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—
Minutes before the fight began… somewhere on the 18th floor…
"… Did you pack everything, Raul? We're about to depart."
A black-haired cat girl approached a man as he tied several bags together into one massive clump.
The man wore gray chest armor and white leggings with a few small protections here and there, a rather traditional set of equipment for an adventurer, something between light armor and medium plate.
"Yes, Aki… I'm about finished here. What about the others?"
"That's why I'm here. Everyone's ready…"
"What are you two doing here? We are ready to depart. Go to your posts!"
Someone called from the side, but his voice was buried in a sea of people…
""Yes, Captain!""
The two ran away beside each other, albeit the boy had greater difficulty carrying that large bag on his back…
(Image)
(Image)
"... Those two…"
A blond boy, not even tall enough to reach Silver's chest, sighed as he looked at Raul and Aki as they ran back to the crowd.
While he didn't look impressive with medium-length scruffy blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, looking more like a kid than an adult, don't mistake him for nothing else…
This unassuming pallum boy was one of the strongest adventurers alive. Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia!
'Raul still has a long way to go. He spends too much time in doubt.'
After giving them one last glance, Finn turned around and entered a large tent, where he was immediately met with a familiar pair of eyes…
The first to speak was a big-headed dwarf with a long beard, "You're here, Finn."
"So? What is taking so long, Gareth? Let me guess…" Finn said out loud as he sighed faintly
Gareth smiled, "Sorry for wasting time. Those kids were just a tad excited this time, that's all."
At that moment, a green-haired elf holding a large staff entered the tent, "Ais wanted to challenge Goliath alone this time, but she was beaten by some adventurers from the Hercules Familia."
"They should be waiting for the fight to end now." She added as she stood next to them
Finn sighed with a helpless smile, "I wager we'll be hearing about this from her for the next few days…"
"Hah! Those kids are always so excited; it's good they got some rest time." Gareth added as he laid down on his back and relaxed
That said, Finn's expression slowly changed. Noticing this, Gareth soon asked, "What is it, Finn? It's not like Ais went alone; she has the others with her as always. If they can't handle a single Goliath, I'm afraid that would be an entirely different issue."
Finn tapped his chin with a light frown, "That's not it, Gareth. I just have this strange feeling… I can't quite put it into words."
'I've been having this for a while… as if I've forgotten something.'
Finn hated that feeling, especially since he had the suspicion he'd come to regret that… though that came from experience. Whenever he forgot something, it was exactly when that same thing came back to bite him when he least expected it.
No matter how insignificant… paranoia was also a form of strength…
"If that's the case, then why don't you go there? I can stay behind if you wish. You might be needing some fresh air."
"Thanks, Riveria. Maybe that's what I need… You coming, Gareth?"
Gareth nodded and got up. Picking his two massive double axes on the way before leaving the tent after him.
...
/Sha!/
/Sha!/
Several kilometers away, Ais and her group ran towards the entrance to the 17th floor. The place where the Goliath resided.
Lefiya looked behind her and saw the massive tree at the core of the 18th floor. She had already seen it dozens of times before, but she can't help but be impressed every single time.
(Image)
"It's truly beautiful, isn't it? These crystals and forests that never seem to end…" She muttered out loud as she ran after them
One of the amazon simblings looked back at the tree but didn't feel the same as her, "Hum? Yeah, a little, I guess… although I wonder why the Dungeon maintains such places."
"Maybe there's no reason." The other sibling added with a carefree gaze as she ran with her arms at the back of her head
"If only… hm?"
As they ran, Lefiya noticed something approaching them in the distance.
"Is that… Finn?"
The older of the amazon twins turned her head frantically, "Finn? Where?"
Her sister smiled helplessly, "Calm down, sis… you're going to creep him out."
"Tiona…"
/Bang!/
Finn and Gareth kicked the ground with immense force, shattering the stone underneath their feet and propelling them to the high ground where Ais and her group were.
They landed before them with style, sliding across the ground as they came to a halt.
"Would you mind if we joined you all?" Gareth asked as he smiled faintly
Ais stepped forward "No, but why are you all here?"
"I just felt something wasn't right." Finn replied as he put his arms behind his back
Bete snickered, "So you came to babysit us, huh?"
"Not really, I just want to take a look around."
"That's the same shit…"
/Tremble.../
At that moment, the entrance leading to the 17th floor began to shake as the wall itself trembled…
/Roooaaar…/
The faint echoes of Goliath's enormous wails reached them from the entrance, signifying its awakening!
The youngest of the amazons frowned, "Come on! Already? Wasn't it supposed to wake up half an hour later? What did those muscle heads do?"
"Did they awaken it early, perhaps?" Lefiya asked as she held her staff tightly
The Amazon tilted her head as she pondered deeply, "Hum. Knowing them, that's not exactly impossible. The monster Rex can wake up earlier if someone is in the room after all."
"Tsk!"
Bete crossed his arms and walked away…
Gareth's voice broke the silence, "Let's just wait for them; you all know how those guys can be when they are interrupted."
"… But looking from afar shouldn't take much." He added with a pensive expression as he closed one of his eyes
The elites of the Loki Familia climbed the stairs, following the echoes above.
...
/Boom!.../
/... Crash!.../
/… Roarrr!.../
The closer they got, the louder the fight became. "Seems like someone is fighting it, and by the looks of it, they seem to be winning." Lefiya pointed out as kept her long ears perked up
"… Can't they be quieter?! Just finish it already!" Bete exclaimed as his ears twitched, "We've been waiting in this dump for two days, yet those fuckers just came in and stole..."
"Bete. Can you make less noise? I want to hear the fight." Finn voiced as he kept his head close to the walls
The moment he spoke, Bete quietened down, albeit not without his expression twisting.
'Those damned barbarians…'
…
/Boom!/
/Boom!/
/Quake!/
The fighter was growing louder and more intense, so much so that dust began to fall on them from time to time.
"This won't collapse on us, will it?" Lefiya asked as she looked above with a worried face
"I hope not." Finn replied with a faint smile as he put his hand on the wall
Tiona frowned, "What is happening up there? I have never seen a Goliath fight that intense before… It looks as if the ceiling is going to collapse soon."
/BOOOM!/
A massive explosion echoed from above, followed by the passage trembling like none before, almost causing Lefiya to lose her balance.
"… are you sure this will hold?" Bete asked as his expression grew serious
"It won't break so easily… can't say the same for the arena…" Gareth pointed out as he kept climbing
Despite the danger and chaos, the Loki Familia kept moving.
...
/Meanwhile, above them…/
/Step…/
/Step…/
/Step…/
Five armed warriors with bulging muscles stared at the state of the 17th floor from atop a large boulder near the entrance.
"Looks like we were beaten to it."
Each of them was a powerful warrior in their own right. Their aura was imposing, their weapons were sharp and massive, their bodies a pinnacle of human anatomy.
However… they had a fatal flaw… their only piece of armor… was a tight pair… of tight trunks.
(Image)
The only true clothing they wore aside from that were their helmets, which seemed to show their rankings, and of course, the leather straps that carried their respective weapons.
One of the warriors, evidently younger than the others, exhaled at the sight of the fight, "Sigh… I really wanted to take it down…"
Another of the buff men patted the man's shoulder, "Dont worry, Diomedes. You will have the chance to test your new strength two weeks later!"
Diomedes, however, seemed quite upset… In the end, he sat down on the rock, depressed. He almost seemed to deflate as he crouched on the rock.
/Boom!/
The battle continued. And while Diomedes despaired, one of the semi-naked warriors pointed at Goliath.
"This is quite strange… what are those things? Not only that, but doesn't Goliath look… odd?"
Diomedes grew curious, paying close attention to the fight for the first time. When he did so, his eyes opened wide, "What is going on?"
A man with a large helmet full of feathers soon replied, "That seems like… a Nature Weapon? Where did the Goliath take those from? I didn't even know that was possible."
"And its skin has taken another hue… I've never heard of this before."
'Hercules-Sama will definitely be interested in this unusual occurrence.'
Diomedes grew excited, "So its stronger now?"
"Most likely…" But the captain's attention was elsewhere, "Whenever it moves, the air itself seems to quake. A rather unusual Landform…"
"But how did the Goliath change?" Asked one of the herculean warriors with an immense backpack on his back
"In fact, is that person the only one fighting it?"
The captain nodded, "I think so, Jofrey."
"His armor is quite nice, but isn't it weighing him down? He is barely moving from his position. If this continues, he is going to get squished!"
As Jofrey pointed that out, the red knight lifted his hand forward, and a ball of fire shot to skies… but it missed Goliath!
"He…"
/BOOOOOOOOOM!/
His voice was muffled by the enormous explosion in the ceiling!
"!! Look out!"
As the ceiling fragmented into multiple pieces, Goliath was punctured by a massive stalactite! Being buried in a mound of giant boulders!
"Ohhh! I never thought about doing that before!"
"That's because you never think of anything, Gerius…"
"That's like an instant kill, right? If the dungeon fixes itself later, we can just bring down one of those, and it's going "putchi"!" Gerius added as he completely ignored his companion's remarks
"That would be highly unlikely. Not only considering the number of calculations needed to pull such a thing… There is also the dungeon change."
"You're so boring, Juige."
"…"
Their captain shook his head, "This isn't the kind of thing that can be repeated. There is no guarantee the Dungeon will regenerate things to how they were before. Besides, how do you plan to bring down one of those? Are you going to throw your sword up there?"
"How did you know?" Gerius asked as he looked at his captain
"…"
The battle continued. Goliath soon pulled itself from the rubble, roaring defiantly.
/Swisss/
However… its skill slowly returned to its original hue as the steam surrounding it dissipated. It was visibly tiring, losing much of its momentum.
"It seems like this fight is about to end." Juige voiced out as he crossed his arms
The knight didn't seemed to agree as he did not lose this opportunity. He immediately jumped into the air… or rather ran in it!
"T-That… is he flying?! Look at his feet!" Gerius pointed out in confusion as he Silver stepped in the air
"Odd… I saw nothing… Diomedes?"
"Not even a small sound… wait! Did he just…"
""He disappeared?!"" They yelled in unison as the knight turned invisible
"… it's over!"
For the first time since the fight started, they heard the knight scream something as he reappeared crashing against Goliath!
/PIERCE!/
His sword bathed in fire and chaotic energies, the knight pierced into its eyes with brutal intent!
"… How about this?!"
/SHAAAAA!!/
Powerful flames burst from within its eye as the Knight unleashed a torrent of fire inside its skull!
"He's gonna get hit at this rate!"
"BOIL ALIVE!"
/BURN!!/
/BANG!/
The Goliath lifted his hand and slapped the knight, sending it flying across the area directly into a distant boulder.
/GASP!/
Gerius took a deep breath, "He is a goner now…"
Diomedes eyes narrowed, but his expression was grim, "He should be fine. That strike was severely weakened… even a Level 2 adventurer would've survived it… barely."
"Yeah… he did it somehow."
/Bang.../
/Crash.../
The final bits and pieces of stone fell from the ceiling, and silence slowly came back into the cavern.
"It's over… the warrior has triumphed… WARRIORS! MOVE OUT!" The captain exclaimed as he went to the knight's rescue
All the knights started running in a perfectly coordinated march towards the fallen knight.
"… ha… Haha…"
As they approached, Diomedes began hearing the faint laughs and coughs coming from inside the knight's helmet.
'It's good that he is alive.'
Just as his attention fell on him, the knight also noticed his presence.
Putting down his potion, he slowly turned his head in their direction.
/Crank.../
With difficulty, he got up. His legs still trembling slightly. He lifted his left hand, and the spear stuck in the ground came flying into his hand as if possessed.
/CLANG!/
He grasped its hilt, but it was possible to see just injured he was, barely able to remain upright, his blood was slowly running down to his boots. But the man's determination to stand before them was stronger than his pain.
His reaction wasn't unexpected to them; adventurers had to be wary of strangers when delving in the Dungeon. Because of his injuries, his stance is more of a question than a warning.
-Are you a friend or a foe?-
He slowed his breathing, his stance growing stabler with every passing moment.
One of them was quick to speak "Calm down!"
-... Who... are… COUGH!
Diomedes, however was no talker, "Calm down, proud warrior! We came here to help!..."
His captain tapped his shoulder, "Let me handle this, Diomedes…"
The captain made way from the middle of the warriors and took out a crimson red potion inside a golden bottle.
"Here, take this… Your potions seem to have been broken… We are currently setting up camp with the Loki Familia on the floor below. Would you like to go with us and rest there?"
The knight didn't seem to believe them that much, so to reinforce their position, the captain took something from his pocket. It was a large golden coin… so large it was akin to a badge.
"Do you recognize this symbol? We are from the Hercules Familia. You can trust us."
He pondered for a few moments before accepting, "Thanks… Cough!"
"You're injured, you shouldn't talk for now."
/Clang.../
/Gulp!/
Silver pulled off his visor, and chugged the potion.
"Cough, cough!... I feel much better now…"
'This potion… I know what it is. It's not of those horrendously expensive elixirs. I bought one for emergencies… It cost me well over seven hundred thousand.'
'These guys don't look half bad.'
"That's good. Sorry for spying on your fight. We came here to fight Goliath, but…"
"I ended up stealing it, right?"
"No no! We don't mind!"
Still catching his breath, Silver looked around and replied, "... Well. I have little to pay you all with. Nor do I have a way of bringing this stone to the surface. Would the five of you accept it as payment?"
"What?! Of course not…"
"Let me handle this, Diomedes!"
The captain looked at Diomedes and continued, "... Are you sure about this? You could buy a few of the potions I gave you…"
"My life is worth much more than a few bottles of potion… I would repay it several times over. Thank you all for the help. Would you all mind staying a bit longer while I recover?"
"Haha! No problem! Jofrey! Get us some of the wine we bought on the 18th floor!"
"Yes, captain!"
…
/Later…/
"..."
'How did things get like this?…'
Silver sat around a weak bonfire, surrounded by five tall and muscular, half-naked bodybuilders…
'They look rough but they're nice people… But I can not get used to them at all…'
'I just want to shove my items inside my pocket space and leave, but I can't with them like this… I can't stand being here surrounded by their muscles!'
Silver's eyelids twitched under his armor, 'Don't judge people… don't judge…'
One of them looked at him, Silver knew his name, "Do you like the wine?" Gerius asked as he pointed at the bottle
"After a battle like this… I'd say anything would taste good… but say, did you say it came from the 18th floor?"
"Yeah, you understand it! We got it in Rivira… expensive as always, but we can't get this taste up there."
Silver looked at the entrance leading to the 18th floor, 'I was right to assume the Loki Familia was there… they're taking their sweet time to arrive though… is it because of these guys?'
'Maybe there's another thing to thank them for… I didn't want to meet with anyone, but I'd take them over those guys.'
Rivira was a town made by adventurers on the 18th Floor of the Dungeon.
The 18th floor is a safety point where no monsters are born, though some monsters can come up from the floors below. Silver only went there once and looked at the area from afar before returning.
He had already pushed it going this far; going further than this without a blessing would truly be reckless… though a city venture wouldn't be too bad. He thought about doing it after he had the time… if he had it, that is…
Thinking about the little he knew about the city, be it from rumors, his research, or the words of his grandparents, he asked, "I heard the place was expensive, but how much is it?"
Diomedes couldn't hold himself back anymore. He exploded in anger as he bad-mouthed the people below them, "Don't even get me started! Everything there is at least twenty times pricier! It's a city as much as it's a den of scammers!"
The youngest of the five continued to tell Silver just how crazy expensive the city was…
…
Silver listened in silence until he grew tired… after a while, he raised his arm in his direction, "Here, its ready."
Diomedes passed Silver a skewer made from some unknown meat. He looked at it for a while, but after sighing internally, Silver just went with it.
/CHOMP/
It had a fishy taste and texture, "What is this made from?"
"Raider Fish from the 25th floor. Their meat often drops, and its quite succulent when prepared on time… Ever fought one?"
Silver shook his head, "I've heard of these, but never fought one. They appear on the surface as well, right?"
"From time to time, one of these will terrorize a fishing village, I suppose. They've been driven to extinction in recent years due to hunting… not that it's a bad thing."
The captain looked at his empty skewer and asked Silver, "So? How are your injuries?"
"... I should be able to fight in a few more minutes; the potion kicked just right."
Diomedes interjected, "That's good to hear! Elixirs are only sold in small batches every day."
"Thanks again."
"HAHA! Just enjoy the meat!"
…
/Crack…/
They ate and laughed together until Silver thought it was time to go… or rather… he could feel strong vibrations coming from the entrance to the 18th floor.
'Someone's coming up… and rather forcefully at that. The entrance must've collapsed deeper down. It must be them… I'd rather not meet them this soon. If they recognize me, explaining things would be… awkward.'
'I like being the Red Knight without any strings attached.'
Silver got up from his seat and grabbed his bag. This bag he took straight from his pocket space. While they set up the bonfire, he went to a hidden spot and took it from there so he could store his items… he had to act like an adventurer from time to time.
It also served to explain his venture down here. Some adventurers could come and go to the 18th floor without supplies, but most always went around with a small bag of items.
Seeing this, the captain was the first to speak, "Are you leaving already?"
"Time waits for no one, as they say. Right now, all my thoughts are in getting back home and taking a good shower."
"Can't say no to that." One of them said with a faint nod
Diomedes slapped his own chest, "If you have the time, visit us on the Surface! We'd welcome you with open arms!"
"…"
Silver thought of the bizarre image of five bodybuilders in tight trunks opening their arms to him… no… of dozens of them… including their deity, who was probably just like them.
He had nothing against them; they were all good people, and looking at their equipment and the way they traversed the Dungeon, these guys were incredibly capable.
The Hercules Familia was one of the few Grade A Familias lying around… he could even join them, but…
No… no thanks.
Silver bowed and gave them his farewells... and left hurriedly after that.
Not long after, the troublesome children of the Loki Familia barged inside… but what came from their meeting was none of his business!
…
After running away from the macho group, Silver left the 17th floor, entering the 16th.
/Sha!/
/Sha!/
/Sha!/
The moment he left the stairway, he felt the caverns rumble, as if the Dungeon itself was warning him it knew he was there.
Monsters could strike at any moment, so it was best if he didn't remain around for long.
"First… let's get rid of these things and go home." He muttered as he kept an open eye on his surroundings
'First of all… this armor needs to leave. I'll go the rest of the way on foot… while I'm a little tired, but if I go back like this, I'll likely just throw myself in bed and call it a day.'
'I can't allow myself to be lazy… I'll return like a real man!… A bored man…'
/Clink... Clang... Clong.../
Silver took out his heavy armor and created a mirror using his abilities, "Man… I look like crap… bloodied and dirty… things didn't look that bad while I was armored."
Following that, Silver took off his clothes and cleaned himself with his Plasmids, putting on another set of brand new and clean clothes, 'Now I look presentable… not that it matters much here in the Dungeon.'
"Most of the time that is…"
With new clothes and a good-looking face, it was time to sit down and take a look at his equipment.
Silver removed them from his inventory one by one and checked their state:
"Before I begin… I better burn this spear thoroughly… there could still be some remnants of that in it…"
'A single speck of that neurotoxin would send me halfway to heaven before I had the time to understand what was going on… so let's just… burn it completely.'
/SHAAAA!!
Powerful flames covered the spear and even his equipment. Silver was taking no chances.
"This should do it for these… although the spear itself might need some mild sharpening since its tip looks a little dull."
'For the rest, cleaning this blood is easy enough… repairing the armor on the other hand…'
"The chest piece is pretty much irreparable, large uneven cracks… same for the right arm. Everything else is somewhat fixable… most of the blood here is mine, anyway."
'But I don't really care about it. This armor served its purpose. It was meant to crack under heavy force to absorb it instead of me.'
'If I were to fix it… then it would only be so it could serve as an exhibition piece of what is likely one of my finest works. There is better equipment out there, this is just average at best.'
'The fact that it remained in one piece despite being hit by the Goliath, even if in an extremely weakened state, is good enough for me. I'm proud of what it accomplished.'
He looked at the armor's surface. He tried to reach deeper into it but stopped, "If only I could control metal… then fixing this quickly and cheaply would be possible."
'But metal control is too costly to perform with my current Mind… I can't do it… I tried but to no avail.'
"I can leave it with a smith when I have the time. Maybe they'll breathe new life into it." He said as he put it aside
'Until then… you're retired from service.'
The next thing he did was check his Magic Sword.
'Hum… this could be worse.'
The Mk 3 Magic Sword looked as if it was about to break apart, /Clack…/ in fact, a piece just fell off…
'It worked as I expected. The energy within the Magic Stone was drained… I never thought I'd be able to extract so much power from a goblin crystal… just what would happen if I were to use a strong crystal?'
'Not only that, if I had better materials to withstand the force, a blessing to manipulate characteristics, and the means to make actual Magic Swords… just what would happen?'
Silver shook his head, 'I'm thinking too far into things… still, with some fine-tuning and thinking, I should be able to elevate it further. It's time for the Mk 4 Magic Sword to be born!'
Lastly, but not least, is a series of small materials. A large patch of tanned skin, a tooth, several large dark crystals and a few other things.
"The Goliath drops… more than I expected."
'Maybe because of its unusual condition… it might be worth some research after… but these alone might be worth a few million Valis on their own, maybe more.'
'I can't do anything with them though… these might be for the eyes of a more experienced smith.'
Apart from those, there were also several pieces of what he determined to be his shield, "Sigh, rest in peace, my iron triangle. You saved my life there."
He threw the pieces into his pocket space, 'I still have my spare shield I didn't sell. It'll do just fine until I find another one of a higher quality.'
'I'm not a good sword and shield user, but having one strapped to my arm doesn't get in the way that often.'
/CRUNCH!/
"Hm?… Oh dear, looks like I stood around for too long." Silver muttered with a small smile as a creature approached him in the distance
A tall creature with a brutish build. Dark skin, thick fur, horns poking out of its head.
/ROAAARRRRRRR!!/
And a terrific roar load enough to hurt his eardrums…
(Image)
"Such a cool creature." Silver muttered as he cleared his ears
'But it screams so damn much.'
/Crouch!/
The Minotaur crouched. Every adventurer who had faced them before knew what that was…
It was about to charge!
"I'm a bit in a hurry today, so I apologize for the rudeness in advance." Silver said with a light laugh as he took out his spear
/DASH!/
The beast dashed forward with higher acceleration than a sports car, the ground cracking under its immense strength, Silver knew he had less than a second to act… but that wasn't needed.
Because he had already made his move.
"?!?!"
/SPLATTER!/
The Minotaur dashed forward, but suddenly, the ground it was meant to step on vanished, caving in on itself!
It tripped! Its head crashing straight into Silver's spear! It punctured through its eyes, breaking past its skull!
/Poof!/
/Cling…/
"This time, its body vanished… I still don't understand the mechanism very well."
'These creatures are a little too predictable. I've taken out so many of them with little effort. It's not fun, but I don't have that many other options… not when its hard to even keep track of them.'
"These things move on the ground as if they were flies in the air…"
Silver reached out for the stone with telekinesis and stored it in his inventory.
"Well, then… time to leave."
With nothing but his slightly dull spear in hand, Silver made his way through the Dungeon, one floor at a time.
Avoiding as much battle as he could, he reached the surface in but a few hours. Having already memorized the path back home.
…
/Comottion…/
Standing at the mouth of the Dungeon, Silver heard and saw a large crowd of people just outside Babel.
"Phew... people sure have energy to scream outside Babel..."
'Is something going on? Is another large Familia going on an excursion?'
Silver was there when the Loki Familia descended… they were quite cool, to be honest. Seeing these large Familias gathering thousands of people to challenge the Dungeon was quite heroic.
Although he wanted to go back to his room and lie down, the day was still long. So he approached the crowd to figure out the reason behind their excitement… and he immediately paled.
"If you can defeat that boy, you can join the Freya Familia!" Someone exclaimed beside Silver
"To think the Freya Familia would do such an unusual recruitment…"
Silver watched in confusion as crowd upon crowd of warriors gathered around a very simple stage. In it, a boy with red hair and plain white uniform stood in place with a bloodied spear.
Next to him were only a few others in basic white uniforms. They did little and barely moved as if they were statues. The only one who seemed to move was a young lady with pink hair, a rather unusual hair color to have.
She was only there to heal the pitiful warriors who had failed the test. After all, the boy was merciless.
He punctured, slashed, cut, blinded, and nearly killed everyone who attempted the challenge, as if he weren't interested in having anyone pass at all. He even slashed at their necks and pierced their hearts!
/Shine…/
But the woman with pink hair healed them all from the brink of death. The healing was so intense, the magic so powerful that even Silver felt awe at the speed at which she could regenerate others.
However... she could heal their bodies, but not their minds... most that were brought from the bring of death were not the same afterward... in either case, they were dragged out by their companions.
While Silver didn't know who the others were, he knew who the lady was. She was mentioned in the book of prominent adventurers in the Guild. Her name was Heith Velvet, the second strongest healer in Orario!
(Image)
/SLASH!/
/Shine…/
/SLASH!/
/Shine…/
Silver's eyes flinched as he watched the brutal scene, 'This is… utterly insane. This is almost akin to a butchery.'
'Whoever steps foot on that stage is immediately hacked down by the boy without being able to even scream before being healed by the lady… and from what I heard, he's been doing this for two hours?'
'What an insane bastard… from their words, he's meant to be Level 2 as well? So the challenge here is that if you can't defeat that Level 2 boy, then you aren't qualified to join them?'
/SLASH!/
/Shine…/
"But he's skilled. Sharp martial arts meant for killing others. He's trained in it quite swiftly… people like that usually experienced such things firsthand."
'Does that mean this boy is a mass murderer?… Just what do they do back in the Freya Familia for god's sake?…'
Silver stepped back after a while. Although he was very interested in the Freya Familia, he had a simple philosophy… and that was not to mess around with them.
He went away, not looking back.
And not long after he left, the Freya Familia stopped "recruiting"…
…
/The next day…/
"COOOCKORICOOOO!!!"
"... Eh?"
As the sun came up, Silver was once again woken up by the stupidity loud cries of the roosters around Orario.
With a frown, he grumbled to himself as he rubbed his eyes, "The damn churches… the people… now even the animals…"
"They sure make oversleeping in this place difficult, don't they?!"
"… I need a shower first."
'Today I won't be going to the Dungeon, I have other, more important things to do…'
/Crack!/
"A-ARG!"
'MY back! I fucking hate these beds! I can't get used to them!'
"I should've just brought my old bed with me… what a blunder."
/Shine…/
Silver's hand shone green as he healed his body, "Phew... I felt like an old man doing this."
"Much better."
…
/Creaak/
Silver left his room and went downstairs.
The smell of baked bread filled hiss nostrils, warming up his mood.
This was the closest place he had to a home in Orario.
"Hum? Welcome! Would you like a drink or… it's you again! How is it that you always pass through my eyes?" The innkeeper asked as he cleaned a few cups on the side
"Hey boss. Mind cooking me something? I am starving here… Can you get me a bath too while you're at it?"
"Sure thing. Sit down and wait kid, I'll get everything done in no time."
He raised an eyebrow as he passed by him, "But I am curious. How is it you always pass by me?"
Silver laughed faintly, "... It's just a coincidence..."
'I can't just say that I flew through the window…'
...
After a quick, warm bath, Silver returned to a large meal for him to dig in.
As he devoured his meal, the innkeeper stopped by and asked, "So tell me. How did it go this time?"
/Chomp/
"… Nothing out of the ordinary…" He muttered as he ate his foot, /Chomp…/ "I just went to the Middle Floors and returned."
/Chomp/
"Phew… can you pass me the napkin?... Thanks."
"There were some issues this time… but I got some help from a passing group of adventurers. It was fine, as you can see."
"You were lucky, that sort of thing doesn't happen often."
"Yeah. I was lucky…"
…
After eating and thanking the innkeeper, Silver went back to his room to rest after his meal.
He lay down on bed as he thought about his future.
With his eyes closed, he mumbled to himself, "I think this is it… I have a pretty decent idea of how strong I am and where my abilities currently stand within Orario."
'There's no point in delaying this any further. I could keep working on myself, but with the laws being the way they are, there's no way I can continue working unless I deceive others… but that isn't necessary.'
'I'll follow the path of an adventurer to the end. I already did enough as it is. This is the world of gods and their Familias. There's no need to rebel against the natural order.'
"It's time to look for a Familia... one week… I will enter a Familia this very week."
'Hum… but what are my options?'
A quick answer passed through his head, "Loki is a good choice… I just can't see myself working well in a team…"
'But neither did I ever picture myself in a life like this, so I guess anything can change with time.'
'Loki has everything that I need and more… all I need to do is knock on her door and ask if she's recruiting. If I find Cruzz, maybe I can have him recommend me.'
"On the other hand, Hephaestus would meet my other ambitions… or any other crafting Familia for what matters."
'The potential to grow through the ranks of smiths and access techniques and tutelage from high-level masters… That doesn't seem half-bad either. Blacksmiths also have a lot of influence and connections thanks to their contracts with high-level adventurers.'
'But to become a proper smith… I might have to let go of some of my other ambitions. There is likely a way to follow both without giving up the other, but I don't know if I have what it takes for that.'
'My mind is elsewhere… the Dungeon. And to be honest, although I love to craft items... I love the feeling of adventuring into the unknown more... Even more so when I find some loot... That's my favorite part.'
Silver thought a bit harder as he went through the book of deities he had memorized days prior.
"Maybe amidst the smaller deities?… Several might fit in… or maybe the ones I know a bit more…"
"Demeter is the goddess of harvest and, as one, her Familia is an agricultural one… not much of a reason to join her and become one of her few warriors…"
A name passed through his head… "Hermes… a rather crazy deity… rejected."
'Any others?…'
"Takemikazuchi? One of the most recent deities to be added to the book. A God of War from another continent proficient in martial arts… He goes hand-in-hand with my ambitions and could provide me with what I desire."
'I'll keep him in mind… any others?'
"Hercules?... Jesus christ..."
…
Somewhere far away, a happy, long-haired man sneezed.
…
"Freya?…"
He shook his head almost immediately, 'Forget I even thought that… Freya is a crazy woman who has a strange effect on others. I'd rather not risk my mental fortitude by joining her… not to mention the crazy people around her.'
'A bit too much for my standards.'
"Sigh… There are just so many deities… one more suitable could descend at any moment."
He thought of the last one on his mind… 'Hestia… perhaps one of the least helpful deities around, but certainly the one who would support her children the most… hum… maybe that's debatable…'
'I suppose the freedom I could have the most freedom with her, not only through her Familia but her past as well… she has few enemies, being a caring deity by nature.'
…
Silver brainstormed for a while before deciding that Hephaestus and Loki were the best options that he currently had. However, before he went on with either of them, he decided to go around and research a bit more before making a decision.
Even if he found no suitable one, he still had to decide between the two.
"… Time to go then."
He left his room with determination in search of his perfect deity.
...
.
.
.
Notes
This... ladies and gentlemen, is most likely the last chapter before he joins a Familia.
Make your final decisions here; I will take all into consideration.
Thank you all for following me here! See you all next chapter!