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

Before I even got an answer, I had already started running.

The deity seemed to sense what I was about to do, and after taking a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, conveyed the information about the "magic map" to me.

I couldn't care less about stealth anymore. My feet spun rapidly, and heat gradually accumulated inside my invisibility cloak. Even wiping away the sweat felt like a waste of time. I abandoned my feint and leaped onto the undulating, chaotic rooftop platform of a building, then sprinted away.

Hurry, hurry! Hurry up!!

Guided by the voice of the immortals, I traversed the southern side of the maze street from southeast to southwest, covering a great distance.

"Miss Haruhime!"

"Huh!? Eh—Lord Bell!?"

With the divine guidance, I found Miss Haruhime running desperately in the back alley. I even forgot to take off my invisibility cloak and grabbed her hand.

I led Miss Chunji into an old, deserted house. After I deactivated my invisibility, her surprised expression changed, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Lord Bell! Lady Winnie, she... Lady Winnie, she...!"

Miss Chunji was trembling, her hand clutching my clothes. I supported her weak body and knelt down with her.

Tears welled up in her emerald eyes, wetting her kimono. I took Haruhime's hand and held it tightly.

"Miss Haruhime—"

She looked up, and I told her a wish that I couldn't fulfill on my own:

"—Please lend me your strength."

We two (、、、) are going to rescue Winnie together.

Seeing the feelings hidden in my eyes, Miss Haruhime was first taken aback—then she forced herself to stop her tears and nodded.

We hold hands with our right hand and left hand, and left hand and right hand.

The beautiful fox spirit begins to weave a song of fantasy.

"【-Grow bigger】."

The chanting began, and the words flowed like jade.

Miss Chunji closed her eyes and sang loudly.

"[Its power, its vessels, countless treasures, and countless desires. Until the bell tolls to announce it, enjoy glory and fantasy!]"

As the incantations overlapped, golden light was born.

The light illuminating the dim room reflected my extremely nervous expression.

"【-Grow bigger】."

I... no, we're definitely going to be in danger.

Miss Chunji probably understood this as well; her singing was melodious and smooth, but her hands were trembling.

"[This body that has devoured the delicacies of the gods, this golden light bestowed upon the gods. From the mallet above to the earth below, may you be blessed.]"

Feeling uneasy and worried about Winnie, she took my hand in a pleading manner, her hand resting on her knee.

I responded by gripping that hand tightly in return.

"【-Grow bigger...】".

Her body, wrapped in a kimono, trembled, then she sang the last incantation with strength and resolve.

Miss Haruhime opened her eyes, our gazes met, and she declared the name of "magic".

"【The Treasure Hammer】".

A dazzling radiance filled the entire room, and at the same time, a large number of light particles enveloped my body.

It's "Level Ascension." This is the strongest sorcery that can raise your level by one stage. Understanding that his [Ability Values] have reached Level 4, he cheered.

I put my invisibility cloak back on, then immediately stood up—and picked up Miss Haruhime.

"oops!?"

One "level-up" is definitely not enough; I will also need Miss Haruhime's power. I never intended to abandon her, and Miss Haruhime probably knew that, but she probably didn't expect to be carried like this by me, and her cheeks instantly flushed a light red.

I'm sorry, but I guess I'll have to ask her to bear with it. After confirming that the invisibility cloak properly concealed both Miss Haruhime and my glowing bodies, I brought my mouth close to the fox ears on my chest:

"Please hold down the invisibility cloak."

I had no choice but to hold onto Miss Chunji with both hands. She kept nodding and wrapped her arms around my neck, holding the "Double-Sided Invisibility Cloak" tightly for me.

I stared intently ahead from inside the transparent invisibility cloak, loading my resolve like a bullet into the chamber.

"I'm about to leave."

The moment a bead of sweat slid down my cheek, I sped up and started running.

「!?」

The Lv.4 super acceleration forced Miss Haruhime to swallow her scream back down her throat.

We rushed from the open doors of houses into the back alley, leaping across the cobblestones and into the night sky.

The scenery of the labyrinthine town unfolds below. You can see the central headquarters of the Loki Familia, its lights shimmering with magic stones, the western district shrouded in black mist, and Winnie's isolated and helpless northwestern district.

Focusing intently on this final spot, I let gravity pull me down onto the building's rooftop platform—leaping forward.

「!?」

"What's wrong!?"

A violent acceleration, a startling wind-slicing sound, and the intense sound of footsteps kicking the roof or walls.

Although we used magical artifacts to conceal ourselves, we were still discovered. I moved at high speed above everyone's heads, and the nearby adventurers sensed "something was there" and looked up.

However, these are all trivial matters, and we can only ignore them and not worry about them too much.

We must get to Winnie's side as soon as possible!

"~ ...

The speed of ascent made Miss Haruhime tighten her grip on my neck, desperately trying to hold down the invisibility cloak that was being battered by the wind.

I hopped and ran like a rabbit across the uneven buildings, sometimes leaping high enough to reach towering structures I had to look up at. "Just, keep going straight, Bell!" The divine instruction was almost lost in the sound of the wind cutting through me as I listened attentively and sped across the shortest distance.

The risk of being detected by the Loki Familia is extremely high. If it were a first-class adventurer... if it were those people, they would definitely be able to detect our current actions.

Even so, I still have to go.

After being "leveled up" by Miss Haruhime, I unleashed a speed that my original "agility (foot speed)" could not reach. I had no time to indulge in the omnipotence brought by the beautiful light particles, and could only do my best to speed up.

"—I'm so sorry, Lord Bell! Despite the critical situation, Haruhime feels genuinely happy!!"

"Why does this sound like I've heard this phrase before?!"

Miss Chunji trembled and spoke as if she could not contain herself, and I couldn't help but cry out as well.

"Ugh!? Haruhime, that's what I said... No, you switch seats with me right now!!" Coupled with the deity's inexplicable remark, we only had a brief argument.

The three of them screamed together, yet they continued to break through the night air.

My only thought is to transform into a gust of wind, traveling from southwest to northwest, traversing the maze-like streets.

*

Winnie was walking in the back alley.

"Haa, haa..."

Her disordered breathing betrayed her exhaustion. She could no longer tell where she was. She blended into the darkness of the back alley, concealing her single wing, and staggered along, one hand on the wall.

The pursuers' presence ceased, but the unsettling feeling created the illusion of an adventurer, making Winnie extremely nervous. Most terrifying of all was the intense loneliness, which transformed into a heavy, tormenting pain that consumed her.

"..., ...!"

Winnie almost whispered a name, but she desperately held her lips back.

Winnie didn't want to worry him; if she cried, she would only make the boy uneasy. Winnie hoped to put his mind at ease, so she desperately held back her tears.

However, the dark, labyrinthine streets eroded the girl's heart. A heart-wrenching fear made her slender body tremble uncontrollably, finally driving her to seek out the lingering shadows of the past, the irreplaceable warmth.

"Bell..."

Winnie murmured that name in a voice that seemed to melt into the darkness.

then.

"—Winnie!!"

The boy granted her wish.

"!"

"Lord Winnie!!"

Winnie opened her eyes wide and looked up to see Bell and Chun Ji, who had removed their invisibility cloaks, appearing from the space and descending from the vast sky.

Tears welled up in Amber's eyes, and as they rolled down, Winnie ran over to her.

She suddenly threw herself into the arms of the boy and girl who had fallen to the ground in front of her.

"Bell! Haruhime!"

The outstretched hands caught the dragon girl, and the three embraced in celebration of their reunion.

"Ah, Lady Winnie, Lady Winnie!"

"Great, Winnie...!"

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! Bell, Haruhime...! Thank you, I love you both the most...!"

With tears welling in their eyes, Bell and the others couldn't speak properly; they simply hugged each other tightly, sharing each other's warmth. Winnie buried her face in Haruhime's chest, and Bell, from behind, pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her wing tightly as well.

"You've come looking for me...?"

"Did the gods tell us that?"

"Are you alright, Winnie? I'm so glad you're okay!"

"...Thank you, God!"

Vinnie looked up, tears streaming down her face. As Bell smiled at her, the eye crystal on her gauntlet made a sniffling sound. Gazing at the dazzling blue crystal, Vinnie's smile blossomed into a radiant one.

After embracing each other for a while, Bell released Winnie and Chun-hime.

"There's no time, let's hurry up and go. We need to find a way to meet up with Mr. Reed and the others."

"Um!"

Winnie and Chunji nodded together, and the three of them walked together and began to move.

Bell reunited with Haruhime and then went to Winnie's side, a process that took more than five minutes. Bell wanted to find a place to use "Level Up" again.

Their current location was on the north-northwest side of the labyrinth street. Bell knew very well that heading south from here—avoiding the Loki Familia—to meet the "Heretic" was an impossible task. Considering the worst-case scenario where he would have to act as bait, he brought his mouth close to the eye crystal and said, "God, please tell me the way again—" He trailed off...

"────"

Bell could be considered a part of his sixth sense, sounding the highest level of alarm.

"!!"

"what?"

It was almost a miracle that Bell was able to pull Winnie and Chun-hime towards him and quickly put on the "double-sided invisibility cloak".

The moment they retreated and squeezed their bodies into the darkness of the back alley—thud! The silver-white metallic boots landed heavily and beautifully.

His gray hair still bore traces of being ruffled by the wind, and the azure tattoo etched on half of his face intimidated anyone who saw it.

Upon seeing the werewolf youth appear from the sky, Belle and Winnie all gasped in shock.

(Mr. Bert...!)

Sure enough, it was discovered.

First-class adventurer Bert Roca noticed Bell and Haruhime's reckless cross-country movement and, ignoring the captain's (Finn's) instructions, rushed out of the camp.

How could this be? It's too fast. The werewolf's speed was so fast that it didn't even have time to re-use "Level Up," easily shattering his plans and sending a shiver down Bell's spine.

"..."

Bert stood in the center of an open space in front of the back alley where Bell and the others were hiding.

The werewolf silently and slowly surveyed his surroundings. His gaze caused Belle, Winnie, and Chunji to huddle together, barely daring to breathe. Their rapid heartbeats overlapped and merged, so loud they feared others would hear. On the other side of the crystal, the goddess (Hestia), her face ashen, also dared not utter a sound.