(Riven POV – West Main Street)
"Ais... I'll train you." I say with a sigh. Then, adopting a serious expression, I continue. "But my services aren't cheap."
Ais tilts her head curiously, waiting for me to continue. However… Loki's eyes nearly burst out of their sockets.
"You're charging Ais?!" She shouts, stunned and outraged, as though I've personally slighted her. "How dare—!"
Riveria, ever the silent MVP, clamps a hand over Loki's mouth again before she can cuss me out for not being unreasonable.
'Thank you, Riveria.' But I wonder how Loki keeps escaping her hold.
I ignore the goddess's muffled protests and press on.
"I charge based on proficiency." I tell Ais directly. "And I'll keep going till you progress to the next skill level."
Ais turns toward Riveria without a word, leaving the negotions and discussions to her.
Riveria looks at me curiously. "What rate are you proposing?" She asks casually, but it's a loaded question.
Now comes the hard part… setting a price.
If it's too high, not only will they not agree, but I'll leave a very bad impression on one of the top Familia. If it's too low, I'm basically wasting my own time.
'Not that I particularly want to train Ais in the first place.' It has almost no benefit on it's own besides improving relations with the Familia.
'Great Sage,' I think calmly. 'If I train Ais in swordsmanship, how long would it take her Swordsmanship DA to rank up?'
[Answer: Based on current data and the anime as a precedent, it would take a week of training.]
While Ais's sword skill is amazing, probably one of the best in Orario, her swordsmanship Developed Ability remains stuck at H-rank despite her strength.
'I assume this is because her technique is incomplete, since she's working form memories of Albert training, or not diverse enough.'
But even then, without seeing the technique, I can't make a definite conclusion.
"Five million valis upfront." I say at last. "And another five after the Swordsmanship DA ranks up."
Riveria's expression tightens slightly, unsurprisingly. I shouldn't be so certain Ais even has the DA.
"And if I can't achieve that in a month, I'll refund the money." I shrug.
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "What makes you so certain Ais has the swordsmanship DA?"
I look at her in confusion. "She's the Sword Princess. It'd be weirder if she didn't have it."
Before Riveria can be disappointed, I substantiate my claims.
"Based on what I've seen, it should be at H-rank."
Rieria's gaze sharpens. "What makes you say that?"
I nod toward Ais. "The DA increase a person's proficiency and skill with a blade. I've only seen her from afar, but things like grip tension, the angle of her wrist, and how she holds her sword, even without using it, tell a tale… but the rest of her body falls behind."
"In what ways?" Riveria presses.
I begin listing a few things GS has noticed, mainly to do with footwork, rhythm, and even the gaps in her technique.
I smile calmly. "As for specifics… that'd need me to be actually hired."
Riveria says nothing, but her silence speaks volumes. Her eyes flick toward Ais.
"Of course…" I shrug. "I've only observed her walking from a distance and never actually seen her fight, so I've definitely missed a lot."
Riveria's gaze deepens, shifting from scrutiny to contemplation as she realises I'm not just trying to scam them.
Even Loki's gone quiet.
Hestia, still latched onto my arm, gives me a sideways glance—half confused and half suspicious at how I'm suddenly a swordsmanship expert.
But the one who matters most here, Ais, just looks at me with a quiet, but burning intensity. Her eyes shimmering with excitement and impatience.
Hestia tightens her grip on my arm, pulling me slightly behind her like a protective barrier. She glares at Ais, who doesn't even acknowledge her.
I clear my throat. "So… am I qualified, Lady Riveria?" I ask, smiling lightly.
Riveria studies me for another second, then gives the faintest nod. "You are. We'll need to discuss your fee further with Loki—properly." she says with emphasis, giving the restrained goddess a pointed glance. "But assuming terms can be agreed on... we accept."
"That's fine." I nod. "I'm quite occupied for the rest of the day anyway. You can just let me know once you've decided."
Ais looks disappointed that we aren't starting immediately, but doesn't argue. She gives a small, firm nod, her gaze never leaving me.
"We'll see you around, then." I smile politely.
I turn to Hestia. "Shall we continue our date?"
"Hmph." She pouts, puffing up her cheeks. "You finally remembered you're on one?"
"Sorry." I say, chuckling. "I'll make it up to you."
"You better!" She smiles victoriously as we start walking off, even sticking her tongue out at Loki, who can't yet argue back.
(Riven POV – Market Area)
Leaving the chaos with Loki Familia behind us, Hestia and I finally resume our date. We make our way through West Main, following the swell of foot traffic until we reach the Free Market.
The air here buzzes with energy—dozens of stalls line the street, each run by adventurers hawking their goods with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Some call out to passers-by with practiced flair; others simply sit back, relaxed, letting curiosity draw customers to the wares scattered around them.
Unlike the rest of Orario, the crowd here is more diverse. Foreigners outnumber locals three to one, their voices a medley of accents and languages, bartering and haggling with practiced ease. The scent of roasted meat, leather oil, and aged parchment swirls together in the air.
And the items? Just as varied. Dungeon items are common fare—monster drops, herbs, and ores—but some booths display rarer materials from outside Orario. One has Seiros, an ore known to boost magic, and another Hihiirokane, unmistakable with its faint reddish glow, even if the pieces here are small.
"Ooh! Riven, what's this one? It's glowing!" Hestia exclaims, tugging at my arm and pointing at a teardrop shaped item that glows in a soft blue-white light.
"It's a Crystal Drop and comes from the 18th floor. It's an extremely rare fruit actually." I explain, having Great Sage feed me the info from the guild's library.
Hestia leans in, almost pressing her nose against the strange translucent fruit, and earning us a glare from the adventurer selling it. "Huh. It's pretty." She murmurs, her eyes wide with interest. "Do you think it tastes good?"
"I'll grab some for you when I reach the 18th floor." I reply light-heartedly.
Her face lights up. "You promise? You can't take it back now!"
I shrug. "Wouldn't dream of it."
'If it makes her happy…' I think fondly.
We walk hand-in-hand through the market, Hestia humming a tune as we peruse anything that catches her interest. She asks questions, and I answer while scanning the market stalls with methodical precision.
Great Sage catalogues anything noteworthy on the fly, and unsurprisingly, most of the rare materials from deeper floors are missing, since any Familia strong enough to reach those depths wouldn't part with them so easily.
Then something catches my eye.
'Is that…?'
Hestia immediately notices the interest in my gaze. "Oh? Something finally piqued your interest?" She asks with mock suspicion, then grabs my arm without waiting for an answer. "C'mon then! Let's go look! Don't act shy now."
She drags me along, weaving through the crowd, skillfully avoiding bumping into anyone too tall to see her as we stop at a modest stall tucked between two flashy setups. A faded tarp is spread over the vendor's table, atop which sit a few dull, unremarkable lumps of dark metal.
Hestia squints. "It's just… rocks?"
"Not quite." I study the pieces, letting GS analyze them. "That's Impure Adamantite. Roughly one percent purity, judging by its weight and the coloration."
The adventurer running the booth perks up immediately. "Well spotted, friend!" He says, rubbing his hands together. "Took a lot of effort getting that out of the Dungeon. I'll part with it for just thirty thousand Valis. What d'you say?"
I examine the chunk. It's a melon-sized, solid chunk of black rock, and based on just its appearance, should be about a kilo or so of actual Adamantite.
Adamantite is priced at 20k-25k Valis per kg at 1% purity, with the price scaling exponentially the purer it is.
"That's fine." I say, counting out the Valis.
The vendor beams, probably thinking he's just swindled a clueless rookie.
He hasn't.
I take the ore in both hands, its cold surface pressing against my skin. Hestia walks beside me, shooting it a skeptical look.
"So… what are you gonna do with that ugly thing?"
"It's not about looks." I say calmly. "I need materials to make equipment. Besides…" I glance at her. "I'll count this one as a souvenir for our first date."
She snorts. "A rock. How romantic."
I veer us into a quiet alley, away from the crowd. Once I'm sure no one's watching, I deposit the ore in Stomach.
[Notice: 2.3kg of pure Adamantite has been extracted.]
The notification sounds instantly.
I blink. 'That fast?'
The purity was 2.3%. It'd have just been hard to notice from the surface alone, since the Adamantite isn't evenly distributed throughout the ore.
'I scammed the scammer, and saved 20 thousand Valis.'
Looking at it now, the bulky lump is gone, replaced by a smaller, refined mass of metal. From the initial black, plain ore, it's now midnight-blue with a subtle metallic gleam. Beautiful, in its own way. It rests silently in Stomach, about the size of a flask, glimmering faintly in the light.
I glance at Hestia, only to find her staring at my empty hands with a conflicted look on her face—part curiosity, part disappointment, part polite confusion.
She forces a smile. "So… the rock's really the souvenir?"
"You didn't like it?" I ask curiously with a raised eyebrow.
She flinches, looking away. "I… like anything you give me, Riven… even if it's a rock." she mumbles, voice small but sincere. "If it's from you, it's special. So I'll treasure it!"
I pause. Even I'd be upset if my date handed me a dirty rock and called it a keepsake.
But to instead choose to treasure it instead of getting mad… causes my admiration for her to quietly grow.
"I see…" I say, my voice full of faux disappointment. "Rocks are a bit underwhelming, huh? Maybe I shouldn't give a useless one to my goddess."
Her head snaps up. "No! It's our rock!" She protests, puffing out her cheeks. "It's a memento of our first date! I want it! Give it to me!"
She holds out both hands, demanding I hand over the ore, and definitely not taking "no" for an answer. For a moment, she looks like she's ready to wrestle me for it.
I chuckle and raise my hand above hers. "Alright, alright. Here's the rock you're so passionate about." I say teasingly, releasing it from Stomach, and placing the pure Adamantite into her open palms.
She stares at it, then glares at me. "This isn't the same rock. Don't try and trick me!" She says, genuinely upset.
I stare at her speechlessly, then laugh lightly.
"What's so funny?" She scowls. "I want our rock."
Containing my laughter, I point at the ore. "That is the rock. I just extracted the Adamantite. That's what pure Adamantite looks like." I smirk teasingly.
"Though… there's not much of it left." I add.
Hestia's face goes red, as she immediately avoids eye contact. "T-that so…? I knew that…" she says nervously, and I laugh.
"Of course, I believe you." I grin.
"Don't lie to me!" She huffs, turning away, and carefully observing the metal.
She turns it over carefully in her hands, marveling at its glint. "It looks so pretty now. It's like a gem."
"Do you like the memento now?" I ask.
She giggles and nods. "I love our shiny rock. I'm keeping it forever!"
"I'll give it to you at the end of our date." I say, taking it from her hands. "I'll carry it safely."
Depositing it back in Stomach, I let out a relieved sigh.
'Can't have you keeping it forever just yet. It's not yet finished.'
And just like that, the moment ends.
Our steps fall in sync again as we rejoin the crowd, as we head towards our last stop for the day.
**************
A/N: Hello Everyone. I hope you've all had a wonderful day. If you have enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or powerstones. It really helps the book out.
So, on to this chapter. The Loki Familia is obviously gonna discuss the rate, and decide whether it's worth it or now. As for Riven's explanation, I tired to make it make sense, since Ais was using Albert's Swordsmanship from memory, there are flaws in that.
She's actually an amazing swordswoman (I thought she was only good against monsters), so I had to change stuff once I realised that🤣. But this also explains why she remained stuck at H rank in her DA.
As for their decision, I don't think I'll do a POV on it, but rather a POV when he trains her of someone watchingz and some reactions to how the Familia decided on it.
Then, next we'll talk about the date. I actually wanted to get further, but it's been too long. Sorry for the delay. I've had a lot of stuff happening IRL that been eating huge chunks of time, but I'll be mostly free from now on, so a delay like this won't happen.
Hestia is sincere in that she was ready to accept an ugly rock, as she out it, as the memento, which is funny, but sweet. Even getting angry about a prettier rock being used till she realised it's the same.
Riven's gonna use that ore to make an actual memento. The final date location, can you guess?
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
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Yeah, that's pretty much everything🤔.
Have a good night (day?) everyone 😁