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

Finally, Bert collapsed onto the floor in a pathetic state right in front of Grace.

He couldn't get up, his fists clenched so tightly they trembled. His gray fur stood on end. These sights reminded Bert, who had previously despaired of the weak, of a pleasure called humiliation. His lips tasted the floor—the earthy flavor he hadn't felt in so long.

—Isn't it right here?

—The guy who's ridiculously strong is right here.

Looking down at him from Finn, Riveria, and Grace, Bert smirked again.

Then he barked, a roar that transformed him from a strong man into a weak one in an instant.

While leaving Finn and the others in shock, Bert stood up again and lunged at them, only to be brutally beaten away, this time finally using all his strength.

Bert is laughing.

He felt a trembling rage, but at the same time, he was grateful to have met a "stronger" who surpassed him.

After witnessing Bert and Grace's full-blown fight, Loki tried to persuade him to join the group.

The faction boasts an exceptionally intelligent leader, ridiculously powerful mages, and a dwarf warrior with overwhelming strength capable of thoroughly beating Bert. These powerful individuals never misunderstand the meaning of strength and weakness, and are always taking on new adventures. Moreover, they do not allow the "weak" to remain "weak." The group members wholeheartedly uphold this attitude of Finn and his companions.

"Perhaps this will work," Bert thought. He felt he had finally found a place where he could settle down.

After joining the group, as expected, Bert initially isolated himself. He refused to mingle with the others, only uttering harsh words, and everyone kept their distance from this loner. The preachy Rivera frequently clashed with Bert. Aside from Finn and the others, only Raul was willing to approach him. As the liaison, the then-teenager Raul always seemed to get into trouble; although he was close in age to Bert, he was still timid and hesitant when trying to talk to him. As for Bert, he would challenge Grace whenever he had the chance…

"What a stubborn brat."

Then, after being told this by Grace, he was repeatedly defeated. Naturally, the members of the Familia all believed Bert to be a warlike and ferocious werewolf.

As expected, their relationships only improved slightly after experiencing the harsh "Expedition." Bert, who was used to running ahead alone, argued with Riveria and the others again during the "Expedition." However, seeing his leading figure, more and more members developed feelings for him beyond fear. From this period onward, although Bert still spoke harshly, the way people looked at him began to change, becoming a mixture of fear and admiration. Bert soon made rapid progress, reaching LV4.

Bert himself began to see the band members, led by Raul or Anaquiti, fighting desperately in the labyrinth, and his eyes began to change. Their faces smeared with blood and mud as they shouted victory, they were no less impressive than the tribal warriors Bert had once deeply loved.

These guys are small fry, that's true, but they're not trash.

They refused to give up until the very end, their fighting spirit against the monster truly befitting "adventurers." This was all because they placed complete trust in the voice that guided them. A change of leader could drastically alter the group's dynamics. Although Bert never mentioned it, this incident made him realize the greatness of Finn and the others.

However, it is inevitable that there will still be casualties.

Even though Bert and his fellow strongmen fought their way out with all their might, some weaker individuals still fell. The cries of the weak echoed through the dungeon without ceasing. Even here, these sounds still irritated Bert.

Therefore, the existence of that girl might be a kind of salvation for Bert.

Ess Wallenstein.

She was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and golden eyes, and was only ten years old at the time. At first, Bert treated her the same as the other members of the group and looked down on her just the same; however, after seeing her heroic fighting posture, Bert, like many others, was speechless.

Her features were like a doll's, and her face was almost expressionless.

Bert's sister, though her personality is the complete opposite, would probably be around this age if she were still alive.

She has long, smooth, golden hair.

The hair, more vivid in color than in memory, always reminds Bert of his childhood sweetheart from the past.

She is determined to become stronger.

Like the woman who had admired Bert, this demeanor made him feel very favorably toward her.

At first, Bert thought he saw her as a younger sister. Like Bert, she loved charging into hordes of monsters, and Bert would always scold her—Rivilia's version being, "You have no right to talk about others"—while simultaneously caring for her. However, she gradually became "stronger," needing no help from others; after Bert realized this, a foolish assumption inadvertently occurred to him: what if this girl was his childhood friend (that guy)? Bert was ashamed of this selfish affection. Later, as the girl entered puberty, watching her grow into a "woman" filled Bert with confusion. He noticed something that made him unconsciously superimpose their faces: stepping back to look at the girl's profile, he found it remarkably similar to the girl he had once been fond of.

However, Ais is unlike any of the girls Bert lost.

She is strong.

She was stronger than anyone else, stronger than any woman. So strong that once she used "magic," even Bert couldn't match her; so strong that if no one stopped her, she would build a mountain from countless monsters. Her unparalleled swordsmanship attracted Bert.

No matter how much power she gains, she never stops.

She was more eager to burn her life and more thirsty for power than Bert.

Loki, Finn, Riveria, Grace, and others were all worried about this, but Bert, on the contrary, affirmed her proper stance.

"Ais, just stay like this forever."

"...?"

That was a scene from a certain day; the girl must have already forgotten that conversation.

Seeing Ais intently practicing her sword in the courtyard of the mansion, Bert spoke to her:

"You're strong, that's enough. So... keep it up."

His tone was almost pleading.

This is Bert's willful act of imposing his will on others because he doesn't want to lose the fourth person.

"No."

But Ais rejected the request.

"...I want to become stronger."

Bert smiled at that moment.

Seeing the girl look back at him with a gaze stronger than anyone else's, Bert felt that was more precious than anything else.

Ais must have become Bert's ideal.

She was a strong woman, incapable of compromise, relentlessly pursuing her goals and refusing to allow herself to be vulnerable. It was a kind of sympathy. Among the Loki Familia, she was closest to Bert.

I hate weak women the most.

Without realizing it, this phrase became his catchphrase. It was a breakwater, preventing him from looking away from the pain of the past.

This statement had no effect on Ais.

The "War Maidens" tirelessly dedicate themselves to battle.

If it's this kind of woman...

Unconsciously, Bert began to anticipate something.

Having been utterly defeated by the weak, Bert will probably never be infatuated with any woman again. Therefore, this feeling must be a kind of yearning for an ideal.

It's unclear when it started, but Bert found it increasingly enjoyable to compete with the girl, his eyes following her as she grew stronger.

The group members came and went; a year after Bert joined, Tiona and Tione joined, and two years later, Lefia joined. The noisy girls often came to play with Ais, and Ais smiled more often.

However, Bert was not pleased to see Ais become increasingly worldly-wise under the influence of Tiona and the others. Even if this were beneficial to the young girl, Bert felt that his ideals might be diminished as a result.

Bert's tendency to provoke them stemmed from selfish desires and unconscious jealousy. Little did he know that he was becoming more worldly-wise in his interactions with his companions, a fact Bert himself failed to grasp.

Admit it.

It doesn't feel bad.

Compared to the period when I considered myself a lone wolf, I feel much more comfortable with my current [Family].

Bert's "fangs" no longer throbbed with pain.

however……

"—Do you ever look this pathetic, like you do now?!"

The woman's (Valette's) loud laughter echoed in my ears again.

The sight of the deceased Lina and Lina disrupted the emotions in his heart.

Bert pressed his left hand against the "fangs" on his cheek and clenched his fist tightly.

★

"Huh? Finn and his men have set up an array in the underground sewers?"

The location is in the redevelopment area of ​​Fengyue Street.

In the deserted, decaying city, a group of people mingled in the darkness of night and the sound of rain, moving about. They were Valetta and her gang, the assassins they led.

Valetta set up a temporary base inside the largest building in the reconstruction area, the "Goddess Palace (Hall of the Goddess)," and upon hearing the message delivered by the scouts of the [Sanatos Familia], she twisted her lips.

"Furthermore, I've heard that even 'Daedalus Road' is being monitored... and the same goes for 'Tower of Babel'."

"That bastard Finn, still as quick as ever... He's planning to keep us from ever returning to the artificial labyrinth (Knossos), isn't he? He wants this 'key'..."

Valetta pulled a magical artifact marked with the letter "D" from her long coat with fur trim.

Just as Loki's Familia had predicted, Valetta and her companions arrived in the City of Shadows via the city's underground sewers. The fact that Finn and his forces are now deployed at Daedalus Road and the Tower of Babel indicates that their escape route has been blocked.

Valetta cursed angrily, but a sinister smile crept across her face:

"So, it means it's none of his business if those Amazons die? Heh heh! Just like the 'Nightmare on the 27th Floor'—willing to risk human lives to grab what he wants... That pretentious, pathetic hero...!"

"What... what should we do now, Lady Valetta?"

"What's the rush? Thanatos and the others have noticed Finn's movements and should be calling for the monster (Rives) or something. Once that monster comes out, Finn's gang's net will be easily breached."

Faced with her anxious crew members, Valetta calmly said that all they had to do was endure until the monster Revis and the others managed to create a hole in the Loki Familia's encirclement.

Valette shifted her gaze from the remnants to the assassins:

"Hey, have you cleared out those Amazons yet?"

"Yes, our comrades have plunged the cursed sword into many bodies. Although some seem to have escaped unscathed due to the intervention of the Loki Familia, almost all the officers have been silenced..."

Upon hearing the report from the leader of the assassins, Valette waved her hand, saying, "That's good."

The goddess Ishtar likely only spoke of her relationship with the dark faction (Valeta and others) to a select few. Inevitably, if anyone knew the whereabouts of the "Key," they must be someone within that faction exceptionally close to the chief god. The followers gathered in the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel) were no longer sufficient targets for assassination.

The [Deanquet Familia]—or more accurately, the [Battle Maiden]—could lift Baka's "curse," a fact that Valetta hadn't anticipated; however, a single young girl couldn't possibly heal so many wounded. The large number of Amazons who died today filled Valetta with a sinister joy.

Seeing her like this, the remnants of the dark faction trembled with fear.

Valette Greta

Six years ago, she was blacklisted and nicknamed "Arachnia".

She revels in bloodshed and pleasure within the dark faction, having murdered an unparalleled number of adventurers; she is a serial killer to the core. On past battlefields, facing enemies like Finn, she boldly asserted that taking lives was her supreme pleasure.

While the assassins waiting in the corner of the room remained silent and expressionless, Valeta stopped smiling and looked up.

"Next up is the [Fierce Wolf]."

"What do you mean...?"

"This morning, that guy and the Amazonian brat showed up in the reconstruction area (here), and they were clearly heading towards the palace. The timing of their appearance in that place is highly suspicious."

She stated her conjecture, which confirmed her intuition, and drew a conclusion:

"That guy is looking for the 'key.' He probably got some clues from that Amazon brat you killed. —That guy is the only one who has to be killed."

Upon hearing Valetta's declaration, the secret base erupted in uproar.

"Will the 'Fierce Wolf' get help...?"

"No way, absolutely not. That stubborn werewolf would never rely on his companions even in death. He wants to take revenge himself... That's what he must be thinking. Besides, I killed my own kin, hehehehe!"

Valette retorted that no one understood better than those adventurers, which only fueled the mockery.

Known for his solitary nature, the "Wolf" probably didn't even pass on the information about the "key" he had obtained before coming to "settle things." His bloodshot eyes searched for the images of Valetta and the others, as if they were appearing before his eyes.

"Hey, you guys go find the location of the [Fierce Wolf]—"

at this time.

They heard the distant howl of wolves, which interrupted Valetta's words.

"...It seems he actually called us out on his own initiative."

The woman raised the corners of her mouth and licked her lips.

★

The barking silenced the rain and echoed throughout the city.

Inside the building, many humans and demi-humans wondered if they had misheard the thunder; the guild headquarters staff, busy dealing with the incident, stopped in their tracks; outside, adventurers rushing about looked up at the sky. The gods knew that "some great event" was about to occur.

Everyone in the city heard the howl of the wild wolf.

"This is……"

"Could it be...!"

Inside the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel), along with the Amazonians housed there, Anachiti and Raul caught the loud roar in their ears.

"I'm so angry..."

"Yes—it's too late to stop it."