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

To the right lies a continuous stretch of trees, clearly indicating that this is also a vast forest. Near the very center of the vast grassland in the distance ahead stands a colossal tree, its hollow trunk clearly visible.

And the viewer's gaze is guided by this towering tree that reaches straight to the sky.

Looking up at the extremely high ceiling, you'll see...

"...That, that is..."

"Yes, they're all crystal."

Miss Ais's answer left me dumbfounded.

As she said, the ceiling of the 18th floor was filled with dazzling crystals.

Like blooming chrysanthemums, countless crystals covered every corner. The colors were divided into two: a white in the center, resembling the sun, and surrounded by a deep blue reminiscent of the sky.

It's not that there's a blue sky inside the underground city.

Instead, it was the countless glowing crystals that formed the blue sky.

"The light of the crystal will fade over time... There will also be 'night' here."

I was stunned when I heard this explanation.

According to Miss Ais, the crystal's light seems to change over time; it's currently "daytime." Although she mentioned there seems to be a time difference with the real sky…

It was almost like an underground city imitating what was prepared on the surface. I silently gazed up at the crystal sky, thinking to myself.

"..."

Safe floor 18th floor.

An underground world filled with crystals and nature.

It is also known as "Under Resort".

Miss Ais and I stood together, gazing at the vast grasslands and lakes, and the magnificent view under the sky.

□

Deep within the campsite in the forest, there was a tent that was larger than the surrounding tents.

Inside this tent, which bears the emblem and flag of the Loki Familia.

I met with several prominent figures.

"Although Ais had already reported it to me... I really didn't expect it to be you who was carried into our camp."

Her hair color was somewhat similar to Miss Ais's, soft golden hair; and her eyes, like the surface of a lake, held a deep blue-green hue, her gaze gentle, as if she were giving a bitter smile.

When I saw the little human boy smiling at me, my whole body went stiff.

No, not just to him. My gaze and consciousness were also repeatedly drawn to the demi-humans guarding him on either side.

"Oh, so this is the adventurer you were talking about, Rivera?"

"Yes, Grace. That's Bell Craney."

Muscular dwarves and stunningly beautiful elves. Their words and actions seemed to be judging me, causing my tension to rise sharply.

Finn Demna, leader of the Loki Familia and a hero of the Tontatta race; Grace Landrock, a strong veteran of the Dwarves; and Riveria Rios Alf, the strongest mage in the Labyrinth City.

All three of them are first-level adventurers representing Orario.

"Thank you all so much for your help this time! I'm truly, truly, truly grateful!"

For someone like me who has just become a high-level adventurer, they are unattainable beings—although Miss Ais is no exception—that much is true.

To avoid being impolite, I reminded myself to speak softly, but how to put it? I can't even speak properly right now, and I might just upset them. Miss Ais, who was beside me, looked at my pathetic state with a strange expression.

Beneath the bright red salamander wool shirt, his entire body was burning hot.

"Don't be so formal, please relax. Although we are all adventurers, let's help each other out in this kind of special situation."

Mr. Finn Dimna said this, making a shrug.

"Besides, I know you're someone Ais knows. If I dared to leave you to die, she'd hate me. To be able to sleep soundly tonight, I have to help you no matter what."

I was taken aback by his playful remark, but by the time I realized it, I was already laughing. I quickly suppressed my laughter, but it also felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I could feel Miss Ais's silent protest from near my shoulder, as if she were saying, "Don't say weird things," which made me even happier.

My tension eased, and Mr. Finn gave me a smile that matched his age.

"I think I have a general understanding of your situation, but could you please explain it to me? I'll also tell you about our current situation so we can exchange information."

"Oh, okay."

Although I felt like the other party had cleverly taken the initiative, I wasn't angry at all. That must be the leader's (his) skill. I agreed and started by speaking first.

I told him without holding back how I came to take refuge on the 18th floor.

"Haha, he reached the 18th floor on his very first day in the middle level! I see. Finn, Rivera, this greenhorn is quite interesting!"

"Grace, we're not the only ones here. Please restrain yourself."

Miss Riveria, an elf, closed one eye, signaling to Mr. Grice, the dwarf who was laughing loudly, to watch his step.

Actually, it was because of Lily's idea that I was able to make up my mind to come here... However, the dwarf warrior was completely unaware of this and said, "Well done, you managed to escape the floor master's clutches!" These words seemed to be a blessing to the warrior, praising me highly. I forced a smile, my lips twitching incessantly.

"As you can see, we are resting here. Normally, even on the return journey from an 'expedition,' we wouldn't stop on the 18th floor; we would always return to the ground in one go... However, this time, on the way back, we unfortunately got 'poisoned' by a troublesome monster."

According to Mr. Finn, the Loki Familia was attacked by some kind of monster on one of the floors along the way. Apart from the first-level adventurers (Miss Ais) and the others, many of the so-called junior members seemed to have been "poisoned" and were so badly affected that they could hardly move.

They are on their way back from their "expedition," and their supplies are running low... meaning they are running out of items and therefore cannot cure all the poisoned people, effectively rendering them unable to move.

"I've already sent Bert... one of the faster members of the [Family] to get some antidote from the ground. He might be here tomorrow if things go smoothly. We plan to stay here temporarily until he returns."

There seemed to be items on the ground that could treat the malignant "toxin," and the person who went to buy the items seemed to have set off just before we escaped into the 18th floor.

It seems he just missed us, who came here using the vertical cave system.

"We have very little supplies left, including food. The amount we can distribute is limited, and we hope you can understand that."

"No, no! It's already very kind of you to share with us!"

Even the tents they lent us must have been cobbled together because people were constantly falling into a coma due to "poisoning" symptoms, and the number of tents was limited. Their generosity and kindness were truly overwhelming.

"Although it's only for a short time, I will treat you as guests. As long as you don't get into arguments with others, you can use the tent as you please. I will also tell the group members this personally."

"...I'm so sorry to have received so much help from everyone...Thank you."

I expressed my sincerest gratitude to him in words.

"Consider it a favor you owe us," Mr. Finn said to me with a smile. I thanked Mr. Finn and the others again, and then left the tent with Miss Ais.

●

"Is this alright, Finn?"

After Bell left, Riveria asked Finn.

With her long, lustrous, emerald-green hair swaying, she mentioned the conversation she had just had to the short-statured leader.

"It's not a lie to say that Ais cares about him... Besides, it seems that one of the members of Bell Crane's squad is from the Hephaestus Familia."

"Really?"

"Yes. The blacksmiths who traveled with us told me."

Finn's expedition also included high-ranking blacksmiths from the Hephaestus Familia. Finn said that when Bell and the others were carried in, the blacksmiths said they saw Welf.

"To the goddess Hephaestus, her own children are all equal. But he's only one member; if we refuse to protect him and incur her displeasure, it would be a loss."

Riveria nodded after hearing his explanation, as if to say, "That makes sense."

Seeing the understanding look on her face, Finn looked up at her.

"Besides, Rivera is also concerned about Bell Crane, isn't she? After all, it's not just anyone who's showing interest in him, it's Ais."

"...I don't deny it."

"Haha, you've completely become Ais's second mother, Rivera."

"Don't make fun of me, Grace." Riveria looked a little unhappy.

The tall dwarf chuckled and swayed his shoulders.

"If that girl took action because she became interested herself... I personally hope this can become some kind of opportunity. From the perspective of the Familia leader? Ais probably sneaked out of headquarters early in the morning before to make contact with Bell Crane."

Before the expedition, when Ais asked Rivera how to guide the adventurers, she, like Finn, already guessed that Bell and Ais were doing morning training.

"Hmm—I also think it would be great if Ais could change... Anyway, let's not tell Loki about this yet."

"Finn, can I have a sumo match with Bell Crane? It's a wrestling style that Loki taught me, and I'd like to know how good that guy really is."

"Hmm—No."

If the leaders (us) act rashly, the other members might gang up on Bell Crane and take lynching. Finn, recalling the White Rabbit (the boy) still being held by Ais, speaks up to stop Grace.

"Alright, let's just turn a blind eye this time, it should be fine. Bell Craney doesn't seem like the type of human who would get into trouble with others."

"We'll need to observe for a while longer," Finn said, looking at the tent entrance where Bell had walked out.

□

After the meeting with Mr. Finn and the others, I continued to follow Miss Ais through the campsite.

There were at least ten tents set up. People who had fallen ill from the "poisoning" were probably lying inside, and a member of the group stood at each entrance.

The light filtering through the overlapping branches that blocked out the sky was soft. The quiet campsite was filled with the rustling of leaves, and there were many other people strolling around outside besides us.

"Miss Ais, thank you for your hard work."

"Thanks for your hard work……"

The group members walking around greeted Miss Ais.

Oh right, this person is a member of the Loki Familia...

I checked again what I had almost completely forgotten, and involuntarily turned away. Now, belonging to another faction, I was being led around by her, a situation that was definitely not suitable for this occasion.

The best evidence is that the group members' attitudes towards me were far from welcoming. Whether male or female, they either cast suspicious glances at me or gave me stern looks.

As I passed by, an elf girl who looked like a mage glared at me fiercely. How...how scary...

If they, who are stronger than me, were to cause me trouble, I would be beaten to a pulp in an instant. Given this power dynamic between us, even wandering around a campsite like this makes my heart race with anxiety.

"The 18th floor..."

"what?"

Miss Ais, facing forward, spoke softly.

I looked up and gazed at her beautiful profile from behind.

"You've already reached the 18th floor..."

"Uh, well... I've talked to Mr. Finn and the others about it. Well, I should say it was because a lot of unexpected things happened at once, leaving me no choice. Or rather, I wasn't originally planning to come... and I almost lost my life?"

I didn't understand what she meant, and stammered out a poor reply. I scratched my bandaged forehead with my fingers.

Miss Ais stopped and turned to look at me, seeing how rather foolish I was.

"You defeated the Minotaur and leveled up to Lv.2?"

Seeing those golden eyes staring intently at me, I was somewhat overwhelmed by her aura and nodded.

She stared at me for a while, then glanced behind me.

Then, Miss Ais moved to the side with a "rustling" sound. Seeing that she seemed to be going to get behind me, I shrank back and started sweating.

...She wants to see my back (ability value)?

For some reason, I guessed what she was thinking and subtly shifted my position. Miss Ais also moved subtly. Softly, softly, softly. What were they doing?

The other members of the group were giving us strange looks. Just as I was sweating profusely, engaged in a mysterious battle of wits with the somewhat naive Miss Ais—

"Wow—it really is Argonauts!"

A cheerful voice came from inside.

The loud cheers startled me, but what shocked me most was how they addressed me.

I hurriedly turned in the direction the sound came from and saw two brown-skinned women walking towards us.

"Tiona, Tione..."

"You've worked hard, Ais. I heard you went to see the captain?"