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

"Ah, oh...!?"

As Dix was thrown back, Bell pressed his right hand, which was wracked with excruciating pain.

The recoil from [Hero's Wish] could even destroy weapons with added charge-up power. A short charge-up wouldn't be so bad, but a long charge-up destroyed Bell's fist.

Bell gritted his teeth and gripped his bleeding, broken hands.

"ah--"

On the other hand, the red light that had been in Reed's and the "heretics'" eyes had completely disappeared.

"...I, we..."

"Gross...! Has the 'curse' been lifted?!"

Seeing the "heretics" freed from the curse of bewitching violence, Fels exclaimed with relief.

Goros and the other monsters, who had been driven by destructive impulses and had annihilated all the hunters, shook their heads beside their defeated foes and gradually returned to calm.

"Kid, we did it, Bell!"

"..."

Reed regained his composure and became excited, but Bell alone intuitively knew: no, not at all.

The "curse" is not lifted simply because they defeat their opponents.

Rather, it was Dix who broke the curse himself just before the attack hit.

To avoid the decisive attack that he couldn't dodge, he removed the cost of the "curse" and regained his original ability—LV. 5 durability—barely surviving Bell's "Hero's Wish".

"Ouch! Ouch...it hurts so much! Aa ...

Under Bell's focused gaze, and as Reed abruptly turned his gaze, all he saw was Dix buried in the ruined black cage, groaning in pain.

Bell's powerful, charged strike, delivered with all his might, severely injured Dix. His sternum was likely fractured from the beating; he coughed repeatedly, spitting blood, and his body trembled violently. He was also bleeding profusely from slamming into the mountain of cages.

"Damn it, you bastards...! I'm going to kill you all...!"

Dix gripped the gun buttocks with both hands, using them as a crutch, and stood up from the pile of cages. His bloodshot eyes were visible through his cracked goggles, and he let out a hateful growl.

"This is what I want to say, kid."

「!?」

Reed approached Dix, his eyes flashing with malice, and raised his weapon to strike.

The man in goggles dodged by a hair's breadth, but Reed continued his pursuit without hesitation.

"You brat, I'll make you pay for what you've done to your fellow countrymen!!"

"Hey, hey, stop!"

Seeing Reed charging towards her in a rage, Dix jumped back and scattered. Bell, to save the Dragon Girl who was still suffering on the edge of his sight, also joined the battle, his body panting from pain and exhaustion.

"Wait, wait a minute! This could kill someone!"

Dix desperately dodged and defended against Bell and Reed's attacks.

His previous brutal attitude vanished, and he retreated continuously with the demeanor of a nobody.

Slowly, they approached the dragon girl struggling in pain, and several "doors" in the corner of the hall.

"You're relentlessly pursuing us—"

Dix, who had been looking down, raised his smiling face.

"—You'll break it, won't you?"

A red stone was handed to the two people who were about to pounce on them.

""!?"

Bell and Reed abruptly halted the attack.

"Vivre's Tears." That was the only key to saving Winnie, who was still suffering.

Dix chuckled, using the broken gun handle to shoo away the two men who had stopped awkwardly. He then raised the redstone in his right hand high above the two who had been knocked away.

"Is it really that precious to you? Then you can have it back!"

Then, he threw stones into the exposed longitudinal pit where the expansion project was not yet completed.

"!!"

“Wu!?”

Bell and Reed's expressions changed drastically, and they took off running.

With his superhuman strength, Reed caught up with Redstone, who had fallen into the pit, in the blink of an eye, and jumped in without hesitation.

Seeing him grab the redstone right in front of him, Bell, who was a step too late to jump, lunged at the lizardman who was falling with the redstone, and grabbed the long tail at the last moment.

"Just as I expected, I almost burst out laughing!"

Ignoring the boy who was desperately clinging to the lizardman's massive body at the edge of the cave, Dix pointed his outstretched finger at the dragon girl.

"Get lost in an endless nightmare."

After the very short verse was sung, an ominous red light shone on Winnie.

"—Aaaaaaaah!?"

"What!?"

The dragon girl leaned back and screamed. Fels and the others, who were rushing to Bell's side, were all taken aback by this smooth series of movements.

"That's it."

Finally, Dix removed his cracked goggles and threw them away, revealing his left eye with a "D" mark.

He made the mark resonate with the "door" next to it, causing it to suddenly open its mouth wide.

"Okay, go ahead."

"————!?"

The out-of-control dragon girl rushed through the open door and ran up the steep, endless staircase.

"What did you do!?"

"My 'curse' can manipulate illusions to some extent with a limited number of people. —Bell Craney, that dragon girl (Vivel) is chasing your illusion right now! This leads directly to the surface!"

The first half was addressed to the furious Guros and the others, while the second half was directed at Bell, who had finally managed to pull Reed up.

Dix tore at the corner of his mouth, as if it were a final act of revenge:

"If that monster were to come to the surface, it would be wiped out immediately!"

"...!"

Dix seemed pleased with the boy's gasp, and he used his "eyes" to open another "door".

"Dix Perdix!"

"Oh dear! Never mind me, let's hurry and chase the monster! Haha ...

Dodging the shockwave fired by Fels, Dix stepped behind the "door," laughing loudly all the way.

“Tsk…!”

Guros spread his stone wings and rushed to give chase, but the "door" suddenly slammed shut right in front of him.

Once the "door" made of the hardest metal (orogen) is closed, it is practically impossible for him to catch up with Dix.

"—Mr. Reed, please give me the red stone!"

"Little Bell!?"

Bell took the redstone from Reed and ran up the steep stairs where Winnie had disappeared.

He was burning with anxiety and went after the out-of-control dragon girl.

"Oh no!... Reed, Gross, I'm counting on you guys from now on!"

Not only was the "heretic" exposed, but a bomb called the Monster was about to appear in the chaotic city. This situation worried Fels greatly, and he ran up to it.

He left the situation here to the "heretics" to handle and went to chase after Bell.

"Reed, Guros!"

A step behind him, the singer Niao Lei and the other "heretics" arrived in the hall.

Seeing their compatriots liberated and a group of hunters lying on the ground in silence, not only Rey and the others, but also Red Hat Rett and the half-human, half-bird Fly were all astonished.

"—! Lei, do you have a 'key'?"

"what?"

"The enemy leader has escaped deep into the maze! That guy is dangerous; we can't let him get away!"

Hearing Guross shout at her from the depths of the hall, Rei stared in disbelief and turned around.

The half-human, half-bird creature and the red-hatted figure who led Rey and the others here showed her the "key" magic item.

"Ray, there's only one 'key.' We can't split up and freely enter and exit this maze."

"...Then, this 'key' will be given to 'him' who will arrive later."

Rei quickly exchanged a few words with Rhett and handed the "key" over to the small monsters for safekeeping.

They retraced their steps, while Rey and the others remained in the hall to meet up with Reed and the others.

"Rei, where are the adventurers?"

"We barely made it through. No one should have perished... What about you?"

"As you can see, our compatriots have been rescued, but... the dragon girl (Winnie)'s red stone has been stolen and she's gone out of control. The Fool (Fels) and... that kid went after her."

Upon hearing that Winnie had run onto the surface, Rey and the others were speechless when Reed and the others quickly exchanged opinions.

"Our imprisoned compatriots have reached their physical limit and can no longer move. They need to be taken to a safe place to rest."

"Then, let's divide them into those who protect our fellow countrymen, and..."

"...Kid, let's go after Winnie too."

Gross, Rey, and Reed watched as the monsters, exhausted by the "curse" rampage, ran out of their last strength, while Winnie and Bell ran through the tunnel to the surface.

Upon hearing Reed's words, both the Golden-winged Singer-Bird and the Gray Gargoyle turned to look at him.

"Should we just leave everything to Belle and the others? Are we just going to let others help us every time? If we go to the surface, we might cause even more unnecessary trouble... But when there's danger, it's time for us to help Belle and Winnie."

He considered the worst-case scenario, saying that this time it was their turn to stand up for the boy and for the people and things he cherished.

Reed looked back at the silent Guros and his companions with a strong and powerful gaze.

"...Finally, I have the chance to see the surface of the earth that I've always dreamed of!"

"Idiot! What time is it...?"

"But you're also planning to go, aren't you?"

Although Guross was scolding Reed for joking until the very last moment, Rey seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled at him from the side.

"When I saw Mr. Bell in the forest, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation... and now I know that the boy (human) saved his fellow human beings... I am very happy."

The golden-winged bird-like creature blushed and smiled as it poured out its heart in clumsy human language.

The other "heretics" who listened to the leader (Reed) and others shared the same idea.

The crowd shouted or yelled, expressing their determination to chase after them.

After remaining silent, Guros finally spread his wings.

"...Leaving aside the Fool (Fels), I don't feel comfortable entrusting him to that kid."

He surveyed the injuries of the group, divided the monsters into those who remained and those who accompanied him, then flapped his wings and floated into the air, flying towards the staircase leading to the surface.

Reed and Rey, who exchanged knowing smiles, followed behind.

"Hey, Guros? There are trustworthy people among the human race, aren't there?"

"...That's not enough. There might be something going on, so we can't trust him yet..."

"That's really not frank."

"Gargoyles (Gross) are always like this."