Evilus wouldn't appear again anytime soon. Ren didn't go to seek praise from Aina either. Killing one of this kind of faction only meant another would appear later. He had no interest in making a show of it.
That day, when he returned home, Ren saw a dwarf—a beautiful girl—standing beside Bell.
"Ren, you're back. This is Lily. She'll be joining our Familia," Hestia said happily.
"Ren-san…" The girl bowed slightly, her voice hesitant.
"Welcome. I'll leave Bell in your care," Ren said, crouching to meet her eyes.
"Mm." Lily exhaled, relieved she wasn't disliked.
"See, Lily? Lady Hestia and Ren-san are really nice," Bell praised from the side.
"Haha, how could it be…" Hestia felt a bit embarrassed by the compliment.
Bell had his adventures. Ren thought for a moment and said, "Hestia-sama, I'll probably stay in the dungeon for a few days."
"Wait, Ren, are you going on an expedition?" Hestia's concern immediately showed.
Bell, now understanding what an expedition meant, admired Ren's strength. He didn't worry about Ren losing. He didn't think about that—he only knew he had to try even harder.
"No, I just want to check the deeper layers," Ren replied honestly.
"Ren, I won't say much. Just come back safely. Anyway, we have a newcomer. Let's have a feast today." Hestia knew she couldn't hold him by her side.
"Alright." Ren began cooking his specialty dishes for everyone.
Lily quickly fit in with the team. No one tried to take Bell from her, and the familia members were all kind. For the first time, she felt the warmth of a home.
The next day, Ren set off directly for the dungeon. The Loki familia had already started their expedition. At this time, the floor masters were likely absent, which made it easier for Ren to move alone.
Floor eighteen, the safe zone.
"Was the Loki familia here yesterday? Looks like I missed them," Ren muttered, listening at the tavern and stroking his chin.
If he wanted, he could catch up to them, but it wasn't necessary. He hadn't come to the dungeon for that. After confirming the information, Ren quickly left the floor.
He arrived at a floor filled entirely with forest. Though he had spent some time living in Orario, he still felt amazed. The monsters here were mostly insects, in line with natural order.
"Y-You… who are you?"
Suddenly, a voice called out. A girl's head appeared from the forest. Seeing her clearly, Ren smiled. "Adventurer. I'm Ren. Hello."
Sensing he meant no harm, the girl cautiously stepped out. Her whole body was revealed: blue skin, scales covering exposed areas, and a timid gaze.
"Different race?"
Seemingly understanding Ren's words, the girl quickly stepped back and ran. This was her way of surviving here.
But she hadn't gone far before she bumped into someone and fell to the ground from the impact.
"Such strength." Ren felt the force and reached out his hand toward her.
Seeing his hand, the girl hesitated but placed hers in his. Her first impression was warmth, and her courage grew a little.
Gently, he helped her up and draped his robe over her. Honestly, he was very interested in her; otherwise, he wouldn't have come all this way to find her.
"Wi…ene."
"Wiene, huh? That's a nice name. Want to come with me?" Ren looked at the little girl.
"C-can I?" Wiene's eyes shone with hope.
"Yes, you probably want to see the outside world too." Ren patted her head and continued deeper into the dungeon with her.
"W-where… are we going?" Wiene's words were still a bit clumsy.
"To other floors. I'm not going out yet. You can stay here and wait for me."
"Oh…" Wiene jumped onto a tree and waved at Ren.
It reminded Ren once again that he wasn't the main character. The little girl was still a bit hard to coax, but it didn't matter. He pressed on.
This time, he was tracking a fallen fairy, but the target wasn't interested in him. He descended more than ten floors and found nothing.
No fairy appeared, but Ren reached a place that looked like a tribe.
Soon, attacks came—arrows rained down. Ren drew his sword and easily blocked them all. The attackers didn't reveal themselves, but Ren continued forward. If they lived here, they wouldn't just let him pass.
"Stop, or we'll kill you."
"If you don't show yourself, I won't stop either," Ren said and moved on.
Another volley of arrows came, mixed with poison gas, but it had no effect on him.
Seeing this, a group of figures appeared—but not on the ground. They hovered in the air, with clear bird-like features. Their arms extended into large wings, and their lower legs were bird legs.
"Adventurer, you're not welcome here," one bird-man said, ready to fight.
"Don't be reckless. From the last test, you should know I'm not weak." Ren waved his hand. If it were without the earlier shared power, he wouldn't dare be so bold, but now it was different. After all this time, he understood his current strength.
The bird-men glanced at each other and stopped attacking, keeping a distance. They would retreat immediately if he made any move.
Ren sat down on the ground and said, "I want to know about the fallen fairy. Do you know of any beings in this dungeon that are different from monsters?"
"Different from monsters?" The bird-man began thinking. They had indeed seen such beings before.
"Any leads?"
"I've seen it, but you might be disappointed. It's just a mindless existence, not even a proper monster." The birdman said, then pointed Ren in the right direction.
Ren headed straight toward the location, ignoring the birdmen. They were harder to fool than Wiene, and there was no need to bother with them.
When he reached the spot, only empty shells remained. The presence extended deeper below. Catching it would require a full expedition, or waiting for it to come out on its own.
Back on Wiene's floor, Ren looked over the dense jungle. He waited at their agreed-upon meeting spot. Soon, the branches above rustled, revealing a small head wearing a hat, eyes shining with excitement.
"Let's go."
"Alright… Ren." Wiene jumped down, landing on Ren's back. Like a cat, she instinctively stretched out her claws, careful not to hurt him. Feeling her skin exposed to the air, Ren sighed.
"Sorry…" Wiene looked at her hands, unsure what to do.
"Just trim them when we get back." Ren patted her little head after healing her.
He also memorized the birdmen's presence for future reference. These dungeon-dwelling creatures were perfect for tracking fallen fairy spirits.
Of course, they couldn't be forced. Otherwise, any information they gave would be false. Progress had to be gradual.
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