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

"What I mean is, I don't want to get into trouble! I'm always being played like a fool by your capriciousness, please think about me a little!"

"The other members are all very grateful to you, saying that with Asphie as their leader, everyone is so relaxed. I also think you're very reliable. Both your companions and the main god have deep trust in you—haha, you've really earned your leadership!"

"...I've had enough..."

Seeing that the clan member sounded like she was about to cry, and momentarily revealed her true nature, Hermes chuckled and patted her head. Her silver glasses slipped off her slightly downcast face.

"...Have you already made contact with the Hestia faction?"

Soon after, Asphyxi rallied and, with a sigh, asked a different question than before.

Perhaps knowing that the main god was beating around the bush and wouldn't reveal his true thoughts, she changed the subject.

When asked about his family members, Hermes gave a wry smile and said, "No, not yet."

"Before that, we need to ask an adult for approval."

Before Asphie could even ask, Hermes had already stopped in front of a shop.

This tavern appears exceptionally large within the building next to West Street. A signboard hanging on the storefront reads "The Abundant Mistress" in Common.

Hermes and Asif walked past the customers sitting at the outdoor cafe and stepped into the store.

"Welcome, meow! ...Huh? Meow? Hermes the God Meow?"

"Hi, long time no see, Chloe! Excuse me, could you please call Mia for me?"

When the cat-woman came out to greet him, Hermes smiled and explained his purpose.

Kroy glanced at Asphie standing behind her, then at Hermes. Perhaps because it was a divine request, she readily agreed, saying, "Yes, mahjong, wait a minute, mahjong."

She disappeared deep inside the store, and a while later...

A gigantic dwarf suddenly appeared.

"Seriously, what's going on? A god coming here in broad daylight."

"Don't make that grumpy face, Mia. Does it make your cute face look ugly?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll rip your head off. I'm very busy, so speak quickly if you have something to say."

Seeing that the tavern owner was not afraid of God at all, and even threatened him, Asphie, who was standing behind Hermes, had a slight twitch in her cheek.

Hermes seemed completely unconcerned, leaning towards the bar with a smile and resting his elbow on it.

"Then I'll get straight to the point—could you arrange a meeting between me and Miss Freya?"

Separated by the bar, Hermes, who was close to Mia, lowered his voice and begged her.

The dwarf shopkeeper remained expressionless, only raising one eyebrow and staring directly into his eyes.

The orange-yellow eyes of the celestial being met her gaze.

Soon after, a "humph" was heard.

She deliberately exhaled through her nose, making a loud noise.

"I'm not going to let a bunch of stupid gods boss me around. If you want to talk to that goddess, go talk to her yourself."

Mia spoke openly and honestly, and resolutely refused Hermes's request until the very end.

The massive dwarf snorted again and went back into the shop. Hermes watched her leave, and after a long while, he forced a smile at Asphie, as if to say, "Failed."

"That's none of my business," the female attendant said with an annoyance.

"...Hermes?"

"Hmm? Oh, Seele! Long time no see, how are you!"

Hearing someone call his name, Hermes turned around and immediately beamed with joy.

She had probably been resting earlier, but now Seele, dressed as a waitress, came out of the store, her light gray hair swaying.

"It's been a long time, Hermes. I'm so glad to see you are well."

"Ah, the girl next door is so great! So, Seele, how about a date right now? I just got coldly rejected by Mia, and I'm really sad. Will you comfort me?! — Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! Hey, stop it, Asphie, don't pull my ear!"

Seeing the handsome god using their earlier conversation as an excuse to flirt with girls, Seele gave a wry smile. Watching Hermes being punished with cold stares from the other members, she politely said, "I won't keep you company."

She planned to first invite Hermes and Asphie, who were touching their ears, to sit down in the tavern.

"Then, please have a seat here..."

However, Hermes walked directly past the seat the girl had led him to and went to a seat in a corner of the bar.

The male god plopped down in his seat, which was the seat that Seele usually prepared for the boy; it could be considered his VIP seat.

Just as Seele wore an indescribable expression, Hermes had Asphie stand behind him and smiled at Seele.

"Little Seele, can I ask you a question?"

"Okay... What is it?"

"If you know anything about Bell Craney, could you please tell me?"

The girl's shoulder swayed for a moment.

The surrounding area was filled with the chatter of customers inside the store, and the waitresses working there frequently glanced in their direction. Their undisguised private conversations began in this atmosphere. Hermes still wore his handsome smile, and Seele paused for a moment before forcing a smile, seemingly not wanting anyone to know what she was thinking.

Why would you ask that?

"No, I just heard that he often comes to this tavern."

After glancing at Asphie behind him, Hermes looked at Seele again.

"I'm also very interested in the famous 'rising star.' It's nothing, I don't plan to do anything weird to him."

"So, what do you say?" he said.

When Hermes pressed for further details, Seele smiled at him.

"I don't want to tell the current Hermes anything."

She didn't look away, firmly expressing her refusal, as if protecting a young man she was close to.

Hermes shrugged like a clown.

"You don't trust me?"

The girl in the tavern beamed with smiles.

"Yes, I can't trust them at all."

●

"——Chigusa!"

The screams of men calling out their companions' names spread.

As the screams echoed loudly in the long cave, the human girl with the axe growing out of her shoulder did not make a sound, but just lay on her back on the ground.

Dongsha, the dry sand makes a sound.

Under the phosphorescent light that flickered like a torch, still-warm blood splattered all around.

Then the monsters let out sharp roars, and the excitement of slaughtering their prey resounded all around.

"A center-back moves forward! To fill the void left by Chigusa!"

"Hurry, get treatment done! The wound is deep!"

On the 13th floor of the dungeon, a group of adventurers and a group of monsters were engaged in battle.

Each set of equipment worn by the adventurers is engraved with the emblem of the Takemikazuchi Familia, a sword planted in the ground. The six-person team—currently missing one member and consisting of five—is desperately defending against the wave-like attacks of seven "Unicorn Rabbits."

The enemy took advantage of the flaw they revealed in an instant.

The rabbit monster, using its nimble leaps to disrupt its opponents, toyed with the entire squad. Suddenly, a stone axe flew over and struck one of the vanguards.

That was a throwing attack performed by a unicorn rabbit waiting in the back.

The monster, familiar with the use of natural weapons, unleashed a fatal attack.

"Chirp!"

“Ouch!”

The unicorn rabbits changed their actions together. Taking advantage of the fact that the Takemikazuchi Familia had not yet recovered from its wavering state, they launched a group attack.

Such "predictive" behavior of the enemy's movements would be impossible in the "upper layers". The monsters in the "middle layers", whose abilities and intelligence have been greatly enhanced, are far more threatening than the monsters up to the 12th layer.

The relentless clash of weapons and stone axes produced the sound of swords and halberds, followed by the cries of pain from the adventurers.

The unicorn rabbit's encirclement network - the circle surrounding the team gradually narrowed, and the sight was enough to ignite the adventurers' sense of crisis.

"--drink!"

"Chiu-yi!"

Just as the team members were thrown into disarray by the monsters' fierce attack,

A young girl rushed out, her tied-up black hair swinging.

She covered a striker who was almost slipped through the enemy's defense line and joined the battle with lightning speed, slaughtering a unicorn rabbit with a knife technique that was so fast that you couldn't even see the blade.

"Sakura, prepare to retreat! I'll cover the rear!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm asking you for help!"

The girl, dressed in violet-colored armor, urged the order in a stern voice.

She used the corner of her eye to confirm the retreating male adventurer force in charge, and, as she had said, she was guarding the rear of the group.

A Japanese sword with a curved blade and a length of 90 cm.

With both hands gripping their drawn weapons, they faced the monsters' pursuit and launched a counterattack.

"...Drink! Aa ...

With a roar of tearing silk, she mercilessly slashed at the unicorn rabbits that entered her attack range, easily seeing through and dodging their attacks. The monsters, who initially had a numerical advantage, found it difficult to advance.

Her movements were both agile and elegant, making her stand out even among her fellow adventurers and monsters. Having reached Lv.2, her strength was undoubtedly top-tier on this 13th floor.

Even though the unicorn rabbit prides itself on its agility in the mid-level area, it still can't keep up with her movements.

If you dare to approach head-on, you will be cut down in the blink of an eye.

"—Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

"!"

However, just as the ferocious sound of cutting through the sand surged from the depths of the tunnel, the situation changed.

Both the life and the unicorn rabbit stared wide-eyed.

In the depths of the field of vision, two spheres, resembling giant rocks, rolled over with astonishing force.

("Armored Rat!")

This armored rat-like (armadillo) monster possesses an almost impenetrable defense in the upper levels. The shield it wears on its waist is made from the carapace that encases its body.

The rapidly advancing bullets left Ming speechless. Glancing back, Ming realized that his comrades, who were covering the fatally wounded member, had not yet escaped to safety.

The armored rat's coiled-up body makes physical attacks almost ineffective, and its high-speed spinning, sturdy shell can deflect all our attacks without any effect.

If it were to pass through here, our companions, who had not yet regrouped, would be defeated without any recourse.

—The only thing we can do is stop it!

His life stopped and his feet slowly moved backwards in coordination with the team.

The dwindling herd of unicorn rabbits hastily scurried to the sides of the passage for refuge. Just then, two armored rats accelerated further. An ordinary adventurer would likely have fled in terror at the sight of this. However, Ming equipped his left arm with the shield at his waist, his eyebrows furrowing in resignation.

She lowered her body and then deliberately rammed into the monster.

"Ugh, ooh—!"

Like performing a shoulder charge, she thrust her shoulder armor and shield forward, colliding with the faster of the two. In an instant, an extraordinary impact struck her life.

Crackling sounds emanated from the armor and shell, making one want to cover their ears.

As the monster spun, her vision and her entire body shook. The enemy tried to use their bodies to push over her shield and crush her, but she dug her heels into the ground and struggled to hold on.

(—Right now!)

The following actions can only be described as reckless.

She forcefully shoved the armored rat charging straight ahead aside, causing it to crash violently into another monster that was about to pass by Ming and his opponent. The two armored rats that collided were sent flying. Ming was also thrown backward by the shockwave.