Chapter 41: Humans Are Far More Terrifying Than Monsters!
"This is the tenth floor?"
Shirou, Bell, and Lili arrived at the tenth underground floor. As expected, the surrounding environment had undergone a drastic change; the terrifying pressure radiating from the shadows was shocking.
Among the three, only Shirou remained calm and composed.
This was because Shirou had originally climbed up from a deeper floor. Although at the time he didn't know exactly which floor he was on, recalling it now, he estimated it was at least below the 30th floor.
That was just a conservative estimate; in reality, the area he reached should have been even deeper.
Because of this, the labyrinth on the tenth floor posed no real threat to Shirou. However, to avoid seeming too out of place, he still maintained a somewhat cautious attitude.
"Um, before we head out, should we replenish our supplies first?"
Bell wavered again at this point, clearly still fearing the possible appearance of the Minotaur.
"Don't worry, Lili already prepared all the supplies yesterday." Lili smiled and took out various potions and a long sword from a large pack. "By the way, Lord Bell, do you want to try this weapon?"
"...What is this?"
Bell took the long sword from Lili in surprise. The sword was entirely black, with a silver double-edged blade that was extremely thin and lightweight, like an extended version of a dagger.
Although it wasn't a valuable item, the craftsmanship was quite exquisite.
"Sorry I didn't tell you beforehand, Lord Bell. Lili prepared it on her own." Lili smiled. "When fighting large monsters, Lord Bell's current weapon has too short an attack range. Even aside from that, I've always thought your attack range should be wider."
"Uh, is this a gift? I feel a bit awkward just taking your stuff for free..."
"You agreed to my selfish request, so consider this as repayment. Please accept it."
"Well..."
Seeing Lili so determined, Bell finally nodded, "In that case, I'll give you a bigger share of the exploration loot from now on, Lili."
"Eh..."
Lili didn't expect Bell to say that. Her expression showed hesitation beyond her usual fake smile, but it only lasted a moment before she returned to her usual beaming smile.
"No, no, I'm just a supporter, I can't ask for extra pay." Lili smiled brightly. "By the way, I forgot to prepare a scabbard for this sword. You'll have to figure out how to store it yourself."
Lili suddenly reminded Bell.
"Oh, that's right."
Bell was momentarily stunned. Then he took the "Hassan's Dagger" out from his armor and, after thinking for a bit, decided to hang it on his waist.
After all, the dagger had a sheath, but the sword Lili gave him didn't. He had to store it in his armor to avoid injuring himself.
Lili watched Bell the entire time. Though her face was hidden by a hood, her subtle movements showed she seemed quite pleased with this outcome.
The labyrinth on the tenth floor was completely different from the previous floors.
There were more caves, wider spaces, and short paths connecting the caves. Also, the ceiling height, which was only about three or four meters before, suddenly expanded to over ten meters. The types of monsters hadn't changed much, but their strength had all been enhanced.
"The fog here is so thick."
Bell looked around confused, noticing a large amount of white mist blocking his view.
"That's how the dungeon environment is; each floor has different characteristics."
Shirou, having been to deeper levels, spoke with authority on this matter.
"Mr. Emiya, you seem very familiar with dungeons?"
Lili noticed Shirou's reaction and showed some suspicion.
"Sort of."
Shirou didn't care if Lili noticed anything. At this point, it was impossible for her to escape from him.
"Lili, stay close to me."
Bell, seeing Lili daydreaming, couldn't help but remind her.
Lili was puzzled, "Lord Bell, why do you only remind me to stay close, but not Mr. Emiya? Isn't he also at risk?"
"Ah, well... because Emiya-san..."
Bell really didn't know how to explain Shirou.
Before he could explain, an overwhelming number of monsters suddenly charged out of the thick fog.
As before, Bell mainly fought, while Lili and Shirou provided support from behind—though "support" mainly meant watching Bell fight and occasionally offering verbal help.
"Haahhh!!"
Bell's growth was obvious now; he was more than a match for the tenth-floor monsters. Using the long sword Lili gave him, he killed monster after monster.
Seeing this, Shirou had to admit Lili's suggestion was right. In foggy conditions limiting visibility, a longer-range sword was more effective than a short-range dagger, even if it sacrificed some speed. But whether Lili's intention was truly just to help Bell was questionable.
"ah ah, finally done?"
After killing all the monsters in the corridor, Bell breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit excited.
The battle on the tenth floor made him feel his growth and the fact that he was truly getting stronger.
He intended to return to meet Shirou and Lili, but found that during the fight, he had unknowingly drifted further and further away, eventually entering a completely unfamiliar area.
"Where is this...?"
Bell looked around in confusion, trying to find familiar figures, but could not, completely lost due to the foggy environment.
At that moment, several figures suddenly appeared from the fog—adventurers Bell did not recognize at all.
"W-who are you?"
Bell looked at them in surprise.
The adventurers smiled as if sizing up their 'prey.'
"So this is the guy that woman talked about? I heard he carries weapons worth millions."
"Hmph, that woman lies so much. Who knows if she's just bragging."
"Regardless, that girl's ability is real. Otherwise, how could she survive in a place like the Soma Familia? Let's finish him quickly and take his stuff for a big profit."
The adventurers surrounded Bell, their faces filled with ruthless sneers.
"Who exactly are you?"
Feeling the malice from the adventurers, even Bell realized how bad the situation was. His whole body trembled as he instinctively guarded his dagger at his waist.
But his action was immediately noticed by the adventurers. One big guy quickly rushed over and grabbed Bell.
Another adventurer snatched Bell's "Hassan's Dagger" from his waist and, after admiring it, showed a satisfied expression.
"This is really worth it! This dagger is excellent!"
"Give it back! Give me back my dagger!!!"
Bell panicked, not wanting to lose the dagger Shirou gave him, struggling with all his might.
The adventurer seemed annoyed and kicked Bell in the stomach, sending him flying.
Cough cough...
Bell rolled on the ground, painfully struggling to get up.
He wanted to fight back but realized the big guy who grabbed him was level 2. With four or five other experienced adventurers, Bell was no match for them.
The adventurer silently stepped forward and pressed his foot on Bell's shoulder, the heavy force pinning him down as if his bones might break.
"Why? Why are you doing this?"
Bell gritted his teeth in pain and weakly questioned.
"Why?" The big adventurer smiled. "Because we're followers of the Soma Familia. That woman named Lili told us about you. She's a terrible person, selling info to us and taking hundreds of thousands of Faris. She's so cautious she didn't want to do it herself, just led you here and let us rob you. Well, getting this expensive dagger isn't a bad deal for us either!"
"A woman? Lili is just a child..."
"A child? Haha, don't be fooled by her disguise. She's a Pallum! She might be older than you by age! She put on animal ears to disguise herself as a little girl, so she can shamelessly deceive others. Even among our Soma Familia, she's known as scum!"
"Lili... she's from the Pallum Race?"
At this moment, even Bell finally understood everything.
He stared blankly at the adventurers surrounding him, recalling his meetings with Lili. Suddenly, it was as if all the fog cleared, and the truth was revealed.
But seeing the truth now was undoubtedly too late.
The adventurers had surrounded him. Careful Lili, having completed her task, might have already escaped the labyrinth.
These adventurers obviously wouldn't let Bell go; after searching him thoroughly, they would eliminate him here.
Am I... going to die here?
Confusion and fear flashed in Bell's eyes.
The chaotic emotions overwhelmed him, making him forget even how to resist. He could only instinctively make defensive movements, but it was obvious he had no chance to resist these adventurers.
Of course, the adventurers had no intention of sparing him. They began discussing whether to kill him outright or strip him naked and throw him into a monster's lair to be finished off.
Ultimately, the twisted adventurers agreed on the latter with malicious smiles as they approached Bell.
"Let go, let go of me..."
At this moment, Bell felt a terror deeper than the Minotaur. The evil called 'human' made him feel a thousand, ten thousand times more horrifying than the monsters in the labyrinth.
This was true evil!
However, just as Bell's armor was about to be stripped off and the adventurers were going to throw him into the monster lair, footsteps suddenly echoed from afar in the labyrinth.
Tap tap! Tap tap!
The footsteps grew closer.
Both Bell and the adventurers instinctively looked toward the direction of the footsteps.
Then they saw a red-haired youth, holding a Pallum girl who looked pale and shocked, like he was carrying a small chick, quietly walking from afar.
"I don't care if you suffer for a bit, Bell." Shirou spoke quietly. "If you can't handle this, you can never become a true strong person."