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

In Bell's blind spot, hidden behind the man's back, his right hand held a large combat dagger the size of a short sword.

He held the dark, gleaming steel in his unarmed hand, burning his stiff, deep red eyes.

Just like mimicking Bell's movements, Dix used the weapon he drew from his waist to stab the frozen Bell in the abdomen.

A perfect counter-trap (counterattack). The dagger thrusts upwards.

"!!"

Completely caught off guard by the enemy, Bell, in desperation, bent his knees with all his might.

"Oh?"

As the line of sight descended, the blow to the abdomen was absorbed by the chest.

What deflected the tip of the combat dagger was the breastplate she wore. The steel-gray rabbit armor emitted a sharp metallic sound as it bounced off Dix's weapon.

"Hahaha! Not bad armor!!"

“Wu!?”

Before he could even feel nauseous from the impact on his chest, he was kicked forward and pushed backward.

Covered in sweat, Bell pressed his right hand, which was holding a dagger, against his breastplate.

(Welf...!)

The fifth-generation rabbit armor, meticulously crafted by his partner (Welf), was proudly told to him by its maker that it was mixed with processed ultra-hard metal (Dilken Steel).

The young man in his memory smiled and said to him: "This was made from refined metal (ingots) that I bought with a lot of gold coins, so don't break it." Bell expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the young man and the armor.

The armor that beautifully blocked the enemy's fatal blow saved his life.

"You've got some skills. Keep going."

Dix smirked and began his attack again.

Seeing his opponent put away his combat dagger and start wielding his gun again, Bell could only defend this time.

—So competitive.

Despite the decrease in [Ability Values], Dix still has "Skills" and "Tactics".

Of course. His combat skills and accumulated experience are genuine.

Even though Bell's speed, his greatest weapon, is on par with his enemy's among his [ability stats], his "experience points," based on the number of battles he has fought, are still far behind. Even without a powerful "curse," the Hunter Dix Perdix is ​​still a genuine powerhouse.

As Bell was being punched to the ground by the gun butt, he experienced the pain acutely.

Just like when facing a first-class adventurer (Friline) before, an irresistible sense of despair slowly scorched the tips of her hands and feet.

“Guuuu!?”

The spear immediately thrust towards him as he lay on the ground. Bell barely managed to dodge, but the blood-red spear tip slashed his cheek.

Bell quickly stood up and temporarily created some distance, but unexpectedly...

"It's so hot...!?"

The intense heat and pain from the injury to his cheek caused Bell's body to bend in two.

"Be careful! If you accidentally get stabbed by this gun... you'll be dead in no time!"

Dix laughed as he held the twisted, ominous spear up to his eyes.

"This is a custom-made item commissioned from a magician, and it's also been 'cursed.' Once you're wounded by this gun, neither elixirs nor 'magic' can heal you unless you manage to break the curse."

"!"

Bell couldn't hide his astonishment, and at the same time, he shivered with fear.

Just as Dix had said, no matter how much Bell wiped, the wound kept bleeding. Blood slid down his cheeks, staining his skin and armor red.

It cannot be healed once attacked, truly a "cursed weapon".

The crimson curse that worsened the wound made Bell grit his teeth.

—But this wound seems familiar.

Bell glanced down and saw the wound reflected on the dagger.

A lingering ache in a corner of his memory left Bell deeply perplexed.

"Because no matter how badly I beat the monsters, they will eventually heal. The fastest way to sell them as commodities is to give them incurable injuries so they can't move."

A flash of light crossed Bell's face when he heard Dix casually utter such shocking words.

"Could it be... that the 'Barbarian Warrior' of 'Daedalus Road' is...?"

Behind the orphanage. Bell accepts the children's adventurer's request and, together with Seele, dives into the underground staircase.

Bell recalled the large monsters he had fought in that dark space.

"Hey, you've even seen that before!"

Seeing Bell's silence, Dix seemed to find it amusing and raised her voice.

"Yeah, we caught that big one. I did manage to wound it with this gun... but before we shipped it out, it managed to get rid of a few of its henchmen (idiots) and escape."

"...!"

"I was going to chase it, but it ran into the collapsed underground passage. We couldn't just leave it there, so I sent people to look for it."

A gigantic body covered in blood. Countless wounds where the blood had congealed but had not yet healed.

The cries that escaped from his mouth were mixed with anger, pain, and sorrow.

What shook Bell was the monster's "weeping".

That "savage warrior" was actually a "heretic" too—?

"That experience taught me a lesson, so afterwards I just killed all the large ones without exception... Oh, I see. You took care of them for me. Thanks, [Rookie]?"

While Bell was shocked, he felt that the creature laughing softly in front of him was more terrifying than the maze (dungeon) or the monster (monster).

Isn't this the kind of existence that Ryu mentioned as "evil forces"?

An indescribable chill ran through me as I held Bell tightly in my arms.

"Why……"

"Um?"

"Why did you hurt the monsters...?"

By the time Bell came to his senses, he had already asked the question.

"I've already said it, I need money."

"Is that really all there is to it...!?"

After hearing that kind of "crying", how can you still have the heart to hurt the "heretics"?

Amid the monster's roar, Bell leaned forward to ask for clarification.

"..."

Dix fell silent upon hearing Bell's words.

He pressed one hand against his goggles, and then... a grin appeared on his face.

He wore a smile that was different from his usual one.

"【Rookie】, do you know why the descendants of Daedalus keep heeding the ghostly dying words of their mad ancestor... and why they spend a thousand years on the man-made labyrinth (Knossos)?"

Just as Bell was at a loss for what to do about the unexpected problem.

Dix didn't wait for his answer and told him:

"It's because of our bloodline."

“Eh…?”

"It is our bloodline that commands us."

Dix pressed down on those red eyes with all his might through his goggles.

At the same time, the man asserted in a fanatical tone:

"The blood in my veins is churning! It's urging me to complete this utterly ridiculous maze!!"

"!—"

"It makes me restless!! The blood of Daedalus compels me to act!"

This was the first time the man had truly expressed his feelings.

Bell reflexively tried to back away, but Dix became more and more agitated as he spoke:

"It's been like this ever since I was born in this garbage-like, filthy place! The man-made labyrinth (Knossos) and the 'blueprints' written in the 'notebook' have dragged us down and melted us into a puddle of mud!! No one can escape, no one can escape this blood curse."

Dix is ​​laughing.

Although he was laughing, his expression was filled with resentment and bitterness.

Witnessing the other person's overflowing passion, Bell was both surprised and frightened.

—The Blood Curse.

The unwavering dedication of Daedalus, a legendary figure, has endured for millennia.

A man who wanted to surpass even the gods was determined to create a "work" that surpassed the underground labyrinth, an endless and vain obsession.

Did some of his talent and madness, as Dix suggested, also pass on to his descendants through blood?

"Are you kidding me?! Only I have the right to order me around, right?!"

Caught between speculation and confusion, Bell only understood one thing.

That was the man before them, Dix Perdix…

He harbors a startling "self-will" within him, strong enough to resist the blood curse he speaks of.

"...I wish this lousy maze would just disappear. That's the truth."

Perhaps having vented the pent-up emotions within him, Dix maintained his cold laugh and spoke indifferently.

"The thing I hate most in this world is this maze."

But I can't destroy it.

My bloodline is stopping me. Daedalus's "curse" is stopping me.

Not only that, but he also ordered me to complete a "work".

Dix spoke calmly, releasing the hand that had been pressing against his eyes through the goggles.

"For a time, I even took my anger out on the dungeons. I hated that underground labyrinth; it was what drove our ancestors (Daedalus) and our family (us) mad. I slaughtered monsters, killing and killing and killing."

"...!"

"But of course, that won't satisfy me."

Then, Dix looked behind Bell at the "heretics" who were still causing a ruckus.

"How can I satisfy myself... I thought about it for a long time while building the maze. It was then that I discovered a group of talking monsters and began to hunt them. I remember... oh right, it was after the tyrannical gods (Zeus) and goddesses (Hera) and their cronies were gone."

Then, Dix lowered his head and began to chuckle.

That laugh, that grating sneer, that came from the back of his throat, sent another chill down Bell's spine.

"They're not like ordinary monsters. They cry and beg for mercy. These monsters born from the dungeons that drove Daedalus mad are actually like humans... Haha! That's fantastic."

“——”

The man looked up, a terrifying, vicious smile on his face, leaving Bell speechless.

"—I've found it! The 'desire' that replaces the 'curse'!!"

Dix's red spear flashed suddenly in his right hand.

"Only by humiliating those monsters, making them weep and despair, treating them like trash, can I find satisfaction for the first time!! Only then can I soothe the thirst in my blood!!"

"Varied……!?"

"Following the teachings of our ancestors, I pursued it purely!"

The man kept talking.