Gale winds howled through the night. The crescent moon was sinking in the west, and dawn had yet to break.
Ryuu was doing her usual morning training at a corner of the street. Her slender arms swung the long wooden sword in clean arcs, cutting up and down, then twisting into a feint. The sharp whistle of the blade slicing the air formed an unbroken rhythm that matched the Elf maiden's fierce, graceful movements.
Her sword dance flowed on, uninterrupted. Beneath her pale green hair, Ryuu suddenly frowned.
She heard something.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't a God.
It was the sound of a Dungeon monster.
"?"
Did a monster captured for the festival escape?
The eastern sky was growing pale, and the thin, piercing shriek was becoming harsher by the moment. Ryuu didn't have time to change out of her short top and shorts; she sprinted straight toward the sound. The sweat from her training cooled in the rushing wind, and a chill ran over her skin.
This direction. It was the church where that boy lived!
...
The Gods' Banquet had ended yesterday. Heith could tell that Goddess Freya had been in excellent spirits after attending it. Taking advantage of the moment, she reported Eina's visit to the Goddess of Beauty.
The addictive potion involved divine involvement. When Freya heard this, she simply answered gently that it wasn't her doing. Godly powers take many forms. If someone created such a potion without using divine power, then instead of "charm," the investigation should focus on the "medicine" or the "wine".
Heith took note respectfully, promising to convey the message exactly as it was and dispel the Guild's cheap suspicions. Freya only smiled, telling the Golden Witch not to worry so much. Right and wrong would settle themselves.
Remembering that smile, Heith felt both honored and happy, yet she also noticed something odd. Strange. She had never seen Freya-sama smile that brightly before. Did something happen at the banquet?
Heith shook her head, pink hair fluttering in the morning breeze. She shouldn't be thinking about unnecessary things. The will of a God was beyond guessing; serving that Goddess was enough.
What mattered now was the task in front of her. Even if the Goddess had issued a confinement order, Heith, as liaison, still had to deliver Freya's response to the Guild. It was early—taking a little detour should be fine, right?
She still hadn't had the chance to thank him and apologize. Thinking of the boy's face, Heith unconsciously picked up her pace.
…
After his Status Update, Bell spent yesterday thoroughly investigating the entire fifth floor. The dungeon showed no trace of the anomaly, which put him at ease.
He'd planned to return the favor for the bento Syr had given him, but according to the shopkeeper Mia, Syr had taken the day off due to family matters. The Dea Saint was the same, busy with the follow-up investigation of the missing persons case, leaving no chance to meet. With Hestia also away attending a banquet, Bell suddenly found himself enjoying an unusual quiet.
Spending the day alone, he advanced through the dungeon at his own pace. Since coming to Orario, this was the first time he had experienced such a relaxed day.
The Magic Stone lamp lit the room. As usual, Bell woke before dawn to wash up.
Then an anomaly struck.
The clock trembled. The Magic Stone lamp shook dust from its casing. Bell stared at the glass of water on the table—its surface rippled nonstop.
"...An earthquake?"
He had felt something like this before when he lived in the mountains. But this was different. It wasn't the ground trembling. It felt like some massive presence was shaking the entire room.
Bell rushed out. His instincts told him he couldn't stay in a confined underground space.
Cold wind howled. In the final minute of night before dawn, the shadows cast by the boy seemed to bare their fangs.
Bell ran straight into the street. That strange, unsettling vibration still hadn't faded. The distant houses remained swallowed by darkness, silent and still. Only a few faint Magic Stone lamps glimmered.
Was no one awake?
If so, then this wasn't an earthquake, but...
A monster?
A surge of danger shot through him. That instinctive warning saved his life.
The next second—
BOOM.
The ground split open. Bell, half-prepared, barely dodged the violent attack. Emerging from the gray dust was a terrifying serpent-like monster.
!
A monster outside the Dungeon?!
Bell had no time to question it. The long, thin, unnerving creature lunged straight for him. It had no fangs or claws—only a smooth serpentine body whipping through the air like a massive lash.
Bell could only just follow its movements.
Too fast.
Its unnatural speed surpassed mercenaries, mutated Goblins, even Chloe from the tavern. Faster than all of them.
Bell made a snap decision and abandoned any chance of counterattacking. Swallowing his primal fear, he pushed his legs to dodge with everything he had.
The roar of shattering stone drowned out the whip's howling swing.
One strike.
The goddess statue Bell had hidden behind erupted violently. The already broken statue seemed to scream as shards turned into bullets, pelting the boy without mercy.
Bell felt as if a barrage of heavy punches slammed into him, forcing him to stagger backward.
The difference in strength was overwhelming. Even the indirect damage was nearly unbearable. If that direct blow hit him, he would die instantly.
There was no room to fight back—neither in power nor speed.
Why had a monster like this appeared on the surface? Where did it come from?
The serpent let out a chilling rustling. At its headless tip, drum-shaped structures like sunflower seeds pulsed faintly.
The whip snapped out again.
A wave of freezing pressure closed in on Bell. Even with no chance of winning, his judgment remained sharp. He refused to run toward the main road in panic.
If this monster reached a crowd, the casualties would be catastrophic.
And with such a difference in speed, turning his back to run would only guarantee death.
Bell abandoned the idea of escaping and darted through the ruins of the church. His only hope was that someone would hear the noise and report it to the Guild.
If he could just hold out until then...
Rocks exploded as the serpent tore through everything in its path. Long tables and chairs splintered. Wooden bookcases collapsed with gaping holes ripped through them. Crumbling walls fell like flimsy mud-brick toys, offering no resistance at all.
Bell ran desperately. That suffocating malice pressed down on every inch of him. Time stretched painfully. Each whip strike felt like it erased entire moments of his life.
But dawn still had not arrived.
The deep darkness overshadowing the city walls gave him the answer.
Not even a minute had passed.
The church, already half-destroyed, was completely leveled in the explosion that followed. The boy had nowhere left to hide.
The whip lashed out.
In that suffocating darkness, no one noticed.
The wind began to stir.