Afterword The collection of short stories you hold in your hands contains articles published in Volumes 1–17 of the main story as well as those found across other media as of 2022. “Episode Miach,” “Plight of the Prophet,” and “Events of a Half Year” were

BELL CRANELL RANKING: EVENTS OF A HALF YEAR “Eina, Eina! Take a look at this! They just released this week’s adventurer rankings!” It was at Guild HQ, a little after noon. Eina had just returned to her desk after grabbing a quick bite to eat when Misha Frot came running o

ANOTHER DUNGEON TALE, SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR “Bell! Recommend me a story about heroes that you like!” I am reading alone in the home library when Goddess comes in. She’s enjoying a rare day off from her part-time job. “A heroic tale?” I reply. “I don&rsqu

AN UNIMPORTANT STORY OF A GODDESS What do I write? I am a goddess, and yet I always doubt. Whenever I sit at my desk, pen in hand, and ponder the words she will read. It is not because I worry I will hurt her. She has flown my nest already and found a new family. She’s moving fo

HAPPY 15TH ANNIVERSARY? “Bell, what kind of celebration do you want for your fifteenth birthday?” “Huh?” It is early afternoon, and I am enjoying a rare day off from the Dungeon. The two of us are alone in the mansion’s living room, sharing the sofa, when Godde

FIVE YEARS AFTER: BELL CRANELL “Hmm? Where am I…?” I look around. This is a room I don’t recognize. The walls are elegant and white, and when I look down, I’m wearing a white suit, too. “What’s wrong, Bell?” A voice draws my attention. Sta

UNTIL NOW, AND FOREVER Hestia was a goddess. More importantly, she was the goddess of a familia that had suddenly risen to prominence. “Mrh…” And yet, at this present moment, she was sulking. It was all because she had no time to spend with her very first familia me

A BOOKSHOP DATE? “Mr. Cranell?” On a warm and sunny afternoon, Lyu met Bell on a street corner while she was out stocking up for the tavern. “Oh…Ms. Lyu…Er…Hi.” It was clear that she had caught him at a bad time. While Lyu was dressed in her w

GHOSTBUSTER AIZ AND HER RABBIT COMPANION The rumor spread through the Labyrinth City like wildfire: The Sword Princess failed a quest. It was astonishing and unprecedented in equal measure. Loki Familia’s first-tier adventurers enjoyed pretty much a hundred-percent success rate when i

A SLIGHT SUMMER SHADE “Ahhh, I want to go to a tropical island!” Goddess says as she throws herself onto the sofa. “What’s this, all of a sudden?” I ask. “There’s nothing sudden about it, Bell,” she grins back. “It’s been summer fo

SYR AND HÖRN: THE SPACE IN BETWEEN Hörn was always watching the boy. “I’m sure you remember what you promised me—the consequence should Bell discover your lie. You may not speak to Bell again. Do not even attempt to enter his sight.” In accordance with her

BECAUSE ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO WATCH OVER HIM FOREVER Tiona was itching to read a story. “…Or so I thought, but for some reason, I just can’t seem to get into it.” Tiona sat on the floor in a corner of her home’s library, the open book in her hands. The titl

LOOKING FOR A LOVE DAGGER “What in the world is going on?” Hephaistos was annoyed. She stood in the halls of her home, counting the numerous examples of her own work hanging from the walls, and frowned. I must have forged something about half a year ago…but I can&rsquo

A WORLD WITHOUT YOU While crossing Central Park beneath the white walls of Babel, Lilly came to a sudden stop. “Our balance is all off…” she muttered. Hearing her strange outburst, Welf, the frontline fighter, turned around as did Haruhime, the combination sorceress and s

THE PROMISED CAMPANELLA Putting on her hair clips. That was the one form of resistance permitted to her. In this isolated realm of Freya’s creation, Hestia was not allowed to make contact with Bell. She even had to lie and act like he wasn’t a member of her familia. Freya&rs

IS IT WRONG TO FAKE AN ACCIDENT TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN THE DUNGEON? It happened during my long nights of torturous training under Master’s tutelage, which were blending together, and I was beginning to lose track of time. In our room at the fancy hotel we were using, the fair-featured e

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: THE PROPHET Cassandra was zoning out. …Bell was so cool… The events of her “date” replayed in her mind she emitted a deep, heavy sigh. “I thank you, ladies. I hope you will come back to my store in the future. I shall be waiting for you

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: THE BERBERA Aisha was bemused. “Hey, Aisha. Isn’t that Rabbit Foot over there?” “Huh? Really?” While out on the prowl alongside her colleagues from the old Ishtar Familia, Samira drew her attention to Bell, who was walking happily hand in

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: THE AMAZON Tiona was having fun. “Man, I love festivals! If only Aiz and Lefiya could have come with us!” “I doubt they would be able to keep up with your appetite,” her elder twin, Tione, sighed. Tiona licked the crumbs off her cheek. The sash

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: THE HALF-ELF Eina was tired. “The Goddess Festival is so much work…” “We’re always running back and forth, and the workload never seems to get smaller!” Misha’s sympathy elicited a dry smile from Eina as the half-elf adviser

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: THE MALFUNCTIONING ELF Lyu was aghast. “Oh my gosh, Syr! Holding hands with a m-m-m-man…!” From a safe spot, she spied on Syr and Bell. Lyu’s face was bright red, and her long ears were practically flashing. Beside her were Ahnya, Runoa, a

AT THE BLACKSMITH’S: WHAT SHE DIDN’T KNOW “Lilliluka Erde leveled up?” Finn’s eyes widened slightly. The air rang with the restless vibrations of metal. The hammer swings of artisans combined in a hearty working song, filling the air with sparks. Fires roare

WHENEVER THE ADVISER AND THE LOLI-GODDESS DRINK “Did you hear from Bell?” “Yes, I did…” In the din of carousing adventurers, Hestia and Eina sat opposite each other in the corner of a bar. The mood at the table was solemn…or perhaps depressed. Both of t

MAKING GOOD ON A PROMISE It was a while after returning from the deep floors, once Lyu had gotten over her ordeal and distanced herself appropriately from Bell. As Lyu had predicted, Mia was not exactly pleased that the elf girl ran out on such a busy night. It came as no surprise that she rec

I CAN’T HELP IT, I’M JUST NATURALLY PERFECT “Omghnom! Ghomnomnom!” With a voice like a famished animal, Bell wolfed down the food in front of him. “…Huh. I guess you really were hungry down there, Mr. Bell…” “…What a beas

DEEP-FLOOR SURVIVAL This all happened before we discovered the spring on the thirty-seventh floor. “I’m afraid it’s not looking good…” While we wander through the depths, hoping for hope, Lyu mutters something, her chin pressed into my shoulder. “What

WORDS OF THE WIND “Ms. Aiz…what is it like down on the deep floors?” It was a casual question. But it was something that had been on my mind for a while. My training with Aiz had taught me just how far I still had to go to catch up with her, and that scared me. But it

PLIGHT OF THE PROPHET “Um…excuse me! Ms. Erde! If you go any further, something terrible will happen!” “Huh? What do you mean by that?” “I…I don’t really know either, but there’s something down there that will be the death of you a

THE BRIDE OF THE WATER CAPITAL HAS A FONDNESS FOR WHITE RABBITS “I’m back, Mari!” “Welcome back, Rei!” The Xenos returned to their hidden village on the twenty-seventh floor, where the mermaid girl awaited them. She was the Xenos’s designated lookout for

WHAT THE ADVENTURERS SAW “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!” On the twenty-fifth floor, standing at the edge of the large lake that lay at the base of the Great Falls, Bell fought alone. Separated from his party by the raging current, he faced off against a flock of iguaç

ELF IN LOVE “B-Bell! Would you like to…get dinner together?” Eina steeled her resolve and extended an invitation. It was some time before Hestia Familia’s planned expedition to the lower floors, right after Bell had finished attending a class at Guild HQ. He was just p

THE GODDESS’S SHOCK “Ox Slayer,” said Haruhime with a sense of wonder. “Bell’s new skill.” It was the day Bell achieved his level-up, and Hestia was sharing an account of the boy’s updated abilities with the rest of the familia so that they could p

MONSTROUS LONGING, AND A SAGE’S ENLIGHTENMENT “Please go easy on me, Miss Einaaaaaaaaaa!” Night had well and truly descended on Daedalus Street, and a battle to decide the monsters’ fate was fast approaching. A glowing oculus transmitted the boy’s shriek. Its l

INCURRING AN OUTLAW’S DEBT “Why don’t you start by tellin’ us everythin’ you know?” “If you don’t like it, maybe you shouldn’t have attacked us in the first place, yeah?” “Don’t think for a moment you have any friends a

GODDESS INTERMISSION Level 3 Strength: D 577→A 812 Defense: D 508→A 855 Dexterity: D 582→A 814 Agility: A 807→S 998 Magic: D 531→B 777 Luck: H Immunity: H “Wow…” Looking at the boy’s back, Hestia couldn’t help but marvel at

LILLY’S SPECIAL PLACE, BESIDE YOU “Are you sure you’re okay leaving things like this, Mr. Bell?” Lilly’s backpack rocked from side to side as the pair walked through the night. Hestia Familia had sent the two of them to follow up on the contents of Fels’

OBSERVATIONS OF A MAGE Keep an eye on Bell Cranell, his party, and the Xenos girl. These were the orders given to me, Fels, by my master Ouranos. An intelligent monster has succeeded in reaching the surface, forcing our hand. Truth be told, though, I wonder if we should not take more drasti

THE XENOS “Waaaaaahhh! Beeeeeell!” In the Xenos secret village on the Dungeon’s twentieth floor, Wiene was bawling her eyes out. The vouivre girl had been like this ever since she was separated from Hestia Familia. “Uh-oh, Wiene’s cryin’ us a river.&rdquo

THE FORM OF A FAMILY “Mikoto…?” The day after Hestia Familia returned to the surface, Mikoto went to visit Sojourn Townhouse, the home of her old familia. When she arrived, Ouka looked up from his training and noticed her, as did Chigusa and three other humans. “Wha

THE FOXGIRL’S BEEN FRAMED! “Oh, Ms. Wiene…” The day after parting with the Xenos and returning to the surface, Haruhime walked down the halls of Hearthstone Manor in her maid outfit. Everyone, not only her, was battling loneliness now that the vouivre was gone, and nob