No one's POV

Ouka: Chigusa! Hang in there, Chigusa!!

Ouka's cries ring out again and again. They were in a crystal room in a corner of the labyrinth on the twenty-fifth floor. After the mossy giant unleashed its fierce attack, they retreated to this room to avoid fighting any other monsters. Bell and the others quickly scarred the walls and stationed a guard at the entrance, and are now trying to heal Chigusa and Luvis.

Cassandra: Oh sunlight, may you beat back ruin. Soul light.

Cassandra, the healer, is working her magic on Chigusa and Luvis as they lay on the floor. The staff Chigusa holds beside her is glowing with a warm light that resembles sunlight, wrapping the injured in its embrace. This exceedingly rare form of healing has the power to close any type of bloody wound...but the ivy that is tormenting Chigusa and Luvis does not disappear.

To the contrary, the light of the healing magic seems to spur on its growth, so that it becomes even more vigorous and sprouts lush leaves.

Chigusa: Ooh, ooooh...!

Ouka: Chigusa! It's not working!

Cassandra: Th-this is no use! I can't get rid of the ivy...! There's nothing I can do to fix this!

Cassandra shrieks as she stands over the sweating, groaning Chigusa. Bell and the others had already tried all the potions and antidotes. All of them were useless. They can't get rid of the ivy growing from the wounds. When they tried to tear out the vines by force, Chigusa and Luvis shrieked in pain, and when they cut them with their swords, new ones grew to replace them. Cassandra was at a loss, her voice wavering.

Cassandra: Most likely, the seed that penetrated inside of her has taken root all over her body. It seems to be sapping their strength to use as nourishment.

Daphne: That means healing magic and potion aren't going to help.

Rin: Instead, it gets the opposite effect of what we want.

Ouka: Are you saying there's no chance of recovery?!

Ouka asks, leaning over Chigusa.

If it was just a question of wounds, they would already be healed. But if they're being robbed of their vitality second by second, then there is no way they can continue to fight. Not only that—in the worst-case scenario, life itself becomes... Mikoto has her back turned to the rest of us as she uses Yatano Black Crow to guard the entrance, but she can't hide her concern. Every few seconds she glances back toward Chigusa.

Rin: This isn't within the dimension of healing, is it?

Welf: It's like the monster is parasitizing them.

Lili: Exactly...a parasitic plant.

Ouka and the others turn pale at their words.

Haruhime: Chigusa...!

The teary-eyed Haruhime says, gripping the hand of her childhood best friend. Through all of this, Bell have been listening silently to the conversation. He look at Luvis. Like Chigusa, his face is wet with sweat. His right arm has been wrapped in cloth to heal it, but it's hopeless to think he'll be able to recover the forearm. On top of the fact that the monster crushed it beyond all recognition, it's already starting to rot. Reconnecting it is simply not an option.

Luvis: Oh, ahh...!

Trapped in a nightmare of pain even as he lays unconscious, Luvis squeezes his tightly shut eyes into a grimace. It's fair to say that this one- armed man's career as an adventurer has been cut short. He'll either have to retire or soldier on with a heavy handicap. To be honest, Bell had talked with Luvis only a handful of times. He have no idea what kind of person Luvis is or even what his goal is in exploring the Dungeon. Still...it's more of a shock than Bell expected to witness someone he know fall into an irrecoverable situation like this.

The reality of the Dungeon and its dark labyrinth is that it yields brilliant success on the one hand and a constant stream of victims on the other. As this truth confronts Bell, a shiver passes through his body. If he had encountered a situation like this when he first arrived in Orario, Bell might well have been reduced to a pale, quaking mess.

Bell(mind): But now...

Bell quietly squeeze his hands into fists as he stand before his one-armed fellow adventurer. Bell look up. Next to him is Cassandra, her arms limp at her sides, overwhelmed with disappointment.

Cassandra: I've never seen anything like these symptoms...! There's just nothing I can do...!

Perhaps because she has lost hope in herself as a healer in the face of these mysterious symptoms, which are due to neither "irregular ailments" nor curses, Cassandra's calm, drooping eyes pool with tears.

Bell: What we need right now are ideas!

Bell say, forcibly breaking into her daze. His tone was so strong it shatters the fretful atmosphere hovering around the party and surprises even himself.

Cassandra: Huh...?

Bell: So please share your thoughts with us, Cassandra! Is there anything we can possibly do to save them?

Cassandra was kneeling, so Bell get down at eye level with her and grip her right hand with his left. Squeezing it to give her courage, Bell speak slowly to the teary healer.

Bell: No one is dead yet.

Cassandra:...!

Bell: And we have a full party! I know we can save them if we put our heads together!

Everybody's eyes looking into Bell widen. Bell stare resolutely back, and Cassandra's cheeks suddenly flush. When he release her hand, she looks a little bashful and presses her left hand to her heart as if to hold it in place. Bell can sense that Lili wants to say something, but for the time being, she'll have to wait. Cassandra shifts her gaze back and forth and answers timidly.

Cassandra: In order to save them, I think we should hurry back to the surface and find a more experienced healer... Like maybe Dea Saint from Dian Cecht Familia or Berserk Healer from Loki Familia could help them. Or alternatively, we could try destroying the source that implanted the seeds in them. That might wipe the plant out.

Bell nod at Cassandra, who, despite her lack of confidence, has shared her own ideas quite clearly. Bell smile at the same time, to show her his gratitude.

Bell: Does anyone else have an idea? Please speak up if you do.

Lili: Master Bell...

Welf: Bell, you...

Bell: I'm an idiot who can't do anything but fight, and right now I'm useless... I need all of you to help me, for the sake of Chigusa and Luvis.

Bell look around at the group as he speak. Lili and Welf seem surprised. Rin and Muller couldn't help but smirk. Items and magic have failed to restore the two adventurers. On a Dungeon quest, that's a death sentence. Every adventurer feels the terror of that in their very bones. Anyone would panic if their only means of recovery failed while they were in the Dungeon.

Bell was trying to sweep away that feeling of panic. Even in form only. Even if his confidence is an illusion. Bell was playing the role of leader. The role that was always belong to a certain Hero. But now that he isn't here, Bell had to take charges. That, Bell was certain, is his function right now. Like he said to Cassandra, his only way to break through this is to rely on his companions, however irresponsible that may be.

Bell will do what he could, and as for what he couldn't, he will rely on them without regret. There's nothing shameful about it. After all, that's what a party is for. Maybe because she's admiring him, or maybe just because she's happy, Lili smiles as Bell admit his own weakness and call on the group for help.

Lili: Of course, Master Bell. Whatever Master Bell cannot do himself, Lili and her companions will help him with!

Welf: Yeah, Bell is totally right. This calls for a productive conversation. We can figure out a way through this by putting our minds to it.

Ouka: Yeah, time is running short.

Rin and the others nod.

Aisha: I'm turning into a mere decoration over here!

Aisha murmurs out of the side of her mouth. She looks like she's disappointed that her starring role has been stolen. But an instant later, she's smiling and poking Bell in the back with her elbow.

Rin: Hey, you managed to speak up! You're really growing up.

Bell smile wryly as he stumble forward and turn his attention to his own thoughts. The deities and Sora have told him so many times that he'd "grown." He was certain that the root of this growth is determination. His resolve was becoming stronger. His resolve to be a hypocrite. Or maybe it's his acceptance that Bell might end up losing his arms or legs, like Luvis here right in front of his eyes. Bell thought he may not have had enough of this "resolve" before. He was not discounting the promise he made to his grandfather to try to pick up girls in the Dungeon. Still, he was caught up in the first volume of a colorful hero's tale. Bell wanted to become a character in one of those flashy stories.

But that's not what it's about. Heroes—like everyone else—have moments when they tumble to the depths of darkness. They lose people's trust, they lose their fame, they lose all hope. Just like how Sora had experienced 10 days ago. Even at this very moment, Bell was sure lots of people are suffering setbacks. Healers like Cassandra, and warriors who protect their companions, and sorcerers who weave songs for others.

Vows are broken again and again. Bell was sure there's not a vow in the world that hasn't been broken. But some people are bad at giving up, and those people bring their vows back to life time and again. These people who resolve to do something, and who move forward even as they wipe their tears—they're called "adventurers." Because a desire, Bell was sure, becomes far stronger and far more impudent when it is reborn.

Bell(mind): Just like me.

With his resolve etched in his heart, Bell was moving forward, even if only a few steps. He shift his focus back to the external world. Lili and the others are swiftly reviewing their options.

Lili: Personally, I think the only option we have right now are the ones that Lady Cassandra already mentioned.

Rin: So, either take the wounded back to the surface or kill the monster.

Lili: Yes. I'm in favor of leaving the dungeon immediately.

The brains of their operation is at the center of the conversation.

Mikoto: Lady LilI, why do you feel that way?

Lili: Ten to one, that monster is an enhanced species. Most likely, it's consumed a considerable number of magic stones. Judging by its fight with Master Bell, it's definitely at least a Level Four. Not the type of thing you'd expect to encounter on the twenty-fifth floor. We have no idea how many techniques it has on top of those seed bullets...Trying to conquer it is just too dangerous.

Lili answers without hesitation. An enhanced species. That's the name for monsters that kill their own kind and consume the magic stones of their prey in order to boost their own abilities. Roughly speaking, Lido and the other Xenos fall into that category as well. Monsters that have nurtured their potential on the principle that the strong consume the weak are viewed as Irregulars, and when extraordinarily strong individuals appear, the Guild places bounties on them and issues subjugation orders. Bell had heard quite a bit of damage occurs each time those orders are carried out.

Welf: By the way...what type of enhanced species could that plant monster possibly be?

Rin: That was a Moss huge. They live in the middle levels, not the lower levels....

The moss huge is a type of rare monster that appears on the twenty-fourth floor. Their bodies are made of moss, which means they are plants in the shape of humans. Normally they don't have the wooden armor they saw, and they can't break Dungeon walls with superhuman force. That's why no one didn't recognize it at first.

The main distinguishing feature of a moss huge is its ability to produce replicas of itself that lack magic stones when they are cut. Apparently, a lot of adventurers have talked about how they thought they killed one, only to find it was a replica and the real monster had escaped. They're not so much bellicose monsters as highly intelligent ones that make ample use of mimicry, ambushes, and getaways...Most likely, by repeatedly consuming magic stones, this individual transformed both its physical and mental state.

By doing so, it gained the ability to descend to the lower levels and seek out higher-quality magic stones.

Muller: A low-level monster that enhanced itself by descending to lower floors...

Daphne: So that type of Irregular exists, huh?

It's the exact opposite of a typical Irregular, which becomes a threat by ascending from a lower floor to a higher one, like the minotaur that attacked Bell in the upper levels.

Lili: Getting back to the subject at hand, as I said, fighting an enhanced species is risky. But our biggest problem is that, since the twenty-fifth floor is so much larger than the floors in the middle levels, there's no guarantee we'll find it again. To the contrary, finding it will be a real challenge. And if that's the case, Lili would prefer the more certain option.

Her first priority is the safety of the party, and she is not budging on her position. What she says makes sense. But as everyone was listening to her, Luvis— who's still lying prone on the ground—opens his eyes into thin slits.

Luvis: No... That monster is bound to show up again...

Bell: Mr Luvis!

Luvis: Never thought I'd be getting saved by you... Little Rookie.

Luvis looks up at Bell, and his sweat-drenched face breaks into a wry smile. Then he glances at his missing arm, and the elf's refined face is distorted by despair and sadness. He looks in disgust at the vines crawling over his other arm, shoulders, and right leg, before finally returning his gaze to Bell.

Luvis: My party is still out there. They were left behind somewhere on this floor. Please eradicate that nasty monster, and saved my comrades!

Muller: Luvis...

Muller said slowly kneeling down looking at Luvis. Luvis slowly raised his head and look at Muller somewhat surprise.

Luvis: Golden hair? Don't tell me, Lady Muller?

Muller: Yes. It's me.

Luvis: Ah... I haven't seen you ever since you left the elven forest 10 years ago.

Daphne: Hold on. You two know each other.

Muller: We grew up on the same elven forest. But let's talk about that later, first we need your information. Were you perhaps acting as a decoy?

Luvis: Yes.

Muller: Alright, I understand that you were using yourself as bait to draw that monster away from your comrade. But what I don't understand is why are you so certain the monster will show up again?

Luvis squints at the female golden elf, who is trying to make sense of the situation as quickly as possible. Then, his long golden hair plastered to his neck, he draws a fist-size bag from his pocket with Muller's help.

Luvis: That thing is hunting down adventurers...because it wants this, My Lady.

Muller: Magic stones? Are you saying that monster was hunting adventurers for their Magic Stones?

Lili: I've never heard of that happening before!

Lili's face turned pale.

Luvis: Well, it's true. That Moss Huge took us completely by surprise, it went straight for the supporters in the rear and snatched their pouches packed with magic stones. It ate them right before our eyes...Even magic didn't work on it. All we could do was flee...

That's when the seed had been implanted in him, Luvis explains. According to him, his party was made up of four members, all Level 3, and all apparently used to exploring the lower levels. That's how strong the adventurers who got trounced by this monster were.

Luvis: The reason we came to the Water Capital in the first place was because we were asked to do a quest...We were supposed to be searching for missing people, or else for their corpses. Aside from us in Modi Familia, that dwarf Dormul's familia, Magni Familia, received the same request. We were quarreling the whole way...

Bell: So Dormul is down here, too?

Luvis: Yeah.

Luvis nods. Apparently, they went their separate ways after arriving at the lower levels.

Luvis: That thing bore down on us. But almost everyone in the party was covered in wounds, and they had to recover somehow. We didn't have a choice...

Aisha: So you took the remaining magic stones and acted as a decoy for the sake of your companions?

Luvis: Yes, that's right...

Luvis replies, nodding deeply. Then he readjusts his expression and appeals to Bell and the others once again.

Luvis: That monster is a bad one. It's discovered efficiency, and that's probably why it's so much stronger than any of the enhanced species I've met before... even stronger than The Bloodstained Troll.

Ouka and the others change colors as they listen to Luvis's urgent appeal, but Cassandra lifts her face.

Cassandra: The Bloodstained Troll, I've heard of that...

Aisha: Yeah, it's the enhanced monster that was wreaking total havoc for the past ten years. By the time the Guild confirmed its existence, scads of upper- class adventurers had already been killed. Even the elite group of second-tier and higher adventurers dispatched to conquer it were instead attacked themselves. I heard that more than fifty people died...

Haruhime: F-fifty...A-and what happened in the end?

Aisha: The Guild went crying to a certain Hero and he took it down. I heard from them that it was at least the equivalent of a Level Five...

Haruhime is struck dumb by Aisha's explanation. It's not just her, either. Daphne and Ouka are also gasping at the gruesome tale of the enhanced species. And Luvis says this mossy giant is even more dangerous than The Bloodstained Troll? It does seem possible. Compared to hunting down its own kind in the vast Dungeon, targeting adventurers who have already collected large quantities of magic stones would be far more efficient, with an exponentially larger return. And adventurers who come to the lower levels probably have way more magic stones of way better quality. What's more, other monsters wouldn't target an enhanced species unless it picked a fight itself.

The worst part of it all is that this enhanced species is in the process of learning the best tricks for attacking adventurers. The way it retreated after planting the seeds is proof enough. An enhanced species that excels at hunting adventurers...There's no two ways about it. It's both different and a threat.

Luvis: If you do nothing...I think this will turn into an unprecedented catastrophe.

The room falls silent for a few seconds in response to Luvis's broken words. Everyone looks tense.

Aisha: Well, shit. We picked a hell of a time to go on an expedition.

Aisha spits out, flicking her long hair violently off her neck.

Muller: Putting aside the question of whether it's us who take it down or a group dispatched by the Guild once they catch wind of this, it definitely can't be allowed to run loose.

Mikoto: That is true, but clearly the more time we give it, the harder it will be to kill. Many adventurers could lose their lives as a result. And most importantly, we cannot abandon Sir Luvis's companions...

Mikoto says with a tense expression on her face. Ouka and Welf pile on in support of her argument.

Ouka: Plus, it'll take a day to get back to the surface. There's no guarantee Chigusa will last that long. Not to mention the fact that we have no idea whether the healers up there will even...be able to get rid of these parasitic plants.

Welf: And if that monster is on the lookout for these Magic Stones.... Then it should come right to us.

Lili: That may be true, but we also can't say for sure that defeating the monster will cure it either!

Dephne: Actually, I think the odds of that are pretty high. Moss Huge is a monster that typically splits its moss apart and then creates copies of itself, but those always disappear if you defeat the main body. If this individual has split off from the moss huge line, then when we kill the main body and destroy all the stones inside, it should turn to ash, right? I think the same thing will happen to these vines.

Lili looks into Daphne's eyes like she wants to say something in response, but Daphne shrugs.

Daphne: What? Come on. Don't give me that look! I want to avoid fighting it as much as you do! But from what we've heard, I don't think it's going to let us escape.

Rin: I'm pretty sure all us upper-class adventurers have that same premonition. Call it a hunch. The moment we turn our backs on that enhanced species, it will bare its teeth.

Lili: Well, we've all spoken our piece. So...

Lili looks at Bell, and so does Aisha.

Aisha: You heard what she said, Bell Cranel. What are you gonna do?

Bell reflect on all the opinions that the group has expressed, and he made his decision.

Bell: We will defeat the monster!

Welf: Yeah!

Welf pound his fist onto the palm of his other hand.

Ouka: I'm on it.

Ouka adds enthusiastically, swinging his battle-ax onto his shoulder. Lili and the supporters nod at one another and start preparing to set off right away. The aim of their Dungeon expedition has taken an unexpected turn. In the face of an irregular situation that no one predicted, their allied party is setting out to conquer an enhanced species.

Bell: Let's start by heading for the area where Mr Luvis and his friends were first attacked.

(Timeskip)

They set off, heading first for the area where Luvis separated from his party. Leaning on Daphne's shoulder for support, the one-armed elven archer looks down through blurred eyes at the map Lili has unfurled. Struggling through his exhaustion, he points out the direction we should go. Cassandra carries Chigusa on her back.

Chigusa: I'm...sorry...

Chigusa whispers faintly.

Cassandra: Huh? It's okay, don't be. I'm also just a level 2. I should be apologizing to you. If only I had more skills as a healer, then I could have saved you right away.

Chigusa: I still have faith. No matter what happens... everyone will pull through... together...

Cassandra: Miss Chigusa...

Bell and the others had decided to avoid evacuating the injured from this floor and dividing their forces. Splitting up in the lower levels would be extremely poor strategy. Instead, they were aiming to kill the enhanced species swiftly, with as much force as they could muster. That's what they decided after listening to the advice from Lili, Daphne, and Muller.

Aisha: What I want to know is why there have been no eyewitness reports of that Moss Huge this whole time. It strange.

Muller: Luvis, do you might know something?

Luvis: It probably avoided being seen... by never fighting anyone stronger than it. And only attacking adventurers that it could definitely defeat. That;s what we're dealing with. Something very crafty. You have to be careful, My Lady. That monsters is... different...

Luvis answers with ragged breath. Just then —

Bell:...! What's this...?

Bell was leading the party, and he'd spotted something in the intersection they'd just reached. A fat red line crosses the floor from the passage on the right-hand side...It looks like it was made by dragging something heavy.

Ouka: A trail of blood...

They hurry on, their mouths clamped shut. Bell and the others follow the red line as if it is guiding them forward. Their progress is impeded slightly by the occasional monster fight. Finally, they arrive at the entrance to a "room."

Inside, the stream splits and loops back onto itself like a spider's web tangling with the shore. Clusters of white crystal stud the ground like huge chunks of ice. Perhaps because we're near the Great Falls, the sound of pounding water echoes through the labyrinth even more loudly than before. Their eyes are drawn to the central part of the room.

Rin: That's...!

They were looking at the base of one particularly large crystal enshrined in the center of the room. Two elven adventurers are sprawled faceup on the ground. One is male and the other is female. Parasitic vines are growing from their bodies, and their feet are pulverized as if a blunt weapon has smashed them.

Haruhime: Oh no...!

Haruhime says, pressing her hand to her mouth. Her reaction is only natural; the sight of those gore-red limbs that bear no resemblance to their original form is truly terrible. Bell was sure they can't walk or move in that state. And there, next to them, on a crystal pedestal...

Muller:...

Welf: The enhanced species...!

Just like Welf says, the moss huge is sitting right there, silently, with its chin tucked in. It's paying no attention whatsoever to the people sprawled before it. It seems to simply be waiting for something.

Luvis: Chariot... Lana...!

Aisha: So those are your companion...?

Luvis: Yeah. But I don't see Alec anywhere!

Luvis answers. His face had turned white from weakness, but now it flushes red with anger, and his eyebrows draw together in distress. His eyes grow misty. At his words, Bell's own heart sends up a painful cry. They weren't able to save them...Maybe it's arrogant to have such a thought. But he can't stop this inexplicable emotion raging in his soul.

Bell squeeze his hands into fists. As he do, monsters begin to appear from multiple places in the intricate tangle of streams inside the room, exactly as if the smell of blood on the ground has drawn them here. Blue crabs and other monsters begin moving toward the central strip of shore where the enhanced species and the elves are.

Elves: Ahhhh...!

The female elf, who is already on the verge of death, lets out a hoarse scream. With tears in her eyes, she wriggles helplessly on the ground.

Aisha: This is gonna be a huge pain.

Muller: Yeah. The moment we make a move to save my brethren, not only will that enhanced monster attack, but so will a whole bunch of ordinary ones.

Ouka: You're saying it knew that we'd come?

Cassandra: That's insane... a monsters setting a trap like this...

Luvis: That monster is different.

Luvis's words flicker in Bell's mind. He was hiding in the shadow of a crystal column at the entrance to the room as he peer inside. Like Welf and the others, his face betrays a horrified expression.

Aisha: Hey, shrimp, are you sure the punch line's not gonna be that the enhanced species is actually a Xenos? I've never heard of a monster this sly.

Aisha whispers.

Lili: I-I don't know! The Xenos never mentioned anything like this, let alone Fels...!

Lili says, clearly upset. The Amazon shrew scrunches her face into an almost saucy frown.

Aisha: And after he reels us in, is he intending to shoot us with those seeds or something while we're fighting the other monsters...? Eternal Shadow, can you give us an estimate of how many there are?

Mikoto: No, it's impossible. There are too many to count in this room...! And a lot are still hiding underwater...!

Mikoto scowls in frustration as she scans the terrain with Yatano Black Crow. That enhanced species probably chose this location for its trap knowing full well the advantages... It still hasn't made a move, maybe because it hasn't noticed them yet.

Haruhime: Miss Aisha...!

Bell lean into the room, unable to hold himself back as the monsters draw nearer to the fallen adventurers second by second. Aisha nods in disgust, maybe because she can't stand the fact that things are proceeding exactly as the monster has planned.

Muller: The simplest approach would really be to use magic from our position over here, but my brethren would get caught up in it, too.

Leaving Luvis's companions to die is not an option. Not even if that means playing into the monster's trap.

Muller: Bell, Aisha and I will take on the enhanced species. Mikoto, you, Ouka, and Welf handle the other monsters. Once we get that huge thing away from my brethren, carry them out of here.

Miktot: Got it.

Muller: Rin, provide support with magic. The moment Mikoto and the others carry my brethren away, blast the Moss with Magic.

Rin: Leave it to me.

Aisha: Haruhime, you guys move to an open area away from walls. Not here by the entrance. If monsters are spawned all of a sudden, things will get ugly fast.

Haruhime: Yes, ma'am.

Haruhime answers. Aisha, Muller, Mikoto, Ouka, Welf, and Bell will rescue the elves. Lili, Haruhime, Cassandra, and the injured Chigusa and Luvis will stay on the sidelines, with Rin and Daphne to guard them.

Bell: Let's go!

They have no time to spare. To save their elven comrades, they leap into the room all at once with lightning speed, heading from the entrance on the southeast side of the room toward the central area. Lili and the others who cannot fight go to the room's southernmost edge, which Mikoto has determined is safest. The monsters are gathering around the enhanced species. There is no sign of an opponent on the southern banks.

Aisha leads them as they leap across the streams, speeding up as they go. The monsters notice them and try to attack, but they either pull away or throw them off, refusing to fight. They are rapidly approaching the center.

Muller(mind): But...why is the moss huge still not moving?

Muller furrow her brows. The other monsters have noticed their rapid advance, so there's no way the enhanced species hasn't noticed, too. Nevertheless, it sits on the pedestal not moving a finger.

Bell(mind): What's going on? Is it preparing an attack? Or does it have some other aim?

Once Mikoto has encountered a particular monster, it can never escape from the sphere of her perception. So unless she says otherwise, that has to be the monster they fought a little while ago. Bell glance at her. She's staring intently at the stock-still enhanced species as if it's some kind of puzzle. Muller, Welf, Ouka, and Aisha can't hide their bewildered expressions, either.

They all sense something ominous, but their only choice is to keep approaching.

Elf: No, n...

The fragment of a word reaches Bell and the others from the male elf lying on the ground, but his voice is nearly drowned out by the sound of the flowing water. His lips move in spasms as he desperately tries to tell them something.

Elf: It's not the monster...Don't come over here...!

The moment Bell make out what he is saying, he hear the soft sound of something falling. A piece of moss has peeled away from the monster's eye and fallen to the ground.

Elf:...

From beneath the fallen moss, human skin appears. Then a human eye, so exhausted it is unable to focus. It's another elf, like the ones on the floor. Luvis's third companion. Icy fingers grip Bell's heart. He hear Mikoto's breath stop short. —Bell had heard about this.

While Mikoto's Yatano Black Crow allows her to identify enemies, she cannot distinguish between individuals. It's as if a piece of black paper unfurls in her mind and red dots appear on it, but those points representing monsters don't vary in size or color.

Her skill did function properly. But it reacted to an outer shell. The monster has covered an adventurer in masses of moss taken from its own body. They've been tricked by a simulation. Bell had never heard of a moss huge using moss in this way.

Mikoto:...?!

A second later, Mikoto whips her face toward the south as if she's been punched. She's noticed something—an enemy approaching Lili and the other supporters with an intense energy, way beyond that of the monsters gathered in the center of the room. Her face goes white.

Mikoto: Please run, Lady Rin!!

As Bell follow her gaze, he see it, too. A green form slowly emerging from the stream behind the spot where Rin and the others stand looking surprised by Mikoto's sudden scream. The monster's dripping-wet right arm grips a crystal mace as it stares at their backs with a blank expression.

Bell: !!

And then. Before Bell could even take in the scene before his eyes or hear Mikoto's cry split the air, he freeze and stop running forward. Bell spin around, his feet scraping over the crystal floor as he was overcome by a horrid sense of inertia, and he peel away from the astonished Muller, Aisha, Ouka, and Welf.

Bell accelerate with all his might as he run toward the south side of the room.

Rin: !!

The monster raises its mace. Bell's left foot leaps across the stream to the next strip of land. Finally, Rin notices the form that has crept up on them without the slightest sound as she raised her staff preparing to fight.

Bell kick off with his right foot, shattering the cluster of crystals he was just standing on. Bell was moving too slowly.

Bell(mind): I won't make it in time.

Rin: Flame Arrow!

Rin who was the most powerful in the support team cast her spells in an instant. She hurriedly intercepted the attack that the monster about to inflict its deadly punishment. Multiple arrows of fire appeared slamming them into the mace of the monsters.

Moss: !!

The Moss seam somewhat surprise, but regardless, it was able to easily dodge the oncoming magic and clash with the blue mage.

Rin intercepted the mace with her staff as the two of them clash close combat. She raised her staff into the air, using earth magic to coat her staff turning them into a blade, and she raised her left arm using lightning magic to turn it into a sword as well.

Rin: Sword of the Lightning God!

The blue mage and the Green Moss clash back to back forming a green and blue streaks of light around the area. While they were fighting, the other supporters get as far away as possible heading towards the place where Mikoto's magic detected no monsters. When suddenly...

Rin and Moss: !!

Ring, ring.

The soft sound of a bell comes from it, and it glows with white light. Rin and the monster looked to see the incomplete Hero rushing towards them. Bell had charged for two seconds. The ground explodes under his lowered foot. Bell have turn himself into a missile.

The force of his kick against the ground becomes a propellant sending him toward the ceiling. In an instant, this insane speed he'd dared to unleash closes the gap between the blue mage and him. He draw Hakugen.

Bell: Aaaaaaaargh!!

Bell bellow out a war cry from the pit of his stomach and slash at the monster with a lightning-swift movement. The flash of the black blade cuts through the blunt crystal weapon as it clash with the spellsword of the blue mage.

The monster stared in disbelief. The trap composed of the bait and the replica of the moss itself seemed to have worked. The monster seemed to have snuck up successfully behind the female humans. But the female human was far dangerous than the Moss have thought she was. It was then the boy with the white hair had rushed over with ridiculous speed and gotten in the Moss way.

The crystal weapon had been broken in half and sent flying toward the ceiling. The monster was irritated. His carefully laid hunting plan had been destroyed, and his chance to eat magic stones had been stolen from him. He listened to his anger and decided his first move would be to kill the boy who was skidding onto the ground.

Moss:...

But then the boy looked up, and he saw his eyes, and his instinct told him something.

Moss(mind): This human is dangerous.

The glinting rubellite gaze that shot through him was unflappable, cold, and infused with a single-minded will to fight. It had been a long time since he looked into a pair of eyes and shivered with that sensation akin to terror. The light glowing in those red eyes was the flame of outrage. The human was incensed that his fellow humans had been injured and placed in danger.

Bell: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The boy charged forward gripping two knives. One after the next, the black and white blades flew at him, trying to gouge into his body. But—he was still just the slightest bit stronger than the human. But the problem was the human girl who is providing support from the rear.

Rin: Bell, I'll provide support.

Bell: Thanks!

Moss: ?!

He ignored the oncoming magic and swung his fist down. Instantly the boy dodged, tumbling onto the floor. The gouge where the moss had flown off his body quickly filled back in. His body was convenient. It regenerated itself. The more magic stones he devoured, the more his cells multiplied. When the human stood up, he had an astonished expression on his face.

Right away the boy charged again with a speed and force that was less like a rabbit than a wild horse. At least, that was how it looked to him, and he had hunted countless humans. This opponent was not hurried, just fast. But that did not undermine his composure. He could handle an endless number of those sharp, insignificant cuts.

Lili: Master Bell?! Lady Rin?!

Lili looked at Bell and Rin with distorted face and screamed. The scent of magic stones was coming from her. So the Moss was after Lili. After it crushed Bell and Rin, it would destroy that female next.

Bell: Yaah!

Rin: Hah!

Rin and Bell, who had been forced to step back before the swinging arms, thrust out his left hand and staff. They were about to use a combine magic. The monster couldn't even count the number of times he and his brethren had nearly been obliterated by it back when he was still weak. It was the humans weapon he had to be most wary of. But he also knew that in order to use the magic, they had to sing. They needed time. And no matter how short the song was, his attack would be faster.

Moss(mind): Idiot.

The monster sneered. But at the very moment when he planned to leap toward the boy and crush him—something unexpected happened.

Bell: Firebolt!

Rin: Red Carpet!

It took only an instant. An instant for the flaming light to be released. Frozen in the face of this magic he'd never before experienced, he took a direct hit. A two combined fire magic. A scream burst from his throat.

Monster: EEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!

The monster's scream rips through the air. After Bell and Rin's Magic beats out the mossy giant's approach and hits the center of its body, it swings both arms around wildly in pain.

Bell: It was trying to crush me before I had the chance to say a chant...!

Rin: These is a true genuine irregular!

Bell and Rin could tell as much from its behavior. That's the scary reality. A monster that's not a Xenos has figured out the structure the magic adventurers use and is attempting to counteract it.

This is indeed an Irregular born of the Dungeon, and an extremely unusual and dangerous one at that. They absolutely have to kill it here and now. As Bell made up his mind, he fly toward it, with Rin providing support.

Bell: Yaah!

Rin: We won't let you get away!

Moss:...?!

Bell use the black knife in his right hand to shave off a piece of his enemy's shoulder, and then with the glittering white blade in his left hand he slice into its torso. The moss huge writhes its blazing body in anguish, trying to escape the violent storm of flames and cutting blades that descend one after another. Just beyond the spot where it stands recklessly throwing its body in every direction is a strong, fast-flowing current.

Bell: Oh no you don't!

Bell raise his eyebrows and stamp on the ground as the monster attempts to dive into the stream and retreat once again. Lurching forward, Bell try to inflict a fatal blow.

Rin: Bell! Look out!

Bell: !!

That's when it happens. The monster, who up till this point has simply been running this way and that in a tormented attempt to escape, gets a murderous gleam in its yellow eyes that makes Bell suspicious. Suddenly those eyes look as sharp as a hawk's. Even in the throes of a difficult situation, his enemy has recognized the impatience in its opponent's heart. As his body flows forward, wooden whips shoot up around Bell's feet.

Bell: Huh?!

Tree roots are winding around Bell's boots and tightening around his knees. The roots grow from the moss huge's calves—which are in his blind spot— and into the ground. They're an indirect weapon generated by the expanding and contracting wooden frame covering the monster's entire body.

Bell(mind): I've been taken in—no, I've been outwitted.

This intelligent enhanced species has played its hidden card, and Bell have to admit it's beaten him in this round of bets.

Moss: OOOOOOO!

It lets out a howl filled with pain and anger, and then throws itself backward, dragging Bell toward the water along with it.

Lili: Master Bell?!

As Lili's scream echoes through the room, the tree roots break through the crystal ground and become visible. Bell was hanging in the air with his feet bound and no way to resist. The roots pull taut and drag him closer and closer to the water until he hit the gurgling stream.

Bell: Glug—?!

Bell was overwhelmed by shock and flying droplets, and then the sensation of being swallowed up entirely by the water. The world turns blue. Sounds become distant, as if a membrane has been stretched over his ears. Bell was immersed in this cold watery world that cuts off all communication with the land. The sensation of floating lasts only a few seconds, and then his body is swept along at least five meders below the water's surface.

Bell(mind): It got me.

That single phrase blinks across his drowning brain. The air in his lungs rushes out in a huge bubble. His body shoots across the streambed like an arrow, totally ignoring any such thing as water pressure.

Bell(mind): Huh?

The moss huge has removed the roots from its body. It stares at Bell for a moment, then puts out its wooden feelers, turns against the current, and disappears into another tributary.

Bell(mind): It released my restraints?

As the huge form writhes in pain, shaking Bell around as it does, Bell try to pull its fangs from his flesh. Just then, he become belatedly aware of a powerful roar vibrating through the water.

Bell: !!

Bell look over his shoulder toward the source of the vibrations. In the distance, he can see a break in the water. The break seems to be where the stream reaches its end point and falls downward.

Bell(mind): No...way.

All the streams on this floor lead to the Great Fall. Sora and Eina taught him that. Bell said those very words himself not long ago. Swept along by the current, his body is heading toward the center of the twenty-fifth floor, straight for the enormous waterfall.

Bell(mind): Oh crap!!

As it approaches the falls, the stream becomes a veritable torrent. The water is moving too fast. It just keeps accelerating. The mouth of the waterfall is sucking in everything around it and smashing everything to smithereens at its base. The blood drains from his face. Suddenly Bell was thrust above the water's surface.

Bell: Peh!!

Bell stick his face out of the water. But the air Bell had been longing for so desperately is tasteless. It's too late. He was already at the end point. The waterfall is sucking him unhesitatingly toward the precipice. Bell reach out his hand but find nothing but air. The next instant, a terrifying floating sensation overwhelms his body. One more second and Bell will be dragged over the edge along with the water

Bell: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

An explosion of water is pouring down. Huge drops beat onto his skin. Bell's screams lost in the roar of the falling water, he was swept downward in the biggest waterfall in the Dungeon, the Great Falls.

(Elsewhere)

Lili: Master Bell, Master Bell?!

Lili's cries were swept away by the flowing water. She was surrounded by the spider's web of streams in the room full of crystal clusters. Facing the place where Bell had disappeared into the water, she called his name again and again.

Haruhime: Master Bell has been pulled under by the monster...

Haruhime said, standing in a daze beside Lili.

Lili: We have to save him right away! The water is flowing so quickly, he'll be carried out of the room before we know it!

Lili threw off the Goliath Robe and backpack as she spoke, exposing her thin body dressed in shorts and a small coat of Undine cloth. She was about to dive into the water after him.

Rin: Wait, Lili!

Rin shouted. She grabbed Lili's wrist and pulled her back. An instant later, the fangs of a raider fish skimmed past the tip of Lili's nose. Lili stood dazed as blood trickled down her cheek where the fang had grazed it.

Rin: What the hell are you doing? If you or I jump into that stream, a monster will kill us! Did you forget how dangerous that water is?!

Lili: I-I know! B-but...but Master Bell!! He's in trouble!

Lili was more upset than she had ever been before. Rin was staring at Lilly, her mouth shut tight, when Muller, Aisha, Welf, and Ouka returned with the three elven adventurers. Although the blue crabs had slowed them in helping Bell, they had succeeded in slaughtering all the monsters on land.

Muller: We took care of the other monsters.

Aisha: Help us get the injured people out of here.

Lili: Miss Muller! Master Bell has—!

Muller: I know; I saw.

Muller handed the injured elves over to the flustered Cassandra, then glanced toward Mikoto. In addition to Yatano Black Crow that allowed her to perceive enemies, the girl had a similar skill called Yatano White Crow that let her see allies with the same Falna as her. She shook her head, a pained expression on her face.

Mikoto: Sir Bell's signal has left the room...

Lili: That...

The remaining color drained from Lili's face as she realized that Bell had been swept away along with the enhanced species. Welf and Ouka, who were out of breath, stared in the same direction as her. Muller sighed.

Muller: Okay, you guys. We're not going to save Bell.

Lili: Wha—?!

Rin: She's right. We'll never catch up if we chase after him, since he's been swept up by such a fast current. Plus, how quickly can we move if we're carrying these injured elves?

Lili: M-Miss Muller! Wait a second!

Muller: Relax, Liliruka. What are we gonna do if our party's brain—you—falls apart? Sora said this multiple times to you. Your the strategist if he's not here. And a strategist needs to keep a cool head no matter how dire the situation is.

Lili had been about to lash out at Muller, but a long, thin finger poked her in the forehead. She bent backward as tears pooled in her eyes, staring in confusion at Muller.

Muller: You need to look at the bigger picture. Bell can handle this floor on his own.

Lili:...!

Muller: Bell's status is already far from the norm. He's already above average for a Level Four, and in terms of speed and agility, he's practically at the very top. I don't know how much potential he had already saved up, of course.

In other words, Bell was way above the minimum level required for the twenty-fifth floor.

Muller: Bell is stronger than I am. As much as I hate to admit it.

Lili: Miss Muller...

Muller: Even if he's drawn into an underwater battle, I'm sure he'll stubbornly find some way to survive. Just pray for him to get back onto the shore through his own strength. There's no way he'll die on land.

Hearing this vote of confidence from the second strongest in the group, Lili let her frenzied emotions finally settle down. Muller looked at her face, which was starting to take on its typical expression as the analyst of the party, and finished her argument.

Muller: If you're gonna worry about anyone, it should be us. Am I wrong?

Lili waited for a moment, then slowly nodded. The pallum squeezed her childlike hands into fists.

Lili: Miss Muller is right. Let's stop thinking about Bell.

Haruhime: Lady Lilly!

Welf: Hey now, Li'l Lili!

Lili: Just calm down.

Lili said, taking a deep breath as if she was talking more to herself than to Haruhime and Welf.

Lili: The party's safety takes top priority right now! If anything happens to us, then we'll only be a bigger hindrance to Master Bell.

Welf: Okay, fine. But are you really okay with that?

Lili: I have faith that Master Bell is alive. You should, too.

It was clear that she, together with the renard, cared more for the boy than anyone else in the party. But she did not put those feelings into words. Instead, she pushed her personal emotions aside and donned the mask of a commander.

Lili: Considering that the situation has changed, I suggest that we retreated from this floor immediately.

Everyone:...!

Not only Welf but Aisha, too, looked surprised at Lili's sudden leap to a decision.

Lili: Now that Master Bell is gone, it will be hard to fend off attacks from ordinary monsters while protecting the injured at the same time. The burden on Lady Rin, Miss Muller, and Miss Aisha will be too heavy.

Now there were five wounded. If each was carried by one member of the party, that left only 5 members who could fight properly. As Lili laid out her logical argument, she glanced at the elven adventurers whom Cassandra was already tending to.

Mikoto: But Lady Lili, wouldn't it be wrong to abandon Sir Bell on this floor and escape...?

Lili: I'm not saying escape to the surface, just to the cliff by the passage leading to the twenty-fourth floor.

Ouka: What do you mean?

Lili: Back in that spot with the good views, there aren't any streams, and aside from the flying monsters, we won't be attacked. The cliff trail is the only one, so it will be easy to protect ourselves...That enhanced species won't be able to take us by surprise. I say we set up an emergency camp out there.

As long as they kept an eye out for monsters descending from the twenty- fourth floor, they should be okay.

Lili: Miss Aisha, you go up to Rivira by yourself and get help. Lili and the others will...get a level boost from Miss Haruhime and defend the exit of the connecting passage. We will protect the injured.

She continued, lowering her voice after a pause so Luvis and the other elves wouldn't hear her talking about Haruhime's ability.

Welf: So you're suggesting we use that cliff as an improvised fort.

Rin: It's true that carrying this many wounded up to the eighteenth floor will be difficult. If we just have to get to the entrance to the twenty-fifth floor, though, I think we can make it, and given the terrain, we may be able to hold out until help comes. If we can do that, a party descending from the middle levels just might help us.

Rin added. Both she and Welf looked satisfied by Lili's explanation. The pallum continued.

Lili: Plus, now that Master Bell has been separated from Lili, he is likely to end up coming out at that big cavern. That's what happens when you get separated in the Water Capital, right...isn't that what Miss Eina said? If we're camped out on the cliff by the connecting passageway, we should be able to spot him.

Having finished her explanation, Lili drew a breath. Ouka alone still looked skeptical.

Ouka: I understand making the cliff our base. But what are we gonna do if that enhanced species attacks us? It might not be able to surprise us, but with Antianeira gone, we'll can only count on Golden Swordswoman and Priestess of Element, but still even they would have a helluva time fighting it off.

Lili: That's precisely my plan. The road out there doesn't branch off at any point and has nowhere to escape. By luring it there...Mikoto can use her Futsu no Mitama gravity-controlling magic to crumble the entire cliff path and send it crashing way down to the ground below where it'll be buried by the rubble.

Lili said, a cold expression on her face. Ouka was at a loss for words. He coughed loudly. Daphne, too, gaped at Lili. In this do-or-die situation, the pallum had found a way to pay the monster back for its earlier clever use of the terrain.

Muller(mind): Good! She finally got the face of a true commander. She- no the whole Hestia Familia. They are all growing. Sora has truly taught them well.

Muller was in awe. Once, she had witnessed a full-scale battle by during the war at Azpire. Sora's cool and controlled face as he directed his troops against whole war, rose before her mind's eye, and she couldn't help layering it on top of the face of the supporter who stood before her now, supposedly weaker than Daphne herself.

Lili: Our only major problem is, the injured can hold out and we make it back to that location in one piece. And of course, this all assumes that if the enhanced species attacks us on the way through the labyrinth, we'll be able to fight it off...So, what do you think?

She looked up at Muller and Aisha. Only at the end of the explanation had she allowed some of her uncertainty to show. The blue golden elf and the battle-hardened Amazon grinned.

Aisha: I like it.

Muller: Alright! Get ready to move on the double!

Her words were the signal for the group to start moving, and Welf and the others quickly responded. Lili put back on the pack and Goliath Robe she'd thrown off and set to work on other preparations.

Haruhime: I knew we'd be able to rely on you, Lady Lilly. Master Sora and Master Bell said so, too.

Lili: Huh?

Haruhime: They said they always relied on Miss Lilly... Master Sora told me that when I was cleaning the house once.

Lili widened her eyes and flushed to hear this new information.

Haruhime: Compared to you, I'm always getting flustered and not helping anyone...

Haruhime sighed.

Lili: Wh-what are you talking about?! Your strength is exactly what we need in emergencies!

As if to hide her embarrassment, she gave the dejected renard's tail a sharp slap.

Haruhime: Ouch!

The fox girl yelped.

Aisha: Stop playing around and hurry up!

Aisha scolded. Just before Lili followed Welf and the others out of the room, she glanced back.

Lili:...

Maybe Bell had already defeated the enhanced species and was trying at this very moment to meet back up with them...No, she had to get that wishful thinking out of her head. As long as the parasitic vines growing from Chigusa and the others hadn't vanished, the monster was alive. For the sake of her companions, Lili had to leave.

Lili: Master Bell...I'm sorry.

With no one looking, the pallum turned toward the water that had swept Bell away and allowed the face of a weak young girl to reveal itself for an instant. Then, mopping the corners of her eyes, she turned and left the room.

(Elsewhere)

The sound of the waterfall thunders on endlessly. Bell could tell because of the vibrations that reach him. Although the bottom of the pool is cold and dark, his entire body is hot like he was on fire. Bell made a burbling sound as he sink. When he stop moving, Bell shook off the hand of the cold water that is trying to drag him over the edge of death and push himself upward with a single thrust. A fountain of bubbles shatters the water's light-speckled surface.

Bell: Cough! Gasp!

As his face breaks through the water, Bell was racked by coughs. His throat convulses as he spit up the huge volume of water he swallowed. The constant powerful roaring and showers of water are incredibly irritating. But that very irritation is proof that, Bell Cranell, was alive. Bell was in the center of the huge pool at the base of the Great Falls, and he just narrowly escaped death.

Bell: Aaah, ooooh, errrgh...!!

An idiotic, agonized groan escapes the gap between his teeth. Bell obey the pulsating voice of his instincts and flail his arms like a drowning child, heading for the shore of the pool as Bell splash the water around noisily. The second his struggling feet touch ground, he kick off forcefully and push the upper half of his body out of the water. Bell walk forward, almost tripping facedown into the water, until he reach the shallows where it's around his shins.

Bell: Aaaaaahhh...!

Bell fall forward onto his arms and start crawling. His whole body hurts so much Bell feel like his blood vessels have exploded. The world looks red. He don't even want to imagine what condition he was in. Bell would probably fractured multiple bones. To escape this intense pain that's making every nerve in his body scream out, Bell reach for the high potion he stuffed into his reinforced leg holsters and use it. He did that again and again, with who knows how many vials. After he had poured solutions over his head and drunk them down until all his potions are gone...Bell finally raise his head and look up at the Great Falls.

Bell: I fell from all the way up there?

The immense waterfall pours its emerald-blue water straight down. When he'd first arrived at this floor, the magnificent flow of water appeared so beautiful to him he couldn't take his eyes off it, but now that it's less than fifty meders away, it looks like some horrendous monster. More than anything, the immensity of it is frightening. Bell couldn't help shivering at the sensation that nature is an enemy staring down on his insignificant self.

Bell thought he fell from somewhere near the middle of the falls. Given that he was carried over the edge by a stream running through the multilayered labyrinth inside the cliff, that would make sense. If he'd fallen from the very top of the falls up by the roof of this floor...even his Level-4 body would probably have been smashed to pieces.

A shiver runs down his neck as he stood up and look around. The plunge pool is as big as a lake. It fills about half the huge cavern, and the deep-blue color of the area directly under the falls hints at its depth. Water droplets dance ceaselessly at the base, sending up a white mist. The roar of the falls is so powerful Bell was worried his eardrums will burst. About a hundred meders south of the plunge pool is the top of another waterfall leading to the twenty-sixth floor. If Bell was to fall over that one, there's no way he'd survive again.

When he turn his back on the plunge pool—or rather, lake—he was confronted by a magical landscape. There are crystal shores that look like rocky flats, and crystal valleys, and crystal cliffs. All are made from the same blue crystal. The only plant in sight is an ajura shedding its bluish white petals. As he stare at the tree, which he had seen once before in the red-light district, he forget the passage of time.

Bell(mind): Get ahold of yourself! This is no time to daydream. You have to meet up with the others!

Bell clear his head and check his gear. The Divine Knife and Sword and Hakugen are safe in the scabbards where he hurriedly thrust them. Aside from a few antidotes, his items are gone. But his armor just has a few scratches on it, and he still got plenty of mental energy left.

Right now, he was on the eastern side of the cavern. If he head southeast along the shore, he'll reach the connecting passageway to the twenty-sixth floor, and if he go the opposite direction along the northeast side that he was facing now, I'll reach a cave leading to the labyrinth inside the cliff.

The enhanced species disappeared down a tributary. It probably assumes Bell drowned in the Great Falls and is going after Lili and the rest of the party. Bell have to hurry.

Bell(mind): I hope they're okay...

The shallows where he was standing now have so many crystal clusters jutting from them they look like reefs. Far above his head he saw some dots, probably harpies and sirens. The monsters didn't seem to have noticed him yet. In order to avoid unnecessary fights, he turn toward the cave to the northeast, beyond the ajura. Just then, he heard something.

Bell:...

It's a whizzing sound, like something cutting through the wind. Bell jump reflexively to the side. You could say it's his adventurer's intuition that tells him to move away in time. The next instant, something rips his shoulder and Bell fall into the shallow water.

Bell: Huh...?!

The water assaults his face as blood flowing from his shoulder dirties the emerald-blue surface. Bell look up toward the Great Falls towering behind him. Countless scarlet lines are slanting through the misty air.

Bell: Oh no! Not the Iguazu!

Bell mutter, irritated. The swallow monsters appear in the Water Capital that extends from the twenty-fifth to the twenty-seventh floor. They live in the cliff behind the Great Falls, and adventurers call them "invisible monsters." The reason for their nickname is the incredible speed they possess. Whenever someone shows up near the falls, they zoom out fast enough to break through that violent cascade of water and bombard them. They look exactly like bullets fired into the air.

Bell(mind): They're the most feared monsters on this floor— and the fastest ones in the lower levels!

Bell didn't even have time to curse his own carelessness for standing around near the plunge pool before another scarlet flash streaks toward him. Even with his enhanced dynamic visual acuity from leveling up, he couldn't fully make it out. It tears into his cheek, and the wind pressure around it knocks him off balance.

Bell(mind): They look like a blur! And there are so many!

Then another one shoots down. This one heads for the center of his torso, but even as he stand there wide- eyed, Bell thrust up one arm to block the devilish missile with the back of his hand, which is sheathed in its dir-adamantite guard.

Bell: Oof!

There's a tremendous dull thud and a shock like bell had been hit with a huge hammer. He fall back clumsily onto his butt in the shallow water. When he look at the hand that blocked the attack...he saw that the corpse of a swallow is smeared onto it. The wet scarlet feathers are falling off, and its magic stone is visible beneath the pink flesh. bell's eyes meet a bloody eyeball that's popped out of its socket, and he wince.

This is the fate of an Iguazu that fails in its attack. The instant they collide with a shield or another hard object, their own speed becomes their curse and crushes their body to death.

The sight of this vain and weird manner of dying creeps him out. As he was thinking about it, he hear that sound again. Whiz, whiz. A frightening chorus of bodies cutting through the wind.

Bell: Crap.

Bell look up, and a hope-shattering scene meets his eyes. An unbelievable number of those scarlet lines are slanting through the air. Bell was not talking about one or two. Even just counting the trajectories he was able to see at one glance, there are at least twenty of them. Yes indeed, a countless number of Iguazu are flying around up there.

Could this be an irregular event in the Dungeon—a mass outbreak of monsters? And just his luck, an outbreak of Iguazu? A chill runs down his spine. Bell stare as one of the scarlet lines flashes toward me, and he leap away to avoid it.

Bell: Whoa!

The Iguazu have begun their bombardment. Dozens of attacks rain down around Bell. The monsters streak past at top speed half a step in front of Bell, grazing his arms and legs before exploding into the water's surface like miniature geysers.

Bell(mind): It's no use—all I can see are lines!

Bell run through the shallow water and dive with all his strength behind a crystal cluster protruding from its surface.

Bell:...?!

Bambambambambam!! Right away, Bell hear the sound of crystal busting apart. He stand there gaping at the tsunami of crystal fragments flying into the air and the powerful vibrations, which he could feel because his back is pressed against the cluster.

Bell: Ugh! No way!

It's unbelievable—this thick, rock-hard crystal cluster is being chipped away before Bell's very eyes!

Some of the monstrous swallows die as they crash into the surface, but still they're trying to demolish the obstacle that stands between them and their prey. As they inflict this rain of rapid-fire projectiles on Bell, the sound of their bodies cutting through the air drowns out their menacing cries.

Second by second, the cluster nears total destruction. Bell's heart pounds low and distant. A drop of sweat falls from his forehead.

They're betting their lives on inflicting a single deadly blow. That's got to be powerful. All the upper-class adventurers say that if you encounter an Iguazu, you should drop anything you're holding and run. It's reasonable to think they could open a hole straight through you with their bodies. Bell's enemies are pure hunters willing to offer up their own fleeting lives to murder the invader.

Bell guess this is part two of his baptism in the lower levels, right after the underwater battle. The Dungeon has no mercy for adventurers who lose their footing.

Bell(mind): What do I do what do I do what do I do?

The crystal cluster where Bell was taking shelter is too far from the cave leading inside the cliff.

Bell(mind): There's not enough time for me to run for a cave. And there are others monsters in the water!

Retreat is impossible. All he can do is ride out this assault using some kind of big, hard protective gear. But Bell don't have a shield or heavy armor. He might as well be naked. There's no way he could withstand the attack. He was defenseless.

Bell(mind): This is the reality of the dungeon?! Of the lower floor?! I hate this. I won't accept it. I can't go out like this. I will not die here.  This fate of utter destruction can eat a pile of crap. Damn, I'm developing a dirty mouth. Whatever, who cares. Not me. Not if I can get out of here alive.

Bell's friends are out there. His promise to help the Xenos is out there. The rival he want to beat, the Hero he wanted to surpass and the idol he want to match are out there.

Bell(mind): I haven't done anything yet!

A second after that thought passes through my head, the last of the crystal posts in the cluster crashes into the water.

Bell:...!

Bell dive underwater to evade the charging Iguazu. Amid the splashes, he roll over and quickly stand up again. Half the flock of iguaçu has been killed, and the rest are whizzing through the air as they rally their forces again. As he survey the countless slanting scarlet lines... Bell made up his mind. Bell reach his right hand toward his hip and draw a knife. Holding it backhand as he crouch slightly, he prepare himself to face the flock of monsters.

Bell(mind): I'm going to cut them all down.

Since he couldn't escape and he couldn't defend himself, he'd decided to intercept them head-on. His senior adventurers just might faint if they could see him now. It's not that Bell had gone crazy or gotten desperate. Bell just had a thought.

Bell(mind): If she was here—if the Sword Princess Aiz Wallenstein was here—this is probably what she would do.

And if she could get through it...then Bell'll prove he can, too.

Bell: Bring it on!

Bell had chosen Hakugen as his weapon. Even among daggers, this unicorn- horn knife is incomparably light, and it handles incredibly. It's the right knife to take down those ultra-speedy monsters. He don't need any other weapons. He was going to focus all his energy into the single blade in his right hand. If he wait till he see them, he will be too late. He have to feel—the flow of the wind and their drive to kill. Bell have to predict their trajectories.

Bell:...

White spray flies from the waterfall as the sound of the pounding water tangles with the whizzing of monsters cutting through air. After a moment, color drains from the world and everything becomes quiet. Even Bell's own heartbeat and the ripples at his feet disappear. This mentality of extreme concentration is leading him somewhere. Bell's lips suck in a small breath and exhale it. The next instant. All at once, the scarlet lines up above turn toward him.

Bell: Yarrr!

Bell focus all his energy into a single thrust, and then slash the glittering white blade at the speeding bullet that's leading the flock toward him. It doesn't make a sound. Not a scream, not a death cry. The body of the Iguazu simply splits in two and falls into the water behind him. That's the signal for the head-to-head contest to begin.

Bell(mind): Compare to Sora's speed, this is nothing!

A swirl of flashing wings rushes toward him. Bell intercept them all, Hakugen gripped tightly in his hand. As soon as his right arm swings down, Bell brought it slicing up again. An instant later, the next bullet barrels toward him and Bell bend his head aside to dodge it. At the same time, he slice through three suicide bombers with a single swing of his blade. Thirty-seven times, Bell intercept the head-on, high-speed attacks. The first wave of murderous swallows swoops low over the water's surface and then soars upward before launching a second attack from all directions.

Bell(mind): If Miss Asuna is here, she would encourage me to keep moving!

Bell wield his knife at the flashes of light that rain down from the dome like shooting stars until they become a blur of speed and force.

Bell: !!

The sharp beak of an Iguazu grazes him just above my armor. Sparks fly from his dir-adamantite shoulder guard, and his Undine cloth undershirt tears as a spray of blood spurts upward. The wound rips wider as Bell cut the enemy's wing.

Once again, he was dripping sweat. His whole body is hot. His head feels about ready to burn off. All four limbs are screaming at him as if to ask, Wasn't there another way? Bell's heart argues back. The Firebolt couldn't destroy a flock of birds because it targets only one point, not a wide area. In exchange for killing a couple of birds, his body would be pierced with dozens of holes. This really is the only way.

Bell's speed, which has garnered so much praise, is his only advantage. But his enemies are staking their lives on this fight, too—Each flash of light is a life put on the line. A deathblow dealt at high speed. The reason the impact is so strong is that they're turning their very lives into attacks. They think nothing of the consequences but simply fly forward with the goal of piercing their enemy.

That's why Bell, too, have to keep on swinging his arm without pausing to think. This is a contest of endurance!!

Bell: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!

Bell give himself over entirely to his adventurer's instinct as he draw arc after glittering white arc around him. The speed of his knife accelerates. At the same time, Bell's ability to accurately perceive the enemy improves. It's like his intuition had been off, but now that he had been driven into a tight spot, his physical and mental selves are melding together—

Bell: More, more, more! Faster! Harder!

Bell thought back to the continuous slashing attack that he experienced at the hands of The Lightning Flash that night in the labyrinth town. As Bell remember the fierce and beautiful Sword Princess. As Bell remember that divine and beautiful Berserk Healer's magic. He weave the song of his blade, pushing it as fast as it can go. Just at that moment—

Bell: !!

Bell slice through the last bird drilling down on him from straight above. The glittering white blade efficiently cuts out its magic stone, and instantly the Iguazu's body turns to ash and scatters in the wind.

Bell stop, still poised with his knife at the end of its trajectory. A spray of water falls like a gentle rain on his flushed cheeks. Bell's extreme level of concentration eases, and the sound of the Great Falls fills his ears. Bell relax his stance and look around. Hundreds of drop items—the severed feathers of the Iguazu—are floating in the shallow water around him.

Bell: I...did it...

Bell made it through a mass outbreak of Iguazu. He wipe the trails of blood off his cheeks and arms and lower the hand that still holds Hakugen. Bell's body feels sluggish. He was forced to make a stand, and there's no question that he'd used up quite a bit of time and energy in the process. But Bell had started to understand some things...

Taking drastic measures is different from being reckless. Still, there will come a time when he have to take a risk—in other words, when Bell had to adventure. It may be a year from now, or a day from now, or maybe a couple of seconds from now. Bell have no idea. He'd got to prepare for that time, in all sorts of ways.

Bell always have to reach for his personal best. He had to prepare himself , physically and mentally. That's definitely what first-tier adventurers do. It's the only way to avoid having regrets.

Now that Bell had undergone this Dungeon baptism, he feel like he had grown as an adventurer. Bell slip his new weapon, Hakugen, into its sheath. Just then, he hear a sound that catches him by surprise. A sound that's totally out of place in the tense atmosphere of the Dungeon —the sound of clapping.

Bell: Huh?

Bell sputter idiotically. There's no way a monster can be applauding an adventurer. Ordinarily he'd assume it was another adventurer. But there's no sign of anyone else near the plunge pool. As Bell's mind searches for another answer, he slowly look over his shoulder and see...

Bell:...

The top of the enormous waterfall leading to the twenty-sixth floor. And there on a crystal strand, back to the magnificent scenery, is a fishtail covered with translucent green scales. In contrast to this lower body the same shade as the emerald-blue Great Falls is a faint indigo-blue human upper body.

She has smooth, clear skin; a pair of bare, well-shaped breasts; long hair the same color as her lower body; and in place of ears, two cute fins. Her eyes are resplendent jade. Bell gasp at the sight of this beautiful "girl" as she shakes the shells and pearls decorating her hair.

Bell: A mermaid...?

Bell couldn't take his eyes off this creature who is endowed with such un-monster-like beauty. As if to praise Bell's display of martial skills against the Iguazu, or perhaps out of pure admiration, she smiles and innocently claps her hands.