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

Countless scales grow on its shoulders and waist, its pointed ears are more crooked than those of an elf, and most strikingly, a dazzling red gem is set on its forehead.

Including its bluish-white body and the red stone, these non-human organs are clear evidence of a "monster".

The monster, with its slender, branch-like arms tightly wrapped around its chest, kept running through the maze.

(Why?)

The monster is bleeding.

It suffered several lacerations resembling claws, fangs, and swords, with bright red blood dripping to the ground. Its shoulder, along with its scales, was torn open, its pale, bluish skin stained crimson.

(Why?)

His eyes held fear, confusion, and sadness.

Along with the red blood, several drops of water dripped onto the ground. Transparent drops of water flowed from the monster's beautiful amber eyes, vibrating its slender throat.

"Why……?"

The small lips emitted not the monstrous cry of a monster, but a hoarse lament.

A sound like a child's sob mingled with the roar of a monster. As if disgusted by the list of words, the roars of several monsters surged from the intricate labyrinth, causing the long, silver-haired man and thin shoulders to tremble in fear.

His handsome, almost otherworldly appearance, so unlike that of a monster, was distorted by tears.

The monster—"she" is crying.

(Why is everyone...!)

She was all alone.

Born from the labyrinth, "she" was rejected by all that existed.

After breaking through the barrier and being born, "she" knew nothing and wandered in the dark labyrinth. Just as "she" was feeling uneasy because she didn't know where she was, "she" smelled the scent of someone who was the same as herself, and so she followed her instincts and went there.

Soon after, "she" encountered a bear-like monster much larger than herself in a corner of the maze and asked:

Where is this place?

Her response was a ferocious roar; the bear-like beast howled and raised its sharp claws to strike.

With her skin torn apart, "she" was confused and could only run away.

As chaos took hold of her body, the oozing crimson blood and the pain she was experiencing for the first time since birth drove her toward fear.

Later, she was attacked several more times, her life threatened by various members of her own kind, each with a different appearance. As she grew more and more wounded, she desperately held back something that was about to burst from her eyes.

Exhausted after escaping the depths of the labyrinth, the "she" then encountered a different species, unlike herself or her kind.

Humans armed with swords and bows.

A pair of lovers, a male and a female with long ears and an elfin appearance, nestled together and watching over each other.

Unconsciously, envy appeared in her eyes as she moved closer to them.

She tiptoed, afraid of startling them, hiding her sharp fingernails and opening her lips.

Say "Save me".

In an instant, "she" was slashed with a sword.

They were more shaken and confused than they were, and they rejected "her" with fear.

Faced with hostility directed at her, "she" fled. The man wildly swung his sword, while the woman, her face turning blue, raised her bow and arrow with a muffled scream.

She was shot in the back several times and finally shed tears.

It hurts so much, it’s painful, it’s so sad.

The scales of the arrowhead cracked with the impact, and her shoulder, slashed open, burned like fire. She was ostracized, alienated, and rejected by the world around her, branded as a heretic.

Why, why, she kept asking herself.

"How terrifying, I'm so scared," she sobbed.

She kept crying.

(What am I...!?)

Although "she" asked the question, the labyrinth that gave birth to her did not provide any answer.

She fled for her life, and soon a group of people began to chase after her. When they saw her beautiful face, they were horrified and shouted at her in a gruff voice, "Stop!"

Seeing their fierce eyes and licking lips, "she" naturally wouldn't stop obediently. Her bloodshot eyes and relentless pursuit were far more hideous than those of her own kind of monsters.

She is now terrified of everything and runs around on her thin legs.

Using the latent abilities that make her known as a monster, she escaped her pursuers and dodged the attacking beasts, running alone through the tree-lined passage. The lonely, clattering footsteps echoed through the endless labyrinth.

Amber eyes, once again, shed transparent tears.

“Ah!?”

It's downhill.

She stumbled like a child and tumbled heavily down the slope covered with tree roots.

She lay on the ground directly below the slope, realizing she had hurt her foot and couldn't get up.

The monster's roar and the sound of human footsteps startled her. She looked around and dragged her immobile leg. Her congealed blood stopped her in her tracks, and she hid in a corner of the maze, hidden among the trees and countless leaves.

Her legs went weak, and she pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath. She hugged her battered body tightly, enduring endless fear.

At that moment, some kind of presence approached.

She gasped.

The approaching footsteps—the footsteps of humans—caused the pain from the sword wound to flare up like a fever, causing "her" body to shrink back.

His body was trembling uncontrollably.

Before her cheeks were even dry, new tears slid down her cheeks.

She looked up at the approaching figure and tightened her arms around herself.

then.

The person emanating the aura appeared before the tearful "her".

"The monster...'Vivel'?"

White hair, deep red (rubellite) eyes.

In a dark corner of the labyrinth, "she" encountered a boy.

Volume 9, Chapter 1: The Girl of the Opposite Sex

It all started with an adventurer's request.

"A large number of firebirds have appeared on the 19th floor. [Rookie], come and help too."

Upon arriving on the 18th floor, we, the Hestia Familia, received a request from the town of Rivera.

The dungeon experiences occasional surges in certain monsters, considered an anomaly. The newly confirmed "Firebird" is one of the rare monsters appearing from the 19th floor onwards. As its name suggests, it's a bird-like monster that attacks with fire. This monster is said to have repeatedly turned the "Great Tree Labyrinth" below the 19th floor into a sea of ​​fire, making it a troublesome creature. After entering the 18th floor, a safety point, they fly through the air, even causing damage to the lakeside town of Rivera. The high-ranking adventurers running inns in the labyrinth town are unwilling to stand idly by while their shops burn down and are now stepping in to eliminate this menace. They have also called upon every high-ranking adventurer passing by the 18th floor, hoping everyone will assist the townspeople of Rivera in defeating the Firebird.

Today is the third day since the war with the Kingdom Army (Lachia) ended. We resumed exploring the dungeon. We finally reached a safe floor with only our own faction's strength, and then we were immediately given this forced commission. Although Lily was indignant, the reward was not low, and the situation was special - if we let a large flock of firebirds run rampant, we could not explore the 19th floor in peace - so we reluctantly accepted.

The town provided fire-resistant salamander wool robes as advance payment to the participants. As for me, whose "agility" was appreciated, I was assigned to a temporary party of other adventurers. Since they wanted to complete the raid as quickly as possible, they placed me in a team that valued speed.

I temporarily parted ways with Lily, Welf, Miss Mikoto, and Miss Haruhime's other party, put on my fire spirit protective suit (salamander wool), and went down to the 19th floor with several strong adventurers.

However, after successfully completing the adventurer's quest, I realized I was all alone.

Unlike the previous floors, I was unfamiliar with the structure and paths of this "tree maze," so I either chased the firebird or ran away everywhere—

Being placed in the rear position might also be one of the reasons—that's how they were abandoned by the adventurers.

I had no idea where I was, and stood there bewildered in a corner of the maze. Just then...

I spotted something that looked like a human figure in the corner of my field of vision.

The figure, limping on one leg, seemed to be fleeing something and hid in the dark, overgrown areas of the maze.

I thought it was an injured colleague, so I ran over quickly. But just as I was about to reach the person, I realized something was wrong, so I became more alert and moved closer to the shadows.

Then--

"The monster...'Vivel'?"

What I saw before me took me by surprise.

It was a humanoid monster with pale, bluish skin and limbs as delicate as a young girl's. Only when I saw the red stone on its forehead, which resembled a third eye, did I barely recognize it as a dragon named "Vivel".

"Vivel".

Along with the famous unicorn, it is considered one of the rarest species in the dungeon, with extremely limited numbers.

They appear in the middle layer area, from the 19th to the 24th floor. It is said that the "dropped items," whether scales or nails, can sell for astonishingly high prices. In particular, the red stone on the forehead, "Vivel's Tear," is enough to bring enormous wealth and is even known as the "Stone of Happiness."

However, the "Vivel" become ferocious once the gem on its forehead is taken away—if its true form is defeated, the red stone will shatter—thus leaving behind many records describing how numerous adventurers have perished because of it. After all, they are the strongest dragons among monsters, possessing extremely high combat abilities.

The Dragon Lady (Weiweir) was originally supposed to be a monster with a female body and a dragon tail, much like the Lamia, which has a human upper body and a snake-like lower body...

(…Is it really a monster?)

His handsome features, especially his amber eyes filled with tears, made me gasp.

It is completely naked, appearing in its most primitive form.

Instead of a dragon's body, it has a pair of slender legs and small breasts.

If you ignore the skin color and scales, it looks like a girl my age.

"..., ...!"

The dragon girl is crying.

Looking up at me standing there dumbfounded, she hugged herself tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.

It seemed to forget it was a monster and was afraid, displaying fear like a human.

"This is impossible," a voice whispered in the corner of my mind.

I was unable to think clearly, and I kept wavering. The scene before me was truly unbelievable.

Because...yes, monsters are the enemy of humanity.

They follow their instincts, baring their fangs and attacking us; they are undeniable killers. They are a collection of vicious and destructive impulses, intolerant of reason or emotion.

The monster is a "monster".

(—Logically, that should be the case.)

However, I did not feel the disgust and rejection that monsters evoked in humans.

I cannot generate even the slightest unconditional instinct to fight against enemies or monsters.

Faced with its human-like appearance, I actually felt a sense of resistance and was unwilling to turn my blade against it.

I've never seen a monster like that before.

"Ugh, ah...!"

"!"

I noticed the dragon girl's eyes were fixed on my equipped "Goddess's Blade," so I quickly hid the dagger behind my back. I muttered to myself, "What am I doing?" The fear I felt at the sight of the monster eased slightly, but I became even more confused.

Is this "Vivel" a "subspecies"?

Is it one of the abnormal situations, a mutant of a monster?

(It's injured... no, it's been hurt.)

Skin stained red with congealed blood, and a shoulder wound with scales torn open, came into view.

Perhaps injured by a fellow attacker, the dragon girl, covered in wounds, remained seated on the ground, desperately trying to distance herself from me. However, there was a wall behind her, and no matter how much she retreated, it was useless.

I can't move.

Monsters are symbols of misfortune.

No matter what, we should not sympathize with or offer any help.

I remained rooted to the spot, my gaze locked with that of the frightened dragon girl. Even seeing the clear emotions hidden in her eyes, I couldn't deliver a fatal blow... I finally couldn't help but back away.

Unable to take any action, I could only turn a blind eye and cowardly run away.

I turned my back to the dragon girl and left the spot.