Kazuma and Bell walked together towards the Dungeon, passing through the busy streets of Orario.
Kazuma occasionally glanced at the Tower of Babel looming before them. The closer they got to the tower, the greater the excitement in his heart grew.
The Dungeon—a place he could only dream about in his previous life—was now right before his eyes.
Suddenly Kazuma furrowed his brow, a nagging feeling emerging in his mind.
"Wait, I think I'm forgetting something," he muttered, scratching the back of his head in confusion.
"Is there a problem, Kazuma-san?" asked Bell, turning with a curious expression.
Kazuma tried to remember. A few moments later, his eyes widened. "Ah! Guild registration! Eina said I needed to return to the Guild after getting my Falna to complete the registration."
"Oh right! After joining a Familia, we do need to report to the Guild," Bell nodded. "I already finished mine yesterday."
Kazuma looked toward the Guild building in the opposite direction, then back at the Tower of Babel in front of them.
He weighed his options. On one hand, completing the registration was an important procedure.
On the other hand, the Dungeon was right in front of him, and he was already very excited to enter it.
"It can be delayed until later, right?" Kazuma finally decided, a confident smile returning to his face.
"I'm too impatient to enter the Dungeon. We can take care of the registration after getting our first crystals."
"A-are you sure?" Bell asked somewhat hesitantly. "Eina-san said registration is important."
"Don't worry," Kazuma patted Bell's shoulder. "It's just a formality. Besides, we won't be long in the Dungeon. We can complete it after we return."
Bell still seemed doubtful but eventually nodded, following the decision of his more experienced companion.
The two continued their journey toward the Tower of Babel, with Kazuma still unaware that his decision to delay registration might make Eina angry.
---
The entrance to the Dungeon was located at the bottom of the Tower of Babel, a magnificent structure that towered high in the center of Orario.
As Kazuma and Bell entered the area, they were greeted by a vast view of natural corridors formed from gleaming blue stone.
"So this is the famous Dungeon," murmured Kazuma, his eyes sweeping around in amazement. Even though he had imagined this place countless times, seeing it directly still provided a different sensation.
Bell stood beside him, his small dagger trembling slightly in his hands.
"T-this is my first time entering the Dungeon," he whispered, his voice a mixture of nervousness and awe.
Unlike Bell, Kazuma appeared very calm and confident.
The Crimson Fang spear rested in his steady grip, showing no signs of tension whatsoever.
How could it be otherwise—as a top hunter in his village, his mentality was already far more trained than that of an ordinary beginner.
"Remember, Bell," said Kazuma while preparing his stance,
"stay alert and don't panic if monsters appear. Their movements tend to be predictable if you observe carefully."
Bell nodded quickly, trying to calm himself. "I-I understand."
They began exploring the Dungeon corridors cautiously.
Kazuma walked in front, occasionally looking back to ensure Bell was still following safely.
Several minutes passed without any significant events, until finally Kazuma's ears caught a soft growl from around the bend ahead.
"Get ready," whispered Kazuma, signaling Bell to prepare. "There's a monster ahead."
Soon after, two Goblins appeared from around the corner.
The green-skinned creatures, about one meter tall, growled at the sight of the two adventurers, and without hesitation immediately attacked.
"Bell, stay behind me!" shouted Kazuma, stepping forward to confront the two Goblins.
What surprised Bell was that Kazuma actually placed his spear on the Dungeon floor. With bare hands, he took a fighting stance that Bell had never seen before.
"What are you—" Bell hadn't finished asking when the first Goblin attacked with its claws.
With smooth movement, Kazuma dodged to the side, then quickly delivered a hard punch directly to the Goblin's solar plexus. "Seiken Tsuki!" he shouted, the name of a Kyokushin Karate technique he had learned in his previous life.
The Goblin was thrown back several meters and hit the Dungeon wall.
Before the monster could rise, Kazuma had already jumped and delivered a powerful spinning kick to its head. "Mawashi Geri!"
CRACK!
The sound of breaking was clearly heard as Kazuma's foot struck the Goblin's head. The monster immediately turned to dust, leaving a small crystal where it fell.
The second Goblin, seeing its friend defeated so easily, hesitated momentarily. But its wild instincts drove the monster to attack Kazuma from behind.
"Kazuma-san! Watch out!" yelled Bell.
Without turning, Kazuma already knew the position of the attack from its shadow on the floor.
With one fluid motion, he turned while delivering an elbow strike that hit the Goblin's chin squarely. "Empi Uchi!"
The Goblin staggered backward, and before it could recover, Kazuma followed with a straight kick to the monster's knee. "Mae Geri!"
The Goblin's knee broke, causing it to fall kneeling. Finishing the fight, Kazuma delivered a powerful rising kick directly to the Goblin's chin. "Tenshou Geri!"
Like its companion, the second Goblin also vanished into dust, leaving another small crystal.
Bell stood frozen, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-you... defeated them with bare hands..."
Kazuma bent down, picking up both monster crystals with a satisfied smile. "Kyokushin Karate—a martial art I've learned since childhood," he explained, half-lying. "Sometimes hands and feet can be more deadly weapons than iron."
"That's amazing, Kazuma-san!" Bell exclaimed in admiration. "I've never seen a fighting style like that before."
Kazuma retrieved his spear and gave one of the crystals to Bell. "Here, your first gift from the Dungeon."
Bell accepted the crystal with trembling hands, his eyes sparkling with joy. "Thank you! This... this is my first crystal."
"And there will be many more," Kazuma patted Bell's shoulder. "Come on, let's continue. Maybe next time, you'll be the one trying to fight them."
---
The deeper they explored the first floor of the Dungeon, the more monsters they encountered. Kazuma deliberately left some Goblins for Bell to fight, providing tips and directions from a distance.
Initially, Bell appeared very nervous. His hands trembled violently when gripping the dagger, and several times he almost ran away from the monsters confronting him.
"Calm down, Bell," Kazuma repeatedly reminded him. "Focus on the monster's movements, not your fear."
During their fifth encounter with Goblins, Bell finally got a chance to fight on his own.
When the monster attacked, Bell initially stepped back, looking hesitant. But as the Goblin came closer, something within him seemed to change.
Perhaps out of fear of death, or because he didn't want to disappoint Kazuma, Bell suddenly fought back.
With a cry full of determination, he advanced and thrust his dagger toward the Goblin. His movements weren't as trained as Kazuma's, but they were filled with determination.
The dagger pierced the Goblin's chest, which immediately let out a scream before turning to dust. Bell stood panting, his hands still trembling, but his eyes now filled with a mixture of fear and pride.
"I... I did it..." muttered Bell in disbelief.
Kazuma proudly patted Bell's shoulder. "You see? It's not as difficult as you imagined, right? Your fear is always greater than the actual monster."
Slowly but surely, Bell began to adapt. After killing his third Goblin, his hands no longer trembled. After the fifth Goblin, he even began trying different stabbing techniques.
Meanwhile, Kazuma continued to demonstrate his extraordinary abilities. Alternating between using his spear and weaponless martial arts techniques, he killed monster after monster with ease.
Thanks to his Adaptable Fighter and Martial Memory skills, Kazuma could clearly see monster attack patterns, avoid unnecessary attacks, and find openings for fatal strikes.
"Do you see how they always attack with the same pattern?" Kazuma explained while smoothly avoiding a Goblin's claws. "Monsters on the upper floors are very predictable. They don't have the intelligence to change their fighting style."
He continued his demonstration by thrusting his spear directly into the Goblin's throat, then twisting the weapon to ensure fatal damage. "Always look for weak points. For humanoids like Goblins, the throat and eyes are easy targets."
Bell watched in amazement, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible from his far more experienced companion.
"Kazuma-san is truly incredible," he thought. "As if he's had years of experience fighting monsters."
Time passed quickly as they continued hunting.
Before they knew it, they had collected dozens of monster crystals, and Bell appeared much more confident compared to when he first entered the Dungeon.
"I think it's time we go down to the next floor," suggested Kazuma after several hours of hunting on the first floor.
"You're already quite familiar with Goblins, and the monsters on the second floor aren't much different."
Bell nodded in agreement, although he still looked a bit nervous. "I-I'll follow you, Kazuma-san."
---
They descended to the second floor, then the third, and continued to the fourth floor. On each floor, the variety of monsters increased.
Besides Goblins, they encountered Kobolds—dog-like monsters that walked on two legs—and Killer Ants—giant ants with pincers that could cut through steel.
Kazuma continued giving instructions to Bell, who was now starting to get used to the rhythm of battles in the Dungeon.
Kazuma's special skills allowed him to quickly analyze and adapt to various types of monsters, making their exploration much easier than for most novice adventurers.
In the excitement of hunting and fighting, neither noticed how deep they had ventured into the Dungeon.
Without realizing it, they had descended to the fifth floor—much deeper than Hestia had recommended for beginner adventurers.
"Kazuma-san," Bell finally spoke up as they entered an area that looked different.
The corridors became wider, and the crystal formations on the walls appeared different. "Have we gone too deep inside?"
Kazuma stopped, noticing the changes around them.
"You're right," he muttered, starting to recall the Dungeon map he had seen in the anime. "This seems to be the fifth floor already. We did get too excited."
"Goddess Hestia said we shouldn't go deeper than the fifth floor," Bell reminded him, his voice beginning to fill with concern.
"Then we should be fine as long as we're still on the fifth floor," Kazuma replied lightly. "We can collect a few more crystals here before returning to the surface. Monsters on the fifth floor are worth more."
Bell seemed about to protest, but before he could say anything, a loud growl was heard from the distance—much louder and more threatening than any sound from the Goblins or Kobolds they had encountered.
They both fell silent, their instincts screaming danger.
"What was that sound?" whispered Bell, his hand reflexively gripping his dagger tighter.
Kazuma sharpened his hearing, his face suddenly tensing.
He recognized that sound from descriptions in the anime—the growl of a Minotaur, a level 2 monster that shouldn't be on the upper floors of the Dungeon.
"Bell," whispered Kazuma in a serious tone, "we need to immediately—"
His sentence was cut off by heavy footsteps coming closer. From the end of the corridor appeared a giant figure with a bull's head and a muscular human body—a Minotaur, walking without weapons, but with hands and horns strong enough to easily destroy level 1 adventurers.
Kazuma immediately remembered—in the original anime timeline, Bell met a Minotaur that escaped from the Loki Familia on the fifth floor.
The same Minotaur that was later killed by Aiz Wallenstein, saving Bell and making him fall in love with the golden-haired girl.
"Bell, run!" shouted Kazuma, realizing that the monster before them far exceeded the abilities of level 1 adventurers.
Bell seemed frozen in place, his eyes widened in terror at the sight of the giant monster before him.
When the Minotaur roared and began running toward them, Bell finally came to his senses and turned to flee.
However, the Minotaur moved faster than they expected.
In an instant, the monster was already near them, swinging its fist toward Kazuma who was closer.
With trained reflexes, Kazuma raised his spear to block the Minotaur's punch.
But the strength of the level 2 monster far exceeded his expectations. The Crimson Fang spear, which had accompanied him throughout the journey, immediately broke into two pieces upon collision with the Minotaur's fist.
"Damn!" cursed Kazuma, unable to dodge the follow-up punch that hit his chest.
BRAKK!
Kazuma's body was thrown backward, colliding with Bell who was running. Both of them were slammed hard against the Dungeon wall.
"Kazuma-san!" Bell cried out in panic, seeing his companion coughing and grimacing in pain.
"I'm fine," Kazuma lied, feeling sharp pain in his chest. "We have to run, Bell. This monster is too strong for us."
Bell nodded fearfully, and both tried to get up. But the Minotaur had approached them again, raising its fist for the next attack.
Kazuma, quickly assessing the situation, pushed Bell away. "Run! I'll hold it back!"
"But—"
"RUN!" Kazuma shouted again, this time with a commanding tone that couldn't be argued with.
Bell, with tears of fear beginning to flow, finally turned and ran with all his might.
The Minotaur, seeing one prey escaping, shifted its attention and prepared to chase Bell.
But Kazuma wouldn't allow it.
With both pieces of the broken spear in his hands, Kazuma took a stance to fight with two weapons. "Hey, ugly bull! Your opponent is me!"
The Minotaur turned around, angry at the challenge. With a loud roar, the monster attacked Kazuma.
Under Bell's shocked gaze looking back from a distance, Kazuma began fighting the level 2 monster.
Despite only having spear fragments, Kazuma's dual-wielding technique appeared incredible. With high speed and precision, he dodged the Minotaur's attacks while counterattacking vital points.
However, the difference in level and strength was too great. Every cut Kazuma managed to inflict on the Minotaur seemed to only cause minor wounds. Meanwhile, one direct hit from the monster could be fatal.
"Damn, he's really strong," muttered Kazuma, dodging an attacking horn. His spear fragment managed to cut the Minotaur's neck, but the wound was too shallow to have any significant effect.
With a sudden movement, the Minotaur stomped its foot on the floor, creating a shock wave that made Kazuma lose his balance.
Seeing an opening, the monster delivered a powerful punch.
Kazuma crossed both spear fragments to block, but the power of the punch was too great.
He was thrown backward, feeling extreme pain in his chest as several of his ribs broke.
"Ugh!" Kazuma groaned, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth, trying to remain standing despite his body screaming in pain.
The Minotaur stepped forward menacingly. Kazuma, though severely injured, didn't give up. Putting down his spear fragments, he took a Kyokushin Karate stance.
"Alright, ugly bull. Let's see how you handle martial arts from another world," he thought to himself.
Exerting all his strength, Kazuma darted forward. His body moved with incredible speed thanks to his high AGI status.
"Seiken Tsuki (Straight Punch)!" Kazuma delivered a straight punch to the Minotaur's solar plexus.
The monster was pushed back slightly but showed no significant signs of pain.
Without giving up, Kazuma continued his combination of attacks.
"Empi Uchi (Elbow Smash)!" Kazuma's elbow struck the Minotaur's chin hard.
"Mae Geri (Front Kick)!" A straight kick hit the monster's knee, making it slightly unsteady.
"And finally—Tenshou Geri (Rising Kick)!" Kazuma jumped, delivering a rising kick with full power to the Minotaur's chin.
For a moment, it seemed that the final attack had succeeded. The Minotaur staggered backward, its head pushed upward by the power of Kazuma's kick.
But the joy lasted only briefly. With surprising speed, the Minotaur recovered and delivered a counterpunch that directly hit Kazuma's body.
BRAKKK!
Kazuma's body was thrown far, crashing hard into the Dungeon wall. He fell to the floor, his body feeling crushed.
His consciousness began to fade, but his pride refused to accept defeat, making him still try to get up.
"Not... not over yet..." he muttered weakly, struggling to stand on shaky legs.
The Minotaur approached, preparing to deliver the final blow. Kazuma stared the Minotaur in the eyes, ready to receive the fatal attack.
Kazuma lowered his body, both knees bent in a wide stance characteristic of martial arts.
But the punch never came.
Instead, a sound of flesh being sliced and a roar of pain was heard.
Kazuma opened his eyes and saw a sight that made his heart race—a girl with long golden hair, with a shining sword in her hand, standing between him and the Minotaur.
"Aiz... Wallenstein," whispered Kazuma weakly, recognizing one of Orario's strongest adventurers.
With graceful yet deadly movements, Aiz slashed the Minotaur repeatedly, leaving the monster helpless. In a matter of seconds, the terrifying Minotaur turned to dust, leaving a large crystal where it stood.
Bell, who had apparently returned and was standing not far away, stared at Aiz with a captivated gaze.
His face turned red as a tomato, clearly amazed by the beauty and strength of the girl.
Kazuma himself wasn't much different. Although he knew Aiz would come based on the original story, seeing the power and beauty of the level 5 adventurer girl firsthand still left him awestruck.
"Are you both alright?" asked Aiz in a gentle voice, turning to face the two injured young adventurers.
Bell was too nervous to answer, his face growing redder.
"T-thank you... for saving us," Kazuma managed to say, although his body was still in great pain.
Aiz nodded briefly. "Minotaurs shouldn't be on this floor. The Loki Familia is hunting others that escaped." She looked at Kazuma with an appraising gaze. "You were quite brave to fight a level 2 monster alone."
"Or quite foolish," Kazuma tried to laugh, but immediately winced in pain.
"You should return to the surface immediately," Aiz suggested. "You're both seriously injured."
Bell, still staring fixedly at Aiz, finally nodded quickly. "Y-yes! T-thank you very much for saving us!"
Aiz gave them a slight smile before turning and continuing her search for other Minotaurs that might still be roaming the upper floors.
After Aiz left, Kazuma turned to Bell who was still entranced. "So... that was Aiz Wallenstein," he muttered, half to himself.
"She... she's so beautiful and strong," whispered Bell, his eyes still following Aiz's departing figure.
Kazuma smiled weakly, realizing that the fated meeting between Bell and Aiz still happened, albeit with slight variations due to his presence. "Yes, she is extraordinary."
With Bell's help, Kazuma managed to stand up. The two began limping back toward the surface. Although the battle with the Minotaur ended in defeat, Kazuma didn't feel disappointed. This was a valuable lesson about level differences in this world.
"Next time," thought Kazuma while grimacing through the pain, "I'll be strong enough to defeat monsters like that on my own."
Behind him, Bell walked with a changed expression. Fear was still present, but now mixed with something strange—clearly, he was still thinking about the sword princess.