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

"A crimson light, sinking into the dream behind the massive rock... The sky, unlike anything in the labyrinth, gradually turns crimson, a beautiful time so red it makes you want to cry..."

"You mean...the sunset?"

The lizardman warrior gazed up at the dark, congested ceiling of the dungeon, his eyes drifting into the distance.

Bell directly described the scene that clearly appeared in his mind, and Reed nodded and said, "Perhaps."

"But you said it was a dream... Has Mr. Reed ever been to the surface of the earth?"

"Never. So, kid, maybe I escaped this dark abyss in my past life and even stayed on the surface."

These words made Bell and the others stop what they were doing.

"You said, in your past life..."

"Hey, could it be...?"

After Lily and Welf murmured in astonishment, Bell said in a trembling voice:

"A past life...?"

Reed and Rey did not answer, their gazes fixed ahead.

"Hey, Belle, Winnie's got a really smooth tongue, huh?"

"Huh... Ah, yes, yes."

When suddenly asked, Bell nodded reluctantly.

Reed's gaze turned toward the dragon girl who was chatting and laughing with Chun Ji, Ming, the half-human half-bird, and the unicorn rabbit.

"There are monsters (creatures) here who can speak human language, and there are those who can't; some speak fluently, and some speak clumsily. Isn't that incredible?"

Perhaps it can only be attributed to individual differences, but... Reed said, narrowing his eyes.

"But you know, it can talk! It really can talk right away. It's like it remembered something it already knew."

"!"

"Those guys may have observed humans closely before... with envy or longing."

—There are many people, like Bell… who protect someone from me.

Seeing those people makes me feel colder and colder.

—Those people look so beautiful.

Bell vividly recalled the dream the girl had murmured a few days earlier, on the cramped bed.

At the same time, the thought of "Could it be..." became even stronger.

Winnie and the others are really—

"—'A strong longing'."

At this moment, Fels spoke up:

"The heretics have different feelings buried in their hearts, but they have one thing in common: a strong longing for humanity or the earth."

Through his dreams, the "heretic" remembers his envy and longing for the land... and even more so, for the humans who reign supreme under the sun and sky. Amidst intense killing intent and hostility, he sees a dazzling vision of aspiration.

Humans desperately helping each other, brave dwarves who stand up despite being covered in wounds, elves who maintain their pride until the very last moment before death. Or perhaps it's oneself being pitied and rescued, or the beautiful scenery of the earth like the sunset and the blue sky.

The "heretics" all remember various "dreams" and "past lives".

And they harbor a strong desire that is equivalent to a reason for their existence.

"Kid, I want to live again in a world where I can see the sunset."

"I want to spread my wings and soar in a world of light, no longer these wings that no one will embrace... but to be embraced by a loved one."

Bathed in sunlight, hand in hand with humanity. This is their wish, their aspiration.

Fels and the "heretics" were groping in the dark.

To fulfill any small wish that any human can have.

Having understood everything, Bell and the others felt as if time had stopped.

They understood how difficult it was and how treacherous the road was, and they fell silent.

Seeing Bell and the others speechless with astonishment, Reed and Rey wore wry smiles.

"Kid, I understand. Kid, we're a shadowy existence. We're stuck in the middle, hated by both humans and monsters... But at least we want to have dreams."

At least allow us to pursue our dreams.

Reed looked up at the maze again and said.

"This 'secret' might have been prepared by Mom for us half-baked kids... I sometimes have that feeling."

"Mom...?"

"It's Mom, the mom who gave birth to us."

"It's a maze (dungeon)."

Bell and the others were taken aback by what Rei said.

"I don't yet understand how Mother views us. We will be attacked and killed by our own kind. But at the same time, the labyrinth allows us to exist, I sometimes feel that way."

Reed and Rey questioned the silent dungeon about the reason for their existence.

Moreover, they could not give up their own wishes.

"So...kid, I'm really glad to see you guys, Bell, today."

Reed, who had been looking toward the maze with Rey, turned his gaze back toward Bell and the others.

At the same time, Winnie and the others stood up and returned to this side.

Hearing her call his name happily, Bell turned around first, then looked at Reed and the others.

"Young man, I don't want your help, nor do I want you to do anything. I'm just really happy to know that a human is willing to accept me."

Lily and Welf stood there, stunned.

And there's Bale.

The black-clad magician gazed at the three, while the singing bird smiled at them.

Finally, the lizardman touched his nose shyly.

"It's so great to have met you all, Little Bell."

"Uranus, one last question."

On the altar illuminated by the torchlight.

Hestia's voice rang out.

What happened in the dungeon?

"Do you know why those 'outcasts'...Winnie and the others were born?"

The mutated monster "subspecies" is an abnormal condition, and perhaps this is the only way to explain it.

But does this alien being, the "Heretics," who even alarms the gods, conceal some kind of secret? Hestia asked this question. After a long silence...

Uranus slowly began to speak:

"What do you think happens to monsters after they die, Hestia?"

The question asked in return surprised Hestia.

Before she could answer, the old man continued:

"The children's souls will return to the heavens, where the gods will bestow various punishments upon them, and most will be reborn in the mortal realm. But what about the souls of the monsters? No, if monsters have souls, they are not the ones of our children... What do you think will happen to them?" A commotion arose.

Hestia could clearly feel her heart pounding with fear.

"Could it be...?"

"This is my conjecture, but it is also a certainty."

Uranus continued:

"After death, the monster's soul returns to the labyrinth that was its mother... and then changes its form deep within the labyrinth before falling to the ground again."

Reincarnation – even in the dungeon, there is a cyclical phenomenon of "souls".

The unmoving old god narrowed his pale eyes and made this assertion.

"Monsters have 'souls'...?"

"Indeed, over thousands of years, through reincarnation, the monsters have also changed."

A clear self, and the emergence of intellect.

Over the long period of time that has continued from "ancient times" to the present, some monsters have begun to exhibit "change." This is due to the strong attachments and desires accumulated in their souls through repeated reincarnations.

Hestia's stunned voice echoed on the floor.

"How is this possible? I can't believe it... What's the reason...?"

"Perhaps it's the monsters' strong yearning, their desire... or..."

Or perhaps it is the will of the dungeon.

Uranus's whispers vanished into the dimly lit altar.

The banquet at the "Heretic's Secret" is coming to an end.

Meanwhile, Bell and the others began preparing to return home. Reed and the others also seemed to be planning to move to another residence.

The monsters and Bell and the others eased their initial awkwardness and made reluctant farewell sounds, which made Bell and the others smile wryly. Ming and Chun Ji shook hands with their dance partners from earlier.

One by one, the magic stone lamps went out, leaving only the quartz glow in the vast cavern.

Embraced by a soft green light and dim shadows, Belle examined the appearance of each of the "heretics" she had spoken to. She hadn't had the energy before, but now she realized that all the half-human monsters were quite handsome, even beautiful. Just as Reed had said, their manner of speaking, tone of voice, and choice of words were all different, and their sizes varied greatly. Each had their own personality, their own life.

Bell now knows that they also have aspirations, and hears that they also have wishes.

And he also unfortunately learned that those who harbored such hopes were once ruthless and heartless monsters.

Even the approachable Reed and the beautiful Rey were no exception.

From now on, will I still be able to face monsters with my blade as before?

The thoughts that lingered in my mind, and the momentary confusion that rushed into the corner of my consciousness, occurred again.

Looking down at his palm, Bell heard the sound of frustration swirling in his ears.

"...Little Bell!"

Reed looked at Bell like this, raised a hand and came closer.

The lizardman warrior, dragging his thick tail, took something out of his armor and faced the boy who had looked up.

Do you know what this is?

"The 'Magic Stone'...right?"

Looking at the blue-purple crystal he picked up with his fingernail, Reed nodded and said, "Yes."

The next instant, he threw the pebble into his mouth and ate it in one bite.

"!"

"Kid, do you know what happens when a monster eats a 'magic stone'?"

Reed deliberately chewed loudly and audibly, which startled Bell.

Faced with the lizardman who was swallowing the "magic stone" for her to see, Eina blurted out the knowledge she had been taught:

"Enhanced Species..."

That's the opposite of the laws of monsters—the laws of monsters, which involve collecting experience points to update abilities (stats).

Monsters can enhance their abilities by consuming the "cores" of other monsters—truly living up to their name and embodying the law of the jungle. Those who have devoured countless monster "magic stones" and become excessively powerful may even become targets of guild raids.

Having witnessed the process of absorbing the "magic stone" firsthand, Bell was speechless.

"Kid, we'll kill monsters other than our own kind and then devour the 'magic stones' we pull out."

"You should know that other monsters will attack us without warning. We're not going to just accept our fate, so we kill to survive, and we devour to survive."

His swordsmanship had been honed, and he possessed potential abilities comparable to those of a first-class adventurer. Bell recalled the lizardman's strength, which he had sensed through combat, and unfortunately realized that everything he had said was true.