I wonder when my mind first began to associate him with the image of my father.
My first encounter with Al Cranel occurred when Loki brought him in to join the Familia. She was even more jubilant than usual that day.
He had hair as white as snow and a body that, despite his young age at the time, was already lean and muscular. His movements were disciplined, devoid of any wasted effort.
However, what truly captured my attention were his eyes, which shone with a deep crimson brilliance, like blood. When our gazes met, I recognized a familiar determination in his eyes. I knew instinctively that he was exactly like me.
Indeed, as soon as he received Loki's blessing, he began diving into the depths of the Dungeon. With the same ferocity I had displayed years ago—perhaps even more intensely—he threw himself into combat day and night.
At first, those around us held differing opinions regarding his behavior. Over time, however, those voices faded; eventually, no one dared to say a word except for Riveria.
I felt a strong sense of kinship toward him as someone who pursued strength. Yet, because I was at Level 4 at the time, I did not communicate with him directly despite our similar ages. Instead, I simply watched from a distance as he returned every day, his body covered in wounds, only to be lectured by Riveria.
I began to pay closer attention to him three weeks after he joined—specifically when he reached Level 2. It was a staggering pace of advancement, far surpassing my own record of reaching that level in a year. This prompted me to question Loki about what had happened.
She told me that an "Enhanced" baby dragon had appeared in the upper floors. To secure the escape of his companions and protect the wounded who were unable to move, Al fought the dragon alone and emerged victorious.
That team consisted of members who had joined the Loki Familia less than three years prior. Riveria had forced them to accompany Al because of his excessive tendency to work alone. Despite being novices, they were members of the Loki Familia, and some had already reached Level 2.
Was it possible for someone who had received a Blessing only three weeks ago to defeat an enhanced monster that seasoned adventurers had fled from? It seemed impossible; even I could never have done such a thing.
Yet, he achieved it. Thanks to this recognized "Great Feat," he was able to level up. However, leveling up requires at least one ability score to reach Rank D in addition to the feat.
While attributes rise easily at the start, reaching Rank D in three weeks is beyond the limits of mere talent. Usually, the highest one can achieve is Rank G or F, but he had actually reached it by the time his battle with the dragon concluded.
Tiona began to grow closer to Al after that, while I continued to observe him from afar.
I felt a mixture of astonishment and a strange sense of conviction. From the moment I first saw his eyes, I sensed the powerful emotions dwelling within him; I realized those feelings were his primary engine. If it were a mere desire for combat, he would have ended up as a simple "battle maniac," but he did not stop there.
He continued to harvest monsters until he reached the middle floors entirely on his own. This was inconceivable to me at the time, and it became clear to everyone that this boy was an anomaly.
A month later, he returned one day in a more wretched state than ever before, losing consciousness the moment he arrived. After receiving treatment from Riveria, he updated his status.
── Level 3.
This was when my real interaction with Al began. I felt a sharp pang of jealousy; it was unthinkable that he could become a second-class adventurer just like me in a mere two months.
While everyone, including Elfy and Tiona, heaped praise upon him, I could not be honest with him. I stuck to brief, formal responses whenever we spoke.
I felt as though it were unfair. Al had climbed in the blink of an eye the very steps that had taken me years to scale since my childhood. Later, through Loki's arrangement, we began going on Dungeon missions together. I continued to treat him coldly, while internally I trembled with fear at his suicidal fighting style and his terrifying growth rate.
Everything changed during the incident that led to my advancement to Level 5 and Al's to Level 4: the attack of the "Black Goliath" on the town of Rivira.
That monster appeared suddenly despite being in a dormant period, completely destroying Rivira. The Black Goliath was stronger than usual, and I was unable to face it at Level 4.
The adventurers in Rivira were Level 3 at most. Everyone felt despair before the monster's power, which was equivalent to Level 5, believing it was the end. But Al stood alone against the Goliath while everyone else fled.
When I watched him fight, I realized the truth. He does not fight recklessly because he devalues his life; quite the opposite.
Al fights to save the lives of others. He seeks power for the sake of everyone else but himself.
Despite his extraordinary talent, Level 3 statistics should never allow someone to defeat a Floor Boss with Level 5 strength. This is common knowledge. Nevertheless, the sight of him advancing without a shred of fear made his image overlap with that of my father in my mind.
That figure breathed life back into the residents of Rivira whose hearts were nearly broken by despair. They stood up and took up their weapons once more. In that moment, I felt a strange pride.
I had found the first person I wanted to protect, after spending my entire life being protected by my father. After a fierce battle, the Goliath fell, and both Al and I leveled up.
Years have passed since then. I remained at Level 5, while Al reached Level 7—the very pinnacle of the adventurer hierarchy.
I became the only one unable to surpass Level 5. I felt frustration, sadness, and fear, but more than that, I was filled with an overwhelming desire to stand beside him.
He does not look at me; he looks forward, toward a distant goal. If this continues, he will go to a place I can never reach. I fear that Al will leave me alone again. I want to see what he sees. I want to know the world he observes. I want to reach where he is.
So, please... please, Al, do not leave me behind.
●○●○●
Ais and her companions headed toward "Cadmus Spring" on the fifty-first floor at the request of the Dian Cecht Familia to collect spring water. There, they stumbled upon the corpse of "Cadmus" and the culprit that killed it: giant worms that stored corrosive fluid.
That corrosive liquid was powerful beyond imagination, melting weapons made of the Loki Familia's rare metals. No one could fight except for Ais and Al, who possessed weapons with "Unbreakable" properties. Only they were capable at that moment of deciding the battle without casualties.
The fight continued in a repetitive cycle of slashing before the fluid could dissolve them. They barely managed to regroup with Finn's unit and exterminate the new worms at the main camp, but then a much greater entity appeared before them. It was a creature with a feminine form that far exceeded the worms in size, storing massive quantities of corrosive liquid. Finn began to analyze the situation calmly.
The piercing power of her massive body was likely immense, but more dangerous was the solvent she spat. To be showered in that liquid meant an immediate exit from the battle.
Her size rivaled that of Floor Bosses, standing approximately six to seven meters tall. There was a vast difference between her size and that of the previous worms.
Her strange body, far larger than the massive individuals they had just fought, was colored a vivid, poisonous yellowish-green. She appeared to be a "Queen Worm," emitting an aura that struck terror into the heart.
Her hideousness, resembling an overgrown maggot, remained, but while the previous worms looked like human larvae, this one took the shape of a human woman.
She possessed a prominent chest with large breasts, a sculpted waist, and rounded, bulging hips, while the lower part of her fleshy body transformed into something resembling a skirt.
To any intelligent being, her appearance triggered an instinctive disgust bordering on horror. Yet, if one were to look past that ugliness, they would find an organic beauty resembling a mermaid, emitting a strange sanctity that contrasted with her repulsive appearance. It was a sensation different from any monster they had encountered before.
"Divinity"──that was the most appropriate description for her presence.
While Finn and his companions shuddered at this unprecedented sensation, the Queen Worm slowly opened her four flattened limbs, appearing like a saintly mother about to embrace her beloved or accept everyone into her fold.
In that moment, colored particles resembling flower pollen erupted from her arms, drifting with the wind like shimmering motes of light toward Finn and the others.
──Suddenly, a violent explosion of light occurred, completely obscuring their vision. Everyone suffered temporary blindness from the flash. With a quick decision, Ais summoned "Ariel" to protect her comrades. A moment later, the light exploded, causing a shockwave that rattled the air and cratered the ground.
"Ggh──!!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaa──?!"
Finn and his companions were sent flying by the blast wave and intense heat, but they immediately regained their balance to assess the situation.
The explosion left a giant crater several meters wide; the shockwave uprooted trees and dug deep into the earth.
Those light particles scattered casually like butterfly dust were actually "magic projectiles" that detonated everything. Their power was sufficient to cause fatal injuries even to first-class adventurers if they took a direct hit.
In the center of the event, the Queen stood in a form that no longer resembled a worm. Four wings sprouted from her arms, and two long horns extended toward the sky from the top of her head. Everyone instinctively realized that this transformation was the Queen's true form.
After shedding her worm-like shell, the Queen began to wear a confident smile as she altered her shape.
Although locating the "Mana Stone" was difficult due to her massive body rivaling that of Floor Bosses, Riveria's magic could crush her. However, exterminating her recklessly would lead to a tsunami of corrosive fluid that would drown everyone and cause devastating losses. Finn realized this before anyone else and ordered a withdrawal.
"Abandon the camp immediately. Retreat with minimum supplies. Inform Riveria and the rest."
"Wait, Finn! What about that thing?!"
"If we leave it like this, a disaster could happen!"
Bete and Tiona objected to Finn's order, and their objection was valid; leaving a monster that the Loki Familia could not resolve quickly might lead to unimaginable destruction.
Nevertheless, continuing the fight would certainly result in casualties, but something even more dangerous might occur. For this reason, Finn chose to make a harsh decision.
"To eliminate this monster with the least amount of losses, there is no other solution. I am not satisfied with this decision myself... and I apologize for saying such cliché words in a situation like this."
Given the size of the monster that rivaled Floor Bosses, it was difficult to avoid the corrosive fluid that would overflow from it. Only Ais could manage this, thanks to her magic which prevented the fluid from touching her, and Al, who could burn the corrosive liquid with his fire magic—not to mention he was the fastest man in the city, surpassing even the "Chariot of the Goddess" (Ottar) in agility.
The rest of the companions present would be in certain danger if the corrosive fluid splashed. Therefore, no one else but these two could settle the battle.
Thus, Finn and the others had no choice but to entrust the task to them and retreat.
"Ais, Al. Eliminate that monster."
The two nodded silently and drew their weapons.
(... She's hard!!)
This was Ais's impression as soon as her sword struck the female's body. She felt as though she were hitting a block of steel, yet she felt no impact from her blow.
Indeed, a liquid resembling murky sap leaked from the wound and covered it; within moments, the body returned to its original state as if nothing had happened.
Ais could not hide her astonishment, her eyes widening in shock. In that moment, the female launched her counterattack.
She extended her thick arm and swung it like a whip to attack. Ais raised her sword quickly to parry the strike, but the force of the blow pushed her back and sent her flying.
However, she landed skillfully and regained her stance, then raised her sword with all her might and cleaved the air with a horizontal strike. Yet, the result was no different; the wounds healed instantly.
Ais realized that simple attrition would not work. She began to gather "Ariel" around her sword with greater intensity, preparing to launch her "Grand Technique" reserved for Floor Bosses. But she stood stunned before the battle unfolding before her eyes—a battle on an entirely different level.
It was a fight at divine speed. The supernatural velocity made even Ais struggle to see the movements clearly from a distance, causing violent shockwaves that shattered trees and the ground around them. With the addition of those attacks resembling raging thunderbolts, approaching the arena became impossible.
Al's primary weapon was the special sword, [Mistilteinn]. This blade was forged from the hardest refined metals that exceeded the durability of "Adamantite," and rare materials from the Floor Boss "Balor" were fused into it. The property of this sword was "Unbreakable."
This sword, possessing power equal to Ais's [Desperate], could not bend or break regardless of the circumstances. In the hands of Al, who possessed abilities and techniques surpassing Ais, the sword tore through the female's steel-like flesh with absolute ease.
(He has become stronger again...)
Because they were fighting alone together, Ais felt this more than ever. Unlike her, who suffered from stagnant growth, Al had never stopped evolving.
I shouldn't stay like this; I must exert more effort──Ais thought bitterly, feeling helpless just standing as a spectator before this legendary combat.
The female possessed agility and mobility inconsistent with her massive body. She swung her four tactile arms in all directions to cover 360-degree attacks. Even if someone tried to circle behind her, she moved her feet—which resembled "sea anemone" legs—to change direction quickly. She did not suffer from the poor maneuverability that usually characterized Floor Bosses like Goliath.
But before Al, she was nothing more than a scarecrow. He easily sliced the arm that attacked him from behind, then delivered a violent, cutting blow to her body.
Despite her heavy appearance, she possessed high speed and magic resistance. It seemed her defense against physical attacks was immense. However, for Al, an opponent of this level presented no real problem.
After cornering her with his violent assault, the female suddenly stopped and began spitting massive amounts of liquid from her mouth. It was a purple, viscous substance resembling "Slime," and it spread rapidly on the ground. As soon as it touched the trees, the forest began to erode and rot in the blink of an eye.
Ais sensed the danger and used her only magic, [Ariel], to surround herself with fierce winds like a storm, driving the purple liquid away from her.
Though she was not an "Elf" experienced in magic, the wind protection granted by the [Ariel] skill allowed her to balance the power in the clash of her sword with the female's tactile arms.
Yet for Ais, using her strongest magic and her unbreakable sword only made her "equal" to the monster. She felt a lump in her throat at her inability to fight using pure physical capabilities like Al. While Ais was lost in her thoughts, the situation shifted again.
Al dashed forward with unimaginable speed, bypassing the female's left side and delivering an upward sword strike (Kisaragi). The female tried to use her remaining right arm as a shield, but she was too slow. Al severed her multiple anemone-like feet in a single instant.
No matter how strong and flexible her body was, losing her lower half meant losing the ability to move. It appeared the battle was decided, but the female did not surrender. Instead, she threw her massive body to collide with Al in a suicidal attack.
Although the momentum of that gargantuan mass was terrifying, such a desperate attack would never hit Al. He dodged the blow easily, then climbed the female's body with speed that blurred the eyes.
With every leap, he tore her body apart completely, until he severed the remains of her arms at the roots. In that moment, the female stopped moving entirely, and a massive, unprecedented amount of corrosive fluid erupted from her. However, Al cleared the area with a "barrier of cutting strikes" that did not even require magic.
The power gap was decisive. The "Blessing" that brings an adventurer closer to the status of a god as they level up makes the difference between one level and the next like the difference between separate species. That two-level gap stood like a towering wall before Ais.
"── Damn it."
It was not a feeling of malice, but of sorrow. If this continued, the gap would widen further, and she would never be able to fight alongside Al. "Little Ais" screamed inside her, rejecting this reality.
I don't want to stay behind you. I want to stay beside you always. I want us to fight together back-to-back as we used to. As Ais wrestled with her feelings, the sound of a "Bell" that shook the soul echoed through the area, and black light particles appeared out of nowhere.
Those particles were Al's acquired skill, [Alcides - Way of the Supreme Hero]. It is a skill that grants the right to "Charge" active deeds such as magic, and Al's magic, enhanced by this skill, was directed toward the female who had lost all means of attack.
── "[Thunderbolt]"
The bolt, its power multiplied by the charge, launched as a pillar of light that surpassed the strength of Riveria's [Rea Laevateinn], completely incinerating the female's body.
Intense heat obscured the vision, and everything turned red. A sea of flames spread at the center of the explosion, and fire began to consume the gray forest from every side. Under the crimson glow of the flames, Ais could only stare at the scene.
(Ah... I couldn't do anything).
A shadow emerged from the midst of the burning sea without a single scratch. He was the figure of a hero in every sense of the word. Ais bit her lip as she saw Al, who could have defeated the female easily even if she had not been there.
●○●○●
The Loki Familia procession marched through the inorganic corridors made of various rocks in the middle floors of the Dungeon, which resembled a natural labyrinth, heading toward the upper floors──toward the surface.
As they ascended to the shallow floors, the monsters began to weaken, accelerating their progress. The phosphorescent lights of the Dungeon began to grow brighter.
They were close to exiting this underground maze. They were now on the seventeenth floor, which is close to the surface compared to the depths they had occupied.
During the return journey, Ais and her companions engaged in a few minor battles—no more than three or four times—and the strength of the enemies posed no obstacle to a Level 2 adventurer.
Due to the appearance of the metal-melting worms and the female monster rivaling a Floor Boss—two new types of "Irregulars" that even the Loki Familia had struggled with—they decided to abandon the exploration of unknown floors and return to the surface.
(... What did that monster really represent?)
Ais was reflecting on the previous battle while exchanging talk with Tione and Lefiya. The giant worms had changed their skin color to attack, and their style was simple, relying on spitting acid from openings in the front of their bodies.
The strength of that acid was enough to dissolve any unprotected part of the body in an instant. As for the female, she had been a terrifying opponent with the size of a Floor Boss and abilities fitting that scale.
In particular, she felt something "impure" emanating from the female, though she did not realize what it was. The only certainty was that both had been extremely bothersome opponents.
"Wooooooooooooooo──!!"
While Ais was lost in her thoughts, the scent of monsters and bloody rust wafted through the air along with a roar that shook the corridors. Minotaurs appeared—humanoid creatures with bull heads that surpassed the other monsters in height and bulk.
Copper-colored skin, and a bull's head with two horns. Although they carried no weapons, their bulging muscles suggested immense combat power.
The most distinctive feature was the head; instead of a human face, there was a bull's head distorted by violence, with sharp fangs protruding like a predator's, and steam-like breath exhaling from its nose.
Upon seeing Ais and the others, the herds of Minotaurs lowered their bodies in preparation to attack, striking the ground with their feet. In an instant, they rushed toward them with explosive speed.
The Minotaurs attacked with blood-red eyes, but Tiona leaped toward them jubilantly.
She swung her greatsword (which she had received as a substitute for her weapon "Urga," which had melted) in a horizontal motion, sending the first Minotaur in the lead flying. The soaring monster collided with the rest and then smashed into the wall, becoming an immobile part of it.
Tiona continued to swing her sword with power, cutting down every monster that tried to approach. In the blink of an eye, the Minotaurs were scattered in pieces, their corpses falling to the ground.
Before Tiona's assault, the strongest monsters of the middle floors appeared completely helpless. This was natural; for the Loki Familia that explores the depths, the monsters of the middle floors represent no significant threat.
Ais and Bete joined the battle, and thanks to the power of the vanguard fighters, the monsters were crushed one after another. Normally, the leaders leave these battles to the lower-ranked members to gain experience, but they were in a hurry to bring information about the new monsters to the surface.
However, the numbers this time were abnormal.
Due to the leaders' activity, more than half of them turned to ash in moments. It seemed the rest of the Minotaurs (about dozens) were terrified by the power gap, so they turned tail and fled from Ais and the others.
"Whaaaat?!"
"What?! You're running?! You're monsters, for heaven's sake!!"
A Minotaur retreating... an utterly unfamiliar sight. Monsters usually act on instinct, and while intelligent monsters exist, a situation like this was a first.
Tiona and Bete were stunned for a moment, but they regained their balance and began the pursuit. The monsters of the upper floors meant nothing to them, and nothing would block their path to the surface.
However, there are other adventurers in the Dungeon besides them. For those people, a herd of rampaging and panicked Minotaurs represents a realized nightmare. Adventurers might be attacked because these monsters escaped.
For this reason, Tiona and Bete began chasing the fleeing Minotaurs at maximum speed. Tiona pursued them with her greatsword, followed by Bete, who was shouting curses.
The Minotaurs ascended the stairs leading to the sixteenth floor, and the panic-stricken herd disappeared in moments.
Tione clicked her tongue in annoyance and followed Tiona and Bete; Ais followed as well.
●○●○●
Damn it, dying at the hands of a worm would be a hideous scene, so I'll pass. No matter how desperate I am, I at least want to choose who kills me. Additionally, that female monster was destined to be defeated by Ais alone in the original story, so she never would have won against me while I was fighting seriously.
Anyway, what's with Ais? She's seemed gloomy since the battle ended.
It doesn't matter. More importantly, my brother Bell Cranel is about to have his "Encounter of Destiny." I began running after the Minotaurs that fled from us, "controlling my speed" to keep Ais in the lead.
To be honest, I still have plenty of mana and could wipe out the entire herd with a series of "Thunderbolts" without needing to run, but if I do that, the events of the original story won't begin.
Ah, there's Bell.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!"
And he's running now—not from the Minotaur, but from Ais. He's so fast. If he had run from the Minotaur with this speed from the beginning, it would have been better.
Anyway, here the original story finally begins. Although some details have started to fade from my memory, I haven't forgotten the perfect moments to initiate "Drama and Suffering."
Ah, I'm looking forward to it.
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"Skill"
[Alcides - Way of the Supreme Hero]
Grants the right to execute a "Charge" for active deeds (such as magic or special strikes).
Corrects and enhances all Abilities upon activation.
The amount of enhancement is directly proportional to the charging time.
During the charge, the sound of a "Bell" echoes, raising the combat spirit of allies.