(!)QUEST DIRECTIONS
Daily Quest: Preparing to Become Strong
GOAL:
[Complete] Push-Ups [100/100]
[Complete] Sit-Ups [100/100]
[Complete] Squats [100/100]
[Incomplete] Running [9/10km]
"*Huff* Come on! *puff*!"
Breathing hard as he ran on the walls of Orario, Bell pushed himself hard despite his muscles burning and his heart working in overdrive to pump blood, for he knew that he was nearing the end of his goal.
"Just... a little... more!"
His eyes looked hazy, and his arms flailed as he continued forward until...
*Ring!*
(!)Alarm
[Complete] Running (10/10km)
Bell collapsed, falling to his knees with his hands pressing on the ground, sweat dripping off his snow-white hair.
"I- *Huff* did it!"
A wobbly smile made its way to his face as he caught his breath, taking big huffs of air until he could raise his head at the screen before him.
(!)Alarm
You have completed the [Daily Quest]: Preparing To Become Strong
[Your rewards for completing the [Daily Quest] have arrived.]
[Would you like to accept?]
[Accept] [Refuse]
Taking another few breaths until he no longer felt like passing out, he spoke.
"Accept."
(!)QUEST REWARDS
[You've received the below rewards.]
Reward #1. Status Recovery
Reward #2. Stat Points +50
Reward #3. Random Box +1
"It's the same rewards as yesterday..." Bell noted, eyeing the first reward in particular.
"Ac... *cough!* A-Accept status recovery." He wheezed.
Just like the previous time, Bell's body suddenly glowed with a surge of wind circling around him, all the fatigue, soreness, and sweat being swept from his body like it hadn't even been there in the first place.
The surge of energy Bell recovered had him jump back to his feet with a silly smile.
"It really feels like I just took a shower!" He giggled. "This is magic, isn't it? Does this mean I technically have some!? Or is it more like the system does? Is the system magic itself?
Bell still had absolutely no idea what in Hestia's name the system actually is, but he does have to admit... it's pretty neat.
Ignoring how it didn't seem to have any qualms about nearly getting him killed repeatedly.
"I wonder... how much the Status Recovery can actually heal me? It did heal the blisters on my feet. Maybe I could save it for the dungeon?"
At first glance, the idea seemed incredible to Bell. After all, having an instant heal with simply two words would be an absolute godsend in the dungeon.
But thinking about it more...
"That'd mean I'd have to deal with soreness, exhaustion, and sweat each day in there after exercising..." The boy cringed at the thought. Not only would he be fighting after expelling so much energy, but he'd also have to fight with the pain of his struggling body.
"Maybe once I get used to all of this?"
He shelved the idea for now.
"Accept stat points!"
*Ring!*
{STR}: H-100
{VIT}: I-60
{DEX}: H-100
{AGI}: D-500
{MAG}: I-40
{SEN}: I-70
Remaining Points: 57
Fifty stat points... To think he'll be getting these every single day. Such stat gains should be what adventurers pushing themselves to the limit should get, and yet, here he was, able to obtain them from a single quest of simply exercising.
And speaking of exercising, why have none of his stats gone up despite doing so much of it? His agility had risen so much from that single Penalty Quest, didn't it? So why hadn't he gotten any stat increases from the Daily Quest?
"Unless... The system follows the same logic as the falna? Thinking about it... it technically is my falna in the first place." Bell muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.
Exercising intensely hardly ever brought any growth, if at all, to adventurers. If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. No, it's only through one's choices, actions, and achievements that the growth of an adventurer takes place. And the best way to go about this? Fighting, persevering, and committing. And it doesn't even have to necessarily be in the dungeon, although it is the best place to do so.
So if the system follows the same logic, Bell shouldn't expect to ever receive any actual stat growth from the Daily Quest besides the fifty-point reward.
So... maybe taking the Penalty Quest would be better for him to get stronger?
"..."
Bell shivered as the memory of the centipedes in the desert flashed by, recalling how he had barely been able to run away from the numerous ones chasing him at a surprisingly slower speed than what you would've expected from such giant monsters.
He did not want to go through that again. And his goddess, er, Hestia- would kill him if he chose to do so.
And his death would be via smothering...
So yeah, no Penalty Quests. At least not for a long time.
"Ten points in vitality and... thirty in magic."
{STR}: H-100
{VIT}: I-60 - I-70
{DEX}: H-100
{AGI}: D-500
{MAG}: I-40 - I-70
{SEN}: I-70
Remaining Points: 17
That looked fine for now. And once again, Bell had quite a bit of satisfaction to see all of his stats look so even with zeroes.
Quite the sexy numerics.
"Okay, now..." He looked at the last reward. "Random Box."
Like before, another plain present popped up, although this time on the ground in front of Bell.
He reached down and picked up the box, a childish excitement as he wondered what he would get this time. Would it be a weapon? A random monster drop? Or... maybe some super rare potion!?
Bell didn't waste a moment to tear open the box, only for his gaze to become perplexed.
"A sandwich?"
[A plain sandwich.]
[You may keep this item in your inventory to preserve its current state.]
"Preserve... it's current state!?" Bell gasped.
Does that mean he can keep food in his inventory, and it wouldn't spoil or even get cold!? Even fresh, warm foods like soup!?
He imagined himself resting in the dungeon after hours of fighting, taking a seat before pulling out multiple warm, fresh, and delicious jagamarukuns that his goddess would sometimes bring him from her job.
He could eat such delicious foods without them getting cold...
*Groooooowl!*
Bell's cheeks turned red at the sound of his stomach, and he realized that he hadn't even eaten anything yet because he hadn't been able to sell the roll of minotaur skin in the morning.
He looked down at the meal in his hands, yet was hesitant to eat it just by knowing where it came from.
"The system wouldn't feed me anything that'd kill me... would it?"
Taking a peek at the ham, tomatoes, and other plain ingredients inside the sandwich, another growl pressured Bell into giving the meal a shot, to which he slowly opened his mouth and took a bite of it.
"..."
That bite turned into several others as waterfalls of tears rained down his eyes.
"Mmm! Sho good!"
~{Twilight Manor}~
"Okay, this time you've gotta be pulling my leg."
Finn sighed with a shake of his head.
"I'm afraid not, Loki. This information came from the Ankusha after questioning Mister Cranel herself, and his experience had been verified as truth by two separate gods."
Sitting at her desk in her office, Loki stared at her child with an unreadable gaze. In addition to the two, Riveria and Gareth were also in the room, the former standing while the latter relaxed on the couch.
"So... You're telling me, that a level one newbie stumbled into a secret room because a minotaur had knocked down the wall? And said minotaur got blasted out of existence by a giant statue, surrounded by at least a dozen more, with each one being at least level two? And instead of getting turned to paste, the kid passed some weird obstacle course with them where he then just... woke up? Are you sure he didn't just get high and end up crashing in the dungeon?"
Finn frowned. "Loki, this is serious. Mister Cranel had apparently lost his arm during the event. And Bete picked up the scent of blood and fire despite there having been none when we investigated the room. There had been something in there we haven't seen."
"I know, I know!" The goddess said as she threw her hands up. "But are you sure the kid doesn't just have a loose screw or something? Or maybe he was drunk? I tend to forget half the things I've done whenever I drink some Soma. Ooo, speaking of which~."
"Loki, no."
Riveria frowned from the side. "Believe me, this makes as much sense to you as it does to me, but I had verified it myself that Bell Cranel was in pristine condition when we had found him. He didn't show signs of being under any kind of influence. It's all... bewildering."
Getting confirmation from her strictest child, Loki rubbed her head with a rare look of genuine, scrunched-up confusion.
"This all sounds like all those times I woke up after a night of fun..."
It then shifted into a devilish grin of excitement.
"I like it! This is getting more entertaining by the minute! Aye, Finn! You said the kid's name is Bell, right? You also get what Familia he's from?"
The pallum nodded.
"I have, though I haven't heard of them before. He resides with the Hestia Familia."
There was a moment of silence where Loki became uncharacteristically quiet, staring at her Familia captain with a blank gaze before abruptly slamming a fist on her desk.
"Hah!? Are you shitting me!?"
The room's occupants were all quite surprised by the sudden irritation from their goddess, watching as the redhead gripped her hair with a groan.
"Er, no?" Finn answered. "Bell Cranel is a level one novice adventurer who joined the Hestia Familia not too long ago. Do you perhaps know her?"
Loki put an elbow on her desk and started biting her thumb.
"Grrrr, me and the shrimp don't get along... with her big stupid lumps of fat!"
Gareth snorted with a cross of his arms. "What, so you're jealous that she has bigger bazongas than you?"
Loki hissed like a cat.
"Moving on..." Finn cut in before any more redundancy could take place. "We weren't able to obtain an official place of residence to find Bell Cranel, as the Hestia Familia doesn't have one noted down."
Loki smugly grinned at that.
"Ha! No surprise. I heard that itty-bitty was mooching off of Phae-Phae before getting kicked to the streets!"
"You mean Hephaestus?" Riveria raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that's what I said."
The high-elf facepalmed.
"I bet the shrimp is living at some dump!" Loki laughed haughtily.
"But that's serving as a problem for us, as we don't know where to find Mister Cranel," Finn pointed out.
Loki paused at the realization, her face turning half-shadowed with a grimace.
"Tsk! I almost don't even wanna bother with itty bitty's brat anymore if it means dealing with her..." She grumbled, leaning her head into her hand.
"That would be a problem, seeing as Ais wishes to meet Bell Cranel to formally apologize for what our mistake had caused him in the dungeon. As do we." Riveria said sternly.
"Hah!? My Ais wants to meet a boy!? Not happening!" Loki shot up with a hand slamming her desk as the other pointed at her vice-captain. "And didn't we already give him the minotaur skin to say sorry!?"
"Oh for the love of..." Riveria rubbed her temples at Loki's helicopter parenting and how Bete had said the same thing.
"It's amazing how you switched from wanting to meet the lad to suddenly wantin' to keep him as far away as possible." Gareth chortled.
"I'll meet him, just not my Ais-tan! I don't want itty-bitty's brat getting any ideas!" Loki clarified.
"In regards to meeting him, the Ankusha informed us that goddess Hestia will most likely be attending the gathering of the gods you'll be leaving for tomorrow. So if you truly wish to have Bell Cranel speak of the events in the dungeon firsthand-"
"I'll have to get chummy with itty-bitty, tsk!" Loki's face once more shadowed in annoyance.
"You understand that you don't have to become her friend, right? Just ask for either a place of residence or arrange some sort of meeting between us and Bell Cranel." Riveria noted matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll figure something out." Loki waved her off. "So what's my little Ais doing now?"
Gareth chuckled.
"Tiona and Tione dragged her away to ask what she learned about that room and the lad in it. Lefiya followed right after them as usual."
"I see... We'll have to make sure they don't go around sharing that information." Finn stated.
"Then I'd suggest you move now. You know how... loose-mouthed Tiona can be at times." Riveria sighed.
"Better that than your stuck-up royal mug." Gareth snorted.
"Says the one with that glib tongue." Riveria returned with a sneer.
"Alright! While you do that, I'm gonna get ready for the good ol' banquet tomorrow! Ooo! I could even put on a dress to make fun of itty-bitty for being too poor to even buy one!" Their goddess beamed.
"Loki, no."
"Loki, yes!"
Huh... Despite Bell's previous near-death experience, he surprisingly didn't feel any sort of dread returning to the dungeon.
Walking down Orario's streets to the tower of Babel, heading right for the first floor of the most dangerous place in the world, there hadn't been a moment of fear or hesitation at the thought of returning to such a place.
Should he have received some sort of trauma?
"Ugh..."
At that thought, the face of the 'lord' flashed through his mind, making Bell freeze with a shiver at the dungeon's entrance, making a few people give him odd looks as they passed.
He had lost an arm, almost died, and had gone through something no average adventurer would ever go through in his lifetime. And yet, here he was as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. Shouldn't he be scared? Terrified?
Then again... He had resolved himself, too, hadn't he?
In that room, he had been all alone. In that room, he recognized that no one was coming to save him, that if he didn't do something himself, then he'd die. It was right there he knew that if he genuinely wanted to be a hero who saved others, then first, he had to be strong enough to save himself.
That sense of helplessness he had felt in the room... It had been just like his first week of showing up in Orario.
He had been so optimistic when he had tried to find a Familia to join. But then his first rejection turned to five, then ten, and it continued until he stopped keeping track to hold whatever dignity he had left at the time. He hadn't even been able to meet any of the gods or goddesses of those Familias; that was how bad it had been.
It had been his first taste of how cruel people can be, and he had already been on the brink of losing all hope because of it.
But then his goddess... but then Hestia showed up, offering him a home and her falna when no one else had.
She saved him.
And Bell supposed that he hadn't learned anything from it... He had taken his time in his village and Hestia's help for granted. He had kept his optimism that things wouldn't be so bad, that even if he got into trouble and was suffering, maybe someone would show up to help him in the end, just as Hestia had.
But when that crucial moment came to him in the dungeon, when he had needed help the most in that horrible room... no one came.
That was when he had finally realized he couldn't count on others to save him.
He couldn't be immature like that... he has to be better.
He wasn't ever going to feel pathetic ever again.
So, with his newfound conviction, he'd get stronger not only to save himself, but everyone else, too. He'd save them when they were going through the same things he had. He'll be the hero he wants to be and give people hope to better themselves, telling them they could be heroes, too.
Just like the Argonaut...
Heh, he had always been Gramps's favorite hero.
Bell slapped both of his cheeks and stood tall with a determined gaze.
He knows he's a bit of a scaredy-cat, but he won't let that stop him from doing anything anymore! Not when now he has the system to help him get stronger!
He'll keep growing until he can get his Familia to the top like the Freya and Loki Familias! He'll keep growing until he becomes an icon, a hero to the people, just as Albert and the Argonaut had been!
So Bell ran into the dungeon with an overabundance of energy.
He went deep into the first floor, the dungeon's usual coldness and animosity welcoming him inside. And once sure he was alone, he stared into the air before him.
"Inventory."
The system screen once more projected dozens of item slots, to which Bell reached in and pulled out his dagger with a smile.
[Item: Standard-Issued Guild Dagger]
Item Class: E
Type: Dagger
Attack: +5
"Eh?"
He blinked several times to see this description in another box beside his dagger.
Had he missed this the first time?
He eyed everything about the illustration, engrossed in yet another new aspect of the system he hadn't known about.
"Class E... Is that like a rank to measure it? Like the ones for my stats?"
But stats go from I to S. Does that mean this dagger is pretty decent if it's at E? Or is E the standard of the most basic items while Class I ones are considered complete garbage? Ones that are hardly in the state to be called weapons at all?
Questions for later.
"Plus five attack power? Ah! So the system also measures the strength of my weapons?" Bell smiled.
He then blinked, a thought coming to mind as he looked down at his chest plate.
"I wonder..."
Bell gripped his dagger before sprinting in another direction, going to one of the obscure corners of the first floor no one would ever bother to head to. Once he checked that the coast was clear, he took off the single piece of armor on him and examined it in his hand.
[Item: Standard-Issued Guild Chestplate]
Item Class: E
Type: Armor
Physical Damage Reduction: 2%
"It even tells me the strength of my armor?" Bell smiled at the confirmation, only to notice another notice beneath it.
[You may equip this item for its effects or keep it in your inventory.]
"Wait, can the system equip my armor for me?"
Bell curiously wondered what that meant.
"Equip chestplate?"
The armor in his hand suddenly dispersed into holographic particles, making Bell gasp. It then returned to his body, tightly secured on his chest as if he had just put it on himself. However, it only appeared as a transparent holographic image before vanishing again.
"H-Huh!?" Bell pat his chest in panic.
He didn't just lose his only piece of armor, did he!?
*Ring!*
His gaze went up at another box that appeared.
[Equipped armor-type items will remain hidden unless the PLAYER chooses to display them. While hidden, armor-type items will act as if holding no presence when the PLAYER isn't engaged in battle. Otherwise, the effects of equipped items are maintained.]
"Seriously!?" Bell's jaw dropped.
Holding no presence!? Does this mean that if he keeps it hidden, he can technically wear his armor at all times without it actually being there!? Even when he takes a bath!?
Bell rubbed his chest again, indeed not feeling any armor over it.
"Display armor?"
His chestplate then materialized back in place, bringing a giddy smile to Bell.
"This is so cool!" He squealed.
For now, he'll make sure to keep any armor he wears displayed at appropriate times, like when he's in the dungeon. Other times, though? Keeping it hidden but still on him might actually save his life one day.
Like if the system suddenly decided to throw him on another suicidal quest...
*Crumble!* *Rumble!*
Bell jumped at the sound of cracking, turning his gaze to find the walls of the dungeon splintering open.
He immediately got into a fighting-ready position as the familiar forms of two goblins popped out with snarls, their red eyes already focused on him.
But then his eyes widened as he saw something above both goblins.
[Goblin]
"I can see their names just like the centipedes in the desert? So is the system gonna show every monster's name, then? Wait. But why are they-?"
He didn't get to finish his mental question as both goblins were already dashing right for him with snarls.
Bell firmly gripped his dagger before returning the charge and slashing forward.
"Hup! Hyah!"
And thanks to his newly increased speed stat, Bell made quick work of them with two slashes, cutting off their heads and dissipating their bodies in black mist, their magic stones being left behind.
Having dealt with the monsters, Bell glanced back at the stones on the ground, a slight frown of confusion as he finished his previous thoughts.
"Their names were white?"
He remembered the giant-fanged centipedes having red names... but these goblins had white ones... Does that mean something?
"Man, just how much to the system is there? I haven't even found out what the job and title parts of it are yet."
Deciding to just figure everything out as it came along, Bell crouched down and picked up both magic stones.
[Item: Goblin's Magic Stone]
Item Class: H
Type: Magic Stone
The magic stone of the weakest monsters. Can be used to poorly power appliances.
[You may keep this item in your inventory or sell it in the store.]
Bell curiously tilted his head.
"The store? Didn't I see something like that?"
Checking his inventory, Bell saw that it was only one of several tabs labeled, with the store being one of them.
"Wait... Does that means I can buy things!?"
"Store!"
Rather than an extravagant page of items popping up, a simple box did so.
[Buy] [Sell]
Maybe it was on the next page?
"Buy."
(!)ALARM
Your status is not high enough to buy from the store.
"Oh come on!" Bell whined. He had been so excited to see what the system would have for him.
Sighing in defeat, he chose the other option.
"Sell."
Would you like to sell [Item: Goblin's Magic Stone]?
Quantity [2]?
Oh, so he could still sell items? But there wasn't even a price shown...
...
Meh, it's only goblin stones.
"Yes."
The sound of dropping coins was heard, and Bell saw a new display of 'Gold' on the very bottom of the screen with a very... meager amount.
"So now I have money for the system? Is it in the same- What's the word? Currency? Yeah, currency- as valis?"
Bell knows he won't get any answer until he actually unlocks the store, which means...
"It's just another reason to get stronger!"
He stood straight and pumped himself up, fists clenched before him as stars shone in his eyes.
"Then maybe I can buy an amazing weapon with a super-cool name! Like the Star-Destroying Blade Of White Flames! Or the Golden Thunder Sword of Hope!"
More crumbling once again broke his thoughts as more holes started appearing, with several more goblins coming out with snarls.
Daydreaming later! Dungeon exploring now!
And so, Bell spent the next few hours traversing down the dungeon all the way to the fifth floor, learning a few more things about the system while doing so.
"Sprint!"
The first was that mental commands actually worked to control it, such as activating his new skill.
(!)Alarm
[Skill: Sprint] was activated.
-Movement speed increased by 30%.
-1 mana will be consumed every minute.
Bell felt light on his feet as he dashed forward with a sudden burst of speed, slicing through four kobolds instantly with his momentum, their heads flying before the monsters could even process what had happened.
The adventurer swerved to a stop, looking as the monsters disintegrated into black with their magic stones being left behind.
"Sprint is so cool!" Bell gushed as he ran back to pick up the results of his work.
Another thing he had learned was that the 'Mana' mentioned in the skill is the MP stat in his status. So the number tells him how much of it he has left.
Although, shouldn't he have a stat for Mind if he has Mana for his active skills?
Unless... Mana is Mind to the system?
Yet more questions he can't really answer until it's relevant. And in this case, it'd be until he gets magic.
Bell hummed at the thought of getting magic, hoping that investing his rewarded stats into the system would help him get a spell later.
Speaking of which, he should look at the results of his hard work for the day.
"Status."
Name: Bell Cranel
Level [1]
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 192
MP: 19
{STR}: H-100 - H-136
{VIT}: I-70 - I-83
{DEX}: H-100 - H-148
{AGI}: D-500 - D-525
{MAG}: I-70
{SEN}: I-70 - I-96
Remaining Points: 17
Oh. Okay. Wow.
Bell knew the system was terrific with the increased growth he received because of it, but man. Stats like these in a single trek to the fifth floor? Hestia wasn't kidding when she said no one should learn about it...
But wait, his magic hadn't gone up at all? Either that meant Mind and Mana were separate categories, or it'd only go up once he actually gets magic to use.
And yet, his Mana had gone up, so what stat actually influenced that? Bell had already guessed his health number went up as his vitality did, but what about his Mana?
Oh wait, can't he test this?
"Let's see..." Finished picking up the Kobold stones, Bell contemplated to himself. "Four points to sense?"
HP: 192
MP: 19
{STR}: H-136
{VIT}: I-83
{DEX}: H-148
{AGI}: D-525
{MAG}: I-70
{SEN}: I-96 - H-100
Remaining Points: 13
No good. Then...
"Five points to magic?"
HP: 192
MP: 21
{STR}: H-136
{VIT}: I-83
{DEX}: H-148
{AGI}: D-525
{MAG}: I-70 - I-75
{SEN}: H-100
Remaining Points: 8
"Aha!" His eyes brightened. "So my Mana is connected to my magic. Which means... my Mana and Mind are actually the same thing? But Sprint uses Mana, doesn't it? Does that mean it's like I can use Mind for skills now? I'll have to figure that out."
Overall satisfied with what he had learned and his pouches filled with magic stones, Bell decided to head back for the day.
And yes, he chose to fill his pouches with magic stones rather than conveniently stuff them into his inventory. He didn't want to explain to the exchange counter why he could miraculously pull them out of thin air. The weight of the stones also helped him decide when he should stop adventuring for the day and circle back.
Although... Despite having killed many monsters, he doesn't feel as tired as he thought he'd be. Not even the extra weight of the magic stones seemed to hinder him as much as before. Is it because his increased stats are already showing their results?
Could... Could he actually be ready for the sixth floor?
Bell stalled in place, slowly turning his head to glance back at the deeper path. If he followed it now, he might be able to get into the sixth floor and get some experience there.
He'd be able to get stronger.
So... it'd be fine, right?
...
No.
"I promised miss Eina." Bell told himself with a deep breath.
He remembered the last time he had gone down to a floor he wasn't supposed to. Miss Eina hadn't wanted him to be on the fifth floor even when he seemed to be such a natural at dungeon diving, yet he had ignored her warnings and gone anyway. And what happened? He got chased by a minotaur and ended up trapped in a room that tried to kill him.
He'll promise himself to never head into a deeper floor without at least talking to Miss Eina about it first.
And if she was against it...?
Well, he'll get there when he gets there. But for now, he should get back before it gets dark outside.
Nodding to himself about his decision, Bell embarked back for the surface, not even considering how much he had changed in such a short time.
"Beeeeeeeeeeeell!"
Huh, despite all the times that Bell tended to get somewhat surprised by his goddess dive hugging him out of nowhere, this time seemed... obvious? Or had he finally started just expecting it?
Weird.
Either way, Bell caught his goddess as she slammed into him, holding her as she nuzzled into his chest with affection.
"You're okay, right!? Nothing happened this time, did it!? No sudden quests!? No more rooms!? No giant statues!?"
Bell reassuredly pat his goddess on her back with a smile.
"Nothing happened, godde-Um, Hestia." He corrected himself. "It was thankfully a normal day, but I did learn a few more things about the system."
"Oo!? Like what?" Hestia perked up, evidently eager.
So Bell told her of his 'Mana' stat and how it might be related to, if not actually, his Mind. He also told her how he could store food and see the rankings and effects of weapons, finishing by showing his godddess how he could equip and unequip armor at will and have it become 'hidden' as if it's not even there.
"See? Isn't it cool, Hestia!? You can't even feel it!" Bell beamed as his goddess felt his chest.
"Hyeheheh... hehe... Yeah, so cool~." Hestia drunkenly giggled as she felt Bell's chest, even if it was covered by his black shirt.
Chest was chest, after all.
...
"Eh... Hestia?" Bell called out, noticing her seeming out of it.
"Hehe... Huh? OH!" Hestia seemed to snap out of her trance as she jumped back with pink cheeks. "I-I mean, yeah! That's so cool! And you told me there's a shop too?" She quickly changed the subject, trying to make it look like she hadn't just been leering at him.
Bell nodded.
"Yes. But it said I have to get stronger if I actually want to see what's in it..." He said in evident disappointment.
"Then just get stronger, Bell! If it's you, you'll do it in no time!" Hestia returned with a confident thumbs up.
That made her child brighten.
"Yes, Hestia! I'll make sure to make you proud!"
"Oh Bell, I already am!" she returned, giving him another heartfelt embrace which... allowed her to shove her face into his unarmored chest with a drunk look. "Hehe~"
Not noticing her leering, Bell sparkled.
"Ah, and speaking of getting stronger, do you want to see my status?"
Hestia jumped back and looked up at her child with a childish pout.
"It should be me asking you that!" She fumed, only to then turn and swipe one of the sheets of parchment on the nightstand by the bed before holding it up to Bell expectedly. "But yes!"
Bell chuckled as he accepted the sheet.
"Do you have my status update from this morning?"
Hestia's eyes widened.
"Oh yeah! Let me find it!" Hestia quickly returned to the nightstand and opened one of its drawers, pulling out the parchment and holding it up. "Right here!"
Bell nodded before looking down at the empty sheet he held.
"Print status."
Dark purple glowed as information flooded the parchment that Bell handed Hestia.
First, his goddess looked at the sheet updated before Bell left in the morning.
{STR}: H-100
{VIT}: I-52
{DEX}: H-100
{AGI}: D-500
{MAG}: I-10
{SEN}: I-66
Remaining Points: 49
Then she looked at the newly printed one.
{STR}: H-136
{VIT}: I-83
{DEX}: H-148
{AGI}: D-525
{MAG}: I-75
{SEN}: H-100
Remaining Points: 8
"Incredible..." Hestia muttered in awe, staring at the alarming disparity of stats for a day. "Such an enormous growth..."
She looked up at her only Familia member.
"Did you raise your Magic stat with your points?" She asked despite knowing it was the only way he could've for now.
Bell nodded.
"I did. Oh, that reminds me! I figured out that increasing my Vitality stat increases my health and that increasing my Magic stat increases my Mana."
Hestia repeatedly blinked in surprise.
"Wait, but wouldn't that mean your Mana is your Mind now?"
"That's what I thought too, but I'm actually not too sure," Bell responded honestly. "Because it seems like my skills can use Mana, like Sprint, so I don't know what that says about it."
Hestia looked at Bell's status sheet and read the Sprint skill.
Sprint-Mana Cost 5(+1/Minute). Activates to increase your movement speed by 30%. Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain. "Your running has strengthened your legs."
"Did you use your Sprint skill today in the dungeon, Bell?"
Bell suddenly resembled a large, excited puppy, making Hestia's heart throb.
"I did! It was so cool, Hestia! I moved so much faster than my level! It's amazing!"
Mentally absorbing the picture of how adorable Bell looked, Hestia nodded in understanding.
"And how did it feel? Did it feel like you were using magic?"
That made Bell pause with an unsure expression.
"Um, I don't know? I've never used magic before, Hestia."
Ah, right.
Hm... How to do this, then?
...!
An idea came in the ever-so-genius brain of the goddess.
"Aha!" Hestia snapped her fingers with a smile. "Can't we just test if your Mana is the same as your Mind?"
Bell cutely tilted his head.
"How so?"
Hestia put both status sheets to the side to fully face her child.
"How about seeing if running out of Mana would cause a Mind Down like running out of Mind would?"
Bell blinked before gasping.
"Oh! That makes sense! So, um... I just have to keep activating Sprint?"
"Sure! Give it a go Bell!"
"Okay. Then..."
Bell stood in place before closing his eyes.
"Sprint."
He felt the familiar feeling of weightlessness in his body, his form slightly vibrating at the activation of the skill. But because he wasn't actually moving, it deactivated as quickly as it came.
Activating Sprint costs five Mana, so a few more times should be enough.
"Sprint, Sprint-"
(!)ALERT
[Your Mana is running low. If all your Mana is depleted, you will suffer a Mind Down.]
"Sprint, Sprint, Sp- Wait, did I hear-? ACK!"
(!)ALERT
[You have run out of Mana.]
It felt like a cannon of fatigue had suddenly struck Bell's head. A wave of dizziness hit him as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, to which the world darkened as he fell forward.
"GWAHA!?"
Right on top of his goddess.
Evidently, neither of them had thought this through.
~{Five Minutes Later}~
"Okay, Bell? Please never do that again."
"I wasn't planning to, goddess..." Came the groaning response.
Laying down on the bed flat on his stomach, Bell had his head facedown with eyes dizzy from disorientation as he tried to regain his bearings. Hestia was seated right beside him, rubbing circles around his back with a tired expression after having to carry her child on top of the bed.
"At least now we know that your Mind is called Mana now... But thinking about it, why did the system change the name anyway?" Hestia asked.
Bell turned his head to Hestia's side, groggily opening his eyes.
"Maybe because it also changed how it worked? I did just get a Mind Down using a skill of all things... So maybe my skills and magic use Mana now? Increasing my magic stat did also increase my Mana, after all..."
"I guess that makes sense." Hestia hummed, not stopping rubbing circles on her child's back. "Was that all the system changed about the usual falna format? Your sense stat and Mana? I think we were gonna go over it last night, but then we had to go to sleep, and in the morning that, um... penalty quest happened..."
"Hm..." Bell lazily turned his head so that his chin rested on the bed as he stared straight ahead. "Status."
Name: Bell Cranel
Level [1]
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 192
MP: 21
"I can see my total health, and I also have 'job' and 'title' categories that you might've seen before, but I have no idea what those mean. And nothing came up when I tried asking the system about it."
"Oh yeah! That was on your status, wasn't it?" Hestia exclaimed, turning around and grabbing Bell's printed status before taking a look at it.
"Do you have any idea what those mean, goddess?"
A tiny fist bonked his head.
"Do you have any idea what those mean, Hestia?" Bell repeated correctly.
"Can't say I do... We'll have to figure them out later." Hestia responded with a huff. "Anything else, Bell?"
"Hm... Now that I'm thinking about it, I think the system update said something else?"
"System update?" Hestia repeated with a tilt of her head.
"Yes. When I first woke up and discovered the system with you, one of the messages given was the system update. It was a message telling me what absorbing your falna did together with the system, like adding the sense stat and giving me my own status to print. But I was so caught up on having my own falna that I forgot to mention the other things about it to you."
"Really? So what else did it do?" Hestia asked curiously.
"Let me check." Bell blinked. "System update."
The informative screen popped up, and Bell ignored the parts he and Hestia already knew, looking at the one piece he didn't.
-The initial INTELLIGENCE stat of the system merging with the current MAGIC stat {MAG} of the foreign power, granting the ability to obtain [Magic] that won't require chanting. The restriction on the number of [Magic] slots has been removed.
Bell read this part tiredly, only for his foggy exhaustion to disappear entirely from his now-widened eyes as he stared at the screen.
"Bell?" Hestia called, noticing his dumbstruck expression.
He slowly turned his head to her.
"Um, Hestia? What are magic slots?"
The goddess raised an eyebrow at the random question.
"Er... From what my friend Hephaestus told me, it's just the number of spells anyone with a falna can learn. We call them slots because each person with a falna can only learn three spells at maximum to fill them out."
"Oh."
Bell blinked, processing this information. His expression then turned blank as it truly hit him.
"Ooooooh..."
"Bell... What is it?" Hestia asked, suddenly looking very tired.
"Sorry, but one more question. Do all spells... require a chant, too?"
Bell didn't think his goddess could look any more exhausted.
"From what I know, all magic should require some kind of chant... But I'm guessing it's not the case with you?"
"Well..." Bell pushed himself upward, sitting cross-legged in front of his kneeling goddess. "Don't freak out?"
"Bell, at this point, I think I'm numb to any more crazy shenanigans the system gave you." Hestia deadpanned.
"Oh. That's... good?" Bell supposed, because what else was he supposed to say? "Okay, so apparently, the system was supposed to have an intelligence stat, but that mergedwith my magic stat instead when it absorbed your falna. And, um, whatever magic I learn is gonna be chantless? Also... I don't have a limited number of magic slots? So I can probably learn more than three spells?"
Hestia stared at Bell silently for a few seconds, eyes half-lid with her mouth in a thin line.
She then closed her eyes, pinched her brow, and sighed deeper than the bottom of the ocean.
"Yep, I'm not even surprised anymore. You really are just gonna change the world, aren't you Bell?"
Bell sheepishly chuckled, rubbing his hands together.
"I think that might be far-fetched-"
"Bell, I can confidently say that there will never be another adventurer like you." Hestia cut him off, now looking much more serious as she stared right at him. "And if your fast growth is gonna be consistent, there's no telling just how soon you'll be able to level up!"
Bell's eyes widened. "Y-You think it'll be that fast?"
"I don't know, but let me remind you, you're no longer normal Bell. You're a complete anomaly with that system, so I have to remind you to never tell anyone about it! Not a soul!"
Bell looked sad at that.
"Not even Miss Eina...?"
"BELL!" Hestia cried out, pulling her twin tails in frustration. "I know she's a cute elf girl, but you can't let her seduce you into spilling all your secrets!"
Bell turned incredibly red.
"Wh-What!? No, no, no! Hestia, it's not like that! I just... I want to get stronger! Being on the fifth floor didn't feel any different than the fourth did. If anything, it felt even easier to take on with my new strength! I just wanted to ask Miss Eina if I could start going deeper into the dungeon if it feels like I need more..."
Hestia blinked a few times, a look of realization showing up.
"Oh, right... Even if you're growth is fast, it's not like your advisor is just gonna let you go to deep floors so quickly. Can't you just... choose not to have an advisor if all she's gonna do is keep you back?"
Bell frowned.
"Miss Eina has only been helping me ever since I became an adventurer, Hestia." He said sternly. "She's the one who taught me everything I currently know about the dungeon. She tends to worry a lot and make me overstudy about the dungeon, but it's because she cares about me. She... She just wants me to survive. I don't want to suddenly leave her like that, especially when she can still teach me all about the deeper floors before I go into them."
"Oh Bell..." Hestia muttered with a look of understanding. "But it's too dangerous to tell her everything. Even if she's a guild worker protected under Ouranos, she's still just a citizen without a falna. If anything, her working for Ouranos makes me nervous that whatever you tell her, she'll tell him! Who knows what could happen after that!"
Bell blinked, not seeming to understand the stakes.
"Who's Ouranos?"
His goddess gave him a weighty gaze.
"Ouranos is a god, one of the first gods to have ever descended from Tenkai. Some of us even call him the supreme god."
Bell's eyes widened at the fact as Hestia continued.
"He's also the first god to ever bless a mortal with a falna, and therefore, the first to have ever formed a Familia. He's been on Gekai the longest out of any of the gods and even helped with the creation of the guild. He leads the guild, Bell, so all the staff technically work directly under him, even if it doesn't look that way."
"S-So he's like a king of the god and Orario?" Bell asked, stunned.
Hestia shook her head.
"Not exactly... I don't know too much about Ouranos besides our occasional moments in Tenkai, but it's been known that he didn't descend to Gekai for entertainment, he did it to help mortals when he saw that they were... losing."
"Losing?" Bell repeated in a whisper.
Hestia nodded.
"You remember the Age Of Heroes, right Bell?"
"How could I not? Gramps read me their stories every night." He answered, wondering why she brought it up.
"The Age of Heroes was what truly brought hope for humanity to fight against the monsters coming from the dungeon. With spirits blessing those like Albert and the Argonaut while others got their own form of power, mortals finally had a force to fight back."
Hestia turned her head away.
"But as time went on, these heroes started appearing... less. Spirits weren't showing up granting power as they used to because mortals had started trying to take and abuse their powers for themselves. And monsters were only getting stronger as more masses of them escaped from the dungeon. So-"
"Ouranos showed up and gave them the falna." Bell realized.
"And that's when the Age Of Gods started." Hestia finished.
"So... Ouranos is here to make sure the world doesn't get destroyed? That's why he left heaven?" Bell concluded, engrossed in the information.
"Basically, yeah." His goddess confirmed with a shrug. "Then all the other gods started following out of their own impulses after learning how interesting the mortal world is. That's when Ouranous changed his job a bit. He still focuses on keeping the world stable, but he decided to do it by taking the role of a ruler."
"No, not like a king-" Hestia interjected just as Bell opened his mouth. "-but more of a being of order. He just keeps check over the other gods but doesn't actually interfere in any matters unless it threatens Orario's stability as a whole. He even made sure to disband his Familia and promised to never give anyone else his falna so that he didn't hold too much power and disrupt the power balance among the gods."
"Okay..." Bell frowned. "I guess I understand that he's more like a judge or something, but what does have to do with me?"
Hestia suddenly grabbed the sides of Bell's head and pulled him down close to her grave expression.
"Because it's known among the gods that he treasures order more than anything, Bell! And if he discovers someone like you who's completely out of any god's control with his own falna, or hears about a god none of us heard of like Kandua- Kander-, ugh-!"
"Kandiaru."
"Whatever! That Kandy guy!"
Hestia let him go while throwing her hands up. "The point is, if Ouranos discovers that you can singlehandedly turn the world on its head, who knows what he'll do!"
Bell gulped a lump down his throat. "You really think he'd do something?"
Hestia sighed, looking down with a scrunched-up grimace. "I don't know, Bell... Like I said, I don't know him too much besides a few moments in Tenkai, but I don't wanna find out."
She then raised her gaze and poked his chest in emphasis.
"So that's why I don't want you telling your elf advisor everything! We don't know if she'll squeal!"
Bell's eyes fell, a sad look on his face.
"I guess that makes sense... I'm sorry..."
Hestia's stern gaze weakened when she saw how sad he looked.
Hnngh! She hates it when Bell gets sad, but she has to be firm about this!
...
Okay, maybe she can at least do something.
"Look, tomorrow when I'm done with work I'll come with you to the guild so we can talk to your advisor into letting you deeper into the dungeon, okay?"
"As long as we're at least saying something to Miss Eina." Bell nodded, a faint smile showing.
"...Are you sure you already want to start going deeper, Bell? You did just go through something horrible." She asked.
He nodded, surprisingly not put off by the mention of his previous trial of pain.
"I'm sure, Hestia. I know it may seem like I'm being impulsive, but when I was on the fifth floor today, everything felt so... better. I felt lighter, faster. The system has already helped me grow a lot, so much that the fifth floor didn't feel like anything to me."
Bell gave his goddess an illuminating smile.
"And... I want to keep getting stronger. I want to be stronger so I don't ever feel as weak as I did that day. So there won't ever be another moment where it feels like I'm about to leave you. Because I'm not going to leave you all alone, Hestia. I'll make sure to always be there for you like you were for me."
Hestia's eyes swelled with emotion and even became a little watery.
"Beeeeeell!"
She dove at him, getting a yelp as he barely kept himself upright. Her head was over his shoulder, and her arms were tightly wrapped around him.
"What did I do to deserve a good child like you!? I'll make sure to always welcome you home!"
She then pulled back, looking up at him with teary eyes.
"But please make sure you're careful and don't go plunging down the dungeon as fast as you can, okay!? Know your limits!"
Bell gave her a nod.
"I will, Hestia. I will."
*Groooooowl!*
The two's moment was cut off by an angering grumble that came from Bell's stomach, which, in turn, caused Hestia to blink at the boy's frozen smile, watching as his face rose with red.
"Pfft!" She turned her head away as she tried to muffle her laughter.
Bell groaned and covered his face with his hands.
"Why right now?" He lamented.
"I-It's okay Bell," Hestia reassured while trying not to show her amusement. "H-How about we go out to eat? We should have some valis from selling that minotaur skin, right?"
Bell froze again, but this time, not out of embarrassment. He slowly moved his hands from his face, revealing a blank gaze.
"Um, about that..."
Hestia's amusement completely disappeared into neutrality.
"Bell... What happened?"
After a short explanation about losing the minotaur skin, Bell had to spend the next hour keeping Hestia from running out to commit murder.
After a night of sleep, dawn arrived. And with it, another day of work for Bell.
Waking up, he immediately untangled him from Hestia's sleepy hold and went to Orario's wall to complete the Daily Quest, doing his one hundred sets of each exercise before completing his kilometer run.
And it was after finishing his run that he learned something.
He really hates sweat-soaked clothes.
"*Huff!* *Puff!* Ugh..."
Bell panted in place with his hands on his knees, relief filling him at finishing the quest again, only to cringe as he felt his shirt and brown coat stick to him due to how much sweat he released.
"Status recovery."
Once more, a glow came and cleansed him of his exhaustion and filth, bringing a smile as he stood up and performed a finishing stretch with his arms.
"Maybe I should take off my shirt next time... He said to himself. Sure, Orario's mornings tend to get chilly, but it might make his exercising all the more refreshing.
Moving his arms down, Bell moved on with his other rewards.
"Fifty stat points in magic."
{STR}: H-136
{VIT}: I-83
{DEX}: H-148
{AGI}: D-525
{MAG}: I-75- H-125
{SEN}: H-100
Remaining Points: 8
Bell nodded to himself. Since discovering that Mana replaced his Mind and was connected to his magic stat, he had decided to invest his bonus stats in it. This is not only for his magic stat to catch up to his other stats, as he doesn't have a way to increase it besides the Daily Quest reward, but he'll also grow his Mana so he could keep using Sprint and any other skills he learns in the future.
Not to mention... hopefully it gets him some magic.
Fingers crossed.
"Random item box."
Anticipation surged through Bell as he picked up another present from the ground. What would show up this time?
He opened the box up, and...
"Eh? A key?"
[Item: Dungeon Key]
Item Class: E
Type: Key
A key that allows you to create an instant dungeon. You may use this at the sewer entrance on Daedalus Street.
Bell stared.
He reread the description once, blinked, then reread it again.
Once he realized that he wasn't misreading it, he paled.
"C-Create a d-d-dungeon?"
He stepped back, eyes widening as his lungs took one of the largest breaths of air ever, then let loose.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
His scream was so loud that it reached the people below, many stopping as they heard it. But when no more followed, they all shrugged and continued their day like nothing happened.
"The system can create dungeons."
"The system can CREATE dungeons."
Bell was still repeating these words despite having gone through what was akin to a midlife crisis for about fifteen minutes straight. And even after leaving Orario's walls and following the main road back toward the dungeon, he was still freaking out about it.
There's no way; it's impossible; it defies everything he's ever known about the world. There has only ever been one dungeon, the dungeon. The one in the very center of Orario.
And yet, he somehow possessed a key that would create another.
Bell has no idea what it means. Will the dungeon the system creates be permanent? Or would it be a momentary thing? Would creating a dungeon also suggest that monsters would be in it? And if so, what kind? Just how big would the created dungeon be? Surely it wouldn't be the size of Orario's dungeon, right?
Oh gods, he really has to start saying Orario's dungeon now!?
"What even is my liiiiiiiiiiiiife?" Bell moaned in devastation, clutching his head as he walked, passing by the church that acted as his home since he was circling back.
He did stop for a minute and wondered if he should go inside and immediately tell Hestia what he discovered, only to dismiss it and continue down the main road. It was too early to wake up his goddess and make her question existence. He'll do that later after they both talk to Miss Eina. Afterward, he'll see when he should take the chance to check it out.
Because let's face it, he's gonna not ignore the key and risk the system's ire again.
He'll have to go to Daedalus Street, an area he's never even heard of because of how new he is to the city. From where he is, he doesn't even know what's the first direction to go.
Actually, where even is he right now?
Bell stopped and looked around him, realizing he had been walking absentmindedly because of the convolution he had tried to comprehend in his thoughts.
"Oh, right. I just passed home. I should be near the-"
Bell looked forward, and his breath hitched.
A good few yards ahead of him was a pretty waitress sweeping the road right in front of a restaurant, the same waitress he had helped the previous day before almost getting extorted.
He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had completely forgotten to change his usual path!
And before he could even move, the beautiful human girl raised her head and caught him in her sights, eyes widening in recognition.
With a comedic 'eep!' Bell turned and bolted into the alley to the left, even going as far as to activate Sprint to run away.
"Ah, wait-!"
As for Syr, she had only taken a step forward before her target of interest practically disappeared in a surprising burst of speed.
She stilled, outstretched hand frozen in place as she processed what happened.
She pouted and firmly gripped her broom.
"Geez!"
"Syr?" Ryuu called out, peeking out the open doors of the restaurant after hearing her friend's frustration.
Syr turned to the elf and pointed at where Bell had gone.
"The boy from yesterday! He ran away from me!"
Ryuu's eyes widened while two sets of laughter erupted behind her.
"Nyahaha! He ran away from Syr! That's a first!" Anya cackled.
"Syr got rejected!" Chloe joined in.
"Better luck next time!" Lunoire called from upstairs, where she had heard them.
"Should I go after him?" Ryuu asked, ignoring her coworkers' remarks.
"Oi! No running off during work hours!" Mama Mia called out from the kitchen. "If you wanna hunt some rabbit, do it after hours!"
Syr's pout remained as she turned back to the direction Bell ran. The cute boy had run away again! And from her this time! She understood that he had run away last time because of Ryuu, but he shouldn't have had to be scared of her, too! She's too cute to be scared of!
So that's how he wants to play it, huh?
Syr turned and stomped back into the hostess, ignoring the confused "Syr?" she got from Ryuu in favor of cupping her hands around her mouth with a breath.
"If any of you find him and bring him here, I'll take your bathroom-cleaning duties for the week it's your turn!" She called out.
Multiple pairs of eyes dilated.
After Bell's close call with the hostess, he traversed back into the dungeon and once again spent the following hours slaying monsters, rather effortlessly, might he add.
He just felt so light!
Even lighter than... yesterday?
Bell had just finished slashing yet another dungeon lizard when the actualization came to him, especially when he felt firsthand how his body's natural movements had become less stiff and more precise.
"Is this because of the system, too? But what could've...?"
He gasped in realization.
"The Daily Quest!"
Bell had wondered just what had been the true purpose of the Daily Quest to make him do exercise of all things, going so far as to even give him a penalty if he didn't, but it made sense that it'd try to get even his base body into the best shape possible if it's whole goal is to make him stronger.
Wait, does that mean...?
Bell excitedly looked down and pulled up his shirt, revealing his bare stomach.
Disappointment came.
"Aw, no muscles..."
It's not like he had expected a six-pack, but he had hoped his body would look a little more impressive.
Maybe one day in the future.
But even if he didn't have such muscles, Bell was still pleased with how much better he felt overall! He didn't feel that tired despite how much time had passed and how many monsters he'd slain, and even with the several magic stones he'd collected, he could still fight fine with their weight!
*Crumble!* *Crumble!*
Bell tensed as he heard the walls crumbling around him, finding several dungeon lizards being born and already baring their teeth at him.
"A Monster Party!"
Despite the sudden ambush of monsters around him, Bell felt an odd bout of excitement as he spun his dagger and got into a defensive position with a nervous smile.
The rest of the day flew by as he slayed one monster after another.
As Bell lost track of time and nighttime came, a relatively significant event was taking place just on the other side of the city.
The sky was dark, and the stars shone on a thirty-meter-high, cross-legged, seated human-shaped statue with an elephant head and walls surrounding it.
Such a flashy building was called the Aiam Ganesha, which, if said out loud, is exactly what you'd expect from a god who said his name every few seconds.
But moving on to essential matters, within the giant statue acting as the Ganesha Familia's main base was where a gathering of the gods was taking place, not like the normal Denatus, which was usually used for important matters, but rather, a party.
The 'Celebration Of The Gods' was an event that could be hosted by any god on a whim, with invited gods choosing to attend just as impulsively.
One such goddess attending the party was Loki, wearing a black dress and green earrings with her hair neatly done in a fancy spiral bun.
"A strange sense of exoticism as always," the redhead muttered as she entered the Ganesha home, not getting over the outer design of the base.
No, seriously, who puts the entrance of a giant statue at the crotch?
"I am Ganesha!"
Ah, right.
Loki glanced over at the host of the party himself, Ganesha, who was standing in front of a set of extravagant elephant fountains spurring water.
"I'm happy that many of my colleagues were able to be here tonight! I love you all! And here's a reminder that the yearly Monster Feria hosted by my Familia is only three days ahead, so please encourage your Familias to attend! And once again, I am Ganesha!"
"Doing well as always, ain't he?" Loki muttered to herself.
Continuing forward to the main floor of the party, she immediately moved to where many gods were gathered.
"Don't be suspcious, don't be suspicious~." She sang jokingly as she snuck around.
Well, as much as a deity of her importance could sneak.
"Ooo, look, it's Loki-chan!"
"Such a pitiful goddess with a glorious lack of breasts."
Loki froze in place as her ear comedically grew in the direction of a few gods.
"I've never seen such a steep cliff."
"You idiot, that's the best part!"
Loki stood tall as she gazed at the gods talking about her and sent them an innocent smile, making them avoid eye contact with sheepish expressions.
After a few moments of staring at them, Loki turned and walked away with partly open eyes, her smile reaching ear to ear as it became sinister.
"I've got their faces. When I get home, I'll send Ais to move all their furniture two inches to the left!"
How devious.
"Ooooo! Look!"
Loki glanced at the sounds of admiration, finding the same group of gods she was plotting against now staring in a different direction in awe. She followed their gazes and saw a familiar figure descending the stairs. Silver hair, purple eyes, skin as white as snow, and wearing an elegant white dress to compliment it, a star not even in her own show had arrived.
"The goddess of beauty!"
"I-It's Freya!"
"Please step on me!"
Loki didn't even bother acknowledging that last statement, already knowing how weird people can get for Freya sometimes.
Instead, she focused on the important question:
"What the hell is she doing here?"
Loki frowned as she watched her rival in power make her way around the room, socializing with plenty of the deities practically desperate for her attention, which was... concerning.
"It's odd enough she's here when she hardly ever comes to these things, but she's even playing nice and 'socializing' with the other gods? I ain't buying it! She's fishing for something! I just know it!"
Now the question is, what was it?
...
Meh, whatever. It's none of her business. And if it's just another unlucky sap that's drawn the goddess's attention, she offers her condolences.
But for now, she has a shorty to find!
Only... It's already been about thirty minutes since she's shown up, and she just can't find her!
Loki had searched and waited in the proximity, even running into fellow respected deities Dionysus and Demeter along the way, but for the entire time, she had seen no hide nor hair of Orario's shortest goddess, and it was starting to annoy her!
Who does itty-bitty think she is, making her look for her!?
"Is that shorty not here or something!? I thought I'd be able to laugh at her for being poor!" Loki whined as she stomped around the room, holding a hand over her eyes as they did another quick scan of the room again.
While she again didn't see Hestia, she did see someone she knew was friends with her.
And that person was Goddess Hephaestus, a fellow redhead wearing a red and white dress, her right eye covered as usual.
So, with a large grin on her face, Loki exploded into a cloud of dust as she sprinted across the room.
"Phae-Phaeeeeeeeee!"
Hephaestus turned her head just as Loki stopped right in front of her.
"It's good to see ya!"
"Huh, Loki. What a surprise." The smithing goddess responded, swirling her glass of wine a bit. "I didn't think both you and Freya would show up at the same party."
"Me neither! But I'm guessing Freya is just here trying to find a new boy toy or something."
Hephaestus gave Loki a look. "And what about you?"
Loki responded with an overexaggerated, scandalized gasp.
"What!? It's a party, Phae-Phae! Am I not allowed to show up without a reason!?"
"..."
"Buuuuuuuut-!"
"There it is."
"-I heard that a certain shrimp was coming, so I wanted to come and laugh at the poor goddess that can't even afford a dress~."
The smith frowned. "Really? You came all the way just to spite Hestia?"
At that, Loki pouted as she crossed her arms over her non-existent chest.
"It ain't the only reason, as much as it hurts to say, I actually gotta talk to her."
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow of her single eye.
"Why?"
"Business."
That brought a snort from the one-eyed goddess.
"The day you and Hestia do legit business is the day Ganesha stops saying his own name."
"Not that kind of business! As if itty-bitty will ever have anything for me to want! I just need to know where she is! Have you seen her?"
Hephaestus shrugged.
"Nope. I don't think she showed up. Otherwise, I'm sure I would've already seen her ransacking the tables for food."
At that, Loki turned away while biting her thumb in frustration.
"Grrrr! I came all this way, and she ain't even here!? Doesn't she know how busy I am!? I got girls to fondle!"
"Uh huh..." Hephaestus replied flatly.
Loki turned back to her fellow goddess in an obnoxiously sweet manner, even going so far as to hold her hands together by her head while making a W-shaped mouth.
"Hey, Phae-Phae~ You'we itty-bitty's fwiend, wight? Can you teww me whewe to find hew, uwu?"
Cross veins popped on Hephaestus's forehead as her wine glass cracked, her closed eye twitching.
"Loki, do us both a favor and never speak like that ever again."
"Fair enough, I regretted it the moment it came out of my mouth," Loki cringed. "So can you tell me where I can find the shrimp?"
Before Hephaestus could even answer, a new voice cut into their conversation.
"Oho? Is that you, Loki?"
Both goddesses turned their heads to see Orario's most captivating beauty approaching them.
"Hey Freya! You hardly show up to these little parties! Nice to see ya again!" Loki said, even if it wasn't entirely truthful.
"You make it seem like you haven't seen her in forever." Hephaestus remarked.
"We did see each other from time to time, but haven't held any conversations." Freya said with her usual smile.
"Oi, I made myself open to talk, you know? Not my fault!"
"Hmm." Freya closed her eyes and took a small sip of her fruit wine before speaking again. "Perhaps. But we're here now, so I suppose we can take the chance to catch up. I've only been hearing good things about your Familia as of late, things must be going well for you, no?"
Loki grinned.
"Hell yeah! All my children are my pride n' joy! Ais is as cute as always, and everyone else is always doing me proud! They just came back from an expedition the other day!"
"How wonderful. Although, I was quite surprised to hear about what had transpired in the dungeon around your children." Freya implied.
"You're talking about the room they found on the fifth floor, right?" Hephaestus frowned. "The one discovered after one of the minotaurs Loki's Familia-" She paused. "-chased had broken down a dead end of the dungeon?"
Loki appreciated how Hephaestus didn't just call out or insult her kids on the minotaurs they had basically caused to run to the upper floors. It was why she liked the blacksmith, and not just because they shared the same colored hair.
"Yup! One of those muscle heads ended up on the fifth floor and toppled down the wall. It was a real shocker to hear! But there really wasn't anything inside when my kids came and killed the thing. Just rock, some old altar, and an unlucky adventurer that the minotaur had chased inside." Loki waved off.
It was the official story she and Ganesha had given to the public regarding the room, even before itty bitty's brat had woken up, and keeping it that way after hearing the report of what the kid had supposedly gone through.
"Oh yeah, I forgot someone ended up in there. I've honestly heard more about the Sword Princess carrying out someone on her back." Hephaestus offhandedly said.
"WHAT!?" However, that brought a cry of outrage from her fellow redheaded goddess. "I didn't hear that my Ais had carried the brat on her back!" She started literally waterfalling tears as she clenched her hands against her chest. "I'm so jealous!"
Then, with a sudden surge of determination, Loki shook a fist upward, still crying.
"That's it! I'm gonna go home and have her spoil me rotten! Wait for me, Ais!"
And just like that, Loki took off so fast that her speed blew at the clothes and hair of the other deities, making the females cry in alarm as they held down their dresses while the males shamelessly tried to peek underneath.
"Loki!? But you-! Oh whatever." Hephaestus dismissed with an exasperated groan.
"She never even got an answer on where Hestia is staying." She sweatdropped.
"It still amuses me to this day to see Loki so different." Freya giggled. "You'd almost forget how she was one of the many gods that used to fight one another to the death for fun."
"I guess Loki's just taken a liking to her children. But shereally does get tunnel-visioned whenever it involves the Sword Princess..." Hephaestus sighed.
"Indeed." With a last sip to finish her wine, Freya placed the glass on the table on a tray next to her and gave her fellow goddess a polite nod. "I suppose I'll be on my way."
"Already? But you haven't even been here for an hour." Hephaestus asked in surprise.
"I merely wished to check on something, but... it appears my endeavors haven't borne any fruit."
Hephaestus blinked a few times as she felt Freya's aura change. She still had her smile, but it felt like there was... more behind it, something not strictly positive.
"But just what did she want to check?"
"I bid you farewell." Freya finished, turning around and making her way toward the exit, ignoring all the gods that stood taller in an attempt to be noticed.
"First Loki wants something with Hestia, and now Freya is looking for something herself? Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?"
While Hephaestus was left in her uneasy thoughts, Freya left Ganesha's home feeling a rare case of frustration, not that anyone could ever tell under her elegant appearance.
No matter how many deities she had spoken to, she couldn't obtain any information on the red-eyed, white-haired boy she had seen. No name, no Familia, nothing. She had his appearance, but she still had no idea where to actually find him.
Not only that, but it appeared that Syr may not have better luck meeting that precious soul, considering the unfortunate misunderstanding that had occurred between him and Ryuu.
And while Freya could ask her children to personally go searching for that boy, it'd draw all of the jealous eyes of her Familia right on him, and she knew how they could sometimes be.
For now, it seems that having Ottar search for information will have to suffice.
As for herself... she'll make sure Syr keeps an eye out for that soul to apologize and acquaint herself with, but she can also spend her own time finding him through her Divine Mirror. It shouldn't be hard to spot him and figure out which Famiilia he belonged to if she watches him long enough.
Because she just has to have that soul. She has to understandit.
Freya had burned the image into her mind; not only the pure, transparent soul full of burning determination, but also the thing that lay within. It almost seemed like another soul coexisting with the boy's, the foreign entity with an aura as dark as night itself, yet holding purple flames of overwhelming power that had felt... primordial, shaking the goddess to her very core.
It had been such a foreign feeling, the fear she had felt in the presence of such a thing. Her body quivered as she recalled what she had experienced when peering into the boy's soul. The sense of being trapped, being at the mercy of something she couldn't comprehend. Even if a part of her was... unsettled by the entity that felt like a threat to her very being, it also left her wanting more.
It intrigued her; it captivated her. How could a boy with a soul so clear somehow hold something so dangerous?
She wanted him.
She had never wanted anything more in her life.
She wanted him so much that she had almost forgotten her initial desire to find her precious Odr.
Unless...
...
Of course.
Freya found herself uncharacteristically gigging madly the entire way home.