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

Upon seeing the hidden tree hole, Welf groaned.

Within the self-repairing dungeon, the shattered quartz was beginning to heal at an unprecedented rate. Stepping over the deep green crystal that was gradually returning to its original shape, Bell and the others swiftly slid into it.

The scattered quartz fragments landed on the ground inside the dark tree hole, and the entrance to the hole quickly closed up.

“…Let’s go.”

The singing stopped as if its mission had been accomplished.

Staring intently into the depths of the tree hollow that forms a sloping shape, Bell called to his team.

The group tensed up again and continued walking forward.

"Could this be...?"

In the dark, tree-lined cave, Lily spoke in a trembling, barely audible voice.

Bell and the others understood what she meant, but they remained silent. They held their breath, the stinging tension causing sweat to bead on their skin.

The interior of the tree hole was narrow, and there was no sign of a monster about to be born. Small pieces of quartz protruded from the ceiling and walls, which were not covered with dense moss, illuminating the cavern with a faint light.

Winnie, walking directly behind Bell, quietly reached out her hand to him who was leading the way.

The girl's slender hand rested on the boy's hand, and the boy silently grasped it.

Bell held aloft the magic stone lamp that Lily had given him and walked down into the tree hole.

"...There's a spring."

After walking the entire slope, you will see a pool of clear, cool spring water.

In terms of size, it is about five meters long, wide, and deep, and can be called a pond.

In the dimly lit space where there was no quartz light source, Bell used the magic stone lamp to illuminate the surroundings.

"I can't see any roads anywhere..."

"How could this be... Then, where did that singing come from?"

Haruhime asked in confusion at Bell's murmur.

Even when inspecting the ceiling and walls with lights, there was no passageway, not even a crack or cave leading elsewhere.

Lily and Welf looked around, trying to find the source of the singing.

「… … ?」

At that moment, Ming discovered something in the spring.

It was a golden feather floating on the surface of the Cangquan River.

My gaze was drawn to the faint, gold-like luster, and suddenly I was startled.

"Lord Bell, the magic lamp."

Fate seemed to notice something and walked to the water's edge.

She used the magic stone lamp she had brought from Bell to illuminate the spring water, and the clear, pure water made it possible to see even the bottom.

In addition, we also saw a wall on the water where there was no way to go, but there was actually a tunnel leading to the back.

"Could it be...?"

He ordered that all his weapons, including the Japanese sword, and his armor be removed.

She had only her combat suit left. After telling her squad, she jumped into the spring. Fate used her ninja-like... correct, fish-like swimming skills, honed in the rivers of the Far East, to swim towards the Horizontal Cave.

Bell and the others waited breathlessly with Winnie... Soon, bubbles rose to the surface, and the returning creature appeared on the water.

Ming brushed the bangs off his forehead and silently nodded to the team members who were looking down at him.

Bell and the others exchanged a glance and quickly removed their equipment.

They retrieved their katana and short sword, and everyone, wearing only the bare minimum of equipment, leaped into the spring. Lily and Haruhime both removed their Goliath robes, and had to put down their huge backpacks, stuffing as many items as possible into their spare pouches.

Haruhime was taken around by the young Mikoto and Sakura and other mischievous children. She trained by the river and was surprisingly good at swimming. Welf was weighed down by the weight of the large sword he brought and could only walk underwater. Lily held the short sword-shaped "magic sword" and swam like a small fish. Winnie timidly soaked in the water, and Bell held her hand and helped her.

The spring water felt cool to the touch, the bottom was clear and the view was unobstructed, and the horizontal cave led to the depths.

The specks of quartz growing on the seabed glowed, as if guiding the group deeper into the cave.

Because the team had received a blessing (ability points), they could hold their breath for much longer than normal people. Bell and the others, led by their destiny, arrived at the end of the horizontal cave and looked up at the soft green light shining in directly above.

They kicked and thrashed to the surface in one breath.

“—Puha!”

Bell and the others emerged from the water one after another, and a cave, completely different from the tree hollow and resembling a stalactite cave, came into their view. This place was composed of black rock, with only the quartz crystals growing on the ceiling and walls still glowing. After climbing out of the spring, Winnie and Chunji shook their heads vigorously to shake off the water droplets.

Then Bell and the others watched as a new path, shrouded in darkness, stretched into the depths of the rocky passageway.

Seeing the pitch-black labyrinth that didn't exist in knowledge, "As expected..." Lily seemed to have a certainty, and murmured in a trembling voice.

"...unexplored territory."

The guild has been accumulating a lot of map data for the dungeon.

These data, made public to adventurers to help them conquer the floors, are the footprints and achievements of our ancestors, including "ancient" explorers. They risked their lives to develop the proper routes for each floor without any prior information, and over a long period of time, they drew many maps, which can truly be called "great achievements."

However, there are still areas that our ancestors never explored.

The entirety of the immeasurable, deep, and vast underground city.

The human race continues to increase the number of floors it reaches, but at the same time abandons horizontal exploration.

Or it could be a truly undeveloped place that no one has ever discovered until today.

"Unexplored territory."

Truly, it is a field that no one has ever stepped into before.

Faced with a path not recorded on the map—an area that even first-level adventurers had never set foot in—Lily, Bell, and the others let out a gurgling sound.

"..."

The dark cave seemed to lead to the abyss.

Bell and the others quietly began to walk.

The team regrouped around Winnie. The portable magic stone lamps, designed for adventurers, were expensive, but relatively durable and water-resistant. Bell, still holding the magic stone lamp at the front, led the team forward.

The quartz light source was practically nonexistent; only the magic stone lamps piercing the darkness served as their sole source. The black rock passage was eerily silent, giving Bell and the others the illusion that their own heartbeats could be heard. Even the howls of monsters couldn't reach this place; the silence permeated their ears.

We don't know what kind of monster will appear.

If the team encounters a maze trap or an anomaly for the first time, they could be wiped out in an instant.

Purely "unknown".

My throat was parched, and I was drenched in sweat. All five senses were heightened beyond the physical realm, my nerves were strained, and yet also more acute than ever before. Only the unwavering tactile sensation of the weapon in my hand provided a sense of security. Every step I took opened up new "unknowns," just as my ancestors had done.

Soon, as Bell and his companions ventured deeper into the "unexplored territory," their tension reached its peak.

The narrow passage has come to an end.

"It's so dark..."

And it's already open.

Bell and Welf, walking ahead, felt a sense of liberation from confinement and an overwhelming sense of spaciousness. Welf's murmured words echoed in the air.

This is likely a very large cavern, completely dominated by darkness.

The magic stone light cannot illuminate the fine details.

"...Fate, Miss."

"Lord Bell?"

"A monster?"

"No, no, I can't feel it..."

Bell, suppressing a trembling voice, asked Fate.

Have.

There is something.

There are countless sources of sight.

Somewhere in the darkness, they held their breath, completely silencing themselves, and watched over themselves and their companions.

Bell, sensing the countless gazes, felt fear at their sheer number.

Those with the [Yatagaraja (Skill)] skill cannot sense whether the opponent is a human, a monster they have never encountered before, or something lurking outside the detection range.

Bell was immediately covered in sweat, and all the options flashed through his mind: retreat from this cave, use Chun Ji's "Level Ascension", and protect Winnie.

However, in the next instant.

A strong "killing intent" swelled up.

"""""!?""""

Belle, Lily, Welf, Ming, Haruhime, and Winnie's bodies jolted violently as if an electric current had passed through them.

Countless hostile forces were enough to instantly halt the actions of even the most advanced adventurers.

In an instant, a series of rustling footsteps approached them from all around.

At the same time, the flapping sound of several pairs of wings also propelled them into the air.

"!!"

Bell was the first to react, his left hand, holding the magic stone lamp, moving in the direction of the rapidly approaching footsteps. The light was directed at the fastest-approaching shadow, illuminating—the crimson scales.

"—Luo oo ...

The roaring lizard warriors made Bell stare in astonishment.

——Lizard Man! ?

The lizardman, his eyes bloodshot, wouldn't allow Bell to fight back and charged menacingly into his arms.

The silver scimitar held in his left hand was swung horizontally with great speed.

"————"

The sudden disappearance of the blade made Bell stop breathing.

His ability to move the Blade of Hestia in his right hand was purely accidental.

The blade of the dagger, which had pierced the front of the torso, clashed with the sharp edge of the curved sword.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful impact that shook his vision pierced through his entire body, and Bell was sent flying sideways.

"Bell!?"

Bell rolled sideways away from the squad, and Welf shouted loudly.

The magic stone lamp, which had slipped from the boy's hand, rolled to the ground and was crushed with a squeak by the lizard's claws.

The light disappeared, and the surroundings were completely shrouded in darkness.

"Damn it! What's going on now—"

"Eek!!"

“——!?”

Just as Welf was getting anxious because his vision was going black, a small figure pounced on him.

In desperation, the large sword he raised above his head clashed violently with something, producing a sharp metallic clang. The force was so great that it almost made him kneel.

Through the sparks flying from the broadsword, one could see a thin monster wearing a red hat.

"Goblin!?"

The opponent only retained the appearance of a slightly chubby, low-level monster, but its appearance was vastly different, especially its combat ability, which made Welf waver.

"!"

"!!"

Not only that, but Ming, in the back position, sensed the whistling sound of a shuriken cutting through the air and used his katana to deflect a deadly bullet flying towards Winnie from above.

"--feather!?"