Sluggishness weighed down my fragmented consciousness, making me feel as though I were drowning in a bottomless pit of mud. Deep within my blackout, an endless lethargy mingled with sharp stabs of pain, trapping me in a nightmare from which I could not wake.
My awareness, previously submerged in deep darkness, slowly floated to the surface. Vision gradually took shape before my eyes. Dim ceiling lights reflected in my gaze as the aches piercing my body intensified.
It took several seconds to realize I was lying inside a tent. My groggy mind remained tangled in confusion, unable to grasp how I had ended up in such a place. My memories were a blurred mess of scattered fragments. I tried to recall the events that had led me here, but the images flickering through my mind were mere shards. As I drifted between sleep and wakefulness, my surroundings finally became clear.
While lying on my back, I moved only my neck to scan the area. A magic stone hanging from the ceiling cast a faint glow that illuminated the entire tent. As I stared at the canvas roof with a muddled mind, my thoughts began to organize themselves.
Of course────
"────Lilly! Welf!!"
Memories of the "Monster Gift" began to flood back with startling clarity. I recalled the desperate flight from the massive swarms and the towering figure of Goliath, the Floor Boss, standing before us. I remembered everything, right up to the moment I resigned myself to death before that overwhelming presence. Panic for my companions' safety seized me. I tried to bolt upright in alarm, but sharp agony instantly surged through my entire being.
"──Ag-gh-gh!!"
I collapsed back onto the bed with a muffled cry. My body, pushed past its breaking point during the pursuit, had reached its limit. The pain from that single movement was indescribable. Spasms of unbearable agony shot through my limbs—my muscles were torn from overexertion, and my ribs, while perhaps not broken, were certainly cracked.
Even breathing felt like a fire burning deep in my chest. My heart raced as if my entire blood supply were rushing toward it. It seemed a healing potion or magic had closed the wounds, but the pain that made your bones creak remained.
"Oh, are you awake?"
A familiar voice came from right beside me. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating, but I turned toward the source. My brother, Al, sat there as somber as ever, leaning against the fabric wall. He looked even more powerful and solid than I remembered.
"Wh—huh—what?!!"
"It's been a long time."
Responding to my startled cry, my brother spoke with his usual cold detachment. Shock completely blanked my mind. I sat there dumbfounded for a while, until Al scratched his cheek and muttered.
"Right, we did see each other briefly on the 9th Floor."
I couldn't process that this wasn't an illusion. I simply stared at him, my face full of confusion. Al let out a frustrated sigh at my expression. I should have had a thousand questions—why he was here or what happened to Welf and Lilly—but the words wouldn't come. I took several deep breaths to calm myself and finally managed to ask him in a quiet voice.
"H... how did you end up here?!"
"We are on our way back from an expedition and are stopping on this floor for now."
The Loki Familia, the largest group in the city and the one my brother belonged to, was returning from an exploration into the undiscovered depths. They were currently resting on the 18th Floor, the "Safety Floor" where monsters do not spawn. I suddenly remembered Lilly mentioning about two weeks ago that the Loki Familia was heading out on an expedition. The timing matched perfectly.
".... Brother, are you unwell?"
"I took some poison. It's fine; I'm used to it."
I couldn't be certain after such a long absence, but compared to when he fought the Minotaur, he looked noticeably pale. Dark circles lined his eyes, and he seemed exhausted. It was no surprise if toxins from the Deep Floor monsters had struck him. He looked unwell, but since he claimed to be fine, I chose to trust him.
"!! What about my companions?!"
We spoke briefly about what had happened since I arrived in Orario, but I suddenly remembered Welf and Lilly. I tried to ask about them in a panic. However, the moment I put strength into my upper body to rise, my strength failed, and I fell back. A heavy, cold pain swept through me. As I writhed in agony, my brother quietly supported my falling body.
He didn't seem to pay the pain much mind. He pulled back the tent flap with his free hand. This time, I stood using my own strength and stepped out of the tent with steady feet. Despite the throbbing aches, I followed Al through the exit.
The light everywhere was incredibly dazzling. I almost forgot I was inside the Dungeon because the brightness made me squint. Numerous tents formed a massive camp. In a makeshift kitchen, adventurers were preparing meals. Under the soft light pouring from the Dungeon's ceiling, trees and flowers similar to those on the surface gave the scene a dreamlike quality.
I felt a breeze carrying the scent of the forest as I moved with Al toward a cluster of large tents. In the center of the forest lay a circular clearing surrounded by massive tents, with members constantly entering and exiting.
It wasn't just humans; there were Pallum, Elves, and demi-humans, each exuding the aura of the strong. Their weapons and armor, marked by fierce battles, were top-tier items I couldn't even dream of reaching yet.
I realized at a glance that everyone here was stronger than me. These adventurers, who looked as though they had survived hundreds of battles, all bowed their heads respectfully to my brother as he passed. Some even looked at him with admiration and reverence. It became clear that Al's strength stood out even among those who were already vastly superior to me.
"Th... th... thank you so much for saving us this time!!"
After a while, I was led into the largest tent of all. Inside were four elite adventurers—Level 6. Finn Deimne, the Braver, captain of the Loki Familia. Riveria Ljos Alf, the Nine Hell, a royal elf and the city's greatest mage. The great dwarf warrior Gareth Landrock, the Elgarm, who boasted peerless durability. And also... the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein.
Before these powerhouses who sat at the very top of Orario, I tried to voice my gratitude, though my tongue tripped over itself from tension. It was no wonder; the gap between a fresh Level 2 like me and these heroes—with my brother being the prime example—was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"Al saved you. So, don't be so stiff, and please rest."
Finn spoke in a friendly manner that didn't match his status as the captain of the city's largest Familia. Every word and gesture he made radiated confidence and charisma.
"Besides, if I had let the brother of Al and the student of Bete die while knowing the truth, Bete would have kicked me to death. I had to save you no matter what, just so we could have a quiet night."
While he made that joke with a refreshing smile, Finn looked at my brother standing beside me. Al stared back with his usual emotionless expression. It seemed the person I had reached out to before losing consciousness was indeed my brother. Seeing Al exhale in boredom made my heart feel a little lighter.
"I believe I understand your circumstances, but can you explain what happened?"
"Ah, yes."
Perhaps this was the skill of a great captain; Finn directed the conversation toward me naturally, and I began to explain how we ended up here.
"Before that... Al."
"Hmm?"
As I prepared to speak, Riveria—the elf of divine beauty and green hair—sighed deeply, pressing her temples as if suppressing a headache. She then turned her gaze toward my brother. Her manner, which felt like a scolding, made me tense up. Unlike me, however, Al just tilted his head indifferently. Riveria sighed again.
".... Why are you walking around normally? What happened with the poison?"
"I got used to it."
●○●○●
"..... I can't see a single thing."
On the 13th Floor, after bypassing monster attacks, total darkness stretched before them. Although the ceiling was high, unlike the Upper Floors which had light sources, there was only the faintest glimmer here. For an adventurer whose senses were enhanced by a "Blessing," it might be different, but for a goddess whose powers were less than an ordinary human's, there was only darkness.
However, what Hestia meant by "not seeing" was the movement of the two men, which even adventurers couldn't track.
The battle between Allen Fromel, the strongest cat-person who held the title of "Fastest in the City" until the Sword Saint reached Level 7, and Bete Loga, who had risen to Level 6 after fierce battles in the Depths, was incredibly fast.
Nothing could be heard but the sound of air being sliced. Before anyone realized it, monster heads were falling. Neither Hestia nor Hermes, nor even the Level 2 members of the Takemikazuchi Familia, could see anything but trails of silver light. Even Ryuu, who excelled in speed on the front lines, could barely catch the edges of their movement in her peripheral vision.
Hestia's eyes and ears perceived only blood splattering against gray rocks and the final screams of monsters. The choking smell of rust and blood in this pitch darkness, mixed with the stench of rotting flesh, filled Hestia with respect and awe. She wondered if Bell and the others ran through such places every day.
"Ack?!"
"Oh, watch out."
In the darkness, Hestia almost tripped. She had stepped on the blood-soaked carcass of a Hellhound. Hermes quickly reached out to save her. Hestia gave him a resentful look because he was more adapted to the Dungeon than she was. Hermes grimaced at the foul odor from the carcass whose magic stone hadn't been taken. There was clearly no time for harvesting.
Hestia stopped, feeling anxious about Bell's safety.
".... Tch, you scum, don't lag behind!!"
"The wolf is annoying, but you are worse. If you can't even follow us in silence, should you just head back to the surface now?"
The glares directed at Hestia, Hermes, and the Takemikazuchi Familia by two of Orario's strongest elites were icy. Allen didn't even bother to check if they were following. That was the ruthlessness of these two.
Frankly, the Takemikazuchi Familia members were shrinking before Allen, a stranger to them, due to the massive power gap and his bluntness. More than that, they had been harshly scolded by Bete, Bell's mentor, when they knelt and apologized before setting out.
"You didn't know your limits, blundered into the wrong floor, then dumped a monster train and ran? Quit being adventurers; you're trash."
Since he didn't believe that Bell, who had leveled up, could die on the Middle Floors, Bete limited his scolding to that. Still, a scolding from an angry Level 6 adventurer carried immense weight. Despite this, they continued to follow out of their own pride.
".... So, where shall we search? Wandering aimlessly won't lead us to Bell Cranel and his party."
Ouka spoke in a low voice as he stepped forward to protect Chigusa, who was trembling under the elites' glares. His massive, muscular frame and sharp gaze, standing at over 190 cm, gave him a commanding presence, but the two elites paid him no mind.
"Bell Cranel and his companions went to the Middle Floors with equipment for a one-day trip. They don't have the option to stay inside the Labyrinth. .... It stands to reason that an accident made them unable to leave."
"An accident?"
"Yes. Their movement is inexplicable; how did they survive and stay in the Middle Floors for more than a day? I suspect they fell down a vertical shaft."
Asfi spoke up to answer instead of the two silent men.
"What would someone do if they fell to a floor so deep they couldn't return alone? The chance of them wandering aimlessly in the vast Labyrinth while exposed to monsters is low. Any party that made such a foolish decision would be wiped out within a day.. that is what I think."
"They gave up on returning to the surface and deliberately headed for the 18th Floor, the Safety Floor. I believe this idea is worth considering."
".... Would they really do that? That isn't the action of a sane person."
Ouka and the others reacted with disbelief, but Asfi continued calmly. Allen merely gave a mocking snort. It was certainly a strategy no one would consider under normal circumstances. Entering the thick of monster packs on the Middle Floors seemed like absolute madness. Surviving a monster wave from a "Pass Parade" was a miracle in itself; taking a greater risk to go deeper was suicide. Because they knew the horrors of the Dungeon, they couldn't believe it.
However────
"If I were him, I'd have done the same."
Bete muttered with annoyance. At those words, Allen's eyes widened slightly.
"That idiot would keep moving forward without looking back."
"My student is that kind of man." Bete kept those words in his heart but spoke them in a harsh tone. He believed Bell was still alive—that no matter how slim the odds, he would never give up.
"Yes, I too... I feel that Bell... is down there...."
Hestia spoke with a tone lacking confidence, relying on her sense of the "Blessing" she had given her Familia, which allowed her to vaguely feel their presence. There was no physical evidence, only a divine hunch, but Hestia was certain.
No one countered the opinion of Bete and Asfi, both veteran adventurers.
"Then it's settled. We head to the 18th Floor; that is our current plan."
The group reorganized to protect Airmid and the two gods as they advanced. Even if monsters appeared, the two front-line reapers annihilated them instantly. There were no real battles, only the screams of monsters exploding in the dark.
They ran through the main route at full speed. Bete stopped occasionally to discern scents and sounds, while Hestia searched for Bell's presence, though without result. At the end of the passage between the stone walls, countless branching paths appeared, but they navigated them without hesitation.
They ran for nearly three hours under the lead of the elite adventurers. Finally, the Great Gray Wall reflected in their sight. It was a smooth wall reaching the Labyrinth ceiling, like a single giant slab.
The 17th Floor, where no monsters appear except for one type: the "Monster Rex." Their steps finally halted. In the middle of that painful silence, only the sound of their heavy breathing could be heard.
Shortly after, the group was greeted by a house-sized gray giant standing like a guardian before the Great Wall. His massive body, covered in bulging muscle armor, struck terror into those who saw him.
It was the strongest monster of the Middle Floors: Goliath.
"G-raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"── Tch, a Goliath?!"
Faced with the massive Floor Boss for the first time, Hestia and Chigusa didn't just tremble; even the brave Ouka recoiled. However...
"Shut up. Get out of the way."
"Stop barking. I'll crush you."
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