Floor 24
Welf barely had time to catch his breath when Bell showed his true colors. The white-haired boy, usually so timid and flustered outside of battle, was an absolute demon in combat. The moment the first monster appeared, Bell lunged at it like a starving wolf, his dagger flashing in the dim dungeon light.
Lili, though used to Harry's ridiculous antics, was still caught off guard. She had thought Bell was a cautious fighter, but right now, he was tearing through monsters without a second thought.
"Oh, great, he's another Harry!" Lili groaned internally, struggling to keep up.
Welf, on the other hand, was just done.
Bell wasn't just fighting—he was enjoying it. His laughter echoed through the cavernous floor, making Welf and Lili exchange horrified looks. It was like watching a puppy discover a new favorite game—except the game involved ripping apart dungeon monsters at breakneck speed.
For hours, Bell fought relentlessly, his grin never fading. Welf and Lili had to work overtime just to keep up. Eventually, even Bell's boundless energy started to fade. His breath came in ragged gasps as he cut down another monster, then turned to his companions with a wild grin.
"We need to get out of here," Bell finally admitted, still grinning despite his exhaustion. "If we stay any longer, we're dead."
Lili and Welf didn't need to be told twice.
"Finally!" Lili practically screamed, turning on her heel and sprinting toward the path leading to Floor 18.
Welf followed, but he was so tired that his scream came out halfhearted. "Damn it, Bell! Warn us next time!"
Bell, meanwhile, just laughed like a lunatic as they ran.
Lili and Welf exchanged a look.
"He's a maniac," Lili muttered.
"He's worse than Harry probably," Welf replied, eyes wide with disbelief.
The sheer absurdity of it all had them running at full speed until they finally reached Floor 18—a Safe Zone.
Floor 18
Once they arrived, Bell collapsed onto the soft grass, panting. Lili flopped down next to him, groaning.
"Never again," she muttered.
Welf dropped onto his back, staring at the sky. "I thought we were dead back there," he admitted.
Bell just chuckled, still enjoying the afterglow of battle.
A few hours later, a golden blur streaked down from the upper floors—Harry had arrived.
"Yo," Harry greeted casually, stretching his arms. "Had fun?"
Bell gave him a thumbs-up from the ground. "Best time of my life."
Lili and Welf, however, just glared at him.
"Shut. Up," they both groaned.
Harry only laughed.
After some well-earned rest, they finally made their way back to the surface.
The moment they returned to the Hestia Familia home, a letter awaited them.
It was a formal invitation.
"Lord Apollo cordially invites the esteemed Goddess Hestia and one member of her Familia to a grand banquet held in the honor of Orario's finest adventurers."
Harry read it once, then promptly crumpled it up and tossed it over his shoulder.
"Trash," he muttered.
Bell blinked. "Wait, what?"
Lili frowned. "You're just going to ignore an invitation from a god?"
"Yes," Harry replied immediately. "I have heard Apollo is bad news. If we show up, he's going to pull something underhanded like trying to poach one of you or something. Best we ignore him."
Hestia snatched the crumpled letter off the ground, glaring at Harry. "That's not how social interactions work, you know!"
Harry just shrugged. "We've got better things to do."
As if on cue, a new development arose.
Back in the Dungeon, on Floor 18, they ran into three familiar figures—Aiz Wallenstein, Riveria Ljos Alf, and Finn Deimne from the Loki Familia.
Finn stepped forward first, his sharp blue eyes scanning them. "Hestia Familia, correct?"
Harry nodded. "That's us. What's up?"
Riveria, the elegant High Elf, cut straight to the point. "We are planning a deep expedition into the lower floors, at least down to the fifties. We would like to invite you to accompany us."
Bell stiffened, eyes darting toward Aiz. The Sword Princess was watching them, but her focus wasn't on him. It was on Harry.
Lili and Welf immediately caught on.
Aiz's golden gaze lingered on Harry longer than normal. It was clear that their previous meeting had left quite an impression.
Harry, ever the gentleman, simply smiled. "Sounds fun. We're in."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "That quickly?"
"Why not?" Harry shrugged. "A deep dive sounds exciting, and I could use a good challenge."
Bell, though still flustered by Aiz's presence, was just as eager. "I'll go too!"
Riveria gave a small nod. "Then we shall meet in one week. Prepare yourselves well."
As the trio from Loki Familia left, Harry turned to his own group.
"A week to train, prepare, and then head into the unknown," he mused, grinning. "This is going to be fun."
Bell's grin mirrored his.
Welf groaned. "I feel like I'm going to regret this."
Lili just sighed. "You absolutely will."