Is it Wrong to Live Transmigrated as Bell Cranel in a Dungeon?

Chapter 11.5: The Underworld Resort Part 2

An unknowable amount of time later, long enough that 'afternoon' had turned into 'night', and I stood over a panting Lefiya in a clearing. I had a feeling I wasn't going to be getting any thanks for all the Agility Excelia this little run of ours generated as Lefiya glared up at me weakly.

"Are you done?" I asked, breathing deeply, but otherwise good to go. Even in the time before, I had done a lot of running and hiking, so this was nothing for me even after the day I've had.

Lefiya looked aggravated, but after looking around at our surroundings, she realized just how far into the woods we had ended up going. She then said, "...I'll… postpone it… for now…"

I roll my eyes, "I'll take what I can I guess, Viridis-san."

Lefiya seemed momentarily puzzled at my formality in addressing her. She then flinched at something, but I didn't notice any monsters nearby, so it must have been a reaction to some inner thought because she then looked conflicted.

I broke her thoughts by asking, "So, do you remember the way back? I was too focused on not running into a tree or tripping over rocks and roots to notice."

"I…" Lefiya was confident at first, but after a moment she said slowly, "don't…"

I pinched the bridge of my nose in self-deprecation, "Lost twice in one day… just my luck."

"You aren't trying to blame me, are you?" Lefiya asked heatedly, seeing my comment as a subtle dig at her, which wasn't my intent.

"It's certainly not mine! (Not entirely anyway…)" I said in protest, acknowledging the last bit with a whisper. It could be argued that the events leading to my falling in the pool was partially my fault and that everything that came after was my fault as well. But it was a rather weak argument.

"Yes it is!" Lefiya insisted, having gathered her breath, "You shouldn't have run away! And especially not this deep in the forest!"

"And end up dead? No thank you!" I retorted. I still remember the shock from the blast of magic Lefiya shot at me earlier today. That would have seriously done some damage if it actually hit me.

"Just what do you take me for?! I would never kill you! I only wanted to… beat you within an inch of your life, that's all!" Lefiya said, taking my words completely literally.

"Oh, because that's so much better!" I quickly shoot back. While I hadn't had too strong of an opinion of Lefiya – since my observations of her at the Hostess were minimal – I had a pretty good reason to be upset with her at the moment. She yelled at me for being too sensitive about Elvish Dogma last night and fired a lethal spell at me not too long ago.

So I had no problems with petty bickering. I was at least still waiting for a proper apology from her on her conduct in the Loki Familia tent during that interrogation.

At the same time, I start rummaging through my pouches and pull out a tiny portable magic lamp. The little thing hadn't seen much use, since the Dungeon is usually pretty well lit, but I liked to be prepared and so it was finally getting some good use.

In any case, I choose the direction we vaguely came from and started walking. Vaguely, because we had made lots of twists and turns. I wouldn't be surprised if the Camp was on the other side of the big tree at the center of the Floor.

Lefiya continued to bicker as she followed me, "Well, you're the one who had to go and force Ais-san to give you special training! The impudence! You do realize you're of different Familias, yes? And not even ones with amiable relations! You don't find that the least bit strange?!"

"Uh, Ais-san?" I said, not initially sure why Lefiya was bringing her up for a moment. Then it clicked.

Lefiya continued on ranting, "Ais-san is a first-tier adventurer! The Kenki! The ever-so-powerful, ever-so-beautiful, ever-so-lovely Kenki! She is not someone from whom lower-class nobodies can receive training! Do you not have even the slightest shred of common sense within that head of yours?!"

Okay. Wow. Those were some pretty harsh words. If not for Ryuu and Hestia boosting my confidence, that would have been some severe emotional damage right there.

But Lefiya just kept going, "Not only did you have the gall to monopolize Ais-san for a whole day — a whole day! — you then proceeded to come down here and have her waiting on you hand and foot…! I'm… I'm so jealous! No, I'm appalled!"

"And then… as if that weren't enough! You… you saw her naked body…!"

"Yes! I did! Okay!?" I snapped, stopping in place and turning around with a frown. "It was an annoying prank by Hermes-sama! But I still apologized to her and everyone else! I'm sorry!"

"You–!"

"I'm not done," I interrupted her fiercely. And despite the Level difference, Lefiya stiffened in submission at the heat behind my words.

I sigh to calm myself before gathering my words, "Look, I get it. You look up to Ais-san. For good reason. She's strong and beautiful and much more. But, in that same vein, she is plenty capable of being a big girl and taking care of herself. Which is why I don't think this outburst is really about her at all. Why do you hate me so much?"

"Hate…?" Lefiya said softly, like a whisper. She was surprised by my question?

I said further, "Why do you feel so strongly about Ais-san? Why are you so angry with me? What did I do to deserve such hostility? I'd much rather become friends than enemies, but I can't do that if I don't understand you!"

Lefiya looked like she was in shock, and deep in thought. She stood there, staring at me for a long minute before she finally found words to say, "...I, I don't hate you… I just… Ais-san is in my Familia, and… I look up to her so much, and… I want to help her, I want to stand by her side. I need to catch up!"

I sigh with realization. So it was like that, huh?

"Ais-san is really important to you, huh," I said, "I see. She inspired you didn't she? And you love her for it."

"L-l-l-love?!" Lefiya blushed deeply before getting lost in a fantasy. "Hehehe… Ais-san… hehe…"

I snapped my fingers, bringing Lefiya back to reality who to her chagrin looked sheepish at her distraction.

"I understand the feeling," I told her, thinking of Ryuu and Hestia in particular, "of someone who inspires you to be more than yourself. Wanting to protect them and make them happy."

"Then you…!" Lefiya began to say before I cut in.

"Let me be clear," I started to say, "Ais-san's training with me was her suggestion in the first place. And was only a temporary thing before the expedition you guys are now returning from. So I'm sorry for taking Ais-san for an entire day, but I'm hardly going to be stealing her away from you.

"And I can hardly speak for why Ais-san was spending time with me the past day. Aside from the fact she probably sees me as some kind of acquaintance."

"Acquaintance?" Lefiya said, almost surprised at my classification of our relationship.

I hesitantly postulate, "...I get the feeling that, for many reasons, Ais-san doesn't have many friends she can honestly confide in. The pedestal she is on alone would make it hard for her to connect with others… But no, I don't think she sees me as anything more than a curiosity because I beat her record."

It was honestly hard to tell what Ais' actual opinion was of me. The girl was just too stoic to read, which was saying something since I regularly talked with Ryuu.

But it was a fact that her stoic expression and mannerisms combined with her reputation made casual conversation hard at times. So much so that I only happened to relax around Ais after running into her on multiple occasions. Most don't get such chances with her.

Lefiya looked contemplative, "That…"

She sounded sad. Which was all but confirmation for me that Ais really did have few friends.

"Point is, I can at least understand your feelings on the matter," I concluded, "I'm not sure how much Ais-san and I will interact in the future. And I don't mind being your 'rival' if that's how you see me. But I won't ever respect you if you can't at least respect me back."

Lefiya flinched, but her eyes shone with understanding. She nodded, and said, "Very well. I… I'd like to apologize for taking things too far! Though! I reserve the right to punish you the next time you peep!"

"I didn't really intend to peep nor plan to, but that's fair, I guess…" I replied with an exasperated but pleased sigh.

"And…!" Lefiya continued, "I–I overheard your conversation with Riveria-sama!"

My eyes shot up at that. Was that noise back then…?

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping and everything last night!" Lefiya apologized, and her sincerity was obvious, "The ideas you brought up… they're scary… so, while I don't think it's wrong to respect Riveria-sama… I'll try to be more understanding!"

I could feel myself relax. So this was the second protagonist of the spin-off story I hadn't the chance to watch… Maybe I had been too harsh because I kept on running into Lefiya at her worst and not at her best behavior.

She was a little neurotic, but that seemed to apply to most elves and adventurers anyway. Considering how she could reflect on herself and apologize… and how honest she was about fighting for her friends, it was clear that she was definitely a good person.

Fighting for one's friends was something I understood.

"It means a lot to hear you say that…" I said, gladly accepting her apologies before…

*GROWL*

*GROWL*

…both of our stomachs' growled with comical amounts of sound.

I sheepishly scratched the back of my head as Lefiya blushed in embarrassment. I said, "Guess with time of day and that run, it should be expected, huh?"

Lefiya didn't really appreciate being reminded of how we got lost in the woods in the first place based on the look she gave me. That's what I get for trying to make a joke, huh…

In any case, since fighting on a completely empty stomach was hardly a good idea, we both looked around to see if there was anything to eat before we tried heading out.

A quick glance of the surroundings yielded no fruit to speak of. A quick pat down of my pouches also had a lack of emergency rations – as those had all been in Lili's bag.

I looked back to Lefiya, who was holding something in her hands with a conflicted look on her face.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

Lefiya stiffened, then sighed before offering something from her hand and dropping it into mine, "Here," she said.

"Hm?" I hummed as the small teardrop like crystal fell into my hand. After a second, I recognized it as a rare candy-like fruit drop from this Floor. It was so rare and delicious that it was worth a lot of money to put it simply.

"You are hungry are you not?" Lefiya said rhetorically, taking my shocked silence as a complaint against the amount of 'food'. "While it may not be filling… it should help ease the cravings."

"But, Lefiya-san, this is…" I made to protest but was cut off.

"Just take it! It's fine!" Lefiya interjected.

It certainly didn't look fine. Lefiya's expression was obviously pained when giving this to me, and I didn't get the feeling that it was from the monetary loss. She didn't strike me as the type of Adventurer obsessed with money and profit. No, this candy had sentimental value. From Ais maybe?

Still, Lefiya insisted, and would likely just get mad if I refused it at this point. If I hadn't already forgiven Lefiya, then this act would have done it. As is, I respected her for making such a sacrifice for her 'rival'.

"Though before you eat it, know that the value of this crystal drop is unprecedented, and you must fully savor its exquisite flavor! It could easily go for 30,000 valis on the surface!" Lefiya stipulated, trying to play off the value of the candy as a monetary instead of a personal one, but I wasn't buying it.

Still…

"30,000 valis for this tiny thing…?!" I gave a shocked shudder. It was even more expensive than the equipment on my back.

"Well, that's for an entire bottle of them… but still!" Lefiya added, a droplet of sweat working its way down her temple.

Yeah, the point of these being expensive was still valid. But it also chipped that argument that there isn't anything sentimental about these candies, Lefiya…

Almost like a ritual, we both ate one of the two teardrops at the same time. The taste really was pleasantly crisp with a wonderfully refined flavor. I could see why it was so expensive!

Of course, it was a hard candy, so you didn't just put it in your mouth and swallow. It was like a Jolly Rancher.

Still, it's not like we needed to stay stationary to enjoy the treat.

"We… should continue trying to get… back to camp," I said to Lefiya, pausing to readjust the candy as I talked.

"R-right!" Lefiya stuttered, no doubt remembering that being out in these woods with monsters wasn't exactly safe.

As far as finding our way back, the options weren't great. There was the option of shooting off Magic into the sky and hope the rest of the camp can see it. But that also ran the risk of disturbing nearby monsters and inciting them to attack.

"Can I perhaps… ask you something? Just how old are you?" Lefiya suddenly asked me.

"Huh? I'm, uh… fourteen," I responded slowly. First out of confusion for the out of nowhere question. And second to grab the right answer, as my brain had given two very different answers to that question.

"Then follow my lead! And don't do anything stupid!" Lefiya said, not maliciously, but rather with the no-nonsense tone of someone trying to take charge and establish authority. I assume that Lefiya felt it necessary to take charge because of my age and Level being less than hers.

Considering how my only other idea was to climb a tree to try and get a vantage point, I figured I'd humor the girl. I'd rather not have a petty argument when my ideas for finding the way back weren't that solid to begin with.

I handed my tiny lantern to her and let her take the lead. She ordered me to keep an eye on our surroundings as she began walking.

I held in thoughts about our formation of having the mage in the front wasn't the best idea and how her idea of getting back initially looked to be the same as mine. I figured that if Lefiya didn't get lucky or something, I could easily suggest we head to the center tree and go from there or follow a creek to try to get to Rivira.

To her credit, Lefiya had a really confident posture and quickly showed some good ideas to prevent us from doubling back on ourselves.

She'd break off pieces from the commonplace blue crystals and sprinkle the dust behind her. She'd also use the shards to occasionally make deep marks into the trees so that the Dungeon didn't immediately repair them.

Rather than waste energy on fighting monsters, she elected to turn off the lamp and have us hide. I agreed with the move. If we fought, we might wake up other monsters nearby that are sleeping. Best not take unneeded risks.

All in all, I was impressed. Lefiya's experience as an adventurer was really showing. I'm sure similar tactics were used when exploring new floors when writing material wasn't handy or practical due to nearby hostile monsters.

This was the strength of the Loki Familia, a Familia that had done some of the deepest Dungeon dives since the times of the Hera and Zeus Familias.

"The Loki Familia sure is something, huh…" I couldn't help but praise her.

"...What do you mean?" Lefiya asked me.

"Well, you're a mage, right?" I started my explanation, "Usually you're kept in the back for support, right? Yet you're still able to charge ahead and explore the forest – a real professional. Makes me think the Loki Familia really can do just about anything."

Having such a versatile skill set was admirable, especially in this line of work.

"F-flattery won't do you any good, you know?! We should keep all conversation to a minimum!" Lefiya whirled around in anger. Was she part tsundere? Or did she just not like compliments from her 'love rival'?

"Sorry, sorry!" I said with an amused chuckle.

"Really now!" she said with a huff before turning back around and continuing the march.

This sudden aggression… I had a feeling she was similar to me and was having self-esteem issues from being around strong people like Ais and the other Loki Executives. Man, I'm really starting to see the parallels between us now – rivals indeed, how appropriate.

So I said, "Lefiya-san…"

"What is it now?" her voice had an edge to it.

"I'm sure that the others think you are a big help, you know?" I told her, referring to her Familia, "They wouldn't keep you so close otherwise. So… if you keep at it... I'm sure that you'll be able to stand beside your precious people on equal footing."

I could see Lefiya's hand on her staff tighten before relaxing. I swear that a burden had lifted from her shoulders. Or maybe I imagined it. For in any case, Lefiya said nothing as we kept marching along.

For the first time, I'm sure we reached a sort of total mutual understanding. She probably didn't even realize it, that both of us existed on the same plane, our hearts beating for the same cause.

Because I'm sure that all Lefiya wanted was to stand alongside her beloved companions. It was something I understood.

And so we continued like that for a short while. Until what appeared in front of us was a tree so tall we had to strain our necks just to see it in its entirety. Even among the many large trees of the forest, this tree in particular was monstrously wide and skyscrapingly tall.

Lefiya seemed to have the same idea as I since she moved towards the tree and said, "I'm going to climb this tree and scout the perimeter. You stay here."

"Roger that," I said with a mock salute, taking back the tiny lantern.

Lefiya positioned herself next to the tree, fully prepared to climb the mighty giant… until she took another glance at me. She instantly scowled, holding down the hem of her skirt as a flush rose to her face. "You are not to look upward, do you understand me?!"

I flushed at the insinuation, "Eh?"

"Should you even think about it, you'll wish you'd never been born! Am I clear?!" Her voice rose to a threatening hiss.

"C-crystal!" I asserted without hesitation, unable to help myself from making a pun.

Still battling the red tinge on her cheeks, Lefiya leaped from the ground with an almost audible bound, flying up into the tree and making her way toward its crown, leaving me behind to stand watch. Again and again she jumped, positioning her feet on the tree's many branches.

If I hadn't looked back up after a moment, I wouldn't have seen Lefiya reach and hide in the upper branches of the tree – it would have been easy to miss her otherwise.

After a minute. Lefiya suddenly descended the tree with great haste. She lept right in front of me and said, "Put out the light!"

"R-right!" I said, shocked but otherwise instantly obeying in the face of her urgent tone. Were there a lot of monsters nearby? Or something else?

As darkness fell around us once more, I watched as Lefiya silently stood there deep in thought. I quickly had the impression that this was something more than just spotting a large amount of monsters resting in the area.

After a moment, her gaze then focused on me. It was obvious enough to me that she was ascertaining whether she should leave me to take care of whatever she spotted or whether she should take me along or to just give me directions to camp and hope for the best.

So I said to her, "You spotted something dangerous, didn't you?"

Lefiya blinked at me for my on the spot deduction.

"If it's a threat to other's safety, then I want in. So don't even think about leaving me behind just because I'm a level lower than you," I tell her with a determined smile.

Lefiya looked surprised, before smiling gratefully, "...Then I won't apologize for asking you to come with me."

I bumped my fist to my armored chest and smirked, "Leave the vanguard to me. I'll be counting on your magic for whatever comes next should it come down to it. Now, which way?"

"Stay with me," Lefiya said before setting forward in a new direction.

She moved with equal measures of speed and stealth. I think I impressed her with my own skill level – thanks Chloe!

Lefiya quietly explained the situation, "While I found the route back to camp, I spotted suspicious figures in the forest. Two of them, wearing robes worn by members of Evilus."

"They're still active?" I asked, surprised.

Lefiya seemed glad that I didn't need too much of a recap on who Evilus was. "Apparently," Lefiya said casually, though I had the impression there was much more to it than that. Had I stumbled into the plot of the side-series? Is this like those fanfictions I've read where Bell fights a plant monster at Monsterphilia? That was from the side-series, right?

Not that I was complaining, rather I was glad to be of help. Lefiya being on her lonesome wasn't ideal since she was obviously a mage and not an all-around fighter like myself, Ryuu, or Ais.

In any case, the trees and brush ran thick, making it hard for us to see where we were going, as well as making stealth more difficult. But, before long, our destination must have come into view. For she slammed to a halt, gesturing for me to stop, too, then we hid in the shadows.

I saw them. Two cloaked figures. Donned in black cloaks with dark hoods and forehead protectors. About 50 meters away.

Lefiya looked around, as if confirming we were alone, before continuing to follow them. I stuck close – continuing to make sure to not step on any leaves or twigs if I could help it.

I could tell from their movements that the two figures were also monitoring their surroundings, making steady progress despite their lack of light. They must frequent the area often to be so confident in their movements.

We kept just enough distance to ensure we wouldn't be spotted but not so much as to lose them among the dark trees. It continued like this for a short while until we finally arrived at a certain deep corner of the forest. We were close to the Dungeon wall.

The forest had grown considerably sparser. Everything merged into one main path, trees and shrubberies all but gone, and even the branches and leaves overhead had thinned, leaving no room for voyeurs or assailants to hide themselves.

Scattered here and there about the open field were blue crystal pillars, all at least 2 meters in size. It almost looked like the ruins of a stone circle left over from the Ancient Times. The 'Crystal Grove' from those fairytales? It also reminded me of Stonehenge.

Meanwhile, the hooded figures cut through the middle of the grove, directly for the Dungeon wall.

"There's no going back now…" Lefiya muttered to herself, presumably in encouragement. Considering how there was nowhere else to go, we must be close to the figure's goal.

She then me meaningfully, I could tell it was a signal for their continued pursuit. I nodded affirmatively in response.

Leaping free of our cover, together we dashed straight forward through the Crystal Grove. We skirted from one crystal to the next, noiselessly darting in and out between the pillars.

Then suddenly—!

Crack!

The ground opened up of its own accord in front of us.

It happened the moment my feet touched down in a round clearing devoid of pillars. The mighty crack echoed around us as the earth plunged downward, creating a giant hole. Almost as though it had been waiting for our arrival.

"Huh…?!" Lefiya yelped in front of me.

All of a sudden, I was floating. The floor disappeared beneath me. My hand snapped for the pouch with my marked knives.

It took a split second for gravity to take hold. And then we plummeted, Lefiya's screams of terror echoing as I threw a knife which stuck itself in one of the crystal pillars.

Grass, dirt, and leaves plunged with us. I was still looking up for my throw, so I saw the 'lid' of the hole close up behind them with another rumble. Cutting us off from the forest landscape and night Dungeon air above. I tried to reach for Lefiya to teleport us out, but the floor found us first.

Somehow or other, both of us managed to land on our feet, the impact sending up a giant splash of something all around us; though I almost fell over myself.

I'm glad I hadn't, as the entire bottom of the hole was steeped in a light-purplish liquid. Now that there were two additional bodies in it, the stagnant pool quickly rose from shin height to waist height with an unsettling 'sqwoosh'.

"Shit!" I hissed. It was hot. Like boiling oil. I could feel my battle clothes sizzle against my skin. No, not sizzle. Melt.

I could feel myself pale as I looked in horror at the bubbling, smoking liquid all around us.

"This is…" my voice trembled in shock. I certainly wasn't expecting to fall into something's stomach this evening!

"…Acid?!" Lefiya finished his thought with a scream that echoed off the walls of the hole.

While the acid wasn't strong enough to disintegrate flesh and bone instantly, the tangible feeling of the substance eating away at my skin was enough to invoke a very real and understandable sense of panic.

The magic-stone lantern, having fallen from my hand, was now ever so slowly sinking into the liquid with a bubbling hiss, still shining its light even as the acid broke it down piece by piece.

That… might explode at any moment, just like the time with the Silverback. Admittedly with much less force, but still.

I quickly inspected our surroundings. We were at the bottom of a long, deep hole. It boasted a diameter of some 7 meters and about 10 meters tall.

As for the walls of the hole, they were reddish in hue and had a repulsive flesh like texture with no sign of anything we could use as footholds or handholds.

The cylindrical structure they currently occupied was clearly a pitfall. The walls of flesh gave off a faint light, coloring everything in a dim red phosphorescence, and the air felt humid and hot and carried a strange odor, I almost instantly started to sweat from it.

How convenient for it to give us light, though. Thank you, cold and uncaring universe.

"Ugh… b-bones?!" I yelped as I spotted a decomposed carcass sunken in the acid next to us, no doubt the remains of some poor soul who'd fallen into the pit prior. I saw Lefiya put her hand to her mouth in disgust out of the corner of my eye.

Its skin, flesh, and organs had all been dissolved, leaving behind nothing but its bones. Next to it was a collection of armor, no doubt worn by the adventurer while still living. Looking away from their skeletal companion, they saw weapons of all kinds, swords and staves alike, either sticking up out of the ground or half-submerged in the boiling acid.

"Th-that's an adventurer…! T-then all of these, too…?!" Lefiya gasped next to me.

Now that we were looking, we saw bones everywhere. Gleaming white bones. More than they could count at a glance. Belonging to who knew how many souls. It was clear that all of them had once been adventurers.

There were cracks and chips in some of the bones and skulls, as though something or other had bashed them in. There were even a few items of seemingly monster origin floating about — drops, perhaps.

Hair on the back of my neck shivered. We were being watched.

The bash marks! A monster that could withstand the acid was in here!

I followed the feeling upwards. And I spotted it on the ceiling. The monster hanging upside down from the top of the hole peered at them from its humanoid torso.

It was the only exception to the solid red of the hole, its skin a sickly shade of yellowish green. Its chest and abdomen, too, were colored in vibrant, venomous hues.

Instead of arms, it boasted two long, fat tentacles — feelers of sorts that dangled downward like quivering snakes. Its long lower half writhed and squirmed, attached to the wall like some kind of parasitic worm.

Its head consisted of nothing but a colossal eye and a strange crown-like organ floating around it. The eye itself was connected directly to its neck with the crown encircling it like the mane of a lion.

It was disgusting to look at, its coloring far different from that of the countless other monsters I've fought before now.

"Lefiya, above!" I alerted her to our opponent.

"It's one of those… brightly colored ones…!" Lefiya exclaimed after a moment, apparently being somewhat familiar with this type of monster. I'm glad at least one of us knows what the fuck we are up against.

The creature's great eye spun around and around before centering itself on the two of us. Its next move was immediate. Both its feelers shot from its body straight towards us!

We each lept from our spots simultaneously.

The giant whips collided with the ground immediately behind them, straight into the middle of the acidic pool. A massive wave of acid erupted upon the impact as the pit shuddered around them.

"Lefiya!" I called out, making sure she was alright.

"I am fine! Look after yourself!" Lefiya shouted back, one arm up to shield her eyes from the spraying acid.

We were soaked now, if she was in a state similar to myself, steam rising from our hair and clothes. But we had somehow managed to avoid the attack. Still, it wasn't over yet, and the whips were quick to begin their second wave.

Once again, the earth shook around us. The shock was enough to send the bones flying into the air with hollow clatters.

At this point, I guessed that the monster's attack speed was high Level 2, while it's strength was somewhere in the Level 4 range. Given the acid, designating this monster as a Level 4 threat was likely to be accurate. I wish it was a cold comfort.

Get it? Because I'm currently being burned alive with acid, something cold would be nice around now. Probably. I was never the best with chemistry.

I distastefully looked at our surroundings. I doubted any of my throwing knives would stay in the flesh walls for long. And they would surely dissolve and break in the acid pool around us.

And that was assuming things got desperate enough that I had to start using Hiraishin in front of someone outside of my party. I had really hoped to keep the spell a secret for as long as possible. Lefiya would be obligated to share with her superiors in the Loki Familia and who knows what Loki would do with that information.

Speaking of, I could just teleport myself out of the hole. Or grab Lefiya and easily get us both out of the trap.

Let's leave that as a last resort. Keeping Hiraishin concealed means little if we both die, but I should hardly use it just because it would be really convenient.

Besides, killing this monster would deny Evilus a resource in using it as a trap for more adventurers. So it's not like there was no effort in bothering to fight the monster.

The monster's great eye spun and whirled in ceaseless orbit, omniscient in its surveillance as it launched its two feelers at us. Needless to say, it was aiming to kill.

Moving in this waist-deep pool of acid was awkward to put it lightly. But at least I was getting a good feel for the speed at which the monster attacks. It was only thanks to my Falna-enhanced strength that made it relatively easy to move quickly despite the acid trying to resist my movements like when you try to run through a swimming pool.

That said, that was the only information I was able to gather as I struggled to stay one step ahead of its attacks.

Another two salvos attacked in quick succession before Lefiya called out, "Watch where that thing is looking!"

"Huh?!" I called back. Wasn't that sort of thing obvious?

"Its eye!" Lefiya called back again, "It turns in the direction it's about to attack!"

As obvious as the advice was, it did help provide a better read on where the monster was about to strike next. Now instead of trying to predict the tentacles' path from their movement alone, I could also use the monster's eye to try and predict its attack patterns.

The trap monster's appendages may have boasted incredible power and speed, but if that was the only trick it had up its sleeve, it made for an almost monotonous back and forth. So long as we could continue reading the creature's incoming attacks, we would at least be able to avoid any direct hits.

No longer cornered and fighting for our lives, we might actually have a chance to break the deadlock.

Getting in close was going to be difficult. I didn't quite have the strength or speed to hop up the walls to get to the monster without one of those tentacles getting me in the process. Not without using Hiraishin, anyway.

And I'm not certain that the Hestia Knife on its own is enough to cut through those mandibles. Same problem with my kodachi. When I get out of this, maybe I should invest in a more hard-hitting weapon…

"I'm going to look for an opening and hit it with a spell! You focus all your efforts on attacking that wall!" Lefiya ordered me. Trusting in her experience fighting on higher floors than me, I didn't hesitate more than a second.

If Lefiya had a plan, I was willing to give it a try.

"Understood!" I called back as I gripped the Hestia Knife and dodged another tentacle strike as I went for the nearest wall. I had considered drawing my kodachi's - Yin and Yang - but considering how only silver and mythril weapons were left in the pool of acid, I knew that my kodachi's would dissolve once the acid finished eating through their scabbards.

The Hestia Knife, on the other hand, was (at least partially, I hadn't really asked) made out of mythril itself. Welf had confirmed that it was a magically conductive metal, which was how I used it against the Minotaur when I leveled up.

Huh… not enough power… magically conductive… Minotaur… that gives me an idea…

I gave a few experimental slashes at the wall – which must be part of the monster, Lefiya's command made no sense otherwise – to little effect. My attacks just weren't deep or strong enough to cut completely through. And the monster didn't seem to care much about the damage I was doing. So it was even failing to serve as a distraction. I could tell since it was still lashing out at Lefiya.

It was one thing to guess that my attacks wouldn't be enough on their own and enough to know for certain. I needed something new to gain an edge in this fight.

Which is, of course, when the relentless wave of attacks coming at them simply paused. I stopped short, looking up at the motionless creature with incredulity. This felt like the moment in a game where the boss monster is entering a second phase.

Its giant eye was still rolling about, back and forth between the two of us. Upside down and hanging from the ceiling, it gazed upon its nimble prey.

Then.

The crown-like organ around its head began to glow a brilliant blue.

Yeah. Something bad was about to happen. Something very bad.

I aimed my hand, "Fire–!"

But I was too slow. For from the glowing blue crown encircling its eye came a devastating wave of high-frequency sound.

The noise was deafening, splitting my eardrums like standing too close to a rocket going off, and all I could do was scream as it felt like my eyes nearly popped free of their sockets.

It was a monster cry, similar to those of Bad Bats and Sirens and capable of restricting adventurers' movements. Only this cry was incredible, stronger and fiercer than the cry of any ordinary monster.

The shriek surely had enough destructive force to rob even upper-class adventurers of consciousness, I was rendered incapable of movement in less than an instant.

We both had to have fallen to our knees with sloshy thuds, the otherworldly cry robbing us of all balance. At the same time, the magic gathered in my hand exploded as the spell failed to complete.

I dropped the Hestia Knife as I vainly covered my ears from the sound. My instincts flared and suddenly I was out of the pit – the feel of grass was unforgettable.

"Bell!" I could vaguely hear Lefiya's muffled scream from below me as the ground shuddered. Ah, she must have thought I got smashed by the monster so hard I got vaporized or something.

I took a deep breath, having recovered from the sonic attack. Glancing at my hand that exploded, it had only suffered some minor first degree burns as I had barely gotten any magic into my hand before the spell had failed. I guess I was Lucky.

It also probably helped that my Vitality was so damn high. If my Falna-based defenses weren't as great, that might not have been as benign an injury.

In any case, my injuries minor, I quickly fired a quick Firebolt into the sky and then thanked myself for marking the Hestia Knife with Hiraishin as I flared my magic and once again joined the fight.

My hand grasped the Hestia Knife out of the acid pool as soon as I warped back into the monster pit. My other hand happened to feel a weapon lying in the acid, and I grabbed that too.

Just from the grip I could tell it was a sword, though the hilt had melted away leaving only the small of the blade that goes within the hilt.

I then got out of my crouching position in the acid pool. I quickly took stock of the situation. I could hear Lefiya concurrently chanting lines for a magic spell – only to get stunned by another wave of sound and a tentacle around her arm.

I was too far to do anything as she was slammed into the nearest wall. And the monster was clearly about to use its second tentacle to smash Lefiya to bits.

Okay. Caution be damned. If I don't go all out, Lefiya might actually get hurt. Besides, if it's just her, I'm sure I can find a way to convince her to keep my secrets. Maybe.

With a crazy idea in mind. I acted quickly.

Determined, I threw the Hestia Knife near Lefiya's position. As the knife flew, I casted, "Firebolt," with low power into the sword in my hand.

I could feel the obviously mythril weapon shudder from the magic energy imbuing and channeling through it – its integrity might have been damaged for being in the acid for as long as it had, it probably had a few swings left in it before shattering. Balls of fire and plasma dropped and spurted from the edge of the blade as I continually funneled a minuscule amount of mana through my hand into the weapon.

Still, the weapon lit up as it was covered in red flames, arcs of orange lighting firing off and reconnecting to the blade like a thunderstorm. Unfocused blobs of fire burst out from the weapon's tip.

Mythril didn't store mana, it was just a conduit, like a wire. Why wasn't a fully fledged Firebolt shooting out of my borrowed weapon?

Simple, it was just a low powered Firebolt similar to quickly burning paper or starting a campfire. It barely had the juice to leave the sword.

I was just quickly testing how quickly Firebolt traveled through the length of the weapon. About a second, almost negligible. Which gave me confirmation for a new technique.

The plan? Right before attacking, I would channel a long and powerful series of Firebolts through the Mythril weapon in order to create a dual Physical/Magic attack.

Enough theory, it was showtime.

I cut off the magic to the sword and flared my other magic, only a couple seconds having passed.

I grabbed the Hestia Knife mid-air as I flashed to it. With all my strength, I swung down on the tentacle shooting out to smash Lefiya as I funneled massive amounts of mana through my sword arm.

"Firebolt! Vesta!" I chanted and then declared my attack to the world, my temporary weapon flaring as I channeled more mana and cut right through the tentacle with an explosion of fire and fury. Blood spurt out where the beast wasn't charred as I severed it clean in two.

An unfocused blast of magic continued shooting off from the tip of my blade — harmlessly scarring the fleshy walls.

My timing was perfect, the mana of my spell only flowing through the sword the moment before impact. I guess I'm just Lucky like that.

I kicked off of the severed tentacle before I fell to reach the one holding Lefiya in place. Second verse, the same as the first, I swung up with my magic-enhanced weapon. I managed to cut halfway through the tentacle before my temporary weapon shattered in an explosion of sparks and fire.

But it was enough, as the damage was severe enough that the monster reflexively let Lefiya go.

I tossed away the remains of the broken sword in my hand as Lefiya and I fell down to the pit of acid below.

Luckily, our landing back into the pool dislodged more mythril weapons, and so I casually snagged a dwarven axe before it could fall back to the earth. I sheathed the Hestia Knife so I had a hand free to better use either magic or use two hands with my temporary weapon.

A bigger weapon would be more convenient for dealing with these large tentacles, was the reasoning behind my actions.

The monster appeared very angry now, its one eye bloodshot and glowering as its severed tentacle squirmed like a decapitated snake. The glow returned to its crown. This time it was going in for the kill.

Not gonna happen. The monster's weak point was blatantly obvious at this point.

Aiming my hand at the crown, I chanted, "Firebolt!"

Three charges flew towards the monster's crown and each exploded with scarlet lightning and fire. All three were a direct hit, completely disintegrating the trap monster's crown. The crown exploded in a flurry of sparks, abruptly halting its high-pitched scream. But it wasn't done with us yet.

"Lefiya!" I called out to my impromptu partner, "Ready your magic! It's not done with us yet!"

The colored creature was still right above us, flames raking its body in a fiery inferno. Its crown continued to blaze, but even through its anguished cries, it's one great eye was still pointed at us. It was enraged.

My magic on its own wasn't enough to damage it severely, apparently. It was just too high level. Perhaps its Vitality was really high to withstand the acid or something?

In any case, it made me wonder for a moment why Vesta actually managed to work. Was it weak to physical attacks? Or were there special properties to a dual magic/physical attack?

Point is, my magic reserves weren't feeling too great, and I wanted to reserve as many recovery potions in case of there being more trouble on this Floor in the coming days. Not to forget about those Evilus guys on the surface. Vesta, being a new technique made up in the spur of the moment, wasn't exactly using my Mind reserves in the most effective manner.

If my fine-tined Firebolt charges were using precise measurements of mana for maximum efficiency, then Vesta was like trying to pour out precise measurements with a large bucket.

I also wanted to avoid drinking potions to recover right now because my hands were covered in acid. I'd rather not risk accidently drinking any of it if I could help it.

So I'd rather not use more than one more Vesta so I needed to make it count.

It was an experimental technique and it showed. The wasteful use of Mind wasn't the only problem. While I had good timing in casting the Firebolt portion, I quickly learned of the drawbacks. My fingers and lower arm protested from the first and second degree burns caused by the back blast.

Remember how I channeled Firebolt through the weapon? It included the part where I was holding the blade. Try holding onto a scalding hot pan after cooking and tell me how you like it.

I should consider myself lucky the burns weren't worse, I suppose. Hurray for Falna bullshit!

Not to forget to mention the fact that the Mind usage was not that efficient since I pulled the technique out of my ass. That was probably the main reason why my Mind reserves were in the shitter.

Have I mentioned that my Mind reserves weren't too hot right now? I'm totally not stressed about this information. Nope. Not one bit.

All in all, it would be a much more reasonable play to see if a Level 3 mage with enhanced spells would be able to take it out from range now that I both knew the monster's attack patterns and the fact it was now crippled.

Sometimes, being a hero meant knowing when to delegate. The source on that is me.

"I… I hate you…" Lefiya whispered behind me, then said, "And yet… I believe in you."

I felt a spot on my back flare. Was that Inspiring Leader or something else? I believe that's where it is located… I'm not sure how to feel about that. No time. Brood about it later, I might.

"—I'm ready," Lefiya said to me confidently, letting me know she was ready to start casting. She was able to pick up on the new formation. I'd protect her while she casts a finishing move.

The trap monster responded immediately and started moving toward Lefiya behind me, drawn in by the colossal source of magic that even I could feel start to churn behind me.

Our last stand had begun. Me with my borrowed axe and the girl with her song.

"Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree," Lefiya began to chant behind me as she moved, refusing to be a stationary target – making my task of protecting her a bit easier.

I quickly closed in on the elephantine whips, reading the enemy's movements and leaping forward to bash them from the side as they came in for their attack. My goal wasn't to further damage the tentacles, but just to keep them away from Lefiya.

"You are an expert of the bow."

The trap monster had made one grave mistake. No, perhaps mistake wasn't the proper word, for it had only allowed an innate weakness to be exposed. Its tendency to react immediately to any and all magic no matter the circumstances.

Even I could tell that it was completely ignoring me now in order to attack Lefiya. It really was a good thing that monsters' followed their instincts too much like this – it really gave thinking beings a serious advantage even when sheer power wasn't on our side.

Had the creature thought to focus its efforts on me, who was doing a great job as an obstacle for the magic user, rather than Lefiya and her chanting, the battle would have been over before it started.

And once her human shield, me, was gone, Lefiya would be quick to follow. The acid slowly eating away as it chips away her endurance enough for the monster to get lucky. That was what would inevitably happen if she was on her own and unable to counter attack.

But, by acting as a decoy as she cast her spell, however, she allowed me plenty of time to execute my skills in complete safety. Not having to worry too much about dodging since it was entirely unconcerned with me for the moment.

It was the same defensive method that Ais Wallenstein brought to my attention. To strike the side of the attack to divert it.

Though I couldn't hope to take that creature head-on without using Vesta, what with our difference in potential, I could sneak in some attacks so long as Lefiya distracted its tentacles.

Again and again I gave chase, using my lightning fast feet and mighty axe to forcibly direct the tentacles' path away from the mage. It was a feat made possible only by both my evasive skills and Lefiya's Concurrent Casting.

"Shoot, sniper of the fairies."

The words came between the relentless attacks.

She must be nearing the end of her chant, as her magic power rose sharply, and the trap monster increased its efforts, throwing everything it had at the mage to stop her song.

But I held it back again, axe flying as I kept the two flailing tentacles in check.

I launched myself at the swinging tendril. Though his attack came from the side, the shock was still enough to send my body flying, the mythril axe drawing an arc across the air as it sailed away.

I don't think it was even aiming for me. It was just an instinctual movement like swatting an annoying fly buzzing near your head.

Still, however, I had managed to protect her. The strike that had previously been heading straight toward Lefiya instead grazed her long golden hair, colliding with the fleshy wall behind her.

As the world shook with a ferocious tremor around her, Lefiya's voice rose to meet the cacophony head-on.

"Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy!"

The chant was complete. In the center of that great hole, directly below the trap monster, Lefiya thrust her staff to the sky.

And in that moment, the red world around them shone a brilliant, vivid gold. She cried out the name of the spell, magic circle overtaking the entirety of the hole.

"Arcs Ray!"

There was a burst of light.

Then the gleaming flash shot straight upward at a blinding speed. The trap monster attempted to flee, withdrawing its tentacles and wedging itself into the passage above, but it was no use. Its fate was sealed.

The phenomenal Mind built up within that single blast tore through its tentacles before landing a direct hit on the creature's main body.

Its lower half, partially assimilated into the wall itself, writhed and squirmed like a snake as the blinding flash propelled its body upward. Then, it collided with the lid of the hole, still closed tight above them, with an absolutely deafening crash.

The pillar of light, however, was brought to a screeching halt.

"It stopped the attack?!" Lefiya cried out, clearly shocked at what she was seeing, but was still maintaining her attack.

The creature's upper half remained with the stubs of its arms outstretched. The hole's red lid was worn down from the incoming magic light but still very much intact. That thing had absorbed the brunt of the attack, keeping it from bursting through the top of the pitfall.

A strangely colored monster above their heads and its two-part body, each

with its own separate function.

The fact that the trap monster was enduring the ongoing beam of magic at all was proof that it really was Magic Resistant. Which made the fact that Vesta worked at all even more of a mystery. I'm not really understanding this particular mechanic of the Universe.

In any case, it was clearly now a competition between monster and magic — erupting with light.

The creature's greenish-yellow skin curled and burned as it absorbed the incoming magic, its scream of anguish swallowed up by the roar of her light blast.

The magic stone at the tip of Lefiya's staff glowed with a brilliant pale blue, growing ever brighter and brighter.

As Lefiya increased her output – I know because even I could feel the mana in the air – the giant charred eye of the beast turned toward her in incensed fury.

Not more than an instant later, the entire hole roared.

"Wha—?!" I called out in surprise at the new development.

The walls of flesh began to swell.

Like tumors, almost, one after another, giant lumps began to billow out from the pink surface with a ghastly bubbling hiss, closing in on us from all four sides. They pushed the pool of acid with them, the liquid forming a wave that yanked and swirled at our feet.

It's trying to crush us!?

How cold. Knowing its own demise was only a matter of time, it had decided to take us down with it — by setting loose its own body. It would destroy itself, and the hole around us, crushing us in the process.

…Like hell I was going to give it the satisfaction!

Sure, I could easily teleport myself and Lefiya to safety. But I was hardly going to run from my problems when I knew how to win.

Taking advantage of the trap monster's distraction in resisting Lefiya's ongoing beam of magic, I closed my eyes and focused.

First, I cast Firebolt on the mythril axe, and kept the mana flowing.

Then. I focused on how I just needed a little more power to save both of us from this vile monster. To punish it for all it has slain. A warning to the evil-doers that left it here!

Ching, Ching.

Bells began to ring, like a parade heralding the return of the Hero who slew the Demon King in some generic fantasy isekai.

I was attempting it. A bastardized, improvised version of Argo Vesta.

Thank you Fanfictions for spoiling me on this OP attack not seen in the anime yet.(1)

I honestly don't know why it hadn't occurred to me to use this attack before now. My Luck I guess.

Thirty seconds. That was how long my charge was. It would have to be enough, as I could tell I was close to Mind Down. It would have to do.

"Take–!" I yelled out as I charged towards the beast, leveraging the walls of the suddenly smaller room to leap off to close the distance, "–this!"

"Argo Vesta!" I declared the impromptu name of my second 'new' technique as I swung my borrowed weapon right next to where it was already tanking Arcs Ray.

There was an explosion of white and blue.

And then darkness.

Darkness turned into slightly less darkness as I could feel consciousness return. I felt the familiar taste of Naaza's Double Potion on my lips. I blearily, shaking off the last of my drowsiness, opened my eyes to see Lefiya finish off her own potion. I suspect she 'borrowed' one of mine, but I didn't mind.

Get it? Mind? I know, I'm a genius.

Lefiya had propped my previously unconscious self against her and us collectively against a tree. That blast must have destroyed the monster and the lid, and then she got us out after that.

Cool. Wait, not cool, that magic was extremely hot. I was still covered in fire and acid burns.

Anyway, I took further stock of the environment.

Many of the crystal pillars that had made up the stone circle were cracked or toppled to the side, evidence of the terrific shock that had shaken the earth around them. Directly above the scene, hidden by the forest's mesh of trees and branches, a sizable round hole had formed in the ceiling, one crystalline chunk after another dropping to the ground below and shattering like glass.

I suspect that Lefiya's Arcs Ray was responsible. (2)

"Haah… haah… Hey, are you all right?!" Lefiya asked, noticing that I woke up.

"Y-yeah…" I stuttered, still feeling like shit from being burned by acid for who knows how long. Not just that, actually. I could feel that my arms were covered in second and first degree burns – mostly the former. I guess Argo Vesta needed more training and development to cut down on the recoil damage.

"What's going on here?!"

It's a good thing I woke up, for it was then that the voice called out from behind nearby. We quickly shot up to our feet.

We quickly spotted a pair of men racing out of the forest toward us from the direction of the Dungeon's easternmost wall (Lefiya had informed me of how the cardinal directions worked down here as we traveled). They wore large robes, head protectors adorning their foreheads, and hoods covering the better part of their faces. It was the very same Evilus associates we had been trailing before we had gotten into this mess.

Easternmost wall… that sounds familiar… Evilus… East…!

An entrance to Knossos!

I made sure to make a mental note of our location. This will certainly be useful to remember someday!

How did I remember this so easily? Because the Xenos Arc was so much more awesome than the War Game Arc! Duh. Seriously, the only thing I'm obsessed more of than the Xenos Arc is the following Ryuu Arc.

It was then that the two evildoers caught sight of Lefiya and I in the middle of the crumbling Crystal Grove, their surprise was evident.

"Thousand Elf? Then you're… Loki Familia?!"

"You defeated Venenthes?!"

Was that the monster's name? Huh.

It likely didn't take more than a single look for the cult members to ascertain the situation — that us two adventurers had followed them, fallen into their trap, and then taken down the trap monster waiting for us inside.

Their surprise turned quickly to irritation, scowls tangible even from within their heavy robes.

"Damn you…! Quickly! Release the Violas!" the more emphatic of the two shouted, and his partner dived into the nearby brush.

That… didn't sound good.

The situation could not have gotten any worse. Someone somewhere was laughing at us. The dire turn our escape had taken was obvious.

I wasn't exactly in the greatest of conditions at the moment. And it would take several potions to deal with the multitude of burns all over my body… something I clearly had no time for.

While fighting when damaged and exhausted was an important skill for an adventurer, it didn't mean I liked it! I was of the opinion that it was just common sense to put yourself in the best possible position in an encounter if given the chance.

This was just a time when we had no chance.

As if on cue, one greenish tentacle after another began poking itself out of the surrounding greenery, crawling toward them fast.

I heard the metallic sound of first one cage, then another, then another being opened, and soon, Lefiya and I were completely surrounded.

My face paled at the circle of carnivorous flowers caging us in.

There were so many of them. Ten, at least. And they were strong. At least Level 3 according to my vague senses and intuition.

They lifted their great crooked necks, tentacles writhing and squirming like snakes and effectively cutting off their every escape route.

"This is where you die, adventurer scum!" shouted the robed figures as they quickly vacated the premises to keep from getting caught up in the mix. The moment they left, the violas opened their buds in sync, revealing their vibrantly colored petals and ghastly jaws.

Heaping gobs of saliva dripped from their fangs onto the scattered bits of crystal littering the grass below.

I was really not appreciating the irony of how all of the explosions Lefiya and I had set off at this point had only summoned more enemies and no friendly reinforcements. Sure, that lone Firebolt I used when I temporarily left the trap could have been missed. But that hole in the ceiling should have been visible to damn near everyone on this Floor.

Also, Lefiya, you made that hole in the ceiling… your Protagonist Energy(™) is kinda scary too…

Anyway, I may have just taken a Double Potion courtesy of Lefiya administering it to me, but this was still a dangerous situation. These beasties seemed to be in the Level 3 to 4 range from a glance. I doubted that Lefiya's magic reserves were at the best either – though admittedly that was just me guessing. The situation was truly 'not good'.

The ring of man-eating flowers slowly circled in on us. I drew the Hestia Knife and one of my marked throwing knives.

One of the flowers roared, preparing to launch itself upon them. Until a sudden whirling storm howled its way onto the battlefield.

The flower was cut off mid-leap, quickly mowed down by the gale and flying sideways into the surrounding flowers.

One thunderous boom after another shook the environs. Lefiya and I could only look on in stupefied wonder, still primed and ready for our own attacks, as this new assailant landed on the ground in front of us.

It was the one. The Only. Ryuu Lion of the Gale Wind.

"I thought I heard something… Are these a new species?" She uttered.

"—The masked… adventurer?" Lefiya uttered in surprise next to me.

"Ryuu!" I called out excitedly, my hope for our situation turning completely around so much I forgot the need to keep her name on the downlow.

I ignored the tingling on my neck, revealing that we were being watched by a third party. It was probably Chloe lurking around in case we needed more backup.

Our reinforcement, who'd dashed in gallantly to save us, now stood facing the swarm of carnivorous flowers head-on, an impenetrable fortress.

She flourished her wooden sword, the same one that had sent the mighty creatures flying only moments earlier, with a warrior's will.

"Don't move, elf. Stay there with Bell-san," Ryuu called out to Lefiya authoritatively. Her presence was unintentionally awe-inspiring – though I was certainly biased.

Lefiya quickly nodded, "O-okay!"

No sooner had the words left Lefiya's lips that the wind picked up with a sudden gale.

Ryuu was gone in an instant, kicking off the ground with an audible slash that cut through the grass — the flower that had been in front of her bucked.

With that single wooden sword, she sent the colossal beast flying, the same as she had done earlier. Ryuu then drew a giant circle with her sword that uprooted every single one of the flowers in her immediate surroundings.

The throng of abominable flowers that had been pressing in on Lefiya and I from all sides was launched away in one fell swoop.

Despite being used to Ryuu's fighting style, I still found myself rooted to the spot as I watched Ryuu move like a hurricane. Finally able to go all out like we couldn't do on the surface.

The flowers, too, were at a loss, squealing in agony as Ryuu slipped deftly through the swarm of countless flying tentacles and landed another direct hit. They crashed into the crystal pillars still scattered about the area, their large bodies taking beating after beating against the hard rock.

It was so fast. So intense. I could tell Lefiya was clearly in shock at Ryuu's skills and speed from the way her mouth dropped in awe.

Indeed, gaze upon Ryuu in awe!

"This… this is…" As did the two Evilus associates. I couldn't make out their expressions, but their posture was clearly suggesting they were pissed off and scared at the same time.

In theory, I had the energy to join the fight. But, despite the potion restoring my strength, I still felt exhausted. My day had just been too taxing, especially after everything it took to get to this Floor and to this exact point.

It didn't hurt my ego to say that I'd only get in Ryuu's way right now. And besides, Chloe was hiding nearby in case we needed backup.

Probably.

"…These things," I heard Ryuu mutter as again and again she slammed the flowers with everything she had, but no matter how many times they flew backward, they'd just give angered roars and pick themselves up, charging at her for another round.

Lefiya was quick to notice. "S-simply hitting those things won't do anything! You have to cut them!" she shouted, offering advice suggesting familiarity with the 'Violas'. She tossed out one more suggestion. "Magic works, too!"

The effects were immediate.

Ryuu pulled out one of her small kodachi, using it to cut through the flowers' tentacles, then narrowed her clear blue eyes — beginning her chant.

"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky."

She was Concurrent Casting.

The high-level magic power quickly drew the attention of all ten Violas. They came at her all at once in a storm of roars and tentacles. But Ryuu parried every one of them, cutting them down, flinging them back, continuing her mad dash, never once letting her sonorous voice falter as she continued her song.

"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you."

Attack, move, evade, chant. Together with her defensive maneuvers, which made for five different actions, each of them carried out with the utmost of celerity. Which was the most impressive part of all — that despite the chant, her astounding speed never slowed in the slightest.

I was in awe. I'd never really seen the extent of Ryuu's battle potential in person before. I felt incredibly lucky to have her as a teacher. I felt so loved for how much she believed in me.

I knew enough about Concurrent Chanting, because Ryuu informed me about it around the time I learned Firebolt. She had all but said that Firebolt was basically cheating since it had no chant to go with it – though not in those exact words, so maybe I was inserting intent that was not meant.

In any case, there was a difference when it came to Concurrent Casters and magic swordsmen.

Mostly in the form of the level of magic they could produce, something that mostly came down to the presence of a magic circle.

Concurrent Casters lived in the advanced or mid-guard, and their magic was their sole weapon. Magic swordsmen, on the other hand, were fighters specialized in magic to the point where they could take on a number of mages' abilities and command the front lines single-handedly.

Mages like Lefiya belonged to the former group — back-line mages who'd learned the art of Concurrent Casting, making them mobile fortresses.

All of this meant that, strictly speaking, the adventurer in front of me now was not technically a magic swordswoman.

In fact, she was another entity entirely not that she had claimed as much, for she was different from those like Lefiya who lived on the back lines — Ryuu was a true elven warrior. An individual with the ability to adapt to anything the Dungeon might throw her way. Offense, defense, utility, healing. Ryuu could do it all.

The precision of Ryuu's Concurrent Casting was evident even for me. It was clear that Ryuu was more used to this sort of chanting. There was no telling how many times she'd practiced.

While on the front line with no one to protect her, her song the only path to victory, she flourished her sword as she sang her omnipotent melody.

"Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler."

Ryuu's build was pretty broken. It was almost as though someone had taken Lefiya and Ais and merged them together to make a mobile fortress specialized in pure speed. It's really not fair, but it was awesome!

"Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy."

And like that, the spell was complete.

With those final words, Ryuu jumped backward, putting distance between the flowers and herself.

Pointing her wooden sword at the giant swarm, she began summoning

hundreds of thousands of massive light particles, all of them surrounding her,

all of them heeding her call.

"Luminous Wind!"

The stardust erupted in a brilliant green storm. Amass collection of particles all launched at once, incinerating everything along their wide path.

The teeming throng of man-eating flowers still coming at the girl was quick to get swallowed up by the burst of light.

One explosion. Then another. Then ten, twenty, thirty, too many to count. It was a direct hit. The searing volley carved into their bodies and detonated with a brilliant flash and an explosion of petals and tentacles. Not even their vibrantly colored magic stones survived the blast, shattering instantly and turning the monsters' flesh to ash.

The horrific ground-shaking eruption, the mountain of piled-up corpses, the gallons of smoke rising from the ashes — Lefiya had latched herself onto me for support.

I blankly looked forward, hoping Lefiya's tsundere tendencies wouldn't kick in and punish me for her own actions.

"…Perhaps that was a bit too much," Ryuu murmured almost ironically as she scanned the surrounding trees.

"No, that was about the right amount of force," I called out completely seriously – as a joke. I could feel Lefiya's disbelieving stare drill into me at my words.

Ryuu didn't respond and instead focused her gaze on where the two hidden Evilus associates were frantically attempting to make their escape.

It would seem they were all out of tricks. The battle, then, had come to an end. I didn't have the impression that the Evilus members were of high ranking strength. I bet that Ryuu would be able to easily catch up to them without even trying.

Cape still fluttering, Ryuu sheathed her wooden sword and kodachi. Then, her long boots whistling through the grass, she made her way straight toward Lefiya and I.

"Ah! Th-thank you so much for saving us… I, uh… You are…?" Lefiya nervously asked for Ryuu's identity.

"Later," Ryuu dismissed Lefiya's attempt to learn her personal information. "Are you two uninjured?"

Ryuu clearly noticed the state of our clothes and bodies. While the Double Potion healed the mind and body, we both still had some red spots on our skin – the potion not having been enough to completely heal all of the acid burns.

I, of course, was littered in far more severe and amount of burns than Lefiya had thanks to my janky use of Vesta and Argo Vesta - Prototype Stage.

Ryuu… also seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me.

Should… I be concerned?

Ryuu walked closer to me, and laid her hands over me, and chanted words I could recite by heart, "The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal."

Soft, mottled light, almost like the sun through the trees, washed over

my body as all remaining cuts and burns faded away.

Lefiya looked conflicted at the sight of Ryuu's magic. I assume she was a little jealous of how Ryuu was a jack-of-all trades. The ultimate warrior. It didn't stop Lefiya from accepting Ryuu's assistance, however.

Lefiya's expression after was clearly ready to ask a bunch of questions. Which, considering Ryuu's sudden shyness(?) was probably what let her focus all her attention – if not her gaze – on me.

"Well then, Bell-san…While I don't know exactly what happened here, I can't say that I'm not disappointed," She said to me, trying to seem in charge but the effect was lessened considering how she was looking past my shoulder instead of looking me in the eye.

"I swear I don't run into these things on purpose… exactly…" I argued weakly. Remembering that I basically consented to getting into trouble the moment I told Lefiya I wouldn't let her chase after those dudes by herself.

"If memory serves me correctly, I instructed you on how to safely return to camp not more than a few hours ago, yes? When you were running around lost in the forest," Ryuu said, scolding me for getting lost for the 2nd time today.

"I-I apologize for the trouble!" I said with a bow, blushing in embarrassment for getting lost again.

"I had hoped you would have learned how dangerous the forest is at night," she continued, lecturing me now on the perils of wandering around the forest alone.

I, in turn, let my head hang with a shrug, looking very much like a young boy being scolded by an older neighborhood kid. Because that's what Ryuu's words felt like. My romantic feelings being crushed by the 'older sibling' energy Ryuu was giving off at the moment.

"W-wait! Please!" But then. Lefiya quickly interjected. "It's my fault. Everything… everything is my fault! I was the one who… who dragged him into this mess!"

"…" Ryuu was looking at Lefiya, paying close attention.

"He's done nothing wrong, so… so please, my sister. Don't misunderstand," Lefiya continued, looking straight past me to meet the gaze of her kin. And then, despite her obvious and considerable hesitation, despite her struggle to say it: "…He. He saved me," she finished.

Having not expected praise from the other elf, her words made me blush.

I looked over to Ryuu. I'm not sure what I was hoping to find.

Ryuu's expression was blank, but her eyes screamed 'oh look, he's done it again'.

Oh Hestia-sama, save me. Ryuu is clearly misunderstanding something. Like that I'm trying to add Lefiya to my non-existent harem or something similar.

Something about seeing Lefiya in a romantic light feels… wrong. Weird.

Ryuu then let out a breath and gave a singular chuckle, "You don't know how happy it makes me to meet another elf like you," she said, voice filled with delight. The ability to lay down one's pride and admit one's own faults was something decidedly un-elven, after all.

Lefiya's cheeks and face lit up at the sincere praise.

After a moment, Ryuu turned toward me, lightly nodding. "I apologize, then, Bell-san, for it appears I spoke too soon."

"Don't be, it's still partly my fault…" I brought a hand to the back of my head sheepishly at Ryuu's apology. Ryuu's words now felt like a girlfriend chiding her boyfriend for being too reckless. Though that was my brain just being really fluid with what was reality.

All of a sudden, I then heard a sudden swish of branches from behind us — and a certain golden-haired, golden-eyed swordswoman dropped down from the trees above.

"Lefiya!"

"Ais-san!" Lefiya whirled around in surprise at the other girl's entrance.

Ais's gaze softened with relief at seeing her Familia member unharmed, her eyes flicking immediately toward Ryuu.

"Kenki…" Ryuu murmured, hiding her face within her deep hood.

Ah, that's right. I remember watching videos about the Danmachi mobile game. Astrea Record in particular – because, of course, it had Ryuu in it so I watched it multiple times. Ais and Ryuu had interacted before, so it wouldn't be too surprising her Ais to recognize Ryuu when Lefiya hadn't.

…I should really ask Ryuu what happened to Auntie Alfia someday…

Kicking up and off the grass, Ryuu dropped back a few paces as Lefiya gave a start at the sudden movement.

"I assume you'll be fine now. I've other things to attend to, so I'll take my leave here. If you'll excuse me," Ryuu finished, before disappearing in the opposite direction from which Ais was approaching.

Lefiya and Ais watched in silence as she vanished into the forest. I wasn't surprised at how quickly Ryuu fled the scene.

"Are you two… all right? Something… happened, didn't it?" Ais finally asked, concern tinting her voice as she surveyed the two of us in front of her. She also didn't seem phased at all at how quick Ryuu fled the scene.

"Indeed," Lefiya started, when suddenly—

"Riveria! Over here!"

"Argonaut-kun's here, too!"

—two Amazonian voices called out as Tione and Tiona dropped onto the ground nearby, the same as Ais had done moments earlier.

Lefiya let the two sisters pull her away, and they quickly began chatting about something out of earshot. Presumably about all that had happened.

By the time Riveria showed up, it seemed Lefiya had managed to get the spark notes version across.

And I sweat a little about it all, not sure exactly about how much Lefiya had inferred about my abilities. Or had them conferred over to her superiors.

"…Thanks for filling us in. Riveria and the rest of us will stay here and investigate a bit. Ais, you take these two back to camp for now," Tione said as the group slowly walked closer to me.

"But… but Tione-san, I—?!" Lefiya started, probably about to protest that she should be part of the investigation since she was involved.

Tione, however, stopped her short, "You're to do as you're told, Lefiya. Besides, you're the only one capable of explaining the situation to everyone back at camp. Right, Riveria?"

"Quite right. Depending on how things play out, Finn-dono may need to rally the rest of the party. The faster we can fill him in, the better," Riveria concurred, making her way toward the group with long silver staff in hand.

"Oh…" Lefiya said, her voice falling, sounding beaten. Tiona beamed at the elf, her own weapon primed and ready in her arms. "You guys look beat! Get some rest, yeah? No need to push yourselves!"

And then, "Argonaut-kun especially."

Figures that someone strong like Tiona would notice. While my wounds had been fully healed, I felt just as tired as Tiona had suggested in her tone.

The final blow, so to speak, that neither healing magic nor potions could mend, was the fatigue left over from battle — a fatigue now peeking through the strong front I was attempting to maintain. My eyes were half-lidded as I struggled to maintain my energy levels.

It wasn't mental fatigue, like I felt the urge to pass out. It was closer like a lack of motivation, or a need to relax. Because while the aspect of the potion that restored Mind helped with exhaustion – it did little for the fact my day had been jam packed with more excitement than a whole week.

And I'm an adventurer. So that's saying something.

Visiting Rivira. Talking with Riveria. Getting pranked by Hermes. Running into and talking to Filvis. Talking to Ryuu. And everything that happened with Lefiya up until now. Talk about a busy day…

Taking in my current state, Lefiya obediently nodded. "…All right."

"Take care of them, Ais," Riveria said as she handed Ais her portable magic-stone lantern.

"Of course," the golden-hair girl responded stoically.

Then, as Tiona and the others threw us a wave, we said our short good-byes and began the trek back to camp.

"…You're sure you're alright?" Ais asked once the three of us had made it a short way into the dark woods, worry coloring her voice.

"I've just had a really long day. Really. Already got healed and everything, yeah?" I forced a laugh, my energy nothing but a facade.

"But your shoes, they're… awful…" Ais shone the lantern in the direction of said boots, so ragged at this point that they scarcely resembled foot attire.

In fact, both Lefiya's and my battle clothes were littered with rips and holes where the acid had melted them away, but our shoes were, by far, the worst victims, having been submerged so long in the acid.

I mean, my shirt no longer had sleeves, but that wasn't as bad relatively speaking as my boots being trashed. My vambraces were also pretty scorched; and I wouldn't be surprised if my Hidden Blade was broken.

Until Ryuu's ministrations, the skin beneath them, too, had been equally as torn up, but now they simply looked as though a great many moths had eaten away at them.

"I have a set of greaves back at camp…" I murmured, taking in the state of my leg armor which was especially damaged as well.

I noticed Lefiya shoot me a sidelong glance before asserting herself none too subtly, "I'll give you a new pair of boots once we get back. If I'm unable to find any, I'll buy you some from Rivira."

"Really? I mean, are you sure?" She did remember how expensive things were in that town, right?

"Of course I am," she replied equally as bluntly as I whirled around to look at her. "Don't… don't misunderstand me. I simply… feel as though I need to make up for involving you in this entire affair. That's it!" She hissed the last part through gritted teeth.

I blinked a few times. How could I keep on forgetting that Lefiya was basically a tsundere?

I grinned in amusement at the thought.

Lefiya, in turn, jerked her head away with a harrumph, attempting to disguise her own embarrassment.

"…" Ais stared at us in silence, jaw slack. "You two… are getting along now?"

"What?!" Lefiya practically screamed, whirling around. "Y-you have it all wrong, Ais-san! Truly! T-to think something like that would ever happen in the history of the entire world, would… would…!"

I couldn't help but laugh at witnessing an actual tsundere-skit happening right in front of me.

"Yooooooooooooooou! Stop that right now! Tell her! Tell Ais-san that she is utterly incorrect in her assumption!" Lefiya demanded of me with a pout.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell her," I said disarmingly, but with a teasing smile on my face as I channeled my inner-Syr.

I looked at Ais and said, "We aren't getting along… because we became the best of friends!"

"EHHHHHHHH!?" Lefiya exclaimed, shocked at my words.

"Yep, you're getting along now…" Ais nodded to herself. Was she a little relieved for some reason? I wasn't done with my prank yet though?

"We bonded so much that she wants to join me in my Familia!" I claimed, completely bullshitting as I pulled Lefiya into a side-hug.

I could see Lefiya gape in sheer horror and incredulity out of the corner of my eye. The combination of exhaustion and shock left Lefiya unable to respond out of sheer incredulity.

Ais reacted just like I hoped.

Her eyes widened in absolute shock. She raised her voice to normal conversation levels, which for her was yelling, as she cried out, "You can't!"

Ais proceeded to yank Lefiya away from me into her arms. Lefiya was now pink cheeked and stunned for completely different reasons than before.

"And why not?" I continued to spew bullshit, "Who are you to stand between Lefiya and I?"

"I…" Ais hesitated, struggling to articulate herself for a moment, "Lefiya is…"

"She is what?" I said leadingly.

"Lefiya is precious to me!" Ais said loudly, which for everyone else was a calm volume, "You can't have her!"

"Uwauwauwauwa…" Lefiya stammered, her face dazed and as if steam was coming out of her ears as her brain overloaded from the words of affection coming out of Ais' mouth.

She then proceeded to faint. Presumably from bliss and sheer exhaustion.

"She must be really tired…" Ais noted as the elf fell limp in her arms. Just like that, Ais had forgotten what we were talking about. She really is an airhead. It's hilarious.

"Sorry, Ais," I apologized, "While we did bond, I was joking about swapping Familias. Sorry for the prank."

"A prank…" Ais said to herself. I could see gears turning in her head. Like she was connecting 'pranking' in her head with the person she gets the most of that from and her usual response.

Even I remembered how much Loki liked trying to grope Ais.

So I wasn't surprised for a fist moving at Level 6 speeds to hit me in the head, knocking me out instantly.

Other POV

"Ah…" Ais uttered out, realizing she now had two unconscious adventurers to escort back to camp.

Maybe she hit him a little too hard? But he also deserved it? Those things she ended up saying were kind of embarrassing…

They weren't wrong though…

Maybe she had hit him too hard. All he did was trick her into speaking the truth.

Ais had the impression in that moment that Bell would get along well with Loki. She couldn't help but imagine the scenario opposite to what Bell suggested. That they bonded so much that he wanted to join Loki Familia.

It… sounded nice. But somehow it also upset her for some reason? Because of Lefiya? But she likes Lefiya?

Ais held Lefiya with one arm as she dragged Bell along by his foot as she pondered her confused feelings on the way back to camp…

Main POV

I woke up a few minutes after that, Ais apologizing for getting so distracted she chose to drag me around. But I took it as just punishment for a prank well played.

About an hour later, we made it back to the Loki Familia Camp. Ais and Lefiya (who woke up shortly before reaching camp) were quick to separate from me as Hestia and Lili glomped me at the same time. Welf was there to check up on me too with a relieved grin.

Apparently everyone was about to sit down to eat dinner when they realized that Lefiya and I were still missing. Just in time for the Lefiya to create a hole in the ceiling.

Apparently my Firebolt into the sky was for naught.

It was repaired by now, by the way, but the point remained.

"Honestly! I can't let you out of my sight for a second!" Hestia huffed as we huddled in our tent.

I laughed, "I wasn't exactly planning for things to escalate so much either. I'm just glad I happened to have my gear on me at the time…"

I hadn't kept any of the mythril weapons from within that monster. I'm not sure if any of them even survived the final blast considering the condition they were in.

Thankfully, while the scabbards for Yin and Yang were totaled, the blades themselves weren't too badly damaged from the acid. I would likely need to decommission them once I reached the surface, however…

"Lili knows, but it still takes some getting used to," Lili commented, nodding sagely like she was revealing deep wisdom.

"Never an idle minute with you, huh?" Welf chuckled, like an amused bystander watching in.

"Got to keep everyone on their toes," I deadpanned jokingly.

Hestia just sighed, "My poor heart isn't used to all this stress! I'm not sure I want to know all that you got up to!"

Hestia was referring to experiencing my memories like watching an anime as she updates my Falna by viewing the Excelia.

Which brought my attention to something important.

I turned serious as I said, "...which reminds me. As part of everything, Lefiya probably noticed me use Hiraishin."

That got everyone's attention, Hestia's especially.

"Are you sure?" Hestia asked, concerned for my safety.

"I'm not certain," I told her. "I used it once to temporarily escape the pit trap, where she initially assumed I'd been crushed. But I emerged from within the acid pool – so she might have written it off. But I also used it to close the distance once when she had been grappled."

Welf hummed, "Sounds like in both cases that elf had some distractions going on around her. That second instance might be the real clincher."

Welf had obviously seen me use Hiraishin before, I'd used it a few times on the march down to this Floor. Part of his blacksmithing contract did include a non-disclosure clause about my abilities should we part ways. Not that I'd think he'd ever blab. He was a real bro.

"Should we find a way to silence her?" Lili asked casually, like she hadn't just suggested something very scary.

"No." I instantly deny, "Lefiya is a good person… But since I know that isn't enough to convince you, Lili – I do have a plan to have Lefiya cooperate by leveraging her elvish-nature. Happy?"

I had the feeling that elves could get very neurotic about keeping their promises. I'm sure I could wrangle one out of Lefiya with some charity on my part. I think she deserved it anyway if she was going to get in more trouble like tonight, but when I'm also not around to help.

Fellow protagonists need to stick together!

"Very," Lili nodded, ignoring the exasperation in my final rhetorical question.

"If you say so, Bell-kun…" Hestia said. I had the feeling she was upset at getting closer to someone who was not only a female elf, but an adventurer in Loki's Familia. But despite her concerns, she still trusted and believed that I would make a good decision.

I smiled warmly as I saw past Hestia's childishness and at the unconditional love underneath. I bent over and hugged her, "Thank you, so much for trusting me."

I wonder if Hestia was blushing? Because she began to stammer as she hugged back, "B-bell-kun! T-to be s-so forward while others' are w-watching…"

I pulled away, holding Hestia's shoulders in my hands as I instantly retorted, "Don't make me sound like an exhibitionist!"

"Why couldn't that be Lili?!" the Pallum girl growled.

I could make out Welf giving her a brief clasp on Lili's shoulder in support. I almost missed how Lili shivered under the touch.

…I really should have had a talk with Welf before about not touching Lili without her permission. She definitely has some kind of problem with it.

Looking back at Hestia, she had a mix of disappointment mixed with smugness. Was it for the hug ending and Lili not getting one respectively? Maybe.

It was then that there was a 'knock' at our tent door. How did they knock? By knocking on the tent frame near the door flap.

I had a hunch it was Lefiya, so I excused myself from my Party's clutches and went to the 'door'.

Sure enough it was Lefiya with a spare pair of boots in hand.

"Here," She said simply, thrusting the boots over to me, "See if they fit."

"Okay, okay…" I said disarmingly as I accepted the gift and swapped my feet into the pair of boots. They weren't a perfect fit, per say, but they wouldn't be cumbersome in battle either. It may even just be a case of me subconsciously noticing they are different boots.

"They're great, thank you so much," I said gratefully, with a short bow.

"I-I said I would compensate you. Think nothing of it," Lefiya denied my thanks, still in a state of tsundere-denial.

"And I distinctly remember knowing exactly what I was getting myself into, so it was hardly your fault for how things turned out," I pointed out to her, before then saying, "But, I'll accept your kindness regardless."

"K-kindness…" Lefiya stuttered, almost in shock that she was being 'kind' to her rival. What a tsundere.

"Anyway…" I said, shifting topic, "Could we talk somewhere, in private? About what happened?"

Lefiya turned wary, "...I can't tell you about–"

I cut her off with a wave of my hand, "I'm not looking to poke my head into Loki Familia business. I bet you got out from a long talk with Finn-sama not too long ago and are still tired. But this is more about myself than what went on."

It was not hard to notice how the Loki Camp had almost been deserted in the time between when I went inside our loaned tent and when I came out now. Clearly, the Loki Familia had set out investigative parties because of the ruckus we had gotten into. Leaving only the wounded and caretakers behind and a few guards.

Which also made it a great time to talk to Lefiya privately. Very convenient!

Lefiya, consoled with the knowledge I wasn't looking to talk about the plant monsters or Evilus, became much more amicable about talking.

See? Tsunderes, am I right?

She agreed to talk with me in the woods nearby after I insisted that talking in the camp was still a no-go.

We went a few minutes into the woods, and only after I was sure that no one was watching us anymore did I agree that the spot was good to talk.

"So? What is this about then?" Lefiya asked. She wasn't angry or anything, but she did seem annoyed at having to leave Camp. I understood the feeling of not wanting to head outside of 'home' anytime soon.

"Tell me, what did you tell your superiors about Ryuu-sama?" I firmly demanded.

"Ryuu?" Lefiya asked in confusion.

"The elf from today," I clarified.

"Ah, that was her name?" Lefiya said, clearly remembering the name right now from when I mentioned it when Ryuu saved us from those plant monsters. "I just mentioned how a cloaked elf saved us from the Violas…"

I got the impression that Lefiya was hiding the amount of information she had actually disclosed. As in, that she had given a detailed assessment of Ryuu's skills. Information that would certainly lead people like Loki's Executives – who had interacted with Ryuu before according to the Astrea Record – to recognize her.

Sure, there was the fact that the Hostess of Fertility was a place the Executives ate at regularly. While it could just be because of the good food, there is also the chance that its because Ryuu works there. It's hard to say.

But still, the point remains.

"I guess it doesn't matter how much you told them about her," I said putting as much strength and authority into my tone as possible, "Just know that if Loki Familia is in anyway responsible for Ryuu's information being leaked; that if Loki Familia is in any way responsible for Ryuu being put under any discomfort or threat because of their actions… Then Hestia Familia will have no choice but to declare War."

"War?!" Lefiya yelped, incredulous at the suggestion, "You realize how crazy that sounds, right?!"

"It doesn't matter," I dismiss her logic, "Because all of our choices, from the greatest to the smallest, affect each other. And the echoes travel. If Loki Familia is reckless with that information, then Ryuu-sama will suffer. And I refuse to allow for that to go unpunished. Would you not do the same if someone threatened Ais Wallenstein?"

My words stunned Lefiya, who stood there with her mouth agape.

I had the impression she understood my point and wasn't offended (anymore). That if Loki Familia wasn't careful with knowledge about the Gale Wind, that it could result in all of those still bitter about Ryuu's actions during her rampage to resume pestering her. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Who is to say for the other consequences that I couldn't possibly be able to foresee?

"...I will convey your… warning," Lefiya said. I think she wanted to use the word 'threat' but refrained in a moment of civility.

"It's more than that, it's a promise," I said to her, then changed topic, "But that's not the only reason I called you here."

"Eh?" Lefiya made a questioning noise, not expecting the topic to change.

I sighed as I gave a more relaxed posture, "Look, you and Loki Familia are continuing to fight remnants of Evilus, right? That's who those guys work for, you said as much."

"Yes…" Lefiya said hesitantly, not seeing where I was going with this line of conversation. Her tone was also warning me that she wasn't going to spill anything about Loki Familia's activities and to not bother trying to ask about it.

"And, tell me if I'm wrong – swear on your name even – that your main goal is to fight for your friends. To protect them and reach a happy ending?" I, once again, asked for Lefiya's goal in being an adventurer.

Lefiya seemed confused for a moment. Her eyes, however, widened as she looked into mine. I assume she quickly came to understand the depth of my question, as she said, "I just wanted to get better with magic at first… But… she inspired me. And I l-love my friends. So… I want to get stronger to really stand beside them!"

I nodded to myself, satisfied that Lefiya was a good person at heart. I then said, "I see. Then watch closely."

Lefiya looked at me in confusion as I stepped back, and aimed my right hand at an isolated tree nearby.

"My attack magic has no incantation, besides its name," I informed Lefiya, who looked at me in growing shock. "It launches a blast of fire and lightning from the hands, but you should be able to channel it through your staff as well–"

"Wait. Wait! Wait!" Lefiya cut me off, "What are you doing?! Sharing such information with someone outside your Familia?! Are you stu–!"

I cut off Lefiya from calling me stupid as I said, "Don't you have a Skill that lets you copy magic? Or 'summon' it rather? You just need to know the incantation, name, and effects? I'm giving you permission to copy mine."

Lefiya's expression was a mixture of shock and horror, "H-how do you know…?"

"You're the Thousand Elf are you not? Does it really matter how I figured out how you do it?" I said dismissively, hoping that my story that I inferred her Skill from her Alias and not as a result of vaguely remembering her ability from reading Fanfics.

The impression I had was that Lefiya was much like Hatake Kakashi from the Naruto series, just with a different way to 'copy' Magic. (3)

Lefiya's expression seemed to say that it very much mattered how I came to learn that information.

She then sighed in defeat, "...okay. What are your conditions?"

I guess Lefiya determined that I was not going to tell her how I found out and instead jumped to whatever my price was for teaching her.

"Well," I said, already knowing what I wanted Lefiya to promise, "Only use my magic to protect others. And don't spread my information around. Actually, don't even tell anyone about my magic to begin with."

"But–!" Lefiya made to protest.

"You can tell the Executives if they demand you to speak," I cut her off, anticipating her main concern, "Just don't go out of your way to do so. My cost is your consideration for my circumstances."

Lefiya looked conflicted. Her loyalty to her Familia was impressive. But it was clear that her concern for their safety won out, as she nodded her agreement, "I, Lefiya Viridis, swear to honor your conditions."

"Good," I said, then continued my lecture, "That's the jist of how my attack magic works. Firebolt!"

I fired an extremely toned down bolt at a tree.

I then pulled out a throwing knife from its pouch.

"This one is a little more complicated…"

As I re-entered our tent, hopefully for the last time tonight, I was immediately pulled to the side by Hestia.

"You're back! You weren't doing anything lewd with that damn elf, were you?!" Hestia interrogated me.

I just laughed at the thought, "Lefiya wouldn't even touch me if I was the last man on Genkai."

"Another weird saying Lili has never heard before," Lili commented from nearby, seemingly caught between exasperation at Hestia's nagging and confusion at my phrase. She also sighed in relief.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Hestia, however, seemed to completely understand what I was saying, "I'm not sure how anyone could feel that way about Bell-kun, but it works for me! Now, everyone! Shoo!"

Hestia let go of my arm and ushered Lili and Welf out of the tent.

"Why?!" Lili protested.

"I'm going to update Bell-kun's status! Give us some privacy!" Hestia said assertively.

"Come on, Lil'Lili, let 'em do their thing," Welf said, not fighting the sudden expulsion.

"But I want to see–!" Lili protested before Hestia shoved her out of the tent. Welf had gone through off his own volition immediately after.

Hestia then looked over to me with a wicked look in her eye, "Now, Bell-kun, strip!"

"Could you say that less like a creepy old man?!" I retorted.

"Who are you calling a creepy, old man!?" Hestia yelled back, "Mr. I'm-Gonna-Get-A-Harem?!"

"I made no such declaration!" I protested, "How many times do I have to say it? That was just something Gramps said all the time!"

"Your words and your actions say very different things!" Hestia claimed.

I looked at her in confusion. I was hardly blind to Lili's crush or Hestia's own romantic behavior. But I could hardly think of how I was seducing anyone like Hestia was all but implying.

Sure, I was friends with a lot of girls, but they weren't in love with me or anything. That would be unrealistic…

…right?

I hope so. I'm too much of a mess right now to deal with this…

Hestia sighed at me, "Whatever, let's just get you updated, shall we?"

"Please do," I said thankfully. I went ahead, removed my shirt and lied down.

Hestia got on top of my back and did her thing. I could feel energy churning as Hestia began to update my Status. It only took a minute and Hestia was done.

"Huh… is that so…" Hestia said, almost like she was talking to herself.

"What?" I asked, not sure what Hestia was trying to say.

"Nothing," Hestia calmly said, "I just think I'm so shocked that I looped right back around to being calm."

That sounded concerning.

Before I could say anything, Hestia began to regale to me my Stats since we didn't have spare paper lying around to write them onto.

Bell Cranel

Level 2 – 3

Alias: weiẞes Häschen

Strength: D: 586 - A: 801

Vitality: A: 849 - SS: 1010

Dexterity: C: 611 - B: 799

Agility: C: 699 - S: 934

Magic: C: 636 - SS: 1029

Magic:

(Firebolt)

• Swift-Strike Magic

(Hiraishin)

• Enchantment Magic

(Hermaphroditus)

• Fluid like water. Distortion through the looking glass. Reversal of all things

Skills:

Liaris Freese - Rapid Growth. Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's feelings.

Singularity - The user is immune to all mental and spiritual attacks.

Focus - The user's Dexterity is increased when fighting and concentrating on a single target. Use can cause tunnel vision.

Argonaut - Heroic Desire. Allows a charge for a counterattack to overcome insurmountable odds.

Inspiring Leader - Subskill of Liaris Freese. Companions that unconditionally believe in the user grow quickly at a portion of the user's growth rate. Companions are more inclined to listen to the user's words. The strength of effects corresponds with the target's feelings and distance from the user.

Development Abilities:

Luck - I

I, uh, can see why Hestia was a bit shocked. That was a lot of points to only get in a few days. Then again, it had been a rough few days. And that was just the increase in stat points.

Fighting that 'Venenthes' monster with Lefiya was enough to push me over the edge to Level Up? It did seem to be in the Level 4 range, so I guess since it was just Lefiya and I there it was still enough Excelia to allow me to Level Up.

"Ha… haha…" Hestia chuckled brokenly, her eyes swirling and distant, "Just when I think that Skill isn't broken… you can already… again… 16 days…"

Yeah, potentially Leveling Up again that soon was a little jarring. Especially since the grind to Level 2 was 6 weeks. Just goes to show that Liaris Freese was pretty fluid in how strong it is?

Still, just because I could Level Up, doesn't mean I should. Sure all of my stats are B or higher, but it would be the best in the long term if I at least got everything in the SS or S range before triggering the complete Level Up.

But… There was also the short term to consider.

Loki Familia was scheduled to head back for the surface in the morning, around 9-ish. Which would make Hestia and Hermes be at their most vulnerable moment yet while on this Floor. The Loki Familia Camp had been guarded the entire time by a multitude of Level 2s and 3s. That would change tomorrow morning.

With them gone, the chances of Hestia or Hermes releasing their Arcanum and summoning the Black Goliath were higher than I'd like. At least, I believe that's the reason why it spawned – because the Dungeon noticed that a God was inside it. And considering the strength of the Goliath, it would be safe to assume that the Black Goliath was Level 5 at the least.

Should I Level Up now, just in case the bad feeling I've been having the past day comes to fruition? Or should I hold off on Leveling Up in order to be better prepared for the challenges further in the future?

"Give me just a second to start the Level Up process–" Hestia began to say.

"Wait!" I cut her off, instinctively making my choice.

"Huh? Don't you want to Level Up right away?" Hestia said, confused at my sudden reluctance.

In the moment when Hestia almost took the choice from me, my instincts reacted and I knew my decision.

"I'd like to hold off on Leveling Up right away," I told Hestia, "Since we can pull the trigger anytime, there is a good opportunity to continue to increase my Level 2 stats and save the Level Up for a time should I need the sudden boost. That and I need time to safely adjust to the boost Leveling does to my body."

"I guess that makes sense…" Hestia said, sounding a little bummed.

"You're more disappointed than I am," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

My reason to hold off Leveling was simple. All I had to do was just ensure that Hestia and Hermes stayed safe. Something that should easily be in my power to do. Especially since I also have Ryuu and Chloe nearby along with the rest of Hestia's rescue party.

I wouldn't regret my decision.

Even though the bad feeling in the back of my head refused to leave me.

Other POV

Chloe grumbled as she left Rivira, having barely won anything during her time drinking and gambling. She was completely unaware of how her choice to separate from Ryuu for the day would deprive Bell of an essential puzzle piece of knowledge; a piece that would have potentially warned him of what was to come.

Lefiya laid down on her mat in the female tent, trying to get some rest. She was failing utterly.

It was a shame, since the tent was completely empty. Almost the entire expedition force had left the camp to investigate what she and Bell had discovered.

Only a handful of guards, medics, and the recovering poison victims remained.

So it would have been a great time to get some rest without interruption.

All the silence did was make Lefiya feel alone and isolated.

How does he know?! She wondered and worried.

Her Skill Magic Summoning was something Loki-sama had gone to great lengths to be kept silenced and off the books. So much so that she illegally lied as to what her Skill actually was in the confidential Guild records.

The official records only stated that she could summon elvish magic - not that it actually applied to all magic.

It was a Skill that Orario would wage war over. It's a Skill that Familias would kill her over to prevent her from potentially learning their children's special magic spells.

Loki had even gone so far as to keep it a secret from everyone in the Familia besides Finn, Gareth, and Riveria. It was the reason why she only knew Riveria and Filvis' spells. Riveria was her magic teacher, who was aiming on Lefiya mastering her control of magic before having her add a bunch of spells to her repertoire. Something about posing a danger to herself and others if she had too much power and not enough precision. Which was something that Lefiya disappointingly had to agree with the point being made.

Having a bunch of dangerous magic, but being unable to control it? That was just asking to get her friends hurt!

Loki, for her part, was trying to mitigate the risk of Lefiya's Skill getting leaked and thus resulting in every Familia under the sun trying to steal her away. The Freya Familia in particular. Loki went to great lengths to ensure that Lefiya and Freya were never near each other. Otherwise, the idea was that if Lefiya wasn't throwing around a ton of different spells, then it would be easier to hide her Skill. Loki didn't even have other Familia members share their magic with Lefiya - though that was mostly because both Loki and Lefiya thought that outright asking people to essentially hand over their magic spells to Lefiya was a MAJOR faux pas.

Lefiya only had Filvis' magic because the other Elf insisted. And Filvis didn't even know the specifics of Lefiya's Skill, only the one on the public record that only applies to other Elves' magic.

And yet a Level 2 adventurer from some no-name Familia knew her secret.

Lefiya pulled and pet her long hair in frustration at the very thought of her circumstances.

What even was his goal?! The blackmail exchanged between them was so unequal!

Bell Cranel was very adamant on information on that Ryuu-Elf to be kept quiet. While he threatened war, it was more reasonable for Bell Cranel to simply use the threat of revealing her Skill as blackmail to ensure Loki Familia's compliance with his demands.

But he didn't say that explicitly! In fact, he then made things even more confusing by sharing his magic with her!

Putting aside his magic for the moment. An extreme topic in its own right. It just, didn't make sense!

What kind of adventurer does this?! If he was blackmailing her, then why share his magic?

If it wasn't blackmail, then what was he up to?! Was he wanting 'favors'?! Lefiya had seen how the boy's Goddess and Supporter were all over him. How he looked at that Ryuu-Elf. How he hangs around Ais-san!

That rabbit is a massive playboy!

But even that didn't feel like the right explanation! Lefiya just didn't get it!

What.

Was.

His.

Deal?!

An image of Bell Cranel, a sword of flame, facing down the Venethes. How in those moments, he glowed with peace and righteousness.

Another of Bell Cranel as he confronted her, face full of determination and resolve.

"I understand the feeling of someone who inspires you to be more than yourself. Wanting to protect them and make them happy."

"Well, only use my magic to protect others."

Lefiya stilled as those thoughts came to her mind unbidden. But still, remembering them inspired within her an idea.

"Maybe…" Lefiya said softly to herself, unconsciously relaxing, "He's just trying to be kind."

Hiraishin – the Flying Thunder God technique – the ultimate technique for not only evading danger, but to save someone else under threat. And Firebolt, a relatively powerful spell with barely any cast-time, perfect for attacking, distracting, or defending quickly in a pinch.

Lefiya chuckled to herself in amusement, "I'm not sure if he's just that smart, or just that lucky…"

The main limiting factor of Magic Summoning was that Lefiya could only use summoned magic with permission of the original user. The wording had unique consequences. While the additional spell gave her a new spell slot, she couldn't use the spell freely.

But that wasn't all. 'Permission' took many forms. For example, if an opponent expected her to be able to copy any spell and didn't know about the permission requirement… that expectation is close enough to 'acceptance'. In other words, explicit permission is bypassed and Lefiya has free range to use the copied magic as she pleases.

...Or at least, that was according to Riveria's theories. Lefiya hadn't actually fought against many (if any at all) other adventurers in her time, so her chances for even picking up other people's magic in such a way was slim. And the fact that her Skill was 'widely known' to only be for Elvish Magic also reduced the chances of this happening.

However, Bell Cranel managed to literally stipulate conditions related to his magic. Lefiya had only been trying to ask for his demands in general and not about his magic, but once he gave specifics she knew her Skill had locked onto those words. If she needlessly shared information about how his magic worked or that she had it, then she'd find herself unable to summon those spells again. If she used them maliciously, again she would lose the spell.

Lefiya even had the feeling she would have difficulty even summoning the spells when not actively trying to protect herself or an ally in a dangerous situation.

Lefiya smiled to herself, closing her eyes as a sense of peace finally came to her.

Despite all those restrictions, Lefiya couldn't find it in herself to mind. In fact, it was comforting. Every time, should she find the need to use those magicks, then she would know that she was doing the right thing.

Lefiya would never be Bell Cranel's biggest fan (because Ais would always be her number 1). But she couldn't deny his resolve to protect his own precious people – she could feel it in his words to her. She respected that. And she'd respect his wishes too.

…Though she would still warn the Executives about the OPSEC threat the de facto Hestia Familia Captain posed.

After this nap… prob…ab…ly…

Lefiya Viridis

Level 3

Alias: Thousand Elf

Strength: I: 84

Vitality: H: 121

Dexterity: G: 207

Agility: G: 252

Magic: B: 723

Magic:

(Arcs Ray)

• Unleashed streak of light, bow limbs of the holy tree. You are an expert of the bow. Shoot, sniper of the fairies. Penetrate, arrow of absolute accuracy.

• Alio

(Fusillade Fallarica)

• Proud warrior, snipers of the forest. Take up your bows before the advancing plunderers. Answer the call of your brethren and ready your arrows. Tinge them with flame, the lamplight of the forest. Release them, the fire arrows of the fairies. Falling like rain, burn away the savages.

(Wynn Fimbulvetr)

• Harbinger of the end, the white snow. Blow with the wind before the twilight. Closing light, the freezing land. Blizzard, the three severe winters - my name is Alf.

(Rea Laevateinn)

• The flame will soon be released. Creeping war, unavoidable destruction. The horn of battle sounds aloud, the cruelty of conflict will envelop all. Come, crimson flames, the ruthless inferno. You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war. Burn them through, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf.

(Dio Grail)

• Become a shield, holy grail of crushing evil.

(Dio Thyrsos)

• Sweep, holy staff of crushing evil.

(Firebolt)

• Swift-Strike Magic

(Hiraishin)

• Enchantment Magic

Skills:

Fairy Canon - Increases Magic Power of cast spells. Only affects offensive spells.

Magic Summoning - User is able to call forth magic belonging to other casters. Each new magic grants an additional spell slot. Spell trigger and effect must be known. Magic cannot be summoned against the target's permissions. Mind is expended at a greater rate for summoned Magic.

(FAKED ON GUILD DOCUMENTS IN PLACE OF Magic Summoning)

Elf Ring - User is able to call forth magic belonging to other casters. Only Elvish Magic can be summoned. Trigger spell and effect must be known. Mind is expended at a greater rate for summoned Magic.

Development Abilities:

Mage - H

Abnormal Resistance - I

Ryuu Lion

Level 4

Alias: Gale Wind

Strength: E: 488

Vitality: F: 352

Dexterity: A: 888

Agility: A: 889

Magic: B: 717

Magic:

(Luminous Wind)

• In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy.

(Noah Heal)

• The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you.

Skills:

Fairy Serenade - Increased effects of magic and the effect rises at night.

Mind Load - Increased Strength when attacking by using mind. It has an active trigger.

Aero Mana - Increased attack power the faster the user is running.

Development Abilities:

Hunter - G

Abnormal Resistance - G

Magic Resistance - I

Chloe Rollo

Level 4

Alias: Black Cat

Strength: F: 301

Vitality: G: 279

Dexterity: B: 751

Agility: B: 776

Magic: E: 455

Magic:
(Feles Cruz)

• Play around

(Khutwat Samita)

• Like a whisper in the night. I vanish.

• All sound generated by the user within 2 centimeters of their body is halted - thus making the user completely silent. Active mana drain whilst cast.

Skills:

Sneak Attack - Gain increased Excelia from eliminations when the target is unaware of the user's presence. Applies when the target is completely distracted by another opponent or ally.

Substitution - User can swap places with a clone, real or not, if they are within range at the cost of Mind and stamina. (3-4 Meters).

Development Abilities:

Abnormal Resistance - G

Mixing - H

Escape - I

Authors Notes:

(1) Our protagonist was transmigrated before he could see Sean 4 of the anime come out. That poor bastard! At least he was spoiled on the technique by being a Fanfic reader. But seriously, this isn't actually a proper Argo Vesta. This is more like what Bell likely was doing as he was developing Argo Vesta 'off camera'. Bell's focusing and compacting of the Firebolt here isn't as efficient as it could be. All in all, the attack was really janky that caused a lot of recoil damage. It's going to take more time for Bell to actually perfect Argo Vesta. Especially since it is hard to train the technique on the surface without burning down a city block.

(2) I'm sure part of the damage to the ceiling was due to Bell using Argo-Firebolt in canon. Since he didn't, a smaller whole is created by Lefiya's magic alone, because I said so.

(3) Nice reference. Anyway, this is a case of Bell having a misunderstanding that somehow ends up being true anyway. He's remembering canon wrong, but it just so happens to be correct in this timeline. Talk about being Lucky.

Someone whose mother language is German gave me some tips on a more accurate way to write Bell's Title, and so I have updated it! Thanks again for saving me from infuriating all of Germany!

Oh, Lefiya. You resolved to be nicer to Bell but then completely forget that after he accidentally peaked at Ais. What a simp for Ais you are, lol.

Seriously though. Lefiya in this timeline is kinda jacked. Her physical stats are still garbage, but that Skill is just not fair. But I guess as a protagonist of a Danmachi side-story, it's appropriate for her to have an OP Skill.

That Skill has some far reaching consequences. Like that line about not being able to use summoned magic without permission. And Lefiya thinks Bell knows exactly how her Skill works… Let's just say the Loki Familia would go to lengths to ensure Bell is nice, happy, and doesn't want to spread that information around.

I've also listed out Ryuu and Chloe's Status Sheets. I felt it was unfair for Chloe to not have any Skills so I've given her a few as well as an additional Spell to round out her build. While it's one thing for most of Orario - who are Level 1 - to not have Skills, it's another thing for a Level 4 to not have any. Just seems a bit bonkers. And because I said so!

Bell assumed that Chloe was nearby when Ryuu came in to save him and Lefiya from the Violas. He is wrong, however. Chloe has spent much of the day gambling in Rivira. So who was observing him? And how would that knowledge have helped him?

Would the protagonist really be an anime protagonist if he didn't bullshit his way into new techniques mid-battle? I don't think so.

Ever since I heard of Argo Vesta, I wondered about using attacks below it in scale. Argo Vesta is accomplished when Bell charges his Weapon and Magic with Argonaut in a Dual Charge. It's an advanced technique.

What Bell does here is take what he did to the Minotaur a step further by continually charging Firebolt through the Hestia Knife to create Vesta. It's also the logical conclusion to the fact that Firebolt's intensity can be manipulated. The fact that it can fire multiple bolts without saying the incantation again is proof of this. What Bell is doing is very wasteful Mana wise — it is the equivalent of having the water faucet at a trinkle before suddenly turning it full blast. It's very wasteful and spends a lot of Mind to achieve. That's the downside to pushing the limits of his magic manipulation skills.

With Vesta developed, pulling off a very crude version of Argo Vesta is just a matter of good timing. Something that Luck allows him to bullshit easily. Hurray for protagonist bullshit!

I also have the protagonist make mental notes of the strange characteristics of Argo Vesta here. Why did it work against the Juggernaut in Canon, if it has an anti-magic armor shell? I've seen it implied that the attack has some mysterious element that isn't addressed in Canon. That level of mystery will remain, but I'll work on the assumption that it is a Physical attack that is enhanced with magic; since it is a physical attack first and foremost, that attribute of it is enough to penetrate the Juggernaut's armor. In other words, attacks that use both the strength stat and Magic stat at the same time are broken.

Bell's best Aunt is mentioned for the first time. I wondered what happened to her? The Dungeon is a strange place, after all…

I was reading through Volume 6 in preparation for writing stuff around the time of the War Game Arc. And it came to my attention that in canon that Lili's spell does use Mind to maintain the transformation and that's why she turned it off in the Dungeon. And thus her spell wouldn't have normally done healing stuff. So, basically, consider this Lili to have received a buff by her spell only using magic on activation and deactivation. There is an additional con, however, in that if Lili somehow lost her Falna she would be stuck as whatever she was transformed as since she wouldn't be able to cast the deactivation incantation at that point.

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! This will be the last chapter for 2022, but we'll be back as usual on the 5th!

P.P.S. For anyone curious, I am currently also working on my drafts for Chapter 17 which involve a certain classy party.