Zomo hummed softly, taking his time walking through the streets to the guild as he saw the rewards the system gave him.
[You have obtained the Growth-Type Item: Bifrost.]
This time, Zomo had only received a single reward- an item. However, the fact it was a 'Growth-Type' item meant that it definitely wasn't simple. Even its name- Bifrost- indicated that it wasn't a simple item either.
[Bifrost - The final and greatest collaboration of the Nine Realms. A sword that has visited all Nine Realms, obtaining their essence throughout the forging process - the blade itself is a child of Yggdrasil. A sword that cannot bend; that cannot break. A sword that becomes more powerful alongside its wielder- perhaps even unveiling secrets yet to be seen.]
[Bifrost contains numerous abilities that the Diary Owner can obtain as they become stronger.]
He remained silent as he stared at his reward before he had to restrain a grin from breaking out onto his face.
Truly, he hadn't expected to obtain a Growth-Type Weapon. Even Hephaistos was reluctant to make one of those! He believed that Hestia would make the same deal with Hephaistos that she did with Bell, but for him instead. So, he hadn't even thought about it. But, with this, he could stop Hestia from going into severe debt.
As for Bell obtaining a weapon... Fuck that, stick with first class gear instead. He wasn't letting the Familia go into debt for Bell, no matter how much he liked the guy!
Still, Zomo didn't claim the reward immediately. He would wait until he got home to do that... But he couldn't deny that he was very happy as he made his way towards the guild, a little extra pep in his step.
Meanwhile, Liliruca Arde stared down at the diary- her breath caught in her throat.
[Diary Entry Complete.]
[Reward 1: Liliruca Arde obtains the Skill: 'Bloodfury Spear.']
[Bloodfury Spear: A power residing deep within the owner's soul. Drastically increases stats according to the user's rage. Increases Excelia obtained while angry.]
Lili slowly turned her eyes to look in the mirror nearby...
Her eyes had changed. Before, they were brown... But now? They were crimson red, glowing ominously in the dim light of her room.
She could even feel the changes within her... She could feel the anger she buried deep inside starting to rise to the surface, her indignation and rage at Soma and the Soma Familia building up within her.
She forced herself to look back at the diary.
[Reward 2: Liliruca Arde obtains the Item: 'Fury Visor.']
[Fury Visor: A specially made visor for the wielders of Bloodfury Spear. By wearing this Visor, the user is able to restrain their rage and act in a calm and rational manner. Synergizes with Bloodfury Spear, allowing for greater bursts of built up rage when removed.]
The Pallum didn't hesitate to immediately claim her reward, not even looking at the ornate patterns on the visor- nor even caring about the fact that it didn't look like it could be seen out of. Instead, she immediately affixed it to her head- covering her eyes.
For a brief moment, the patterns on the visor glowed and she immediately felt herself calming down.
She let out a sigh of relief... The rage was familiar, too familiar. It was something Lili tried to restrain, lest she slip up. She was grateful to the Diary for giving her such a powerful skill- with it, she would no longer need to scam adventurers and could instead fight on her own...
But she wouldn't be able to increase her base abilities until she got enough money to leave the Soma Familia...
She hesitated, thinking about Zomo's words in the diary.
Perhaps... It wouldn't hurt to see if she could find him, and work as his supporter? He seemed to care about her and treasure her, so perhaps that would be good for her. It would be consistent work, at the very least... The only real concern would be other Soma Familias recognising her and bothering her.
Damn it, now she was paranoid... She was going to go and relocate her safe with all her valis in it, just in case...
The other diary readers didn't hold any particular feelings towards Liliruca Arde. Only the person who received the skill or item could see its description, the others were only able to see who received it and its name. Therefore, they could only assume that her skill was some sort of skill to increase stats in exchange for rationality. As for the visor... Well, its name was rather ambiguous.
Still, it didn't mean they weren't weary of her thanks to what had been revealed in the diary. That hatred towards adventurers was something fierce- and many of them couldn't blame her, especially Loki who had already figured out the Familia was either on the dark side or only a few steps away from it.
However, everyone was more focused on watching the diary, waiting. Waiting to see who would be the one to choose the diary's next topic.
As Lili had shown, it was possible to completely dominate the rewards. The second reward was randomly distributed to someone who's name was mentioned... But if you could overflow the diary with your own name, then the chances of someone else obtaining the reward would lower drastically.
They all waited with baited breath...
[Astraea has been chosen to decide the Topic for the next Diary Entry.]
"Astraea...?" Riveria whispered under her breath, closing her eyes as she thought back to that energetic group that proclaimed themselves to the wings of justice. "To think, even she would have a Diary..."
"Hm..." Syr pursed her lips. "Astraea, huh...? It's been a long time since I've heard that name... If it's her..."
The Goddess Astraea, far away from Orario, did not even hesitate for a second.
[The next Topic has been set as 'Ryuu Lion.']
"As expected," Hephaistos didn't look surprised as her single eye watched the diary.
This was just the kind of person Astraea was... She could have obtained Divine Power allowance just like Hestia had, but instead she had chosen to use the topic to learn more about the Familia member who had stayed behind- the Criminal, Gale.
"Goddess Astraea..." Ryuu closed her eyes painfully... She didn't want her Goddess to learn about the things she had done back then... But did Zomo even know her? Could he possibly give her background? Or would it just be the background spun by the guild after her rampage?
She shook her head and put the diary away, quickly getting to work. IF she was working, she wouldn't have to think about it for a while.
Zomo made his way into the guild, patiently getting in line and waiting as Adventurers walked up one by one to speak with Guild Members and obtain guidance.
He would admit, at times like this he definitely missed having a mobile phone to pass the time... Maybe he'd get one as a reward from the diary? Probably not, but he could hope.
"Next please," a woman's voice spoke, and Zomo was finally able to walk up to the counter.
Gold met green, and Zomo smiled fondly.
"Name and purpose," the half-elf woman asked.
"Zomo Amaechi," he answered smoothly. "Here to register as an Adventurer."
Eina Tulle only paused for a moment, her eyes flashing with recognition at his name... So, this man was the owner of the diary? The Time Traveller? It did feel a bit farfetched for her... However, she was intrigued by the fact he supposedly had some sort of Growth-Type Skill... How much faster would he grow than an average adventurer? Well, regardless, she hoped it wouldn't make him arrogant.
"Understood," she reached around for a while before she pulled out sheet of paper. "I just need you to fill this out. Basic things like your name, age, familia- and so on." She handed over a quill and an ink pot.
Zomo didn't take long to fill out the paper. His name, age- he was fifteen in this body- and his Familia. It was fairly straight-forward, easy to fill out.
"All done," Eina took it and nodded, signing it herself at the bottom and then stamping it. "With that, you are officially registered. Since I registered you, I will act as your Dungeon Advisor."
"What exactly is the job of a Dungeon Advisor?" He asked her.
Eina almost wanted to tell him, 'you already know.' However, she didn't want to reveal the diary either- though that was more because Eina couldn't see the benefits of any rewards she could obtain from the diary.
Thus far, from what she'd seen, the diary seemed to provide rewards more akin to adventurer skills and weapons. Eina was a guild employee, and she had no interest in delving into the Dungeon. She made a good wage as a guild employee too, so she didn't really want for anything.
She supposed if she were to receive a good item, she'd likely send it to her sister who was studying in the School District... Though she hadn't seen her sister in quite a long time.
And even if Eina were to receive something like that resurrection item mentioned... She would never be able to use it simply because the amount of adventurers who had died under her watch were too numerous. She would never be able to pick who to bring back and who to leave in the afterlife.
"Well, the name explains it quite simply," Eina told him. "I will act as your main point of contact for the guild. Whenever you need advice on the dungeon, suggestions for weapons, or anything of the sort- I will act as your guide to help you find the best option that works for you. Of course, your status information doesn't need to be shared- but you will need to report to the Guild within at least 2 weeks whenever you Level Up. Failing to do so will result in a fine."
"Is that so...?" Zomo smiled. "Do you offer any lessons? Like, on the dungeon? I'm just a rookie, and I'd rather be fully prepared before I go down into the Dungeon."
Eina stopped dead in her movements and looked at him with surprise... Why would he ask that of her? Surely, he knew plenty about the Dungeon. Was this some excuse to spend time with her?
Or maybe he just wanted to refresh his memory on the Dungeon?
Whatever the reason... Eina couldn't help but feel her heart soften and open up just a bit towards him.
Eina had been working at the guild for quite a long time, and people constantly rejected her lessons or found them incredibly boring and stopped taking them. More often than not, she wouldn't see those people ever again. Eina was even beginning to consider no longer offering lessons to adventurers and just disconnecting like her colleague- Rose- did.
To see someone so eager to learn... It made her feel hopeful.
"Certainly," Eina smiled softly. "We don't have perfect information, and if you want maps of the Dungeon then that will cost you. But if it's about lessons on the Dungeon, the monsters within it, and what to expect... Then I can certainly teach that."
"In that case, I would love a lesson about the first floor," he told her. "I have no plans to go into the dungeon underprepared, after all. If that's not too much trouble, I wouldn't want to interrupt you while you're busy."
"My job as a dungeon advisor takes priority over standard guild employee duties," she promised him. "Just step over to the side while I get someone to replace me, then we'll head into a room for our lesson- okay?"
"Understood," he nodded. "Oh, I'm sorry, I never got your name."
Eina blinked and realised that yes, she had not told him her name... He definitely knew it, but he didn't reveal it by calling her name. He was very careful with his lies... But Eina could at least appreciate that he wasn't missing small details and slipping up- even if it was in regard to lying to her face.
"My name is Eina Tulle," she told him, giving him a gentle and genuine smile. "It's nice to meet you, Zomo."
Maybe he really would be different...