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

It is searching for a "goddess".

Through his mind, he saw her silhouette, her silver hair flowing, disappearing out of the room. Completely "enchanted," the silverback ape was tossed about by an uncontrollable impulse he had never felt before, as if pulled by invisible chains, chasing after her silhouette.

Give me her love!

I want the goddess's favor!

The monster's actions were driven by an incredibly simple and pure instinct.

There is no room for bestiality to intervene. It is a "love plea" to God for mercy.

"Gaa ...

"Eek!?"

It suddenly rammed into the cargo wagon that was moving forward in the middle of the street.

At the last second, the fleeing horse neighed, and the coachman, who had jumped frantically into the air, tumbled to the ground. The overturned carriage turned its wheels emptily.

The lingering fragrance of the goddess, which had been the clue they relied on, was now barely discernible. Perhaps because they had lost half their sanity and gone astray, the sweet and fragrant remnants had completely vanished.

The silverback ape shook its head and stopped for a moment. It listened to its own breathing and looked around.

There was a large group of people. Some were so frightened their legs went weak, some stood frozen in place, and some covered their mouths with their hands, their faces pale. They formed a large circle around the silverback ape.

Just as the silverback ape was about to finish scanning the people surrounding it, its gaze suddenly stopped on a single point.

The silverback ape's bloodshot eyes saw "her".

The petite, black-haired girl stared at her, speechless.

A special existence that is clearly different from the people around it.

That must be an existence more noble than anything else.

An existence of the same essence as the "goddess" he pursues.

This awakened its memory.

"—Go chase after my little goddess (me)?"

Finally, the words of "her" whispered in my ear.

--found it.

It took a large step towards the girl with wide-open eyes.

❧

“——”

The moment that step was taken.

The crowd formed a wall, and screams rang out as they scattered and fled.

"...Be, Bell."

I grasped the immortal's hand and took one step, two steps back.

The feeling of goosebumps all over my body clearly described my mood at that moment.

Her entire body was white. Her dark silver hair stretched past her waist. She had an unusually strong presence.

"That guy" glared at me and the god with eyes devoid of any rationality.

My breathing stopped.

I have absolutely no time to know why the monsters are here or what exactly happened.

The feeling of sweat gushing out in one breath, a sensation I had experienced before—the helpless tremor I felt when I encountered the Minotaur—burned my body.

I understood in an instant which side would be the one to be trampled on.

——Alright, keep it up!

It seemed that such a sound was coming from somewhere.

Book 1, Chapter 6: Bump of Chicken

"Lord Ganesha, Lord Ganesha! Something terrible has happened!"

In a corner of the sweltering arena, action took place.

The monster festival is still ongoing. The tamers leap onto the backs of the long-necked dragons as if in a horse race, and the excitement of the crowd is about to reach its peak.

"—To be honest, I am Ganesha!"

"No, I know that! There's no need for any self-introductions now!"

The uppermost tier of the arena's stands. Ganesha, who had a panoramic view of the entire arena, watched the festival from his vantage point. Upon seeing the members rushing in, he struck a strange pose, as if showing off his elephant mask.

The members were inwardly devastated by their god's strange behavior and reported the emergency situation.

"The monster we captured escaped! The cage is empty!"

"...Wait, isn't that terrible?"

"That's why I said it wasn't good!"

The members shouted at Ganesha, who had suddenly stopped moving, to illustrate how urgent the situation was.

The commotion was likely caused by outsiders, based on the fact that the basement guards were rendered helpless by someone, members of the guild were also harmed, and the above circumstances.

Ganesha, listening with a serious expression (?), asked in a low voice after hearing the entire report:

"How many monsters escaped—no, were released?"

"Nine, nine heads. This includes monsters that even highly skilled adventurers would find difficult to deal with..."

The composed Ganesha remained unmoved, grunted in response, and shook the elephant mask on his face.

A sharp cry rang out from the center of the arena. The tamer, facing the little dragon at close range, opened his palm in front of his opponent, as if to say, "Stop." The monster growled in its throat, then obediently lowered its head to the ground and licked the tamer's hand with its tongue.

The crowd erupted in cheers. The beautiful animal trainer, who led the dragon towards the audience and raised her hand, received a standing ovation and cheers.

"Alright, immediately pursue those monsters! And join forces with the other [Familia]! Go and request assistance from the arriving deities!"

"Please, please wait! No matter what happened, letting the monster escape is a failure on our part. If we rely on the power of other forces, not only will we lose face, but our opponents may also take advantage of our weakness..."

"I am 'Group Leader Ganesha'! How can I allow the citizens I should be protecting to be harmed! Our greatest happiness is the smiles of children; we will forsake status and honor!"

"Yes, yes! I'm so sorry!"

"The festival continues! Don't let the spectators currently inside the arena leave, and don't let them know the monster has escaped! Under no circumstances should you do anything that causes chaos, understand?"

"I...I understand. There's one more thing, regarding the search for the person who released the monster..."

"It's alright, don't worry about it. This person didn't release all the monsters he captured, so he probably doesn't intend to arbitrarily escalate the damage. I think he has another 'purpose.' A feint, or perhaps some kind of disruption... Although it's infuriating, let's just let him have his way. We must prioritize the safety of the citizens!"

"Go!" Upon hearing Ganesha's command, the members immediately rushed out.

Only five minutes had passed since the monsters' mass escape was confirmed, and under God's command, the Ganesha Familia took swift action.

"The monster escaped!?"

When Ganesha noticed something was wrong.

Eina and the others, who were waiting near the main gate of the arena, also received this information.

"Hmm, hmm. Apparently, the western group saw the monster escape from the arena. The Ganesha Familia is also busy dealing with it... What should we do, Eina—"

Although Eina was momentarily stunned, she quickly switched her focus and raised her eyebrows.

With a resolute expression, she said to her friend, who was on the verge of tears:

"Anywhere is fine, I can contact any nearby [Family]! And adventurers too!"

"Is it alright to act on my own initiative like this? I wonder what the higher-ups will say later..."

The guild staff currently present, including Eina, are all junior members. This is because when Simon had his accident, in order to replenish manpower, the higher-ups, including the team leader, went there.

Her colleagues around her also expressed obvious unease about her unauthorized actions.

"It's much better than having injured people! Besides, the god Ganesha knows that human lives must be prioritized, so he shouldn't object to us asking other [Families] for help! It will be too late if something happens!"

"You're right, it would be bad if something irreversible happened."

Eina points out Ganesha's personality—his willingness to actively assist in running the Monster Festival to please the citizens—and continues to persuade her colleagues.

Perhaps it was her sincere intentions that worked, for the other guild members exchanged glances and expressed their approval of Eina. Soon they began discussing their respective duties and responsibilities.

"...Excuse me, could you tell me what happened?"

Sudden.

A voice spoke to Eina and the others who were huddled together.

The moment they looked toward the person who had spoken, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"A...Ais Wallenstein..."

Hearing her colleague's blank voice, Eina also looked at the girl with astonishment.

A miniskirt that barely covered half of her soft thighs, and a short-sleeved top. Although she wasn't wearing any armor, a rapier holstered in its sheath hung from her scabbard. Her waist-length blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight.

A top-tier adventurer in Orario. Someone Eina and her companions desperately want, standing right there.

The staff member closest to the other party hurriedly rushed to explain the whole thing to Ai Si.

She listened attentively to what happened and turned around as soon as she understood the situation.

"Loki."

"Yeah, I heard you. Looks like it's not time for a date. Well, I'll do Ganesha a favor."

Hearing Loki's grin and agreement, the guild members cheered.

Just like them whose expressions brightened, Aina felt relieved for a moment, but immediately tensed her shoulders again.

"So, do you know where the monster is wandering?"

"Yes, yes, according to the information, almost all the monsters have headed towards East Street."

East Street. Bell, who was just looking for an acquaintance, turned back there.

Perhaps, by sheer coincidence, that boy stepped into the heart of this incident.

"Misia, what kind of monster escaped?"

"Huh? Uh, I remember there were... sword-horned deer and giants, and silverback apes, right?"

Her friend's answer made her frown deeply.

The silverback ape appears on the 11th floor. The sword-horned deer and giants are even born in dungeons deeper than the 20th floor.

Each of these monsters was a match for the adventurer who nearly perished on the fifth floor.

(Please, go take refuge quickly...?)

She looked up at the sky in the direction of East Street.

Now, all Eina can do is pray that Bell is safe and sound.

❧

The air was so tense it hurt your ears.

"Ruru guru...!"

On the sun-drenched avenue, where several decorative flags fluttered energetically in the wind, an oddity stood out, incongruously blending in with the crowd.

Amidst the screams echoing all around, I was speechless.

The monster with long, silver hair that could be mistaken for a tail roared. Chains with sharp, torn marks hung from its wrists, coiled together on the ground.

Silverback monkey.

Among the various dungeon-related knowledge that Miss Eina had instilled in me, I found the name of this monster.

Compared to the floors I've reached so far, the monsters roost in much deeper realms.

Although it is not comparable to the Minotaur, its power is still far inferior to mine at present.

Inside my head, a loud alarm bell was ringing.

"Chirp...!"

The silverback monkey took action.