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

The two were chatting enthusiastically when suddenly, without warning, a "snap" sound rang out.

The door was opened forcefully, making a noise that made everyone in the room turn their heads at the same time.

I saw a breathless clerk standing in front of the door with a stack of documents in his hand.

"Here it is! Delivered! The results of the Council of Gods!"

"They're finally here!"

"Hey, let us see!"

Their actions were as fast as lightning.

The clerks dropped their work and rushed to the door. Soon the crowd formed a circle, and several parchments with aliases written on them were passed to many people in a flash.

Soon, exclamations of praise could be heard one after another.

"Hey, look at this nickname!"

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"Truly worthy of being called a god."

"Yes, we are far behind."

"God and we are indeed worlds apart. Like this [Biollante]...it gave me goosebumps." (Zhu Yue: Biollante, a Godzilla meme from 1989.)

"Truly awe-inspiring."

"Even the gods could easily come up with such a title. They truly are worthy of our reverence."

The atmosphere at the guild headquarters began to heat up, with the male staff at the center.

Perhaps they shared similar tastes, for they all seemed to be kindred spirits. Even Eina's boss secretly joined in, marveling at their observations. Suddenly, female employees from other departments also began to scream.

Hearing the cheers of the crowd, Missia, who had been completely left out of the circle, finally came to her senses.

"Wait, we're too late...! Let's go, Eina!"

"Okay, sure."

Missia ran towards the crowd, with Eina following behind. Watching her poke at the wall of people, asking them to show her the list of aliases, Eina's mind conjured up Bell's face.

(Hmm—I hope it's not a name that's too violent...)

What if I were named "Blood Guy"... Eina imagined the next time she would meet Bell—the boy standing tall and proud, and herself sweating and speaking cautiously.

While it wasn't quite at the point of being a blatant rip-off, she felt that kind of nickname didn't suit Bell. Eina smiled wryly, secretly praying that the nickname would be simpler.

"Eina, I got it—! Come and see—!"

Missia beckoned and handed the list to Eina.

Several sheets of parchment were covered with a row of adventurers' names and their aliases. She read from the top, flipping down to the second and third pages.

Then she turned to the last page and found the name she wanted at the very bottom.

"—Hahaha!"

"Hmm, did you find Bell's?"

She couldn't help laughing out loud.

With her cheeks relaxed and her cherry-like lips slightly parted, she put on a gentle smile.

Missia, standing beside her, looked at the list over her shoulder, and Eina read out the nickname.

"[Rising Star]"

Volume 4, Chapter 2: "Changed Circumstances, Increased Relationships"

"..."

I gazed absentmindedly at the white ceiling.

I was lying alone on the sofa in the hidden room of the church.

There's nothing particularly important to do; I'm just lying here, letting the moment pass by indifferently. Tick-tock, tick-tock, the second hand ticks at regular intervals, gently reminding me that time is slipping away.

Three days have passed since the duel with the Minotaur.

I've gradually developed a habit: to daydream unrealistically like this, wasting time.

After that fierce battle, I slept for two whole days in the treatment room of the Tower of Babel.

The recoil from the battle… the overuse of my physical body and mental energy rapidly depleted; my mind and body couldn't keep up and surrendered. I heard that I was like a dead man at that time, never to wake up again. To this day, I can still vividly recall the relieved expressions on the faces of the immortals and Lily when I slowly awoke, my vision still a little blurry.

Later, I spent half a day being severely reprimanded by the gods and Lily, and the other half resting—like my current posture.

"Level, 2..."

I have reached Lv.2.

I am truly happy. That's for sure.

When I heard the word "upgrade," I was so excited that I danced with joy. Most importantly, it proved that I was one step closer to my dream girl, which made my back feel hot.

...However, the actual feeling of defeating that monster, defeating the Minotaur, still lingers in my hands.

I've been immersed in a transparent lingering feeling that has nothing to do with heat. It's not that I'm listless, but rather that I feel like I'm floating on the surface of a spring, drifting along with incredible emotions.

Calling it an achievement feels a bit off; calling it a feeling of exhilaration isn't quite accurate either.

It feels like a sense of loss... which doesn't seem wrong.

Although I cannot express it in words, one thing is certain: the Minotaur truly holds a very important place in my heart.

Compared to the fact of "upgrading", defeating the Minotaur is more significant to me.

"..."

I touched my waist, grabbed what I wanted, and brought it into view.

A sharp protrusion. Broken and cracked, now shaped like a long, short knife.

The item "Horn of the Minotaur" will drop.

Of all the ashes that the Minotaur had been reduced to ashes, I heard that only this and the "Magic Stone" remained. The "Magic Stone" had already been sold for money, but I still have this one with me.

Under the glow of the magic stone light, I gently scratched the horn and scraped off the surface.

Some white powder drifted down, and I don't know if it was originally like that inside or if it was affected by my magic, but you can see that the center inside was stained crimson.

A strong unicorn.

The weapon used by the Minotaur that attacked me until the very last moment.

The roar of that fierce bull that once echoed in my ears and in a corner of my mind has now faded away.

I felt that the cow horns, no longer making a sound, seemed to be quietly bidding me farewell.

"……Um."

I stood up. My body felt so light.

I decided to shift my focus again, my gaze finally settling on the red bull horns, then I tucked my jaw in. I wouldn't indulge in sentimentality anymore.

I needed to get up and get moving. First, I looked up at the clock.

Actually, I have a party to attend today. The location is my usual pub, "The Abundant Mistress".

Okay, actually this party was just to celebrate my "leveling up"...

This morning, I took the basket back to Miss Seele and reported the upgrade to her. As we talked, we ended up deciding to hold a celebration at the "Abundant Mistress".

However, they still charged me money, just like Miss Seele's style. Perhaps I shouldn't be too polite... but I still feel a little embarrassed.

(It's such a rare opportunity; I wish even the gods could come...)

It seems that immortals can't come. She said that immortals also have their own banquets or gatherings, and in short, immortals have their own social interactions and obligations.

When the deity returned just now, besides telling me this, he also said that my nickname is "Little Rookie".

[Rookie]... Hmm—, although the fairy shouted "Yay, Bell, that's pretty ordinary!" and hugged me happily, but... no, no, the fairy was so happy, how could I be dissatisfied? No, no,... no.

As I was thinking, the clock hands already pointed to six. It was almost time; I should head out.

I stepped up the stairs from the hidden underground room and left the half-ruined church.

Stepping outside, the west was already tinged with a maroon hue by the setting sun. Night was about to fall.

I walked out of the intricate back alleys and came to see the vibrant main street.

"—Found it! Aa ...

"what?"

Just as I was about to walk into the crowd in front of me.

Suddenly, a loud voice rushed at me.

What, what happened? Before I could even look around, several deities quickly surrounded me.

Gods, immortals...?

"The headquarters of the Loli Goddess is so hard to find, it's exhausting..."

"It wasn't for nothing that I stood guard nearby..."

"Ambush is the foundation of hunting."

"You've finally come out of your hole, little bunny☆"

—A chill ran down my spine.

The several pairs of eyes surrounding me inexplicably terrified me. Especially that last flirtatious wink, which made my face turn pale.

What is going on?

The ambiguous remarks the other party made only accelerated my confusion.

"First come, first served! Bell, would you like to join my Familia? Join now, and all the members of our Familia will come out to welcome you!"

"Hey, you brat! You're too fast! Can't you control yourself a bit?! That's how weak [Familia] are...!"

"Get out of my way, you bunch of trash! Bell Craney, come here! You stole my heart! Whew, what a sinful bunny girl!"

What kind of outfit do you want this child to have?

The gods took a step closer to me, and their extraordinary faces made me gasp and let out a "ee" sound.

...Are you poaching members from your clan/family? Why are you only arriving now?

When I first arrived in this city, not a single faction was willing to accept me...

"Um, I've already joined the [Familia] of the goddess Hestia...!"

"As long as there is love, why care what others think?"

"You're not a good match for a loli goddess!"

No, nobody will listen to me...!

"Honestly, is your rapid growth due to physical attributes? Skills? Or is it faked?"

"A rare skill? Is it a rare skill? Hey, hey! It's a rare skill, right!"

"I really want to find out what's behind that child."

"If you could, could you take off your clothes? Just your upper body, and I won't shortchange you, okay?... Hehe."

"I'll be blunt, can you take it off?"

"Forced sex can have its own unique charm."

"—Fuxixi."

—I took off running as fast as I could.

●

"Ah, finally here, meow!"

"Haha, you adventurer are always late!"

When I arrived at the "Abundant Mistress", a bright moon was already hanging high in the sky.

I braced myself against the pillar by the entrance, my erratic breathing catching in my throat as I struggled to catch my breath.