NOVEL WEB Chapter 32 – Unusual Situation
Chapter 32 - Unusual Situation
"Bell."
Bell instinctively moved his hands to catch Hestia, who had thrown herself onto his back.
Perhaps it was because he'd been pounced on so many times before, but his body reacted automatically.
Still, where his hands landed felt a bit awkward.
However, since Hestia didn't seem to mind and allowed it, Bell had gradually grown accustomed to it.
"Bell, are you done with your training?"
"Yes, today's session is finished. Now, I need to head to the dungeon to test the results."
It had been eight days since he first entered the dungeon, and it was time to reacquaint himself with the atmosphere below.
Of course, Bell wasn't planning to go as far as the second or third floors just yet.
To truly test his abilities, he needed an opponent suited to his current level, not one equal to him.
Hestia wasn't as worried as she used to be. She had come to trust Bell's strength.
"Bell, are you preparing to go to the other floors soon?"
"No," Bell responded immediately, shaking his head.
The thought of exploring deeper floors had crossed his mind, but he knew it wasn't time yet.
Before advancing further into the dungeon, he needed to perfect his current development in basic abilities.
For now, Bell had no intention of pushing ahead too quickly.
"Hestia-sama, I'm going to keep honing my combat skills on the upper floors while improving my basic abilities. Only when I reach my limits will I consider going deeper. Until then, I won't rush."
The biggest mistake one could make was being too ambitious. Bell understood this and chose to proceed cautiously, without attempting to accomplish everything at once.
Just because he possessed powerful abilities and a first-class weapon didn't mean he could act recklessly in the dungeon. In fact, the greatest danger wasn't the monsters—it was the other adventurers.
He couldn't afford to become too famous and risk dying at the hands of another, so Bell chose to keep a low profile.
Yet after a moment of reflection, uncertainty crept into Bell's mind.
His caution and fear made him wonder if he was being overly cautious.
"Hestia-sama, is my way of thinking too timid?"
Hestia snapped out of her thoughts, laughing softly. After a moment, she pressed her forehead against Bell's.
"No. Being afraid is perfectly normal. It's not just mortals; even we gods experience fear in our own way. While we don't truly die, death for us means an eternity in the heavens, far from the lower world. For us gods, an endless life of boredom is what we fear most."
"Bell, long ago, we gods weren't like this."
Though she hadn't intended to talk about the past, Hestia found herself recounting their history—a monotonous existence that once seemed as empty as life without change.
"From the moment we were born, each of us took on our roles. Back then, we were pure and unaware of the world. We were lost in our existence because, for us gods, there was nothing to do."
"We didn't concern ourselves with meaning or time, because nothing ever changed for us."
"This made our existence feel hollow."
"But one day, the lower world became connected to the heavens, and we began to observe it. From that moment, we saw something different from ourselves—something we never thought could exist."
"That was when we, who had never known change, began to experience it. We developed a hint of humanity. We learned what it meant to feel happiness, sadness, excitement, and anticipation."
"Over millions of years, we gods changed."
"That's when we created the rules for the lower world, searching for something to stir us... something thrilling, something to look forward to."
"We began to change, even though we didn't fully understand it. No god knows whether this change is good or bad, but we all long for it. After experiencing the changes in the lower world, we gods no longer feel lifeless. We feel alive."
A lifeless figure flickered in Hestia's mind—an image of a puppet with no will of its own.
But in the blink of an eye, that image was replaced by the ever-smiling Hestia.
None of the gods had expected that they could be influenced by the mortals of the lower world.
"One by one, gods descended from the heavens, each seeking their own purpose. Through this change, we went in different directions. Some leaned toward good, while others leaned toward evil."
"No matter what someone does, there will always be those who either love or despise it. Maybe it's because of different ideals, or maybe it's just a way to release frustration. I really dislike those who stir up trouble. If only they could be sent back to the heavens, the lower world would be so much better."
"But Bell, remember this: we gods came to the lower world to find our destinies. We love watching the changes in the children of the lower world, and we support every choice they make."
"So, Bell, no matter what decision you make, I'll always be behind you."
'Because, Bell, we are destined.'
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CLANG~!
A bolt of lightning shot through, and all the goblins in its path were instantly reduced to black ash. Only their magic stones and drop items remained, marking their brief existence.
CRACK!
The walls made a strange noise as they shattered suddenly, revealing dozens of holes. Inside each hole, a goblin crouched, gripping a dagger.
This was how monsters respawned.
Adventurers witnessing it for the first time would undoubtedly feel unsettled. At moments like these, they're reminded that they're inside the belly of a living entity—the Dungeon.
Just the thought of it makes many adventurers uneasy.
The goblins dropped to the floor simultaneously, creating a rather eerie, yet spectacular, sight.
Unfortunately for them, the same thunder and lightning struck once again, cutting through the goblins before they even had the chance to react. In an instant, they were turned to black ash, just like the ones before.
This time, however, the lightning ceased, and the figure behind it became visible.
"Whoo~"
Bell, now back in his human form, let out a deep breath.
His mana was nearly drained.
He had been racing through the first floor for the past fifteen minutes without stopping, which caused Royal Thunder to consume nearly 80% of his mana.
If he continued at this rate, his mana would be completely depleted, and fainting in the dungeon would be certain.
This forced Bell to pause.
Listening carefully to the silence around him, Bell noticed the walls had stopped shattering, and no more monsters respawned. This gave him a moment to collect the spoils scattered across the ground.
While magic stones weren't worth much, their drop items fetched a decent price.
With another deep breath, Bell quickly collected the items from the ground.
After a quick count, he realized he had gathered 241 goblin fangs.
He had slain that many goblins in just a few minutes, a stark contrast to the entire day it had taken him during his first trip to the dungeon.
"The practical use of Royal Thunder isn't bad. But why has the magic consumption decreased?" Bell wondered aloud.
The mana required for Royal Thunder seemed to have significantly decreased.
Over the past three days, Bell had confirmed his mana capacity and learned how much power it took to summon the magic. But today, Royal Thunder had lasted much longer than expected.
"There must be a reason. If I can figure it out, I might be able to extend my strength even more," Bell thought, sheathing the Hestia Sword and retrieving a few other items from his pouch.
Next, he needed to rest and figure out why it had lasted so long this time.
Still, there were things Bell didn't yet understand.
These unknowns carried risks and uncertainties, so it was crucial to figure out what was going on.
After a short rest, Bell felt his mana recover, which was astonishing.
As long as he meditated while resting, his strength and mana could recover quickly.
During meditation, all five of his senses heightened, allowing him to stay alert to his surroundings even in the dungeon.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught his attention, causing Bell to frown. He immediately moved to hide in the shadows.
Two sets of footsteps approached, both heavy. One was especially loud, signaling that the person was quite large.
"Not even a single goblin on the first floor today?"
The voice was gruff and filled with irritation. From what Bell could tell, this adventurer had only recently started exploring the middle floors.
"It's lively below, but the first floor is dead quiet. What's going on?"
Lively?
Bell perked up at the word. Lively wasn't usually a good thing in the dungeon.
A lively dungeon often hinted at the possibility of a monster party—a swarm of monsters gathering and attacking in unison.
No adventurer wanted to face that, especially not alone.
The footsteps drew closer, and Bell, still hidden in the shadows, caught sight of the two figures.
One man had cold, indifferent eyes. He was over 180 centimeters tall and wore shabby equipment.
The giant blade strapped to his back had visible chips along its edge, a sign it hadn't been maintained in quite some time.
The second figure startled Bell.
Wearing a white coat with her face hidden beneath the hood, the only visible emotion in her eyes was numbness and despair.
A massive backpack hung from her shoulders, far larger than herself, marking her as a Supporter rather than an adventurer.
Bell recognized her: Liliruca Arde, a Pallum and a member of the Soma Familia. She was notorious for being oppressed by the adventurers in her Familia, often exploited due to her addiction to Soma's divine wine.
Bell could see the hopelessness in her eyes. But he didn't dwell on it for long—he was more concerned with the conversation between the two.
"Hey, aren't you going to say something?"
"..."
"Come on, don't be boring."
Liliruca remained silent, and the adventurer clicked his tongue in frustration.
But he didn't care much. Supporters like her, who were constantly oppressed, always ended up like this sooner or later.
To him, she was no different from a dog.
Bell, still hidden, found it frustrating that the adventurer hadn't explained what he meant by lively, leaving him in the dark.
"Is it because of monster party?" Bell wondered.
The thought lingered as he tried to piece together the situation.
Could his actions, or the dungeon's unusual activity, have triggered something bigger?
