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

"I originally intended to stay in the workshop, but this matter seems quite interesting. Understood, I'll accept the assignment."

The female relatives smiled and walked out of the "workshop".

Hephaestus stared at her retreating figure, then his gaze slowly shifted to the corner of the room.

The large forging furnace installed there still burns with fiery red flames.

*

The firelight from the stove illuminated Welf's profile.

The intense heat emanating from the roaring furnace was almost unbearable; sweat poured from his handkerchief-wrapped head and entire face. In the dark forge, the large wrought iron furnace roared beside him, but he paid no heed, hammering the red-hot metal on the anvil.

A sharp metallic sound, bright and intense sparks—this is the earnest contest of forging iron.

Welf threw himself into his battle, his eyes fixed only on the objects below. With the most genuine and straightforward heart, he didn't need an assistant to strike with a pair of hammers; he forged the metal satin into shape with just a red hammer.

His raised hand and the edge of the hammer were inlaid with a faint crimson line. This was the effect of the learned development ability "Forging". Hammering sublimated breath into the iron block could transform the iron block into a stronger and sharper "weapon".

Clang, clang! He was used to the sound of hammering, and each time the hammer struck, the high-pitched metallic echo sounded different.

Listening to the iron block's story and feeling its texture, the young man unconsciously smiled.

—You must listen to the sound of the iron, listen to the ringing of the iron, and put your heart into the hammer.

Deep within the rusty memories that flashed through his mind, the words an old man had once told him resurfaced.

In the dimly lit forge, filled with the aroma of iron ore, I, as a young child, was working as an assistant.

In an instant, Welf recalled the scene and continued playing the melody of forging.

The red-hot metal gradually formed a sharp blade, and Welf breathed out flames, channeling his heat and heart into the metal.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, here's the Japanese sword you requested."

The maroon sunlight streamed in through the open blinds.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the stone hut in the backyard of the headquarters—the "workshop".

By the time Welf finished all his training, it was already dusk. Without changing out of his sweat-soaked kimono, he went into the mansion and called his companions who had returned from the underground city.

He didn't explore the dungeon because he was making weapons and armor. At this moment, he called Lily, Haruhime and Mikoto over. "Oh oh—" The three of them opened their mouths wide.

"I made it to the size of the Japanese sword you used before. The material is a composite metal made of 'fanged lion tiger fangs' and 'black silver steel' collected from the 27th floor. It shouldn't break no matter how much you cut it."

"Thank you, Lord Welf! That's wonderful...!"

The blade is 90 centimeters long and the body is black and silver.

Having obtained a Japanese sword crafted from weapon materials of the metal attribute Adamant and minerals mined in the "Lower Layer," the young adventurer was trembling with excitement and emotion. She was not only captivated by the sword's beauty but also accurately recognized its performance—equivalent to a third-tier weapon—handcrafted by a master blacksmith.

Because priority was given to producing equipment and armor for the central defense—spears and light armor—her weapon was delayed until now, and the girl looked at it, her cheeks flushing red.

"Having a blacksmith in the [Family] is really convenient."

"Don't talk about people like magic stone artifacts, Riko."

Lily watched from the side, and the way she talked about it made it seem like a blacksmith was an essential household item, which made Welf, who handled everything from repairing worn-out weapons to making new ones, unable to help but complain.

Welf glared at her with half-open eyes before turning his gaze back to his own. Excited about his new sword, she already had one of the twin swords given to her by her idol, Takemikazuchi, at her waist—the "Earth's Remnant," a finely crafted weapon from the [Gubern Familia]—that Welf had created this piece driven by a desire to challenge that very sword, and the result was quite good.

Welf nodded in satisfaction at the black lacquered scabbard and blade bearing the tiger's engraving, then, fully prepared, thrust his upper body forward.

"Alright, let's name it then... Tiger Iron... No, Tiger Boy...

"Please wait a moment, Lord Welf!?"

Seeing Welf grinning with his right hand on his chin, Life really yelled at him.

She was covered in sweat, her face changed drastically, and she did everything in her power to stop Welf from naming it.

"Tiger, Tiger Boy, what a nice name! I think it's very cute..."

"Oh, you understand how good this name is!"

"I'm begging you! Please don't interrupt, Lady Haruhime!"

Chunji displayed the naivety and foolishness of a noble lady, Welf was happy to have gained his first comrade, and Mei cried and screamed.

With an annoyed Lily watching, and after a roundabout process—thanks to Ming crying and kowtowing in pleas—the name of the new weapon was finally decided as "Tiger Iron".

The girl breathed a sigh of relief with tears in her eyes and hugged the katana with peace of mind, while Welf scratched his red hair with an extremely regretful expression.

"...Next is your armor, this is it."

"Is this... a cape?"

"Lord Welf, this couldn't be...?"

What Haruhime and Lily received was a jet-black hooded robe.

Welf nodded to the surprised Lily.

"Yes, it was made using the 'dropped item' from the Black Floor Master Goliath. Bell and the goddess Hestia gave it to me."

An unusual situation occurred on the 18th floor—the final battle with Goliath, the master of the pitch-black floor.

The enemy dropped "Goliath's Hide," and Bell obtained half of it, later giving it to Welf to craft armor for Lily and Haruhime—incidentally, they didn't have time to sell the hide then, and later managed to dig it out from a hidden room in the destroyed church—

The giant's hide has amazing durability, and has rendered attacks from hundreds of high-level adventurers ineffective.

For the two support girls with low [ability values], Welf used his own methods to tan leather, process and shape it, and made it into top-notch armor.

"It's quite heavy..."

"Hey, please turn a blind eye to the weight. That floor master himself is ridiculous enough, and his skin is just as exaggerated. Neither weapons nor magic can move him."

Lily immediately put on the Goliath Robe, looked down at her body, and whispered. She was unaffected by the support skill of the "Behind-the-Scenes Hero" skill, while the frail Haruhime seemed to be struggling quite a bit in comparison.

After all, it was Goliath's tough skin, a powerful attack-type floor master, capable of deflecting both physical and "magical" attacks. Looking at this sturdy armor that could avoid a fatal blow even when ambushed by monsters from the "middle" or "lower" floors, Lily sighed with emotion.

"However, it can only deflect attacks, not absorb the impact. If you get hit by too much force, you're done for, so be careful."

Welf told Lily and the others that it was just like armor.

Even if the metal plate can block the blade, the impact of the attack will still be transmitted into the armor. If they were hit by a heavy blow, Lily and Haruhime, both at LV.1, would be sent flying, their robes remaining unscathed while their bodies underneath would rupture and they would die.

Upon hearing the creator's advice against over-reliance on defensive capabilities, Lily and Haruhime nodded solemnly.

"...However, shouldn't such excellent protective gear be given to the avant-garde Lord Bell?"

It's certain that the vanguard will be fiercely attacked by the monsters.

Having good protective gear can definitely reduce the risk of injury significantly.

Lily felt that it would be better to give this "Goliath Robe" to the boy than the first rabbit armor she had made.

To her perfectly reasonable question, Welf pursed his lips into a straight line and looked away from Lily and the others.

"...I will forge that guy's weapons and armor myself; I can't use armor made solely from monster materials."

Simply using high-performance weapon materials dropped by monsters would damage the reputation of craftsmen and hurt the pride of blacksmiths.

Welf claimed that he was Bell's personal blacksmith and insisted on crafting the boy's equipment himself, refusing to budge.

Seeing the young man cross his arms and turn his face away from them, Lily felt helpless against him, while Haruhime and Mikoto chuckled softly.

Bathed in the fading sunlight streaming through the blinds, Welf's cheeks flushed red.

"...That's settled then. You can leave now. I still need to pack my things."

"Lord Welf—, tomorrow everyone will be going to the 17th floor with Sakura-sama and the others, so don't forget to prepare yourself—"

"Okay, okay! You guys get out of here!"

Not long after, Welf kicked the women out of the workshop, as if to cover up his embarrassment.

The teasing whispers from Lily and the others in the backyard made him want to yell back.

*

The decision to go to the 17th floor together with their own faction, the Hestia Familia, and their close faction, the Takemikazuchi Familia, was made two days ago.

The two factions had already explored the maze together several times and confirmed that there were no problems with working together. Therefore, considering future dungeon strategies, they decided to embark on a "mini expedition".

If we want to venture into deeper floors, specifically below the 20th floor, a day trip would definitely not be enough time. Since we'd only be going and coming back quickly, there's no way we could do any thorough exploration.

In order to get used to camping in the dungeon, Bell and his friends and Sakura and others proposed to provide each other with guards and other personnel, and spend a day in a corner of the dungeon.

The term "Little Expedition" sounds exaggerated, but in reality, it simply means taking long-term exploration of dungeons into view and making an attempt to linger in a maze.

The stay was for one day. Blankets and food were prepared. The goddess Hestia bid a lonely farewell, while the god Takemikazuchi smiled and said, "Be careful." Nazha and other members of the Mih Familia who were staying behind saw them off. The joint team set off from the "Kitchenhouse".

The two factions, a total of ten members, made their way to the 17th floor, and would spend half a day exploring.

——This is how it should be.

"You bunch of avant-garde human wall bastards—!? Give it your all, hold it!!"

After the roars that echoed all around, came the roars of giants and the sounds of a massive clash.

The massive, tightly packed shields blocked the raised, swinging fist, vibrating with a clattering sound.

The dwarves and orcs, their faces contorted, retreated, digging their heels into the ground, amidst a deafening roar of rude shouts and the chanting of mages, utterly devoid of discipline.

Many adventurers are tackling a colossal monster that they must look up at.

"How could things have turned out like this...!?"

"I'm so sorry, Lily...!"

In the very center of the battlefield, where humans and monsters roared in fury, Lily groaned as she fired arrows with her crossbow. Bell, who had slain the attacking black hound Hellhound and the giant tiger Fang Master Tiger, apologized to her.

Fu'er and his companions were drawn into a large-scale battle.

The location is the large cavern on the 17th floor.

This area, located before the safe point, is the biggest obstacle that must be overcome before entering the 18th floor.

In a vast space hundreds of meters wide and deep, the roars of monsters and the cries of adventurers reached the sky, mingling with each other. The "Wailing Wall" stood serenely to one side, while the most prominent feature on the battlefield was a gray-brown giant that stood a full seven meters tall.

"—Ooo ...

On the 17th floor, the lonely king of the labyrinth, Monster rex "Goliath," brandished his fists, intimidating the adventurers below. The exaggerated impact of his fists shattering the ground, along with the deafening roar, caused even Welf, Mikoto, Haruhime, and Sakura, who had been summoned to join the battle, to lean back in shock.

The incident began with the battle cries they heard upon reaching the 17th floor, followed by a terrifying roar that sounded like that of a giant. Bell and the others exchanged bewildered glances, abandoned their original plans, and continued running along the regular route within the floor... Waiting for them in the main passage was a group of adventurers engaged in battle with Goliath.

During the "mini expedition," Bell and his companions used the intelligence network on the ground to investigate whether there was any danger, but they did not obtain this underground intelligence—the adventurers of the 18th floor, "Rivera Town," had chosen today to attack the floor master.

Every two weeks, Goliath, the master of the floors, reappears, frequently hindering advanced adventurers from reaching the levels below the 18th. The congestion leading to the safe floors means the income of the townspeople of Rivera, who exploit their businesses, is also affected. Therefore, the rogues running inns in the labyrinth unite and regularly hunt down Goliath, who blocks the passage between the 17th and 18th floors. Bell and his companions are no exception; they are facing the battlefield where the Rivera forces are about to defeat the giant.

Welf and his friends weren't so thick-skinned as to ignore the tremors caused by the floor owner and the screams of their fellow adventurers and continue their exploration. Most importantly, the kind-hearted teenagers couldn't possibly abandon their fellow adventurers after hearing their screams of "Ughhhhhh!?"

Because the adventurers, who were at a disadvantage, were asking for help, Bell and the others joined the mission to defeat the floor master.

"Ughh ...

"Oops!?"

The vanguard wall used large shields to block attacks, mages chanted incantations, and the vanguard attackers boldly slashed at the giant's thick legs. On the battlefield, the figure of the third-level adventurer Mordo Latro and his gang could also be seen.

Modo harbored a grudge against Bell from their first encounter, even leading a mob to give Bell a taste of his own medicine. However, after the events of the 18th floor, his attitude softened considerably, and his scarred, menacing face began to smile. Like the other Rivera adventurers in town, Modo, witnessing Bell's courageous fight against Goliath, the master of the Dark Floor, finally acknowledged Bell's strength.

This man, who had been stuck at LV.2, Level 3 for years and only knew how to swagger around, had somehow changed his mindset and actually joined the fight against the floor master, taking the lead in the "adventure." However, his desperate plea for help from Bell made him look a bit pathetic.

Seeing that Modo was being attacked by a herd of Minotaur bulls that emerged from the Great Passage, Bell skillfully used the Blade of Hestia and the short sword that Welf had meticulously crafted to come to his rescue.

"Are all our extermination operations this chaotic every time...!?"

"The number of minions and monsters is surging today! We weren't able to allocate enough manpower to the floor master, Goliath!"

"It seems like it doesn't matter whether we cooperate or not...!"

"I'm wielding my katana," said the unknown adventurer from Rivera town. Chigusa heard him and stabbed the black dog Hellhound with her spear.

In the main battlefield, in the central part of the Great Cavern, slightly off to the 18th floor passageway, several vanguard human walls and vanguard attackers were besieging the gray-brown giant.

Although its abilities are far inferior to the black giant—an enhanced special species—that exists in the memories of Bell and others, "Goliath" is officially estimated by the guild to be equivalent to a LV.4 monster. The gray-brown giant, with its long, glossy, stiff black hair reaching its rock-like shoulder blades, repeatedly threatened the defense of the vanguard wall.

The burly men halted the giants' advance, but could not continue their attack. The vanguard, who should have been slicing through the giants' flesh to disrupt the floor master, were instead preoccupied with dealing with an unprecedented number of smaller monsters, as were the attacked mages. Some had their incantations interrupted, others were forced to use their hard-won "magic"—each faced their own difficulties. Giant fireballs and rains of light flew across the battlefield.

The residents of Rivera were not members of the same faction to begin with.

Perhaps it should be said that they were indeed a bunch of roughnecks, and their joint operation was really crude.

Chigusa and Mikoto, now at LV.2, work together seamlessly, like clones of each other—using Far Eastern teamwork techniques learned from Takemikazuchi to continuously defeat monsters; in contrast, the battles of the advanced adventurers seem like a disorganized mess.

"Perhaps it fits the personality of an adventurer quite well...!"