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

Riveria's heavy voice melted away in the sound of rain.

Finn's orders were quickly relayed to all personnel.

The location is the treatment center of the Deancat Familia. Riveria and the female (elf) members of the party are staying here to protect the Amazons whose injuries have not yet healed; they also received the main contents of the instructions from Lefia, whose shoulders were heaving with panting.

While the elf Alicia and the other members of the party were visibly surprised, Lefia, who had run all the way from the Tower of Babel, raised her rain-soaked face and answered Riveria's question.

"Y-yes. Such an excessive order, even if it's directed at Mr. Bert, still doesn't seem like the way a commander would act..."

"No, it is precisely because he understands Bert... and trusts Bert that he appears even worse."

"what?"

"Doesn't that mean I have to be the bad guy?"

Riveria's words refuted Lefia's perplexing worries.

She was talking to herself and sighing, and as a result, Lefia couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking; just then...

"Rivia!"

Ais rushed over from the back corridor.

"Bert is missing... He went outside alone...!"

"I see... Well, as one might expect. In the end, it really is exactly the same composition Finn described."

That werewolf won't give up.

Lefia and her group members stirred. Riveria turned her back to them and closed her eyes.

After she opened her eyes, she walked towards Ais.

"Ais...you go after Bert. You're the only one who needs to keep an eye on him, don't lose him."

"Rivia... um, I understand."

Riveria did not inform Ais of Finn's instructions, but only gave this order.

Ais nodded and ran off. As she passed by Lefia and the others, Riveria called out to her retreating figure:

"Ais, see Bert now, and yourself..."

"...?"

"...No, it's nothing. Go ahead."

Riveria shook her head, as if to apologize for calling her back.

Ais tilted her head and finally rushed out of the clinic.

As she watched the figure gradually disappear into the darkness of the night, Riveria narrowed her eyes.

★

The rain poured down like guns.

Bert walked down the street in the incessant rain.

There was no one on the street except Bert. It wasn't because of the rain, but because of the assassins. This place had become a deserted street, something unimaginable for the normal Orario. The sound of the rain even masked human presence, giving one the illusion that they were the only person left in the world.

The wound is deep and lacks blood flow. We need to get some tools and food.

Even as he was consumed by the fiery emotions burning through his body, a corner of Bert's mind remained calm. As an adventurer and a former tribal warrior, he laid out the preparations for war.

He was certain that Valetta and the others would come looking for him again.

If Bert were to cast aside his restraints and unleash his passion, wreaking havoc on his own, he would likely be easy to deal with in the eyes of his opponents, who would probably try to take advantage of the situation to eliminate the Loki Familia executives who had become enraged and vicious. Therefore, he could not call for help. No, he absolutely could not ask his comrades for assistance. Bert would never allow himself to do so.

The dim light of the magic stone streetlights cast the wolf's shadow onto the stone pavement. Just as Bert was lost in introspection, a shadow flickered ahead. Bert stopped in his tracks, and upon recognizing the figure approaching, he immediately felt an urge to click his tongue.

"Bert".

His crimson hair was soaked by the rain, and he was completely drenched.

She had clearly said she didn't want to get her shoes wet, but now that phrase seemed to have vanished. Bert pondered these inexplicable events.

With a bag slung over his right shoulder, Loki, like Bert, appeared under the glowing magic stone streetlights, unarmed.

"...What are you doing?"

"Hmm~, I was thinking I might run into Bert, so I left the mansion without thinking too much. I hit the jackpot (bingo)!"

"At least bring a guard... Don't you even understand the situation?"

"You're worried about me? Ah~ I knew Bert was the gentlest one."

Bert's deep, melancholic voice clashed with Loki's witty remarks.

Bert couldn't help but click his tongue; Loki, on the other hand, wore a calm smile, the complete opposite of his cheerful tone. A few steps apart, the retinue and the chief god stood facing each other.

"Bert, this is for you."

"..."

"There are medicinal herbs and meat-flavored fruits inside. Eat them if you need them."

Bert caught the bag, which flew in a parabolic arc, with one hand. Several test tubes and a maze fruit were indeed visible through the loosened fabric.

Loki seemed to have a complete grasp of his retinue's (children's) thoughts, and his timing was so perfect that it angered Bert.

Aren't you going to stop me?

"If I stop you now and do something nosy... I'm afraid Bert will never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life."

Seriously, it's infuriating. It's that all-knowing look in her eyes.

Perhaps the last person Bert wants to see right now is her.

His slightly open crimson eyes frequently triggered Bert's memories.

He possesses the same divine eye as that male god—Vida.

"...Another 'scar' has been added."

The moment those words reached my ears...

Bert heard a violent sound as blood rushed to his head. Then, a roar erupted from his throat:

"Don't give me that 'you know everything' attitude!!"

"..."

"Don't get me wrong, who's going to get hurt?! What's making me angry is myself!!"

"..."

"I was just played for a fool by those dark faction guys! And here I was, always bashing those weaklings. It's hilarious! Turns out I'm just a nobody! So pathetic!!"

The emotions that had been building up inside, with nowhere to be vented, erupted, and the silent god became the punching bag.

Bert put on an angry face, gripping the bag strap tightly with his right hand while yelling.

"I'm not strong enough! I'm not powerful enough! I must become stronger, even stronger!!"

This is the truth.

But they fatally went in the wrong direction.

What's wrong is his motivation to become strong. It's the true face of an insatiable hunger.

He pretended that even he hadn't discovered the true direction of his emotions, revealing the "fangs" of a hungry wolf.

"...It's truly heartbreaking."

However, all of this is meaningless when facing Loki.

She was always looking at Bert's "ability rating"—his "symbol" etched on his back; the wolf's howl, meant to scare the weak, had no effect on her.

Loki calmly walked to Bert's side, stopped in front of him as he struggled to breathe, and placed his hands on Bert's cheeks.

"Bert will continue to grow stronger like this."

God's fingers, tattooed along the distorted cheek... Bert's "fangs" wander.

The cold rain continued to fall between the two.

The magic stone lamps scorched the faces of both sides, and the shadows of the clown and the wolf stretched out thinly on the stone slabs.

The clown suppressed his cheerful words and actions, as if soothing a wolf that had cursed the world, stroking along the outline of his shadow.

"...!"

Bert immediately slapped Loki's hand away, the movement weak and without any force.

He walked right past Loki, leaving her behind.

Bert wanted to leave, as if fleeing from the place.

"Bert, let me tell you something. I've heard Vida mention a little bit about you."

Loki turned around and spoke to the departing figure.

Upon hearing this, Bert stopped in his tracks.

"Vida and I are from the same hometown in the Celestial Realm, but I'm actually not very good at dealing with that guy. He's incredibly difficult to approach, and I couldn't outwit him until the very end."

"..."

"So, I ran into him by chance at the bar. He was drunk and said some things offhand. I was just listening casually, but..."

—There's a ferocious "wolf" over there.

—But... my [familia] might harm him.

—If I can no longer take care of that child, Loki, would you mind looking after him for a while?

Vida's words, carried by Loki's voice, echoed in the rain.

Bert gritted his teeth and stomped away as if trying to escape God's word.

Facing the back of the figure that never looked back, Loki uttered these final words:

"Bert, have you figured out what 'fangs' means?"

—I've known about that stuff for a long time.

★

Given this, their meeting was inevitable.

Bert didn't join any factions and made enemies everywhere, spending his days either drinking or fighting; that day, he saw a new face in the tavern.

Loki's Familia.

Like the well-known goddess faction (Freya's Familia), this largest faction in the labyrinth city has always been at the forefront since Bert entered it. They seemed to have just finished an "expedition" and were here to celebrate. The entire faction laughed and praised each other. Bert watched the adventurers' jubilant appearance for a while, then, as usual, he mocked them:

"What kind of adventure is it for small fry to get together? It's hilarious. You guys are just dragging each other down."

The members of the Loki Familia reacted to these words. Since the Lord God was present, they didn't immediately rush forward to argue. However, after Bert's outburst, someone finally couldn't take it anymore and tried to grab him. Bert, however, didn't care and knocked the man to the ground.

"Haha! What a vicious dog. Even though it's a nobody (a marginalized person), it bites everyone it sees. How funny!"

The crimson-haired goddess seemed to find Bert's reaction quite amusing. She tilted her head back and downed her drink, while slightly opening her narrow eyes.

The unassuming boy band members trembled with fear, the black-haired cat-man displayed hostility, and the blonde, golden-eyed girl remained indifferent. Bearing the various gazes around him, Bert thought the renowned Loki Familia was nothing special after all, and felt disappointed. But then, in the next moment…

He was knocked away.

A powerful punch flew in, sending Bert flying.

"All that good wine has been wasted. Shut your mouth, kid."

Bert slammed into the table, speechless, as a dwarf warrior looked down at him.

"Don't be so arrogant; you must recognize that you are also a weakling."

Next to speak was a mage from the elven royal family.

"Judging from your tone, you don't seem like just arrogant and complacent... but you also seem to have given up on yourself, which is perhaps a bit ridiculous?" The Lilliputian hero smiled.

They are the leadership of the Loki Familia, in other words, their strongest force. Since their arrival in Orario, these Rank 1 adventurers have been renowned throughout the land.

Faced with a true "strongman," Bert's eyes widened, he smiled, and then his blood boiled.

Driven by the urge to burn his body, Bert charged forward with a furious roar. But the great dwarf warrior met him head-on and utterly defeated him.

Bert was knocked to the ground time and time again, only to get up again and be completely defeated once more. The brawl was so large that the other members of the group turned pale with fright. The monstrous strength of the dwarf warrior Grace Landrock, who was fighting him for the first time, far exceeded what they had heard, and was so strong that it shattered the arrogance of a strongman that Bert harbored deep inside.