In the southern district of Orario, the main street buzzes with activity, especially after dark. This area is famed for its gambling casinos, grand theaters, and upscale taverns, creating a vibrant nightlife unmatched elsewhere. Tucked away in a corner of its back alleys stands a tavern marked by a bright red bee, its unmistakable emblem.
The tavern, called the "Flame Bee Tavern", is smaller and grittier than the "Hostess of Fertility", where Bell and I once stopped by. Yet, its rough-around-the-edges charm encapsulates the quintessential atmosphere of an adventurer's watering hole.
"Cheers!"
At a table in this lively establishment, we clink our mugs and glasses together. The loud clink is accompanied by frothy ale spilling over the edges.
With a hearty gulp, I down the tavern's signature drink, a vivid red honeyed mead. The ruby-red hue, rumored to be either brewed from dungeon monsters' byproducts or refined using a secret recipe, has entranced many patrons into becoming regulars.
"Congratulations on your [Rank-Up], Welf!"
"Now you're officially a High Smith, an advanced blacksmith."
"Yeah… thanks, you two."
Sitting across from us, Welf grins, his face lighting up with genuine happiness in response to Bell's and Lili's words.
Following our recent adventure in the middle levels, Welf successfully achieved his long-awaited [Rank-Up]. To add to his triumph, he finally manifested the highly coveted "Forge" ability.
"Does this mean you can freely use the Familia's brand name now, Welf-sama?"
"Not entirely. Only logos or inscriptions approved by Lady Hephaestus or the higher-ups can carry the Familia's name. I wouldn't risk tarnishing her reputation with subpar creations."
"Don't worry, Welf. Your work is already exceptional, it'll sell for sure."
"I think so too!"
"You guys..."
Encouraged by our praise, Welf chuckles bashfully. His creations, even before the [Forge] ability, were known to hold up well in the middle levels. Now, enhanced by his new skill, they promise to become even more formidable. And once news of his [Rank-Up] spreads, his reputation will undoubtedly soar.
"But this means… we'll disband the party, right?"
Bell's voice carries a tinge of disappointment.
After all, Welf had joined our party primarily to gain the [Forge] ability. With that goal achieved, his continued presence seemed unnecessary. As Bell's expression turned crestfallen, Lili looked uneasy, while Welf scratched his head awkwardly.
"Don't make that abandoned-puppy face. You two are my benefactors. I'm not about to just say, 'thanks and goodbye.'"
"Huh?"
"Call on me anytime. I'll still dive into the dungeon with you guys whenever you need me. So don't worry."
Hearing this, Bell's face brightened, and we toasted once more to celebrate.
"To think, Welf-sama joined us only two weeks ago, and now he's already [Ranked-Up]. That was fast! I expected it to take longer." Lili remarked.
"Well, I've been through my fair share of close calls before joining you all. Still, I didn't expect it to happen so soon… especially after nearly dying five times in the middle levels."
"You'd better stay prepared, Bell's a walking trouble magnet."
"Come on! Do you have to keep saying that?"
"Let's see… First, you were chased by a Minotaur, then you defeated a Silverback during the Monsterphilia, and even managed to slay a Minotaur to [Rank-Up]. Add the middle-level fiasco, and it's only been, what, two months? That's definitely the track record of a troublemaker."
"Wait, how do you know about Monsterphilia?"
"Seriously? My family's place is near Daedalus Street. You were practically a local celebrity for a while, 'The Hero of the Streets.'"
"The Hero of the Streets?!"
"Please, tell us more, Toki-sama!"
"Yeah, I want to hear this too."
"Sure thing."
As plates of food continued to arrive at the table, we shared stories and laughed. Though I wasn't much of a drinker, tonight was an exception.
"Bell, have you [Ranked-Up] yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Welf, a half-month's time is rare… or so I hope."
"Compared to Level 1, the experience and requirements for Level 2 are completely different. But, to be fair, Toki-sama probably took most of the credit during that last battle."
"Speaking of which, what about you, Toki?"
"I'd already [Ranked-Up] before that."
At this, everyone exchanged looks of mild exasperation before erupting into laughter.
Indeed, the Goliath in that battle relentlessly targeted me.
Beforehand, I had already achieved a [Rank-Up], reaching Level 3. While this significantly boosted my base abilities, there wasn't much else that changed… well, apart from the ridiculous 600+ total proficiency increase. Honestly, it felt almost like a joke.
"What was up with that Goliath, anyway?"
"We can only call it an irregularity, an anomaly. There's no precedent for a floor boss spawning in a safe zone."
"It was definitely stronger than normal, too. I saw upper-level adventurers swatted away like flies. If stuff like that keeps happening, we'll run out of lives to lose."
"The dungeon's ecology might be changing… but if that were the case, it wouldn't be strange to hear about other monsters spawning in safe zones. From what I've gathered, that hasn't been reported anywhere else."
I wracked my brain, but no definitive answer came to mind. A fleeting thought crossed my mind, Revis, the so-called "Creature." and those mutated carnivorous plants. Yet somehow, it didn't feel like they were connected to this incident.
"Hestia-sama seemed to know something about it, didn't she?"
"Yeah, but Hermes-sama insisted it wasn't her doing."
"Really? Is that so?"
"Yeah."
It was clear the gods knew something about the dungeon's inner workings, though prying into their secrets would probably lead to nothing but trouble.
"Well, no point dwelling on it now. What's the situation outside?"
"Thanks to the Guild's immediate gag order, the city and adventurers haven't descended into chaos. Only those of us directly involved seem to know the details."
"They were very firm about keeping it quiet, even threatening penalties for leaks."
"The Guild officials were certainly on edge about it. They even repaired Riveria on the 18th floor, which is fully operational again. There haven't been any further changes in the dungeon either."
I'd heard this from a messenger sent by Bors last night. Apparently, he'd taken note of my coordination during the Goliath battle and wanted me to lead future floor boss hunts. I'd only given a vague "maybe" in response.
More importantly, though, there was something far more pressing, the intense gaze, or rather the murderous aura, directed at me from the corner of the room. A quick glance confirmed its source, but I decided to pretend I hadn't noticed. After all, this was supposed to be a celebration. No need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
"Speaking of trouble, are you and Bell alright? I heard the Guild penalized you." Lili asked, her tone cautious.
"Ah, well..."
"It wasn't great." Bell admitted, looking glum.
My expression must've mirrored his.
"How much was the fine?"
"Um… half of the Familia's total assets."
"That's rough."
"We got off lightly compared to you, though. What about your side, Toki?"
"I can't disclose the exact amount, but let's just say it was thousands of times higher than yours."
"Wow."
Lili and Welf gave me sympathetic looks, making the sting of the memory all the sharper.
As the conversation continued and the food kept coming, I noticed Lili looking unusually somber.
"Lili, are you alright?"
"Ah, sorry! I was just spacing out."
She forced a smile, but it wasn't convincing. I gave her a skeptical look, half-closed eyes narrowing on her.
"At the very least, Bell-sama's reputation has risen after the recent incident. Among the adventurers who fought in that battle, I believe he's earned some recognition."
"Y-yeah."
Bell exchanged glances with Welf and me. We silently agreed that pressing her for answers now would yield little.
When I glanced into my mug, I realized it was empty. Setting it on the table, I raised my hand to call for another round, only to be interrupted by a loud voice booming across the tavern.
"Well, well! What's this I hear about a certain 'rabbit' getting famous?!"
The words echoed through the room, silencing the chatter.
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