11 The Dungeon

BABEL. DUNGEON ENTRANCE

[3rd Person POV]

Bella could barely contain her excitement as she watched the stairs down into the Dungeon. Finally! She was actually going to enter the Dungeon! She was wearing the chest plate that the guild had given her and had her dagger strapped to her side. Looking to her right, she saw Steve standing there in his usual clothes' Apparently, he didn't think that the first floor warranted the use of his armor. Considering his level, that made sense.

"Alright, Bella."

"Remember what we talked about. We are sticking to the first floor today so you can get used to fighting in the Dungeon. The only things we are supposed to encounter are lone goblins. They don't spawn in groups and are the only hostile monster that spawns on this floor. You'll be doing all the fighting yourself. I won't step in unless it looks like you're going to get yourself killed. You got that?" He told her.

"Yes, Steve-san"

Bella nodded. They'd spent hours going over information and plans that she'd done her best to memorize.

"Alright then. Let's go." He said.

The two descended the stairs and into the Dungeon.

The information that Eina had given them said that the first floor looked like an underground cave with bluish walls and that description certainly fit. The wide hall that the info said was called the Beginning Road stretched out before them when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Head on a swivel, Bella" Steve remind her.

Trying to calm her nerves, Bella nodded and drew her dagger. She could still hear one of the first lessons Steve had given her. "Never sheath your weapon in a dangerous environment, Bella. If you think you might be ambushed, you either keep your weapon handy or have magic ready to cast. Drawing your weapon wastes precious time, so keep it ready." Bella didn't' know any magic yet, so she kept her dagger drawn and listened for the crack that signaled a monster spawning.

It wasn't until the corridor had started to thin out that she heard it. There was a soft crackling noise before, with a mighty CRACK a goblin burst out of the floor. Bella, used to monster encounters on the road, wasted no time. She burst forward, intending to skewer the goblin before it had a chance to react. She thrust with his dagger and… missed!? The goblin had jumped out of the way. Bella over-extended in her surprise and felt the goblin's claws rake across her shoulder before she could dodge.

She hissed at the stinging sensation as she rolled away from the goblin. Standing, she eyed it warily as she rolled her shoulder. It didn't seem to have done much damage physically, but she did feel embarrassed and angry. That had been a stupid mistake! Monsters in the Dungoen were faster and stronger than the ones on the surface. She knew that but, like an idiot, she had forgotten it.

The goblin leapt at her this time but, determined not to embarrass herself again, she was ready for it. She caught the goblins outstretched wrist and plunged her dagger into its neck. The goblin exploded into a shower of dust and a crystal dropped to the floor. Picking up the crystal, she glanced hesitantly up at Steve.

Steve was standing in exactly the same place. His arms crossed, he stared at Bella and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I even need to say it?" Steve said much for Bella to flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Steve-san. I got overconfident." She said as Steve stepped forward and put a hand on her head, patting it much to Bella liking.

"Being overconfident is a hallmark of the young, and making mistakes is how we learn. Never making the same mistake twice means we learned the lesson. Don't do that again, be grateful it wasn't a more painful mistake, and I'll consider it a lesson well learned." Steve said with a smile.

'Steve-san really was the best!' Bella thought, after been motivated by Steve's words and headpat.

"I promise, I won't rush in like an idiot, and I won't get overconfident and take on more than I can handle unless I have no choice." Bella said and made a promised to Steve.

"Good girl." Steve saidn

*happy Bunny noise*

"A last stand is a last resort. Never take on overwhelming odds unless you have no choice. Remember that." Steve said again, mostly as a reminder.

Bell nodded.

"Let's continue on"

Steve said as they moved further down the passage.

After that first incident, Bella had been determined not to make any silly mistakes. Sure, she'd had to block or dodge attacks she hadn't seen coming. Her chest plate had even caught a couple attacks she just hadn't been able to avoid but, none of them happened because she had rushed in like an idiot again. Steve had critiqued Bell's performance after each fight and seemed to be happy with how she was doing.

Despite saying that Steve would let Bella manage all the fighting, the Miner did kill one goblin. It had burst out of the ground right at Steve's feet and she had stomped on it out of reflex. The goblin had burst into dust before it could completely pull itself out of the floor, leaving nothing but a crystal and a boot-print in the dust. Bella couldn't help herself and started giggling when that happened.

They had been in the Dungeon for maybe an hour when Bella got her first drop item. She had been dealing with a particularly vicious goblin and had only managed to beat it by grabbing a handful of dust off the Dungeon floor and throwing it into the goblins eye. When the goblin screeched and clutched its eye, Bella drove her dagger into its chest. To his astonishment, one of the goblins ears had dropped along with the crystal.

All together they spent nearly six hours in the Dungeon that day fighting every monster they could find on the first floor. Bella had never felt more exhausted or more satisfied than she did as they climbed the steps out of the Dungeon and headed for the Guild.

As they entered the building, Ms. Eina came rushing up to them.

"How did it go?" She asked as she stopped in front of them.

"It went well. Aside from a single mistake at the start, Bella did an excellent job today." Steve said, praising Bella.

Bella blush from been praised by Steve as Eina who saw this giggle as she awared that Bella has crush on Steve.

"Anyway, are you here to turn in your magic stones, Bella-san?" Eina asked.

"Yes, Eina-san. I even got a drop item!" Bella said.

"A drop item on your first day? You got pretty lucky with that. They don't drop often on the first floor." Eina said with feeling surprised of how lucky Bella is.

Bella placed the magic stones and the goblin ear in the tray and waited as the man behind the counter looked over everything.

"20 goblin stones and one goblin ear comes out at 8,500 Valis."

He said, pushing the tray back with Bella's money in it.

"Not bad for your first day, kid. Well done." He said again.

Bella grinned as she scooped up her money. She couldn't wait to tell Goddess Hestia about how today went.

TWO WEEK LATER

Bella was riding high as she ran through the fifth floor. She'd been delving into the first five floors of the Dungeon for two weeks now but today was different. This morning, the Miner had said that, so long as she stuck to the first 5 floors, she was ready to go into the Dungeon solo. She was so excited, and she was doing well! She'd collected nearly 30 goblin, dungeon lizard, and kobold stones already and still felt full of energy.

She'd just killed another goblin when a loud roar echoed through the tunnel followed by terrified screams. Bella stood, nervously. She could practically hear the Miner's voice.

"A loud roar echoing through a dungeon followed by screams may be a classic of hero tales, but it means only one thing in real life. Something really bad is coming. I know you want to be a hero Bella, but you're nowhere near ready for that. Promise me, Bella that if something like that happens, you won't go rushing in. Promise me, that if that happens, you will turn around and run for your life."

"I promise, Steve-san."

Bella had said. She stood, indecisive for a moment, but she knew what she needed to do. She turned back down the corridor and sprinted as fast as she could, looking for the stairs back to the surface.

She was only a few turns from the surface when she skidded to a halt. There, standing in the corridor in front of her was a hulking figure. With its cloven hooves and massive horns, there could be no mistake. It was a minotaur. What the hell was it doing on the upper floors?! Bella didn't even have time to think as the minotaur let out a bellow and charged. Bella turned and fled as fast as her feet would carry her.

"Kyaaaaa!!!!"

She screamed as she ran. She'd honestly thought The Miner's lessons on how to run for your life had been a little silly but now? She was never more grateful for anything in her life. Unfortunately, in her panic, she made a wrong turn and skidded to a halt in a dead end.

She turned, hoping against hope that she could get back out of the corridor. No such luck. There, in the entrance to the hall, stood the minotaur. She remember what Steve said before.

"A last stand is a last resort, Bella."

'Well, Steve-san. I think I'd call this a 'last resort' kind of moment.' She thought.

She drew her knife and waited for the charge.

[3rd Person POV]

A girl bolted down the corridor, following the sound of the roars and screaming. She and her comrade had managed to take down all but one of the minotaur's that had fled from them on the 17th Floor. She stopped at the sound of a battle cry followed by a minotaur's roar before rushing down another corridor.

She could see the minotaur. Someone was fighting it. A white-haired girl, around her age. Her armor and the way she was moving screamed Level 1 but, for a Level 1, she was impressively fast. Although unable to get past the minotaur and out into the corridor, she was agile enough to not only avoid the minotaur's attacks but actually score shallow cuts on it with her knife.

Before she could act to save her, she did something that, when she had time to think later, she would be shocked by. The minotaur had swung one of its massive hands trying to brain the Level 1 but she, in a feat that was as brave as it was stupid, rammed her knife into the swinging arm and let the momentum carry her off the ground. Then the girl's own weight carried her back down and the knife, embedded in the monster's wrist, carved a trench that severed the minotaur's hand, which fell to the ground.

The minotaur let out a bellow of pain and lashed out with its remaining hand, try to catching the girl but the girl swiftly dodge it and rammed her knife into the minotaur's chest where the heart is located that end up cause it blood to sprayed on the girl. The girl ignored the blood as she quickly finished the minatour by stabbed her knife to it head, killing it. The minotaur burst into dust as the girl panted and collected the minatour stone as she then noticed her who has shocked expression.

She and the girl stared at each other. She despite been shocked of how strong the girl was, noticed that the girl could not be more than two years younger than her, with white hair and red eyes. The smallest, most childish part of the back of her mind couldn't help but thinking it. She looked like a bunny rabbit!

The girl looked surprised at this. She suddenly become panic and with a wordless scream, darted past her and down the hall, sprinting for the stairs.

Her comrade, who had entered the hall as the girl started to run, howled with laughter. Again, that small, childish part of her mind spoke up. The bunny girl had run away! The girl almost felt like pouting. At the very least, she would have to find and apologize to her, since this was technically the fault of her Familia. First though, she would need to shut her comrade up. His laugh was so irritating!

[To Be Continue]

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