The moment he stepped onto the 13th Floor, Bell realized he didn't belong here.
Unlike the bright phosphorescence of the Upper Floors, the Middle Floors were dim and oppressive. The single corridor stretching into the depths made it feel like he was walking through the remains of a volcano.
Looking more closely, he could see the terrifying drop shafts cutting straight through the entire floor.
The distant roars of monsters made him think of that mercenary who'd lost his jaw.
If not for Loki Familia beside him, Bell would have already turned around and run.
"The 13th Floor even has a nickname: the First Line."
Tiona spoke with a bright smile, as if they were on a sightseeing trip.
Her cheer took some of the tension out of Bell.
"From the Middle Floors onward, monsters gain long-range attacks," Finn explained.
Before he even finished speaking, faint phosphorescence revealed a monster's silhouette.
Dark, wrinkled skin. Crimson, ghost-like eyes.
A Hellhound.
The wolf-like yet much larger monster bared its fangs and growled. Sparks began to gather between its teeth.
"A newly born monster…" Finn murmured.
Before he could give an order, Tiona was already charging in barehanded.
She slammed a heavy punch into its head. With that single blow, the Hellhound burst into black mist.
"So, Bell Cranel, was that helpful as a reference?" Finn asked, already familiar with the boy's sharp mind.
The implication was simple: Bell hoped to learn combat skills by watching members of Loki Familia.
But could anyone really learn from such overwhelming differences in power?
"I've never been here before, but I heard about it from the Guild. Seeing it up close, the monsters and this terrain really are terrifying," Bell replied.
Finn smiled lightly.
Judging by Bell's calm expression, "terrifying" was obviously just a word.
It looked like small talk, yet Bell had pointed out the essentials: the terrain-shaped routes forward, and the appearance of the monsters he'd just witnessed with his own eyes.
Learning these things from books was nothing like experiencing them in person.
The boy had already gained plenty. Whether he could pick up real combat technique wasn't the main point.
"Is Tiona-san a melee type?"
Watching the Amazoness girl fight with her fists, Bell asked without thinking.
"Her weapon ran into some trouble during the expedition."
Finn instinctively avoided mentioning the presence of highly corrosive monsters.
Riveria looked a bit troubled.
"I warned her, but Tiona said her fists were enough. It's a real headache."
"I actually like that attitude," Gareth said, backing Tiona's fiery stubbornness. "Come to think of it, that girl Ais is also using a spare sword."
Hearing Ais's name, Lefiya—gathering Drop Item nearby—felt a jolt in her chest.
She couldn't use parallel chant, making sudden monster encounters hard to deal with.
Even on past expeditions into the Middle Floors, Lefiya was always the one being protected.
Because of that, she'd developed the habit of collecting Magic Stone and Drop Item for her companions.
Without a supporter this time, she felt a small flicker of happiness at actually being useful.
"Is the Loki Familia short on money?" Bell asked, glancing at the yellow-haired elf carrying a small pack.
According to the Guild, the deeper one descended into the Dungeon, the higher the value of its Magic Stone and Drop Item. It wasn't an exaggeration: a single rare Drop Item from the Deep Floors could match all the earnings gathered on the way down.
"Um…"
Lefiya glanced instinctively at her wand. The magic gem embedded at the tip glowed pale blue.
Riveria's staff had nine of these special gems that boosted Magic effects.
From what Lefiya knew, Riveria had broken four during their last expedition.
And then there were Tiona and Ais. The cost of repairing and forging their weapons was beyond imagination.
"How could we possibly be short on money?" Finn would never expose a Familia's weakness. "If these Magic Stone and Drop Item aren't collected, they'll affect other adventurers. In the worst case, an enhanced variant could appear."
"...Enhanced variant?" Bell remembered that eerie, pitch-black goblin.
"Exactly. Their strength is closely tied to Magic Stone. Some monsters even eat their comrades' Magic Stone to become stronger. When one appears, the Guild immediately issues a bounty quest," Finn explained.
Bell frowned, thinking it over.
"Did you notice?" Finn didn't try to hide anything. "Those Viola monsters appeared for that exact reason."
During their sweep, Loki Familia had found ominous, rainbow-colored Magic Stone.
That was unmistakably the result of enhancement.
"Would enhanced variants ever appear in large numbers?" Bell asked.
"Of course not. Normally, if two monsters that feed on Magic Stone ran into each other, they'd kill and devour one another," Finn said patiently.
Enhanced variants generally had no sense of camaraderie.
To send out so many Viola at once and keep them from attacking each other…
There was no doubt someone was controlling them.
"Finn-san, what do you think the odds of success are for this operation?"
Bell had gained plenty from this trip already, but his main goal was still to draw out the mastermind.
"..."
Finn fell silent for a moment, which was rare for him.
Loki Familia had far too little information.
The entire incident was still shrouded in mist.
Why the criminal had targeted Bell Cranel, how they managed to move the Violas into the underground waterways…
Only by uncovering these details could they begin to understand the mastermind behind it.
"Bell Cranel," Finn asked in return, "if you were the criminal, able to hide the Violas without anyone noticing, what would you do?"
Bell suddenly thought of that deranged leader of the pharmaceutical group. "If the culprit is an evil god chasing chaos in the city, the easiest move would be to assassinate a god."
If a Familia God were killed, even the strongest familia would fall apart instantly.
"..."
Lefiya froze, shocked by the weight of those words.
The boy's conclusion was identical to Finn's.
The Pallum captain glanced at the speechless Lefiya and spoke quietly. "I've already arranged for others to handle the situation on the surface. You can all rest easy."
To avoid panic, Finn didn't name the ones helping.
The Freya Familia.
Despite being an opposing faction, they had agreed to the plan without hesitation.
Not only would they guarantee the safety of Loki and the others, they would also protect Hestia and the tavern staff.
With permission, Freya Familia was even secretly monitoring anyone suspicious who might try to contact them.
All of this revolved around Bell Cranel.
A Level 1 who had only been in Orario for a few days had drawn the attention of two of the city's strongest factions.
Even though the situation far exceeded his abilities, he stood there as if perfectly at ease.
The value of this boy might be far greater than anyone imagined.