red with excitement and joy. 

“Bell!” 

“Mr. Bell!” 

Hestia was the first to run to his side, wiping away tears as she went. It didn’t take long for Lilly, Welf, Lyu, and Mikoto to reach him as well. Even some of the other adventurers gathered around. 

What remained of the crystal flower in the middle of the ceiling shined a blue spotlight down upon him. 

Bell and his allies were surrounded by continuous congratulatory cheers as the entire eighteenth floor seemed to embrace them. 

“Ahhh…ahhh, glorious!” 

Hermes was alone after Hestia left the southern supply base. 

His orange eyes sparkled as he watched Bell at the center of the children’s celebration. 

The deity laughed as if he’d been intoxicated by the excitement that was swirling around him. 

“These eyes have seen it! I, Hermes, have seen it all! Your grandson, your parting gift to this world!” 

Hermes’s fervor grew more and more as he called out to someone, somewhere. 

He thought back to the boy’s grandfather’s words. 

“The boy has a backbone. The boy has patience.—However, he severely lacks character.” 

Bell’s grandfather had told him that the boy didn’t have what it would take. 

“Have you gone blind, saying things like that?!” 

Would you still make that claim if you saw this?! The deity laughed to himself as he gestured toward the boy in the distance. 

Hermes threw his head back toward the sky, mouth wide open, laughing in a way that could be called crazy. 

“Rejoice, Great Lord Zeus! Your grandson is the real deal! The last hero your Familia left behind!” 

Hermes’s enthusiasm had yet to subside as he continued. 

“Well, I’m no Oracle but…Ahhhh! I can’t keep this to myself!” 

Hermes looked out over the great plain filled with adventurers, as if he were watching a play, and yelled out. 

“It’s coming, it’s coming! A new era is coming! Could be ten years from now, five years, one year, or even tomorrow! But something will happen in Orario to usher in the new era!” 

It was his divine intuition. 

It had been a thorn in his side for some time. 

“Seriously, has there ever been a better group of heroes alive at the same time since the prehistoric days?!” 

“The Brave” Finn Deimne. 

“Nine Hell” Reveria Riyos Ahrve. 

Oujya “Warlord” Ottar. 

Kenki “Sword Princess” Aiz Wallenstein. 

It was hard to find a better collection of valiant individuals throughout all of history. 

Each of them had a level of character and strength that would measure up well with the greatest heroes of all time, and they were all here at once. 

“No, definitely not! With so many worthy children so close together, there’s no way something huge couldn’t happen!” 

Add the Little Rookie into the equation, his untapped potential on top of all of the others’ proven strength and power, and Hermes’s intuition became firm conviction. 

“And I’ll see it, I’ll see it all! These eyes will watch all of them as they carve their names into history, until the day they die!” 

Their humanity, their praise, their joy. 

Hermes’s vision of the future came together in his head as he watched the adventurers gathering around the white-haired boy. 

The deity’s eyes opened even wider. 

“The story they will create, bound by the love of their gods. The Familia Myth!” 

It would become the ultimate show. 

The most charming of charms. 

The pastime to end all pastimes. 

“Aaaahhh—” 

It was so exciting. 

“Coming down to this world was the best decision I’ve ever made!” 

The children were still dancing, fist-pumping and yelling with glee. He opened both of his arms toward them and sang a song to praise the heroes.