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

"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say!"

Finally, even Cassandra and Ming, who were standing guard nearby, joined the conversation. They all praised Bell's amazing fighting skills.

As for Bale himself, he was not happy about the praise, but rather embarrassed.

At times like this, Bell didn't know what to say. Even when celebrating his Lv.2 upgrade, he still wasn't good at receiving enthusiastic praise and couldn't help but reach up to touch the back of his head.

As Bell was pondering these far-fetched thoughts, he inadvertently sensed a gaze and looked away.

Right next to Bell, Haruhime was staring intently at his profile.

"Miss Haruhime?"

"Ah...no, I'm so sorry, I've been so rude..."

"It's okay, but... what's wrong?"

He sensed that Chunji seemed puzzled, yet also had something to say, and urged her to speak with his gaze.

So the fox-girl looked away for a moment, then timidly spoke:

"Um...you seemed quite troubled about the affairs of those 'heretics' before, so I was originally...worried that Lord Bell wouldn't be able to deal with the monsters..."

Upon hearing this, Bell was slightly taken aback.

Haruhime's worry mirrored the emotions Bell himself had felt before. Now that they knew of the "heretics'" existence, could they still slay monsters as usual? For a time, he was troubled and distressed by this, wondering if he could continue being an adventurer. Until the very end, he was unable to find an answer.

Haruhime knew how Bell felt at the time, which is why she was confused.

Confused by the fact that Bell could defeat the "monster" without hesitation, a sight worthy of praise from Sakura and the others.

Faced with the girl's uneasy emerald eyes, Bell remained silent for a moment. When Ming and the others dispersed and returned to their work, he shifted his gaze from Haruhime and bent down to touch the clump of dust beside him.

He picked up a beautiful blue-purple crystal from the dust that fell like pebbles.

After Bell stood up, he stared intently at the "magic stone" of the monster he had just attacked, and answered Haruhime:

"I've decided to become a 'hypocrite'."

Upon hearing this, Chunji was stunned.

—I think you're just a hypocrite!

—Only those who are insulted as "hypocrites" are qualified to be "heroes".

The tyrannical hunter has sworn such accusations. The wise fool has spoken such words.

Bell accepted the word that had always lingered in his ears and heart. Ever since his defeat to that dark "rival," he had made up his mind through his own will.

To protect the dragon girl (Winnie), and to help the "heretic"—Bell—he must kill their own kind.

He knew that monsters might be reincarnated as "heretics," even so...

In order to save those he cherishes, he will continue to take many lives in the future.

Even if it is a "monster", it still tramples on many lives.

It wasn't anyone's will; it was Bell's choice.

A choice has been made, a decision has been reached.

At the end of such actions, he was willing to accept either the honor of being called a "hero" or the stigma of being labeled a "villain."

—I'll just be a "hypocrite".

He murmured to himself as he imprinted the brilliance of the crystals into his eyes.

"...!"

Seeing the boy's resolute profile, the fox-girl gasped and trembled.

Her cheeks flushed as if she were infatuated.

Bell was oblivious to her reaction and gripped the "magic stone" tightly in his palm.

"Although she was already very strong before... how should I put it, she's starting to give people a sense of security."

"yes……"

Welf and Lily watched Bell and Haruhime's interaction from a distance.

The young blacksmith squinted, a stark contrast to the dwarf girl's gloomy expression.

"You look really grim. I don't feel uneasy at all when I see Bell these days."

"Lily understands this..."

As Welf said, the boy's profile showed no instability and he was not in a hurry to seek the meaning of life.

It was the expression of someone who had transcended and overcome confusion, finding the answer. His enlightened gaze was frank and straightforward. The boy, with his unwavering resolve, grew stronger.

"Compared to before, he's become...becomes very, very reliable. But at the same time, Lily feels that figure is getting further and further away from her..."

Even though Lily thought this way, she still expressed her true feelings. Seeing Belle moving forward so quickly, she felt sad and depressed.

Welf stared intently down at her, who was looking down in dejection, then smiled at her defiantly.

"Isn't it your duty, supporter, to support someone like him from behind?"

Lily was startled at first, then became a little unhappy.

"I'll keep pace with the blacksmith. No, I'll hone my skills quickly and become even better than Bell. Don't let us leave you behind."

"Y-Of course!! Lily is his supporter, his best partner! She won't lose to you, Lord Welf!"

"Back to your usual tune, huh... Ouch, hey, don't hit me! That hurts!"

Slap! Slap! Slap! Lily slapped Welf several times with her palm, then slapped her own cheek hard as well.

She reaffirmed her resolve to strengthen herself, and gazing at that retreating figure, she was greatly encouraged.

"..."

Aisha gazed at the scene before her, feeling a surge of emotions.

Reaching the 24th floor wasn't solely due to Bell's power. As they descended floor by floor, the seamless teamwork between Mikoto, Sakura, and the others became increasingly evident. They were inspired by the boy's silhouette and wanted to respond to him.

This is also the content of Lily's conversation with Welf.

One person's back view constantly boosted the morale of his companions; one person's back view inspired the determination and resilience of many.

"The way he was... it was just..."

Just as the gods said... "Hero".

At the very least, one could say that he possesses that kind of aptitude.

(No... it's not about possessing, it's about mastering.)

From an empty place.

Lamenting our powerlessness, we look up at the heights, and continue to run, picking up many things along the way.

Even the gods were amazed by it.

Everything is a "chance encounter".

Many "encounters" made the boy stronger.

She was so strong that even Aisha admired her.

"...It's almost ready to eat, isn't it?"

Aisha, her eyes narrowed, murmured softly...

Bell, who was standing some distance away, felt a chill run down his spine.

*

*Snap!* Lily opened her pocket watch, telling everyone that it was already late at night on Earth.

We've decided to wrap up our exploration for the day and take a major break in the dungeon. In other words, we're going camping.

The chosen campsite was a secluded tree hollow beside a path off the main route to the 24th floor. A short walk further, we saw a "cave" at the bottom, and decided to rest there. This location had long been a candidate for a resting place on the guild map.

During a major break, the first thing to do is to disrupt the terrain of the maze (dungeon).

To prevent monsters from spawning in the area, damage the walls or floors of the dungeon with weapons. This will force the dungeon to prioritize repairing the terrain. Then, simply send people to guard the entrances to the rooms to prevent monsters from entering. While quickly driving away the monsters inside the rooms, use tools like axes or hammers to create large cracks in the walls.

The appearance of the cave could be aptly described as a space under trees.

The space is roughly the size of a large room, with white flowers and leaves growing luxuriantly on the walls, and occasionally herbs can be seen. Looking up at the ceiling, which is about three meters high, you can see tree roots spreading out into a dome shape. The surface is covered with "blue-green moss" that emits a bright green light, illuminating the interior of the cave.

"Although it was just a random location chosen from the map, the environment is actually quite nice."

Lily put down her backpack to lighten her load and enjoyed breathing in the fresh air of the green space.

Although we stopped by "River Town" on the way here—the 18th generation inn town that was destroyed by the heretics and has since been repaired—to rest, we are now exhausted, perhaps because our tense spirits have been released. However, the deep breaths we exhale also reveal a sense of accomplishment, making us feel refreshed.

Since we needed to stay here overnight in accordance with surface time, some of us started preparing for camping right away, while others prepared everything for tomorrow's exploration.

Miss Haruhime and Miss Cassandra, with Mr. Sakura's help, set up their tent, clasping their hands together in excitement, shouting and laughing. Miss Mei and Miss Chigusa took over the cooking duties, while Miss Aisha was in charge of guarding the entrance and exit. Lily and Miss Daphne spread out a map and discussed their route.

Our small team only needed backpacks to carry our luggage, so we didn't have cargo boxes like the Loki Familia's base camp, but it still presented a typical camp scene.

"Okay, Bell, bring that one too."

"Yes, thank you."

I'm having Welf maintain my weapon. In exchange for the newly sharpened "White Illusion," I'm handing him the "Goddess's Blade."

Welf was surrounded by a whetstone, a hammer, and even a small hearth. He seemed to have brought the entire forging toolkit with him on the expedition. Thanks to a skilled and capable blacksmith, the weapons remained sharp and performed at their best. They were incredibly reliable on the expedition from which there was no return to the surface.

"It's so luxurious that a non-forging Familia has a blacksmith. Even well-known factions like the Loki Familia don't have many that can do that, right?" said Miss Daphne, who had just finished her beauty treatment.

"So, Bell, how does the new weapon feel?"

"Hmm, very good. I should say too good, it scared me... It can even slice through metal monsters with a single stroke..."

"After all, it uses super valuable materials (dropped items) that would make a healer or magician scream. Ah, don't tell Riko, okay? She'll yell at me and accuse me of favoring Belle again."

Welf's gaze was fixed on the "Goddess Blade" that was being maintained, and he gave me a mischievous, childlike smile.

I gave a wry smile in response, then turned my gaze to the "White Illusion" blade, noticing its unusually bright, gleaming surface flash briefly.

I can tell from my own experience that it's much more powerful than the Ushiwakamaru series I was using not long ago, and its sharpness far surpasses the older models. Most importantly, the dagger itself is very lightweight and easy to use.

Perhaps this also means it's not suitable for defense... blocking attacks, but overall it's impeccable.

Just as its name suggests, the handle was designed to fit my fingers. Despite being my first time using this weapon, it has a distinct sense of unity, and I can clearly feel that Welf's skills have improved. The shared experience of adventurer and blacksmith working together to refine the weapon fills me with a strange sense of joy and pride.

Including this "White Illusion" weapon, it must be thanks to Welf's weapons or armor that we were able to reach the 24th floor like this.

(...the 24th floor.)

I re-examined this number that had come to mind.

It took about a day to reach the 24th level after leaving the ground, which was an ideal speed of travel.

No, compared to the past when we barely made it to the 20th floor, this time it's practically perfect.

Although things are going so smoothly, which makes me a little scared, but...

(How should I put it... incredibly, I feel very calm.)

I don't think this feeling comes from becoming unafraid of "mid-level" enemies after reaching Lv.4.

It must be because... I've clashed with something far more terrifying than this mid-level area, and with a more powerful being.

The brutal and ruthless hunters, and the dark "enemies"—those experiences left their mark on my body and mind. Reaching the 24th floor of the dungeon was no easy feat, but even within this realm, a calm rhythm played within me, allowing me to regain a sense of reality.

The courage gained through training is one thing, and so is the mindset that continues to function at this moment.

I sheathed the White Illusion, raised my head, and slowly asked Welf:

"Hey, Welf. The Goddess's Blade is made of mithril, right?"

"Yes, it's easy to process and has a high magical conductivity, making it an excellent refined metal (ingot). Magic swordsmen who use both swords and 'magic' often use it to make weapons."

Welf answered me while carefully maintaining the jet-black blade engraved with sacred text.

"Well, it's just that it's easy to conduct, not as powerful as enchantment. Even if you infuse 'magic' into the blade, it will just overflow and disperse. Why ask that?"

"No, I just wanted to know..."

Beside Welf, who was engrossed in his work, I looked down at my right hand.

I quietly—ring, ring—began to ring a faint chime. A few white particles of light repeatedly gathered in my right hand.