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

The boy was willing to risk everything to defeat the enemy before him.

"—Move aside, Ais! I'll take over!"

Bert approached and called out to Ais from behind.

A werewolf youth who refuses to forgive the weak plans to rescue the boy.

"Hey, what are you standing there for...?"

Then, as he walked to Ais's side and was about to continue walking forward, he suddenly stopped.

He saw Ais's wide, astonished golden eyes.

"...Huh?"

Bert noticed it too.

"Huh... that's weird?"

"...Who did you say is Level 1?"

Both Tiona and Tione noticed it.

"If my memory serves me correctly..."

Finn noticed it too.

"A month ago, didn't Bert see that boy as a complete novice?"

They discovered that the boy had achieved remarkable "growth"—a complete transformation, shouting out his will and desires, becoming an "adventurer".

"Woo-woo ...

"Aa ...

The roar pierced the sky.

Humans and monsters engage in fierce head-on conflict, a continuous battle of speed and strength.

When they came to their senses, everyone had gathered around Ais.

Bert, Tiona, Tione, Finn, and Riveria holding the little girl.

Everyone remained silent, watching the battle from the nearest vantage point.

Just like Ais, whose eyes swayed, deeply captivated by that scene.

Everyone was filled with interest and excitement.

"Argonauts..."

Use a very soft voice.

Tiona murmured slowly.

That's a story.

A fairy tale about a young man who dreams of becoming a hero, but is tricked by the malice of others and a bizarre fate.

A heroic tale of being loved by fairies, defeating powerful figures, and rescuing a princess.

That was one of the stories her mother told her, one of her favorites.

"I used to really like that fairy tale..."

Tiona's voice shook Ais's ears.

She seemed to be overlaying the scene before her with a scene from a heroic tale, whispering softly and crossing her arms tightly to her chest.

That's right.

That must be a page from the tales of heroes.

Even though their skill level was far inferior to that of Ais and the other first-level adventurers, the sight of that fight captivated their attention.

That must be something that Ais and the others have long forgotten.

It is the Familiar Myth, which the gods have always gazed upon and deeply loved.

"—!"

decisive battle.

Compromise was cast far aside, and they collided with full force. A brutal advance and retreat, an unstoppable acceleration.

A scene of a decisive battle where humans and monsters cut each other's lives.

The boy allowed Ais's teachings to bear fruit, and he wholeheartedly engaged in a fierce conflict with the bull.

They exerted all their strength and used every trick in the book, forgetting carelessness and pride, with only the desire for victory in mind.

All techniques.

All tactics.

All the wit.

All weapons.

All magic.

Everything was thrown into this battle.

"Fire and Lightning!"

then.

"Flame and Lightning—"

The body rises, the weapon bursts forth with power, and the magic glows.

Wielding the goddess's blade, summoning flames and lightning—the boy roared.

"Fire and Lightning ————————————————————————————!"

Explodes.

"——————————————————————————————!"

The black dagger pierced the body, launching a point-blank attack directly from inside the monster.

The Minotaur, bursting forth with flames from within, was blasted into pieces with a piercing death scream.

Burning fragments of a fierce bull, a unicorn horn rolling to a corner of the grassland, and a "magic stone" that flew into the air and pierced the ground.

The bull warriors vanished without a trace, leaving only the boy behind.

"They actually won..."

Gazing blankly at the victorious figure, Bert murmured to himself.

"...mind zero."

"He fainted while standing..."

The boy, who remained motionless in the pose of swinging the dagger to its fullest extent, sent shivers down the spines of both Tione and Tiona.

"..."

Then, Ais...

Looking at that back view that transcends limits.

That figure that used up all its strength.

Successfully crossed the profile of "Adventure".

My heart was filled with a mix of emotions and memories of the past.

—Bell Craney.

Ais will never forget that name.

A silhouette overlapping with that of the father.

A page from the tales of heroes.

The great achievements made.

The "adventurers" born on this day have earned the right to strive towards becoming "heroes".

(illustration)

The adventure begins in the second chapter of the side story, Sword Oratoria 4.

The sounds of people preparing for camping filled the air.

The group members exchanged instructions in a cacophony of voices, interspersed with the hurried footsteps of boots moving about. Iron stakes hammered into the ground were wound with ropes, and tents were erected one by one.

The 50th basement level.

On this safe point where no monsters would spawn, the Loki Familia set up camp for a large-scale rest period between expeditions.

As originally planned, the two groups of troops were to meet on the 18th floor, and then they would go directly to the 50th floor, which is located deep in the "deep layer".

The place looked as if it had been covered in volcanic ash, the forests within the buildings tinged with gray. Veins of green streams meandered among the tall trees. Dozens of meters above the ground, pillars of rock, resembling giant stalactites, glowed with a faint phosphorescence.

The Loki Familia camped on a massive rock offering a panoramic view of the grey forest. Lacking natural light, the area was shrouded in twilight, so magic stone lamps were attached to the tents and cargo crates. In the flickering light, the members emitted a cacophony of sounds different from their usual work noise.

"What's wrong with Brother Bert and the others...?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask..."

"Everyone's become even more violent than usual..."

Led by Raul, members of the lower-level factions, including the cat-woman Angie and the girl (human) Linne, occasionally whispered nervously. Their gazes were fixed on the twin female warriors (Amazons) and the werewolf youth, among other Level 1 adventurers.

Tiona didn't put away her large double-bladed sword (Ulga), muttering "Hmm~!" as she walked back and forth in the same spot. Tione, too, silently circled in place, holding her recurve sword in both hands. As for Bert, he looked like a ferocious demon, frightening the high-ranking blacksmiths of the great forging faction (Hephaestus Familia).

They couldn't sit still for a moment, pacing around silently, and the atmosphere they exuded made Raul and the others uneasy. Finn and his men, who were giving instructions at the main camp, also sighed at these young first-level adventurers.

Lefia, who was moving tent fabric, also looked at Ais and cast a worried glance at her and Tiona.

"..."

Ais, who was outside the campsite, was unaware of Lefia's gaze as she looked out over the building from the boulder.

Facing the majestic forest, her consciousness remained immersed in the memories of the journey—the scene she had witnessed on the 9th floor.

—Defeat the Minotaur.

Young Bell, after engaging in a final battle with the bull on the 9th floor and winning the victory.

The "great achievement" accomplished by the novice adventurer left everyone speechless. Some stood frozen in place, while others watched the boy with great interest; Ais, however, kept her gaze fixed on the boy's back.

He truly exhausted all his strength, standing there unconscious.

The adventurer stood frozen like a stonemason's carving, revealing the [ability values] etched on his back.

The tattered shirt and the blood-stained, mud-covered "Pharna" revealed a shocking sight, causing Ais's eyes to widen like sharp swords.

Almost all of their ability parameters are S.

The ability value that overcomes limits.

The lingering shock of that experience had not yet dissipated from Ais's chest after deciphering the [Sacred Script]. Witnessing firsthand the fact that her [Ability Value] had broken through its limits, she heard her blood boiling and heard her heart pounding in her ears.

When Ais realized it, she had already walked alone to the boy's side.

She stood firmly on the grassland, step by step approaching the boy. The phosphorescence of the underground city burned against her breathless profile, and the boy in her vision grew larger and larger.

Finally, Ais stopped.

Beside the boy, the little girl, exhausted from bleeding, lay on the ground. Ais didn't notice; her golden eyes were fixed on the scene before her.

Part of the [Ability Values] parameters and the "Skills" field are obscured by a torn shirt, bloodstains, and mud.

She wanted to know.

The girl's desire to fulfill her long-cherished wish led her to ask about the boy's "growth" and everything related to it, which made Ais's arm move.

Ais slowly reached out her hand towards the back of the boy who had turned into a silent statue—

"—Don't do this, it's not right to continue like this."

"!"

Rivera appeared from the side and grabbed her wrist.