Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka

“……!”

Clatter.

A chair fell over as Freya jumped to her feet.

Bell and the Minotaur were in the middle of their battle.

A look of shock overtook Freya’s face as she watched the battle through a window floating in the middle of her room.

“……Is this really happening?”

The Divine Mirror was one of the only Arcanum—the godly powers—that was allowed on Gekai.

Originally, it was used to allow gods and goddesses to watch the children’s activities. It was a tool that opened a one-way window to any location in the world. Since its main purpose was entertainment, the Divine Mirror was exempt from other Arcanum laws.

Of course, any use of the Divine Mirror for any purpose other than entertainment was strictly prohibited. If abuse of this power were discovered, the offender would be banished to Tenkai, the upper world of the heavens.

Also, once a Divine Mirror was activated, any nearby god or goddess could observe what was going on by activating their own mirror. It was extremely risky for any god or goddess to use this ability for their own gain. None of them had been that foolish.

However, this particular goddess had a way to “convince” male gods to allow her to use this ability: her beauty.

“Just for today.” “It won’t cause any problems for any other Familia.” “One room in the Dungeon.” These were the conditions of her contract. She had accepted the risk and opened the mirror.

This was all to make sure she saw the battle with her own eyes.

“…Ahh!”

Freya’s expression shifted from surprise, to joy, then enchantment at the scene unfolding in front of her.

“Ha-ha, ha-h-aha… ?! Can you see this, Ottar? Can you see the beauty… ?!”

It was shining.

Bell’s spirit shone through.

Bright enough to burn his image in Freya’s eyes.

Despite being so radiant, the light from his soul was still clear.

A pure wish.

He was pure, no hidden agenda and completely clean. The boy only had one thing on his mind.

Unlimited possibilities were blooming within Bell.

The battle raged on.

Bell and the Minotaur exchanged blows rhythmically, each jockeying for better position.

Two sets of legs dug into the grass, spun, kicked, and dodged.

Neither of them stopped moving.

Don’t worry about its size.

Bell looked up at the monster with a strong calm in his eyes and ice in his veins.

The fear that had consumed him before was gone.

Free from the despair that bound him, Bell had no intention of retreating.

He engaged the Minotaur’s attacks without hesitation, his newfound courage guiding him past each blow.

It’s big, that’s all! Keep your eyes open!

His mind was in complete control; his eyes did what they were told.

Indeed, the Minotaur possessed amazing strength. If Bell took a direct shot, his very bones would shatter under the force of impact. That’s what Minotaurs were known for: being strong enough to kill in one shot.

But that was all.

No matter how strong the attack, it had to hit its target first. Even the cleaver in its right hand was nothing more than a slab of metal if it couldn’t connect.

Bell’s eyes saw things more clearly than ever before.

His ruby-red eyes were sharp enough to see everything, from the Minotaur’s expression to the movements of its muscles.

As long as he stayed calm, this information told him everything he needed to know. The beast put all of its strength into every attack, muscles bulging menacingly under its skin. However, this not only told Bell the timing of each attack but the direction as well.

The Minotaur’s movements were straightforward, uncomplicated.

The beast’s attacks were so obvious that Bell could predict them easily.

I fought an opponent hundreds of times faster than this thing!

Compared to the girl who trained him, his current opponent might as well have been a tree in the wind.

Even the fact it was wielding an adventurer’s weapon just meant it had learned how to use a sword, nothing more.

If he couldn’t handle something like this, he had no chance of catching up to her.

The Minotaur’s attacks would not connect. He wouldn’t let them.

Each swing of its massive sword hit nothing but empty air. Bell used his jet-black knife to guide each strike into the ground.

Speed had become his trump card. He used every bit of it to dodge, evade, and defend against every attack.

“…The heck’s up with that knife? Blockin’ something that big with nothin’ more than a tooth pick?”

“No, something more than just the knife…”

“Impressive. He’s using technique against the Minotaur’s attacks.”

A burst of violet light, and the cleaver was thrown backward with a metallic echo.

The words rolled out of Bete’s mouth as he watched the battle. Reveria and Fynn answered him.

While the Hestia Knife was special in that it improved along with the user’s Status, there was no way it could take the nearly two-meder cleaver head-on. Add the Minotaur’s brute strength to the attack, and it had no chance.

Therefore, Bell was aiming for the side of the blade.

The impact of Bell’s knife created just enough space for his body to slide past the Minotaur’s attacks. It was a keen strategy, but there was absolutely no room for error.

It was a technique he “borrowed” from Aiz. However, every second and every movement determined life or death.

Every one of the girl’s teachings that had been pounded into his body now put Bell on equal footing with the Minotaur.

Everything he had learned on top of the city wall was being put to use in this one battle.

“He really is good at dodging. But…”

“The boy can’t finish it off.”

The Amazonian sisters watched, Tione with a distant look in her eyes and Tiona nervously shaking, as Bell intercepted the cleaver with his knife and went for a counterattack with the baselard in his left hand. But it wasn’t enough.

The short sword had succeeded in cutting the Minotaur a few times, but the wounds were not deep enough to inflict any damage. They were nothing more than scratches on the surface.

The Minotaur’s breath was ragged as it lined up another shot at Bell.

“…Minotaurs are hard to cut.”

The Kenki gave her opinion on Minotaurs. Considering she had taken down hundreds of thousands of monsters, her words carried a lot of weight.

The bulging muscles all over the beast’s body were not just for decoration. Of course they were visual evidence of the monster’s overall strength, but their density made them feel like rubber.

In addition, Minotaur skin was an extremely valuable drop item used to create armor with very high Defense. Even if an attack was strong enough to pierce the skin, there was a very real chance the blade would get stuck in the muscles. Only a strong direct attack had any chance of slaying a Minotaur.

The Minotaur was one of the few monsters that had broken away from groups. It could do this because its Defense was so high. When adventurers thought about the area of the Dungeon known as the Middle Fortress, the Minotaur was always first to come to mind.

“MROOOOOOAH!”

“GEH!”

Little by little, Bell was starting to turn the tables against the monster that exemplified attack and defense.

The Minotaur was categorized as a Level-Two monster. Being at only Level One, Bell was in a hole that should be impossible to overcome.

That was the Minotaur’s distinct advantage.

For Bell, this was a wall of despair.

The Status the Minotaur was born with should have been strong enough to overcome any techniques Bell could throw at it.

“Mr. Bell…”

Lilly had recovered enough to stand on her own two feet, but it took a large amount of effort to squeeze Bell’s name out of her lungs.

She joined the line of onlookers as Bell yet again guided the monster’s cleaver just past his face and into the dirt.

Not losing a beat, the Minotaur used its forward momentum to launch a powerful kick toward Bell’s chest. However, Bell saw it coming and used his agility to get out of the way and bring the Hestia Knife forward.

The Minotaur flung the cleaver in front of the knife. Another sharp metallic echo filled the room.

“……!”

“MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

Bell couldn’t hide his surprise at the Minotaur’s reaction. It was almost as though the beast was scared of the Hestia Knife.

Without a doubt, the Minotaur realized that this knife was the only legitimate threat that Bell presented.

Bell had reached the same conclusion.

His enemy, the Minotaur, only let its guard down the moment Bell’s knife was no longer in position to counterattack.

If the blade could pierce the muscle, the Minotaur’s bones were in danger. The beast understood.

As Bell stared into its eyes, sensing its unnatural intelligence and looking at its broken horn, Bell knew what he had to do.

“EAT THIS!!”

Jumping back to get space, Bell cleared his mind.

Almost as if signaling “stay back,” he thrust his right arm forward.

The Minotaur’s eyes went wide for an instant before—

“FIREBOLT!!”

An electric inferno thundered forward.

Amid explosions and crackles of burning lightning, the beast was forced backward.

The Minotaur let out a ferocious roar that echoed off the ceiling from behind the smoke and flames.

“…Was there a spell? That was Magic.”

“No…Didn’t even see ’im chant words.”

What allowed Level-One Bell to take on a category Level-Two monster like the Minotaur was Magic.

Even though Bell could be physically overpowered, his ticket out of certain death was without a doubt his Swift-Strike Magic, Firebolt.

Unfortunately—

“​U​u​W​W​W​A​A​A​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​!​!”

“……!”

—it didn’t work.

“Too weak.”

“Ahh, that won’t end it.”

“The activation speed was very impressive, but his opponent is too strong. Under the right circumstances, a spell like that could be extremely useful…”

The flaw in Bell’s Magic had been revealed.

It didn’t have enough power.

There were injuries and burns all over the Minotaur’s two-meder-tall body. However, there was nothing more. Its skin had not been pierced deep enough.

Normal offensive spells might have been able to, but Bell’s Firebolt was not yet strong enough to deliver a killing blow to the Minotaur.

It didn’t have enough power.

“Out of options?”

“It’s too early to call this match…is what I’d like to say.”

A new wave of rage engulfed the Minotaur as Bell once again charged forward to engage it in combat.

Reveria and Fynn appraised the battle realistically as Bell’s assault on the Minotaur grew longer and longer.

No matter how long Bell could hold his ground against the Minotaur, he had no chance of winning unless his attacks inflicted damage on the beast. Even going for the one-hit kill by piercing its chest was doomed to fail. Bell’s knife was not long enough to reach the magic stone inside.

His only viable option now was to accept death and try to take it down with him.

Once Bell made that decision, there was a 99-percent chance that the Minotaur would win.

Attacks were meaningless. That signaled failure in any battle.

The Minotaur roared again.

Yet another full-power swing from overhead and Bell moved to evade. But this time he was too slow. While his body got out of the way, the baselard was hit and split in two on impact.

Bell’s face went hard as a rock.

“Now the boy has no weapon.”

Fynn’s voice rode a soft breeze throughout the room.

The Minotaur’s ferocious swing continued past Bell and into the floor, making a small crater in the process.

Bell flung his right arm in front of his face, what was left of his short sword still clutched in his fist. Debris bouncing off his body, Bell was thrown back by the sheer force of the blow.

Bell was airborne for mere moments before landing and looking back at his opponent.

—No weapon? There’s one right here!

His eyes looking just over his right elbow, Bell locked onto the Minotaur’s cleaver. Taking a step forward, he threw his own broken sword at the beast with all of his might.

“UOO?!”

Bell’s surprise attack caught the Minotaur off guard.

The reflection of the oncoming weapon grew in the Minotaur’s eyes, light glancing off the broken blade as it spun.

At this rate, the broken baselard would hit the Minotaur right between the eyes. The monster quickly jerked its neck to the side. The cutting edge made contact with the Minotaur’s cheek; a drip of blood rolled down its face.

As for Bell—

He didn’t wait to see where his sneak attack landed; he’d already launched his next plan.

“—?!”

“YEEEEEAAAA!!!”

The diversion had cost the Minotaur valuable seconds, and it was slow to react.

Bell’s body was twisted, lining up the Hestia Knife for a strike with his right arm hidden behind his back.

The Minotaur had been trained very well. Eyes focused, its put the cleaver between itself and the oncoming human, directly in the path of Bell’s oncoming attack.

Forcing the massive sword out of the ground, it used the flat part of the blade as a shield against the Hestia Knife.

It worked!

A shred of surprise swept over the Minotaur’s face when its eyes caught something unexpected.

The blade that was hidden behind Bell’s shoulder was not black.

A white blade; an ordinary dagger.

Bell had switched the Hestia Knife to his left hand the moment he threw the baselard.

He pulled the dagger back, and brought his left arm out of the shadows.

His ruby-red eyes were not keyed onto the Minotaur, but on the cleaver.

“HEH!!”

“GUWAAOO?!”

Holding the Hestia Knife so the blade came out of the bottom of his hand, Bell’s upward swing connected with the Minotaur’s right hand.

While the Minotaur had managed to get the blade into position, its stance was weak. Knocked off balance from Bell’s charge, the cleaver was useless in defense.

SHINK! The knife buried itself into the Minotaur’s right hand, cutting flesh, bone and tendons alike.

Amid the beast’s screams of pain, Bell used his momentum to spin the knife and kick the flat part of the massive cleaver. The monstrous sword went airborne with the Minotaur’s fingers still attached.

Fynn and the others watched as blood sprayed from the Minotaur’s injured hand.

“​M​A​A​A​W​W​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​?!”

The beast reeled backward and grabbed its wrist in pain.

Ignoring the blast coming from the Minotaur’s throat, Bell crouched down before springing forward.

Using the beast’s body like a ladder, the boy jumped up to eye level with the Minotaur. One last kick to it shoulder, and Bell flipped backward, carving an arc in the air.

But this was no ordinary attack. Bell’s thin body was aimed directly for the blood-splattered cleaver lying on the ground.

Whoosh-whoosh. Bell landed on his hands just short of the blade. A heartbeat later, he grabbed it.

A quick roll and he was up again.

“M-M​O​O​O​O​O​O​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​?!”

Fighting back the pain in its arm, the Minotaur turned around to find Bell, and immediately charged forward.

Its left arm thrust forward, it howled as if to say, “Give that back!” The Minotaur wasn’t about to give up its weapon so easily.

Bell stood with his back to the beast, the hilt of the cleaver clutched in his left hand as he turned around and raised his right arm.

“FIREBOLT!”

An explosion ensued.

The Minotaur’s feet left the ground after getting hit by the Magic at this close range.

Just as it had before, the speed and power of Bell’s Magic pushed the Minotaur back. But this time, the beast flew backward with its feet floundering in the air.

The sudden web of burning lightning ensnared the Minotaur, sending pieces of singed fur falling to the ground. But the beast got its footing and pushed through the cloud of smoke rising around it. Violet sparks of lightning ignited the grass, creating a ring of small flames and pyres of smoke around the battle.

Before anyone could blink—

It was Bell who emerged from the smoke, carrying the cleaver in both hands.

“​H​Y​Y​Y​Y​Y​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​!​!”

He hoisted the massive weapon above his head and brought it down with all his might.

“UWAAOooo?!”

A thick red line appeared on the Minotaur’s chest, cutting through flesh that was thick as armor.

“That hit?!”

Blood sprayed out of the diagonal cut that started at the shoulder and ended just below the beast’s rib cage. The singed grass beneath was splattered with the dark liquid.

Words of surprise escaped Tiona’s mouth before she realized it. The Minotaur stumbled backward yet again.

Bell wasn’t about to let this chance slip by.

“TAKE T​H​H​H​H​I​I​I​I​I​I​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​S​!​!”

“Muwoo?!”

Bell charged the Minotaur, using its own blade against it.

The boy unleashed all the destructive power contained in his arms as the massive blade cut through the air itself.

Thrusting his heels into the ground, he brought the blade crashing down.

He missed his colossal target, but the Minotaur had no time to rest. The next attack was already coming.

“Heh, the kid sucks…!”

“But he is pushing it back.”

It was safe to say that large blades were not Bell’s strong suit.

It looked more like the blade was swinging him around. In a different situation, it would have been a very comical picture: a thin boy trying to wield a blade twice his size and losing.

However, his vigorous assault had the Minotaur on the ropes.

He had become a bladed tornado. Flashes of brilliant silver surrounded him as Bell’s constant screams echoed throughout the room.

The bull-monster was visibly shaking. Still in shock from this drastic turn of events, it wasn’t able to mount a defense. Its only hope was to dodge the onslaught.

While the Minotaur managed to avoid a direct shot, more thick red lines crisscrossed its arms and legs. Even more of its blood splashed onto the ground following streaks of silver light.

Where Bell’s short sword had failed so many times, the cleaver was inflicting actual damage at an incredible rate.

“Mmoooh—M​W​W​A​A​A​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​!​!​!”

The Minotaur howled in an attempt to instill fear.

The beast’s instincts had awakened. Eyes narrowed and teeth bared, it was as if the beast were screaming, “DON’T GET COCKY!”

Driving its heels into the dirt, the Minotaur punched the blade out of the way and charged forward.

“—!!”

The last round.

The two combatants locked eyes, each howling sounds that had lost all meaning.

The Minotaur menacingly flexed its muscles. The human responded by swinging the sword above his head. This battle would come down to swordsmanship and technique versus primal strength and power.

The two charged and collided, going blow for blow, one step forward, one step back. Neither showed signs of slowing down.

The Minotaur threw an off-balance kick toward Bell’s face, but was blocked by the sword.

Bell used the sword to swing himself up and land a punch just beneath the Minotaur’s eye.

The impact cracked bones in his hand, but he flew past the Minotaur, landing just behind.

The battle raged on. Hoof-shaped imprints in the grass; slices of dirt missing after the deep impacts of the cleaver; even the lights above began to dim. The stage of their battle was breaking.

Each blow was thrown at full strength with the intent to kill. Neither combatant was going to pull any punches now.

Can’t stop, won’t stop, can’t give ground.

Blood-splattered silver sword met horn; sparks flew. Bell spun and struck again.

Everyone watching the battle taking place on the lower-ninth floor of the Dungeon knew the end was near.

“YYYYYAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

“UGOOUU?!”

Bell ducked under the Minotaur’s punch and turned, using every muscle in his body. The cleaver connected with the Minotaur’s exposed side, digging deep into its gut.

However, the blade stopped as it hit abdominal muscles that were as hard as rocks. The force of the collision threw the Minotaur to the side and withdrew the blade in one solid motion.

Crack. Bell thought he heard a strange noise come from the cleaver, but it was quickly drowned out by the Minotaur’s screams of agony.

“FOOHH, FOOHH, U​W​W​A​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O!!”

There were five meders between the two combatants.

The Minotaur squeezed its wound shut, eyes bloodshot and fuming. Taking in a deep breath, it thrust its hands into the ground.

Despite being hands, the beast’s appendages were so badly damaged that they looked more like hooves. With all four limbs on the ground, it lowered its head. Its hindquarters up high, the Minotaur had become in essence a raging bull.

Bete and every one of his compatriots stood silently, completely focused on the battle.

The Minotaur had been pushed all the way into the corner of the room, and its only way out was to charge through Bell.

It still had its trump card: the sharp horn on top of its head. And it was aimed right at Bell’s heart.

The Minotaur was preparing to unleash a rush powerful enough to obliterate anything in its way.

However at this distance, it wouldn’t be able to build up enough speed. It could hope for half power at best.

The fact that it was this desperate was proof of just how much it had been driven back.

“—”

The Minotaur’s eyes glinted as its last shred of pride, the one compete horn on its head, took aim.

The utmost concentration shot out of the deepest part of the combatant’s eyes. It was an unspoken understanding. Two wills were about to clash.

Each took in one last breath and for a moment an eerie stillness filled the air.

Bell’s gaze met the Minotaur’s glare.

And then…

“​H​Y​Y​Y​Y​Y​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​A​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​H​!​!​!​!”

“​U​U​U​W​W​W​W​A​A​A​A​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​!​!!”

They collided.

—Naïve.

Reveria almost looked away as the combatants charged head-on.

“Idiot!”

“No, Mr. Bell!”

The voices of Bete and the others rang out, punctuated by Lilly’s screams.

Their cries rode the shock wave of impact, reaching Bell’s and the Minotaur’s ears as nothing more than part of the hurricane of sound engulfing them.

In that moment, all eyes shot open as each poured every ounce of power into one spot. Their skins burned with a desire for victory.

A downward strike and an upward thrust.

Both hit head-on at full force.

In that moment, the battle turned yet again.

“—”

A metallic crack rang out.

A web of cracks ran down the cleaver’s blade from the point of impact with the Minotaur’s horn.

“UUWWOOOO!!”

The weapon shattered.

Just as Loki Familia found out on their last expedition, all weapons would eventually become useless without repair.

And this heavily neglected blade had reached its breaking point.

It had been trapped in the Dungeon for almost a week.

The cleaver had survived Ottar’s training, as well as taken countless lives at the hands of the Minotaur. It just couldn’t take any more punishment.

The impact broke the blade just above the hilt, shattering the base and sending the rest of the weapon flying into parts unknown.

On the other hand, there wasn’t even a scratch on the Minotaur’s horn.

A rain of silver shards clouded Bell’s vision.

Bell followed through with his attack angled to the right, the scrap metal in his hands passing harmlessly by the Minotaur’s face.

The Minotaur’s attack had been a leftward thrust. The combatants slid cleanly past each other, no damage inflicted.

The two locked eyes for a moment. Bell caught a glimpse of the smirk on the Minotaur’s face.

It was not a ridiculing smile of a sore winner, but a burly smile of someone desperate for victory.

The Minotaur could see its chance at triumph, now that its opponent had lost his last trump card.

Bell was silent for an instant, white hair covering his ruby-red eyes in shadow.

The beast flew past his line of sight, almost as though in slow motion.

My trump card—

Bell…

—is right here!!

…drew a jet-black knife from its sheath.

“!!”

Bell slammed on the brakes.

He came to a sudden halt behind the Minotaur’s ferocious rush.

Ignoring the screams of agony erupting from his knees, Bell turned around.

The two had been back to back. However, Bell’s Agility had gone beyond normal limits. His second ace in the hole opened a new window for attack.

The blade sticking out beneath Bell’s fingers in his right hand, the Hestia Knife carved a brilliant violet arc through the air.

The Minotaur had come to a stop as well, its head still tilted left and the light emitting from Bell’s blade reflecting off its eye.

“SHAAA!!”

“UWOA?!”

The Hestia Knife plunged into the Minotaur’s exposed right flank, piercing its defenses.

Power, momentum, and centrifugal force combined into one spot. The impact of Bell’s sudden sneak attack shook the Minotaur to its core and sent its body listing to the side.

Bell drove the knife as deep as it would go with all of his might before yelling:

“FIREBOLT!!!”

BOOM! A shock wave rocked the Minotaur’s body.

The beast’s chest expanded suddenly, as if something deep within had exploded.

Scarlet flames erupted from the wound made by the Hestia Knife. The Minotaur’s bloodshot eyes opened as wide as they would go.

“FIREBOLTTT!!!”

One more blast.

As strange as it seemed to the onlookers, the Minotaur’s upper body swayed like sails on a boat.

No matter how thick its muscles, nor how resistant its skin was to Magic, its insides were a different story.

Bell’s Magic drove the knife even deeper still, a web of flames burning the Minotaur from within.

The flaming electric current searched for a way out and suddenly found the beast’s throat.

“GEGAHH!” Scarlet flames erupted from its nose and mouth.

“GAHA, GEHAH……GUWAAOOOOOOOOO?!”

Its throat and mouth being burned to ashes, it put all of its remaining power into its elbow and thrust it backward at Bell.

A rejection of the utmost strength.

This attack, even without aiming, would undoubtedly turn Bell’s body into a pile of meat.

Death would come a moment later.

And then at the very moment the hammer made contact with the skin of Bell’s head—

Bell was faster.

“​F​F​F​I​I​I​I​I​I​R​R​R​R​R​R​E​E​E​E​E​E​B​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​O​L​L​L​L​L​L​L​L​L​T​T​T​T​T​T​T​T​T​!​!​!​!​!​!​!​!​!”

Another burst.

A blinding flash of light—and the Minotaur’s upper body burst into pieces.

More explosions filled the room as flames overtook the still-intact remains of the beast.

Scarlet sparks had reached as high as the ceiling, smoke covering them moments later. Bete and the others gazed at the carnage and thought it looked more like a volcanic eruption than the climax of a duel. The Minotaur’s legs, which had mostly survived the blast in one piece, remained upright for a heartbeat before collapsing to the ground.

Next came a rain of charred flesh and blood.

The rising smoke colored each of the thousands of fragments as they passed through and eventually hit the ground.

Amid the sounds of the remaining pieces showering the ground, a single magic stone fell from the ceiling. It spun over and over before hitting the ground with a sharp smack.

“Did he finish it… ?”

Bete whispered in a state of shock.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Bell, unable to believe what he’d just seen.

Bell had his back to Loki Familia, but Bete’s question was only aimed at himself.

Bete wondered how long ago it was that he himself had became strong enough to take down a Minotaur.

No, how long had it taken him to become strong enough to take one down alone?

These questions ignited a fire within him, his face turning red.

What started as irritation flaring up in his gut turned into full-blown embarrassment. It spread to every corner of his body.

“…Mind Down.”

“He…he’s standing there, out cold…”

The Amazonian sisters stood there in shock. Their voices couldn’t hide their disbelief as they looked at Bell, frozen in his last attack position. His right arm was still in front of his body, his hand curled as if holding the Hestia Knife.

The girls were in awe at the boy who’d spent every last drop of energy to win the battle.

It was as if a book were open in front of them, the hero of the story jumping out of the pages.

“…! Answer me, prum! Just what the hell is that kid… ?!”

“Mr. Bell…Mr. Bell!!”

“Hey, I’m talkin’ to you…Tsk!”

Bete snapped his tongue at the girl as she ran toward Bell on unsteady feet.

The wolf man watched her go, tormented by feelings he couldn’t understand.

Then he noticed the state of Bell’s back. Armor long since broken, his black inner shirt had been torn to shreds. His shoulder blades were completely exposed, only a few threads of fabric kept the shirt on his back.

What’s more, hieroglyphs were visible just beneath the damaged cloth.

“—! Reveria! Tell me the kid’s Status—now!”

“…Are you telling me to steal personal information?”

Only the skin on Bell’s upper back was visible.

The slots containing his Magic and Skills were obscured by what was left of his shirt. Despite all the holes, most of Bell’s Status remained hidden.

“It’s not freakin’ stealin’ when it’s that wide-open. Fine, if ya ain’t gonna look I’ll ask someone who will. I can’t be the only one that wants answers.”

Bete felt it wasn’t against the law if the information just happened to come into your line of sight. He fumed at Reveria, for she had the eyes to see at this distance and the knowledge to decipher the hieroglyphs.

The knowledgeable elf sighed and cast her gaze toward Bell. Perhaps she, too, was interested.

Her dark emerald eyes found the hieroglyphs on Bell’s back.

“Dammit, what’s takin’ ya so long?”

“Be patient, I’ve almost finished—”

Reveria suddenly stopped talking, her words trailing off.

Bete glared at her. Tiona and the others drifted toward the elf, drawn in by curiosity.

A moment later, the elf let out an uneven laugh.

“…Heh. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”

“The heck’s wrong with ya, hey?! Son of a…Yo, Aiz. Ya can read hieroglyphs, too, right? Can ya see anythin’ from there?”

Bete angrily bared his fangs at Reveria. It looked as though something had popped loose in her head, her shoulders shaking as she laughed. So, Bete directed his question a few meders ahead where Aiz was standing.

The human girl was still rooted to the same spot, her eyes focused only on the boy. She gave a quick nod and looked at his back.

Her golden gaze honed in on their target with the precision of a blade.

“…S.”

“…Huh?”

“All of his abilities are S.”

“ALL S?!”

Bete’s voice joined Tiona’s and the others’ in surprise. All other words had left them.

In reality, Aiz couldn’t see Bell’s Magic level due to what remained of his inner shirt. However, considering what had just transpired she had a feeling it was close enough.

There was one other fact she hadn’t told Bete and the others.

It was the very thing that had sent Reveria for a loop. SS. The boy possessed an ability that went beyond normal limits. It made her eyes spin.

“His name?”

A new sound echoed.

A voice cut through the stunned silence.

Everyone except Aiz turned around to find the source.

With the eyes of his compatriots on him, Fynn slowly walked forward while tapping the shaft of his spear on his shoulder.

He eyed the human with a calm gaze as he came up to meet the rest of his battle party. Asking his question again, the prum had a more serious look on his face.

“What is the boy’s name?”

“Hell if I know…Haven’t heard it.”

“…Reveria. Please stop laughing like that.”

“Hee-hee…Ahh, my apologies. What were you asking?”

“Please check the boy’s Status for his name. I’d like to know.”

“Yes, that would be good to know. Please wait a moment…”

The Status worked like a contract between a god and the being who received their falna—their blessing.

To make the contract binding, the god engraved their seal next to the recipient’s real name.

Reveria squinted her eyes in an effort to read the boy’s name. But before she could open her mouth, another voice beat her to it.

It was Aiz.

“Bell.”

“Aiz…”

Her soft voice cut through the air.

She hadn’t budged an inch.

She didn’t even turn to face Tiona when the Amazonian girl responded. Her eyes were planted firmly on Bell.

“Bell Cranell.”

They could see the boy’s reflection clearly in her golden eyes.

Period of Employment: one month

Total Monsters Slain: 3,001

Three days ago, he became by far the fastest adventurer on record to reach Level Two.