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

Launch. Launch. Launch.

Like wielding a sword haphazardly, I kept casting spells.

The sharp fire spears pierced the opponent's massive body several times, exploding in flames. The explosions were accompanied by a deafening roar.

The Minotaur, groaning in anguish, dragged itself backward and disappeared into the chain of explosions and flames.

I became dependent on magic.

With this power I didn't have back then, perhaps... I pleaded for this glimmer of hope to come true, and recklessly unleashed [Flame Lightning]. In my mind, I kept pulling the trigger of magic.

"Haa, ha...!"

When I regained my senses and stopped the magic, my vision was already engulfed by a cloud of black smoke.

The acrid smell of burning earth and grass assaulted my nostrils. The Minotaur was nowhere to be seen.

—Success?

Faced with a space where there was no response and only sparks and debris flying everywhere, I was about to lower my outstretched right arm.

"Mmm!"

“——”

Whoosh, the sound of the wind cutting through the air struck the eardrums.

A swaying shape appeared in the black smoke, and suddenly, a giant arm stretched out from it.

Drawing an arc from below, the rock-like fist seemed to be sucked into my abdomen.

The sensation of a bull's hoof piercing into armor.

The shock erupted.

“Guaaaa!”

My vision blurred. The air inside my body was forcibly pulled out, and before I could even grasp the situation, I was already flying into the distance.

The only thing I know is that Miss Ais saved my life.

In the heat of the moment, I jumped back, which halved the power of that punch.

Of course, that wasn't enough to avert all the impact. If I had stood still during that attack, my abdomen would have been blown apart. I was propelled back with the force of a burst dam and slammed into the dungeon wall.

"—!...Ah, ee!"

The wall was smashed open. I was half-buried in the wall, enduring the excruciating pain that swept over me.

I couldn't make a sound. A section of the wall collapsed with a creak, and I slid onto the ground, where pebbles rained down on me.

The light armor, struck directly in the center, is destroyed. True to its name.

The back part that slammed against the wall appeared to be damaged, and it detached itself in one go. The armor, now without support, crumbled into a pile of fragments in the blink of an eye.

How badly do you want to beat me before you're satisfied?!

With only a tattered shirt left on my upper body, I managed to stand up with trembling legs.

"Whoosh whoo ...

"...!"

The muscles in his face were contorted.

No harm was done.

Despite being struck so many times by [Flame Lightning], the Minotaur still had all four limbs intact and no obvious external injuries.

My magic can only cause minor burns to thick skin, let alone fatal wounds.

We can't beat it.

Staring intently at my bewildered expression, the Minotaur, now missing a horn, roared to the heavens.

"Bua bu ...

This is adventure.

The first adventure undertaken by adventurer Bell Crane.

——Can’t win.

The raging bull, roaring fiercely at the sky, looks tantamount to despair.

Volume 3, Chapter 5: Hero's Wish

A characteristic of the dungeon is that the further down you go, the larger the floor area becomes.

The 5th floor boasts a width comparable to the central square, and the area expands as one goes down. By the 40th floor, it is said to be as large as the entire city of Orario.

Even though some floors do not conform to this rule, in principle, we can still consider the dungeon to be a conical structure. The width of the passages and the chambers will also become more open from floor to floor.

Therefore, when undertaking an "expedition"... especially when conquering a dungeon with a small group of dozens of people, there will be no problem once you reach the floors defined as "deeper." However, moving from the first floor, the starting point, to the upper areas will inevitably be extremely crowded.

It was too uncomfortable for a large group of people to move freely through narrow passages and small caves. It was like an army march; even moving forward was a chore.

It takes a lot of effort to deal with monsters every time. Besides, to be honest, queuing in a confined space like a dungeon is itself an act against etiquette.

Therefore, when going on an "expedition" in groups, it is customary to divide the troops into two or three groups, meet at a pre-determined floor (point), and then re-form.

The Loki Familia was no exception, splitting into two forces and embarking on an "expedition".

"Hey, Tione. Why are there other members of the [Family] mixed in with the party? Those people aren't hired supporters, are they?"

"Tiona, you're so silly. Have you already forgotten the reason for retreating from the last expedition?"

"?"

"They're blacksmiths, Tiona."

"Ah!"

Led by Finn Demna, the leader of the Loki Familia and a member of the Palum tribe, a vanguard of several first-class adventurers is about to reach the 7th floor.

A group of about fifteen people moved along, with Tiona, Tione, and Riveria speaking in turn.

"Last time, we were barely in any shape before our weapons broke down, which is why the commander specifically arranged for more people this time."

"That's true. As long as there's a blacksmith with 'forging' skills along, any weapon can look brand new! Finn is truly meticulous!"

"Hmm—after all, it's too inefficient to gather spare weapons while moving supplies. I heard that Loki has a close relationship with the goddess Hephaestus, so I asked Loki for help."

"We're not a blacksmithing clan, so making such a request is a bit presumptuous, but... we really do want a blacksmith member."

Before reaching the middle level, the lower-ranking members of the Loki Familia—the supporters during the expedition—led the group ahead, while the first-rank adventurers leisurely followed behind.

When they reached a deeper level and were about to take the stage, they appeared to be chatting casually, but in reality, they were quietly conserving their energy.

"Ais, Ais, did you hear that! The high smiths of the Hephaestus Familia have come with us!"

"Hmm... I heard that. That's amazing."

"That's right! This way, even when we get to the deeper levels, we can still have a blast. I'm going to show off my might!"

"Just so you know, if a weapon breaks, even the blacksmiths of the Hephaestus Familia can't fix it."

Tiona hugged Ais's shoulders from behind. Ais, who had been walking silently, turned around and smiled gently.

When Tiona saw her smile, she smiled back.

Even the famously aloof beauty Ais Wallenstein couldn't help but show a touch of warmth when she saw the Amazonian girl who seemed to have been born into the wrong race and loved to be close to people.

Perhaps it was because the two shared the common trait of being battle fanatics that they ignored their older sister Tione's cold admonitions and frolicked like young girls should.

"Oh, if they're from the Hephaestus Familia, they definitely won't hold us back. I'm relieved."

"Look, here we go again—Bert just loves to put on airs."

Leaning against Ais's shoulder, Tiona rolled her eyes at Bert, who was standing nearby.

"How is it?" Bert, who had been smiling, also looked at Tiona.

"Hey Bert, why do you always talk like that? Do you enjoy looking down on other adventurers? I hate it when you do that."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not so shameless as to look down on nobodys or bask in a sense of superiority—I'm just stating the facts."

Bert gestured with his chin towards the blacksmiths of the Hephaestus Familia behind him and said, "Am I praising them?"

"Then you should control your words and actions. The things you're saying sound like you're hoping people will misunderstand you."

"Ugh—ugh—, so noisy, so noisy! I'm sick of the elves' lectures! I mean, what right do you have to interrupt, Riveria?"

Shaking his tightly tied gray hair, Bo frowned awkwardly.

A slightly twisted lightning bolt-shaped tattoo runs from the left forehead to the cheek and jawline.

"Judging from your flat chests, you're probably thinking about similar things. Can you honestly say you don't find these small-time crooks lame at all?"

"Tione stole all my breasts! Aa ...

"Please, don't just blame it on me..."

"Yes, I can't say I've never felt pity for them. But don't confuse my pity with your insults."

"I find the elf's pity far worse than my attitude, don't you think?"

"Sigh," Finn sighed, while Bert and Riveria continued their argument.

It's not just Riveria; elves are prone to conflicts with other races. Furthermore, werewolves among the orcs particularly prefer to work alone, sometimes making it impossible for them to compromise.

They weren't really angry; they were just used to arguing. Although Riveria said that, she was really just trying to persuade Bert.

Knowing this, none of the other members, including the captain, wanted to intervene. Ais also silently observed their argument.

"I just can't stand weaklings. They're clearly powerless, yet they're always smiling. It makes me want to vomit."

"To me, this is just the arrogance of the strong."

"That's right, Bert himself was weak before."

"I'm just saying that people need to know their own worth."

"Jinliang," Ais whispered, feeling the weight of Tiona on her shoulders.

She has some ideas.

It wasn't pity, it wasn't insult, and it wasn't contempt; it was purely a question.

What were the thoughts and feelings of that young man who was forced to realize his own limitations, and why was he able to strive so hard?

Ais vaguely recalled, her memory fading, those deep red eyes, brimming with tears.

Then, immediately afterward.

She suddenly raised her head without warning.

"...Four people, I guess."

"What, you said everyone would be here?"

Like her, the others reacted in their own ways. Tiona continued to cling to Ais and look in that direction, while Bert's animal ears stood up.

Just as Ais and her friends were about to cross the intersection, they heard hurried footsteps coming from the right. You could tell from the sound that the person was in a panic.

The supporters positioned in the midfield and defense were about to move to meet the attack, but Finn raised his hand to stop them. He instructed everyone not to leave their positions.

Soon, the adventurer party came into view of Ais and the others.

"They look so... flustered. Should we call them?"

"Forget it, in principle, you're not allowed to interfere with other teams in the dungeon."

"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?!"

"...You big idiot."

Ignoring the dejected Tione, things continued to unfold.

The adventurers, who had been frequently looking back, were startled by Tiona's sudden shout and stopped in their tracks.

"W-Who are you? Huh...No way! It's...it's the Great Severance (Amazon)!"

"Tiona Schilluth!?"

"No, it's the Loki Familia! Wait, are they on an expedition?!"

The four team members who emerged from the passage were taken aback when they saw Tiona and her group, and naturally became hesitant.