Hello Fanfiction readers! Ashbel Longhart here back to bring you, readers, a new chapter of Dark Soul Bell's adventures! I was originally not going to do this until much later, but I was in the mood and before I knew it, I was finished. So to those who were waiting for a new chapter, you're welcome. Anyway, before I continue, cue the disclaimer!

(Disclaimer: I do not own Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka, Danmachi for short, or Dark Souls. Both belong to their respective owners. I just own this story and nothing more. Please Enjoy.)

Now then, last time, not much happened. Lili met with Hestia and discussed keeping an eye on Bell and later on, the two plus Sif went on a Quest for the Miach Familia and left behind a burning forest. Yep, just another regular day for Bell (Dark Souls) Cranel. Now, as I mentioned in the last chapter, I'm going to diving into the Sword Oratoria part of this story. How will Bell get involved and affect the story? Well, read on to find out. It's time for some jolly adventuring!

Is It Too Much To Ask To Be Left Alone?

Grace 11: Getting Involved (Unknown Dungeon)

"Fels, why did you issue the Sword Princess a Quest?"

In a dark room with the only light coming from flaming torches, a single voice echoes throughout the room, speaking to the only other occupant here.

"Regarding that Jewel, it seemed the Sword Princess showed quite a reaction to it," A figure spoke out, their entire form covered by a black cloak as their voice seemed to switch between a male and female's voice, making it hard to decipher what gender the cloaked person was.

Before the cloaked person, sitting on a throne, was a man who was easily identified as a god due to the aura he gave off. Dressed in a black hooded cloak and sandals, the only thing that could be seen was the god's face, white hair, and blue eyes which stared down at the cloaked figure standing before him.

"I suspect there may be some connection between it and Ais Wallenstein, so I made the call," The cloaked figure, Fels as the god had called the person, explained. "Also, while we contained the incident in the 30th Floor Pantry, Lido and our allies suffered heavy losses. They cannot shoulder any more duties at this time."

"..." The god remains silent for now, letting Fels continue his reasoning.

"There were no guards before, but now our enemy is sure to be more cautious. When I saw the Sword Princess enter the Dungeon, I could not let the opportunity pass."

"Guards...that Tamer may appear again...I shall inform Hermes myself."

"My apologies, Ouranos," Fels apologized, identifying the god as the one who founded Orario itself.

"There will be casualties once again," Ouranos said, already predicting future losses.

"With secrecy being our utmost priority, we cannot interfere any further than this," Fels said. "However, we cannot allow this situation to continue unabated. Ouranos, let's put our trust in the unexpected variable called the Sword Princess and the chain reaction she will cause. Believe in what charmed the gods—those irregulars called humanity."

"Hmm..." Ouranos merely hummed, knowing that his companion's words were true and that all they could do now was sit and wait.

"And what of the Dungeon?" The founder of Orario asked his cloaked friend.

"By your request, I have been investigating the Dungeon for the abnormalities you sensed," Fels said. "However, I could not find anything out of the ordinary what with my limited abilities. So I sought the 'Queen' for answers."

"The Queen..." Ouranos repeated, thinking about the one who was in charge of looking after them. Indeed, if there were any changes to the Dungeon, she would be the first to notice. "What did she say?"

"What the Queen told me has me concerned," Fels said, his/her tone filled with both confusion and worry. "She said that the Dungeon was...scared."

"Scared?" Ouranos raised an eyebrow at that. The Dungeon was called many things. To call it 'scared' was an uncommon description of it for the Dungeon was anything but. As the one who overlooked the underground labyrinth and made sure the monsters below didn't reach the surface, to hear the Dungeon was 'scared' was both confusing yet equally concerning.

"A more accurate word would be anxious, but that is what she said," Fels said. "It seems the Dungeon, or rather, something within it has been reacting to something. After a bit of investigating, I have traced the source to a possible suspect."

"And? Who is this suspect?"

"A rookie Adventurer by the name of...Bell Cranel."

(Dungeon, 16th Floor)

*SLASH!*

"ROOOAAAR!" Letting out one final roar, a Minotaur fell to its knees, blood spraying out from its cut neck before it fell down, dead. Soon joining the bull-like Monster were a pair of Lygerfangs and a small pack of Hellhounds.

"Amazing, Master Bell! Miss Sif!" Coming out from her hiding place, Lili expresses her amazement at the duo's prowess, evident by the number of Monsters around them as packs of Hellhounds, Lygerfangs, and Minotaurs laid dead by Bell and Sif's feet.

Sif breathed through her nose as she brandished the claymore in her mouth, throwing off most of the blood on it. Meanwhile, Bell was simply standing still as he looked down at his sword, deep in thought.

"Lili already knew you were strong, but to take down multiple Minotaurs so easily along with packs of Hellhounds and Lygerfangs, Lili can't help but wonder what Master Bell's true level is," Lili said, dissecting Magic Stones from the slain Monsters around them, only having difficulty with the higher leveled monsters. Thankfully, Sif was there to assist using her claws to tear open the flesh for the Pallum. The fact Sif went and aided the Pallum in the first place showed that Sif was slowly getting used to her presence.

Bell didn't respond back, still looking down at his sword. Now while it was normal for Bell to be quite silent in the Dungeon, the way he was looking at his sword caught Lili and Sif's attention.

"Master Bell?"

"...this is bad." Bell's mutter to himself. "This sword is at its limit."

Indeed, true to Bell's words, the sword he bought long ago was nearing its limit. Despite constant upkeep, scratches can be seen all over the steel blade with nicks and chips decorating both sides of the double-edged weapon, dulling what was once a sharp sword.

One sword, they say, can cut just five enemies before growing blunt with blood and fat. A well-made sword can do even more than that before dulling. In his travels through Lordran, Bell had found and collected a plethora of weapons with most of them outshining the blade in his hands, but by no means was it mediocre. It held up just fine, but due to how rapid Bell was progressing through the Dungeon, it deteriorated faster than most weapons Bell was used to.

In short, the sword could not keep up with Bell's strength.

'If only I had a catalyst with me, I could cast a quick Repair,' Bell thought to himself, sheathing his sword before pulling out the Hand Axe he brought with him as an extra weapon to use. How long it would last was another matter entirely.

"You know, with the amount of time we have, you'd think we would have brought a catalyst by now," The voice in his head spoke up, pointing out Bell's misuse of his time.

Semi-ignoring the voice in his head, Bell made a mental note to later ask Eina where he could buy catalysts from. He had nothing against his Pyromancy, far from it, but keeping his skill set varied was what allowed Bell to survive as long as he did even as an Undead.

"Let us continue," Bell said, testing the weight of the Hand Axe in his hand before moving forward.

"R-Right!" Lili stood back up after extracting the last of the Magic Stones with Sif's assistance before following after the armored Adventurer.

As the group walked, Bell sent a glance towards Sif, silently asking the wolf if her weapon was okay. Said wolf sent a look back, informing the knight that the sword in her mouth was doing just fine. While pleased, Bell couldn't help but wonder just where exactly had Sif picked up the claymore from. It held up surprisingly well after all this time.

"You know," Lili spoke up while also keep an eye on their surroundings. "Lili was a bit hesitant at first going this deep into the Middle Floors, but if we keep up this pace, we might just reach the Under Resort."

"The Under Resort?" From under his helmet, Bell raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You don't know it?" Lili asked the knight who responded by shaking his head. "The Under Resort is located on the 18th Floor, one of the few safety points in the Dungeon where no Monsters are born. It's also where the city of Rivira is located at."

"Rivira?" Bell tilts his head, expressing his confusion as Sif mimics the act to express her own confusion.

"It's a city that was built and is run by adventurers," Lili explained. "Lili's never been there herself, but she heard that you can trade and buy items over there, though they're quite expensive or so Lili's heard so she doesn't recommend it unless you really have to."

"I see..." Bell said, thinking to himself.

"Lili would like to see it herself, though we'd have to pass by the 17th Floor to get there."

"What's wrong with the 17th Floor?" Bell asked, noticing the Pallum's hesitation.

"The 17th Floor is where the Monster Rex, Goliath, is located at."

"Monster Rex?" Bell repeated the name, confused at first until he remembers...

"A Monster Rex," The one who spoke up was Riveria, taking the lead in explaining to the armored Adventurer what a Monster Rex is. "is an especially powerful monster that only appears on certain floors. Unlike common Monsters, it takes a Monster Rex much longer to respawn due to how powerful one is with timing being different depending on how powerful a Monster Rex is. We tend to call them Floor Bosses because of this."

'So...' Bell looks down at the ground, thinking about what laid below it. 'Down below this Floor, there's a Monster Rex.'

"Hmm, then again, Lili heard that the Goliath had recently been taken care of. So it shouldn't have respawned already," Lili said, taking a moment to think whether it was a good idea to continue forward or stay and continue to farm for more Magic Stones.

While Lili was thinking about their next course of action, Bell too was thinking about whether they should continue down or play it safe and stay where they were at. However, while Lili was more hesitant to go further, Bell was the opposite.

'Chester has my stuff, and my only clue is that he might be hiding down here in the Dungeon,' Bell thought to himself, thinking about the masked trickster.

"If we're to find Chester, we'll need to keep exploring down until we find him," The voice in the Undead's head said. "Besides, we'd never have made it as far as we have in Lordran if we played it safe all the time."

'That's true,' Bell thought, agreeing with the voice in his head. It's true that while he liked to play things safe, he'd had never made it as far as he did in Lordran if he always shied away from danger. It's like when he was face to face with Fog Gates. Unless he ventured through one, he would never know what was on the other side.

"Let's keep going," Bell said.

"Eh? Are you sure?" Lili asked, still somewhat hesitant.

"Yeah," Bell nodded. "Plus, you said it yourself that the Monster Rex won't respawn anytime soon, so now's a perfect time as any to venture further down." While Bell had been curious to see what a Monster Rex was like, with the way his equipment was in terms of weaponry, it was best to not take risks and use this chance to get further down into the Dungeon. And who knows, he might find clues about Chester's whereabouts at this so-called 'Under Resort.'

"Hmm...okay. Lili would have liked if we had more Party Members, but there's not much we can do about that right now," Lili said, remembering how Bell was the only member of his Familia. She wasn't sure if Sif counted.

"And what about you?" Bell asked his wolf companion to see what her opinion was.

The wolf grumbled, thinking about whether she wanted to head deeper into the Dungeon. After a moment of thinking, she looked up at Bell and nodded her head.

"Well then, let's go," And with that, the group proceeded towards the entrance that would take them to the 17th Floor.

The trek to the next floor was quiet and uneventful. Any Monsters that tried to attack them were quickly dealt with by both Bell and Sif with Lili providing only the bare minimum of help due to the gap in strength. The only thing worth mentioning was a Monster Party that had tried to ambush them, only for Bell to make quick work of them thanks to his Pyromancy.

"It never ceases to amaze Lili by how strong your magic is, Master Bell," Lili commented as she just witnessed the knight reduce the Monster Party to a pile of ashes in seconds. So this was the strength of a high-class Adventurer.

Bell simply shrugs his shoulders, dispelling the flames in his left hand while yanking out his Hand Axe from the head of what used to be a Minotaur. If the Pallum thought the spells he's used so far were amazing, then wait until she sees his more advanced spells.

"You know, Lili's been meaning to ask..."

"Hm?"

"How does Master Bell cast his spells without having to chant?"

"Chant?" Bell tilts his head in its usual confused manner.

"All forms of Magic need a chant in order for them to activate like Lili's [Cinderella] spell," Lili explained, pointing to the wolf ears and tail on her as an example. "Even if no chant is required, a spell still needs to at least be spoken out loud for it to take effect. Yet Lili's never seen you utter a single word whenever you cast your spells. So how do you do it, if you don't mind Lili asking?"

"Chanting sounds like a hassle," The voice in Bell's head commented after hearing Lili's explanation. As usual, Bell ignored it(even if he did agree with it) before answering the Pallum.

"I don't know what to say. I've always been able to cast my Pyromancy like this."

"Pyromancy?" Lili repeated, confusion evident on her face.

Eventually, the group found the entrance to the 17th Floor and continued downward while Bell explained to the Pallum what Pyromancy is.

"Pyromancy, as the name suggests, has to do with casting fire and fire-related spells. From where I learned it, Pyromancy was considered simplistic, almost primitive, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous. Anyone can learn Pyromancy provided they have some Attunement for it. Of course, in order for one to cast Pyromancy, one first needs a Pyromancy Flame."

"A Pyromancy Flame?" Lili repeated, confused. Sif was too if her expression was anything to go by.

"It's a type of catalyst any Pyromancer worth his salt needs. Without it, one wouldn't even be able to cast a simple Fireball," Bell explained before summoning a small flame to his left hand as a demonstration. "An interesting thing about Pyromancy is that it doesn't scale with one's stats."

"Huh? It doesn't?" Lili asked, looking surprised.

"No. The damage of Pyromancies is determined by the spell and the power of one's Pyromancy Flame," Bell explained.

"So, the reason why your spells are so powerful is because of..."

"I practiced a lot," Bell said as he looked down at the flame in his left hand as his mind wanders to days long gone.

He stood there, staring at the flame in his hands in child-like wonderment. As a boy, he has already dreamed about casting magic from his hands, and now, thanks to the man in front of him, he could do just that.

"There. Now you're a fully-fledged Pyromancer," The Pyromancer of the Great Swamp said, chuckling at the smile Bell was sporting on his face. "I see someone's excited. Now then, let's say we get started right now."

"Yes!" He smiled and nodded, excited for what he was about to learn from his now fellow Pyromancer.

A wistful smile forms on Bell's face, hidden only by his helmet as he clenched his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame before looking up.

"So that's the so-called Great Wall of Sorrow," Lili said as she and the group looked around the area they were in.

Unlike the drab stone walls which had been present all the way from the 13th Floor, the 17th Floor was a single large room about two hundred meters long from the entrance to the exit. It was also a hundred meters wide and twenty meters tall. All in all, it was the perfect area to fight a Boss Monster such as a Monster Rex.

The walls and ceiling were covered in many layers of jagged rocks aside from the one to the left entrance, which was completely smooth to the point it looked unnatural.

"This place just screams Boss Room. All that's missing now is a Fog Gate."

Bell again chose to ignore the voice in his head in favor of asking about what Lili had just said.

"Great Wall of Sorrow?"

"It's something Adventurers from long ago called it," Lili explained, pointing over to the smooth wall. "The Monster Rex sleeps just behind those walls, waiting to be reborn. And once it does come out, it brings despair to those who ventured here unprepared. Basically, the wall represents what separates High-Class Adventurers from the low-class ones."

"Is that so..." Bell said as he looks up at the unnaturally smooth wall.

"This is Lili's first time seeing it," Lili said, sweating a little as she stared up at the infamous wall. "Lili feels...exceptionally smaller than she is right now."

True, the smooth wall had an intimidating factor to it, but Bell had seen stranger. If anything, this Great Wall of Sorrow reminded him of a...

*BAM!*

"Master Bell! What are you doing!?" Lili cried out when Bell suddenly walked up to the wall and punched it.

"Hmm, so it's not an Illusory Wall," Bell mutters to himself, looking at his fist before up at the wall he just punched. He half-expected to find hidden messages around here(hopefully none of them relating to or talking about an 'amazing chest').

"Again, what are you doing!?" Lili exclaims as she pulls Bell away from the wall. "You can't just go punching this thing! What if the Goliath respawns early or something!?"

"You said it wouldn't for a while."

"It could happen!" While it was true that the Goliath wouldn't respawn anytime soon, they were still in the Dungeon where anything could happen.

"Sorry, habit," Bell apologized.

"What kind of habit makes you hit walls?" Lili couldn't help but ask.

The same one that has him kicking doors, but Bell chose not to voice that as he instead focuses on getting over to the exit of this Floor, something Lili was happier to do as she was the most anxious out of the group with Bell and Sif being completely fine. And with nothing standing in the group's way, it was a simple walk over to the stairs that would lead them to the 18th Floor.

'Let's see what this Under Resort is like,' Bell thought to himself as he and the group went down, eventually reaching the entrance to the first safety point of the Dungeon.

Bright. That was the first thing that came to Bell's mind when the group left the stairway. The usual floors of the Dungeon were never pitch black thanks to tiny glowing crystals embedded in the walls thus illuminating the place no matter what time of day it was. It was like leaving a nightlight on during the night. But the second Bell stepped out, it was like he had returned to the surface with the sun high in the sky.

Of course, said sun and sky were actually giant crystals mimicking it as a white crystal in the center acted as the sun while blue crystals surrounding it acted like the sky. Not only that but from what he could see, crystals of varying sizes decorated the entire Floor with some being smaller than his feet to being as tall as he was and larger. A massive tree was located where Bell guessed to be the center of this floor as it was surrounded by large forests and lakes. And over to the far east was what Bell guessed to be the city of Rivira Lili had told him about.

"So this is the Under Resort..." Lili muttered in amazement.

"It certainly is breathtaking..." Bell said, he too was amazed to an extent as it felt like they had stepped right into an Elven forest. The only one not impressed was Sif who had passed by this Floor long ago in her quest to reach the surface.

"Lili's heard that some Nobles outside of Orario would hire High-Class Adventurers to take them here just for the view," Lili informed.

"Really?" Bell asked and the disguised Pallum nodded. "That's...a wasteful use of money." In Bell's mind, if they wanted to see this place so badly, why not do it themselves?

"Ehehe..." Lili let out a weak laugh at what Bell said, though she too shared his thoughts.

"So, what now?"

"I'm heading over to Rivira," Bell said, turning to leave with Sif following close behind. "There's a certain something I'm looking for and so I'll need information from the people there."

"Ah! Master Bell, wait for Lili!" Lili cried out as she quickly followed after the two.

(Rivira)

"Chester? Who's that? By the way, want to buy some weapons?" So said an arm's dealer.

"Marvelous who? The hell's that? Forget it, want to buy some items?" So said a woman selling a plethora of random items.

"A suited man in a top hat and a mask? I'm afraid I've never seen such a person," The bartender they were talking to laid down a small canteen filled with wine in front of Bell. "That'll be 300 Valis."

Bell remained silent as he gave the man the money before taking the canteen and stashing it away.

"And Master Bell needs that why?" Lili asked, giving the knight a questioning look.

"Just in case."

"In case of what?"

Bell didn't answer as he instead looked around the bar they were in, seeing sulking Adventurers filling every table here. The one thing the knight saw that these Adventurers had in common was that they were either severely injured or missing limbs.

"What the heck happened here?" Lili couldn't help but ask, noting that some of the Adventurers looked to be on the verge of crying. In fact, there was one such man who didn't have either of his legs, much to Lili's surprise and horror.

"You haven't heard?" The bartender spoke up whilst wiping a glass cup clean. "Apparently, the main route of the 24th Floor is overrun with Monsters. No one knows where they came from or where they're headed. Adventurers have already fallen victim. These guys are survivors who managed to escape."

"I see..." Bell said, his tone dispassionate as he scanned the room. Had he been his old self, he probably would have felt something seeing all this. Now, he barely felt anything in front of this depressing sight. Those that were simply injured would recover from this, eventually. But those missing limbs, well, sad to say but their time as Adventurers was over and done.

"Master Bell, can we leave now?" Lili asked the knight, starting to feel uncomfortable here.

Nodding, the two exited the bar where Sif was waiting for them. Once outside, the disguised Pallum let out a breath of relief.

"Geez, that was heavy," Lili commented before turning to the armored Adventurer. "So now what do we do?"

"We keep asking around," Bell said as he and Sif started walking with Lili quickly joining them.

"Are you planning on asking every person in town?" Lili asked as she felt that was something her employer/friend would do.

"If I have to," The knight said, confirming the Pallum's thoughts.

"You haven't told Lili just who this Chester person is," Lili said, curious as to who this 'Marvelous Chester' person was that Bell was trying to find.

"Someone who is currently in possession of my stuff."

"Your stuff?"

"...before I came to Orario, I collected a plethora of equipment. Swords, shields, Catalysts, accessories, armor sets...and a few things best kept out of greedy hands." Lili felt herself shiver when the knight emphasized the word 'greedy.' He probably didn't mean it, but she couldn't help but feel like the word had been directed at her.

"Did...did this Chester person...steal from you?"

"In a sense. He's the last person I want to have my stuff with," Bell said. There were a few things in his Bottomless Box that he wanted to be kept...locked away.

"And...if you happen to find this Chester person...?" Lili asked, nervous about the answer.

"..." Bell doesn't answer which only made the Pallum more nervous. She opened her mouth to speak again but decided that it was best to stop the questions here. Bell seemed to appreciate this as the tense atmosphere that had been developing faded away as Bell approached a raven-haired elf, raising his hand to get the elf's attention.

"Excuse m—"

*BAM!*

It all happened so fast. One second the elf that Bell had been trying to talk to suddenly drew a short sword and swung at the knight. The next second, the said elf was now on the ground, having been slammed down by Bell who parried the attack, knocking the sword out of the elf's hands, grabbed said elf by her neck, drew one of his throwing knives out and was now pointing it down in front of the elf's face, ready to take one of the elf's eyes if she tried anything funny.

This all happened in the time it took for Lili to blink. Blinking a few more times, the Pallum finally registered what had just happened.

"M-Master Bell!" Lili exclaimed out loud as Sif began growling at the elf that had tried to attack her master. "N-Now, now, Miss Sif, calm down! Master Bell is fine, see?"

"Miss Filvis!" Suddenly, a voice called out as a familiar(to Bell) looking blond elf ran up to them, pointing at the knight. "You! Let her go, you scoundrel!"

"Huh?" Bell lifted his head to the new elf, taking a second to recognize the elf as the one who happened to see with Ais when he visited the Loki Familia.

"Eh?" Lefiya Viridis blinked as she slowly recognized the knight herself. "Wait, you're..."

"Tin Head!" Everyone but Bell and Sif jumped at the volume of a second voice speaking. Turning his head, Bell saw none other than Bete Loga stomping over to them, glaring at the armored Adventurer.

"You're...Bete, correct?" The knight asked, taking a second to recognize the werewolf.

"You damn right I am!" The werewolf shouted angrily. "The hell are you doing here?"

"I was just walking around gathering information," The knight said before using his knife to point down at the elf he was holding down which made the said elf look warily at the motioning knife. "I went to speak to this elf when she suddenly attacked me. So in response, I merely defended myself."

"She attacked you?" Lefiya asked, looking confused until winced, seemingly having remembered something. "Did you...try to touch her?"

"Hm? I was going to pat her shoulder to get her attention, yes," Bell said, confirming Lefiya's thoughts who mentally sighed.

"Master Bell, enough of that! Get off of her, you're making a scene," Lili said as indeed a crowd was starting to form around them.

Seeing this, Bell finally moved the knife away from the black-haired elf, Filvis if Bell heard correctly, sheathing it before releasing the elf from his grasp and stood up. The knight offered the elf a hand, but Filvis ignored it as she grabbed her short sword which had been knocked out of her hands when she lashed out earlier and picked herself up, moving away from Bell whilst glaring at him. The knight ignored this as he faced the two Loki members in front of him.

"If you don't mind, I would like to ask some questions," The armored Adventurer asked, acting as if what had just happened earlier had never occurred.

"And what the hell do you want?" Bete said, acting rude as usual. "We're in a hurry, so move it!"

"It won't take long, I promise. I simply wish to know if your Familia has had any progress in locating Chester," The knight politely asked. While it wasn't that long ago that he had visited the Twilight Manor, there was a slim chance the Loki Familia may have learned something new. As an Undead who's overcome impossible odds and challenges, a slim chance was better than none so he asked anyway.

"Hell if I know," Bete rudely replied. "Go ask the captain or something. I don't care. Now, move it!" With a shout, the werewolf rudely pushed Bell to the side.

"Hey!" Lili spoke up, appalled by the werewolf's behavior but Bete simply ignored her as he continued on...or at least tried to.

*CHOMP!*

"YEOW!" Bete cried out in pain when Sif went and bit the werewolf's tail.

"Miss Sif!?" Lili cried out in surprise, wondering just when had the wolf moved away from her.

Bete gritted out a curse as he shook the wolf off of him, holding his behind as he glared at the wolf who glared back, both baring their teeth.

"Fucking mutt! You wanna go!?" Sif growled in response as if saying 'Bring it!'

"Sif, stand down," Bell spoke up, getting in the way of both wolves as he motioned Sif to calm down. Sif herself sent a look at Bell who returned it through the slit in his helmet. With reluctance, the wolf did as told and calmed down, but still openly glared at the werewolf who returned it. Bell himself, meanwhile, turned to Bete and apologized.

"Please forgive Sif, she's very protective of me."

Bete turned his glare over at Bell, but the knight remained unaffected. Small cracks can be heard as Bete flexed his fingers, looking ready to start a fight until Lefiya spoke up.

"Bete!" Lefiya cried out, sending the werewolf a silent look which reminded him of why exactly they were here.

"Tch!" Clicking his tongue, Bete relaxed his stance and stuffed his hands into his pocket, stomping away.

"Bete!" Lefiya cried out to the werewolf again before sighing and quickly bowing to the knight in apology. "I'm very sorry about him! He's, uh..."

"It's okay," Bell said, waving off the elf's concern. "Sif was the one who attacked your friend. I should be the one apologizing."

"He's not really my friend..." Lefiya muttered to herself quietly.

"You seem to be in a hurry," Bell said, having noticed the look Lefiya gave to Bete earlier. "Is something the matter?"

"We're just looking for a comrade of ours," Lefiya said before asking, "By any chance, have either of you happen to have seen Miss Ais pass by here?"

"The Sword Princess?" Lili spoke up.

"The very same," Lefiya nodded. "She, uh...tends to come down to the Dungeon by herself sometimes so Bete and I are here to bring her back to our Goddess."

"I see," Bell said before shaking his head to the elf's question. "I'm sorry, but Lili and I just arrived in this town today. If Miss Ais were here, she's probably long gone from here."

"I see," Lefiya said, frowning a little.

"Oi! What's the holdup!?" Bete's voice called over to the elf as the werewolf and the elf called Filvis were already ahead of her.

"Ah! Coming!" Lefiya cried back, quickly bowing to the knight again before running off to rejoin her party. Bete and Filvis both glared at the knight, the former out of hate while the latter was one more of suspicion before the three soon took their leaves.

Lili let out a sigh of relief. "Lili never expected to run into [Vanargand] and [Thousand Elves] here, especially with the [Banshee]."

"[Banshee]?" Bell raised an eyebrow under his helmet as he looked at the Pallum.

"The raven-haired elf that was with them," Lili said, talking about Filvis. "That was Filvis Challia, Dionysus Familia's captain."

"I see..." Bell said, looking back in the direction where the trio had left towards. "Is [Banshee] her alias?"

Alias or Titles are a second name given to Adventurers once they reach Level 2. A meeting of gods and goddesses, called the Denatus, is held once every three months where gods come together to discuss recent news and to hand out alias to rising Adventurers. An Adventurer's alias might even change as they level up again. For many Adventurers, an alias, to put it simply, are cool titles and are thus one of many things Adventurers are excited to get once they level up.

"I wonder what kind of alias would the gods give us if Hestia announced our current level?" The voice in Bell's head spoke. As always, Bell ignored him though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least interested in what sort of title he could have. One thing's for sure, he did not want to be known as Bell the [Chosen Undead]. He had no love for the title and to know that the name was literally on his back displeased him greatly.

"No, it's more of nickname actually," Lili said, looking left and right before explaining. "Apparently, everyone that's been in a party with that elf has all ended up dead."

"Really?" Bell asked and Lili nodded.

"Whether the trouble came from within or without, she's the only one who survives. Lili's heard that she's a survivor of the 27th Floor Nightmare."

"Nightmare?"

"Lili's not surprised that you haven't heard of it. It happened six years ago when Evilus was still around."

"Evilus?" Bell tilted his head, letting Lili know that he was confused.

"Master Bell, you don't know about Evilus?" Lili asked, surprised. When the knight shook his head, the Pallum was even more surprised. "Lili is surprised. She didn't think there was anyone in Orario who doesn't know about Evilus."

"Just what is Evilus?" Bell asked again.

"It's not really a what, but a who," Lili said before explaining. "Evilus was a radical group led by gods who craved chaos and threatened Orario after the Zeus and Hera Familia weakened in power and were subsequently exiled from the city. It was weakened by the efforts of the Guild along with various Familia, such as the Loki Familia until it was finally defeated years later."

"So a bad Familia," Bell said, summarizing everything he had been told.

"Basically," Lili said with a shrug before continuing. "Their notoriety is still well known to this day, and out of all of their atrocities, the 27th Floor Nightmare was the most horrific."

"What happened?" Bell asked, curious.

"False information was leaked to the Guild about strange activities happening down in the Dungeon. Adventurers were sent to investigate only to be led into a trap as Evilus members sacrificed themselves to lure massive packs of Monsters to them. It was a massacre." While Lili had been young when this incident occurred, just hearing the story about it was enough to send shivers down the Pallum's spine.

"So Miss Filvis is a survivor of that incident?" Bell asked which Lili nodded in response.

"According to other Adventurers, she came back to town looking already dead, walking around as if trying to look for her dead allies. After that, any party she joined got wiped out at some point. It was like she was cursed. One party took a wrong turn in the Dungeon, another fell victim to a gimmick, and another had a falling out. No matter what, she's always the lone survivor. Rumors about how she's bad luck spread, and Lili's heard that even her own Familia avoid her like the plague. Thus people began calling her the solo, Party-killing Fairy, [Banshee]."

Bell had no words to speak. Being left behind and abandoned, the elf known as Filvis Challia experienced it in the worst possible way. And for it to happen multiple times...Bell did not believe in such nonsense, preferring to see things with his own eyes, but he couldn't help but pity the elf...and relate to her to an extent.

"It's probably best that we don't get involved with such a person," Lili said, adjusting her backpack before taking out a watch to check the time. "So, what should we do now? Keep asking around about this Chester person or head back up?"

...

...

...

"Master Bell?" Lili looked at the knight in confusion as Bell had gone silent.

'...something's not right,' Bell thought to himself. The elf earlier, Lefiya, had said she and Bete were looking for their friend, Ais. If it was just the two of them he would have paid it no mind, but after being told about Filvis' status, the fact that the Loki members were with such a person just to look for their friend caught Bell's eye.

"Lili."

"Y-Yes?" Lili jumped when Bell suddenly spoke up.

"You still have those weapons with you, right? The ones from Ikelos Familia?"

"Lili left them back at her safe house," She said, wondering why was the knight asking about them now.

"I'm going to need them for a bit."

"...huh?"

"Asfi! Take a look at this!" A black hair, brown-eyed, and light brown eared Chienthrope by the name of Lulune Louie called out to her leader, having found something.

Down on the 24th Floor, a party consisting mostly of Hermes Familia members stopped walking as Lulune showed them what she had found.

"What in the...?" Asfi Al Andromeda, Alias: [Perseus], captain of the Hermes Familia, and one of Orario's most famous item makers let out a gasp of surprise as before her and her party was a wall made entirely out of plants.

"A wall? It looks to be made up of plants..."

"This thing doesn't show up anywhere on the map!" Lulune said, holding the said map in her hands. The party had followed the path north making no wrong turns, and yet here was this mysterious wall that seemingly reached up as high as the floor ceiling.

"Hmm..." Eyeing the wall blocking their path, Asfi turned to the only person who wasn't a part of her Familia. "Sword Princess, have you seen anything like this in the Deep Floors?"

"This is my first time seeing this as well," Ais said, having never seen such a thing before either. Raising her right hand up to the wall, Ais was surprised to feel what felt like a heartbeat from the plants that made up the wall.

'It's alive...!' Ais thought as an ominous feeling overcame not just her, but to the entire party behind her. They could tell that whatever lied behind this wall was bad news.

"Lulune, are you sure this is the correct path?" Asfi asked the Chienthrope, checking to see if they had mistakenly taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"Y-Yes! I picked a path with a straight shot to the pantry," Lulune said, double-checking the map in her hands before looking back up at the wall blocking the way. "This thing...shouldn't exist."

Humming to herself again, Asfi quickly made a decision. "Falgar, Thane, take the others and split into two groups. Look into the other paths, but don't go too deep in. Report back the instant anything seems amiss." Falgar, a weretiger, and Thane, an elf, both nodded at their orders.

"Then I'll—"

"Hold it right there," Ais was interrupted by one of the Pallum twins, Pock was his name. "I know you're strong, but would you stop trying to show us up? We've got our own way of doing things, got that?"

"Oi, oi, you don't need to be so harsh," Lulune said.

"She's right, Pock. You shouldn't talk like that," The other Pallum twin and older sister, Pot, said before turning to Ais. "You've been so nice to spearhead the group for us so you should get some rest, even if it's only a little. Plus, we wouldn't want to argue later over who gets all the loot, right?"

"You guys just shut up already!"

"Hee-hee!"

"Hey, let's go!" Falgar called out as the group split up.

"..." Ais didn't say anything as she drew her sword out and damaged the walls next to her. It was a common trick all Adventurers knew. Monsters are born from the Dungeon's walls, this was common knowledge. If a wall is damaged, it will regenerate in time, however, Monsters will not be born while the walls are regenerating. By exploiting this does this allow Adventurers small breaks inside the Dungeon.

"H-Hey, don't let them get to you," Lulune said, thinking that the blond swordswoman must have been hurt by the twins' attitude.

"We're terribly sorry," Nelly, a human in charge of the rear guard apologized before taking out a stamina potion and offering it to the Sword Princess. "Would you like a potion?"

Ais shook her head, having no need for the potion. Ever since leveling up, Ais made sure to see how much her body's changed. After dealing with the Monsters that were crowding the main route of the 24th Floor, Ais was able to see that not only were her strength, speed, and defenses increased, but also her senses and stamina. Suffice to say, she was quite pleased with the results.

"So that's what it is..." Asfi said, suddenly speaking which got the attention of the others.

"Asfi?"

"Such a huge gathering of Monsters, I don't think this is the Dungeon suddenly spawning many Monsters at once."

"W-What do you mean?" Lulune nervously asked.

"Hungry Monsters will gather at pantries from all over the Floor, but if the entrance to said pantry was blocked, what do you think that horde would do next?"

"...head for a different pantry," Ais said, realizing what Asfi had figured out.

"That's right. What's been going on for the last few days isn't a mass outbreak of Monsters, but rather, a migration of Monsters. The Monsters unable to enter the North Pantry were forced to travel to the remaining two, leading them directly to the route main used by Adventurers. This is the most logical explanation. While only a theory, I believe our investigation into the surrounding area will confirm my suspicions."

And just a few minutes after she said that did the other members of the party return and told Asfi of their findings.

"So all the other entrances are indeed blocked," Asfi said, her suspicions confirmed.

"But Asfi," Lulune spoke up, looking up at the wall before them. "If your explanation is right...then what's on the other side of this thing?"

Just as Asfi had theorized because the way to the North Pantry had been blocked, mass hordes of Monsters were forced to migrate which led to them taking the main route Adventurers took, causing small casualties. However, like Lulune had pointed out if the Pantry had been blocked, the question remained just what lied beyond the ominous wall. Such a question caused some of the parties to start sweating in anxiety.

"...we'll find out when we go inside," Asfi said, adjusting her glasses before pointing over to what looked like a sealed entrance. "That thing over there looks like a door, but it doesn't seem it'll open for us."

"Shall I cut it?" Ais asked with a small glint in her eyes.

"...You're really all brawn, aren't you, Sword Princess?" Asfi couldn't help, but comment.

"Why not have Meryl do it?" Pock suggested which Asfi agreed to.

"Very well. I would like to see how it holds up against fire," Asfi said before turning to another Pallum much like the twins but was dressed in a witch hat and robes. "Meryl, magic please."

"Should I make it a big one?"

"Yes. With a long chant."

The Pallum nodded before getting off of her friend, Dodon, and soon began chanting a spell. Seeing a fire spell being cast, Ais couldn't help but think to herself...

'I wonder what he's doing right now?' And be "he" Ais meant one Bell Cranel. Just seeing the fire spell being cast brought to mind the strange armored Adventurer and thinking back to his equally strange magic. What was the knight currently doing? Was he crawling through the Dungeon much like she was right now? Or perhaps he was doing something else unrelated to the Dungeon?

'...Why am I even thinking about him?' Ais thought to herself. The only thing that connected them was the knight's gauntlet which she had returned days ago. So why had she thought of the knight the second she saw fire? Was it his strange magic? Or perhaps...

"Meryl has the Development Ability [Mage]." Ais was brought out of her thoughts by Pock suddenly speaking up, making small talk as they all waited for the Pallum to finish her spell. "Don't see that every day, do you? A Pallum who's an upper-class magic-user. She's guaranteed to have a bright future. Talented, unlike us. I'm sure you figured it out by now. Pot and I are the only Lv. 2s in the Vanguard."

"Um..." Ais awkwardly responded, not knowing what to say.

"You're an open book. Trying to be all careful and stuff around us for no good reason," Pock said cynically. "But from now on, if you're gonna stick close to anyone, switch to Meryl. Unlike us, she's a precious Pallum that can't be replaced. Though she ain't as impressive as that captain of yours."

"You know Finn?"

"There isn't a Pallum who doesn't," Puck absent-mindedly kicked his mace as he talked. "I don't know what kind of talent he was born with, but he goes and appoints himself Pallum Hero? Nobody asked for one. Making others think Pallums can do anything if they tried, doesn't that make it seem like the rest of us haven't tried at all?"

"Um...do you hate Finn?" Ais asked, a bit unsure.

Pock didn't say anything at first, making Ais think she made the Pallum angry. Before the swordswoman could offer an apology, Pock opens his mouth to speak—

*BOOM!*

Only to get cut off as Meryl had finished her spell and set it off, creating a hole in the wall big enough for everyone to walk through.

"Let's go," Asfi said as she took the lead. "All units, maintain formation."

Seeing that the time for talk was over, Pock hurried on over to take vanguard along with those of the same position. Ais watched the Pallum go before she followed after the group through the hole in the wall. What awaited her and the rest of the part was a cave of greenery. The ground felt like stepping on patches of grass and dirt while the cave was illuminated by strange-looking flowers that decorated random spots on the wall.

"I've never seen anything like this," Jose, an animal person with raccoon ears and a scar over his right eye, said as he and others looked around them with uncertainty.

"These fleshy walls, it's like they're coating the Dungeon," A cat person by the name of Tabitha commented as she pinched a section of the wall.

"..." Ais kept to herself as she surveyed her surroundings with suspicion. She and everyone already knew that there was something wrong about this place, and that feeling only increased as they all continued forward.

"Wah!" Golmeth, a human donned in full armor reminiscent to a turtle shell cried out, causing everyone to turn around to see the hole which they came through had closed up. "The wall..."

"Calm down," Asfi said. "It's not as though we've lost our escape route. All we have to do is open up another hole."

Those words got everyone to calm down a little. True to Asfi's words, all they needed to do was make another hole to escape through which meant they weren't trapped.

"Hey, mind if I say something creepy?" Lulune spoke up as she stomped on the ground. "What if these wiggly, twitchy, gross walls are really part of some Monsters..." The Chienthrope gulped at this part and started to sweat. "...and we're just walking deeper into its stomach?"

"Hey!" "Cut that out!" "That's no joke!" And so on were the reactions of others who were only stopped by Asfi yelling, "Quiet!"

After that freak out episode, the party continued on, making sure to stay close and in their respective positions as they surveyed their surroundings. Eventually, the group came to a stop at...

"A forked road..." Ais said as the path before them had split off.

"Lulune," Asfi turned to the Chienthrope who shook her head.

"It's not on the map," Lulune said, double-checking the map in her hands before shaking her head again.

"Which means our preexisting maps won't be much use anymore," Asfi concluded before addressing the Chienthrope again. "Lulune, start mapping. You can make one as we're moving, right?"

"No problem," Lulune said, stashing away the map in her hands before taking out from her bag some paper and pen and immediately got to writing as the group picked a path and got moving. Curious, Ais went over to Lulune's side and peeked to see the Chienthrope's work.

"Amazing..." The swordswoman praised the Chienthrope. "You can make maps..."

"Hm? You think so?" Lulune said, blushing a little at the praise. "I'm happy that you praised me, but don't forget that I'm a thief."

"Hmm..." Ais hummed to herself as looked at the map Lulune was drawing and checked to see the path they were currently on to compare. "How do you know which way is which? Magnetic compasses don't work in the Dungeon..."

"This one's here got a nice little trick," Before Lulune could explain herself, a human by the name of Keaks stepped in, leaning on Lulune much to her annoyance. "She's a living compass. She knows which way is which no matter where she goes. Observe..."

Suddenly, without warning, Keaks spun Lulune around until she stopped and pointed at, "North!" She then spun and pointed at two different directions. "South! East!"

"Wow~!" Ais said, impressed that the girl could tell which way is which.

*Bonk!*

"Stop messing around!" Asfi exclaimed after bonking on the heads of both Lulune and Keaks.

Shaking her head and recovering, Lulune continued explaining to Ais.

"I keep myself aware of which way's North and draw a map in my head as we move. As long as I'm not stuck out at sea on a cloudy day or carried off somewhere blindfolded, I'll never get lost. It's not all that hard. Anyone could do it with a little practice."

"I can't."

"Me neither."

"That skill's pretty much useless in the regular parts of the Dungeon, you know."

"I often explore shady ruins outside of Orario with Lord Hermes!" Lulune exclaimed before turning back to Ais while placing down a crystal she bought from the 18th Floor to use as a landmark. "Anyway, my maps are simply improvised sketches. The ones the Guild hands out have better info and are a lot more accurate.

Ais nodded at that. True to Lulune's words, the Guild does indeed sell maps, having amassed a large dictionary of map data. The reason Adventurers nowadays can venture into the Dungeon without constant trouble is thanks to pioneers dating back to ancient times who continuously challenged the unknown labyrinth to gather that information. With the exception of cartographers, the vast majority of Adventurers lack the capability to draw their own maps in this era. That is to say, modern Adventurers, including Ais herself, very rarely face the actual unknown.

'I see, so this is...' Ais thought to herself, coming to a realization. The 24th Floor was normally a place Ais could easily solo on her own but now was not the case. It had now become a place where Adventurers stronger and smarter than herself could easily lose their lives. In short, she and the rest of the Hermes Familia were now exploring an unknown labyrinth completely blind where death could be waiting for them at every corner. As of right now, they were venturing with their very lives on the line.

"It's a very scary place, ain't it?"

Ais nodded, admitting that this place was indeed scary, a feeling shared by the other members of the party.

"You just might die here."

"I might, but I won't," Ais said. There was a very good chance that she might die in this unknown labyrinth, but she also refused to die here. After all, there was still so much she had to do. With feelings of 'I might die here' and 'I refuse to die here' etched in her heart, Ais advanced deeper into the labyrinth.

...

...

...

'Wait a minute,' Ais thought to herself, realizing something...who was talking to her?

Turning her head to the right, the blond swordswoman was met by a smiling face next to her.

"Hello there."

Biting down a cry, Ais jumped back as did the rest of the Hermes Familia who finally realized that they weren't alone and quickly reached for their weapons.

"Now, now, no need to get your panties in a twist," The mysterious smiling man said. No, wait, he wasn't smiling, rather the man was wearing a mask depicting a smiling face.

"Who are you?" Asfi said, brandishing a dagger at the masked man who didn't seem the least bit threatened despite being surrounded right now.

"Who am I?" The masked man pointed to himself as if checking to see if the woman was referring to him. "Who...who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask."

"I can see that," Asfi said while the rest of the party looked at the man in confusion.

"Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man...who he is."

"You're dodging the question, that won't work."

"I am not trying to dodge your question, I merely think you have bigger concerns than trying to find out who I am."

Asfi raised an eyebrow at that. "And what would that be?"

The masked man simply pointed up and said, "Look up." At this did everyone raise an eyebrow at him in confusion. But Ais, she was the first to take notice.

"Above!" She shouted, prompting everyone to look up and gasp as snake-like monsters with the heads of a Venus flytrap and manes of flower hung right above the entire party. And despite having no visible eyes, these monsters, Violas as the Loki Familia has labeled them, looked hungry.

"Everyone! Prepare to fight back!" Asfi shouted her orders as everyone soon got into their respective positions as fast as possible.

"What are these things!?" One of the party members shouted as vines shot out from the Violas, raining down whip-like attacks onto the party.

"Don't use magic!" Ais shouted over as she charged into the fray. "Physical blows won't work! Attack with blades!"

"Gah!" A pained cry caught Ais's attention and she turned to see one of the Pallum twins, Pock, getting knocked over by one of the vine whips. Immediately, she moves into to help, but...

"Stay back!" Pock shouts over to the Sword Princess, glaring right at her to not get involved. And Ais...

*DASH!*

*SLICE!*

Does just that, slicing vines that were attempting to attack Meryn and Dodon.

"Are you okay?" Ais asked and Meryn nods her head thankfully, a bit flustered.

"Lulune!" Asfi shouts over to the Chienthrope as they were both being chased by a small pack of Violas. "I want to make sure...are their Magic Stones located inside their mouths?"

"Yes! Yes, they are! Now hurry up and do something!" Lulune cried out as she ran away in fright, past trauma fueling her legs.

"That's what I'm doing," Asfi said as she took out small glass vial from her pouch and threw out back at the Violas whereupon contact exploded, taking out most of the Violas chasing them.

Burst Oil. In short, they were carefully handcrafted hand grenades made with materials found outside of the city. Made by Asfi herself, they were liquid explosives using Obia Flare plants found around the volcanos at the northern edge of the continent as a base. Only Asfi can create these scarlet bombs, as far as anyone knows. How they work is that when the glass case shatters and the contents are exposed to the air, they detonate. Each small vial is powerful enough to annihilate Monsters from the Middle Floor levels.

"There's Magic Stones are located deep within their upper jaws!" Asfi shouted over to the entire party. "Form teams of three or more, then engage!"

"You got it!" Keaks sent Asfi a two-finger salute and a wink as he and Lulune chose to provide support for Falgar who was now armed with a sword and shield.

"Lulune, you deal with those vines! I'll keep the main body in place," Falgar shouted over the two, facing a Viola head-on. "Keaks, you aim for the Magic Stone! Focus!"

Doing as told, Lulune was a blur to the naked eye as she used her short sword to cut the vines trying to attack them while Falgar held his ground against the Violas' main body, using his shield to keep the Monster's jaws from chomping down on him. There was a visible struggle as the weretiger kept the Monster's mouth open, revealing the Magic Stone located in its upper jaw and giving leaks the chance to throw a stone hard and fast enough to destroy the stone, killing the Monster.

"Heh! Now, how's that for control and stone-throwing skills!?" Keaks smiled to himself, gloating a little.

Soon enough, with every member working together, the number of Violas grew thinner and thinner until there was only one left with both the Pallum twins taking it on alongside a well-built woman by the name of Elilly.

"Just a little more," Elilly said, armed with two great shields as she stood in front of the twins. "Both of you, fall back!"

However, to Elilly's surprise, Pock broke away from the group and charged straight at the Viola.

"Huh!?"

"Pock!?"

'Huh? Why the heck did I charge?' Pock thought to himself as he leaped forward, mace drawn back as he stared down the jaws of the Viola. 'Why? Why...oh.'

"Um...do you hate Finn?"

'It's all because of her, huh...' Pock thought to himself, thinking back to the question the Sword princess had asked him. Does he hate the Pallum who stood out amongst all other Pallums? Does he hate the Pallum who was over twice his age? Does he hate the so-called hero of the Pallum? Does he hate [Braver] Finn?

'[Braver] my ass! Yeah, it's all his fault,' Pock thought to himself, literally in the jaws of the enemy as his mace was the only thing keeping him from being Viola food. Reaching behind him, the Pallum draws a dagger though for someone his size it may have been a short sword to him.

'Time after time, he keeps lighting a fire in my heart...' Does he hate Finn? The Answer: No. He absolutely respects him.

"So how can I just sit back and watch!" Pock cries out to himself as he trusts the dagger forward, destroying the Viola's Magic Stone and causing it to stop moving. Quickly, the Pallum jumps out of the dying Monster and rolls on the ground a few times before coming to a stop as the Viola he just killed disintegrated into ashes.

"Pock!" Pot cried out in worry for her twin brother as she and everyone else hurried over to the reckless Pallum's side.

"Both Pock and Pot are members of the Vanguard by their own choice," Asfi started talking to Ais as they made their way over to the Pallum twins. "In order to grow faster, they're willing to take the risk."

"Are you okay? Anything broken?" Pot asked as she helped her brother up. "That was way too reckless."

"I'm fine," Pock insisted. "And don't you all come over here, it'll make me look uncool."

"Huh?" Ais noticed something; the dagger the Pallum was holding, it looked familiar. "That dagger..."

"It's a replica," Pot said. "My little brother here got one made just like Braver's in celebration of ranking up."

"Drives me crazy..." Pock spoke up, sighing a little. "Nobody asked him, but at some point, he became a hero for Pallums everywhere."

"Um..." Ais spoke up, careful with her words. "Would you like me to introduce you to Finn sometime?"

"!" Both the twins looked at Ais in surprise. Pot was starry-eyed while Pock's face became flushed.

"No...! Not...not yet..." Pock said, looking to the side to hide his flushed face. "I still haven't done anything worth his attention. B-But...I wouldn't mind...getting something like his autograph..."

"Hehehehehehe..." Pock was snapped out of his stupor by the sounds of his fellow Familia members smiling at him.

"Y-You all! Stop staring!" Pock exclaimed, waving his dagger around as everyone simply ran away smiling and giggling.

*clap...clap...clap!*

A slow, echoing clap drew everyone's attention as they all turned to see the mysterious masked man, who had gone completely forgotten during the fight, leaning his back against the wall and clapping at them.

"Bravo! Good show, yes good show..." The masked man said as he continued clapping. With the fighting now over, Ais and everyone else finally got a good look at him.

Besides the top hat and smiling mask pointed out earlier, the man was well-dressed wearing a black high collar duster coat over a suit with a cape over the shoulders. There was a rose popping out from his right breast pocket though it looked to be fake. Multiple belts were wrapped around a pair of black pants as what appeared to be crossbow bolts were tucked away in custom made holsters wrapped around the legs.

'Wait a minute,' Ais thought, something clicking in her mind when she took in the masked man's appearance. Wasn't he—?

"You," Asfi spoke up, unknowingly interrupting Ais's thoughts as she and the others immediately put up their guard again, pointing their weapons at the man who didn't seem the least bit threatened by them. If anything, despite the mask covering his face, he seemed amused.

"To see that Finn has such a fan, it seems the old squirt's managed to achieve his goal. Good, good..." The masked man said, speaking mostly to himself.

Ais raised an eyebrow at this, noticing how the masked man referred to her captain in a familiar tone as if personally knowing the Pallum.

"You...are you the one behind all this?" Asfi said while pointing her dagger at the man. The appearance of those Violas coinciding with this man's appearance was timed too perfectly, leading the woman to believe the man was somehow involved behind this strange labyrinth.

However, much to the surprise of everyone, the masked man started chuckling as if being told a good joke.

"What's so funny?" Pock shouted.

"What's funny is that you think I have anything to do with all of this," The masked gestured to the area around them. "In truth, I'm just as clueless as you people are. I knew the Dungeon tended to be strange, but a radical change such as this is completely new to me. Things certainly have changed since I've been away..."

"If you're not involved in this," Ais spoke up, interrupting the man's musing. "Then who are you?"

"Who am I?" The man said, tilting his head playfully and pointing to himself. For a second, Ais thought the man was about to play word games with them again much like he did earlier...

*SCREECH!*

When suddenly, a Viola suddenly came down from above, having hidden in the shadows this entire time. Quickly, everyone moved to intercept as the Viola targetted the masked man who did nothing and continued to just lean on the wall.

But then...

*BAM!*

It all happened so fast, even for someone like Ais. In one second, the masked man kicked the attacking Viola right in the jaw, actually sending the plant-like Monster flying back despite Ais's knowledge that blunt damage was ineffective.

*SLAM!*

In another second, the masked man went and grabbed the Viola by its jaw and pulled down, slamming the Monster down to the ground hard enough that the impact echoed throughout the labyrinth. Placing one foot on its bottom jaw, the masked man then grabbed the upper jaw and pried open the Monster's mouth.

*RIIIIIIIP!*

With seemingly no effort whatsoever, the masked man then used his free hand, reached inside the Monster's mouth, and proceeded to rip out its Magic Stone, killing the Monster. All of this, plus the earlier actions, was all done in 3 seconds flat.

"You missed one," The masked man pointed out as he held the Viola's Magic Stone to his masked face. Unlike a normal Magic Stone which was usually purple with a reddish-orange hue at the center, the Magic Stone in the man's hands was yellow with a blackish hue at the center.

"Hmm, I don't remember Magic Stones looking like this," The masked man said to himself, examining the stone in his hand before noticing the flabbergasted looks everyone was sending him. "Oh! Forgive me, you wanted to know my name, yes?"

Putting the strange Magic Stone in his pocket, the man tipped his hat at the party and bowed.

"I have gone by many names and titles in the past, but if you must call me anything, then please call me...Marvelous Chester."

And done! Well, that was harder than I thought. I thought this would be easier, but getting the flow I wanted was harder than expected, had to rewrite this chapter a few times too. But for the most part, I think this chapter turned out well even if the last part was taken mostly from SO story. I feel like I could do better, but as of this moment, this is the best I could do.

So as you can see people, Bell gets involved by running into and later following after Bete and Lefiya who are charged with finding and retrieving Ais. I hope Bell getting involved with the SO story wasn't too forced as I tried to make it as seamless as possible. I actually intended for this chapter to be longer, but I felt ending this short was a better call then extending this chapter and running the risk of breaking the flow. Plus, as the SO story is Ais's story, I'm trying to divide the attention between Bell and Ais mostly because a third person gets involved with the story.

Surprise, surprise, Chester makes his first appearance in this story! I've already eluded that Chester has a connection with Loki and her Familia so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that the masked man would show up in Ais's part of the story. I actually planned for Chester to appear much later in the story, but after some thought decided to bring him early to set up a confrontation between him and Bell later so look forward to that.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Tune in next time as Ais and the Hermes Familia face Marvelous Chester himself. What will Ais do now that she's faced with the man her Familia's been hunting down? And how much will Bell's involvement impact the story? Until then, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. May the sun bless you all.