"Here's some tea."
"Thanks."
I took the cup of tea handed to me by Bell and sipped it.
"Honestly, I thought I was going to die this time."
"We've come close to dying more times than we can count on our fingers by now."
Both of us sipped our tea in unison, letting out a sigh of relief. Delicious.
I was currently in the basement of the church, the home of the Hestia Familia.
Three days had passed since we defeated the Goliath.
Right after the battle, I was met with a lengthy scolding from Asfi. Even as she treated my immobile body, her reprimands didn't stop.
Incidentally, Hermes-sama was also made to sit beside me in seiza while receiving his own scolding for egging me on.
The day after we defeated the Goliath, we returned to the surface. I nearly cried when I felt the sunlight for the first time in so long.
From there, it was straight to the Dian Cecht Familia's treatment center. I received a lecture from Amid, followed by round two of Asfi's scolding.
After my body recovered, I ran around Orario, apologizing to my clients. As an adventurer, it had become increasingly common for me to leave my shop unattended, and this time, I'd done so without any notice. I worried that my customers might have lost their patience with me.
To my surprise, they hadn't. Everyone I visited expressed concern for my well-being instead. Their kindness was so overwhelming that I nearly broke down in tears, privately, of course.
When I visited Lefiya, she clung to me tightly, tears welling in her eyes. I must have worried her sick. Making her cry was yet another mark against me as a boyfriend.
I spent the first day visiting a third of my clients, leaving the rest for the next. Many people, including my foreman and Lord Mercury, showed their concern.
After finishing my rounds, I came here to Bell's place for tea. Hestia-sama was out working part-time.
"So, have you figured out how to cover the Guild's penalties?"
"Yeah, they handed me the Goliath's drop item, its Hardened Hide. How about you?"
"…I'll work as hard as I can."
"Ah… sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
Both the Hermes Familia and the Hestia Familia had been penalized by the Guild for unauthorized dungeon entry, especially egregious since gods are forbidden from entering dungeons. The penalty? A hefty fine.
According to Bell, the Hestia Familia was docked half its assets. As for the Hermes Familia... let's just say the fine was massive. So massive that it wiped out all of our earnings from the recent expedition, and then some.
I wasn't present during the penalty announcement, but Bell told me Hermes-sama had gone pale and laughed hollowly. I couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Oh, by the way, Hermes-sama has already filed for your rank-up."
"…Yeah, he mentioned it yesterday."
Despite the heavy penalty, Hermes-sama had perked up and enthusiastically submitted my rank-up application.
It was a request for a level-up to Level 2, though the truth is, I'm already Level 3. I'd need to continue being cautious about that fact.
"Still, you're really Level 3, right? Looks like you've left me in the dust again."
"…Yeah, but there's one thing that bothers me."
"Bothers you?"
"Well, I defeated a Goliath, a floor boss, solo. That means the amount of Excellia I'll need for my next rank-up is going to be even higher."
"…So it's basically impossible to rank up again?"
"…Pretty much."
An awkward silence filled the room. What could possibly surpass defeating a floor boss solo?
"But hey, you're not supposed to gather Excellia all at once. It's more about accumulating it steadily over time!"
"Yeah, thanks."
"Wait, why am I worrying about you when I have my own problems?"
"Not really. In your case, trouble seems to find you so often you'll probably rank up again in no time."
"H-hey! Don't make me sound like some kind of trouble magnet!"
"Aren't you?"
Bell raised his fist wordlessly. I dodged as he swung, and this back-and-forth continued for a while before he finally gave up and sipped his tea.
"Oh, by the way, I'm heading to Welf's rank-up celebration with Lili later. Want to come along?"
"Sure. Where is it? The Hostess of Fertility?"
"Nope, a place called the Flaming Bee Tavern. Welf's a regular there."
"Ah, that place. Their honey mead is great."
"You really know everything, don't you?"
"Not everything. Just the important spots in Orario and the layout of Daedalus Street."
"That's impressive enough!"
The clock caught my eye, it was almost sunset.
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
We cleaned up our cups and left the church.
"By the way, why isn't the celebration at the Hostess of Fertility? I'd expect Syr to insist on hosting it there."
"…Mia got mad at us about something involving Ryuu."
"…Yeah, she's terrifying when she's angry."
Walking side by side through the streets painted crimson by the setting sun, we made our way to the tavern.
Status Update: Toki Ortyx
Affiliation: Hermes Familia
Race: Human
Occupation: Adventurer / Jack-of-All-Trades
Deepest Floor Reached: 24th Floor
Weapons: Dagger, Harpe, Throwing Knives
Funds: 270 million valis
Level: 3
Abilities:
Strength: I53
Endurance: H125
Dexterity: I67
Agility: H142
Magic: G249
Magic:
Infinite Abyss:
Nullifies divine power.
Chant:"Infinite abyss…"
Kerykeion:
Mimic magic.
Activation requires witnessing the magic and understanding its chant.
Skills:
Endless Abyss: Nullifies divine power.
Challenger Flux: Amplifies abilities against stronger opponents, increasing with greater disparity.
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