Morning.
At the residence of the Hestia Familia, a faint coolness drifted on the breeze, yet it could not dispel the burning eagerness in Daphne's heart as she prepared to head into the Dungeon for exploration.
Even though the destination was the middle floors, she had already traveled there countless times back when she was part of the Apollo Familia.
But thinking about the recent abnormalities appearing in the Dungeon, as well as the secrets possessed by Ron, even with a conservative objective she still maintained an extremely high level of enthusiasm.
However...
When her gaze stopped on her friend Cassandra, the corner of Daphne's mouth could not help twitching.
It was still the same gloomy appearance—long blue hair covering her cheeks—yet it was still clearly visible:
The girl's heavy dark circles under her eyes.
"Cassandra…"
"You didn't have nightmares again last night, did you?" Knowing that at critical times this girl would always either suffer from insomnia or dream about something bad, Daphne truly did not know how to evaluate it.
After all, before joining the Hestia Familia, she had already reminded her that if she really could not control the nightmares, then she should give herself psychological suggestion before going to sleep.
"…Y-Yes."
"…"
Facing the helpless gaze of her close friend, Cassandra timidly nodded.
That dream had simply been too real. Even though the monster in it had never been seen before, she could somehow recognize it instinctively…
An ancient dragon filled with an archaic aura, as though its years stretched endlessly through time.
Appearing in today's Dungeon expedition…
Tearing Captain Ron, Daphne, and Senior Mikoto—along with herself—into pieces. The dream had been so vivid it felt as though she could personally experience that despair.
"A very terrifying dream…"
"A dragon… a dragon will tear all of us apart!"
"You must be joking?"
Daphne did not even know how to begin complaining. Encountering a dragon in the middle floors—did they really think the intelligence provided by the Adventurers Guild had been collected for nothing?
She did not answer.
Only when she looked through the open wooden door of the Familia residence and saw the goddess Hestia and Ron coming out did she gently shake her head, though she still reminded her seriously: "Dreams with no basis like that… try not to bring them up in front of Captain Ron."
"How could a dragon possibly appear in the middle floors?"
"Don't lose your nerve before we've even started the Dungeon exploration."
"…"
Should she really not remind Ron?
Cassandra could not make up her mind, yet merely recalling that scene allowed her to clearly feel the tremor rising from the depths of her soul.
Until Ron stood on the steps in front of the Familia residence.
The girl clenched her teeth.
Even if she were to be pushed to the margins of the Familia in the future, she still had to explain the danger from the dream to Captain Ron as much as possible before the tragedy occurred.
So—
Under Daphne's pained expression, Cassandra finally gathered the courage to speak: "Um…"
"Captain Ron, could I borrow a little of your time before the Dungeon exploration?"
"…"
Following the sound of her voice, Ron looked over.
His gaze fixed on the low-presence Cassandra. The obvious fatigue on the girl's face and the clearly visible fear deep within her pupils.
It was only the Familia's routine Dungeon exploration.
But when he thought about the particular nature of the ability she possessed—the skill 'Five Dimension Troia'—he could roughly guess that she had something she wanted to explain.
Especially with Daphne standing beside the girl, looking rather troubled.
Ron's speculation was quickly confirmed. This was also the reason he had agreed to let Cassandra join the Familia: she could foresee dangers that existed in the future.
As for why Daphne chose not to believe her—
That also had to do with Cassandra. Dreams that could foresee the future inevitably came with a price, and the magical interference she emitted caused others not to trust her.
He did not put on the airs of the Familia's captain. He smiled lightly and nodded. "No problem."
"If it's not convenient to talk here, you can change to another place and tell me."
"…"
After receiving Ron's clear reply, a trace of disbelief passed through Cassandra's dim eyes, though even more of it was unease about what would come next.
After all—
All the previous bad dreams had eventually come true.
Yet she could not understand why even her most trusted friend, Daphne, was unwilling to believe her words—let alone Ron, whom she had only known for a short time.
Following his steps, they came to a nearby garden.
After hesitating for a moment, the girl finally organized the words of her explanation: "Captain Ron… you might not believe it if I say it, but… I have a feeling this Dungeon exploration will be dangerous. It's just… last night, I had a nightmare."
"Hm?"
Facing a Soulslike Dungeon, when had any exploration ever been without danger?
But Ron could not say something like that aloud. Looking at the girl's worried expression, he did not deny it and replied in a bright tone: "Could you tell me about it?"
"What happened in the nightmare?"
"…"
She had even prepared herself to be brushed off.
But when she heard Ron's reply, Cassandra rarely lifted her head. The blue hair that covered her cheeks slid down beside her ears, revealing a particularly delicate face.
Delicate was not meant as a derogatory word.
If Syr was the devilish girl-next-door older sister type, then she was an innocent and naïve young girl who had not yet experienced much of the world.
At this moment, the unease in the girl's eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by disbelief. Even the stammer caused by her nervousness vanished at this moment.
"A dragon…"
"A very ancient dragon. It will tear all of us apart."
A very ancient dragon.
After hearing Cassandra's detailed description, Ron did not immediately give a reply. Instead, he recalled the Dungeon intelligence provided by the Adventurers Guild.
'Infant Dragon.'
A rare-species monster.
The strength possessed by an Infant Dragon could be said to rival that of a Floor Boss.
And the great feat by which the Sword Princess Ais Wallenstein broke through to Lv.2 had been accomplished by killing an Infant Dragon. With the strength he currently possessed, a monster of that kind could not pose any threat at all.
Instead, after the hybridization with the "Soulslike" Dungeon, what kind of changes might appear was something Ron had not truly encountered yet, so it was difficult to judge.
However, a certain boss from Elden Ring suddenly appeared in his mind.
'Ancient Dragon.'
'Damn…'
'It can't be that we'll actually run into that kind of weird thing, right?'
Thinking of this, Ron could not help the corner of his mouth twitching.
And the girl standing opposite him, when she noticed the strange look on his face and that he had not given an answer, the hope she had just formed shattered in an instant.
Cassandra understood—
How could anyone possibly believe such an absurd dream?
That feeling of frustration was difficult to describe precisely. Just as she was about to avert her gaze to face Ron's reproach, the next words left her stunned where she stood.
"Thank you for the reminder."
The boy's tone was gentle.
Yet the determination in his eyes was unprecedented. "However, even if we really encounter that kind of danger, we will definitely find a way to overcome it."
"…"
Was he believing what she said?
Staring blankly at Ron's departing back, Cassandra felt as if she had entered another world. Being untrusted for such a long time had led to internal exhaustion and self-doubt.
But the trust she received at this moment was like a ray of light piercing through the darkness, falling into the desolate depths of her heart.
"What are you still standing there for?"
"We're about to set off." Only when Ron's urging reminder reached her ears did the fear deep within the girl's heart completely disperse.
She nodded heavily.
Even the smile blooming on Cassandra's face was exceptionally radiant.
"Captain…"
"I will work hard!!"
After briefly saying farewell to Hestia, although he knew clearly that today's Dungeon exploration would definitely not be as smooth as imagined, Ron still did not change his mind.
To set sail for a dream, to cross endless darkness for the future he desired.
It was not that he was fearless.
Compared to the various potential threats within the Soulslike Dungeon, he was simply more unwilling to stop moving forward. His gaze swept across the members of the Hestia Familia, already prepared and ready to depart.
Ron's tone was relaxed.
"Everyone."
"Let's go!"
...
The Dungeon.
After receiving guidance from Lord Takemikazuchi during this period and becoming proficient in combat techniques, Bell Cranel did not choose to remain in Orario.
A towering tree cannot grow inside a greenhouse. A true adventurer must be tempered through blood and tears before shedding immaturity and achieving growth.
Moreover...
The current Bell now had a goal he needed to pursue!
'Breaking the previous world record and shortening the legend of the fastest breakthrough to sixteen days.'
'In the War Game with the Apollo Familia, defeating the strong with the weak and completing a sweeping victory, creating a feat in Orario that shocked countless gods.'
'Ron.'
He had only seen that unstoppable figure in the magical projection of the War Game.
But that did not mean Bell was unfamiliar with the adventurer who had long been walking ahead of him. From Lord Takemikazuchi's introduction, his understanding had become even more comprehensive.
Ron had never received formal martial training.
After conducting simple training in Orario, he began exploring the Dungeon.
And afterward…
Came the successive miracles he created!
What the boy longed for in his heart was precisely such an epic as those in heroic storybooks. Even though the goal was distant, it was the very source of his effort.
"…"
Bell did not choose to explore together with Kashima Ouka and Chigusa, the seniors in his Familia. During the stage of a rookie adventurer, the upper floors were the most suitable place for him.
The monsters encountered would not be particularly strong.
With the techniques taught by Lord Takemikazuchi, he would definitely be able to clear them smoothly!
And the reality was not much different from what he had predicted. The goblins and kobolds he encountered—these ordinary monsters—could all be swiftly finished off with the dagger in his hand as long as he made use of his advantage in speed.
After consecutively slaying several weak goblins, the boy looked toward the passage leading to deeper floors. Without lingering in the slightest, he decisively stepped forward.
According to the reminders from the seniors in his Familia, as long as he did not rashly head toward Floor 6, he would not encounter too many threats.
"I'll explore around here for now."
After gradually adapting to the dim environment of the cave passages, Bell swept his gaze around and fixed it on the small goblin in the distance ahead, holding a wooden club.
When he stood ready, preparing to face the battle with the monster in his best condition, the boy suddenly felt that far ahead of him there seemed to be an extremely enormous monster approaching in his direction, the ground trembling briefly because of it.
"What's going on?"
He did not have much adventuring experience.
But Bell still sensed the aura of danger, until in the distance ahead a bull-headed monster with an unprecedentedly robust build and dark skin entered his sight.
It held a greatsword.
Seemingly due to the influence of the Dungeon, an obvious mutation had appeared. Within the Minotaur's crimson eyes was overflowing killing intent.
"This is…"
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