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

"Hey, little bunny! If you have time to stand there daydreaming, come over here, or are you scared!?"

A small squad of forwards shouted at him, half-amused.

They had long heard of Bell's many tales and, with an adventurous spirit, invited him to join the battle.

"...Go ahead. I'll have something to brag about, saying that the kid who took down the floor master was an adventurer who made a contract with me."

"--Um!"

Welf smiled and encouraged Bell, who nodded in agreement. After wishing each other a brilliant victory, they went their separate ways and ran off into the distance.

Bell caught up with a nearby squad, stood beside them, and soon joined them. Seeing him become part of the group, the burly man with the eye patch smirked as if to say, "Good thing."

"Hey, [Rookie]! Is your gear okay?!"

"Please give me... the best greatsword!"

"Okay, take it!"

One of the squad members handed Bell a spare greatsword that was being carried on his back, and Bell thanked him. He gripped the hilt with his right hand, slung the weapon over his shoulder, and charged towards the giant along with four brave vanguard attackers.

However, at that moment, Goliath reacted to Bell and the others who were approaching him.

"Oh no!"

"what?"

The brave forwards instantly abandoned Bale and changed direction. With a crisis prediction ability far beyond what a mere rookie could match, they swiftly escaped Goliath's attack range.

As if framed, Bell found himself in a situation where he had to launch an attack alone. Goliath's bloodshot eyes fixed on Bell, who was approaching him alone.

A chilling and oppressive aura filled the air, sending shivers down one's spine. Feeling threatened by the floor master's imposing presence, Bell planned to flee immediately—but then a golden vision flashed through his mind.

“——”

The girl single-handedly defeated the floor master, who was the same type of enemy she faced. The swordsman she admired seemed so unattainable.

His previously wide, deep red eyes narrowed. He tightened his grip on the greatsword hilt, gave himself a push, and stepped forward.

"Roar! Ro ...

"——!"

Faced with the giant arm hurtling through the air, Bell leaned forward and accelerated.

He abandoned all attempts to evade to the left or right, charging forward as if shouting, "Don't run away, fight!"—sprinting forward at top speed. Then, in the nick of time, he broke through the attack's trajectory, leaving the giant's blow behind.

His speed and tactics were dazzling. Despite the overwhelming force of the giant fist coming from behind like lightning, Bell broke into Goliath's arms and swung his greatsword down at his left foot.

"call!"

A heavy hammering sound. The hardened skin was impervious to blades and bullets, but one could definitely feel the impact penetrating through it.

Bale's brilliant strike shook the floor master's massive body. The accumulated damage from the repeated attacks by the forward attackers was also not to be underestimated.

As the effects gradually became apparent, the surrounding crowd cheered. At this moment, Bell stuck to his hit-and-run strategy, slipped out from under Goliath's legs, and retreated to the enemy's rear.

"Mr. Crannie, what you just did was too dangerous."

"Ryu, Miss Ryu..."

"If that kind of operation were repeated a few more times, even several lives wouldn't be enough."

Ryu ran alongside Bell, who was still moving, and offered him some advice.

The stern gaze fixed on him from under the hoodie made Bell shrink back like a child being scolded.

"I'll give you a signal, so when you attack, you can only follow behind me. With your agility (on your feet), you'll definitely be able to keep up."

"……!yes!"

Hearing her say this as she turned forward, Bell nodded vigorously. He followed closely behind Ryu.

The two acted together like master and apprentice, continuously trying to win over the floor owner.

◆

To halt the tower's advance, or to bring its massive form to its knees, the adventurers relentlessly attacked its legs. The enemy's unimaginably strong defenses prevented them from completely stopping its progress, but the wave-like attacks of the vanguard did slow Goliath's advance.

As they struggled with all their might, the mages finally finished their incantation.

"Forward, get back! They're about to unleash a powerful attack!"

As the order reached the front lines, Ryu, Bell, Asphie, and the other attacking forwards immediately moved away from Goliath. The monster, lured into the center of the encirclement, noticed the rising magical energy around it and its blood-red eyes widened.

The wizards raised their staffs, as if declaring that it was too late.

The magic circle burst forth with light. The next instant, a tidal wave of fire erupted.

"——!"

A barrage of multi-attribute attack magic was unleashed. After the fireballs hit, a thunder spear pierced deeply, followed by a torrential rain of ice pillars and a fierce tornado, with some "magic sword" attacks added as well. The floor master's massive body was engulfed in the flames of the bombardment.

Soon, the mages ceased firing in unison. The deafening explosions subsided, and all the adventurers held their breath, watching the epicenter of the bombardment... As the billowing black smoke gradually dissipated, Goliath's knee slammed to the ground with a thud. His black skin, including his face, was riddled with wounds, exposing red flesh beneath.

Vapor-like white breath billowed from its mouth, as if to say that the monster was severely weakened.

The adventurers cheered.

"Guys, take it down! Keep pushing!"

The forwards and attackers all rushed forward. They surged forth from all directions, intending to send the giant to his doom.

Many people charged toward Goliath, who was bowing his head.

"...?"

"Miss Ryu?"

Just as Bell was about to smile like the other adventurers around him, he suddenly noticed Ryu's shoulder sway.

Her eyes, which had been narrowed in surprise, suddenly widened.

"--call……"

At almost the same time, others reacted in the same way.

Goliath, who should have been silent and grieved, raised his head, and the wounds on his face had vanished.

Its entire body—no, it was from its damaged skin—radiated red particles of light. Surprisingly, each time a particle of light appeared, the wound visibly healed, eventually becoming completely restored.

Goliath suddenly stood up.

"Self-regeneration?"

Asphie screamed as if she had seen something unbelievable. Just as she had guessed, Goliath healed his wounds with astonishing speed and raised his massive arms high above his head to the unsuspecting forward attackers—no, including the mages (defenders) who stood frozen in place.

Then, he swung his two clenched fists to his feet.

“————————————————————”

The prairie broke apart.

A massive explosion occurred, triggering fissures in the ground and shockwaves. A destructive tsunami that spread outwards instantly engulfed all the vanguard attackers, scattering them and even affecting the mages who had just cast spells.

Even the forward wall was blown away.

"What……!"

Bell, who had retreated hastily with Ryu, began to doubt his own eyes.

The encirclement collapsed in an instant.

The forwards and attackers, who were hit by the shockwave at extremely close range, were obviously injured, and many defenders also fell to the ground. Only a few people used trembling hands or knees to prop themselves up, trying to get up with difficulty.

The vast grassland, with smoke rising from cracks in the ground, presented a scene of utter carnage.

"Burn magic power and convert it into healing ability...?"

The few remaining blue crystals on the ceiling cast a desolate darkness over the surroundings, with only Goliath emitting a red glow. The countless particles of light rising from the giant's body were actually the remnants of burning magic.

The abundant magic power, enough to use "Bowl" as artillery fire, was used this time to enhance self-healing abilities. Witnessing such a monster... especially the brute force that only the floor master could do—and the fact that the monster boss (leader monster) could actually heal itself—this nightmare made Asphie groan.

In full view of the crowd, the giant seemed to emit a red light and even looked dreamy.

To Bell and the others, however, it looked like the divine fire of Sodom, which was meant to punish sinners.

"—Haa!"

Soon, the fierce offensive resumed. Goliath unleashed its "bowl" at everything that moved, using it to pursue the adventurers who had escaped but were still incapacitated. They were thrown back, knocked away, and left barely alive.

"Ugh...! Perth, reorganize the troops and regroup!"

"You're making things difficult for me!"

The adventurers lost their composure; chaos and instability gripped them. Some retreated temporarily, some healed their companions, and others began chanting and attempting another attack. Everyone acted independently.

As if mocking these adventurers who were no longer united, Goliath looked up.

"Hoo ...

"That guy is summoning monsters again...!"

The second summons and calls received a response from all the monsters on the floor. They answered with roars, and not one was left out; they all crowded onto the vast grassland.

The surviving adventurers could only focus on dealing with the attacking enemies in front of them, and had no time to worry about anything else.

"...Mr. Craney, you stay here. Join the others to fight the monster."

"Where is Miss Ryu?!"

"Together with Andromeda, I subdued Goliath."

Bell's eyes widened when he saw that Ryu was still planning to fight the monster alone under these circumstances.

"Unless we stop that monster, we'll continue to be ravaged. Even if we have to fire all at once again, we need to buy as much time as possible... Good luck."

As if sensing the preciousness of time, Ryu only spoke for a short while before rushing off. Bell stared blankly at her retreating figure as she charged towards the giant, then looked around.

The weapons were destroyed and scattered everywhere, and the vanguard attackers and the vanguard wall fell to the ground, all of whom screamed in agony as the adventurers who fought desperately against the monster to protect them.

The situation couldn't get any worse. Even if we could regroup, there was no guarantee we could actually defeat Goliath.

The urgency of the situation made Bell's throat tremble, and he looked down at his right hand.

—We have no choice but to give it our all.

[Hero's Wish]. The [skill] of resurrection that Bell received. He is determined to use this power.

[Hero's Wish] greatly reduces physical and mental strength, making it a double-edged sword. Once the attack is launched, Bell will likely be practically useless in this battle.

If it doesn't work, if he can't fight anymore—Bell shook off the confusion that kept flooding his mind and began to gather his strength.

"Hurry, hurry...!"

You can't let your power stagnate. You have to unleash a single, devastating strike.

Shouts and commotion erupted around him, making Bell almost cry. He gritted his teeth and focused the white light particles on his right hand.

“How could this be…”

Seeing the near-total annihilation of the encirclement, Lily, who was on her way to the supply depot, was stunned.

Goliath was still alive, but many adventurers lay dead on the ground. Not only that, a horde of monsters appeared, ready to deliver the final blow. Lily frowned, kicked the ground, and hurried towards the outpost on the small hill.

"Are there any more weapons and supplies?!"

"Miss Supporter!"

"Bring all the equipment here! Lily will take it to the front lines!"

She shouted to Hestia and the others waiting at the base. Only non-combatants like Lily remained, along with adventurers responsible for defending the base or receiving treatment.

They witnessed the devastation on the grasslands but were speechless, frozen in fear.

"You said you were going to deliver it, won't anything happen?"

"No one else can move! Lily is more useful than those who are too scared to move!"

Non-combatants and adventurers defending the outposts naturally couldn't leave, and those who had just received treatment probably couldn't return to the battlefield immediately. Lili roughly threw down her large backpack and, together with Hestia, began selecting weapons and items.

"What's wrong with Lady Chigusa?"

"After seeing the explosion, he rushed out with a deathly pale face. He probably went to find Sakura and the others."

She probably couldn't just stand by and do nothing either. Imagining a human girl feeling the same way as herself, Lily understood.

Once targeted by the monster, her life would be in danger. However, her concern for Bell and the others still drove Lily to risk her life to take on the responsibility of being a supporter. For them, Lily was truly willing to be shattered to pieces.