Author's Note:
Hello to all readers, I'm happy about the comments on the last chapter — I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much. Sorry for the delays and for the time I'm posting this chapter — this was the time I managed to get, haha. I hope you like it! Just a reminder: there are 10 advanced chapters available on Patreon.
Back in the makeshift Hachiman's quarters in the Loki camp, Hachiman's amethyst aura had already faded, but a cold fury, the kind that freezes the spine, still simmered beneath his skin. Aqua, who had followed him like a frightened puppy, barely daring to breathe, finally gathered the courage to speak as he brusquely pulled the tent flap closed.
"Hachiman..." she began, her voice a trembling wisp, her eyes wide like two full moons. "Were you... were you really going to kill a god?"
He turned, and the look he gave her was sharper than any blade. With a swift movement, he flicked her forehead – not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to make a point. "Ow! Hey!" she complained, rubbing the spot.
"The million-dollar question, Aqua," he cut her off, his voice low, laden with an exasperation that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, "is: what in the blazes were you doing in the Dungeon? And on top of that, being towed around by a cheap manipulator like Hermes?" He moved closer, and Aqua instinctively took a step back. "The Dungeon hates gods. Your presence there, lured by a scheme so obvious even a cross-eyed Goblin would see through it, could have been the recipe for a disaster of epic proportions! Whenever a god steps into the Dungeon, it's like lighting a fuse: wilder monsters are drawn, the floor itself can writhe and turn against you! Never again, under any circumstances, enter the Dungeon. No matter the reason, understood?"
Aqua sniffled, rubbing her forehead with a grimace that mixed genuine regret and the dread of the scolding. "I-I understand... Sorry, Hachiman... It's just that Hestia was so worried, and Hermes made everything seem so urgent, you know?" Another sniffle. "I won't get involved in these messes anymore, I promise."
Hachiman sighed, the wall of his anger beginning to crumble in the face of her obvious contrition. Would the promise last? He had his doubts, knowing her. But for now, it was enough. "Right. Now, bed. First thing tomorrow, I'll arrange for Tsubaki-san to take you back to the surface with the Loki Familia members." He needed her safe, away from the storm he felt brewing on the horizon.
The next morning, Hachiman woke later than usual, his body still processing not injuries, but the adrenaline dump and brutal tension of the previous day. To his surprise, Aqua wasn't clinging to him like a tearful tick; perhaps the previous night's reprimand still echoed. He peeked out of the tent. The Loki camp was already bustling. Adventurers, with the efficiency of those who live by it, were packing equipment, clearly preparing for the return trip to the surface after the expedition – and the "unscheduled events" he had starred in. He noticed the absence of the prominent female figures – Aiz, Tiona, Tione, Riveria – probably taking a well-deserved extra rest or dealing with internal matters.
As he wandered in search of Tsubaki or someone from the leadership, his eyes caught Hermes. The messenger god was talking in a low voice with Bell Cranel, near the camp exit. Hermes gesticulated, whispering something in the boy's ear with an air that Hachiman could only describe as that of a street vendor trying to swindle someone. Upon noticing Hachiman's approach, Hermes seemed to swallow hard for a moment, the memory of the grip on his neck from the previous night probably still vivid. But, like the actor he was, he forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes and stepped forward, hands raised in a universal gesture of "peace and love."
"Hachiman-kun! Or should I say, our brand new Dragon Slayer!" Hermes exclaimed, his voice as syrupy as cheap mead. "About last night... no hard feelings, pal, right? I perfectly understand your concern for your goddess."
Hachiman just glared at him with an icy look, maintaining a deathly silence.
"I... I really don't want to be your enemy," Hermes insisted, his smile faltering under the pressure of that gaze. "In fact, as a peace offering, an olive branch, so to speak, I'd like to show you a little something. Something that, I'm sure, will greatly please a promising young adventurer like yourself."
Hachiman remained a skeptical statue. 'Please me? Or fatten your own dirty schemes?' But, against his will, a spark of curiosity ignited. What on earth could Hermes show him that would top last night's disaster? Against his better judgment, and with an internal sigh, he decided to play along. For now. "Show me."
With a smile that now overflowed with a somewhat suspicious confidence, Hermes gestured for Bell to accompany them. The three ventured into the vast forest of the eighteenth floor, Hachiman's guard higher than a castle wall. After a few minutes' walk, Hermes stopped at the foot of a stout tree with low branches and dense foliage, near a slope overlooking a hidden clearing. With an agility that belied his usual posture, he climbed the tree and signaled for them to follow. "Come, come! The view from here is... divine!"
Hachiman, still wary, but now genuinely intrigued, climbed with the ease of a cat. Bell, looking like a fish out of water but obedient to Hermes, followed clumsily. When Hachiman looked down in the direction Hermes pointed with a flourish, the sight hit him so hard he almost fell.
Down below, in a natural clearing bathed in the light filtering through the trees, around a crystalline lake from which a light steam rose, was a group of women. Many women. Aqua and Hestia were there, laughing and splashing water at each other like two children. Tiona and Tione too, along with Aiz, who looked more relaxed than Hachiman had ever seen her in his entire life – past and present. Mikoto from the Takemikazuchi Familia, Asfi from the Hermes Familia, Lili (Bell's small supporter), the imposing Riveria Ljos Alf, and several other female adventurers from different Familias... all of them... bathing. Completely, absolutely, unequivocally naked.
Hachiman froze. 'This... this is THAT scene from the anime!' a part of his brain screamed in shock and disbelief, vaguely remembering an infamous hot springs episode or something of the sort. Seeing illustrations or animated scenes in his past life was one thing. Being there, live and in color, witnessing it... was a universe of difference.
He felt his face catch fire. A toxic mix of shock, paralyzing embarrassment, and a growing anger towards Hermes for dragging him into this voyeuristic trap. With a feline movement, he covered Bell Cranel's eyes with one hand. "Don't you dare look, you innocent rabbit!" he hissed. With the other, he grabbed Hermes by the nape of the neck with the strength of a vise. "Have you completely lost your mind, you perverted good-for-nothing god?!" he snarled, forcing Hermes's face away from the idyllic and compromising scene. "If any of them catch us here, we're more than fried! We're dead, buried, and with an epitaph!"
Bell, hearing the panic and fury in Hachiman's voice and feeling the hand covering his vision, began to struggle, confusion and fear taking over. He slipped on the branch where they stood, desperately seeking support. His hand found Hachiman's arm and he clung to it with the strength of a drowning man, pulling. Hachiman, caught off guard by the sudden pull while still trying to discreetly strangle Hermes, lost his balance.
"Shit!" was the last word that echoed in his mind before he was catapulted from the branch, plummeting towards the lake with the grace of a sack of potatoes.
The impact with the water was a brutal, icy shock. As he emerged, coughing and sputtering water, he had an even more... intimate view. Female bodies, each with its own distinct charm and form, now stared at him. But what he found was not admiration or curiosity. It was a wall of gazes filled with palpable dissatisfaction and a fury so cold it made the lake seem warm. Riveria looked like she was going to incinerate him with the force of her thoughts. Even Aiz, normally a mask of inexpressiveness, stared at him with her face clearly furrowed in staunch disapproval. The only exceptions were Tiona, who seemed to be holding back a Homeric laugh, and Aqua.
"Hachimaaaan!" Aqua exclaimed, her usual mannerisms and mockery in full swing. "You didn't have to be that hungry, you pervert! If you begged nicely, maybe I would have let you take a peek!"
"Wow, Hachiman! I didn't expect that from you! How bold!" Tiona laughed openly, unconcerned about her nudity.
Aiz just murmured, her voice cold as ice: "Pervert."
Hachiman did the only sensible thing a man in his deplorable situation could do. "S-sorry! It was an accident! I didn't see anything!" he shouted, his voice an octave higher than normal, and then bolted out of the lake as fast as his legs could carry him, towards the forest, ignoring the cacophony of indignant shouts and protests echoing behind him.
After running as if the Grim Reaper himself were on his heels, he finally stopped, panting, his heart hammering in his chest like a war drum, making sure no enraged amazon or vengeful elven mage was chasing him. He let out a sigh of relief that seemed to empty his lungs. 'Phew, escaped...' Looking around to get his bearings, he froze again. Before him, in a small, secluded pond, an oasis hidden among the trees, was Ryuu Lion, also bathing alone. She had already noticed his presence and was staring at him with an expression of clear, icy irritation.
'Oh, come on?! Again?! Is the universe messing with me today?!' Hachiman thought in pure desperation. He quickly turned his back, nearly tripping over his own feet. "SORRY! A THOUSAND APOLOGIES! I SWEAR I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE THERE! I'M LEAVING RIGHT NOW, IMMEDIATELY!"
Just as Hachiman was about to launch into another desperate escape, Ryuu's calm but firm voice stopped him. "Wait."
He froze, tense as a violin string. He heard the soft sound of water being displaced and then the rustle of clothes. A few moments of torturous silence passed before she said, "You can turn around." Ryuu was dressed in her usual waitress attire, though her hair was still damp, a few drops trickling down her shoulders. She simply began to walk along a narrow path that wound into the woods. Not knowing exactly what to do, Hachiman followed her in a loaded silence. Halfway, she bent down and picked some white lilies growing wild there, the delicate gesture contrasting with the warrior he knew she was.
Finally, they arrived at a quiet place: a small hill covered in sparse grass, with a worn, solitary flag planted at the top, fluttering gently in the floor's breeze. Around the base of the hill, several old, rusty weapons were arranged, like a silent tribute.
As Hachiman absorbed the solemnity of the place, Ryuu began to speak, her voice low and tinged with an ancient melancholy. "Mama Mia allows me to come here sometimes. This place... is a tribute to my Familia. The Astrea Familia." She paused, her gaze lost in the distance, as if reliving ghosts. "We were ambushed in the Dungeon, many years ago. A cruel trap. I was the only survivor." Her eyes, normally so focused, seemed to see through him, to a painful past. "In my blind desire for revenge, I hunted down the Familia responsible. I used everything: assassination, ambushes, sordid schemes... I killed every single member. And their god." A trace of dark, almost palpable pain crossed her face. "That put me on the Guild's blacklist. I became an outcast, a renegade."
Hachiman remained silent for a long time, her story echoing in his mind. Finally, he said, his voice quiet but firm: "If someone hurt Aqua like that... I'd probably do the same thing. Or worse."
Ryuu looked at him, a spark of genuine surprise in her eyes at the unexpected empathy. A small, almost imperceptible smile softened her features, like a ray of sunshine breaking through heavy clouds. "Thank you... for listening. And I apologize for troubling you with these memories." She hesitated for a moment. "Seeing you defend your goddess like that last night, with such fury... I think I felt... at ease to share." After that, she simply turned and began to walk back towards Rivira, leaving the white lilies as a silent offering at the memorial. Hachiman felt that the atmosphere between them was no longer one of hostility or veiled distrust, but something much calmer, perhaps even a mutual understanding, forged in silent respect for shared scars.
Leaving there, more centered, Hachiman looked for Tsubaki. He found her near the exit of Rivira, where the Loki Familia group was already in the final preparations to leave for the surface. "Tsubaki-san, could you do me the kindness of taking Aqua with you? I... still have some unfinished business here."
Tsubaki looked at him with evident, but not intrusive, curiosity. "Sure, no problem. But you're not coming with us?"
"Not yet," Hachiman said, an enigmatic tone in his voice. "I'll stay one more day."
After Aqua (complaining loudly about the discomfort of the Dungeon, but visibly relieved to be leaving) departed with Tsubaki and the Loki group, Hachiman was alone again in Rivira. He strolled through the town as the afternoon progressed, his mind replaying recent events: Ryuu's story, the imminent threat he felt hanging in the air like a storm about to break. Suddenly, a tremor ran through the ground. Then another, stronger, shaking the structures. He looked up. The crystal "sky" of the eighteenth floor, which at that time of day imitated a soft, orange twilight, began to show cracks. Dark lines, like diseased veins, spread across the luminous surface. The place began to darken rapidly, as if night were falling unnaturally and frighteningly fast.
Hachiman, who was still staring at the transforming ceiling, felt his pupils contract. 'It's begun.'
With a deafening roar that made the air vibrate, the crystals shattered. And what fell was not just a mutant Goliath, as in the plot he knew. It was two. Two gigantic silhouettes, each easily equivalent to a Level 5 monster, plummeted from the collapsing ceiling, landing with an impact that made the entire floating island of Rivira tremble as if it were made of gelatin.
And the misfortune didn't stop there. From the edges of the newly opened hole in the ceiling, and from side tunnels that had previously been sealed by rock and magic, monsters began to erupt in an unholy torrent. But these weren't just the Minotaurs, Lygerfangs, Hellhounds, and Almirajs he would expect from a "Monster Party" on the upper floors. These were far more sinister creatures, infinitely more powerful – the inhabitants of the dreaded nineteenth floor and, Hachiman suspected with a chill down his spine, from even deeper floors. Colossal Bugbears brandishing bone-studded clubs, Battle Boars with tusks that looked like short swords, Lizardmen with scales as thick as armor and obsidian spears gleaming menacingly, Firebirds leaving incandescent trails in the air, serpentine and venomous Vouivres gliding with terrifying speed, and the dreadful Mad Beetles with their impenetrable carapaces. All of them began to surge forth in a chaotic and hungry horde, a nightmarish tide invading the safe floor.
The difficulty of the event had far, far surpassed what he remembered from the original plot. This wasn't a monster party. It was an announced massacre.