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

"Waaah~"

Bell scratched his head and politely declined, leaving Cassandra disheartened.

Watching Daphne take over dealing with the girl, the boy first smiled bitterly, then turned his gaze to his god.

"Then, the immortals..."

"Yes. Bell, you absolutely can't let your guard down, okay?"

"Yes."

"...Good luck!"

"……yes!"

Under the sunlight, Bell and Hestia smiled at each other.

Belle imprinted the sunlight and her smile, which she would not be able to see for some time, into her eyes.

Turning around, he saw that Welf and the others were fully prepared and waiting for his orders.

Bell nodded and told Hestia and the others:

"We're leaving!"

Five months after the boy visited the labyrinth city, one morning.

The Hestia Familia embarked on their first "expedition".

*

The "Factional Alliance" expedition is expected to last one week.

The second-level adventurer (Aisa) said that with this team composition, they could easily travel to and from the target location in just five days. The group used her judgment as a reference to formulate this plan and also planned to camp at a location other than the safety point.

The vanguard of the party advancing through the dungeon consisted of Welf, Sakura, and Bell.

The central guards are divided into two groups based on their duties: one group consists of Mikoto, Chigusa, and Daphne, who are responsible for frontline combat or protecting the supporters; the other group consists of Lily, Haruhime, and Cassandra, who serve entirely as support troops.

In this formation, Cassandra and others from the latter essentially function as defenders. Then, the powerful Lv.4 Aisha covers the rear, thereby eliminating any danger behind the team.

Of course, this was the first time Bell and his team had assembled such a large force. They had arranged beforehand to check on the cooperation status at any time and to be able to adapt to changing circumstances by repositioning each person.

Their destination, their ultimate target location, is—"the lower level".

“—Huh!”

He roared sharply.

Bell's "Hestia's Blade" left a blue-purple trail as it sliced ​​the monster's body in two.

"Kisaraa ...

"【Rookie】! Wrong name, 【Rabbit's Paws】! Keep taking care of all the guys around here!"

A beat too late, and the dying scream of the "Crazy Beetle" rang out. As the large insect's body, severed in two, crashed onto the bark floor, Daphne cried out urgently, demanding that Bell sweep away the monster. His eyes sharpened, and he equipped his left hand with a new dagger, nodding in response while kicking the ground.

The location is on the 24th floor of the middle area of ​​the "Great Tree Maze".

Bell and his team quickly broke the record for the highest floor reached, venturing into the deepest part of the "middle level".

One of the reasons for its rapid forward speed lies with Bell.

"Gah!?"

In stark contrast to the blue-purple slash, a powerful, clean white light burst forth from Bell's left hand.

The beautiful, gleaming dagger that turned the monster to dust with a single blow.

Similar to the Hestia's Blade on her right hand, the new weapon White Illusion is seeing an astonishing increase in its kill count.

The blade is 35 cm long (Selchi), which is exactly between the Blade of Hestia and the double-edged short sword (baselard). It is a long dagger that is a size larger than a regular dagger.

The weapon material is actually a rare drop item called "Unicorn Horn".

Welf's custom weapon, meticulously crafted from the horn of a mythical beast (unicorn), can cut through iron like butter, surpassing even the lost "Ushiwakamaru." With each gentle swing of his arm, a swift flash of light illuminates the blade, sealing the fate of the entire herd of stag monsters known as "Sword-Horned Deer."

The armor worn on the body continues the style of the previous model, using the fifth-generation rabbit armor made of processed ultra-hard metal (Delgensteel). The repaired, sturdy, lightweight armor shines like new, and there is not a single scratch to this day. The left leg is covered with a reinforced leg pack made of "mature mad bull hide", which is far stronger than the old model.

Fully armed with Welf's new gear, Bell gradually drives away the surrounding monsters as instructed.

"The 'hornet' is coming again from the two o'clock direction!"

From the main squad, far away from Bell, came Lily's rapid-fire voice.

Her voice announced the imminent arrival of the "deadly wasps," black hornets that were spreading the sound of flapping wings everywhere.

"Lower your waist, blacksmith! The shield is positioned terribly!"

"Unfortunately, I'm not good with a shield!"

Sakura, a pure avant-garde, offered her advice, while blacksmith Welf gripped his large shield with both hands. A giant wasp (a deadly wasp) launched an attack from the air at an angle, causing the two men's hands to go numb from the impact.

Claws, poisonous stings, body slams. The two vanguards, bearing the brunt of the attack, defended against the onslaught of several killer bees.

Although Ming and Qiancao fired arrows from their protected central positions, however...

"So fast...!"

"Awooo...!"

The deadly hornet, soaring freely through the air, displays remarkable evasive maneuverability, preventing arrows from getting close. Even if it does hit, its hard exoskeleton, superimposed on the giant ant (killer ant), deflects it.

The killer bee, nicknamed the "high killer bee," caused Lv.2 adventurers endless trouble—however…

"!"

Bell's lightning-fast attack worked.

After sweeping away the other monsters from a position far from the team, he rushed towards the dungeon wall and, living up to his new title "White Rabbit's Feet," kicked the wall, leaping towards "Deadly Wasp."

"──"

Killer Bee was stunned when someone took his position behind him. Bell's deep red eyes flashed, and a blade flew.

"—Chirp!?"

The swung "White Illusion" sliced ​​through the two pairs of four wings, along with their hard shells, like butter.

Bell leaped over the monster with inexhaustible strength, sheathing the Hestia Blade in his right hand and smoothly turning half his body with the force of swinging White Illusion to its fullest extent.

He floated in mid-air, stretched out his right hand, and roared out a cannon shot:

"[Flame Lightning]!"

The two consecutive shots of fiery lightning pierced through the same number of giant bees, triggering a massive explosion.

The upgraded "Quick Attack Magic," with its increased firepower and speed, blasted the monster to death before it could even dodge. Bell was pulled to the ground by gravity, and at the same time, a rain of fire fell upon the earth.

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"Last time we encountered a monster that could only run away, and we took it down so easily..."

Cassandra stared in disbelief at the center-back position, while Welf exhaled in amazement, a smile playing on his lips as if to say, "I can't lose to him either."

"---Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!" Welf and Sakura's large shield was pushed forward and let out a low growl, knocking the charging giant bee to the ground.

Ming and Qiancao immediately rushed out from between them, stabbing their short knives into the gaps in the hard shell.

"However, this isn't a solution... If we don't get rid of that, the 'hornets' will swarm in no matter how long we fight them. Even if we try to escape, we won't get very far."

While the vanguard and center-backs worked together to turn the monsters to dust, Aisha was left alone at the rear of the group to fight off the entire horde of monsters, grumbling all the while.

She glanced at the underground city wall, at the huge "honeycomb" buried in the tree hole.

Surprisingly, the swarm of giant bees clinging to the beehive (colony) is actually a monster.

This is the "Bloody Beehive," a rare monster that coexists with the "Deadly Wasp."

Shaped like a pine cone, it is 7 meters long and its purplish-black appearance resembles an ugly fruit. This trap-type monster has no means of movement and usually hides inside tree holes that can be passed through by giant bees. The moment its prey passes by, it blows away the bark of the maze walls, revealing its full form.

If this monster appears on a regular route, it will create an extremely difficult situation.

And now, Bell and his friends have unfortunately encountered this disaster.

"Seriously, this is never going to end! Cassandra, haven't you gotten rid of the slime yet!?"

"Daphne, I'm sorry! It might take a long time!"

"Everyone! I'm so sorry!"

The hive's attack method involves spraying a liquid that, while not lethal, is sticky and can immobilize adventurers. Then, killer bees swarm out to sting and kill them. Haruhime, caught off guard by the hive's attack after it lost its mimicry, was sprayed with this reddish-yellow liquid and stuck to the ground, unable to move. Welf and Sakura's supporters also have their shields covered in the liquid.

The most troublesome aspect is its ability to mass-produce "Deadly Wasps." Because the "Bloody Beehive" is directly connected to the dungeon, the production rate of "Tiger Hornets" is much faster than in other areas. While dealing with the Tiger Hornets, other monsters will appear from the side passages, creating a vicious cycle.

"Fine, I'm not running away anymore, let's defeat it!"

The main passageway, which occupies the regular route, is a fortress with beehives spewing out giant bees one after another. It is no exaggeration to call it a monster fortress.

Therefore, adventurers must quickly implement the tactic of attacking the "fortress".

After Aisha annihilated all the monsters behind her, she gave the order, and then—a "ring, ring" sound was heard.

Bell made his right hand glow as he fought off the giant bee while simultaneously charging up his power.

The bells rang out, replacing the chants, and Bell ended the battle. To ensure optimal range, he moved from the front line to the rear where Lily and the others were.

"Center guards, please move forward! Form a circular formation with Lord Bell at the center!"

Lily's command resounded throughout the entire squad.

Ming, Qiancao, and Daphne quickly took the shields handed to them and blocked the swarm of "Deadly Wasps" as they attacked in a hit-and-run frenzy. Aisha, wielding a large broadsword, also joined in.

Sakura and Welf fought alongside the others who joined the battle, enduring the onslaught of killer bees one by one.

"I'm going to shoot."

The switch from offense to defense took only a few seconds.

Welf and the others who were in front moved aside to the left and right, revealing the muzzle of the cannon named Bell.

Twenty seconds of charging up.

Bell used his glowing right arm as a cannon barrel, freeing up the artillery fire.

"[Flame Lightning]!"

A large, white-edged lightning bolt shot out.

It burned all the giant bees on the ray and exploded on the hideous hive.

"────────────────────Ahhh!?"

The beehive, dragging the screaming monster still inside the nest along with it, exploded with a deafening roar.

The underground city walls, along with the "bloody honeycomb" that turned to dust, were shattered, and a cloud of smoke mixed with a large amount of dust rose up in the main passage.

"Phew... It felt like I had a fight with the floor owner, so tiring."

"Okay, more or less. Of all the hives around here, that giant beehive is the most troublesome."

Lily's enormous personal bag (backpack) was placed in the middle of the road. Daphne and Aisha sat on it, tilting their heads back and gulping down recovery potions (elixirs) or water, their conversation echoing through the quiet passageway.

After the largest battle of the day, Bell and the others began to clean up the mess, which involved collecting the "magic stones" and "dropped items." Besides the blue-purple crystals that were much larger and purer than those in the "upper level," there were also pieces of the "deadly wasp shells" lying in the dust.

They picked up the spoils that had fallen to the floor, or extracted "magic stones" from the corpses of monsters.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Bell... I've dragged everyone down..."

"This is not Miss Chunji's fault. It should be said that we (the vanguard) were in the wrong and failed to protect you."

Because there were so many monsters defeated, people other than the supporters also helped deal with them. Haruhime, who had been freed from the slime, was talking to Bell when...

"Mr. Bell...you're amazing!"

"what?"

Chigusa and Sakura, who were working nearby, struck up a conversation with him.

"Mr. Bell defeated the most monsters on the way here... Although I already thought you were amazing... well! I just thought you were really strong!"

"【Lijie】is the same; the difference at Lv.4 is truly stark. It makes me feel so useless..."

Chigusa, who was covering her eyes with her bangs, said excitedly, while Sakura bent her thick eyebrows into an indescribable angle, revealing her frustration and unwillingness to admit defeat; both of them praised Bell.

"I-I think so too! Compared to previous war games, the action is... well, how should I put it...!"

"Even more formidable, isn't it, Lady Cassandra?"