When they returned to the fourth floor, Bell waited until he found a suitable spot to rest before deactivating his lightning transformation.
As he let out a breath, a trace of contemplation appeared in his eyes.
'I didn't expect it to be this late already.'
'I really haven't been paying much attention to Loki Familia lately… I didn't think they'd already gone on an expedition and even made it back.'
While in Orario, Bell hadn't gone out to gather information, so he wasn't very clear on the internal situation. He couldn't judge the exact time either—only make rough guesses based on events that had occurred.
Before he realized it, so much time had already passed.
Of course, that information wasn't particularly important. Details about Loki Familia merely served as a time marker. What mattered more to Bell now was whether the five Minotaurs would be enough to earn him the Excelia needed to level up. Normally, it should be. After all, a Level 1 adventurer only needed to solo a Level 2 monster to qualify for advancement.
After all, accumulating Excelia to level up requires going on adventures.
The issue was, Bell was still a Level 1 adventurer, and in terms of raw stats, he was indeed weaker than a Level 2 Minotaur. He had mostly relied on the sharpness of the Hestia Knife and the speed from his lightning transformation.
Even if it was thanks to magic and weapons, it was still an overwhelming feat.
Bell figured this should definitely count as part of his achievements.
'If I really have enough Excelia to level up, then the next step is to max out my stats.'
That way, he wouldn't need to return to the surface just yet.
He also had to be cautious about Loki Familia.
Loki Familia members weren't easy to deal with. Each of them had ambition and drive. Dealing with them wouldn't be simple.
When it came to the Loki Familia, it was best to expect the worst.
'The one who caught up with the Minotaur was probably Loki Familia's Sword Princess.'
'Then, the others in Loki Familia must have witnessed what happened earlier.'
'Looks like I need to be more careful going forward.'
Assuming the worst, it was possible Loki Familia had already figured out his location—or even guessed his identity.
Bell definitely didn't want to end up targeted by Loki before even attracting Freya's attention.
Being cautious and developing in secret was the safest route.
Maintaining the appearance of being Level 1 was critical.
So, minimizing contact with Loki Familia members was essential to avoid being recognized.
After preparing himself mentally, Bell resumed his training on the fourth floor.
He no longer relied on speed or weapon advantages to crush scorpions. Instead, he began practicing with Kuji Kanesada.
Letting go of efficiency, Bell focused on grinding his swordsmanship at the slowest pace possible in the Dungeon.
With the swordsmanship experience passed down from that swordsman, Bell's technique with Kuji Kanesada was solid—but he still lacked the true essence of that swordsman's path.
So, Bell resorted to this grueling method to sharpen his skills.
Although it was a slow and somewhat clumsy approach, it still allowed for steady growth. Especially after fully calming his mind, Bell found his sword swings felt more natural than before.
After all, that swordsman had once managed to fully execute "Tsubame Gaeshi" in his lifetime.
And what Bell needed now was time to truly immerse himself.
...
While Bell was focusing on refining his spirit and sword in the Dungeon, Loki Familia had already returned to their stronghold.
As soon as they got back, Finn went straight to Loki and reported everything that had happened on the fifth floor.
"Oh~ So you're saying, you suspect the one who killed five Minotaurs and slipped away right under Ais's nose is a newcomer in the Dungeon?"
After hearing Finn's report, Loki's interest was immediately piqued.
"Yeah. They deliberately avoided Ais and the rest of us to keep from exposing themselves. If it were someone familiar, even if they had the strength to kill Minotaurs, they wouldn't need to move so quickly or go out of their way to hide their identity."
"I see. Based on your analysis, it's certainly plausible that this is the kind of thing a newcomer to a Familia might do."
Cautious and deliberately concealing their identity—wouldn't that mean it's someone whose background is still unknown to others?
Loki agreed with Finn's assessment. She also believed the person in question was likely one of the new arrivals in Orario.
"Still, a newcomer like that won't be easy to find."
"None of the recent newcomers are well-known. If they meet your criteria, then they must possess magic strong enough to one-shot a Minotaur. Especially after narrowing it down to 'newcomers'—someone who deliberately stays hidden clearly isn't chasing fame. Otherwise, the gods would've noticed them by now."
In Orario, the easiest adventurers to find are those with ambition, desire, and drive.
To achieve their goals, the talented ones will show off as much as possible, making them stand out in the eyes of the gods.
But adventurers who choose to remain hidden even during their "newcomer" stage? Those are the hardest to track down.
Even someone as interested as Loki found it difficult.
Finn understood this point well.
If someone could keep their identity hidden at this stage and proceed with such caution, it would be one thing if it was their god's instruction—but if it was their own decision, then finding them would be nearly impossible.
That said, Finn was only mildly curious about the newcomer.
Right now, two other matters had more of his attention.
"Loki, you've heard about yesterday's incident in the Dungeon, right?"
"Of course I have. It was a huge mess—how could I not?"
The monster disturbance in the Dungeon had even caught Loki off guard, to the point that she paid a visit to the Guild herself.
But the Guild's response left her completely dissatisfied.
"I went to the Guild to ask, and Ouranos gave me a straightforward answer: 'The Dungeon is stable.'"
"Finn, do you think that's the right answer?"
The great god Ouranos offering such a strange explanation?
Finn also found it a bit odd. A problem that obvious in the Dungeon couldn't possibly be summed up as 'very stable.'
But… was that answer actually wrong?
Finn fell silent for a moment.
"I'm not sure."
"But I don't think Ouranos-sama gave that response out of neglect. Maybe 'there's been no unrest in the Dungeon' is actually the correct answer."
Loki narrowed her eyes, then opened them slightly.
"So it wasn't a Dungeon riot, but someone manipulated things behind the scenes?"
Finn gave a small nod.
"And that manipulation wasn't a riot in itself."
"I think if it had truly been a Dungeon riot, there's no way things aboveground would still be so calm."
Loki agreed completely.
If it really had been a full-scale riot, her entire expeditionary force might've been wiped out in the Dungeon.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake