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

I held my breath and charged into the poison powder. Then, I killed them instantly.

With a flash of two daggers, without even taking a deep breath, the two little devils were sent to their doom.

Then all that's left is... |

"...! Lord Bell, a rather strong fellow has arrived!"

"!"

The earth in the cave shook with a rumbling sound. I noticed it immediately.

"Half-orc." I've been taken care of by this pig-headed monster several times before. The giant, nearly three meters tall, walked towards us empty-handed.

Several little devils surrounded it, almost like its henchmen led by their boss.

An "evil bat" appeared in the sky. It was a dark-colored bat monster with sharp teeth and emitted strange sonic waves that disrupted concentration.

The remaining little devils also escaped with their tails tucked up and joined the group of monsters.

"That's a bit much..."

"Yes. Different kinds of monsters rarely gather together like that. What should we do? Should Lily lure the orcs away?"

Lily placed her increasingly full backpack on the ground, and while loading arrows into her crossbow, she made a suggestion.

I stared at the enemy.

The fog makes it difficult for me to gauge the number of monsters other than orcs. If there are many more unseen monsters lurking in the shadows, perhaps it's not a good idea to have Lily split up...

I sheathed all my weapons and began to swing my right wrist.

"Lord Bell?"

"Haha, although I feel like I'm relying on this a bit too much..."

"Am I about to make my move?" Seeing me smile like that, Lily seemed to understand my thoughts.

She quickly moved away from me and made way for me.

Hearing the monstrous roar coming from a distance, I extended my right arm forward as if it were a cannon.

"[Flame Lightning]!"

Several fiery bolts of lightning tore through the fog, annihilating all the monsters in just a few minutes.

"Hey, Lily. Am I relying on magic too much?"

I asked Lily about it while I was eating my sandwich.

Having defeated almost all the monsters, we decided to take a short break and returned to the cave at the starting point of the 10th floor, the area with the stairs connecting to the 9th floor.

This area is different from the others; there's no fog. The open view significantly reduces the possibility of a surprise attack, making it arguably the only safe zone on the 10th floor.

I ate the lunch Miss Seele had prepared for me as usual, and waited for Lily's reply.

By the way, the sandwich she made that I'm eating right now is as unique as ever. The more you chew, the fresh bitterness spreads across your tongue.

I guess I made another wrong attempt today, and I think I'm stuck in a rut. I chewed nervously, feeling rather rude. Honestly, I almost cried.

This bento box, which gets more and more ferocious every day, is truly terrifying.

"Hmm—, Lily doesn't think it's that serious... but after all, Lord Bell's magic is easier to use..."

Holding a small piece of bread in both hands, Lily seemed to be lost in thought.

With adorable movements, Lily took bites of the bread with her small lips. After finishing, she wiped her mouth with a tissue and then began to speak:

"Because the activation conditions are low, it's probably relatively easy to use. Rather than relying on it, it's more like it's become part of Lord Bell's actions."

Now that you mention it…

That sounds quite reasonable.

【Fire and Lightning】 is a "quick-attack spell".

It lacked the incantation that any magic should have... the so-called charging up.

To say I can control it with ease might be an exaggeration, but to me, "magic" is perhaps like drawing a bow and shooting an arrow—just one of many actions.

"From this perspective, it can be said that Lord Bell's magic, due to its efficiency, has a relatively weak sense of magic."

"Uh...so you mean?"

"Lily refers to the aspect that is the ultimate weapon."

When I heard this, the first thing that came to mind was a page in a picture book that described the deeds of heroes.

The figure of the elven hero who unleashed a freezing blizzard in the face of the giant monster.

"Magic is originally a trump card. Perhaps it can also be called a finishing move. Because a sufficiently powerful magic can potentially defeat an opponent stronger than oneself regardless of LV. Lord Bell's magic is very convenient to use, but it is relatively less effective as a sure-kill move."

Indeed, my [Flame Lightning] is easy to use, but it doesn't seem particularly valuable.

Lily is right; the power of each strike is not immense.

I listened attentively to what Lily had to say, my expression solemn.

"Long-winded spells take time, but their effects are correspondingly greater, capable of impacting critical situations. It can truly be described as a game-changing move."

In other words...

"My magic doesn't have that power...?"

"No, that's not what I meant. Simply put, it's just a matter of quality or weight. After all, Lord Bell's magic activation speed is not to be underestimated... At least from Lily's perspective, compared to a massive attack that takes time to launch, Lord Bell's [Flame Lightning], which he can unleash in rapid succession, is far more terrifying."

"Because there's absolutely no way to avoid it," Lily said with a laugh.

Overall, my magic is threatening enough to my enemies.

While it can attack multiple times, it relatively lacks single-shot power and burst damage.

When encountering a truly powerful opponent—such as a monster with high durability—it will be more difficult to be effective than ordinary attack magic.

Well, magic isn't omnipotent anyway, and if you really want to find fault, you'll never finish. It's just...

Perhaps my childhood yearning for magic had the opposite effect; now that I've finally learned magic, I'm forced to accept its flaws... How should I put it? It always leaves me with a sense of regret.

Perhaps her inner thoughts were showing on her face, because Lily looked at me with a wry smile.

"Lord Bell, Lord Bell? Lily thinks Lord Bell's magic is quite outstanding! Not only in terms of activation speed and projectile speed, but also in terms of growth. You could say it's exceptional."

"...?"

"Spells that require time to cast rarely have a chance to be used. This is because monsters won't leisurely wait for someone to finish chanting the incantation. And since there are few opportunities to use them, it means they won't be reflected in your [ability stats] very easily."

If you don't get the chance to use it, it means that the related ability "magic power" is not easy to add up.

Even if I try my best to find an opportunity to use it, the labor and time required would probably be several times mine.

"As 'magic power' increases, the scale and effectiveness of magic also increase. Even magic like Lily's, which is not directly related to combat, has changed slightly as 'ability value' is enhanced."

Lily's [Cinderella] form has limited effects on height and physique. Basically, she can only transform into a dwarf (Palum) or a child with a similar build to Lily. However, as her "magic power" increases, clothing seems to become somewhat more flexible within the imitation criteria.

She said that her current outfit is also a magical transformation, but it is only for appearance (it seems to lose its effect when attacked).

I carefully examined my palm.

She's right, the diameter and power of the fire bombs are much greater than they were at the beginning.

"Let me repeat myself, regarding your concern that you might be relying too much on magic, I believe that doing so is necessary to promote your magical growth. Indeed, relying too much on magic might neglect your melee combat training, which is not a simple matter... However, I think Lord Bell should just maintain the status quo."

Lily's assessment was indeed convincing and persuasive.

She was closer to me as an adventurer than anyone else, having observed everything about me closely, so her advice naturally carried a lot of weight.

What her friend said felt like a push from behind.

"Lord Bell's magic is simple in nature, and its power may be considered ordinary, but its potential for growth is absolutely top-notch. You can have complete confidence in it."

Seeing Lily smile at me, my expression softened.

Since Lily has given me her assurance, I can certainly believe in the possibility of my magic.

This makes me feel as stable as Mount Tai.

I shyly said "thank you" to her and stood up.

"Shall we put in a little more effort this afternoon?"

"Yes, Lily will do her best to help whenever you need her."

That's too harsh a statement," I said with a wry smile.

After that, we mustered our energy and continued to work hard to conquer the dungeon.

Volume 3, Chapter 3: A Sudden Attack in the Night

"..."

I slowly opened my eyes.

I saw a patch of blue sky.

Feeling the cool breeze on my skin, I casually gazed at the cloudless sky.

I felt a throbbing pain all over my body, trying to recall the last interrupted memory... I remembered that person, delivering an attack before my eyes with astonishing speed.

Have I been defeated again, completely at a loss...?

I felt secretly disheartened at the fact that I had exposed my shameful state for who knows how many times.

Special training with Miss Ais on the city wall.

As her combat instructions became increasingly stringent each day, being knocked unconscious became the norm. In this current situation, I'll probably be beaten to death in the blink of an eye and end up lying on the city wall like this.

I don't know how long I was unconscious this time. I let the soft touch support the back of my head and thought absentmindedly... Suddenly, something popped up.

A pair of golden eyes peeked out and looked at my face as I lay on my back.

"Are you okay?"

"...Oh!"

Miss Ais's face appeared right in the center of my field of vision, making me jump up while screaming.

I scrambled away from my spot, stood up and looked back to see Miss Ais kneeling on the stone floor with her knees bent.

...It seems I've used her knees as a pillow again.

I don't know if the reason is related to that incident in the dungeon in the past—the one where I fainted from casting spells—but now whenever I pass out, she makes me lie on her lap.

I'm so happy, incredibly happy, but... I really want to die. Various reasons make me feel so pathetic.

Miss Ais looked at me, whose face was flushed, with a puzzled expression, and gently patted her knee.

I shook my head violently.

"How are you feeling?"

"……fine."

Still blushing, I sat down next to Miss Ais (she beckoned me over).

My buttocks felt the coldness of the stone slabs as I leaned against the low wall behind me, which was only chest-high.

As scheduled, I will receive Miss Ais's training all day today.

This is because Lily contacted me and said that she had to help her host family with chores today and couldn't accompany me to explore the dungeon.

Rather than venturing into the dungeon alone, I decided to… somewhat superficially follow the urge in my heart and, blushing, consult with Miss Ais… So even though it was past the usual morning hours, we continued our training under this clear blue sky.

It's a short break now.

"Um, have I made even a little progress?"

"...Why do you ask that?"

"No, well, it's because I keep getting knocked unconscious lately..."

The distance between our shoulders made me incredibly nervous, so I made up my mind to try and start a conversation.

Miss Ais watched me quietly, only daring to look at my profile.

"You've changed... I was quite surprised."

"Uh, well, but..."

"You fainted... probably because I didn't control my strength well."