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

Whenever confronting a monster, the cheerful voice of that lizardman would echo deep within my ears.

Those were the last words I heard when I parted ways with everyone in the "Heretics" secret place.

"Please don't die, kid. I want to see you again."

If it weren't for Mr. Reed's words, I might really have become a useless person.

Don't die—because of that phrase, I can only wield my weapon.

Because that person—that monster—hopes to see me again.

"..."

Turning my back to the small mountain of dust formed from the annihilated monster, I took a step forward. In the end, I still couldn't decide whether to go forward or back, so I walked towards the floor exit with a feeling of frustration.

You should try to be more open-minded.

Reason tells me this repeatedly.

Ordinary monsters are different from the "heretics" like Winnie and Mr. Reed. Even when I hesitate, the monsters will still come to kill me. Humans and monsters are irreconcilable enemies.

But is it right to slaughter monsters for money—to catch up with someone you admire? Is fighting for personal gain and desire acceptable?

I realized I had absolutely no reason to kill the monster.

I've actually started to question the profession of adventurer... I'm hopeless.

"Bell Crane..."

"It's a rising star!"

As I silently moved forward, the orcs and dwarves (Palum) and other demi-humans who brushed past me were all stealing glances at my face. I also heard them whispering about my nickname.

The underground city has a cone-shaped structure.

The further down you go, the larger the floor area becomes.

This "upper level," which is said to be the same size as the central plaza on the fifth floor, is relatively narrow compared to the "middle level," and you'll often see other adventurers. Plus, there are already many novice adventurers, so it's easy to run into fellow adventurers.

The repercussions of the wargame that catapulted the Hestia Familia to fame against the Apollo Familia seem to have barely subsided. Many people have recognized me.

They probably found it strange that I was on a lower floor than the one posted by the management organization (guild)—and that I was alone. Adventurers who brushed past me or made eye contact with me looked at me with suspicion.

Right now, all I can do is hang my head.

(We arrived so quickly...)

I traversed the main passageway on the first level, "The Path of Departure," and walked through the large hole connecting the surface to the labyrinth.

This spiral staircase leads to the basement of the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel). The ceiling upstairs is painted with a celestial scene. Since it was midday, the time was neither too early nor too late, and I didn't see many adventurers heading to the dungeon; I climbed the silver staircase that ran along a large circular opening.

Just as my gaze fell upon my feet... suddenly, I felt someone stop walking.

"what……"

Looking up, I saw an adventurer ahead.

He wore a silver chest protector and a sword at his waist.

The person stood in the shadows, their long golden hair shining like gold dust under the magic stone light.

And his golden eyes, the same color as his hair, were fixed on me.

"Miss Ais..."

When I came to my senses, I had already whispered the name of the swordsman I admired.

*

"..."

The blonde, golden-eyed girl exchanged a few words with the white-haired boy, and the two returned to the surface together.

The magician in black silently observed the scene reflected in the crystal.

"What's wrong, Fels?"

"……nothing."

Fels, dressed in a long black robe, gave a brief reply in his deep voice.

The guild headquarters' underground "prayer hall".

In the dimly lit stone space, only four torches served as the light source. In the center of the altar, resembling an ancient temple, the ancient god Uranus sat majestically on his enormous throne.

Fels, God's right-hand man, is monitoring the situation on the first basement floor of the skyscraper (Tower of Babel) through a crystal placed on a pedestal.

Is the Tower of Babel still silent?

"Yes, those hunters... the Ikelos Familia doesn't seem to have entered or left the Tower of Babel."

Fels nodded in response to Uranus's question.

Fels installed an "eye" in the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel) that had the "Great Hole" as an entrance to the underground city. It was a sapphire inconspicuously embedded in the mural on the ceiling of the first basement floor.

This is a double-crystal "oculus" made by the "Fool (Fels)," who was once hailed as a "wise man."

The light and sound captured by one of the twin crystals can be reflected in the other. This device can transmit messages even between distant locations, making it the only existing communication magical device in modern times. Even Fels would have difficulty creating this device without the necessary materials, and even the renowned "Omnipotent One" has not yet succeeded in manufacturing it. The owl familiar's prosthetic eye is also a type of magical device; Fels saved it when it was on the verge of death after losing an eye and gave it a replacement.

Fels has always used this eyepiece to eliminate outlaws or adventurers on the blacklist—he was able to detect that Bell and the others had brought Winnie to the surface thanks to this magical artifact.

Because it is directly under Uranus, in other words, even the guild staff do not know about this secret secret unit. Based on this position, he will deliberately let go of some cases or people with extenuating circumstances. However, basically, this black-clad magician has always kept a close eye on the people in the dungeon or city to prevent them from going astray.

"Just like always, Uranus. We finally know the enemy's true identity, but we can't detect their movements."

Thanks to the Hermes Familia, they have learned that the hunters who capture monsters for smuggling are very likely the Ikeros Familia.

Two days ago, on the way to the secret realm of "Heretics," Fels kept his eyes fixed on the entrance to the surface and underground with his Eye Crystal. And to this day, he has not found any trace of any members of the [Ikeros Familia] who have left their names in the guild records passing through the "Tower of Babel."

As if mocking Fels and his companions, the hunters continued their evil deeds in secret.

"The fact that they didn't return to the Tower of Babel means they're still in the underground city, or lurking in the inn town (Rivera)... No, that's highly unlikely."

Ultimately, the most fundamental question is: how have they managed to evade Fels's watchful eye and smuggle the captured "heretics" onto the surface and out of the city for so long?

A glimmer of possibility emerged.

The black-clad magician stopped looking at the crystal on the pedestal and turned his gaze to the deity on the altar, staring intently at him.

In a low, suppressed voice, he spoke:

"One issue we've been worried about for a while... besides the Tower of Babel, another entrance to the underground city."

"..."

"The enemy's hideout (secret base) that imprisons the monsters seems to be located not on the surface, but rather—"

With a pop, the torch burst into tiny sparks.

Sparks flew around, and the "prayer hall" fell into a brief silence.

Between Fels and Uranus, shrouded in the dim light, only silence remained between them.

"What happened to those 'heretics' now?"

Soon after, Uranus spoke.

When asked about God, Fels reached into his robes with his patterned glove.

"As planned, it seems to be moving to another secret location... but Reed hasn't sent a report of its arrival yet."

He took out a crystal from his black clothes, different from the one on the pedestal.

When Fels is on the surface, he also communicates with the "Heretics" regularly using his Eye Crystal. This magical artifact, which allows communication even inside the dungeon, is mainly used by him to promptly entrust the other party with investigating or suppressing anomalies in the dungeon, playing an indispensable role.

On the other hand, the eye crystal also has a drawback: it can only share information with paired crystals. In other words, in order for one person to monitor multiple locations or communicate with multiple people, the same number of crystals must be maintained. This could be considered a difficulty. The best evidence is the pile of crystals occupying space within Fels's all-black robes.

Fels lent some of the eye crystals to the "heretics," while the dedicated wiring to the surface was entrusted to their leader, Reed, for safekeeping.

Fels looked down at the yellow crystal he had taken out—and suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Uranus noticed his unusual expression and asked him this question.

After a moment of stiffness, the black-clad magician gave him an unsettling answer in a tone that betrayed barely concealed unease:

"The crystal I gave Reed stopped working..."

*

It made a loud noise.

The yellow crystal that hit the ground shattered into pieces.

"What are you doing, Guros?!"

The lizardman's rude voice echoed throughout the "Great Tree Maze".

In a cavern deep within the 24th floor, where no blue moss grows, a dark space is shrouded in darkness, where monsters of various races gather—a group of "heretics" wielding adventurer weapons or armor.

Within this group, the lizardman Reed clashed with the gargoyle Gross.

"Why did you break the crystal?! How are we going to contact Fels and the others now...!"

"Don't pay any attention to what the Fool (Fels) says!! What's the point of waiting for his instructions!? The necessary actions have already been taken!!"

The only eye crystal that could communicate with Fels and others on the surface was destroyed, and Reed interrogated Guross.

The matter began with news brought by the troops led by Guros.

—Rani's troops were massacred, and Winnie and Fei were captured.

Upon hearing the news, Reed urgently summoned all the "Heretics" squads through the Eye Crystal. The singer, Rey, and others leading the advance quickly assembled in the designated cave to share detailed information. Just as Reed attempted to contact the surface side (Fels)—Gross shattered the crystal with a single claw strike.

"The Fool (Fels) will surely repeat his old refrain! Telling us to be patient, to wait a little longer. — What a joke!! We've waited enough!!"

The gray-bodied Guros retorted to Reed in a voice louder than his own.

This has nothing to do with the intentions of Fels and his group, who are only concerned with concealing the existence of the "heretics," or the intentions of those on the surface.

Guros, whose companions had been captured before and who had always been forced to submit, now resisted fiercely with great emotion.

Right at the feet of the "heretics" lay broken armor and weapons.

These are the tragic relics of Guru's companions, brought back by Guru.

"I saw it all, I was forced to hear it all!! The things those humans did, the way Ranie and the others died!!"

"...!?"

He and Raniere each possessed a red twin crystal.

Ironically, the eye crystal that Fels gave them ignited a decisive black flame in Gulus's heart. Forced to witness the tragedy caused by the evil hunters, his emotions had already become uncontrollable.

And this wasn't just the case in Gorlos.

The emotions surrounding Reed and Goros's "heretics" are becoming increasingly agitated.

Not only the Gurosh faction, who originally harbored ill will towards humans—but also some "heretics" who originally supported Reed's ideals and were of a mild temperament.

When the eagle is killed, the griffon's eyes burn with fury.

The half-human, half-snake tossed its hair, cried out, and vowed revenge.

The large (giant) fist clenched until it bled as it pounded the ground.

Unicorns, silverback apes, crimson eagles, metal gazelles—many "heretics" are dominated by resentment and hatred.

Aside from Reed, the only ones who can remain rational now are the little goblin with the red cap hanging his head in a somber expression, the silent bird singer Rey, and the unicorn rabbit (al-mi'raj) who is curled up in a ball with his ears covered and tears welling up in his eyes.

"I don't need the Fool's (Fels) help! Nor will I let them stop me!! We'll settle this ourselves!!"

Guross resolved to let the raging anger within him drive him, to heed the impulses of the "monster," and to open his tearless crimson stone eyes wide.

"Revenge!! Avenge Lanie and the others! Reclaim my people! I will make those humans pay for this!!"

The gargoyle roared angrily.

Upon hearing Guros's loud declaration, the surrounding "heretics" joined in the chant.

Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!

The crowd erupted in excitement, shaking the cave.

Surrounded by his fellow adventurers (monsters) who had forgotten the existence of adventurers and were only concerned with shouting, Reed cowered.

His hands, covered in crimson scales, clenched so tightly they trembled uncontrollably.