Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

They simply faithfully carry out the divine will entrusted to them.

In order to transform himself into a servant who exists solely for this purpose, and to become a loyal "ghost," he did not hesitate to suppress any wavering or confusion in his heart.

After regaining his composure, Fels said, "Uranus, I have something else to report to you."

"Thanks to the efforts of the Ganesha Familia, the general public is still unaware of the existence of the man-made labyrinth. However... the matter of the towering pillar of light can no longer be kept secret."

This refers to the "divine repatriation" that occurred during the "first wave of attack".

A beam of light, accompanied by a deafening roar and intense tremors, pierced through the man-made labyrinth and shot straight into the sky.

"That day, the entire city witnessed the return of Dionysus and Thanatos. Two beams of light appeared in succession. It would be far-fetched to convince the people that 'nothing happened.'"

"Leave the task of persuading the gods and citizens to Lloyd and the others. Fels, you continue to assist Ganesha and the 'Heretics' in investigating the man-made labyrinth. As for the search for Demeter, the Hermes Familia will be in charge."

"Yes, I understand, but Uranus..."

After hearing the series of orders, Fels' black suit swayed slightly as he turned, as if he wanted to speak a truth before leaving:

"Actually, the public isn't stupid... Even if they can't know the situation, they can vaguely sense 'something' gradually approaching."

*

Things did indeed turn out exactly as Fels had predicted.

The "omen" spread silently throughout the city.

"I heard that two gods were repatriated..."

"The 'guild' insists it was a small-scale fight... but hasn't revealed which god was sent back to heaven. It feels like they're just trying to gloss over it."

"Lady Ishtar of the Pleasure Quarter only recently returned to the heavens, and things have been rather strange lately. Could something big be brewing?"

"Furthermore, the beam of light appeared in the southeast area. Monster sightings also occurred in 'Daedalus Road' before..."

The rumors have spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Although it is far from causing chaos, the city is filled with a strange, ripple-like restlessness.

Whenever they have the chance, people discuss the two beams of light that appeared during the deportation process.

As the saying goes, public opinion is a fearsome thing.

The public's speculations fueled further conjectures, and thus, mixed with parts of the truth, an atmosphere of unease did indeed spread throughout the city.

"I heard that the Ganesha Familia has stationed people on Daedalus Road around the clock."

"But it seems they only stationed people on guard duty; I only saw a few scattered military police elsewhere."

"It is said that the Loki Familia is also in complete chaos."

"It's 'Daedalus Road' again... I think the claim that all the monsters that have reached the surface have been defeated is complete nonsense. There might still be some that have escaped?"

This is a bar where hot-blooded young men gather.

Adventurers, keenly aware of the city's atmosphere, treated the rumors as casual conversation over drinks, discussing the current situation. Merchants with whom they had connections also joined in the conversation, making the topics far more diverse than those discussed on the streets, and the more they talked, the more credible they became.

"We'll leave it to 'Rookie' then—no, we should call him 'White Rabbit's Paw.' This time, let him crush that Minotaur!"

"Haha, well said!"

Throughout the conversation, laughter frequently filled the air as they chatted jokingly. However, their ability to detect any "smell of gunpowder" was truly genuine. For example, some later went to the "guild" to inquire about the situation, while others exchanged information with factions they had some connections with. As for the chief gods of each faction, most of them, driven by their constantly restless "divine intuition," greedily speculated about what major events might occur or happen, and eagerly awaited the arrival of "that day."

Although opinions vary from person to person, many factions have already begun to "plan ahead".

"Damn it... what are these disgusting walls of flesh...?"

On the other hand, some adventurers are very close to the "core".

The Green Wall gradually crumbled after being attacked by Warhammer.

But faced with the mysterious chunks of flesh that seemed endless no matter how hard he dug, the tall, strong dwarf couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Instead of complaining, get back to work, you dull dwarf. This is a mandatory task."

The elven male behind the dwarf began to criticize.

Unable to wield weapons with only one arm, he instead casts "magic" by chanting incantations.

"Hmph, you nagging, wretched elf! With your pathetic appearance, you're utterly useless!"

"What did you say!?"

"What do you want!?"

The dwarf and the elf were at odds, as if representing the relationship between the two races.

The dwarf is called Dorumur, and the elf is called Luvis.

Although Dorumur is a dwarf, he is an adventurer with an unusually tall stature of 170cm. In contrast, Luvis is handsome, but has a rather neurotic personality, as if he embodies the characteristics of an elf.

They are all Lv.3 high-level adventurers, and their [Family] is rated by the "Guild" as a core faction with outstanding combat power.

Besides the two, other companions belonging to the [Family] were also called upon to help remove the "green flesh".

The location is the area leading from the 9th floor of the underground city to the "side". On the other side of the "door" forged from the hardest metal is an area covered by bizarre chunks of flesh—the interior of the man-made labyrinth.

"We just came back from the 'lower levels' of the dungeon, and those guys in the guild really know how to boss people around..."

"That means you should leave the dwarves to do the dirty work of digging holes."

Because of this "mandatory quest" secretly issued by the "guild," other dwarves and elves could be seen working on it as well. The quest objective, "To cut through the green flesh," involved the dwarves creating a tunnel.

Despite their constant bickering, Dorumur and Luvis maintained a sharp, piercing gaze.

The reason is that the "green meat" is like a monster with life, and it will devour people if they are not careful.

"It seems that several factions with considerable combat power have received this mandatory mission. Even those [Familias] who, like us, possess second-level adventurers have all been recruited."

Louis whispered this to Dorumur.

This indicates that this is a "limited-time quest" that can only be received by "factions trusted by the guild".

"Could this mandatory mission... be related to the recent 'God's Repatriation' incidents?"

"You mean what happened during our trip to the dungeon? Only a fool would connect two things, but there are plenty of clues suggesting that things are probably not as simple as they seem..."

That bizarre wall of flesh was still writhing before Dorumur and Luvis.

The two made their disgust visible on their faces and continued to talk in hushed tones.

"And those Ganesha Familia people were following us around...it was like they were spying on us, which was really annoying."

Just as Dorumur had said, high-ranking adventurers from the Ganesha Familia had also participated in this operation. The second-tier adventurers, armed with weapons, looked at Dorumur and his companions with considerable caution.

(No, judging from the behavior of the Ganesha faction members... they're not observing our every move. To be precise, they're watching those "green flesh" that don't seem to be products of the dungeon...)

The wise Luvis, unlike Dorumur, believed that the members of the Ganesha Familia were not in charge of "overseeing" the work.

They were probably not "overseers," but rather "guards" responsible for covering everyone's escape in case of an emergency.

The "green meat" appears on the outer edge of the underground city.

This fact alone is enough to confirm that it is an "abnormal situation".

"...In any case, this is a mandatory task, so we have no choice but to bite the bullet and do it."

Luvis and others were not even allowed to question this mandatory task.

Because this is something they "don't need to know," or something they "shouldn't know."

On the other hand, it also shows that the guild is already struggling to survive.

Whether it's the "armed monsters" venturing into the surface of "Daedalus Road" or the "repatriation of the chief god"—

As Luvis and Dorumur pondered this series of events, they continued to clear away the green flesh blocking their path.

"There's no sign of Dionysus anywhere..."

"Dionysus must have been too busy to even have time to drink his favorite wine..."

This is a typical urban area.

The exchange, which the male celebrity called a "community activity," came to an abrupt end, and a shadow fell over everyone's faces.

For the general public who are unaware of the truth, it is hard to say whether it is a blessing or a curse. However, the "twisted" nature of the gods' unexplained disappearance has indeed come to light, further fueling people's unease.

"Hey, Mother, when will Dionysus return?"

"The master promised to let us join the [Familia] next time!"

"Right?"

All that remained at the scene was the innocent laughter of the ignorant children.

It travels to that clear blue sky that should bring joy to people.

"Ah, Goddess Hestia!"

In another part of the city, the cheerful voices of ignorant children could also be heard.

"Hi~ Fina, Lai, Xiaolu, I also brought fried potato balls today~"

"Thank you, Goddess Hestia!"

"thank you……"

The goddess embraced the dog-woman who had thrown herself onto her, and smiled at the human boy and the half-elf boy.

Due to the renovation project of the Labyrinth Street, residents from the slums are temporarily residing in temporary housing in the northwest part of the city. Hestia, who regularly provides small donations to orphanages after discussing it with the leader, shares her family's adventure stories with the children she interacts with, and inadvertently inquires about:

"Have you encountered anything different from usual lately? Even if you're having any troubles, feel free to tell me."

"Hmm~ Maria's mother and the other adults have been discussing what will happen to Maze Street lately."

"I heard that no one is allowed to enter or leave that place..."

"When can we go back...?"

The children answered with expressions different from before, and then the human boy seemed to remember something and exclaimed "Ah!"

"Oh, right, Loki was just here."

"Loki...?"

"Hmm, she ran off to talk to the adults...it sounds like she was looking for someone."

The goddess also intuitively sensed the current state of the city. She originally wanted to find the children to relax, but she stopped because of what she said.

"I have a feeling... like I have a bad feeling about this."

The goddess's murmurs drifted into the unnaturally clear sky.

Although the city appears calm on the surface, a dangerous atmosphere is indeed pervasive.

*

"...Orario is different from before; the people seem to be in a state of panic."

Tiony drew back the curtains and gazed outside.

Despite the clear, cloudless sky, she felt the atmosphere in the city was far from harmonious; rather, it was rather noisy. She turned her gaze back indoors.

"Well, but when 'you' came to the surface, things were even more chaotic here."

"...I really caused you a lot of trouble back then."

The person Tiony was talking to spoke a slightly broken Common Tongue.

If an ordinary person saw this, they would either faint on the spot or immediately draw their weapon.

This "woman" lacks the hands that humans should have, and instead possesses "wings".

"It feels really strange to see a monster apologizing to me like this. Even as a female warrior, I don't know whether to say I'm so scared that my head is spinning or I'm stunned... Anyway, I really want to pinch my cheek to make sure I'm not dreaming."

Faced with Tione's contorted lips, the "woman"—the singer Rei Bird—responded with a wry smile.

On the day the decision was made to launch the "first wave of attack," the man-made labyrinth was transformed into a death cage due to the activation of the "trap." Rei resolutely parted ways with the other "heretics" and went to rescue the adventurers, helping the Loki Familia escape danger at the last minute.

Therefore, the Loki Familia took in Rey, who was forced to remain alone on the surface, and hid her in the "Twilight Mansion".

Of course, this matter was top secret, and junior members knew nothing about it.

Only a very few people know that Lei Yi is hiding here.

"Logically, I should seek help from a magician..."

Rei knew very well that the appearance of a "monster" in a human dwelling was no different from a stain on a painting, so she shrank her feathered body with a sense of guilt.