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

Ais was so captivated by the sacred writing on her back that she didn't even notice her approaching, and her shoulders jerked in surprise.

Turning to the side, she saw Riveria's emerald eyes fixed on hers.

Ais's gaze drifted left and right like a lost child before she lowered her head.

"……sorry."

"..."

Ais dejectedly lowered her hand, and Riveria also let go.

Tiona, Tiony, Bert, and Finn remained silent, gazing at the two standing before the boy's secret.

Soon, Riveria began diagnosing the boy, with Ais helping her. The boy wore a shirt draped over his back, and his face—Bell's scarred face, his eyes covered by his bangs—made Ais lower her eyes in repentance.

A short while later, Riveria carried the little girl in her arms, and Ais also carried the boy on her back.

They asked Finn to take the two of them to the treatment room in the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel).

After receiving permission, Ais and the others returned to the ground first, while Finn and the others headed to the main route to rejoin the separated troops.

Ais didn't talk to Riveria on the way, but only felt the weight of the boy on her back and carried him into the treatment room of the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel).

Bell and the girl lay on the bed, and the two of them kept an eye on their physical condition. They also asked the supervisor to call members from their own faction from headquarters and order them to report to the guild the whole situation of the Minotaur appearing in the "upper level".

Just as the group members ran out of the treatment room following Rivera's instructions, as if it were their turn, a young goddess rushed in.

"Bell!?"

Panting heavily, the goddess Hestia glanced at the boy and girl on the bed before finally relaxing her strength.

Having heard that his family had been sent here, Bell's main god, dressed in what looked like a shop uniform, looked at the boy's peaceful sleeping face, pressed his hand tightly to his chest, and had tears in his eyes.

Ais and Riveria, who were about to leave, turned back to face her and explained what had happened.

“…Thank you.”

Hestia listened silently, thanked them, and Ais and the others nodded and left.

Later, Ais and Riveria quickened their pace to return to the dungeon and successfully reunited with Finn and the follow-up troops led by Grace.

The expedition team, reorganized on the 18th floor, set off directly with the "deep layer" as its goal.

Inspired by Bell's "adventure," Tiona and her companions fought with great enthusiasm, reaching the 50th floor in just six days, despite it being the outward journey. Seeing the first-level adventurers displaying their prowess while leaving the lower-level members (their own group) to the sidelines, Raul and his companions, unaware of the reason behind it all, are still quite confused.

(I……)

Immersed in her memories, Ais repeated the same questions and answers she had been asking herself since that day.

The boy's heroic figure is imprinted in my heart, leaving my heart burning with passion.

That silhouette even reminded her of her father—memories resurfaced in her mind.

Then there's the ability value that breaks through the limits—allowing her to see the possibility of reaching higher levels.

The emotions that surged into Ais's heart along with the various scenes left her feeling utterly confused.

◆

After setting up camp, the Loki Familia began their meal.

The group members formed a large circle around the campfire in the center of the campsite, just like on previous "expeditions," and they ate very well this time as well. To reward the group members for completing the journey to the 50th floor and to maintain morale, the meals distributed to everyone were very plentiful, including maze-grown fruits such as meat-flavored fruit and dried meat, as well as soup cooked in a large pot.

The top blacksmiths from the great forging faction (Hephaestus Familia) also joined in, enjoying a lively feast.

"You two have seemed a bit off the whole way. What's wrong?"

Several guards stood watch around the campsite. Chun, carrying dried meat and a soup plate, came to Ais and the others.

Her team of skilled blacksmiths proved to be exceptionally capable, requiring no guards. They single-handedly repelled occasional monster attacks, remained calm in the face of unusual situations, and followed the instructions of the Loki Familia. Tsubaki, in particular, would break away from the group to steal weapon materials (dropped items) whenever she spotted a rare monster, hacking and slashing at it with her katana. She was scolded several times but didn't learn her lesson until Rivera hit her with her staff, finally calming her down a bit. Despite these incidents, no one, including the blacksmiths, was injured on their way to this floor.

The half-dwarf, his black hair tied in a bun, swayed fearlessly as he asked them a question. Diona, who was wolfing down her food, spoke up:

"On our way to the 18th floor, we encountered an incredibly outrageous adventurer—so I can't sit still right now."

"Oh, what's your name?"

"Uh... Kron Bernie?"

"Mmm, I'll write it down, I'll write it down..."

Tsubaki writes the names of promising adventurers—weapon users—into the roster, engaging in a somewhat silly conversation with Tiona; while Ais silently replenishes her energy.

She was still lost in thought and only ate one piece of the rations Luluni had given her.

"Let's begin one last discussion."

After the meal, Ais and the others, with Finn at the center, began the final confirmation process.

After cleaning up the pots and pans, the group members still sat in a circle, listening to the group leader's speech.

"As my colleagues told everyone before, starting from the 51st floor, a selected team will attack, while the rest of the personnel will defend the camp together with the [Hephaestus Familia]."

Starting from the 51st floor, even supporters must possess minimum capabilities. The larger the force, the more time-consuming and labor-intensive it becomes to command. To prioritize the mobility of the troops, only the elite of the [Family] can venture into uncharted territories.

The remaining personnel were responsible for defending the supply depots, also known as the base camps.

"The team includes me, Rivera, Grace..."

After getting plenty of rest, we will launch an attack on the areas we haven't reached tomorrow.

After announcing the names of the seven members of the leadership team and executives who were first-class adventurers, Finn then called on the support members.

"The supporters include Raul, Navi, Alicia, Kos, Lefia..."

Although she knew beforehand, Lefia still secretly swallowed when she heard that she had been chosen.

All the supporters were Lv.4, except for her, the elven mage, who was only Lv.3. She quietly became nervous.

"Those remaining at the camp, if those new monsters appear, deal with them from a distance using 'magic swords' and 'magic.' The guards must be on high alert and prevent the monsters from getting close. Angel, command is now in your hands."

"Yes."

Finn gradually explained the precautions for defense, methods for dealing with the corrosive larvae, and the command of the campsite.

Instead of Raul, who accompanied the group as a supporter, the female cat-person was appointed as the leader, and she stood up to accept the task.

"I hope Tsubaki will join us as a weapons technician."

"Yeah, no problem."

Chun was chosen as a team member, and nodded with a smile. The Lv.5 blacksmith showed no fear, seemingly eagerly anticipating the unknown labyrinthine territory.

Before long, all the matters had been conveyed, and Chun, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly stood up.

"Then, let's give them what they're entitled to first!"

Chun's tone suddenly rose as she spoke to Finn and the others.

She gave a signal, and the master blacksmiths took out weapons wrapped in white cloth from their luggage.

Apart from Ais and Riveria, each of the first-level adventurers received one, for a total of five.

"This is what you ordered... 'Not bad attribute'."

Finn, Grace, Bert, Tiona, and Tione, these first-level adventurers, each picked up their weapons and unwrapped the white cloth covering them.

What appeared before them was a sharpened silver gleam.

"The Roland series was made according to each of your requests."

The level 1 adventurers stared intently at the weapons in their hands.

Finn wields a spear, Grace wields a great axe, Bert wields two swords, Tiona wields a greatsword, and Tione wields a halberd.

All of them are indestructible weapons that radiate a sharp luster. As expected of the work of the top blacksmith Tsubaki, all five weapons have the beauty of works of art, while the blades also reveal hidden hardness and power.

As the weapon users checked the feel of their Roland series weapons, the surrounding members were full of praise for the special weapons that combined aesthetic appeal with functional beauty.

"Thank you, Tsubaki, it's exactly what we specified."

"It's lighter than I expected, and it's a weapon with no damage attributes."

Finn slung his spear over his shoulder and smiled to show his approval, while Grace easily raised the battle axe above his head with one hand.

"You didn't order that ridiculously stupid weapon."

"What can we do? They told me that if we order weapons like the Great Twin Blades (Ulga), everyone's orders won't be completed in time before the 'Expedition'!"

Bert sheathed his double-edged swords and asked Tiona why she hadn't specified the shape of the super-large weapon—the oversized double-edged sword (Ulga). She swung her greatsword, which had a non-damaging attribute, and pouted to indicate that the other party had said no.

"Miss Tione, you've specified the halberd...?"

"Yeah, I think it's better to use a large weapon (like this) to deal with the guys below the 51st floor."

The sheer power of the over two-meter-long axe-spear made Raul break out in a sweat, while Tione, wielding the weapon, tried slashing horizontally. The large, long-handled weapon emitted a high-speed "whoosh!" sound as it cut through the wind. "It does seem quite light," she squinted.

"I pay attention to materials and have maximized the power. Although there will be some differences depending on the shape of the weapon, it can guarantee the attack power of a second-level weapon."

Chun crossed her arms and looked at the users holding their works, nodding with satisfaction.

Although it's not a bad attribute, its sharpness and other performance characteristics that affect attack power will still decrease during continuous intense battles. Therefore, she didn't bring it out at the beginning of the expedition, but instead chose to give it to everyone at the crucial moment of the strategy, which is before the attack on the 51st floor.

The other members remained excited about the new weapon for the Level 1 adventurer, until finally Finn spoke up.

"Then, for the sake of tomorrow, we shall disband here. The guards shall change shifts every four hours."

Following this instruction, the group members began to disperse.

Some went back to their assigned tents, some went to check on the guards, and others went to talk to the senior blacksmiths; everyone had their own things to do.

Ais also stood up, about to leave—

"【Fiora】".

Chun came over and called out to her.

She stared at Ais with her unblinded, crimson right eye and pointed at Ais's waist.

"Let me take a look at your weapon; it probably needs repair."

She was pointing to the "Sword of Despair," which she had been using all the way to this floor. Not only in battles against monsters, but also in the fierce fight against Oota, the blade had indeed been worn down.

"...Thank you for your help."

Hearing the craftsman's suggestion that he could accurately see the condition of the weapon, Ais nodded honestly.

After everyone dispersed, the center of the campsite became deserted.

In a place surrounded by many tents, Tsubaki, having prepared a portable stove and whetstone, took the "Sword of Despair" from Ais. She took off her clothes, leaving only hakama and a bodice, revealing her full breasts and brown skin, and began to repair the weapon.

In front of her, Ais sat down on the small base that had been prepared.

"But speaking of which, that little girl has now become an adventurer representing the city."

Throughout the campsite, just like with Tsubaki and Ais, you can see groups of skilled blacksmiths who are tasked with repairing weapons, and adventurers watching from the sidelines.

While many people were focused on maintaining their best performance, Tsubaki said to Ais in front of her:

"Perhaps I should have grabbed you sooner, before someone else snatched you away? What a pity."

She chuckled as she worked on her homework.

Chun said that even if they couldn't form a contract directly, they should at least let skilled adventurers become customers. She said it as if she was very sorry, but there was no regret in her tone.

She had spent a long time in Orario before Ais joined the Loki Familia, and now she was reminiscing about the past as if talking about the past.

"Ten years ago... no, nine years ago? Back then, you were like a sword without a sheath."

"..."

"No matter how chipped or damaged the blade is, you must continue fighting. From the very beginning, I knew you would surely die if you continued like that."

"Such a petite girl," Chun said, and Ais listened silently to her voice.

At the same time, I stared at the sword in her hand, its worn surface.

"【Fiora】Let me be frank. Back then, I had absolutely no intention of forging weapons for you."

Normally, if she saw a talented adventurer—a rough gem with the potential to shine brightly in the future—she, as a blacksmith, would be eager to try her hand at it. But when she saw Ais, she didn't feel that way.

As Tsubaki sharpened the "Sword of Despair," she said this.

"Of course, if you only see yourself as a sword, why would a blacksmith want to forge weapons for someone like that?"

"I……"

"That's right. You weren't the one using weapons back then. The weapons were made by me or other blacksmiths."