by Fujino Omori
Today, for the first time, I find out what’s on the other side of the wall.
The boy charged.
Aiz, stunned, watched as the little rabbit rushed headlong toward the monstrous bull.
“Well, it’s goin’ against the rules ta steal someone else’s kill. Looks like ya got rejected, Aiz.”
“……”
Bete’s carefree, almost joking voice came up from behind the now alone Aiz.
He continued by saying that the kid was in the right, being an adventurer.
Bete and Tiona were the first to enter the room behind Aiz, follow closely by Tione and finally Reveria and Fynn.
They all arrived just in time to see Bell engage the Minotaur in combat.
Bete’s eyes followed the boy’s movements as Bell cleanly dodged the monster’s first strike. “Ohh!” he said in surprise, his mouth an open circle. “Ahh?” He noticed something peculiar.
“White head there…isn’t that tomato boy? Keh! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Poor kid! Looks like Minotaurs have a thing for ’im!”
“You mean the one Aiz saved at the last moment?”
“That’s him, all right! Can you see the hearts in the ’Taur’s eyes? It’s love for White Head that made the beastie run all the way up here just to be with him!”
“Stop messing around, Bete.”
Bete just shrugged at Tione’s warning.
A smirk appeared on his wolfish muzzle as the wolf man looked back at the battle.
“Fine, fine. But I ain’t gonna go rescue the kid. White Head got his ass saved just like this not too long ago, and ran off like the weakling he is then, too.”
“Are you sure about this? He’s Level One, right? The Minotaur will gut him for sure!”
“Tomato boy made his decision. It’s not our place. Ain’t that right, Tione?”
“Would you leave me out of this?”
Bete saw a tick of annoyance on Tione’s face, but he couldn’t care less. So he turned his focus back to the battle, a smile still on his face.
The three adventurers stood in a small circle, but Tiona couldn’t sit still. She wanted to help the boy, not see him die.
“Either way, we can’t just ignore that monster! We clean it up before or after the boy dies, that’s it! I for one am going to help!”
“Leave ’im. The kid’s bein’ a man. Any idea how painful it’d be to be saved again now after bein’ humiliated before? If it were me, death would be better than goin’ through that again.”
“I don’t care about your aesthetics, Bete!”
The three of them forgot where they were for a moment, laughing at themselves. But under their chuckles, there was a voice that struggled to be heard.
A small shadow at their side, barely able to stand.
“…Please, honorable adventurers. Mr. Bell…please save Mr. Bell…”
“L-little prum…”
“Hey, hands off! I said, OFF!”
The completely unchanged, natural Lilly fell forward, grabbing onto Bete’s clothes to keep herself from falling.
“Lilly will repay. Lilly will do anything, absolutely anything…Please save Mr. Bell…please…!”
“W-what did I just say…”
As the young prum got more and more desperate, Bete looked down at her with his wolf ears pinned back. But after seeing the girl’s face, only then did his expression soften.
Reveria glided up behind Lilly and crouched down behind her, putting her right hand in front of the prum’s eyes. She then wrapped her left arm around the girl’s stomach and drew her into an embrace.
“Do not strain yourself. Wounds may close, but spilt blood has yet to replenish.”
As soon as Reveria finished her spell, a jade light erupted from her right hand, illuminating Lilly’s eyes. Just as the high elf had just said, Lilly’s wounds came together; the stream of blood running down her face went dry.
It was no coincidence that Loki Familia’s adventurers appeared in this room—it was all thanks to Lilly.
Even though she should have escaped after leaving Bell behind, she kept running circles around the lower-ninth floor, injuries and all, desperately looking for help. That’s when she found Aiz.
Endless pleading from the supporter to help her friend led Loki Familia to this room.
“Please save…please…save……”
“…Tsk.”
Bete had reached his limit. He snapped his tongue as he looked down at the incoherent girl.
He scratched the back of his head, ash-colored fur rippling. Clearing his throat, Bete took a step toward Aiz and the battle farther beyond.
“Are you going?”
“Don’t go gettin’ the wrong idea, I hate savin’ trash. But I just can’t stand bein’ begged to save somebody weaker than me from torment. That’s worse.”
Bete didn’t even look at Reveria as he gave her a blunt answer.
“Outta the way, Aiz. It’s mine!”
“……”
“Hey, what’cha starin’…at…”
Bete had advanced as far as Aiz’s position when he came to a sudden halt.
Just as usual, Aiz’s face was devoid of emotion—with the exception of her golden eyes. They were wide open in surprise.
She was watching the scene unfold with the utmost intensity.
“…Huh?”
Bete looked that way.
And his jaw dropped.
The Minotaur, swinging a massive cleaver, and a boy wielding a knife.
Neither was giving ground as their blades clashed again and again.
“……Wha… ?”
Their battle filled the room with layer upon layer of metallic echoes.
But not all were the same; some of the vibrations carried a force that felt strong enough to destroy anything. Others felt so fast that they could slice through any material.
Bete’s ears braced for impact over and over as the psychotic melody spread throughout the Dungeon.
His eyes followed the sliver flashes of the cleaver and the violet streaks of the knife. Just when it looked as though a burst of silver was going to connect, a violet arc intercepted its path, adding yet another clashing echo.
Bell and the Minotaur locked eyes as they continued to trade attack and defense. Neither was backing down.
“Eh…huh, wha… ?”
“…Who is Level One?”
The battle had caught Tiona’s and the others’ attention.
It was obvious to everyone present that the Minotaur had an advantage, just from its size alone. However, all of them could see that it wasn’t a one-sided battle, not by a long shot.
It was a duel, both sides evenly matched in a fight to the death.
A sudden high note in the echo melody pierced their ears.
Tiona’s group took their eyes off the battle as Bell blocked the cleaver with his knife yet again and looked in Bete’s direction. All of them were looking for answers.
Bete didn’t know how to respond.
“If my memory is correct…”
A calm voice cut through the chaos.
Bete’s shoulders dropped, a look of shock that even he didn’t comprehend on his face, as he turned around to face the speaker.
Their leader, Fynn Dimuna, took small, calculated steps as he quietly approached. He stopped just behind Bete before continuing.
“Isn’t this the boy who, one month ago, you considered to be ‘the newest of the newbies,’ Bete?”
“……”
A burst of sparks lit up their faces.
The instant the bright red light faded, a shock wave from the combatants’ blades passed between them, ruffling hair, fur, and clothes on its way by.
Fynn didn’t budge, his blue gaze looking up at Bete, who was squinting to protect his own eyes.
The boy was a newbie, there was no doubt.
He knew nothing of combat and was getting run around in circles by a Minotaur. One look had told Bete all he needed to know.
He was a pathetic
, laughable excuse for an adventurer.
This boy.
What the hell happened?!
He had become so much more.
The person who was engaging this Minotaur in a fight to the death was not the weak trash that he despised.
The boy had visible potential, a genuine rookie.
Just one month. That’s all it took.
Even adventurers who started off with talent and combat experience couldn’t improve so much that their very aura changed in a span of thirty days. By and large, adventurers improved at a snail’s pace.
He’d made an unbelievable jump from rock bottom to where he is now.
Bete stood there in awe.
This ain’t freakin’ possible! Lost in thought, confusion took over as Bete once again counted the days it took for Bell’s transformation.
No matter how hard he tried, Bete couldn’t find any possible explanation. That realization sent shivers down his spine.
“…”
Standing right next to him, Aiz was also fixed on Bell.
While there was a glint of surprise in her golden eyes, her expression had shifted to one of interest.
“UWAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The combatants’ voices joined the chorus of metal clashes.
The human and the Minotaur collided again and again in a battle of strength against speed.
The Amazon sisters had joined Bete and Aiz to get a front-row seat for the battle. Reveria wasn’t far behind, with Lilly resting in her arms.
They stood in a line, their jaws slack as they watched the ebb and flow of every attack with unblinking eyes.
“…”
The elite adventurers of Loki Familia watched the duel to the death from the sidelines.
By their standards, this was a very crude battle.
A low-level skirmish that wasn’t even worth their time.
However, there was something about it that captivated them. At the very least, they had to know the outcome.
Some of them watched in amazement, some of them followed movements with sharp, focused eyes, still others looked on in calm silence.
Constant explosions of sparks surrounded the battle.
Whistles of air-splitting strikes rang out.
All the light in the already dim room seemed to focus on them alone, their duel in a spotlight.
It was like a page out of folklore.
A man facing down a fearsome beast in a desperate battle to the death.
Tiona squinted her eyes.
“Argonaut…”
That was one of the legends.
It was the story of a boy who dreamed of becoming a hero. He journeyed deep into a labyrinth to save his queen after she had been kidnapped by a bull-monster.
At times, he was fooled by others.
The king even manipulated him on multiple occasions.
His desire to help others sent him in many different directions along the way. But it was meant to be a humorous tale.
The boy made many friends, borrowing their knowledge.
He received weapons from fairies.
Every one of his endeavors somehow led to his rescuing of the queen, making his name known throughout the land. The kind, funny, and yet heroic Argonaut.
“I’ve always liked…that story…”
Tiona clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes glistening as if she had discovered a vast treasure as the battle unfolded in front of her.
Nostalgia swept over her as she smiled, memories of the story flooding her mind.
Like ripples through water, each of her comrades made the connection to that legendary tale, the sounds of battle still filling their ears.
The battle still raged on before them, flashes of white and red continuously plowing into each other.
The elite adventurers looked on as a fairy tale came to life right before their eyes.
My body is light.
My mind is clear.
My soul is on fire.
A massive sword passes my face, and I charge forward.
I challenge the monster’s howls with roars of my own, and press forward.
My entire body is focused, looking for a chance to seize victory, pressing forward.
The only thing that matters is the enemy in front of me.
Well, this is a first.
This isn’t some pathetic fantasy.
I’m not caught up in my own ego.
I’m not daydreaming; this isn’t some unattainable wish.
I want to be a hero.
A hero who can take this thing down.
This is the first time I’ve wished from my heart that I wasn’t some weak kid, but someone who is a heroic man.
I—
I want to be…a hero.
“……!”
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.
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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.