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

"From now on, I challenge you to a one-on-one duel."

"duel……"

"Yeah, it's pretty simple, isn't it! The winner can give any command to the stray dog... If I win, I'm going to strip you of that expensive-looking gear and sell it for money."

Without weapons, let's see how pathetic you become. Modo's fierce face, scarred on his forehead and cheeks, contorted with laughter. His tone was full of confidence, with no doubt that he would win.

The winner takes everything from the loser. Hearing this ancient dueling method, a simple, straightforward, and yet ruthless rule, Bell stood there for a while, then forced himself to raise his eyebrows.

His resolute tone masked his trembling breaths.

"If I win, please return the deity to me."

"...Oh, sure, if you win?"

Upon hearing Bell's demand that victory be the prerequisite, Modo's smile vanished. After a pause, he narrowed his eyes, a cold sneer appearing on his face.

On the exposed stage, crystals the size of pebbles had also grown, and a nearby pillar of crystal looked down upon the stage from above. Bell, facing Mordo in the center, reached to his waist and drew his weapon.

Gradually, it solidified into a standard battle style, featuring dual-wielding weapons that excel in speed and attack frequency. The combat stance, wielding the "Hestia's Blade" in the left hand and the "Ushiwakamaru" in the right, was quite impressive, drawing whistles from the surrounding adventurers.

As for Modo, he slowly drew the greatsword from his back, as if to whet the appetite of the onlookers.

"But don't get it wrong, you brat."

Modo had his sword slung over his shoulder with his right hand and his left hand on his hip.

Then his eyes suddenly split open, and a sinister smile, like that of a demon, appeared on his face.

"This is—a performance to torture you to death, you bastard!"

The huge iron block, held high, swung down.

The greatsword shattered heavily at his feet, shattering the ground. A cloud of dust billowed up, and for a moment, Modo vanished from sight. Coughs and angry shouts of "Damn it!" filled the air. Bell, staring wide-eyed, quickly distanced himself from the smoke, remaining vigilant and not daring to let his guard down.

"Huh...!"

When the smoke completely cleared, Bell doubted his own eyes.

Leaving behind the greatsword that shattered the ground, Modo vanished. Needless to say, he scanned the left, right, and rear, and then quickly glanced at the crowd of adventurers outside the stage to see if his opponent had infiltrated them, but still couldn't find him.

Above! Just as he hurriedly looked up—an impact came from the side.

“Ugh!”

It felt like a fist piercing his right temple. Bell was sent flying to the side by the terrifying blow, crashing to the ground with a thud before immediately jumping up. He endured the burning pain in the side of his head, scanning the entire stage, but still couldn't see Modo.

Bell, already caught in the chaos, was attacked again in the next moment.

—Flying kick!

With a whoosh, the sabaton sank into his chest. Air was ripped from his lungs, and Bell's eyes widened to their limit as he was thrown backward. His back slammed into the ground, and unable to breathe, he quickly rolled away to escape the sense of ferocity he had sensed. The spot where he had been standing a second earlier immediately caved in.

Then, when Bell finally managed to stand up, hell awaited him.

A brutal, invisible storm of beatings erupted.

"Ooh o ...

Bell spat out saliva mixed with blood, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes leaning back. Seeing him being beaten, the adventurers watching cheered loudly. They waved and shouted, creating a vortex of excited frenzy.

As countless impacts sparked his consciousness, Bell finally realized that the other party was invisible, transparent.

Bell acknowledged the phenomenon before him as his common sense was shattered. It wasn't a "skill," it might be magic. The encounter with the unknown greatly slowed his reaction time, and the relentless beatings left wounds on his body.

He was knocked away several times, his body swaying from side to side, blood splattering in the wind.

"Kill him, Mordo!"

"It's incredibly powerful; even we can't see it!"

"Teach that arrogant 'rabbit' a lesson!"

The sounds of movement were definitely present. There were footsteps and the sound of air sloshing around.

However, the fervent support from the outfield negated all of that. Now, Bell has no means to keep up with the every move of the Transparent Mordo.

By the time he sensed his opponent's presence and managed to dodge, it was too late. Both were of similar level and abilities, and the accumulated damage from their previous offensive and defensive maneuvers had slowed Bell's previously advantageous speed. For both of them now, even a half-second delay in reacting was enough to be fatal.

Taking advantage of the fact that his opponent was unaware of his preparatory movements, Modo attacked Bell without any mercy.

"Hey, get back here right now!"

"...!"

The onlookers shoved Bell, who had been pushed to the edge of the stage. Bell was pushed forward and then kicked deeply into the abdomen by Mordo.

A wave of dizziness washed over me. This wasn't from the pain of being punched and kicked repeatedly from multiple angles.

Human malice, ill intent, and hostility.

These were things Bell had never experienced before. He had never encountered such raw, intense negative emotions from people. Bell had never been treated with such brutal, dark feelings.

The malice surrounding him made him dizzy.

The jeers and insults pounding on his eardrums from all sides, the lewd laughter tinged with pleasure, and the countless malicious and twisted gazes—all these things made him dizzy and truly terrified. This place was so far removed from the kind, or rather, overly gentle, world Bell had always inhabited.

An adventurer's baptism. This is the treatment Bell is currently receiving.

This is also a kind of adventurer. No, this is the true face of an adventurer.

A feast for thugs who indulge in wine, women, wealth, and fame.

Bell gritted his teeth and refused to give in, when a powerful punch flew from a blind spot and landed on his cheek.

□

Bell and Mordo are engaged in a one-sided battle, while the adventurers form a circle and roar with excitement.

Two pairs of eyes remained detached, watching the elaborate performance orchestrated by the rioters.

"How tasteless... Is it even interesting to watch this kind of stuff?"

"That's really harsh, Asphie."

Hermes, who was standing in the shade of the tree and looking down at the scene below, shrugged as he was met with reproachful and disgusted looks from the children of his clan.

"You said you wanted to see Bell Craney's strength for yourself... so you came all the way to the dungeon just to see something like this?"

"I was actually looking forward to seeing him clash with the floor master or something, but it seems I won't have that chance."

Hermes replied, his orange-yellow eyes following Bell as he fought back while still injured. "The floor owner is even more outrageous," Asphie said with displeasure.

"He even lent my helmet to someone and instigated those adventurers to frame others... I thought the god Hermes had some grudge against him."

"Hmm...shouldn't I say this is my love for him?"

"Who could stand this kind of love?"

"Don't say that. Little Bell will eventually be baptized by adventurers. Didn't Asphie say that other adventurers don't like him? Little Bell is too unfamiliar with the ugly side of people (children), and he may encounter even more miserable situations in the future. Call me tasteless or whatever, I just hope he can understand the other side of humanity."

Upon hearing the proposition put forward by Hermes, the chief god who was familiar with both the pure and impure aspects of human nature, Asphie fell silent.

Hermes informed the group of Bell's planned itinerary, freeing them from interference from the Sword Maiden (Ais) and others. He also lent the magical artifact to Mordo, leaving Bell without the protection of his companions and exposed to the malice of the adventurers. He further incited the group, telling them to put on a spectacular show.

Is this excessive trial (behavior) by the god a manifestation of Bell's good intentions, or even the opposite of high expectations?

"Well, I can't deny that I wanted to have some fun with it. I really feel bad for Hestia."

"...What if he becomes completely discouraged and gives up?"

"That probably means he doesn't have the capacity."

Hermes calmly answered while observing the battle between Bell and the others. A short while later…

He raised his face in a certain direction and gave a wry smile.

"But speaking of which... Bell and the others care so much about their companions, it's truly admirable."

◆

"—I found it!"

Upon seeing the group of adventurers gathered and making a ruckus ahead, Welf shouted.

Sakura, Mikoto, and Chigusa, who was carrying a backpack, ran in a line. Their footsteps rustled on the grass as they quickly rushed through the forest, closing the distance with the group of people ahead.

"In the end, they were still abandoned by the Loki Familia."

"Let's think about how to go back after we get Lord Bell and Goddess Hestia back."

As Sakura and Mikoto talked, they equipped the short bow that Chigusa had given them.

"Let me make this clear first: when I encounter high-level adventurers (those guys), the most I can do is seal their magic!"

"That's enough."

Sakura nodded to Welf's words, and together with her life, she leaped up in front of the huge, raised tree roots, jumped into the air, and shot an arrow with her short bow.

"Whoa!" "What's wrong!"

"They're accomplices of the 'rising star'! How did they find this place?!"

Despite being shot at from behind, the adventurers, true to their rank three, turned and deflected the arrows with their weapons. Under the barrage of arrows—four per second, relentlessly raining down upon them—the adventurers left the stage and fearlessly charged forward.

"Don't be afraid of him! Do as planned! Kill them!"

"Don't be so arrogant, you insignificant member of the Takemikazuchi faction!"

With a loud cheer, the advanced adventurer easily passed through the rain of arrows. Seeing several strong ones rushing forward first, Sakura, who had run out of arrows, threw away her shortbow.

"Chigusa, gun!"

"yes!"

Sakura immediately took another weapon from her supporter and brandished her rifle.

"Too slow, you idiot!"

As expected, the werewolf, with his exceptional agility, caused Sakura's spear to miss its mark. Taking the lead, he smirked and swung his short sword at the defenseless man who had just thrown away his bow.

"--drink!"

"!"

In an instant, Ming saw through the arm's thrusting motion, grabbed it, and delivered a powerful over-the-shoulder throw.

The werewolf's back was slammed hard into the ground. Before he could even cry out, Sakura had already stomped down on his stomach, delivering a powerful stomp attack.

"Ugh!"

"Our main deity is Takemikazuchi, isn't he?"

Seeing that Sakura and Destiny had joined forces to render the high-level adventurer powerless, the opponent cowered in fear for a moment.

The martial arts rigorously taught by the God of War (Takemikazuchi) are applicable whether wielding weapons or fighting unarmed. Including archery and spearmanship, Sakura and her companions are able to engage in combat using a variety of different fighting styles.

With the support of Chigusa, the armory's (supporter), Sakura and Mikoto are able to exert their strength without regret, especially in combat against people, and bravely fight against many high-level adventurers with their "skills and tactics".

"These guys are so tough to deal with...!"

"Idiot! We outnumber them and can easily gang up on them!"

The vanguard was cowering, but a new wave of adventurers joined them from behind, launching a counterattack.

Seeing them scatter, Welf's eyes widened, and he shouted:

"Hey, there are way too many of them!"

"We can only use trees for cover... Don't get scattered!"

Faced with more than twenty enemies advancing in force, Sakura remained unmoved and gave instructions.

Welf and the other three gathered together and cleverly used the terrain to deal with the advanced adventurers.

"Hey, what's going on here?!"

A noisy, clamorous sound wave came from deep within the forest, and Hestia stared wide-eyed and shouted loudly.

Hearing the fierce clashes of swords and the chaotic commotion, she knew without even looking that something serious had happened. The shouting and arguing, which even shook the trees and leaves, was enough to make her waver.

Modo's offer to "guide" Bell also worried her. Hestia feared the boy might be treated cruelly, and even though she was tightly bound, she desperately shook her roped body and asked the adventurers guarding her about the situation.

"Ah...those guys are really going at it..."

"Damn it, I really want to see it too..."

"Hey you guys! Don't ignore me!"