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

Her eyes were slightly raised, as if gazing at some distant place.

(If adventurers are using others as stepping stones... then their blood and sweat are also the blood and sweat of those stepping stones.)

Life is full of disappointments, Eina thought.

Eina, who prayed for the adventurers' safety, wanted to help them. However, among those adventurers, some could commit heinous crimes with impunity, as if testing her willpower.

A complex mix of contradictory emotions. It wasn't just this one incident; Eina often felt a emptiness in what she did. Her footing seemed unsteady.

She knew she was overthinking things, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of helplessness.

"...Zul."

"Oh, is that so?"

Just as Eina was lost in thought without an answer, someone called her name, causing her to look up.

A male employee sitting at a desk near the window pointed to the entrance to the lobby.

Eina turned her gaze and saw Bell, who had just returned from the maze, walk into the guild headquarters.

"...Excuse me, thank you."

After bowing her head in thanks, Eina stood up from her seat.

Perhaps it was psychological, but the gloom that had almost faded seemed to vanish, and the expression brightened.

She quickened her pace slightly and walked towards the foyer.

(...However, there are still some adventurers who are working tirelessly.)

Bell immediately beamed when he saw Eina peek out from behind the counter.

Eina smiled and waved.

Eina, after all, still preferred adventurers.

Although most of them were roughnecks, their straightforwardness, unpretentiousness, and honest attitude were something that Eina greatly admired.

Even though some selfish adventurers disregard the lives of their supporters, those who save these supporters are also adventurers.

Even if it meant being dismissed or developing depression, Eina wouldn't mind if it were for their sake. Her desire to prevent the adventurers from dying was genuine.

Looking at the faces of the novice adventurers she was in charge of, Eina could think just that.

(People say good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years, but...)

Eina didn't want to believe it, and she wouldn't believe it. At least Eina was trying her best to prevent the kind adventurers from dying.

Furthermore, this kind of "superstition" is simply not credible.

This is the labyrinthine city of Orario.

Even the gods cannot predict the future; this is the most unpredictable city in the world.

●

Ganu stood there, frozen in place.

"Gaganu! Help—ah!"

His eyes froze at the sight of blood bursting open.

"Goo ...

A bright red bull.

Covered in bright red liquid, the monster, over two meters tall, opened its mouth and unleashed a deafening roar towards the impossibly high ceiling of the dungeon.

"Buggy ooh ...

Loud volume.

When the roar, which sounded like it could rip your eardrums, hit you on the head, Ganu almost fell to the ground.

A massive, imposing body. Every part of it is a weapon. A truly overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Minotaur".

A true monster, known as one of the synonyms for monster, wielded a greatsword and slaughtered adventurers one by one.

It all started when he saw a group of Amazons surrounding a burly man.

A fierce battle was unfolding in the cave he happened to be passing by. It was a battle that should never have occurred in the "upper level" between powerful individuals.

Ganu and his group initially doubted their own judgment, thinking it was a plundering operation targeting lone adventurers. However, when they saw the emblems carved on the isolated orc's equipment—a profile of a Valkyrie edged with gold jewelry—they realized it was a conflict between [Familias].

The Freya Familia, to which the orcs belong, made enemies everywhere because the goddesses were jealous of the beauty of the chief goddess Freya.

Although the goddess Freya seemed to find it amusing and didn't take it seriously, if any of her members dared to venture into the dungeon alone, those people would certainly not miss the opportunity and would definitely follow them, waiting for a chance to strike.

Furthermore, something Ganu and his companions were unaware of at this time was that news of Ota's solitary stay on the 17th floor over the past week had already spread far and wide. This battle was a premeditated attack orchestrated by a certain goddess who had seized a perfect opportunity.

Ganu, who had been marveling at the seemingly unattainable battles from different dimensions, suddenly noticed something.

The orc, outnumbered yet still valiant in battle, simultaneously protected the large cargo crates used to transport supplies behind him. This became the turning point in his fate.

Ganu and his men took a long detour through the maze, coming up behind him and snatching the cargo crates in a flash. The roars echoing around them terrified them, but that was all. Seeing that Ota was being overwhelmed by a large group of enemies, they were quite certain that he couldn't catch up immediately.

Ganu and his group hurried through the underground city. Such a large cargo crate was impossible to move easily, even if they wanted to create distance quickly; they had to get as far away from Ota as possible.

Undoubtedly, this was the spoils of a first-class adventurer, and heaven knows how valuable it was. Ganu was both excited and overjoyed. Adding to this the magic sword he had stolen from the little man (Palum), a former member of his [Family], a few days earlier… he was absolutely certain of his good fortune.

then.

Once they had made sure there was enough distance between them, Ganu and the others eagerly opened the cargo box and examined the contents at close range.

I saw the object sealed inside the cargo container.

They witnessed the Minotaur, a monster tightly bound by chains.

Everyone present went completely blank, without exception.

Similarly, their vision was immediately stained blood red.

With one horn broken off and breathing heavily, the Minotaur, in a state of frenzy, instantly broke its chains and turned its companions, Ganu, into crushed fruit.

Blessed by screams that seemed to herald the end of the world, the Minotaur erupted in joy.

"Eee-ah...! Eee-ya-ah-ah!"

The human male, who watched helplessly as his companion was brutally murdered, fled in all directions, making a sound like a broken flute.

The grassland beneath the ground was engulfed in a sea of ​​blood. A companion, long since dead, had become paint, adding to the scene's horrific desolation.

A thick aura of death permeated the surroundings.

The adventurers, fleeing in all directions, seemed to have lost their composure and retreated into a corner of the cave.

The Minotaur strode toward the human male with his back to him in an almost leisurely manner.

The monster was equipped with a greatsword placed in a cargo box, which looked strangely fitting. Ganu felt that the scene he was seeing was very, very far removed from reality.

"There's no way out...!"

"Mmmmmm ...

"Ughh ...

Seeing a companion realize his predicament and put on a pathetic one-man show, Ghanu could only laugh.

Neither my body nor my mind obeys my commands; only my face keeps changing color, and my gaze is fixed on that one point.

"Huuuuuu——!"

"Why?! Why are you here?! Aa ...

The human male was shouting and yelling with his back against the wall, while the Minotaur's shoulders rose and fell as he looked down at him.

Faced with its opponent sliding to the ground with a scraping sound, the monster instinctively raised its greatsword.

His muscles were so tight that they even gave the impression of being slender, and when tightened to the limit, he looked like a guillotine.

A massive black shadow loomed over the human male, his face contorted with despair.

The shouts, no longer audible, echoed loudly in the cave, and in an instant...

"Ugh ugh ...

With a resounding thud, the greatsword swung down from above, creating a deafening explosion.

With a gurgling sound, bright red spray flew out from the other end of the Minotaur's body.

"……what?"

Hidden by his muscular back, Ganu couldn't see what kind of flesh his companion had turned into from his position.

Only the red bodily fluids and bits of flesh stuck to the walls and floor said it all.

Ganu even forgot to hide, just stood there, witnessing the whole thing from the entrance of the passage, his voice hoarse.

"--feed."

And that voice reached the ears of the Minotaur.

His face, full of scars, turned around and was completely exposed.

His face, adorned with blood, was ferocious, and his eyes darted around, staring intently at Ganu's body.

It felt as if a wooden stake had been driven into his heart; his whole body stiffened, and his breathing became painfully convulsive.

"Buggy ooh ...

He started to run away.

With a turn of its head, it kicked the ground with all its might.

Amidst the echoing screams, Ganu fled the scene at top speed.

Before long, the heavy thud of running, like a hammer hitting the ground, followed, causing his pupils to open wide against his will.

The hideously ugly Grim Reaper caught up with astonishing speed.

(No, no, don't joke around!)

My breathing is off. My tongue is dry. Meaningless thoughts keep popping up and disappearing.

The brain buried in the skull felt like it was boiling. It was so hot. "Hot" is the only word to describe it.

Sweat seemed to be malfunctioning in my sweat glands, constantly gushing out.

Ghanu didn't care about anything else and just kept running. He almost tripped several times, but he kept running.

It was late at night. There was no sign of any adventurers around. The deserted dungeon felt like a maze to Ganu at this moment; no matter which way he ran, he seemed unable to escape the same scenery.

(I can't shake it off, I can't shake it off, I can't shake it off...!)

His overwhelming presence, while maintaining a certain distance from Ghana, meant he wouldn't disappear.

A strong sense of disharmony. It's like being constantly pressured, being driven step by step into a dead end.

The bull monster, known for its recklessness, surprisingly exuded a hunter's cunning, making Ganu want to shout: This shouldn't be the case!

It's like gaining intelligence at the cost of pain, replacing a horn that was broken off by someone.

The Minotaur, wielding a greatsword, chased only Ganu.

"Ha, ha, haa!"

With his breathing disordered, Ganu would drastically change his course whenever a monster approached him, rushing into an empty passage.

In short, the only option is to run forward. The only option is to create distance.

All thoughts of peace had been cast aside; all that remained was the desire to escape this fear.

He had no idea where he had run or how he had gotten through those passages.

He just kept moving his feet frantically.

When Ganu came to his senses, he realized he had run into a dead end.

"ah……!"

The eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.

The broken sounds, forced out, leaked from his throat.

After his eyes trembled for a while, Ganu was startled and turned his head away.