The day after the Divine Banquet.
In the upper levels of the dungeon, a white-haired boy fought against multiple Killer Ants with a short sword.
His strength and movements weren't quite polished, but the technique behind his swordplay was sophisticated. Combined with his decent stats, he was holding his own against the Killer Ants.
"See that, Lili? Bell always seems easygoing, but if you underestimate him, you're being naive..."
Standing at the fork of a nearby cave tunnel, Kai held his longsword down and wiped the blood from the blade as he spoke to Lili, who was gathering magic stones.
"Hmph... even so, he's nowhere near as amazing as you, Kai-sama!"
Lili's dagger slid into the joints of a Killer Ant's exoskeleton. With a twist, a pale-purple magic stone dropped into her hand.
Weighing the stone, she glanced at Bell still struggling against the monsters. Her tiny nose wrinkled as she continued, "If it were you, Kai-sama, you'd finish them with a single blow."
She dropped the stone into her leather pouch and moved on to the next ant corpse.
Around her, hundreds of monster corpses were piled high, almost covering the floor.
All of them had been killed by Kai.
From the moment he drew his sword and charged into the monster horde, to clearing out the entire dungeon floor, Kai had moved with ease. He hadn't even gotten a drop of blood on himself. He'd even spared a few Killer Ants so Bell could train.
"But why are you so hostile toward Bell, Lili? You're in the same familia."
Watching her collect magic stones, Kai asked, "Did that kid do something to you?"
"Hmph, like he'd dare!"
Lili instantly denied the idea and muttered, "I just don't like him. Don't overthink it, Kai-sama..."
Why didn't she like Bell?
In terms of personality, Lili didn't usually dislike guys as simple and kind as Bell. In fact, she should've gotten along well with him. But in reality, she absolutely loathed that white-haired brat.
Kai hadn't shown it, but Lili could vaguely sense it—Bell held a heavier place in Kai's heart than she did.
But why?
She was the first to appear by Kai's side when he wandered alone through a sea of corpses. And yet, in the blink of an eye, that kid had taken h place!
That damn white-haired brat!
Relying on a bit of talent, always sticking close to Kai and shamelessly calling him "senpai" every chance he got. It was disgusting!
Even though she wasn't good at fighting, as a supporter, Lili prided herself on being top-notch.
Even with Kai's insane grinding pace, she kept up just fine. In all of Orario, there were probably fewer than ten supporters who could match her!
In terms of contributions to the familia, she gave more than Bell. But why did Kai always favor him?
Even when entering the dungeon, Kai's eyes lingered longer on Bell!
That damn white-haired brat...
Gritting her teeth, Lili furiously stabbed her dagger into a monster's corpse, stirring it around as if venting her frustration.
—I'll steal Kai-sama back from you someday, you bastard!!!
Of course, Kai had no idea about Lili's internal turmoil.
He was currently moving through the cavern and monster corridors, slaying the newly spawned enemies.
The freshly wiped blade was once again stained with warm blood. As he fought, Kai looked at the excited Bell with mixed feelings.
Perhaps because of his involvement in the story, Bell hadn't used a dagger like in the original, but instead picked up a short sword and followed the path of a swordsman.
Still, despite the weapon change, Bell's talent hadn't diminished—his swordplay was a bit rough, but his battle instincts were so sharp even Kai had to admit he was impressed.
Even during the time when the church was under renovation, Bell had somehow fatefully discovered the original's magic book at the Hostess of Fertility and learned [Firebolt].
Even though Kai had drastically altered the story, Bell's growth trajectory remained unaffected.
As expected of the protagonist...
Soon, after Kai finished off the new monsters, Bell's battle also came to an end.
Clang—
His silver blade slashed like lightning, leaving only a shallow white mark on the Killer Ant's shell.
No penetration... but he expected that.
Having fought them for a while, Bell was familiar with their structure and knew these ones were enhanced by the dungeon to target Kai.
So he never intended to end it with that swing.
Screech!
The Killer Ant shrieked and lunged with its sharp mandibles.
Instead of retreating, Bell ducked low, narrowly dodging the jaws, and dove beneath the ant.
As an insect-type monster, Killer Ants inherited all the traits of real ants—powerful jaws, hard shells—but also had the same weak points: softer abdomens and joints.
Bell spun under the ant, stabbed upward into its belly, then slashed forcefully.
Rip!
A tearing sound echoed as dark green goo poured out, drenching Bell.
From afar, Kai winced.
Dungeon monsters—whether humanoid, insectoid, or bizarre—shared one thing: their fluids reeked.
Blood was bad, but insect fluids were worse...
It was like boiling a dozen pairs of unwashed soccer socks for soup.
The first time Kai killed an insect monster, some of the goo got on his hand. His arm stank for a whole day—it left quite the impression.
And now Bell was absolutely drenched in the stuff.
Yet Bell didn't seem to notice. He dodged the collapsing corpse and dashed toward the next target.
Soon, he repeated the process, wiping out all the remaining Killer Ants. By the end, he was covered in thick, sticky green goo.
"Senpai! Senpai! I did it!"
Grinning ear to ear, Bell sprinted toward Kai like a kid showing off his homework.
Seeing him approach, Kai's face changed. Glancing at Lili still collecting stones, he got a sudden idea.
"Bell! Gather the magic stones first! If the dungeon reclaims the corpses, we'll lose everything!"
In his panic, he even forgot to call him "white-haired brat."
"Got it, Senpai! Leave it to me!"
Bell didn't think much of it, gave a thumbs-up, and turned back to harvest the magic stones.
"Phew..."
Seeing that Bell didn't stupidly rush forward, Kai let out a breath of relief.
What a good, obedient kid...