DREAMS OF BEASTS

A cracked and broken blue crystal pillar gave way and crashed to the floor.

Piles of scattered debris were the only remnants of tents and wooden buildings, while

broken magic-stone products burned amid the rubble. The town of outlaws had fallen

silent amid swelling dust clouds and pillars of smoke.

The Dungeon, eighteenth floor. The Under Resort.

On top of a large island in the middle of the lake on the western side lay the ruins of

what once was the town of Rivira.

The walls of stone and crystal that encompassed the town were badly damaged and

crumbling from the north gate—a gruesome record of the attackers' overwhelming

onslaught. Blue and white crystal stubs stuck out of the wreckage; the ground was

strewn with broken sword blades and shattered ax heads and splashes of blood. The

wreckage spoke to the residents' and adventurers' desperate attempt to fight back.

Smoke was still rising in small columns throughout the Dungeon's outpost town, now

a mere shell of its former self.

"What have you done with my kind?! Out with it, human!!"

A deep, monstrous voice speaking in the language of the surface echoed through the

rubble.

An ash-colored stone gargoyle stood with its massive wings spread wide over a male

adventurer, who lay on his back with both legs broken, at the end of a now abandoned

street.

"Wha—huh…?! What're you talking about, freak…? I don't understand…!"

The man was one of the few adventurers who hadn't reacted to the monsters' attack

in time. He gasped at the pain while blood gushed from his legs. With tears building in

his eyes, the man madly yelled at the ominous monster, insisting that the beast's

claims made no sense.

Fresh blood dripped from the goliath's stone claws—and Gros bared his menacing

fangs.

"Do not take me for a fool!! You reek of arachne acid!!"

"...?!"

"The will of my comrade says you're filth!!"

The human's face contorted as Gros bellowed each syllable with burning rage.

It wasn't that the man had failed to escape in time. Unlike the other adventurers, Gros

and the other Xenos hadn't let him escape.

He belonged to Ikelos Familia as one of the hunters who had attacked Ranieh's group.

The man left the group to receive medical attention for the venomous burns and

entered Rivira after the hunt concluded, mingling with those who had a reason to hide

from the law.

The arachne poison's acidic fumes guided the Xenos to Rivira just like a string of

webbing would have. That was her goal all along.

Monsters possessing an extremely acute sense of smell had no trouble leading the

others directly to the source.

Not only was destroying Rivira a way to weed out Ikelos's followers, it also symbolized

just how deep the Xenos's anger ran.

"Answer the question!! Where did you take my kind?!"

The gargoyle's grating yells continued as other Xenos with Gros formed a threatening

ring around the two of them. Terror and despair flooded the man's face at the dozens

of deafening, beastly howls.

The other two hunters who accompanied him had been discovered and slain soon

after the attack on Rivira began.

The claws and fangs of the enraged Xenos had torn them apart. Their shredded, bloody

remains were sprawled out in front of the monster ring.

With no way to talk his way out and no hope of escape, the deathly pale man shivered

as his trembling lips formed a smile.

"HAH! HA-HA-HA!… It'd be pointless to tell you, 'cause you'd never make it…!"

He forced a brave face and tried to toy with his captors—but when Gros plunged a

merciless claw straight into his shoulder, the man's laugh turned into a high-pitched

scream. "KYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" he yelled as blood sprayed

from his wound like a geyser.

"Speak!! Spit it out!!"

The gargoyle leaned in, his fangs close enough to sink into the man at any moment.

Gros's terrifying interrogation was too much to handle, and the man quickly gave in.

But rather than speaking, he lifted the only appendage still under his control, his right

arm, and pointed.

That trembling finger was aimed away from the island town—toward the forest that

dominated the east.

"The forest…? Where in the forest?! Tell me what is there!"

"E-east edge… There's a door…!"

Gros glared down menacingly at the man whose face was a mess, covered in rivers of

tears and snot.

The Xenos were familiar with many Frontiers, like their Hidden Villages, as well as

many shortcuts that adventurers didn't know existed, but none of them had ever heard

of the door on the eighteenth floor.

Gros reared back with a howl, hoping to extract more information out of him, but…

"Like I said, you don't have one of those, so you'll never make it inside…!"

"Explain!!"

"It's pointless…! Just give up…!!"

The man's answer made one thing clear: they were wasting time on a pointless

interrogation.

The gargoyle's stone-cold expression shifted into a fierce scowl, glaring with fire in his

eyes at the Ikelos Familia hunter who had outlived his usefulness. His claws swiped

down.

Ignoring the severed hand rolling across the floor, Gros turned to face his fellow Xenos

and spoke.

"To the east! The surface dwellers have our comrades in a base on the forest's eastern

edge!! Find it!!"

The monsters' instantaneous howl of approval rumbled down the flattened street

once the order was given.

They took the shortest route, a straight line leading east. The Xenos who couldn't fly

bounded down the sheer cliffs around Rivira while winged monsters took to the air,

their eyes locked on their target.

"—Gros!"

The gargoyle was just about to join them when another Xenos called out to him.

He turned to look where his comrade was pointing—the eighteenth floor's southern

edge.

"Those are…!!"

A group of adventurers emerged from the tunnel that connected to the seventeenth

floor.

"Rivira…!"

Bell spotted pillars of smoke rising from the west the moment he emerged from the

dim, rocky tunnel.

The subjugation team tore through the Dungeon at a breakneck speed and arrived on

the eighteenth floor in record time. Ganesha Familia's elites single-handedly

eliminated the monsters in their way without breaking stride on the trip down, while

Bell was the only one gasping for breath and struggling to keep up in his supporter

garb.

The thirty-member subjugation team arrived at the scene and wasted no time jumping

into action.

"Commander, your orders…!"

"Wait, sister—look there!"

The Amazon Ilta interrupted Modaka and pointed high above their heads.

Several dark shadows were flapping along in unison just beneath the ceiling's bright

crystal lights.

"Winged monsters… wearing armor."

Shakti had difficulty believing what she could still clearly see.

Monsters equipped with protected plates and other armor. According to their

information, these were the monsters that had attacked Rivira, and what they had

been sent to tame.

Ganesha Familia's strongest adventurers narrowed their eyes, making Bell even more

nervous, and stepped out of the tunnel. The group marched directly through the thin

forest in their path and dashed into the vast plains beyond.

"…! There's other monsters, in the plains…!"

"Moving eastward… to the forest? Why would they be going there?"

Coming from where Rivira stood on the western side of the floor, they dashed across

the plains and passed the Central Tree entirely, going into the lush forest to the east.

Ganesha Familia watched the group of monsters, who outnumbered their winged

companions, travel across the landscape.

As for why the monsters that had destroyed Rivira would go into the large forest, the

subjugation team could only guess.

"Sister, what say you?"

"…We'll split in two. Momonga, take a small team to Rivira! See if there are any

survivors!"

"Yes, ma'am! Also, my name is Modaka!!"

"The rest of you, with me! We follow the monsters into the forest!"

The young man, his name mistaken yet again, swiftly assembled a team of five

adventurers to join him before separating from Shakti's main force. Bell paused for a

moment at the back of the formation as both groups took off in opposite directions,

wondering which way he should proceed, when…

"Let's make for the forest."

"Fels!"

"Rivira is likely little more than a ghost town. Lido was among the group that went

east."

Fels, practically invisible at Bell's side, conveyed the information.

It was true; Bell had seen them as well.

He had seen a siren and gargoyle among the winged monsters in the air. And the

ground procession included a lamia, a troll, a unicorn… and a lizardman racing across

the plain.

The truth was starting to set in for Bell, his heart pounding harder than ever before.

The boy was relieved not to see the dragon girl among their ranks at first, but then it

made him uneasy.

With a deep breath to calm the surge of complicated emotions, Bell gave Fels a nod

and turned to follow the larger group. He pumped his arms and ran so fast that his

robe flapped behind him like a flag in the middle of a storm.

The dense,thick forest that stretched from the southern edge allthe way to the eastern

perimeter of the eighteenth floor was shaped like a massive gulf, the perfect spot for

a port if the safe point in the Dungeon were connected to an ocean. It was enormous,

covering more than one fifth of the Under Resort. Compared to the southern region of

the floor, the foliage of the eastern and southeastern areas was a deeper green, and

the trees were noticeably bigger.

Moss grew on the exposed tree roots. Tall trees formed a thick green canopy far

overhead. Pristine blue rivers snaked along the ground. The trickling sound of water

filled the air. White and blue crystals so large they could have been mistaken for

shortswords sparkled. All this dreamy, beautiful landscape was nothing but a blur. Bell

was so focused on keeping up with the subjugation team that he didn't have time to

wonder if the invisible Fels was still with him.

Then Shakti, who had kept a consistent eye on the winged monsters far overhead

through the branches and leaves at the head of the formation, raised her arm. It was a

signal to her subordinates. They were on course to intercept their targets. The longawaited encounter was upon them.

Bell braced himself for the moment. But before he got close enough to see the

monsters himself, snarling howls drew his attention elsewhere.

"Huh…?"

"What the hell is…!"

Ganesha Familia accelerated toward the ferocious roars coming from just ahead and

saw—monsters locked in an all-out brawl to the death.

"They're fighting each other…!"

The leader Shakti, the Amazon Ilta, and the other members squinted and tilted their

heads, struggling to comprehend what was going on.

In fact, the only ones who understood what they were seeing were Fels and Bell.

The Xenos,targeted by both humans and monsters like themselves, were under attack.

At first glance, Bell didn't realize that the monsters hell-bent on tearing their

opponents apart were the ones he'd shaken hands with only a few days ago. Their aura

was so different. It was almost as though bloodthirsty savages were hacking and

slicing their way through obstacles—bugbears and mad beetles—in their way.

Bell stared from beneath his hood, eyes trembling, when one of the Xenos realized

they had company.

Suddenly—the Xenos let out a roar and charged without a second thought.

"?!"

Battle broke out before Bell and Fels could process their shock.

Seeing humans reignited the Xenos's rage, and their bloodshot eyes pulsed as they

descended upon the newcomers with beastly vengeance.

"Forward, my warriors!!"

Shakti spoke with calm determination, the rest of Ganesha Familia howling their own

war cries behind her.

The clashing of swords echoed through the forest.

"Sister! Do we have to tame each one of these things?"

"Only the subspecies! Focus on the ones wearing armor!"

Without warning, all the monsters that had been fighting among themselves suddenly

turned to attack the adventurers in a mad rush. Supporters hastily drew taming whips,

passing them to Shakti as she issued orders to Ilta.

Their targets were easily distinguishable. Monsters fighting with nothing more than

the claws and skin they were born with stood out from the ones equipped with blades

and steel. There was no question their focus was on the latter.

But above all—they were strong. Even if their targets weren't wearing armor, the

adventurers could tell the difference immediately on contact.

The bugbears and mad beetles fell easily, but they were at a loss as to how to handle

the armed monsters. Ganesha Familia members scrunched up their faces in

frustration as their weapons were effortlessly knocked away time and again.

"Fels—!"

"ORHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"—Gah!"

Bell became separated from Fels in the surge of enemies. It took all he had just to keep

his feet. With no time to draw his knife, he dove, jumped, and evaded incoming claws

and fangs until he was forced to defend with the gauntlets beneath his robe.

The battle inside the lush forest had become a three-sided free-for-all.

"Those Ganesha Familia guys are losing ground."

—A few sets of eyes watched from a high vantage point not too far behind.

Aisha, Lyu, and Asfi lurked behind a thick bush as they observed the tide of battle.

The three women had followed Bell and the rest of the subjugation team all the way

here, staying far enough behind to avoid detection. The unexpected battle was well

under way when they arrived.

"The armed monsters… they're strong. Some more so than others, but all are combat

veterans."

"Yeah, and their blood's boiling by the look of them. Good luck trying to tame that. So

it looks like 'Ankusha' and the other leaders are holding their own…"

"Well, that's assuming they can even be tamed at all."

Asfi remarked in a quiet voice next to Lyu as the elf removed her helmet, appearing

out of thin air.

Ganesha Familia had more first-tier adventurers than any other familia in Orario,

eleven in total. All of them might only have been at Level 5, but they could safely travel

well into the deep levels on expeditions, making the group one of the Labyrinth City's

prominent familias.

Now, the subjugation team was composed of thirty adventurers all at Level 3 and

above. There was no shortage of first-tier adventurers in their ranks.

However, being straddled with the unfortunate obligation to tame these monsters

meant Ganesha Familia couldn't fight at full strength. This unorganized scuffle of a

battle only made matters worse.

But their biggest fear was the armored monsters' power.

At the very least, three of them—a gargoyle, a siren, and a lizardman—had

demonstrated the potential to go toe to toe with the subjugation team's first-tier

adventurers and come out on top. Stone wings went from being a shield one moment

to a blunt weapon the next; powerful sound waves blasted from overhead; a

longsword and scimitar moved with a skill belied by the wielder's wild techniques.

Other than Shakti, the adventurers were forced to defend lest the vicious

counterattacks finish them off.

With access to a plethora of information, Asfi had been aware of the Xenos's existence

beforehand. She stayed calm, carefully observing the situation from afar.

"Asfi, Leon. Please avoid unnecessary engagements. Explaining ourselves if we're seen

will cause more trouble than it's worth. Our purpose here is only to collectinformation

and to serve as Bell Cranell's—"

Whoosh. Lyu suddenly stood up in the middle of Asfi's directions.

"I shall assist."

"Huh, wai—Leon!"

The elf warrior's sense of justice wouldn't allow her to sit on the sidelines and watch

Ganesha Familia suffer.

"Moreover, we have lost sight of Mr. Cranell. I shall fight and search at the same time."

"Aren't you being a bit overprotective there? That kid can fend for himself when he has

to."

"You are the one who brought me here for the sole purpose of protecting him… or am

I to believe that you will stay behind?"

"Oh, you know I'm going."

Ignoring Asfi's gaping mouth, the Amazon Aisha lifted her thick wooden sword and

placed it on her shoulder with excitement.

"A-at least wear the helmets! It's much easier to move when unseen, and convenient

besides…!"

"I have a natural aversion to hiding my form in battle. Cowardly tactics don't suit me."

"I don't need it, either. All helmets and armor do is get in the way, am I right?"

Asfi reached out, glasses sliding down her nose. "Wait…!!" she cried out in vain as Lyu

and Aisha discarded their Hades Head items on the ground. Battle cloth shifting as

they turned, the two women raced into battle.

Perseus custom-made rare magic items, worth hundreds of thousands of valis each,

lay abandoned on the floor.

"I swear…!!"

Asfi quickly moved to collect them. The item maker, whose life work had been rejected,

left her Hades Head right where it was and stayed invisible.

The fierce battle between surface people and monsters continued to escalate.

With the need to tame their adversaries holding them back, the adventurers fought

hard as the monsters unleashed their rage.

The armed monsters—even the humanoid Xenos—were doused in fresh blood.

It hid their normally tidy appearances and formed an outward sign of their inner fury,

transforming them into hideous beasts. Pupils narrowed to vertical slits, dripping in

the blood of their victims, they overwhelmed the adventurers.

" !!"

"Guh…!"

The Amazon Ilta fell to one knee after taking the brunt of one of the golden-winged

siren's malicious sound blasts.

The two had been fighting at a blistering pace, zipping from tree to tree. The Amazon's

punches and kicks tore through the air, but her opponent's ranged attack also

damaged her nearby allies. With no answer for the siren's troublesome technique, it

was only a matter of time before the first-tier adventurer took a hit.

The siren flapped its wings, launching a volley of feather bullets directly at Ilta—but…

"Careful there!"

"!"

A large wooden blade swung in from out of nowhere, deflecting every bullet in one

swoop.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?!"

"?!"

Aisha kicked off a nearby tree into the air and forced the siren to jerk out of the way

of her oncoming heel.

Ilta, arms still raised to protect herself, watched in shock.

"Antianeira?! Why are you here?!"

"Don't get hung up on small details, Amazoness. Let me get in on this."

Aisha looked over her shoulder with a grin the moment she landed.

"Besides, you could use some help, right?"

"…Enough sass. Defend us while we tame!"

Ilta shouted and slammed the whip in her right hand into the ground hard enough to

send a plume of dirt into the air as she and Aisha raced back into the fray.

"Their strength is undeniable—but their rage blinds them."

"GAH!" a monster shrieked.

"While they are a force to be reckoned with head-on, they are vulnerable to sneak

attacks."

While the Amazonian warrior went her own way, delivering blow after powerful blow,

Lyu dropped into battle from a tree overhead with her wooden sword ready to strike.

She locked on to an armored silverback's head and knocked it out with one blow.

Lyu appeared just in time to save a male adventurer from certain death.

Dumbfounded, he stared at her while she readjusted her hood to keep her face hidden.

"Y-you! Who are you? What are you?!"

"…Just a traveler passing through."

"You can't be serious!!"

Ganesha's antics had made his followers familiar with the art of responding to

nonsense. The unknown hooded adventurer joined the battle in support while others

chimed in.

"Reinforcements…? Must be adventurers who came up from the deep levels. Then

again, that elf…"

Shakti took notice of Lyu and Aisha almost immediately. She realized that having two

warriors not restricted to taming in battle could be advantageous. After sending a

charging troll flying backward with a single punch, she whirled away from a unicorn

trying to skewer her and knocked it off balance with her whip. The monster spun to

the ground.

Her battle cloth probably would have been more appropriate at a festival rather than

the battlefield. The long slits in the fabric allowed her freedom of movement and

whipped around as the other members of Ganesha Familia regrouped around her.

"SHAAA!!"

"Wh…?!"

Elsewhere, Bell was struggling to defend himself just beyond the newcomers' range.

A lamia's long, sharp blades flashed out of his line of sight. Its green hair, splattered

with just as much blood as its face, billowed behind it. A putrid smell assaulted Bell's

senses as the creature attempted to slice him apart.

A combination of fear and sorrow prevented the boy from calling out to the Xenos who

had once shaken his hand. Bell's throat tightened, his eyes filled with anguish.

"!"

He tried to jump past the lamia to dodge a swipe, but it drove its bladelike claws

straight through his robe.

Bell lost his disguise along with his backpack and revealed himself to the battlefield.

The Xenos fighting the forest monsters were on the verge of regrouping despite the

adventurers surrounding them, when suddenly—

"GRAAAAAAAAHH!!"

A single lizardman burst through, appearing from between an adventurer locked in

combat with monsters.

—Lido!!

The lizardman charged headlong toward the momentarily frozen Bell.

Rather than using the longsword and scimitar strapped to its sides, it grabbed hold of

both of Bell's shoulders and drove him to the ground instead.

"—Why have you come, Bellucchi?!"

"?!"

The lizardman was several times heavier than Bell and overpowered him as they

rolled across the forest floor, but he spoke like a sentient being. The two became

entangled, moving away from the battle as Bell got an eyeful of Lido's monstrous face.

Next, Lido used the centrifugal force to throw Bell farther into the forest.

When the lizardman jumped back to his feet in pursuit, Bell understood what he was

trying to do. So rather than fight his momentum, he let it carry him even farther away

from the battle.

"Newcomers… More surface dwellers have come!"

A fair distance away from Lido and Bell's scuffle at almost the same time…

The gargoyle Gros studied the tide of battle from behind the Xenos's line.

His eyes narrowed at Lyu and Aisha, glaring with hatred as his kind fell into disarray.

"—Gros!"

"Fels?!"

Gros turned to the side at the sound of his name.

Out of the adventurers' sight, the black-robed mage appeared in a crystal pillar's

shadow.

Casting the veil aside to disable the invisibility, Fels called out to the airborne gargoyle.

"Bring an end to this battle at once!! There is no point to our conflict!"

"No!! Should we stand down now, those adventurers will slaughter us!"

"I promise you, I will not allow that to happen! Please listen—!"

Clashing metal and the roars of battle drowned out the conversation.

Fels pleaded with the Xenos leader, desperate to convince him to see reason within

the chaos, but…

"Then make the adventurers retreat!! We will rescue our comrades!"

"?!"

"You promise with words, show me action!"

Fels had no immediate response for Gros's demand from overhead.

The goliath looked down at the mage, then howled with an explosion of anger as if he

already knew the answer.

"That's impossible, right, Fels?! Because at the heart of it, you are on their side!!"

"...!"

"You must put humans first, not us! You could never understand our rage!!"

Nearly fifteen years had passed since Fels first made contact with the Xenos.

It had taken many conversations over those longs years to establish trust.

However, the gargoyle was so consumed with rage that he had forgotten the bond they

shared.

"I will not be swayed by your sweet words!"

"Gros, I'm…!"

"It's far too late now!!"

Gros turned his back on Fels as if to signify the end of the conversation and chase away

the last of his doubts.

He took off deeper into the forest, ash-gray throat wide open and pulsating.

" OOo!!"

It was a howl directed to his fellow Xenos.

He called to his companions fighting in the forest with a sound human ears couldn't

distinguish.

It was an order to search for their kind, and to follow him.

—Rei, keep the humans distracted!

—Understood.

The gargoyle made eye contact with another airborne Xenos, the golden-feathered

siren, just before leaving the battlefield.

Rei, whose face was just as bloody and filled with rage as the other Xenos's, led a group

of their comrades into the fray out of the corner of his eye, and Gros turned his

attention to the eastern edge of the forest, his destination.

"Lido…!"

In a small clearing a great distance away from the tree-lined battlefield…

Bell and Lido stood face-to-face in a clearing surrounded by thick tree trunks and tall

blue-and-white crystals.

"Why… Why did you come here, Bellucchi…?!"

Roars of battle were off in the distance.

Nothing stood between them in this place Lido had chosen for their discussion.

In any case, he didn't want their reunion to be like this.

Clutching a scimitar and longsword, the lizardman narrowed his reptilian yellow eyes

as though trying to bear great pain.

"I heard… I heard that Rivira, the adventurers' town, was destroyed by monsters

armed with weapons…! Was it… was it really the Xenos? Did you guys do it?"

"…Yes. We attacked it."

At those words, Bell remembered the face of a brokenhearted girl.

"But why?!"

"My comrades were murdered… by adventurers in that town. No, by hunters."

His rubellite eyes opened wide.

Lido continued, strengthening the verbal assault on the motionless boy.

"Those humans also took Wiene and Fia…!"

Bell's blood turned to ice.

Hunters had captured Wiene—Ikelos Familia?

The god Ikelos's unnerving smile appeared in the back of Bell's mind.

The possibility had been eating away at him since the beginning, and now he knew it

was true. Buckets of cold sweat poured from his skin.

"Sorry, Bellucchi… Turns out we're just as the surface races say: monsters."

"Huh…?"

"I tried to stop them, all of them. But it was no use!"

He couldn't stop Wiene from being taken and couldn't stop his kind.

Lido offered an apology, stewing in his own uselessness. A powerful resolve soon took

its place, however.

"But it's not only them. I'm just as furious!! Can't control… the rage…!"

Bell gasped as he saw the lizardman's irises split in two, the whites of his eyes turn

bloodshot and become their natural form.

"I thirst for revenge, to kill the ones who killed my…!!"

Bell could see every muscle in the monster's body twitch, as if preparing to charge and

exact revenge right now.

Lido's eyes pulsed, and Bell knew his monster instincts were taking over.

He lost himself for a moment and took an involuntary step back. Bell desperately tried

to force his muscles to stay in place.

—But that's…

The same as humans.

Humans also burned with indignation should anything happen to their friends and

allies.

All the emotions coursing through Lido and the other Xenos right now were not

monstrous.

Bell opened his mouth to put his thoughts into words, but nothing came out. Those

thoughts remained silent, buried in his heart.

"Our comrades are here, in the eastern forest."

"…! How did—?"

"Forced it out of a hunter in the town; he said there's a door around here. We're going

to rescue Wiene and Fia."

Bell was stunned, but it made sense. All the Xenos's seemingly bizarre actions now

made sense.

There was so much he had to think about.

However, right now, Wiene being in captivity came first.

"—Lido, I'm coming, too."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than—

"Stay back!!"

Lido swung the longsword, slicing into the ground at his feet.

Bell immediately shielded his face with his arms from the oncoming wave of rocks and

dust.

"...!"

Bell had to swallow his surprise as soon as his vision recovered.

A long, deep crack had appeared in the ground between him and Lido, separating the

two.

A visual barrier keeping their worlds apart.

"Bellucchi, do not cross. Go back."

"Lido…?"

"We're finished. There's no taking back what's done. Our dreams will never come

true," the lizardman stated, tightening his grip on both swords. All hope was lost.

"But even so, we will stop at nothing to free our comrades…!!"

However, the fighting spirit in his eyes was still burning bright.

"We will take Wiene and Fia back… So Bellucchi, stay out of it."

"...!"

"If you're seen with us, you're finished, too. All of this is our fault. I don't want you

involved."

Please don't cross that line.

Lido was pushing him away.

He was trying to keep him off the path to ruin.

He was trying to keep his burning hatred for surface people at bay.

He was afraid of being betrayed.

Bell couldn't move under the gaze of those beady reptilian yellow eyes, contorted with

pain.

No, he didn't move.

He couldn't bring himself to agree with what the "monster" was saying.

"…What are you hanging around for, Bellucchi? What if you're seen?! Go back to the

surface, back to Lillicchi and the rest!!"

Bell bit his lip, trying to gain control of his trembling body with Lido's fuming voice in

his ears.

His knees shook, his gaze was locked with Lido's, and he wouldn't tear his eyes away.

Crystal light flashed off the lizardman's two blades, burning his eyes.

As far-off echoes overtook them—the gargoyle had left the battle.

"You are human, Bellucchi! Don't waste time worrying about monsters!!"

"Lido…"

"Go!"

"Lido…!"

"Get out of here!!"

"Still, I—!"

Bell took one step closer, over the crack in the ground. Lido didn't let him finish.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

A shiver of fear traveled down his spine at the monstrous roar.

The boy's face contorted, his spirit broken as the lizardman howled his flat-out refusal.

"—Mr. Cranell!"

""!""

A sharp voice sounded; a thin wooden sword flashed between the two of them

immediately afterward.

Lido deftly dodged the attack aimed in his direction, jumping back as a hooded

adventurer wearing a torn cape landed in front of Bell.

The lizardman took one look at the elf protecting the boy before spinning around and

racing off in the other direction.

Bell was left behind, watching that thick tail disappear into the trees.

"Are you injured, Mr. Cranell?"

"…Miss… Lyu? Why…?"

"I shall provide details at a later time. For now, it is dangerous to proceed on your own.

Rendezvous with Ganesha Familia for the time being."

Lyu, who had followed the lizardman's howl to the clearing, turned to leave.

Although Bell saw her cape flowing from her back, he stood firm, as if his feet were

nailed to the spot… and looked down.

"Mr. Cranell?"

Realizing the boy hadn't followed, the elf turned to face him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lyu…"

Then Bell looked up to meet her gaze.

"That monster… I'm going after that lizardman."

"!"

Lyu recoiled in surprise beneath her hood as he shouted what was in his heart.

"I… have to follow that lizardman…!"

The boy might have been on the verge of tears, but there was no wavering in Bell's

eyes.

Lyu fell silent before him.

"May I know your reasoning?"

"..."

Bell responded with only silence when she finally spoke up. Lyu studied him,

unblinking.

Her sky-blue eyes probed his rubellite ones.

"Have you not been drawn into the Evils's… Ikelos Familia's foul plot? I have heard as

much."

"!"

"You have not been yourself as of late. Syr is worried... As am I."

"..."

"Your reasoning for chasing after that monster is a mystery to me. However, I… I do

not want you involved with that familia."

With eyes full of unrestrained emotion, Lyu extended her right hand to the boy as

though sensing danger, as though afraid of what was to come.

Just as on that day when they shook hands on this very floor.

"Will you not return to the surface?"

Bell didn't look away.

He stepped away from the hand trying to stop him.

That step took him across the crack in the floor, bringing back the painful memories

of how it got there—and thus Bell retreated from Lyu, just as Lido had done to him

moments ago.

"I see…"

A second silence fell. Lyu looked away from the fiercely determined boy.

It pained Bell to turn a cold shoulder to one so kind, but he knew he needed to endure.

Suddenly, an incredibly powerful noise from the battlefield blew through the trees.

A siren's song of destruction was protecting the Xenos's rear flank.

Lyu narrowed her eyes at the rush of sound that was far more powerful and damaging

than those thus far.

Then she made eye contact with Bell once again.

"You have become a full-fledged adventurer."

"Miss Lyu…"

"Any attempt to stop you would be futile. Follow it."

Lyu pulled a small pouch from her waist as she spoke.

She then proceeded to pull out an assortment of high potions and other healing items.

"However, I will be following right behind you… Once the subjugation team is out of

danger," she added.

Bell couldn't turn her down.

He had no choice but to accept.

"Thank you very much… and sorry."

Bell took off at a sprint.

He sensed Lyu run off in the opposite direction behind him as he tightened the pouch's

drawstring and raced forward.

"Dix, word is that the monsters are closin' in on our base."

Dix looked up at the stone-slab ceiling once he heard Gran's report.

"Baroy or somebody couldn't keep their mouth shut… I'd love to drive my fist through

their faces, but they're probably already dead anyway."

Sitting on top of a small, empty cage, the man in goggles started laughing in joyous

anticipation.

He then looked back toward his subordinate and lobbed something over to him.

The large man caught the piece of processed metal, an ingot that fit in the palm of his

hand.

"Gran. Open the door, would you?"

"D-Dix? Are you sure? If monsters get in here…"

"Ganesha's followers can't be far behind 'em. It'd be real annoying if they got

suspicious, seeing a whole bunch of monsters hanging around outside."

The man grinned below his goggles.

"I say we give the monsters a little invitation."

A dark, evil chuckle came from his throat.

"We hunt on our home turf."

"Gros!"

"You're late, Lido!"

The lizardman caught up with the gargoyle leading the Xenos's advance.

They had arrived at the forest's eastern rim. The end of the floor. A steep rock face rose

all the way to the ceiling in front of them.

There was no way forward. The ground didn't go any farther than this.

Many Xenos were scouring the vegetation and crystal pillars for clues, combing the

area for any minor detail they might have missed, leaving no stone unturned.

"What of the door? Have you found it?"

"No, there's nothing here!! Our comrades won't answer, no matter how much we call!"

Gros was getting anxious. Lido joined the search, his field of vision obscured by trees

or stone in every direction. Nothing seemed out of place in the repetitive scenery.

Perhaps they had been deceived after all. Gros, Lido, and the other Xenos fought to

remain calm as a certain hunter's last words—You don't have one of those, so you'll

never get inside!—rang in their ears.

"—Lido!"

That's when it happened.

A red-cap goblin cried out in shock as it pointed.

Lido's gaze followed the goblin's extended finger.

"That's…"

Bell was dashing through the trees, jumping over roots that crisscrossed the ground

like giant tentacles, when suddenly a black shadow came into view.

"Fels!"

"Bell Cranell! You've come!"

Long robe flapping, Fels joined Bell to run by his side.

"Are you all right?" asked the mage with a sigh of relief once they were shoulder to

shoulder.

"Yes!" Bell answered.

"I made contact with Gros, but it was no use. He mentioned something about taking

back his kind… The only conclusion I can draw is that the hunters sparked their attack.

Nothing can stop the Xenos now."

"I spoke with Lido!"

Bell recounted his conversation with the lizardman. He told Fels that several Xenos

were killed, that Wiene and Fia had been captured, everything.

A painful groan escaped from beneath Fels's hood.

"While I do not want to admit it, the hunters were a step ahead… I believe it is safe to

assume that they belong to Ikelos Familia."

"…!"

"But this door you mentioned… Does it lead to the enemy's home base?"

Fels and Bell exchanged words as they advanced, matching each other stride for stride.

"Fels, what about… the Xenos fighting Lyu and the subjugation team? What about

them…?"

"Not an issue. Ganesha Familia has been ordered to tame them. I doubt any of the

Xenos will die. I'm more concerned about the tamers, to tell the truth. The Xenos are

not themselves at the moment… although, now that Gros and Lido have left the battle

and divided their forces in half, I'm sure those fears are unnecessary."

Fels explained that now was Ganesha Familia's chance.

"We might have failed to convince them to retreat, but we are able to move about

unimpeded. Now, we must find and infiltrate this hidden base."

"I'm right behind you…!"

At last, a clue to find the hunters was in their grasp. The memory of Wiene's tears

when they parted ways spurred Bell onward, and he picked up speed alongside Fels.

The dome of branches overhead thinned, and the trees in their path parted to reveal a

stone wall. A cluster of blue crystal pillars stood in an oddly circular formation nearby.

But the two figures didn't bother taking in the view, instead rushing at top speed to

reach their destination.

"Is this it…?"

"Yes, the eastern edge of the forest and our destination. However…"

Fels's voice trembled slightly next to a startled Bell, who surveyed the area after

coming to a stop.

"The Xenos are nowhere to be found… Disappeared? Inconceivable."

They had followed the path of destruction the Xenos made on their way through the

forest, and there were uprooted plants and broken crystals scattered everywhere. The

Xenos were here, of that they were certain.

But they were nowhere to be seen. Bell and Fels listened closely to their surroundings,

but there was nothing.

The Xenos had vanished. All those monsters were gone, in the blink of an eye.

"What exactly is the door? Did they find it…?"

The two stood back to back, scanning the area with increasing urgency.

But they couldn't find any spot, any clue that would signal the existence of a "door."

Between the eerily tranquil forest air and the demolished floor surface, their

uneasiness only continued to grow.

As the sound of his own heartbeat was starting to mess with Bell's head—something

caught his eye.

Fragments of a large crystal destroyed by the Xenos were scattered across the ground.

While it was the sparkle that caught his attention, the crystal's rapid regeneration kept

it there. It was re-forming right before his eyes.

A certain sound reached his ears as the crystal began to take its former shape, a sound

that he had heard once before.

I've seen this before, but where…?

"…The Xenos Hidden Village?"

A wall of quartz had kept the Frontier entrance well hidden. That quartz repaired itself

in no time at all.

Bell's eyes opened a bit wider when he realized the patch of crystals on the wall was

the same type of quartz, and that they were recovering just as fast.

Then Bell felt something hot under his armor as he took one determined step in that

direction.

"Huh?"

"Bell Cranell?"

Feeling Fels's inquisitive gaze on his back, Bell reached for the hot spot, equally

confused.

His hand wrapped around the pouch that Lyu had given him.

Reaching inside, his fingers worked past the high potions and antidotes until—he

pulled out a piece of metal, an ingot that fit in the palm of his hand.

"Bell Cranell, what might that be…?"

"A magic item…?"

Streaks covered the edges, as though the metal had once been so hot it almost melted.

But yes, it was a magic item for sure.

The roundish silver object was probably made from mythril.

A red orb was embedded deep within the metal—like an eye staring out from the core.

A very simple character that wasn't written in Koine or hieroglyphs had been

inscribed on the item's surface: a D.

"Wh-what is this…?"

The circular magic item kept producing heat, giving the two no time to acknowledge

the dread growing in the back of their minds.

What's more, the heat and intensity varied based on location as though it were

responding to something nearby.

Bell's mouth hung open as he let it guide their path.

The magic item brought them to a protruding segment of the rock wall.

"Nothing looks unusual about this…"

"Fels, this area… it's the same as the room that led to the Xenos Hidden Village."

There was nothing different about this piece of the wall from any of the other jagged

formations that spread out in either direction as far as they could see. As the magic

item reached a fever pitch in the palm of his hand, Bell told Fels about his earlier

observation.

The black-robed mage paused, gazing at the wall with the utmost intensity.

"Stand back, Bell Cranell."

A right arm appeared from the swishing black robe to point at the wall.

The intricate patterns on Fels's glove flared to life.

Suddenly, a colorless shock wave burst forth from the palm.

"…!!"

"Well, that's unexpected…"

Not only had the thundering wave caught Bell off guard, but what lay beyond the wall

after the explosion left him speechless.

A single tunnel entrance yawned before them as the last bits of quartz fell to the

ground.

It was large enough to allow large-category monsters to easily pass through, and the

passage was made of numerous types of rocks and minerals.

"This is not a natural Dungeon formation but something… artificial," said Fels in a

stunned whisper, taking a step inside.

After they crossed the regenerating threshold, Bell forgot to breathe as the two made

their way farther into the tunnel.

Their path was suddenly blocked by a towering metallic gate not even five meders in.

The two froze in front of the gigantic doors. Two demonic statues looked down from

either side of the gate in front of them.

"Orichalcum—a masterpiece ingot that can be forged into unbreakable Durandalclass items. It surpasses even adamantite."

It was the densest rare metal in the world, the end result of blending various materials

together with human and demi-human techniques. Even Bell, still on the outer edges

of the adventurer hierarchy, had heard the name.

"It is physically impossible to destroy… But."

Fels glanced over and beckoned the boy forward. Bell stepped closer.

He held out the magic item with trembling hands—the crimson jewel buried deep

within the item flashed in response.

The tunnel rumbled around them as the door rose.

"Unbelievable… Something like this, inside the Dungeon?"

A dim tunnel was waiting for them on the other side, barely illuminated by flickering

magic-lamp light.

Bell cleared his throat, staring down at the round item in his hand as Fels whispered

quietly at his side.

The magic item was the "key" that opened the door.

Did Lyu know about this when she gave me her pouch? Or is it just a coincidence?

Ikelos Familia—the Evils—was an organization said to have infested the Dungeon a

mere five years ago but was much more prominent than today, and a vile group.

Lyu said that she had fought to the last with Astrea Familia—their emblem depicted a

winged sword of justice—to protect Orario from them.

Bell thought back to the day when the elf ex-adventurer told him that story on this

very floor, in a hidden spot where her comrades had been laid to rest.

She might have seized this magic item from one of her foes during her quest to avenge

her fallen allies.

Many thoughts crossed through Bell's mind as his hypothesis came together. Then he

looked up.

The stone tunnel in front of him had clearly been designed and constructed by human

hands.

The statues weren't the only indication.

Since it was hidden behind a regenerating Dungeon wall in a safe point where

monsters were never born, construction could have gone unnoticed.

But that triggered so many more questions, like who built it? When? How? The list

went on.

Fels walked past Bell, who didn't even notice the cold sweat covering his skin, and

approached a piece of the wall beyond the door.

The stone surface was silent but for a single shabby sign in Koine.

"…Daedalus."

Fels read a single name in a hollow voice.

A cold chill completely unrelated to the Dungeon swept through Bell. The boy stared

into the dark abyss that seemed to stretch out endlessly before him.

The bright sun of the surface started to sink from the center of the sky.

Babel Tower stood tall in Central Park, which was still crowded even though the

subjugation team had long since departed.

Ganesha Familia was still hard at work maintaining a no-entry zone around the tower.

Other adventurers approached them for information, but most of the crowd was

anxiously waiting for a triumphant return. As time passed, however, the tension

waned to an easy lull.

"Dammit, are we really stuck waiting on the sidelines…?"

"With this heavy surveillance, sneaking inside is out of the question… Every

adventurer and deity who tried got caught."

"Waiting is hard, isn't it…? I do this every day, Welf."

"Master Bell…"

Welf, Mikoto, Hestia, and Haruhime had gathered in a corner of Central Park. They

exchanged words while gazing at the white tower from afar. With no way to assist

Bell's return or find out the Xenos's fate, all of Hestia Familia was on edge.

"Back to what we were talking about before… If it's true that those hunters started

this whole mess by kidnapping one of the Xenos, why don't we try to find their base?

If they're working the black market and selling to collectors or whoever, they gotta

keep their stock somewhere in the city, right?"

"That must be true… but if the honorable Fels and the Guild have been unable to locate

their hiding place, what point is there in us trying…?"

"Hermes is good at this kind of thing, but… then again, capturing monsters and selling

them for profit? Only someone with no fear of the gods or the Dungeon would even

try."

Hestia voiced her displeasure as she listened in on Welf and Mikoto's conversation.

That was also the moment when Lilly, the brains of the group, had an epiphany after

hearing Hestia's words.

"Sell monsters for profit…"

She tilted her small head to the side as though memories were flooding through her

mind.

"Lure out monsters, capture them, and sell them for profit…"

"…Li'l E?"

"A-are you feeling unwell?"

Welf and Haruhime glanced at the prum with concern as Lilly continued muttering to

herself.

Suddenly, the small girl's head snapped up as the rest of her familia eyed her.

"Let's go."

"Supporter?"

"Lilly might have a lead."

Lilly turned her back on Babel and strode away with those words. Hestia and the

others made brief eye contact before taking off after her.

"Go? Where to?"

Lilly turned around to answer Welf's question.

"Lilly's former deity—to Lord Soma."

Soma Familia's home and "wine cellar" stood between East Main Street and Southeast

Main Street in Orario's third district.

Lilly led the group to the former first.

"Lilliluka Erde… How is your health?"

They met the god Soma in his private quarters.

His long hair kept his eyes and the vast depths behind them practically hidden. He

looked more like a hermit than a being from a higher plane, but he was also none other

than Lilly's former god, the head of Soma Familia.

"It has been a long time, Lord Soma. Lilly is very well, thank you."

"Hey, Soma, what'd you mean by that? Does it look like I've been that rough on

Supporter to you?"

Lilly bowed to the deity she had not seen in nearly two months as Hestia jumped out

from beside her. "Sorry…" said the god in a feeble voice as Hestia scowled at him with

puffed cheeks.

Soma Familia's strange behavior had become all but nonexistent after Lilly's transfer

and the War Game. It was because Soma had stopped using the divine wine soma as a

reward to manage his followers.

Lilly knew just how little Soma cared for the people of this world, so his slightly

friendlier appearance made a deep impression on her—and made her happy as well.

She briefly summarized their situation. "All right…" Soma nodded without any

resistance. "I'll summon Chandra…"

He motioned to one of his nearby followers. A rugged dwarf appeared at the door a

few moments later.

"It has been a long time, Mr. Chandra. Lilly heard you became the leader.

Congratulations."

"Enough of that. I ain't cut out to lead a damn thing… Can't drink soma like I used to,

either. Just adding insult to injury."

Chandra Ihit's surly response was somewhat fatigued. The short-haired, shortbearded dwarf who had joined Soma Familia for the sole purpose of drinking the

world's finest wine had assisted Lilly in her time of need and now sat at the head of

the struggling organization.

He led Lilly and the rest of the group to the wine cellar, taking a swig from the gourd

hanging at his waist as they moved along.

While Soma Familia's home was relatively close to the city center, their wine cellar

was located only a few blocks from the city wall.

The deity had all but given up on producing soma, a wine potent enough to entrance

any person on Earth. The familia was now focused on developing delicious wines

essentially for the purpose of earning small profits, and the wine cellar had been

renovated to support this research. However, only one place remained unchanged:

The holding cell, where the familia used to keep unruly members under control.

"You there… Food! Where's the food? Hurry it up, I'm starving!"

A gruff man's voice, not much different from a stray dog's bark, came from deep within

the stone hallway.

As unreliable magic-stone lamps flickered and the damp air cooled on their skin, Soma

and Chandra led the way with Hestia Familia close. Lilly tensed.

"Pipe down, Zanis. Quit your yappin'."

"Ehh? Chandra, what're you doing here…? Oh, if it isn't our lord and… You lot…"

A familia member serving as a guard pointed them to a certain cell containing a human

man.

The prisoner with sunken cheeks gazed at his visitors one by one until he reached Lilly

at the end. His lips curled into a sneer almost at once.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...! Never thought I'd be seeing you here."

It took everything Lilly had to keep her expression steady under his unblinking stare.

The man's name was Zanis Rustra. He was a Level 2 upper-class adventurer like

Chandra, and he had been in charge of Soma Familia until recently.

He was a shadow of his former self. There was no trace of intelligence in his visage,

and his glasses were nowhere to be seen. Given his ragged and torn clothes, the word

shabby summed him up nicely.

Zanis had been stripped of his position after the events that led to Lilly's departure

from Soma Familia.

In addition to the many victims of the familia's violent, rowdy behavior, the deciding

factor for his dismissal was how he used and sold Soma's divine wine to manipulate

others for his own personal gain.

His Status sealed by Soma as punishment, the man now spent his days confined in the

holding cell.

Welf was visibly angry, and the man cast a hostile glare in his direction as he walked

up to the black iron bars and addressed Lilly at the front of the group.

"Come to laugh at poor Zanis, have you, Erde?"

"..."

"My, my, how things have changed. We were on opposite sides last time…" said the

unshaven former leader, peering at her with a dark grin.

Lilly looked up into Zanis's tortured, hate-filled eyes.

"…Lilly has… a question for you."

"For me? What could the one who robbed me of everything possibly want to ask?"

She ignored Zanis's sarcasm and asked in a calm voice:

"About talking monsters… Would you happen to know where the 'business venture'

you mentioned is based?"

The man froze, completely silent after hearing her words.

But it was only for a heartbeat. His sneering chuckle swelled into delighted laughter.

"Now I get it… Ha-ha-ha-ha! Did you see one? Did you meet one of those talking

monsters, Erde?"

The man's laughter resounded in the hallway.

So it's true, Lilly thought upon seeing his reaction. Chandra cocked an eyebrow, Soma

silent at his side.

It had all happened just before the War Game, when Zanis locked Lilly in this very cell

during negotiations with Apollo Familia. The man came to Lilly in her weakened state

and asked for her assistance.

His plan was to use Lilly's transformation magic, Cinder Ella, to capture monsters.

"There's a project in which I would love your participation. Nothing much, just a new

business venture. Luring out monsters, capturing them, and selling them for profit… Isn't

that simple?"

Lilly had laughed it off at the time. Monsters profitable? She told him as much, and the

man laughed right back at her with greedy eyes.

But now she knew. She knew which monsters would fetch a high price.

Because now she knew of the beautiful and sentient Xenos.

Zanis had known about them that day, possibly even well before then.

Judging by the way he spoke, it was highly likely Zanis was involved in the blackmarket dealings, selling the talking monsters to depraved collectors. Therefore, he

was much more involved with these secret transactions and the hidden base where

the Xenos were kept than any of Hestia Familia.

Hestia and her followers watched with trembling eyes as Lilly frowned and demanded

an answer.

"Fwa-ha-ha-ha-ha…! Well then, you might find something interesting on Daedalus

Street, should you be going that way."

The man twisted around with a sneer on his face, and his sunken eyes fell on Lilly as

he provided a tantalizing clue.

Lilly's nerves tightened as she pressed for more information.

"Where exactly would that be?"

"Go find it yourselves. I'm not saying another word."

Zanis's laughter once again echoed through the stone halls; he clearly enjoyed the

position Lilly was now in. "Wanna convince him with a little force to talk?" offered

Chandra, but Lilly shook her head, declining the violent suggestion.

Zanis would never break. At the very least, not until this incident was resolved.

"Our best lead lies somewhere on Daedalus Street… Let's go."

Lilly turned her back on the holding cell and addressed her allies. Once they gave her

a nod, she asked Soma and Chandra to keep what they heard to themselves before

leading the group back down the hallway.

"Best of luck to you, Erde… Hah! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

With the man's sinister laughter echoing behind them, Hestia Familia set a course for

Daedalus Street.

"This place… connects to Daedalus Street…?!"

Bell made his way through the stone hallway, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

"Yes, I have no doubt. A route to the surface that circumvents our surveillance and

allows illicit sales outside Orario… Should this structure go aboveground, it would be

the last logical piece of the puzzle. It's safe to assume there's an underground passage

leading outside the city wall as well, enabling them to avoid inspection at the gates."

Fels explained his train of thought as the two ran deeper into the hallway.

The intertwining network of stone hallways was complex. Each fork and intersection

had been painstakingly measured to create perfect angles that didn't exist in the

Dungeon, signifying this was a man-made labyrinth. If it weren't for the trail of blood

left by the monsters wounded from battle, the two would have gotten lost in no time.

Although no monster would be born into the darkness from these walls and ceiling,

eerie sculptures and statues depicting the beasts stood throughout the halls.

The feeble lights embedded in the walls illuminated Fels's vague, floating outline.

"The assumption that this connects to Daedalus Street is based on that sign carved

into the wall…" groaned Fels. "Mad Daedalus… A famous architect who lived at the

turning point in history when gods came to this world, the one who built Babel Tower

and several other structures that became the very foundation of Orario…"

Fels explained that this human lived nearly one thousand years ago, long before the

Sage's birth.

The black-robed mage delved deeper into the story of one of history's greats.

"Legend has it he was among the followers of Ouranos, the first deity to grant Falna

on Earth."

"!"

"He made many contributions to Orario, following Ouranos's will… However, it is said

that the man's speech and actions grew more outlandish with each passing day once

he entered theDungeon.Hence,the epithet'mad'…Then at some point, he disappeared

from Ouranos's sight and Orario itself."

Fels explained what he knew, bringing the situation to light.

"Apart from Daedalus Street, his citywide sewer system and other creations have been

a thorn in the Guild's side for some time. Do you not remember, Bell Cranell? The

bizarre network of passages that exist beneath the city."

"Now that you mention it…"

Fels's words triggered a few memories, specifically ones involving Haruhime and Syr.

The hidden tunnels beneath the Pleasure Quarter. Phryne and Haruhime said that it

was because Daedalus Street was so close. In the same vein, Bell recalled the stairwell

behind the orphanage that he had used along with Syr and the children. That

confirmed it for Bell—Daedalus's legacy was ingrained into Orario's very core.

Back then, people had shuddered to think that one man could build so much on his

own, but Fels explained that might be the reason Daedalus the Artisan lived on as one

of history's greats—and as a madman.

Bell swallowed, completely awestruck by the prodigy who had surpassed the physical

limits of the human body thanks to a Blessing. He didn't know the man's face or if

Daedalus was even his real name.

"We have considered for some time the possibility of a second entrance into the

Dungeon separate from Babel. Of course we investigated Daedalus Street, but… Damn

it."

"Fels…?"

"…To be blunt, this far exceeds anything we ever imagined."

Their thoughts dwelled on the legendary architect as the two arrived at another

metallic gate.

Fels withdrew Bell's key from the sleeve of the black robe and pressed it against the

gate. The tightly closed door swung open.

Once inside, Fels reached toward a nearby wall. Light traced through the glove's

intricate designs, and another colorless shock wave burst from the palm. Bell looked

over his shoulder in surprise to see a completely intact metal plate beneath the

crumbling stone surface.

"What's that…?"

"Adamantite. I noticed a metallic gleam coming from behind a deteriorating rock face

on the way here. These hallways were first lined with adamantite before a layer of

stone was adhered to the surface."

Although its purity varied by level of origin, adamantite was an extremely rare, dense

metal that could be mined in the Dungeon. It went without saying that the expensive

substance was not easy to acquire.

Another shock ran down Bell's spine.

"A main entrance protected by orichalcum, hallways constructed with adamantite…

Without this magical key, it would have been next to impossible to infiltrate, even if

we did manage to locate this structure."

Crick! The glove on Fels's outstretched hand creaked as it clenched into a fist.

"A series of artificial passageways connecting to the Dungeon… As difficult as it is to

believe, only history's most famous madman could have accomplished this feat."

But unanswered questions still remained.

Was it physically possible for one man to create a structure from the surface to the

Dungeon's eighteenth floor, and possibly farther? There was also the orichalcum-andadamantite issue to contend with.

Fels spoke up as if reading Bell's mind.

"We have yet to comprehend the scale of this structure. Daedalus might have been in

a league of his own, but it would be next to impossible to do this alone. However…"

Fels let that word hang as he peered farther down the dark hallway.

"The answers we are looking for surely lie ahead."

Another entrance to the Dungeon, one created by human hands.

They had discovered Ikelos Familia's hidden base.

Years of hard work and suffering finally had borne fruit. The mage's voice trembled

with swirling emotions.

"We finally found it, Ouranos…!"

"I've found you—Ikelos."

A voice drifted out across the sky.

On the surface, far above the underground labyrinth…

Hermes addressed a certain god from behind as he stood on the roof of a tall brick

tower.

"…Hee-hee-hee! So you have."

The god Ikelos slowly turned around on the deserted rooftop.

It was part of a series of residential buildings designed with no rhyme or reason,

inconsistent in height and breadth, making the area difficult to navigate.

Hermes and Ikelos stood on top of a brick tower directly in the middle of Daedalus

Street, Orario's "dungeon town."

"How did you ever find this place, Hermes? Truth be told, I never thought anyone

would catch up after coming this far."

"Sure wasn't easy… finding a god who's hiding his trail with his power. It might not be

much, but using your ability for your own gain while here on Earth borders on

blasphemy… You broke the rules."

"Hee-hee! What's wrong with showing off a little bit? Not like it would do anything to

stop those high-level brats… Besides, how boring would it be if I got caught before all

the fun started?"

Ikelos stood at the railing-less tower's edge.

All of Daedalus Street was visible from this spot beneath the sky over Orario.

Alleyways weaved in all directions, surrounding the tower like a web. Stairways led

up and down amid a jumble of multistoried buildings. Only those close to its creator

could understand the source of his inspiration, the chaos he was trying to emulate.

Hermes ran his fingers along the wide brim of his feathered hat, glaring intensely at

his quarry through narrowed orange eyes.

As for Ikelos, the god was laughing as if enjoying a game.

"You've won this round of hide-and-seek, Hermes."

"..."

"It won't stop the show, but… I think I'll answer any and all questions as your reward."

The navy-blue-haired, wheat-skinned god opened his arms as if teasing the other

deity.

A faint grin on his lips, he narrowed his eyes at Hermes.

"So then, what would you like to know?"

Several shadows passed over the stone floor under the magic-stone lamps.

Footsteps in sets of two and four echoed through the man-made, stone-enforced

hallway, closely followed by the sound of dragging tails and flapping wings.

More than twenty monsters marched onward.

"Our comrades' scent guides us closer—advance!!"

The airborne gargoyle shouted as the battle boar's acute sense of smell led the way.

The faint scents lingering in the air guided the procession of monsters, the Xenos,

through the stone passageways. At every fork in the road, the Xenos always chose the

direction with the strongest traces of their companions and picked up speed every

time.

"Lido, every door in our path has been open… We're being lured in!"

"I know that, Lett! But we have to go…!!"

Lido squeezed the hilts of his swords as he responded to the red-cap goblin just behind

him.

Once the group broke through the wall of rock on the eastern edge of the forest, they

immediately saw an open door at the end of the tunnel.

Fully aware that this was the enemy base, and most likely a trap, the Xenos charged

headlong into this man-made realm.

Driven by insatiable anger and a singular purpose—rescuing their captured friends—

the Xenos found themselves at their ultimate destination.

"What is this place…?!"

When they reached the top of a stone stairwell, a vast chamber unlike any of the

tunnels appeared in front of their eyes.

It was perfectly rectangular, over one hundred meders wide and several times that in

length. The whole area, including the high ceiling, was constructed from stone and

shrouded in darkness. The incredibly massive space shared many characteristics with

the Great Wall of Sorrows at the end of the seventeenth floor.

But Lido, Gros, and the rest of the Xenos were focused in one direction.

"Everyone…!"

Countless lines of black cages.

And inside this hellish prison were lamia, Scylla, and mermaids, along with many

other dazzling monsters with human characteristics as well as extremely rare

monsters like a carbuncle. Every one of them was scarred from torture and locked in

a cage with heavy chains.

The harpy Fia was in the first cage in the row, clinging to the bars.

" !!"

Lido, Gros, and the other Xenos could hear the rage seething inside themselves.

Whoosh! As their fur and feathers stood on end, they rushed forward en masse.

"Break the cages!! Set our comrades free!!"

Gros howled as he tore the nearest cage to pieces.

Lido and the other armed monsters hacked and slashed their way through the iron

bars while others bent and twisted the metal with brute force. Free of the chains on

their limbs, the prisoners were finally released from the cages.

Gros led the Xenos farther back, leaving broken cages in their wake. While some of the

freed monsters were indeed once part of the Xenos, there were others they had never

seen before. They had two things in common: a sparkle of intelligence in their eyes

and an inability to break free themselves due to weakness and injury.

Time passed. The number of cages never seemed to decrease no matter how many

they destroyed; the calls for help never ceased. Catching their kin on the verge of

collapse, embracing them one after another, the Xenos destroyed cage after cage amid

the echoes in the vast chamber.

"Fia, where's Wiene?"

"I don't know. They dragged her away, unconscious, toward the back…!"

After Lido set her free, the badly injured harpy willed her muscles to move, pointing a

feathered wing into the darkness.

Narrowing his reptilian eyes, Lido left Fia in Lett's care and took off at a sprint.

"—Such a touching reunion."

Then, right there…

A hollow clap echoed through the air, as if its maker had been waiting for the right

moment.

"…?!"

"Welcome to our humble abode, monsters. Do make yourselves at home."

A man wearing goggles appeared from deep in the darkness.

Lido came to a screeching halt, and Gros turned away from a broken cage. Every set of

Xenos eyes zeroed in on him.

They stood face-to-face with the dreaded hunter at last.

"Are you the hunter selling off our kind…?"

"Oh? You knew about that? Yeah, I'm the one who snatched your buddies and turned

them into cash—once I taught them some manners so they'd obey the customers, that

is."

"Bastard…!!"

A grin formed on the man's—Dix's—face as he tapped the shaft of his wickedly curved

red spear against his shoulder. He didn't bat an eye under the waves of hostility rolling

off Lido, Gros, and the rest of the Xenos.

"Well, I shouldn't really say 'I.' More like 'us,'" he said, and hunters appeared all over

the chamber.

A few stepped out from behind Dix, others from the walls on the left and right, and

some even materialized from the entrance the Xenos came through.

Lett and Fia jumped in surprise from their spot behind the Xenos line, watching a

variety of humans and demi-humans move to surround and trap the group.

The Xenos and the broken cages at their feet were encircled by hunters.

"…!"

"You might have the edge in numbers, but… can you protect all of your precious cargo

at the same time?"

It was just as Dix said. The newly released monsters could barely stand.

The healthy Xenos could never fight at full strength if they had to worry about

protecting their allies. Luring Lido and the rest into this chamber and waiting for the

Xenos to free the other monsters was all part of the plan.

Lido and Gros bared their fangs at their crafty, grinning foe and menacingly clacked

them together.

"—Lido!"

"Wha… Bellucchi?!"

That moment, Bell and Fels burst into the chamber from the stone stairwell.

Lido was the first to whirl around in surprise. Gros and the other Xenos quickly

followed suit. As for the hunters, they were absolutely stunned.

"You're that boy from… You, why have you come?!"

"Now's not the time, Gros!"

Gros's reaction turned to anger at the fact that Bell had followed them here, but Lido

held out his arm to hold him back.

The lizardman looked up, his reptilian irises meeting Bell's rubellite ones.

Why, how, turn back already—so many urgent words and questions appeared in Lido's

gaze before disappearing.

"Oh come on… Gran, you idiot! The hell's going on? Why do we have guests in our

'secret' base? Did you seriously forget to close the doors?"

"I c-closed them all! I ain't lying to you, Dix! Once the monsters were through, I closed

them all, I swear…!"

Sweat poured down the towering bald-headed man at Dix's cold voice, and he

desperately pleaded his case.

Gran had arrived with the second group of hunters behind the Xenos, and Bell and Fels

had a clear view of the item in his possession.

"Isn't that…?"

Bell whispered in disbelief as Fels looked down at the similar magic item in his grasp.

"A key…?!" A wave of disbelief passed through the hunters once they saw it, too.

"Ohh, so that's how it is… So, what bumbling idiot did you take it from? Guess we

shouldn't pass those things out left and right after all."

One look at the magic item in the newcomer's hand and Dix seemed to connect the

dots. His mood worsening by the moment, he smacked the red shaft of his spear

against his shoulder and berated himself.

Gran and the other hunters were not keen on facing enemies on two fronts. They

moved out of the way to rejoin their allies, allowing Bell and Fels to approach the

Xenos.

"Signor Bell…"

"Surface dwellers… Have you come… to help us?"

"...!"

The harpy, sitting up with the red-cap goblin's support, spoke from her spot on the

floor.

Painful cuts and bruises covered her body. The chain might have been severed, but a

pair of shackles far too big for her little legs was still firmly in place. A wave of nausea

overtook the newcomers at the depraved sight.

Bell couldn't speak as Fia looked weakly up at him.

Where's Wiene?!

Bell couldn't help imagining the dragon girl in a similar state and immediately started

searching for her. However, despite all the people and monsters in the chamber, she

was nowhere to be seen.

"I can't believe it—a chamber this size…"

While Bell was growing more and more anxious, Fels studied their immediate

surroundings with a groan.

The Sage's hood shifted and turned toward Dix, and the mage called in a voice loud

enough to be heard across the great distance between them:

"Hazer, Dix Perdix… So you're the mastermind."

"Who are you, mage? Gotta say, that's a shady getup you got there… How about telling

me what you are to these monsters? You, too, Little Rookie."

Fels and Dix exchanged words as the hunters and Xenos glared at each other in the

chamber. Uneasy boot steps echoed off the walls as the tension between the two

groups became severe enough to explode at any moment.

"I'll cut right to the point. This is a Daedalus creation, is it not?"

"Ha-ha! Noticed, have you? It's probably exactly what you think."

"…How long has it been in use? No, when did you learn of its existence?"

"How should I know? The ancestors dumped it on me. As a descendant, it shouldn't

matter when or how I use it, yeah?"

Dix's words not only caught Fels by surprise but stopped Bell in his tracks.

"Ancestors… Descendant…?!"

"Do you claim to be part of Daedalus's family tree?!"

Both the boy's and the mage's voices shook with surprise and confusion. A satisfied

smile appeared on Dix's face as the Xenos lent their ears to the conversation, doubting

his claim.

"I ain't bluffing. Look—I'll prove it right now."

With that, the man raised his goggles.

" ."

His fearless red eyes were exposed for all to see.

There was a D marking his left iris.

"There, proof of my Daedalus heritage. Anyone with even a drop of that lunatic's blood

in their veins is born with this mark in their eye."

A cursed bloodline.

He confronted them all with proof.

Whether it was authentic or not, they couldn't be sure. There wasn't enough

information to make a decision either way. However—Bell stopped breathing when

he looked at Fels's hand.

The sphere inside the magic item bore the same mark.

The thing embedded inside the ingot didn't merely resemble an eye—

"The doors in here only respond to our eyes. They were made that way so that

descendants could go where they pleased and get to 'work'…But nowadays we carve

the eyes out of their dead bodies and use them as keys to take advantage of it."

Fels, Bell, and the Xenos stood like statues as Dix declared its name.