by Fujino Omori
“Little Rookie! No, I mean Rabbit Foot, right? Keep it up! Kill them all!” Daphne cried as the two halves of the enormous beetle rolled over the bark-covered floor, pressing her against the wall. Bell narrowed his eyes sharply and nodded as he raised his new knife in his left hand and kicked off the ground.
They were in the Colossal Tree Labyrinth on the twenty-fourth floor.
The party had rapidly broken Hestia Familia’s previous record for Dungeon floors cleared and was now in the lowest section of the middle levels. One reason for their speed was Bell.
“UOO?!”
In place of the purple arc, a heroic white flash emanated from his left hand.
The beautiful, glittering white knife reduced the monster to a cloud of ash with a single blow.
Like the Hestia Knife in his right hand, Hakugen—the new weapon in his left—was quickly racking up an impressive bodycount. Measuring thirty-five celch from tip to base, the long knife fell just between the Hestia Knife and a baselard in size. Incredibly, it was made from unicorn horn, a rare drop item. Welf had crafted it for Bell with great care, and its blade was even sharper than the lost Ushiwakamaru. Every time Bell moved his arm even slightly, a flash of light instantaneously shot forth, proclaiming death to herds of swordstag monsters.
As usual, Bell wore his dir-adamantite armor, currently on its fifth reincarnation. The durable, lightweight set shined like new thanks to Welf’s repairs. For the moment, it was still scratch free. His left leg was wrapped in a new holster made of old bison leather, far stronger than his previous one.
Fitted out in new gear from Welf, Bell got to work driving off the monsters circling the party, just as Daphne had requested.
“Hornet at two o’clock!”
Lilly was shouting out a constant stream of information to Bell, who had moved away from the main formation. Jet-black deadly hornets were zooming in for an attack, wings buzzing.
“Smith, get down! Your shield isn’t in position!” Ouka warned from his spot in the vanguard.
“Unfortunately, I’m bad with shields!” Welf shouted back, holding his massive shield with both hands. As the deadly hornets bore down on them at an angle, their defensive positions wavered. Multiple giant insects attacked with claws, poison stingers, and body blows. The two young men up front took the brunt of the attack but managed to hold strong.
Protected by Welf and Ouka, Mikoto and Chigusa shot arrows at the hornets from their position in the center, but—
“They’re fast…!”
“Damn…!”
The deadly hornets flew nimbly through the air, easily evading the arrows. Even when one hit its mark, it bounced right back off again; the hornets had exoskeletons even harder than those of killer ants. As they harassed the Level-2 adventurers, it was obvious why they were also known was “high killer bees.”
“…!”
At that very moment, Bell intervened with lightning speed.
He had just finished off some monsters away from the rest of the party when he immediately raced straight toward the Dungeon wall. Living up to his new nickname, he launched himself from the wall and leaped into the swarm of hornets.
“—”
Taken off guard from behind, they froze. Bell’s rubellite eyes glinted as he swung the Hestia Knife.
“—GAAA?!”
The white blade sliced through their rock-hard exoskeletons and sets of double wings like butter.
Bell kept flying forward from the extreme force of his leap. Still in midair, he stuffed the Hestia Knife back into its sheath and used the momentum from his blow to spin halfway around, thrusting out his now-free right hand and shouting.
“Firebolt!”
Two deadly hornets burst into fragments as two shots of electrified flames drilled into them.
Thanks to Bell’s recent level-up, the firepower and speed of his Swift-Strike Magic attack had been boosted. The monsters had no time to dodge. As gravity pulled Bell back to the ground, motes of fire fell around him.
“W-wow…”
“There was a time when you would have been running for your life from those guys, but now…”
Cassandra and the others in the formation’s center were dumbfounded. Welf sighed in amazement and grinned as if he thought they were invincible.
“Uaaaaa!”
A second later, he and Ouka thrust out their shields and knocked down several more hornets zooming in for an attack run. Instantly, Mikoto and Chigusa jumped out from between the two young men and thrust their daggers into gaps in the exoskeletons.
“But this is pointless…As long as we don’t get rid of that, these hornets will keep attacking us. Even if we run from the bees, we won’t get far,” Aisha muttered. As the front and middle ranks worked together to reduce monsters to ash, she was left alone at the rear to fend off swarms closing in on them from behind.
She glanced back at the Dungeon wall, where a massive hornet’s nest was buried in sap. The colony was covered in countless deadly hornets, but it was also a monster itself—a rare one that existed co-dependently with the hornets. It was a bloody hive.
The seven-meder-long, pinecone-shaped black mass looked like some hideous fruit. An immobile trap-type monster, it normally buried itself inside a hollow big enough to allow deadly hornets to fly in and out. But the instant prey approached, it burst through the Dungeon wall to reveal its full form.
When one of these monsters appeared on the main route, things got extremely nasty. Bell and the others were experiencing that misery at this very moment.
“There’s no end to it! Cassandra, can’t you get this mucus off yet?!”
“Sorry, Daphne, I still need more time!”
“Everyone, I’m sorry I can’t help!”
The nest’s means of attack was a liquid it shot out that didn’t kill or wound but was so adhesive that it completely immobilized anyone who was hit. Deadly hornets would then fly out and impale the trapped victim. Haruhime had been caught unawares by the emerging colony and lay helpless on the floor, covered in orange goop. Welf and Ouka were trying to guard the supporters, but their shields were also smeared with the sticky material.
The worst part of it all was the ludicrous number of deadly hornets that were spawning. Since the bloody hive was directly connected to the Dungeon, hornets were appearing at a much greater rate than usual. As the adventurers focused their energy on fighting off the insects, other monsters approached from side paths. It was a vicious downward spiral.
“Don’t waver! We have to take it down!”
Occupying the main route and spitting out hornets one after the other, the colony was the key. Calling it a citadel for monsters would not be an overstatement.
The adventurers quickly set about taking the veritable fortress down, just as Aisha—who had wiped out all the monsters approaching from the rear—had instructed.
Ring, ring!
Light radiated from Bell’s right hand. As he continued intercepting deadly hornets, he initiated a Concurrent Charge.
In place of an activation chant, the sound of a bell rang out. Bell finished up his current attack and fell back from the vanguard to Lilly’s position in order to stand at the ideal range.
“Center, step back! Form a circle around Mr. Bell!”
Lilly’s order echoed out to each member of the party. Mikoto, Chigusa, and Daphne quickly took the shields handed to them to ward off the ferocious swarm of attacking and receding hornets. Aisha did the same with her weapon, the podao.
Ouka and Welf joined them in the battle line, beating back the violent attacks.
“—I’m gonna fire!”
It had taken only seconds for Bell to assume his position.
The adventurers split off to the left and right to open a direct path for Bell, who had transformed into a living gun ready to fire.
He had charged for twenty seconds.
Using his radiating right arm as a barrel, he let loose.
“Firebolt!”
A mas
sive blast of electrical fire edged in white light shot forward. All the hornets in the line of fire were instantly incinerated. The hideous colony exploded with tremendous force.
“—AAH?!”
The monsters still inside the nest shrieked wretchedly, and an earsplitting roar followed.
The Dungeon wall burst into fragments along with the bloody hive, filling the passageway with masses of ash and smoke.
“Whew…I’m exhausted. It feels like I just finished fighting a floor boss!”
“Well, it’s practically the same thing. That hornet’s nest is the worst thing around here.”
The conversation between Daphne and Aisha, who were sitting on Lilly’s backpack in the middle of the passageway chugging down potions and water, echoed through the now-quiet space.
Bell and the others were taking care of the aftermath now that their biggest battle of the day was over. That meant collecting magic stones and drop items. Purple crystals far purer and larger than those found at higher levels were laying among pieces of the deadly hornets’ tough exoskeletons and piles of ash. They set about gathering the loot and extracting magic stones from the remains of the monsters.
“I’m sorry, Master Bell…I slowed you all down.”
“It’s not your fault, Miss Haruhime. In fact, we should have been protecting you.”
Haruhime had finally been freed from the viscous liquid and was helping with the cleanup. Since there had been so many monsters, everyone—not just supporters—had to join in.
“Mr. Bell…you’re so amazing.”
“Huh?”
Chigusa, who was working nearby with Ouka, had broken into Bell’s conversation.
“You’ve killed more monsters than anyone else so far…I thought you were incredible before, but…you’re just, I mean, you’re really incredible now!” she said, bubbling with excitement as she peered out from behind her bangs.
Ouka’s eyebrows scrunched at an odd angle as he listened. “It’s the same with Antianeira. Level Four is just a completely different world. Makes me feel like a worthless oaf…” His voice was tinged with frustration and competitiveness.
“I-I think so, too. The way he moves, compared to the War Game, it’s, how can I put it…?!” Cassandra said as she scoured the area for items.
“Sharper, is that what you mean, Lady Cassandra?” Mikoto said.
“Yes, exactly!”
Both seemed completely in awe of Bell’s combat prowess. As for the boy himself, he was more embarrassed than pleased by the praise. He didn’t know what to say in this kind of situation. The same had been true when he moved up to Level 2. He simply wasn’t good at accepting compliments. He rested his hand awkwardly on the back of his head.
As his mind rambled incoherently, he suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him and shifted his gaze.
Haruhime was standing right next to him, staring at his face.
“Miss Haruhime?”
“Uh…I-I’m sorry, I’m being impolite…”
“It’s not a problem…but is something the matter?”
She seemed to be wondering about something and wanting to say something. Bell urged her on with his eyes.
The renart shifted her gaze away, then timidly opened her mouth.
“When…um, before, when the thing happened with the Xenos, you were very troubled by it, so I was worried…about whether you’d really be able to fight monsters again.”
Bell widened his eyes slightly as he listened.
He had considered the exact same thought himself before. At one point, he’d been extremely concerned about whether he’d still be able to kill monsters—or even continue as an adventurer—after learning about the Xenos. He’d never been able to come up with a good answer.
Haruhime, aware of his state during that time, was confused by the present Bell, who took down monsters with such unfettered enthusiasm that he garnered praise from Ouka and the others.
Confronted by the concerned look in the girl’s green eyes, Bell was momentarily wordless. As Mikoto and the others returned to work, Bell turned away from Haruhime and kneeled by a pile of ash. He sifted through the gray dust that slipped through his fingers like sand and withdrew a beautiful purple crystal. Then he stood and, staring at the monster’s magic stone in his hand, answered Haruhime.
“I decided to become a hypocrite.”
Now it was Haruhime’s turn to be surprised.
Hypocrite!
Bell recalled the violent hunter’s insult, and then the words of the wise fool: Those criticized for hypocrisy possess the necessary qualities to become a hero.
Those words had remained in his ears and heart all along, and he had accepted them. After the black minotaur had defeated him, he had made up his mind.
To save Wiene and the other Xenos, he would kill their brethren.
He would do it even though he knew ordinary monsters could be reborn as Xenos.
To save those who were important to him, he would take countless lives.
They may have been monsters, but he would still be snuffing out their very existence.
No one had ordered him to do it. He had chosen this path for himself.
He had decided, and set his mind to it.
He would content himself with either being honored as a hero or disgraced as a villain, so long as it was a consequence of those actions.
Let me become a hypocrite, then, he thought to himself as his gaze bored into the glittering crystal.
“…!”
The renart girl gasped and shuddered at the sight of his resolute face. Her cheeks flushed red with admiration.
Totally oblivious, Bell squeezed the magic stone firmly in his palm.
“He was plenty strong before…but now, it’s like I feel more secure,” Welf said.
“Is that so…?” Lilly replied.
The two were watching Haruhime and Bell from a distance. In contrast to the smith, who seemed pleased, the prum girl looked troubled.
“What’s the gloomy face for? It’s not like he’s dangerous now or anything.”
“I know that…”
Just as Welf said, there wasn’t so much as a hint of a threat on the boy’s face. He hadn’t become rushed and reckless. His was the face of someone who had overcome indecision and arrived at a definite answer. His decisive gaze cut straight ahead into the distance. As his unchanging feelings grew stronger, so did he.
“Compared to before, he is much…much, much more dependable. But it’s like he’s grown distant in equal measure…”
That was Lilly’s honest impression. Her voice was sad and dejected as she told Welf how Bell seemed to be racing further and further ahead of and away from them.
Welf stared down at the girl, whose head hung glumly, then laughed provocatively.
“Isn’t it your job to back him up, Supporter?”
Lilly looked startled, then sullen.
“I’m going to be right up there with him. Actually, I’m going to be even stronger than him. So don’t get left behind!” Welf said.
“O-obviously!! Lilly is Bell’s supporter, his number one partner. She won’t be beaten by Welf or anyone else!”
“Back to your old self, I see…Hey, stop hitting me! That hurts!”
Smack, smack!!
Lilly laid into Welf a couple of times, then slapped her own cheeks.
She had made up her mind once again to fortify herself. The sight of Bell fighting so hard had renewed her own enthusiasm.
“…”
Aisha gazed at the scene ahead of her and thought about their situation.
Their arrival on the twenty-fourth floor definitely hadn’t been due to Bell’s strength alone. As they moved from floor to floor, Mikoto, Ouka, and the others had cooperated seamlessly. They’d seen Bell’s performance, and they’d tried to fight just as hard as him.
It was like Lilly and Welf were saying: An individual’s actions could raise the morale of all his companions. A single person could inspire determination and stren
gth in many others.
If that’s the case, then it’s exactly like…
He must be what the deities called…a “hero.”
At the very least, he had the raw potential to become one.
No…he didn’t have them; he grabbed ahold of them.
From the most ordinary of places.
He’d lamented his own weakness, then stared up at the peaks of strength. He was still running, reaching out for whatever handhold he could find. His progress was still surprising even for the deities.
Everything had begun in chance encounters.
And all these opportunities were what made the boy strong.
Even Aisha admired him.
…He’s almost ripe, I think, she muttered, narrowing her eyes.
Some distance from her, Bell shuddered imperceptibly.
As Lilly pops open her cracked watch with a snap, she announces that night has fallen up on the surface.
We’re done exploring for today, so we decide to take an extended rest in the Dungeon. In other words, it’s time to set up camp.
The spot we’ve chosen is a gaping tree hollow alongside a small path off the main route on the twenty-fourth floor. We decide to use the pocket of space a short way inside. The “room” was one of the candidates for a rest point that we identified beforehand on the map provided by the Guild.
The first thing we have to do before taking a major rest is wreck the environment of the Dungeon.
We attack the surrounding walls and floor of the labyrinth with our weapons. Doing that forces the Dungeon to prioritize repairing the area, meaning no monsters will spawn there for some time. The next thing to do is station a guard at the entrance to the room to ensure no monsters make it inside. Then we quickly wipe out any monsters already occupying the room and at the same time, go to work on the walls inside with our axes and hammers.
I guess the best way to describe the room is to say it’s like a space underneath a tree. It’s about the size of a small common room. The walls are covered in little white flowers and leaves, along with the occasional herb. When you look up at the ceiling about three meders above, a dome formed by tree roots is visible. Clumps of Lamp Moss on the surface of the dome emit a greenish light, which actually makes the room quite bright.
