The sudden sound of an interruption cut through the anger of the monster groups. Naturally, it wasn't because they had calmed down, nor because they were afraid of something.
It was simply because this voice was all too familiar to them.
Faced with the monsters' reaction, Fron and the three reacted in a completely different way.
Standing calm and composed under the raging storm of Gros's fury, Fron had long since sensed the approach of a third party. So he already knew. The faint trace of surprise on his face came instead from the human adventurer beside them.
That's right, it was Bell Cranel.
At his side, unsurprisingly, stood another of the "Leaders" of the Xenos group, the lizardman, Lyd.
His true form, clad in crimson scales, combined with the adventurer's armor and weapons, along with the scars clearly left by countless battles, made it obvious he was no small figure.
To the unfamiliar eyes of Ryu, Asfi, and Aisha, their vigilance instantly rose.
All of them were Level 4. Against Gros, they had already felt the crushing pressure of the difference in levels.
And now, suddenly, another rational monster appeared, one capable of exerting such oppressive force on them. It was only natural they were on high alert.
But… the figure standing beside Lyd instantly disrupted their thoughts.
"Bell Cranel? Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be with the Ganesha Familia's suppression squad?"
Ryu Lion's face was full of disbelief.
One must know, when younger, this elf was famous for her stubborn nature.
After enduring the tragic death of a dear friend, the jeers of an evil god, and the annihilation of her Familia, much of her sharpness had already been worn down.
If this had been the old her, she would have already stormed forward, angrily questioning him.
"Ryu… Miss Ryu, Miss Asfi, Miss Aisha… Big Brother Fron, I, I'm sorry!"
Still immature, still at a naïve age, never having been battered by the world's darkness, Bell Cranel could only bow his head in shame, enduring as best he could the scrutinizing stares of the three women.
Monsters and humans, thousands of years of blood hatred. Killing had always been the eternal theme.
And yet today, this innocent boy stood on the side of rational monsters. To the three girls, it was simply beyond comprehension.
Only Fron, whose worldview had been shaped in his previous life, could look at this scene calmly, from a indifferent perspective. If he had been a native human of this world, he might have been just as furious as Asfi and the others.
Or rather… perhaps it was precisely because they were Level 4 adventurers that they could still maintain their reason, not lashing out with scolding words at Bell Cranel.
But if this scene were to be seen by the average adventurers of Orario, by citizens, or even merchants from outside nations, Bell Cranel's name would have already been drowned in the flood of public opinion and condemnation.
"You… Forget it. You're not a rookie adventurer anymore. There are things you should already understand. You're not alone now, as the captain of your Familia, you shouldn't only think about yourself. The balance between emotional impulses and rational judgment… you need to weigh that carefully."
"…Enough. Just keep that in mind."
The women all seemed to sense that if this matter was not handled properly, or if some detail were exposed, the first to suffer would be Bell Cranel and the Hestia Familia.
With that, they stopped looking at him, turning their gazes toward Lyd.
Fron didn't interrupt either, quietly listening to Asfi's advice to Bell Cranel.
Hero, was it? That path was destined to be lonely, forever misunderstood. Or perhaps… wasn't it just another name for sacrifice?
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Fron admitted to himself, he had no talent to become a hero.
From the day he arrived in Orario and joined a Familia, he had already known.
A selfish man, fighting only to protect those close to him, fighting only for their sake, how could such a person be called a hero?
With calm detachment, he nodded lightly to Bell Cranel, then turned his gaze toward Lyd.
"Since you don't wish to make a move, then step aside. We still have a mission to complete. Of course, we also thank you for leading us here."
Saying this, under Gros's hateful glare and Lyd's wary gaze, Fron led the three directly past them, toward the concealed entrance hidden within the rock.
Asfi and Fron were both masters of mystery; such disguises and traps were, to them, mere child's play. The real main course awaited ahead…
"BOOM!"
A massive burst of flame struck the cliffside, shattering the rocky façade into dust and rubble.
Within the smoke and debris, the figures of Fron's group could be faintly seen.
"To think… we'd actually encounter it here, on the 18th floor of the Dungeon."
Adjusting her glasses with a finger, Asfi looked at the heavy, black-and-red gate before them, and the unmistakably man-made stone passage beyond it. She couldn't help but sigh.
"…Asfi, do you know what this is?"
Ryu had no knowledge of the battle between the Loki Familia and the Evilus in the Man-made dungeon, and thus didn't recognize this place.
But Asfi, from the Hermes Familia, whose main trade was information gathering and selling, and with her god Hermes himself having been involved, naturally knew all the details about the Man-made dungeon.
Looking at the gate, nearly identical to the one in Orario's underground waterway, she recognized its origin at a glance.
"Yes. This is an entrance to Knossos, the Man-made dungeon. Heh… when analyzing the intel, our speculation had already been bold enough."
"After all, from surface-level investigations, we knew this labyrinth had been under construction since thousands of years ago. But who would have thought they'd be so utterly mad… that even on the 18th floor, there would be an entrance."
Fron stared at the lock and keyhole on the gate, marked with the same symbol as the "Daedalus Eye," his mind racing with thoughts.
'Below the 18th floor… could there really be extensions of the Man-made dungeon? By logic, that shouldn't be possible, the Great Tree Labyrinth lies beneath, unsuitable for construction.'
'But… maybe it is possible. I remember the floor where they lost Wiene was the 21st. And the breeding chambers for those corrupted spirit seedlings were also deeper down…'
'No, I must take this chance to explore as much as possible, and map it out. Otherwise, even with two keys in hand, the risk of failure remains.'
'A thousand years of accumulated foundations… who knows how many traps and mechanisms lie hidden? If the Evilus secures the terrain advantage, without intel, no matter how many we send in, they'll just be marching to their deaths.'