"Alfia?", Looking at the girl's face, Emiya thought that. The girl's features had many similarities to Alfia's, especially those bright eyes, which immediately reminded Emiya of that witch. Her hair color was also similar to Alfia's, white. But the difference was that the girl's hair was pure white, while Alfia's long hair leaned more toward silvery-white. If she grew her short hair out, she might resemble Alfia by seventy percent. However, the eye color was wrong. Alfia's eyes were one gold and one blue, evoking the image of an elegant white cat. The girl's eyes were both red, giving off more of a white rabbit feeling. And the biggest difference was her aura. Completely unlike Alfia, who embodied both the beauty of a "saint" and a "witch," this girl looked purely like an innocent child. Emiya wanted to ask something. "AHHHHHHHHHH!", The girl, her mind a blank, screamed and ran away. "Master, the monsters that ran up to the fifth floor have all been cleared," Ais and the others walked over. Alicia: "Thankfully, our speed was fast enough, we didn't let the monsters enter the first four floors." In the safe zones of the first to fourth floors, the density of lower-ranked adventurers was much higher than here on the fifth. If minotaurs, monsters of that level, had run up there, the consequences would have been unimaginable. "Shirou, what's wrong?", Noticing that Emiya was staring off in one direction, lost in thought, Alicia asked. "It's nothing," Emiya turned his head, "Was anyone hurt?" "Before we arrived, a few Lv.1 lower-ranked adventurers were killed by orcs," Alicia replied, "After that, no one else was harmed." A Lv.2 minotaur appearing on the fifth floor was an unusual incident. And it wasn't just one, several orcs, which should only appear after the tenth floor, had also run up to the fifth and sixth floors. If not for the joint expeditionary force returning at this time, this Abnormal Event might have caused considerable casualties. Emiya thought a moment, "You all return to the surface first. I'll make another round trip and check the situation." "Alright then, we'll wait at the entrance," Alicia said. She didn't insist on going with him. She and the others couldn't keep up with Emiya's speed. If they went together, it would only slow him down. Ais and the others returned to the surface first, while Emiya quickly made a round trip from the fifth floor to the twenty-seventh. 'No mistake, the number of monsters has definitely increased,' Calculating the frequency of encounters along the way, Emiya thought so. "Mass spawning," This itself was an "abnormal phenomenon," usually limited to a single floor, often accompanied by the birth of "variant species." But now, with "mass spawning" across the entire dungeon, this was no longer just an "abnormal phenomenon." In a sense, it could be called a "dungeon riot." On the twentieth floor, Emiya swung his sword, and the "Afterglow" he unleashed swallowed up a moss giant, reducing its body and magic stone to nothing but ashes. As expected, variant species appeared alongside the mass-spawned monsters. Like some kind of phagocyte, it began hunting other monsters. Given more time, it might grow to a first-tier threat. Moving as he slashed, Emiya shattered swarms of monsters with "Afterglow." This might only treat the symptoms, not the root cause, but it was still better than doing nothing. Then, on the twenty-fifth floor, he encountered a girl he hadn't seen in a while. "Master," A tall, voluptuous Xenos woman knelt on one knee before Emiya. "Felis," Emiya helped her up, "It's been a long time." After losing [Falna], Felis's potential had dropped to Lv.5. Now, she had climbed back to upper Lv.7, second only to the dragon girl Wiene among the Xenos. "Things are alright on your side?", Emiya asked. The Xenos had multiple bases in the dungeon, the most important being the artificial labyrinth. After the war back then, parts of it were handed over to them. They also had bases in forest-like areas such as the twenty-fifth floor, and in various safe zones. "No problem. Recently, the number of monsters has indeed increased, but it hasn't threatened us yet," Felis said, "Besides, we still have the magic sword bestowed by Master." The Xenos' strength remained formidable. Even though Wiene's growth slowed after reaching the peak of Lv.7 and consuming magic stones no longer gave much boost, she could still grow stronger through training and battle against powerful foes. By now, Wiene should already possess Lv.8 strength, equal to Ottar. Felis herself had reached mid Lv.7, with room to grow. Besides them, the Xenos also had an aged earth dragon with Lv.6 potential. "From the perspective of harvesting magic stones, the increase in monsters has even been beneficial for us. And, we've gained new comrades," Felis explained. She told Emiya about three new Xenos, a unicorn rabbit, a mermaid, and a dryad. Emiya already knew the complete roster of Xenos, his intel more thorough than the Guild's. Felis: "Still, the dungeon reacting this intensely is unsettling." "No need to keep gathering intel on the deep and lower floors," Emiya said, "The maps you provided before helped me a lot. But now, safety is most important. Some bases can be abandoned for the time being, return to the artificial labyrinth first." "Yes!", Felis didn't say anything about holding out. Absolute obedience was her only choice. After exchanging information with Felis, Emiya departed and headed back to the surface. Passing through the eighteenth-floor safe zone, he didn't forget to check on [Rivira Town]. As expected of adventurers with sharp instincts. More than half had already fled, the rest were packing up. Such adventurers, who valued their lives highly, didn't need his worry. Emiya merely glanced from afar, not appearing in town. He was just about to leave the eighteenth floor and return to the surface when he sensed a strange fluctuation. It was as if something was calling out to him. Following the feeling, Emiya entered the depths of the forest. "Trace, on," He projected the [Crown of Heaven's Queen]. Fierce currents of air surged up from the ground before him. Emiya's magic power drained rapidly. Slowly, a figure took form in front of him. 「Development Ability [Fate] activates」 「Servant Summoning Ritual begins」 "Caster·Alfia... are you my master?" "The Guild says this dungeon riot was caused by the 'Elevator'," Finn, fresh back from a meeting at Babel Tower, explained to his familia. "When designing the 'Elevator,' they specifically built it along the dungeon's edge," Gareth said, "By logic, it shouldn't have provoked the dungeon this much." Of course, the city didn't dig a straight vertical shaft through the dungeon, that would have triggered rejection from it. Even built from the hardest metals, leaving it exposed to monster eyes would have been far too dangerous. Instead, they used the method of the artificial labyrinth, carving out a fast passage through the crust near the dungeon's edge. "The city's Elevator is just a nearby passage. By comparison, the Evilus's [Artificial Labyrinth] wrapped around the dungeon's first floor directly, and even that didn't trigger rejection," Gareth added. Finn: "Yes. So the Guild's explanation, or rather guess, is that the riot happened because, after the Elevator began operating, too few monsters in the upper floors were being culled." The logic was that before, expeditions to the lower and deep floors required fighting through the upper and middle floors first. Now, with that step skipped, too many monsters were building up there. It seemed plausible. After Emiya and Loki Familia adventurers conducted a large-scale sweep through the upper and middle floors, the "mass spawning" had indeed slowed. "No, that can't be right," Riveria thought it over, then shook her head, "The dungeon is a whole. With a fast passage, familias' efficiency in killing monsters would have risen." Killing monsters and extracting magic stones. This was essentially drawing energy from the dungeon. Magic stones were a clean, highly efficient energy source. In a sense, adventuring in the dungeon was "mining." Moreover, the dungeon didn't mind adventurers killing monsters quickly. Monsters would always keep being born. What it hated was leaving them uncleared too long, that was what triggered riots. Expedition parties using the Elevator to reach the deep floors saved travel time, so their energy-harvest efficiency definitely rose. "Besides, even near the thirty-ninth floor, monster numbers are increasing. That contradicts the Guild's explanation." The thirty-ninth floor was now the Elevator's terminal. Compared to before, monsters there should be easier to hunt. Finn: "Yes, which is why I said it's only the Guild's guess. Honestly, I don't think they know the truth either." "What about that great god?", Loki asked. Ouranus, the oldest god in the lower world, and the one who knew the dungeon best. If anyone could explain its anomalies, it would be him. Finn shook his head, "No word from him yet. Loki, do you want to see him?" Loki: "My gut says this isn't some Guild plot. Probably even Ouranus is troubled right now." "But you're right. We should still ask him." Then Emiya spoke, slowly, "Could it be like last time, caused by an [Ancient Monster]?" Those sealed across the world had originally spawned in the Great Hole, the dungeon's predecessor. Thus, they were connected to it. Last time, when the scorpion [Antares] absorbed Artemis' divine power and attacked Babel, the dungeon rioted like never before, and a monster stampede almost reached the surface. "The Guild did clarify this," Finn replied, "This time, the dungeon's anomaly wasn't caused by an [Ancient Monster]." That meant the source of the [Abnormal Event] was inside the dungeon itself. "Then the other way around...", Emiya paused, then asked, "Are those [Ancient Monsters] still stable now?" The question silenced everyone, their faces grave. A riot of the [Ancient Monsters] could provoke the dungeon. Conversely, the dungeon's riot could agitate the sealed, sleeping, or ocean-wandering ones. The others might be manageable. [Yamata-no-Orochi] or [Hraesvelgr], even if their seals broke, the city was confident of defeating them. As long as another Moon Goddess incident didn't happen. As for [Cetus] and other sea monsters, fighting them in the ocean would be difficult. But if they came seeking the dungeon's call and attacked the city, killing them wouldn't be so hard. The real problem was the one in the [Dragon's Valley]. The "Pitch-Black End", the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Everyone instinctively looked at Emiya. Emiya thought for a moment, "That black dragon, I should be able to kill it. But—" "The black dragon is just a symptom. The dungeon is the disease." When that moment came, he wasn't sure he could spare the strength to deal with the black dragon. There was no logical reason, but Emiya had this premonition, and his instincts were always sharp. He lifted his head slightly, his dazzling golden eyes gazing into the distance. Dark clouds were gathering, blotting out drifting rainbow clouds and clear daylight. "That's how it is, Miss Misha," Bell lowered her head, speaking with a bitter expression. Across from her sat a human girl with pretty pink hair and eyes, wearing the Guild's black-and-white uniform. Though older, she gave off the illusion of being a "cute junior." Misha Flott, Guild staff member, Bell's advisor. She had scored only Z rank in the Guild's simulated exam, yet was still hired, earning the nickname "The Flott Miracle" from Academy students. When Bell was assigned to her, the tavern keeper neighbor had told her that story. So at first, Bell was nervous. But since she had no familia comrades, she couldn't go without a Guild advisor. Unexpectedly, Miss Misha was rather reliable, especially with the notebook she lent Bell, which had helped a lot. Though the name on it wasn't Misha, but Eina Tulle. "Bell, honestly. I told you, going alone into the dungeon is already dangerous enough. You can't just rush down to the lower floors without thinking," Misha scolded. "In Eina's words: 'An adventurer must not adventure!'" Misha often quoted that phrase, along with Eina's name. Eina Tulle, a half-elf Guild employee, had once been an advisor like Misha. Now she had been promoted into management. Back when Eina had been reprimanded by the Guild president for informing Emiya about variant species, events proved she was right and the president disastrously wrong. Naturally, Emiya and Riveria spoke up for her. Pressured, the Guild chose to promote Eina. She was raised three ranks in one go, becoming the Guild's head of personnel. Eina: 'If not for Lord Emiya naming me, I'd probably still be a rookie advisor. Of course, being an advisor isn't bad either, but as HR head, my horizons are so much wider.' Entering management, Eina finally advanced her long-held dream of reforming rookie training. Before, no matter how dedicated she was, she could only help one rookie at a time. Now, under her supervision, every advisor was far more serious. "Y-yes...", Bell lowered her head shyly. "An adventurer must not adventure" was Eina's philosophy. Though contradictory in wording, it really meant, "Always prevent accidents, safety first." Especially rookies like Bell had to remember it. Misha also said that most deaths occurred during the rookie stage. Especially for someone like Bell, in a small familia without seniors. "But still, who would have imagined a Lv.2 minotaur on the fifth floor?", Misha gave her some slack. Normally, such a monster only appeared below the fifteenth floor. Today's case was an [Abnormal Event]. By Misha's words, Bell had actually been lucky. Some adventurers, before Loki Familia arrived, had already been killed by orcs or minotaurs. "So, um... can you tell me about Lord Emiya..." "Well, strictly speaking, the Guild forbids leaking adventurer information...", Misha thought a bit, "But I can tell you the public records." She told Bell Emiya's known facts. Some Bell already knew, like his title and status as the city's strongest. Others she didn't, such as his past feats. "But why ask about Emiya all of a sudden?", Misha asked. "Because... today, Lord Emiya saved me...", Bell said softly. With a long sigh, Misha leaned close to her, lowering her voice. "Although Lord Emiya is very handsome, tall, the strongest in the city, and especially, especially, especially rich, his good points could be listed all night, but...", Misha whispered, "he has some nicknames." "The 'Demon King of Swords,' the 'Female Slayer,' the 'Lord of Greed'..." Hearing that, Bell swallowed nervously. "That's all I'll say. In short, Bell, be careful." Bell left the Guild with mixed feelings, "Is Lord Emiya really... that kind of man?" She didn't trust her own intuition much, but she still felt Emiya must be a kind and gentle person. As for the rumors, falling for a fox-girl, so he smashed up the Ishtar Familia; ruling all the Amazons in the city and often enjoying emperor-like luxuries at their temple; keeping the Vouivre from the dungeon as a pet and even fathering a daughter with a monster; lusting after the goddess Freya's beauty, so he waged war against her Familia... Well, they all sounded so exaggerated as to be unbelievable. Except the last one, which Bell had seen with her own eyes. But even then, she only saw the battle with Freya Familia, not the real reason behind it. Bell recalled a piece of her conversation with Misha, ("What, after he saved you, you just ran away?") ("Mm. So I wanted to know more about him, then thank him properly in person... Miss Misha, what are you thinking?") Misha: ("I was wondering if he'd think, 'Hmph, she dares reject me, an interesting woman,' something like that.") Bell gave a wry smile, ("Um, Miss Misha, aren't you reading too many romance novels?") ("Who knows. If he really is a Demon King, maybe he'd just come and kidnap you.") ("Ha... surely not.") Shaking her head at Misha's outlandish fantasy, Bell thought, 'Kidnapping? Impossible.' 'I should head home to Lady Hestia. Picked up plenty of magic stones today. Tonight, we can eat something good together...', Thinking that, her mood lightened. She walked along the main street outside the Guild, reached an intersection, and, Bell saw a figure in a black robe walking toward her from a side street. The figure was slender, their whole body wrapped in the robe, face hidden under dark cloth. The only visible thing, one gold, one blue, mismatched eyes. 'So beautiful,' Seeing those eyes, Bell thought instinctively, 'Like jewels.' Distracted, she paused at the intersection. Then she saw the robed figure's gaze lock onto her, their steps quickening. 'Why does it feel like... she's coming for me...' She froze for a second. By the time she came to her senses, it was too late. For origınal chapters go to 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥 The robed person clamped a hand over her mouth, lifted her effortlessly, slung her over their shoulder, and ran off. 'R-really... kidnapped?' .com/AmbitiousTranslator 🥳Joining keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through .