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

Page 859

Bell, sweating profusely, retorted.

The man's face was ashen, and he curled up the corners of his mouth in a strange way.

"A 'monster' has been born in the dungeon."

"The defensive instinct triggered by excessive damage... that is the cry of the dungeon that even my 'prayer (voice)' cannot convey."

Uranus listened to the ever-present sounds of the underground city and told Fels in a somber tone.

Five years ago, on the same day, the out-of-control behavior of the Rudra Familia caused a large number of "Flame Stones" to be brought into the dungeon, and certain floors suffered a massive bombardment.

It triggered a massive collapse that rendered the maze meaningless.

The dungeon encountered this situation and issued a danger signal.

"Simply destroying the labyrinth's structure wouldn't normally cause any reaction. Each time the labyrinth is damaged, it begins to repair itself, striving to regenerate. Its power is so abundant that the humans (children) call it an 'infinite resource'..."

"However, what if someone commits acts of excessive destruction that prevent the dungeon from regenerating... no, it's destructive behavior..."

"That's right... the dungeon will not regenerate, but will instead focus on 'eliminating' the cause."

If we use biological analogies, it becomes much easier to understand.

Just like humans, when their bodies are attacked by foreign objects, they will activate the "immune" function to clear out the invading pathogens (viruses).

All living things naturally possess this instinct for self-defense.

The same applies to dungeons.

"The dungeon is alive."

When the monster mother is subjected to excessive attacks, this living underground labyrinth will act on its self-defense instincts and give birth to it.

The presence of an immune response is equivalent to birth.

Give birth to "Apostles" to eliminate foreign invaders—adventurers who have invaded the body (dungeon).

It could even break free from the "divine power" that Uranus used to suppress the underground city.

"You mean the acts of vandalism that happened five years ago are happening again in the underground city?"

"I'm afraid so..."

The baby born five years ago is considered to be in an "abnormal situation".

Needless to say, the Astrea Familia and the Rudra Familia were genuine "unknown" monsters, something even Uranus never expected.

Neither the Loki Familia nor the Freya Familia, nor even the two major factions of gods (Zeus) and goddesses (Hera), had ever witnessed it. In other words, "that" has only been observed once in the millennia since the descent of the gods, making it a unique phenomenon.

Only Uranus, who offered his "prayer" to the dungeon, noticed "that".

Only those directly involved in the "tragedy" witnessed the "nameless monster."

"Everyone except me was killed! And those wretches from the [Asteria Familia] too!"

Upon hearing the "truth" about the past that Ryu had never revealed, Bell forgets everything and is deeply shocked.

As for Ryu, her face was filled with pain.

"I've investigated everything over the past five years! I've thoroughly investigated the trigger, how to summon that 'monster,' and I haven't even told those people in the dark faction. I did it all by myself!"

Hearing Jarrow's increasingly fanatical words, Bell doubted his own ears.

His mind hadn't yet recovered from the shock, and his lips moved on their own, asking:

"Why did you have to summon that monster again...!"

"—Of course, I'll be the one to tame them!!"

Jaluo answered very quickly, making this assertion with a fierce and scathing expression.

"Back then, even though I was so terrified I lost control of my bladder and bowels, I was completely captivated by it! Leon, do you think it looks like a monster? I'm different! In my eyes, that thing is more beautiful than anything, even surpassing a mere goddess!!"

Ryu looked back at Jaluo with a puzzled expression.

At that moment, she seemed to feel a tremor of fear towards a man for the first time, her voice stuck in her throat.

"Monster fetish".

Bell couldn't help but think of this term.

"Slaughter, destroy everything, that overwhelming presence! I want it, I want it, I want to possess it!!"

Perhaps due to his nature as an animal trainer, his eyes shone like a child's, revealing a perverse joy.

The man revealed a fear that made him tremble, yet he also longed to possess that being.

That could even be considered a form of deification and worship.

The one-armed beast tamer was captivated by the monster. His fascination with the monster, which caused tragedy with its overwhelming power, ran deep in his bones.

When Liu realized the man's true intentions, her expression changed drastically.

"That's so stupid... That 'monster' is different! That's not something like that! It's impossible to tame...!"

"It's impossible using ordinary methods! But I have this!"

He took out the retractable collar.

It is a magical artifact invented by the "evil forces" that can manipulate even monsters from the "deep" by resonating with the whip.

"And as long as that guy is around!! I'm not afraid of anything! Nothing can scare me!"

"...!?"

"Rion, I won't be afraid of you anymore!"

In an instant, Jala was engulfed in flames of hatred, pointing at Liu with his last remaining finger.

"To this day, not a single night goes by without dreaming about you! Yes, you are my 'nightmare'!"

"But if I summon that monster... then I'll...!"

"That will allow us to overcome that 'nightmare'!"

Hearing this rapid-fire speech, Bell clearly understood what the man meant by "nightmare" and "overcoming".

Jaluo intends to use Liu's psychological trauma to humiliate her, who caused him psychological trauma, and thus eliminate it.

The man deserves absolutely no sympathy.

But he is also someone tormented by his "past".

"That belongs to me! I won't give it to anyone!"

The man looked up and roared.

After five years of investigation and research, Jhalothrus concluded two things:

No matter how much destruction is done to the "upper layers" near the surface, it won't cause the labyrinth's "screams," not even a warning. In the upper areas near the surface, the "divine power" of the old god (Uranus) is highly effective, so it's impossible to summon "monsters" there. That's his judgment.

Another point is the conditions for the appearance of the "nameless monster".

This means that the underground city's floors were severely damaged before it could be repaired.

If you do that, the "monster" will be spawned on the same floor.

Jaluo couldn't just summon a "monster" without preparation. He compared the number of "Flame Stones" he had used in the past with the memories (data) and maps of the collapsed labyrinth area five years ago, and after dozens, even hundreds, of on-site investigations, he finally concluded that "about 20% of the floors were destroyed." The answer was: the labyrinth structure itself was destroyed.

So he sacrificed many tamed guards (monsters) and conducted a five-year experiment on destructive behavior.

Finally, based on the subtle reactions he observed in the underground city, he determined that the "Water City" would be considered a floor.

"This is a taboo in the dungeon that no one knows about. If we deliberately set restrictions, it would be tantamount to telling everyone that there is something sinister going on... We have no choice but to conceal that being and never mention it."

To carry out large-scale destruction across a vast area of floors below the "middle level" is not something that can be done easily. Moreover, to do it at the risk of one's life is something no one would do.

The entire Astrea Familia, who witnessed the events, perished, and the Rudra Familia was also wiped out without exception by Gale.

The only one who knew the truth at that time was [Jifeng].

Having witnessed the "tragedy" firsthand, she would probably not try to break any taboos.

Logically speaking, "that" should not be born again.

If it weren't for Jaluo, this "villain" who escaped from the blade of [Swift Wind]...

"Five years ago, I noticed something was wrong. After confessing everything to the 'heretics' who were more afraid than anyone else at the time, I asked them for help to prevent the same thing from happening again. However..."

"Only this time, Reed and his group are participating in a raid on an artificial maze...!"

"Exactly, there's no immediate response..."

Hearing Fels' groan coming from the flickering crystal, Uranus nodded heavily.

"The location is in the 'middle level,' no, it's in the 'lower level'... A mandatory mission, an expedition location... Could the people present be from the [Hestia Familia]?"

"Taming a 'monster'...? You summoned a monster that could wipe out Miss Ryu's entire 'familia'... to this... floor?"

The overwhelming amount of information that came at once threw Bell's mind into chaos.

No, there's no time to sort things out.

The annoying heartbeat pressed against his ear, and Bell racked his brains trying to think.

In other words, by destroying the floor, Jāra deliberately summoned—Ryū's "true enemy".

It was a "nightmare" that would never have recovered.

And now, the "monster" ravaging this floor is being eradicated as a pathogen—

"—Mr. Perth!?"

Bell grasped the situation and turned to look at the entrance to the cave.

Looking towards the distant labyrinth where the monster still roars with ecstatic ecstasy.

Bell remembered the faces of the adventurers and wanted to rush out to them.

however……