I stopped at the doorstep, gaze trailing down my blood-caked front as I scratched idly at a scab on my arm.
That epic fight got me so pumped, I ended up cracking skulls on the fourth floor until the evening flood.
Big mistake.
There'd been like two dozen people queued up at the Guild showers…
Sighing quietly, I pushed a smile to my face and stepped inside the Blue Pharmacy.
"Honey, I'm hooome~"
My cute captain was sitting at her usual spot, nose buried in a book, and she merely took one glance at my ragged appearance, face an utter deadpan, before returning to her reading.
"Lord Miach is in the backroom." Her flat voice carried through the room as I made my way to the counter, watching her in amusement.
"Hey, it's not that bad."
A quiet, amused scoff escaped Naaza as she turned a page. "Sure, it isn't."
"I didn't get injured this time." I patted my armor playfully, and her gaze lifted from the book once more, studying me for a moment.
"Amazing progress," she said dryly, nose scrunching up as she sniffed the air. "Go get yourself washed first; you stink." Oi. It wasn't that bad, was it?
"There was a one-hour queue at the showers."
Naaza shook her head. "The tragedy."
Huffing in amusement at her snarky tone, I grabbed a handful of coins from my pouch and quickly counted them, the clink of metal filling the room as I dropped my daily share on the counter.
Naaza's eyes went to the money like moths to a flame, brows climbing up a fraction. "Two thousand?"
"I made a killing today," I said, grinning at my own joke while Naaza gave me another long look, face utterly flat.
All those crystals from the seventh-floor mobs sold for two hundred a pop. Even after splitting the loot with Ravi, I still made nearly two thousand just from that fight.
"I feel bad for your advisor," Naaza spoke with a shake of her head, swiping the coins in a quick, deft move and stashing them away.
"I think she's starting to get used to it." I said, mouth twitching at the memory of Misha's scrunched up face. I'd turned even more heads than back then, with the War Shadow.
"That's exactly why." An amused note entered her voice, the corner of her lips curled ever so slightly, before she made a shooing motion. "Now go clean yourself. The smell is awful."
I stared at her for a moment, lips drawing a thin line.
I'd kinda gotten used to it on the way here, but now that I was indoors, I was starting to smell it again.
I took a quick whiff at my arm, face scrunching up in disgust. A dog person probably had it three times worse.
"Aye, aye, captain." I saluted, smiling cheekily, before heading outside, but my smile quickly faded as I rounded the corner, a memory from back then, in Melen, surfacing to mind.
Bucket wash… Joy.
__________________________________________
A quiet sigh escaped Miach as he shook his head in that typical dad way from his seat across mine. "This is the second time you fought a pass parade in the same week."
There was a subtle weight to his words, despite his patient look, and I did my best not to grimace.
"I'm not doing it on purpose." For real.
Miach regarded me for a quiet moment, lips pursed slightly. "You could've run."
Yeah, I'd thought about it. I could've run along with Ravi, but…
"We were on the sixth floor. The dungeon could've ambushed us." I held Miach's gaze firmly. "And what if the monsters kept chasing until the fourth floor or even higher?" It could've turned like Bell and the minotaur, but without plot armor for any unlucky shmucks caught in-between. "It was safer to stay and fight."
"I know," he said, voice softening. "It was reckless, but in that situation, you did the right thing." A beat of silence passed as Miach leaned closer, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. "You've likely saved a life today, maybe even more." A smile brightened his face. "I'm proud of you."
His words rang in my ears, warmth flooding my chest as I smiled back. "Thanks…" I said, a little awkwardly. It's been a long time since I've heard anyone tell me that, so I wasn't sure what else to say.
Miach stood up after a moment, making his way closer. "Let's update your status, I'm sure you're quite eager to see your growth."
Boy, wasn't that an understatement. I had to make a conscious effort to not vibrate in my seat this entire time.
Wasting no time, I quickly took off my shirt and turned around, stomach flipping in anticipation as a pair of hands touched my back. Arms crossed atop the backrest, I waited patiently while Miach did his thing.
"It seems that you were in less danger than I thought." He suddenly broke the quiet as the ethereal light of my falna danced in the corner of my eyes.
"The moth was the biggest danger, and I entered Limit Off as soon as I killed it. From there on, it was smooth sailing."
The Rabbits became utterly predictable once you could keep up with their speed, and that poison cloud had come in giga clutch. Rule of Cool too OP, please never nerf.
"Your growth continues to amaze me," Miach said, a hint of concern underlining his words. "You are likely to break the Sword Princess' record if you continue at this rate. By far."
Ah. So, that was it. He had no reason to worry, then. I'd never take a level up with subpar stats, so I wouldn't be drawing that much attention.
"I'm planning to raise my abilities as high as I can, so it might take a while." Probably not higher than Bell, shit would take too long, but I wanted at least triple S across the board.
"Not a man of half measures, I see." Even without seeing his face, I couldn't miss the smile in his words. "But with that Skill of yours, it certainly pays to be ambitious."
True, but I would've aimed just as high even without it. I had a dragon to slay and an Amazon dream to fulfill. I couldn't enjoy my paradise if the world ended.
Miach pressed down on my back, the lightshow ending as I became a little bit fuller. A cold piece of paper touched my skin, and, as soon as he took it off, I turned around, much to Miach's amusement, as he handed me the status sheet.
A wide smile came to my face as I saw the numbers.
<>
Jacob Brewer
Lv. 1
STR: G246 → F312
END: G297 → F360
DEX: H168 → G223
AGI: H192 → G252
MAG: I12 → I12
"Magic"
"Skills"
[Rule of Cool]
Yours is an impossible existence. Inspire awe, and the world is willing to suspend its disbelief. Act to impress. Impress when you act. It Just Works.
[Hissatsu Waza]
Increased odds of achieving a Limit Off. Allows the user to unleash the entire power of a Limit Off as a single strike. Active trigger.
<>
Aww, yiss. Dis the good shit.
I had to figure something for that Magic, though. It was starting to lag quite a lot.
My smile dimmed a little.
Shouldn't mommy Freya be slipping me a Grimoire at this point? Bell got his speshul magic book way faster. What was she waiting for? A written invitation?
My fantasy experience would never be complete without some spellz 'n shit.
"I'll be preparing a few Mind Potions after dinner, if you are still interested."
I looked up from the page, meeting Miach's warm gaze. "Of course. I've read through all the notes you gave me."
"That's good to hear," he smiled. "It won't be long before you can start making some of the recipes by yourself."
I could hardly wait. Alchemy was awesome. I've always been a potion and enchanting nerd in all the MMOs I played.
A shame I couldn't do anything fancy without Mixing, and even less without Mystery. Hopefully, my level up would solve that.
I stood up, crumpling the paper and dumping it inside a pocket. I made to leave, only to pause as I looked at Miach, a tiny smile coming to my lips.
"I'm glad I chose you, Miach."
A warm smile brightened his face as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm happy to have you, Jack."
We stood there for a moment longer, before I left the room, a nice, content feeling in my chest.
__________________________________________
The sun shone brightly in the sky as I made my way through the Babel square, a wide smile on my face and a spring in my step. A scantily clad, chocolate beauty caught my eye as she passed by, though I could only watch her muscular back, slender hips, and perky ass longingly, smile dimming as a quiet sigh escaped me.
I couldn't wait to level up. I wanted to visit Ishtar's place so badly, but I might accidentally die to some overenthusiastic Amazon if I went right now. The spirit was oh so willing, but the flesh was weak, far too weak…
I looked away, gaze returning to the giant spire up ahead, fists clenching with resolve. Soon. Soon, my time would come. I just had to get stronger.
As I kept looking around, I finally spotted my tanned brickhouse of a party member, next to the fountain near the entrance, talking to a familiar looking midget. A girl dressed in a ratty, white cloak, carrying a comically oversized backpack.
Huh.
Getting closer, I blinked in recognition, the brown hair and that face, with the overly cheerful, fake smile affixed to it, impossible to mistake.
The fuck was Lili doing with this guy of all people? Looking for a new target?
My eyes narrowed slightly. Ravi mentioned monster bait, and this midget was a serial offender. Did she have something to do with that clusterfuck from yesterday?
"Hey, brudda, how's it going?" I greeted loudly, their conversation abruptly ending as Ravi grinned the moment he saw me while Lili stared in confusion.
Smiling back, I held out a hand, Ravi quickly grabbing it and giving an enthusiastic shake.
"Brotha! I'm real fired up for today. I even found us a nice supporter." He gestured to Lili, who quickly pushed a smile to her face. "This is the guy I was telling you about."
I gave the midget a friendly wave, a flash of recognition suddenly crossing her face as her eyes lingered on me, that cheerful smile of hers becoming a little strained.
I pretended not to notice, mouth twitching with barely suppressed mirth. The rumors about me must've been spreading. Maybe she even witnessed me in all my gory.
"Hello, mister Jack!" she greeted, voice overly chipper. "I'm Lili, a poor, humble supporter." Humble, my ass. "I was talking with mister Ravi about joining your party for today, but if you have any objections, I'll understand."
Heh. Already trying to weasel her way out? Nice try.
"No worries, Lil' Lili, I'm sure he's okay with it." Her eye twitched at the nickname as Ravi threw me a smirk. "Right, brother?"
"Yeah, we could use a supporter," I said, flashing her a smile as her own dimmed yet again.
"You're too nice, mister."
I'd rather not deal with a backstabbing little shit, but this brat deserved some correction. Spending a day with ya boi should do it.
"So, how does this work?" I gestured between us. "I never had a supporter before. Do we need to make a formal contract or something?"
Lili nodded, cheerful mask back in place. "Usually, yes, especially for long term work, but we could go without one for today and see how we fare as a party. We can decide on something more permanent when we get back."
Man, she was really considering just running for the hills, wasn't she?
I looked at Ravi, who merely shrugged. "I don't mind."
"Alright," I said, and the midget smiled wider.
Pretty good acting, but she had nothing on Syr.
"That's great to hear," she said, glancing between the two of us. "Now, shall we decide the plan for today?"
Plan? Just go inside and murder stuff. The upper floors were a cakewalk, no need for any rocket science. Punch hard. Avoid getting hit. Profit.
I humored Lili with a smile while Ravi stood there, brow slightly creased. "Sure, what did you have in mind?"
"Well," Lili's brought a finger to her chin, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Mister Ravi said that he's pretty strong and how you're even stronger, so I was thinking that we could safely go to the eighth and ninth floors and kill lots of monsters there."
Amazing plan.
Lips slightly pursing, I shared a look with the dumbass, only to get a smile and a thumbs-up in return. Good thing I was here, or this midget would've played Ravi like a fiddle.
"Sounds good."
Ninth floor was a good goal for today, though. Should be deep enough to finally rake in the big bucks.
"Does any of you have a means for ranged attack?" Lili asked, Ravi's attention quickly shifting to me.
Right. "I have a throwing knife."
Lili blinked owlishly, smile turning a little wooden. "Just one?"
Yes, you brat. I wasn't made of money yet.
"One's better than none, and I've got good aim."
She looked even less confident than before, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll trust you on that, mister Jack."
"He's not bragging for nothing, Lil' Lili. Once you see him, you'll understand."
That brought a smile to my face. With only a single showing, he firmly believed in my no-scope skills. What a bro.
"Then, it'll be the two of us to deal with any Purple Moths that may show up." Lili lifted her right sleeve, showing a glimpse of her little peashooter as I nodded appreciatively.
"I brought some antidotes, just in case." I patted my hip pouch, glancing at Ravi, who was busy flexing his pecs to some imaginary beat.
"Yeah, always gotta have some of those," he said offhandedly, Lili's face twitching ever so slightly as she did her best to keep that smile in place.
I bit the inside of my mouth, suppressing a bark of laughter. Bro was already cooking her at a low simmer without even realizing.
Poor midget. This was going to be glorious.
"So," I glanced at Ravi, smirking. "You ready to crack some skulls, brudda?"
"Hell yeah, brother!" He grinned back, raising his arms and flexing his biceps, to which I just grasped my hands, silently pulling them at my hip in that Armstrong flex.
Nodding in appreciation, we both ignored the weird glances from the people nearby and made our way inside the dungeon, the midget quickly following behind. I flashed Lili a smile over my shoulder, getting a rather stilted one in return.
I couldn't wait to see her face once we got the show rolling.
__________________________________________
She should've listened to reason.
She should've ignored her greed.
She should've never agreed to this.
No amount of money she made today was worth this… this headache.
Sighing quietly to herself, she moved to the next carcass and cut it open with a single, precise sweep of her knife, quickly digging through the innards. The rabbit burst apart into dust as she pulled out the magic crystal, her eyes widening at the thin, ivory horn staying behind on the ground.
Another one? How the hell were they getting so many drop items?! Was it a skill? Did that sort of skill even exist—
The eerily familiar sound of cracking stone suddenly reached her ears, head swiveling to the side as she bolted to her feet. An icy feeling shot up her spine, fingers clenching tighter around her knife as she saw both walls splitting open, a kobold with a frog shooter emerging from one side, and two goblins from the other.
Her head swiveled left and right as she stepped back, eyes scanning the corpse-littered cave, a sinking feeling in her stomach. They were here not even a minute ago, where the hell did they go?!
Eyes briefly darting to the side cavern, she quickly aimed her crossbow at the frog, pressing the trigger right as it dropped to the ground, only to curse inside her head as the kobold suddenly leapt ahead, the bolt sinking in its shoulder.
She instantly spun on her feet, briefly glancing at her backpack, fists clenching before she started running the other way.
Goddamnit! All that money, wasted—
"Dynamic Entry!"
The sudden yell had her looking over the shoulder, only to stop mid-stride as she saw the crazy one crash foot first into the kobold, bones crunching on impact. He twisted to the side as he landed, the frog's tongue shooting past his head, one hand lashing out to catch the appendage as the other swung down with a knife. Quickly spinning around, he threw the knife without even aiming, the blade sinking down to the hilt in the center of the frog's eye.
Lili blinked at the sight, mouth slightly agape. What…
"There's more!" The muscle-head suddenly ran out of the side room, two goblins and three kobolds chasing after him.
A flash of movement from the left quickly had her aiming her crossbow, pressing the trigger thrice, the other two goblins falling lifelessly to the ground, bolts embedded in their neck and faces.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she watched Jack as he charged across the cave in the blink of an eye—did he suddenly get faster? A Skill, or was he just holding back before?
He dove straight at the incoming group of monsters, arms spread wide as if ready for a hug—
"Double Lariat!" Each arm hit a kobold in the neck as he blitzed past, throwing them down with a snap of bone, where they stayed unmoving.
No way. Lili stared blankly at the corpses. How did that even break their necks? How strong was this fool?
"Please don't leave me behind like this again!" she yelled from across the cave, trying to sound as distressed as she could.
"We told you we were checking that side room!" The muscle-head shouted back while running towards the crazy one, the remaining monsters still chasing after him.
They told her? She didn't hear a thing! Was she too caught up in her thoughts—
"Yo, Ravi, watch this!" Jack dove at the goblins, kicking each of them hard enough to send them flying all the way to the ceiling, somehow impaling them both on the same stalactite like a meat skewer.
What.
A moment later, Lili snapped out of her surprise as the last kobold abruptly changed course, rushing straight towards her. She pointed her hand at the incoming monster, finger steady on the trigger, but before she could even aim properly, those goblins fell from the ceiling, right on top of the kobold, bringing it down in a tangle of limbs.
The fuck.
She stared flatly while Jack walked up to the pile of monsters, nonchalantly stomping on the kobold's neck, crushing it with impunity.
What even was this? A circus performance?
The Ganesha idiot let out a low, impressed whistle. "That was crazy, brotha. How the hell did you do it?" he asked with a grin, the madman just smiling knowingly.
"It's all about the timing, brother."
Timing? What timing? He just randomly kicked those goblins in the air!
"Ahh, I see," the muscle-head said, as if having an epiphany, and Lili shook her head, pulling out her knife as she walked over to the nearest corpse.
Joining these buffoons had been a mistake.
How long had they even been adventuring? How did they not get killed?
Her mouth twisted sourly. It was always the idiots and the crazy who had it easy…
Sighing quietly to herself, she crouched next to the goblin, only to immediately shoot back to her feet, body tensing at the sound of angry growls and chittering. She looked up ahead, just in time to see five more kobolds and three ants emerging from the dark depths of the cave.
"Lesgoo, brudda!" The madman rushed straight for the kobolds at the front while the muscle-head belted a war-cry, following right after.
"Keep the ants busy!" Jack shouted, weaving around claw swipes with laughable ease as he punched the closest kobold in the face, hard enough to break its neck. Grabbing it by the arm before it could fall, he spun around, swinging the corpse in a wide arc, somehow knocking two of the kobolds right into the other two while the muscle-head ran past to intercept the ants.
Lili frowned, grip tightening around her knife. This guy made the dungeon look like a joke.
Leaping forward into a kick, he crushed the neck of the nearest kobold before it could even get up. Quickly pivoting on his foot, he struck another kobold as it lunged from behind, its head twisting to the side with a crunch.
Her gaze trailed down to the goblin at her feet as she briefly considered just getting to work, only to look back at the fight, her frown deepening.
This guy had yet to get a single scratch, even after a whole hour of fighting, and part of her just wanted to watch him finally get hurt.
She'd been struggling for years in this hellhole, just to scrape together enough money to survive, and he just toyed with the monsters, as if all of this was simply a game.
Punching one more kobold dead and kicking the last one back to the ground, he went to help the muscle-head with the ants.
The Ganesha idiot made good use of his shield to block the sharp claws while waiting for an opening, but he got too eager when he saw one. He quickly dove in to chop at the ant's neck, leaving his flank exposed to the other one.
Those claws swung down at the meathead, but just before they could carve him open, the madman skidded in their path, catching both limbs in a firm grip. Without losing any momentum, he nimbly leapt over the ant's head, dragging both arms along with him, snapping them like dried twigs as he landed behind the monster.
With the ant crippled, the muscle-head quickly jumped in, bashing its head aside and burying his axe in the exposed neck, chopping all the way through.
"Nice timing," the idiot said with a grin, unaware of the last kobold charging towards him from behind—
"There's a dog behind you." Jack pointed a finger nonchalantly, and the muscle-head instantly spun around, blocking the pouncing kobold with his shield while the axe crashed down on its head.
Lili sighed in disappointment, shoulders slumping. Life was truly unfair.
As the cave grew quiet, the two morons looked around briefly, before Jack took a seat on the dead kobold, drinking some water while the other idiot sheathed his weapons and walked closer.
"You haven't been doing that black flash from yesterday."
Lili's brow creased slightly as she listened, Jack shrugging lazily in response.
"Guess I wasn't blessed by the black sparks today."
Blessed by what?
"Ahh, right. You said it was random."
What black sparks? Even more crazy talk?
Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts away and hurried to the nearest corpse, quietly getting to work.
She was ditching these idiots as soon as she could. Some things just weren't worth it.
__________________________________________
The jingle of coins brought a smile to my face as I placed the bags on the small, stone table. I shared a look with Ravi, getting a thumbs-up in return.
"Nice haul, brotha."
My eyes went to Lili, mouth twitching with suppressed mirth.
Gone was her bright, fake smile she started the day with, replaced by something tiny, wooden and brittle as she stared blankly at the table. She looked so fucking done with this party, I was barely holding in the laughter.
"We made thirty-five thousand." I patted the bags, Ravi letting out a low whistle.
Lili's head swiveled up, eyes wide and full of disbelief. "T-Thirty-five?"
More than I made in the past week put together. Having a supporter was a real game-changer. A shame we couldn't keep her.
"We had a lot of drop items."
And Rule of Cool with an audience was broken as fuck.
"Never seen so many in a single day." Ravi shook his head, and I shrugged.
"It's a first for me, too," I said, getting a skeptical look from the midget.
Eh, she could believe whatever she wanted, I wasn't trying to convince anyone.
"Okay then," Lili said, glancing between the two of us uncertainly, "I guess we should split the money?"
"Already did." I pushed the bigger bag towards Ravi and the smaller one towards Lili. I was four parallel universes ahead of this brat. "Went with a forty-forty-twenty split. You okay with that?"
"I'm good." Ravi grabbed his bag with a smile, while Lili blinked owlishly, just staring dumbly at the money for a moment, before looking back at me.
"T-that much? Are you sure?" The surprise on her face seemed genuine enough that I wasn't sure how much of this was an act.
"Yeah."
Lili's gaze trailed down to her coin bag. "Isn't this too much for a lowly supporter like me?"
Bitch, please. Stop with the pity party.
"A supporter has an important role in a party. Your work is worth at least twenty percent." I shared a look with Ravi, who nodded sagely.
Lili stared at me for a long, quiet moment, something indecipherable flashing across her eyes, before she averted her gaze, quickly grabbing her money and stashing it somewhere in her coat.
I may not particularly like this brat, but I had to give her credit where it was due. She was really good at her job.
"Thank you," she said, voice quieter than usual. An uncertain look crossed her face as she shifted her weight awkwardly, before pushing a fake smile to her lips. "I'm grateful that you allowed me to join your party, but today had been a little too rowdy for me." She shook her head sadly, smile turning apologetic. "I'm sorry, but this kind of excitement isn't for me, so we'll have to go separate ways."
A rather awkward silence followed her speech, and while Ravi looked disappointed, I did my best to hold in a laugh. Rowdy? We must've been too awesome for her.
"You've been a great supporter, but if that's how you feel, it's alright. We understand. Good luck going forward," I told her with a smile, and Ravi nodded.
"Yeah, see you around, Lil' Lili."
I honestly doubted that. She looked like she wouldn't even come within ten feet of us anymore.
"Goodbye, and thanks again for the party."
I fought down a grin as she turned around and left. Some people just couldn't handle the cool.
__________________________________________
"I've been lenient with you lately, but don't expect this to last forever. You're already a week overdue."
A loud, grating voice reached my ears as I grabbed the door handle, my hand staying there, an unpleasant feeling stirring in my chest as I kept listening.
"We'll have the money ready by tomorrow." Miach's voice came from inside after a moment.
So, that asshole finally showed up…
Fighting down a scowl, I pushed the door open and stepped inside the pharmacy, the creaky hinges drawing everyone's attention.
A tight-lipped Miach and a frowning Naaza were standing behind the counter, facing a pretty, silver haired woman and her jackass of a god.
"Hi-ho," I greeted with a smile, walking closer as I took my backpack off and plopped it on the counter. "Tonight, we're eating good." With so much money to spare, I could even take these two out for a nice dinner.
"Welcome back, Jack." A warm smile brightened Miach's face while Naaza just stared flatly, a hand halfway to her face in an aborted face-palm.
Dian Cecht cocked an eyebrow at Miach while Airmid eyed me inquisitively.
"Hoh? Finally got yourself a new child?" His attention shifted to me. "Boy, you chose the wrong Familia to join. They might not even have a home left by the end of the year," he said, bursting in laughter, the sound like sandpaper in my ears.
I smothered the brief but intense urge to punch him in the face, meeting his mocking smirk with a tiny, self-assured smile. "Your concern is appreciated, but we'll become richer than even you by the end of the year."
A beat of silence passed, Naaza and Miach looking at me in varying degrees of disbelief, before Dian Cecht erupted once again in laughter, this time even louder and more grating, as my fingers twitched slightly.
"Miach, you got yourself a funny one," he said, the corner of his mouth curling with a sneer as he turned around. "Come, Airmid. Let's leave these poor people to their poor people problems." He then walked to the door, the girl mouthing a soft "Goodbye" before hurrying after the jackass.
Hand resting on the door handle, Dian Cecht threw one last mocking smirk over his shoulder. "I expect the payment by tomorrow night." And with that, they stepped out, a rather awkward silence filling the room while Naaza glared angrily at the door.
Huh… did we have enough money?
I shared a look with Miach, a complicated smile on his face as he watched the dog girl from the corner of his eye.
"I'll be in the backroom if any of you need me." His smooth voice suddenly broke the quiet, glancing between the two of us before walking away.
I considered following right after Miach to get my status update, though, as the door clicked shut behind him, Naaza's glower suddenly shifted to me, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
Uh-oh.
"You really don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?"
Nope. I shook my head with a smile, quickly cutting her off before she could get even angrier.
"Say, where do we get our glassware from?"
Naaza blinked owlishly at the question, brow creasing faintly as some of her ire made way for confusion. "Why?"
A smile stretched on my lips. "I have an idea."
__________________________________________
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