Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

Because he was constantly tempted by Goddess-sama's presence, Bell's desire for power grew even stronger.

But the more he craved power, the more cautious he became. After all, tasting the final fruit required not just strength, but survival. Yes, staying alive was crucial.

In Orario, being strong alone wasn't enough. One needed many ways to deal with survival itself, or even the strongest power could end in disaster.

You must never assume adventurers are just fools who stand there and take hits. If someone really thinks high-level adventurers are passive idiots, then that person is the biggest fool of all.

Even Bell's technique for bypassing adventurers' "Abnormal Resistance" couldn't be used too frequently. If those people ever developed a drug that nullified all positive effects, his technique would become useless.

Unless it's a one-hit kill, that move should be used sparingly.

'In the future, I need to keep exploring more applications of Rune.'

'Poison and curses are the two areas I'm lacking in. I need to deepen my Rune development in both.'

Sitting at his desk, Bell wrote 'poison' and 'curse' into his notebook. Pursuing these directions was now part of his Rune development plan.

He hadn't explored them before because of the widespread "Abnormal Resistance" among adventurers. Focusing on poison and curses early on had seemed foolish.

But of course, high-level poison and curses aren't something ordinary "Abnormal Resistance" can handle.

This became even more important after people began trying to counter his one-hit kill technique. High-grade poison and curses were now essential. After all, there were poisons in the Dungeon that could bypass "abnormal resistance," and once touched, only a high-level antidote could save an adventurer—without it, death was certain.

So, developing ordinary poison and curses wasn't necessary. But high-level ones were a different story.

'I still need to be more careful.'

'Also, the next challenge is the middle levels.'

The earlier twelve floors no longer posed any threat to Bell. He had already experienced all the monster behaviors and attack patterns.

Even if the same monsters appeared on the next floor, Bell was confident he could handle them.

But the floors beyond the middle levels likely won't be as gentle as the earlier ones.

Naturally, Bell had made all the necessary preparations. He understood better than anyone how dangerous the Dungeon was. That's why he had made so many preparations even before first entering it—and even now, with his strength greatly improved, he remained cautious.

'But before taking on the middle levels, I need to figure out the issue with the sword.'

He had already identified the problem during his run through the twelfth floor.

Since "Robust Health" didn't grant that particular ability, and only "Kuji Kanesada" had awakened something new, the problem must lie with "Kuji Kanesada."

'I'll test the sword again today to see what exactly has changed.'

With that, Bell added seals and concealment methods to his notes and returned them to his four-dimensional space.

"Knock knock knock!"

After tidying up, Bell opened the door—and was surprised to find Goddess-sama standing there, looking uncharacteristically excited.

"Goddess-sama, did something good happen?"

"Ta-da~"

With a proud smile, Goddess-sama looked even cuter than usual, openly showing her joy. Bell could tell something good really had happened.

"Bell-kun, do you know what day it is today?"

Hestia stood proudly, waiting for Bell-kun to ask.

Bell quickly picked up on her hint and asked right on cue.

"Goddess-sama, is today an important day?"

"Hehe~ For Orario, today's the annual festival! For adventurers, it's a day to relax and celebrate."

Having been in Orario for less than a month, Bell wasn't familiar with the festival. So, he shook his head, not quite sure what Goddess-sama meant.

"What festival is Goddess-sama talking about?"

"Of course, it's Monsterphilia."

Once he heard the name of the festival, Bell realized that today was indeed the day of Monsterphilia.

'I guess that's why I haven't run into anyone from the Ganesha Familia in the Dungeon these past few days—they must have already wrapped up their preparations.'

'Still, I didn't expect Monsterphilia to be today.'

Bell had always been curious about this festival. After all, it symbolized the beginning of the story, and by observing it, he could confirm the current timeline.

'I wonder if that Goddess of Beauty will release those monsters.'

He remembered that she had once released caged monsters just to gauge the abilities of "Bell Cranel." But at this point, she should only be observing him out of curiosity—probably not to that extreme.

That said, this time, besides the Goddess of Beauty's interference, the Evilus was also expected to make a move.

'Might be worth checking out what's going on.'

Honestly, knowing that Monsterphilia was bound to be chaotic, the smartest thing Bell could do was avoid it. But one glance at Goddess-sama's excited expression made it clear—he didn't have a choice.

So, Bell decided not to avoid it.

"Then let's go take a look, Goddess-sama."

"Mm-hmm!"

Hestia was clearly thrilled that Bell had invited her to Monsterphilia.

"Since it's decided, let's head out now."

"Of course. But Goddess-sama, let's keep safety first."

"It's fine! The Ganesha Familia handles Monsterphilia every year. If there were going to be problems, they'd have already been dealt with."

'Isn't that just because you haven't waited long enough?' Bell couldn't help but complain inwardly.

This year, problems were definitely going to arise. Bell knew it deep down, but he couldn't say anything. He didn't have Cassandra's ability to foresee the future—especially with how much the plot might be shifting now.

He really wasn't sure if the butterfly effect he represented would stir up a storm, so he continued to approach things with caution.

'Even if things seem completely safe, it's better to prepare assuming they're not.'

With that, Bell took out a black and gray cloak from his four-dimensional space.

"Goddess-sama."

"Ugh... fine."

Seeing the cloak, Hestia looked a little pouty, but she still accepted it and draped it over herself.