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"I told y'all! It wasn't going to be this easy! Haha!"
"You're...not?" Loki asked in disbelief.
Why...why was Godou feeling embarrassed? This wasn't his fault in the slightest! He steeled himself, making sure that he sounded as firm and convinced as possible when he replied, "no, I'm not."
Loki visibly deflated.
Riveria rapped her head. "See? This is what you get for jumping to conclusions. Now you've made us look like fools."
"You're being mean, Riveria!" Loki pouted. "What other reason would Godou have to come visit us?"
"Indeed," Finn said, standing up. "What other reason does Godou have to come visit us?"
Suddenly everybody went back to staring at him.
Godou thought about his next words very carefully. "I need your help in exploring the Deeper Floors of the Dungeon."
"Sure, why not?" Loki's casual reply was almost immediate. "You can join our upcoming expedition. Welcome aboard, Kusanagi Godou!"
Judging by resigned looks on the other's faces, Godou was quite sure they were used to Loki making decisions without consulting them in the slightest.
But he wasn't actually done speaking. Shaking his head, he added, "alone."
This time the room fell silent. Even Loki looked unsure of herself.
"That's a tall task," Gareth said thoughtfully. "The Deeper Floors are nothing like the Floors before it. A moment of carelessness means instant death."
Godou knew that. He had asked around. Most adventurers never made it that far. Or if they did, they didn't come back.
"It's also a logistical nightmare," Riveria warned. "It takes days to reach it. At the very least, you'll need a supporter to help carry supplies. But then getting a supporter willing to follow you into the Deeper Floors is a challenge by itself."
Godou wasn't worried about that. He'd somehow managed to survive more than a week in the Dungeon before, and he was certain he could do it again.
"More importantly, I'm curious about something." Finn's eyes had a sharp edge to them. "If you're going alone, what do you need our help for?"
Godou realized Loki had chosen to stay quiet. The goddess was staring at him with an indecipherable emotion, leaving the questions to her adventurers, who had far more experience in the Dungeon than her.
"A map," he said. "I need to know how to go down. And more importantly, how to get back up."
Riveria shook her head. "A map isn't enough. The place is constantly changing, what with all the monsters and traps that keep popping out of nowhere. Furthermore, our maps aren't very detailed. We've got the entrances and exits marked out, but that's about it."
Godou shrugged. "That's all I need."
"Confident, aren't we?" Gareth smirked.
"I can handle myself," Godou said self-assuredly.
"So I've heard," the Dwarve replied.
"It's dangerous," Finn interjected. "I don't like the idea of someone going so deep all by themselves, even if that someone is you. I don't support this."
"It's alright," Godou said, not backing down. "There's no need for you to be concern. I'm not part of your Familia anyway."
"True," Finn conceded. "But if giving you a map empowers you to make such reckless decisions, then I'm afraid that our Familia is involved either way."
"Oi Finn," Gareth said, sounding slightly annoyed. "You missed out the part where you say we're fellow adventurers, and it's our jobs to look out for each other. And add on something about the value of life."
Godou hid his smile. He'd always liked people that could diffuse a tense situation with a witty quip. But this was for their own good. "I'll go down there even without a map. But preferably, I'd like to have one on hand. If I end up never returning, would you really be okay with your decision?"
The narrowing of Finn's eyes told Godou he'd hit a sore spot. It had been a lie of course. Godou had no desire to get lost dozens of floors beneath the ground. The Loki Familia was comprised of good people, and Godou felt terrible about being dishonest, and taking advantage of their good hearts like that.
"Perhaps we might be willing to assist you," Riveria said, "if you explain to us why you're so averse to joining our expedition. It doesn't mean you have to join our Familia. We have lots of outsiders involved in the upcoming one."
Godou bit his lip. He'd prepared for this as well, but there was a limit to how much he could say without giving anything away.
"It'll be more dangerous for you guys if I'm around," he finally confessed. "I have a feeling that I'm somehow connected to all the weird things that have been going on in the Dungeon lately. Like that Black Goliath that spawned. It was after me. I can't afford to put other people at risk like that. Especially not in the Deeper Floors."
"We can take care of ourselves just fine," Gareth said.
"But there's a chance-" Godou quickly said, but Riveria quickly interrupted him.
"There's always a chance."
Finn nodded in agreement. "Riveria is correct. There's always a chance of things going wrong in the Dungeon. We call ourselves adventurers because we face the unknown every day. The Dungeon is filled with uncertainties. But if there's anything I've learned in all my years there, it's that bigger numbers allow us to deal with those uncertainties better."
Godou felt frustrated. He hated it when his opponent's arguments were logical. They didn't understand though. He was a Campione. Accidents and misfortune clung to him like a plague. He liked Loki and her Familia, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to them because of him.
"Then I guess I'll be going in there without a map then," he lied.
He'd try with Freya first. He had a feeling the goddess would entertain his request, though there certainly would be strings attached.
"You're being reckless," Riveria scolded.
"She's right. Lots of adventurers have died because of overconfidence," Gareth added. "I don't want you, or anyone else, joining that list."
Godou felt touched. He really did. It was nice that all these people cared about him, despite barely knowing him. But he cared about them too, so he was going to make sure nothing happened to them.
"I'll be fine," he insisted. "I've gone through worse."
And he was pretty sure he had.
The tension in the room grew thicker,
to the point that Godou was certain he could call for Lancelot and actually cut it into two.
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else
👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!
👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi
(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)