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

"Ughh ...

Orario was shocked.

Adventurers, live broadcasters, and even gods are included.

The unexpected one-on-one duel between the two generals ignited a frenzy of excitement throughout the city.

Everyone clenched their fists, their palms sweating, completely absorbed in the spectacle of the final battle.

The audience, caught up in a frenzy, shouted incoherently at the unfolding battle.

"...!?"

The strike was unleashed. Two crimson short swords.

A swift and sharp attack passed before my eyes. I defended once, and then three more flashes of light came rushing in. In the instant we faced each other head-on, the white-haired man moved with lightning speed, heading towards my chest, to the side, to a blind spot, and even out of sight, unleashing a continuous barrage of wild slashes like a raging wave.

He was forced to defend himself, with no room for counterattack.

The weapon delivered a distinct impact force (weight) that pierced the hand, numbing it.

The sight of Bel, wielding the same red blade in both hands, slashing at him caused Hyacinthus's blue eyes to tremble.

--who.

The longsword and the short knife clashed violently, and his reaction began to slow down.

He was stronger. However, he was just a little bit short; his opponent's speed was far superior.

Who is it?

Even with all their might, they couldn't completely deflect the enemy's attacks, and the opponent would catch them off guard with a sudden counterattack.

The extraordinary speed even overshadowed memories of past battles.

Who exactly is it?!

"Growth" is not enough to describe this gap.

Witnessing the boy's complete transformation, Hyacinthus began to doubt his own eyes and roared at the top of his lungs:

"—Who exactly are you!?"

The abilities, skills, and tactics on the battlefield are all completely different from what they used to be.

The power of the attack, the agility of the movements, the honest to the point of being naive, the flash of inspiration in an instant. The boy he had beaten up just ten days ago had vanished without a trace.

He forcefully swung his sword and killed the adventurer who had transformed into a different person, roaring as he did so:

"I'm level 3, you know!?"

As Yacintos continued to tremble and waver, Bell's figure became blurred.

A crimson dagger, radiating a fierce light, flew past, slicing the opponent's wave-shaped sword in two.

"What are you doing, Hyacinthus!?"

Seeing his clansmen lose their swords, Apollo let out a scream. His composure had long since vanished.

As roars echoed through the city, within the "mirror" of the Tower of Babel, Hyacinthus, having drawn his spare dagger, was engaged in fierce combat with Bell. Just as Hestia gazed upon the retreating figure...

As the young man, who was about to make a bold and decisive move, approached without making a sound.

"Judging from this, little Bell must have a fairly high potential value (savings) when he levels up to Lv.2, right?"

The handsome man with a flower-boy smile observes her profile.

He hadn't heard of Bell having upgraded to LV.3. Judging from this, the battle must have reflected the sum of his current and past ability parameters. If that was the case, Bell's ability parameters must be incredibly high. He asked with great interest.

"What was his highest possible ability value at level 1? I promise I won't tell anyone, could you please tell me?"

Hestia, her eyes fixed solely on the "mirror," didn't even glance at it and replied:

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, so I won't."

"I believe you, so please tell me."

Hearing Hermes's plea, Hestia told him the final updated capability of the Minotaur after the war.

"Everything except 'Agility' is SS."

"Haha, you're kidding, right?"

"See?"

Hermes smiled at her, but Hestia just stared at the "mirror" and remained unsmiling.

Seeing that her expression remained unchanged, Hermes' cheeks slowly began to spasm.

"real or fake?"

"real."

Upon hearing this concise answer, Hermes' face broke into a twitching smile.

"...What about 'agility'?"

"Hermes, you're so noisy."

A single sentence interrupted the male god's endless questions, and Hestia focused intently on the image in the "mirror".

She held her breath and watched intently as the battle between Bell and his men unfolded.

"call!!"

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!?"

A large red flash ripped through space, threatening Hyacinthus as he blocked the attacking short sword.

Bell's weapon sliced ​​the incredibly sharp wave-shaped sword in two with a single blow, forcing the enemy to break out in a cold sweat and retreat.

〖Niu Ruowan Second Form〗.

This weapon was crafted using the remaining loot (dropped item) "Horn of the Minotaur" as its material, a masterpiece painstakingly created by the master blacksmith (Welf). Its destructive power far surpasses that of the original "Ushiwakamaru," as if the ferocious power of the nemesis (the Minotaur) has been directly bestowed upon Bel's right hand. Bel desperately tries to control the weapon, preventing himself from being controlled by it, while simultaneously launching a full-scale attack, aiming to send Hyacinthus to his doom.

Even though he had destroyed the enemy's weapons and maintained the upper hand, Bell was not entirely at ease.

Although he used all the dual-attribute elixirs Naza gave him to recover somewhat, the side effects of [Hero's Wish] were still present. The deep pain in his limbs seemed to be screaming at him, "If the war drags on, defeat is inevitable."

In order to decide the outcome in a very short period of time, he must devote all his energy to this one minute.

"Gurgle...!?"

Hyacinthus's beauty, which captivated the gods, became scorched and distorted by his restlessness.

This was the secret of combat I had learned from Ais and the others over the course of a week. Including techniques and battlefield strategies, the teachings of my predecessors and my fierce offensive (momentum) complemented each other, forming a martial art that was almost on par with Hyacinthus. The intuition for victory that a first-level adventurer had directly instilled through swords and fists (body) cut off Hyacinthus's retreat.

The will to defeat the enemy and the rapidly improving ability (ability value) take concrete form together, pushing the second-level adventurer to the brink of despair.

"Woo, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!?"

「!?」

Faced with the flurry of red blades that swept across the skin and slashed away several adventurer's protective accessories, Hyacinthus roared and swung his short sword at the ground.

The impact and wind pressure were generated instantly. The incredibly powerful blow dug a hole in the ground along with the rubble, sending dust flying. Bell quickly jumped backward, and at the same time, Hyacintos also leaped with all his might, retreating like an arrow.

then……

"—[My name is Love, darling of light. I dedicate this body to my sun!]!"

Hyacinthus made his final gamble.

The chanting begins when the distance between the enemy and ourselves has increased significantly.

"My name is Sin, the Envy of the Wind. I summon a gust of wind to descend upon this body!"

"Magic"—the ultimate weapon for bringing the dead back to life.

Unable to withstand the disadvantageous hand-to-hand combat and choosing to retreat, he resolved to unleash a deadly technique that could turn the tide of the battle.

"[Unleash a fiery hurdle—]!"

Deep within the billowing sand, Bell sensed the interwoven runes of his opponent.

He sheathed the sword "Ushiwakamaru" and stretched out his left hand to stop the other party's attempt.

"[Flame Lightning]!"

The speed-attack magic, known for its instantaneous power, was effective against Hyacinthus.

"~ ...

The thunderous explosion unleashed a torrent of flames.

His slender body leaned back. Hyacinthus was charred all over, his combat suit torn to shreds. But he had held on.

With an iron will, they will never let go of the reins of "magic".

He gritted his teeth, grimaced, and turned his face back to the front as he continued singing.

"Come forth, Western winds!"

Bell stared in disbelief, but immediately raised his eyebrows in a fierce glare.

He wanted to overwhelm the enemy with the rapid-fire attacks that quick-attack magic excelled at, but...

“Aaaaaaaaa!”

「!?」

He was ambushed by Cassandra, a long-haired girl who crawled out of the rubble.

She seemed to have escaped unscathed, just like Hyacinthus, and was not directly hit by the magical cannon fire. At this moment, she mustered all her strength and rammed into Bell from the side, hindering his shooting.

"Well done, Cassandra!"

When the cheers of the god (Apollo) echoed in the city (Oario)—this time it was a petite figure who pounced on Bell, who was entangled by Cassandra.

"Lord Bell!"

"ah!?"

Lily, having deactivated her transformation, arrives to provide assistance.

The girl, who arrived before anyone else, knocked Cassandra away, and the two of them tumbled to the ground, their bodies intertwined.

"—Ugh ugh ...

Bell immediately readjusted his left hand, and in front of him, Hyacinthus, having finished his chant, turned his upper body.

Lower your center of gravity, let your left arm hang down, and raise your right arm high. This posture is called discus throwing.

Concentrating high-output "magic power" in his right hand, Hyacinthus's blue eyes pierced through the astonished Bell, unleashing a spell in one breath.

"【Alien Phantasm - Zephyros】!!"

It is dazzling and brilliant, like a large disk of sunbeams.

The sun wheel thrown from the right hand with a swung arm spun at high speed and flew towards it.

"【Flame Lightning】!!"

Bell's quick-attack magic was a step too slow.

There was a halo as big as a person's upper body, and there was also a crimson lightning bolt moving at high speed.

The two magical attacks collided instantly, and then the large disc shattered the flames and lightning.

「!?」

The flaming spear was brutally torn apart, scattering sparks and dissipating into smoke.

Their firepower was decisively inferior to their opponent's. Bell's magic had a weakness: its single-shot power was never particularly high.

The enemy's ultimate attack, [Flame Lightning], was defeated.

“Wu!?”

Bell narrowly avoided the giant disc that was flying directly at him.

"it's useless!"

However, as if guided by Hyacinthus's roar, the spinning disc flew upwards, tracing a large arc before changing direction and continuing to chase Bell. His crimson eyes widened to their maximum.

Automatic tracking attribute. The enemy's magic will not be destroyed until it hits the target.

Seeing the large disc returning with the westerly wind, a anxious Bell tried to dodge it again.