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

Ais belonged to the vanguard team, and their first unit members gathered at the far end of the campsite—towards the south passageway. Finn and Lefia, who had already returned from investigating the eastern end of the floor, along with Tiona and Tione, the main fighting force who had driven out the 17th floor master (Oria)—the "Lone King of the Labyrinth," Bert, who prioritized carrying the antidote and relied on his speed to pass through—were all gathered together. Bert, who had fallen for Ais's trick and ultimately failed to find the boy, was also very unhappy and insisted on joining them.

Let's go.

With her chest protector and waist guard fully equipped and her beloved sword at her waist, Ais went to Tiona and the others, and the group began to move into the tunnel cave in a group.

"Miss Ais!"

At this moment.

Someone called out to Ais, who was walking at the back of the group, from behind.

Ais knew who it was just by the voice. She widened her eyes slightly and slowly turned her head.

The white-haired boy seemed to have called out to Ais in a moment of urgency, and came to her side with some hesitation.

Are you leaving already?

"Um... I've been assigned to the first team to set off."

The boy was dressed in light clothing, with his equipment already prepared, in preparation for heading to the dungeon.

She looks great, and there's no trace of fatigue from last night; she seems to be in good health.

Ais's furrowed brow finally relaxed. At that moment...

“Um, um…”

"?"

Bell hesitated, his gaze darting left and right.

His appearance, as if tossed about by some kind of melancholy mood and complex emotions, left Ais looking on in disbelief.

Bell raised his head, as if shaking off his confusion, and spoke;

"...Please be careful."

Ais was taken aback.

Even her fellow Loki Familia members hadn't said that to her, the Sword Maiden, in a long time.

That was all because everyone trusted her too much, but these words, which she hadn't heard in a long time and had almost forgotten, still stirred gentle ripples in the girl's heart.

"...You too, be careful."

When I noticed, a smile had already blossomed on Ais's lips.

See you next time.

"..."

After saying that, Ais turned her back to Bell.

After returning to the surface, the two will probably never see each other again; Ais and Bell will both go back to their own homes.

When will we meet again?

As Ais pondered these thoughts, she stepped away from the boy who had said goodbye.

"Ais—, what did you talk to the little hero Argo about—?"

"Hmm...let's exchange pleasantries."

"What? You're not asking him for the secret to getting all S's in his abilities? You can ask him! If it were Ais, that kid would definitely tell you!"

"Uh... that shouldn't be possible, right?"

As they walked through the forest, Ais talked with Tiona and the others.

Ais chatted and laughed with the girls who were joking with her, and also talked to Lefia who was walking beside her.

Did Rafia say goodbye to him?

"..."

The younger elf put on a stern face and answered Ais, who had misunderstood that their relationship had improved:

"...I've told him everything I needed to say."

"?"

I'm so sorry about yesterday, thank you, but I won't forgive you.

She only told Bell that much, and felt that was enough.

Hearing the boy appear in Tiona and the others' conversation again, the younger elf pouted, making Ais tilt her head in confusion.

"Let's do a check before heading to the 17th floor."

Once they emerged from the forest and arrived at the cave carved into the rock wall at the south end of the building, Finn ordered his troops to halt their advance.

He was in charge of the vanguard, while Riveria and Grace were on standby for the follow-up.

Finn looked around at Tiona, Tiony, Bert, Lefia, Ais, and the other members of the group, including Raul.

"The floor master (Oria) has appeared in the large cavern above, and of course, we have to defeat it. Under normal circumstances, we should let people other than the executives accumulate experience... But this 'expedition' has been plagued by a series of abnormal situations, and our strength has been severely depleted. So, just to be on the safe side, we've had Ais and the others participate in the battle from the very beginning. Does anyone have any objections...? I don't think so, right? You guys must be starting to miss the light on the surface, right? Actually, I also really want to go back to headquarters as soon as possible and get some rest in my own bed."

The leader's joking manner caused Raul and the others to burst into laughter. When the Amazon sister, who inappropriately shouted, "Why don't I sleep with you!?", was held down by her younger sister, Finn relaxed the grip on the lower-ranking members' shoulders and then tightened his expression again.

"Tiona, Tione, Bert, the three of you move to the forward positions. I won't say anything if you accidentally defeat the floor master (Oria), but hold it off for now. Make sure you pick up the 'Magic Stone'."

"Yes—!" "Understood!" "Good."

"Ais plays center back, supporting both the attack and defense."

"understood."

"Raul, you guys protect the defenders, you don't need to be the wall to deal with the other minions (monsters)."

"Yes!"

"The mages began chanting as soon as they rushed into the great cavern. Once they were ready, they unleashed a barrage of fire, annihilating all the enemies along with the floor master. Lefia, you give the signal."

"Okay, okay!?"

Finn gave orders to the members.

Despite exuding leadership qualities, he remained calm and casually told everyone:

"Three minutes to finish, let's go—everyone prepare for battle."

All the members of the group drew their weapons at the same time.

Armed with their weapons, they already showed an expression that they could defeat the "Lone King of the Labyrinth" and the elites of the city's largest faction in just a few minutes.

Ais and the others stared intently at the dark, sprawling cave.

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"—the roars of giants echoed from the tunnel, and they charged into it.

✿

"..."

The torch flame flickered.

This is a stone hall resembling an "ancient" temple, dimly lit and shrouded in silence except for the sound of burning flames. This is the "prayer hall" underground of the guild headquarters.

On the central altar, where four torches were set up, the old god Uranus, seated on his enormous throne, narrowed his azure eyes.

"What's wrong, Uranus?"

Seeing him looking down at his feet, the man in black standing beside him asked a question.

Uranus addressed his attendant, the mage Fels:

"My divine will (voice) can no longer reach the dungeon."

Upon hearing this, Fels froze for a moment, then, shaking his long black robe, exclaimed in astonishment:

"Are you saying the 'prayer' was interrupted!?"

"That's right... the dungeon has gone out of control."

When asked by Fels, Uranus responded with a terrifying statement.

His gaze was sharp as he stared intently at the expanding underground labyrinth directly beneath the altar where he was currently sitting.

"It seems a god has invaded the dungeon, and the dungeon has noticed. However, this..."

After expressing his opinion, the unmoving old man stopped speaking.

He seemed unable to resolve the fear lurking in his heart, radiating a depressed silence.

"...Uranus, this is...?"

"Yes……"

Uranus nodded at what Fels said.

"With Zeus and the others gone, a change is about to begin, isn't it...?"

He seemed to direct his gaze somewhere beyond this place, looking up at the dark, congested overhead.

Soon after, the god quietly closed his eyes.

"Times are about to change."

✿

"..."

The vibrations transmitted through her boots made Ais look down.

"It's shaking...?"

"Is the dungeon trembling?"

Not only was she looking down, but the advance team members, including Tiona, Tione, Bert, and Lefia, were all looking down at the maze floor.

This is the 8th floor of the "upper level" of the dungeon.

The group had long since left the middle-level area, and the atmosphere had relaxed, when suddenly they felt a shaking, causing the troops to stop in their tracks. Anything unfamiliar was a harbinger of an anomaly, a fact many high-level adventurers had personally experienced.

Even the monsters scattered throughout the labyrinth disappeared from Ais and the others' sight in fear.

The epicenter appeared to be located on a deeper floor than here, leaving everyone puzzled.

"Commander..."

"...The troops continue their advance, prioritizing their return to the surface. Koss, just in case, take Navi to check on Riveria and the others."

Ignoring the uneasy Raul, Finn remained calm. Following his command, the dog-man youth nodded and said "Understood," then led the human girl back along the proper route.

Following Finn's instructions, the advance force resumed its advance.

The tremors subsided quickly, and nothing happened. The group arrived at the entrance to the maze.

Climb the man-made spiral staircase, exit the large hole in the underground city, and pass through the gate of the giant tower.

The wind blew against Ais and the others' skin.

We've reached the surface.

"Ah~, it's been so long since I've been back~!"

Tiona, wielding her large double-edged spear, expressed her excitement first.

The Loki Familia members, having successfully returned to the surface, basked in the sunlight, the vast sky, and the fragrance of the wind, their faces beaming with joy.

"Sunset Glow..."

"Every time I see it after the 'expedition', it looks so dazzling."

Lefia's eyes welled up with tears, and Tione narrowed her eyes.

The fiery red sunset embraced them as they arrived at Central Park in front of the skyscraper's facilities.

The setting sun was about to sink behind the city walls.

What should have been a familiar sight of sunset was, in the eyes of these adventurers who had survived the fierce battle, a beauty that no treasure could ever replace.

Afterwards, Ais and the others waited for the next squad to arrive. They waited in a corner of the northern part of the central square, attracting attention and noise from the surroundings. Thirty minutes later, Grace and Riveria's troops appeared with large cargo crates.

Like Tiona and the others, the smiling members took a deep breath of fresh air.

"...Those children, are they staying on the 18th floor?"

"Yes, I heard there are some 'trivial matters' to attend to."