Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Well...stayed up until 5:30am and pulled an all-nighter to get this done.
But it was a Tier Reward this month, so it's worth it. The Muse wanted to cooperate too, so yeah.

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! Bell and Lili train together to help Lili improve her stats. The Supporter wants to get stronger to be of more help to Bell. Not to mention the increase will also help her own survivability in the Dungeon. But a certain someone may have finally finished the task they were given.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 15 – Training and a Grand Feat

“Yah!” Lili darted to the side and went for a thrust with her wooden training knife. She and Bell were sparring in the moderately-sized courtyard at the Hestia Familia Home as they did since Lili had joined up. Either in the mornings or in the afternoon once they’d finished Dungeon crawling for the day, the duo would spar to help Lili improve her Basic Abilities.

“Kh!” Bell used his own wooden training knife to parry Lili’s stab. He sent his knee towards her stomach, but Lili brought up her own to block. The difference in their size, weight, and strength sent Lili backwards, but she’d managed to negate most of the damage. “Tah!” Bell went in for a swipe, aiming for Lili’s face.

“Ngh!” Lili raised her own knife to parry and spun to try and get a stab at Bell’s side. Bell back-stepped, moving out of her range, and countered with a stab of his own. Lili ducked beneath the attack, got into Bell’s guard, and tried to bury her practice knife into his stomach. “Gah!” Lili grunted as Bell’s combat training from Ais, Tiona, and Tione proved effective when his opposite hand landed a punch and sent her stumbling.

“Got you!” Bell lunged forward at an angle that Lili would be hard-pressed to block or dodge.

“Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message…Grkh!” Lili’s incantation was interrupted and her spell failed as Bell struck her with the wooden knife and she fell on her ass. “Ah, damn it.” She’d almost had it that time!

“Are you okay, Lili?” Bell held out his hand to her and helped her to her feet.

“Yes, Lili is fine, just annoyed that she still can’t concurrent cast even a little.” Lili sighed at her slow progress with the advanced form of chanting. Since she wasn’t a frontline fighter normally, concurrent casting wasn’t exactly necessary for her. But even though she wasn’t a Mage or a Magical Swordswoman or anything, she saw the value in being able to use her Magic while moving. Transforming while in motion could let her get the upper hand when she did have to fight, or it might make dodging and escape possible in a dire situation.

“We’ll we’ve only been at this for about a week.” Bell smiled encouragingly at his girlfriend. “Concurrent casting is supposed to be a difficult ability to learn from what I understand. But I know you’ll figure it out, Lili.” He had full faith in her on that.

“Thank you, Master Bell.” Lili beamed at him before hugging him warmly.

“You’re doing great, Lili.” Bell hugged her back and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head.

It was true too. Lili’s Status had grown quite a lot over the last week. Nothing like Bell’s insane growth rate, but the Prum was clearly benefitting from her full-contact training with a stronger Adventurer. Her work on trying to learn concurrent casting was showing as her Magic stat had grown the most by far.

“You want to call it a day?” Lili asked as they separated from their hug.

“Yeah, it’ll be dinner time soon.” Bell nodded in agreement.

The duo walked over to the back of the Oikos-style home and Lili kissed Bell’s cheek before bounding up the stairs to the second floor where her room was. No doubt the girl would be gathering a change of clothes to lounge around in before heading for the bath. Bell chuckled as he watched Lili go, he’d just use the private bath in the master bedroom to wash off the sweat of the day. Whatever Hestia was cooking, it smelled incredible and he couldn’t wait to eat. Eina would be coming over for dinner again and had promised to show them something tonight.

As had become the norm for the Hestia Familia, dinner was enjoyed by Eina, Lili, Bell, and Hestia. Bell had offered massages after dinner and Eina was first tonight. The Half-Elf nearly melted as Bell massaged her shoulders, stiff from work and the day-to-day issues that sprung up in the Guild with so many Adventurers passing through. When Bell had laid her down on the couch and began massaging her slightly sore feet, Eina nearly fell in love with him all over again. Humming in pleasure, the brunette was completely relaxed as she enjoyed her boyfriend’s massage. He was so caring and thoughtful that Eina was certain there’d definitely be other women joining their relationship in the future. Thankfully they’d already talked about such a thing and worked out a limit as well as some ground rules. A relationship like theirs was built on communication and trust after all.

“All done, Eina.” Bell smiled as he finished massaging her feet.

“That was wonderful, Bell.” Eina smiled beautifully at him. She slowly sat up, stretching as her loosened muscles felt amazing. “Now, while you start with Lili, I’ll show you all what I brought.” She pecked his cheek as she stood from the couch and walked over to the small case that she’d brought with her.

What the Half-Elf pulled from the case was a small harp, like something a Bard might play in one of the city squares to earn a bit of Valis. Bell was massaging Lili’s shoulders as Eina sat down on the other couch and gently began to run her fingertips over the strings. A soft tone filled the air, a gentle melody following as Eina began to play the harp.

“Little Half-Elf Bard Eina~” Hestia giggled as she sat next to the green-eyed woman. Leaning back and just listening to the lovely music brought a smile to her face.

With the soft music in the air and Bell’s massages, it was no wonder that the evening went so well for the Familia. Hestia was practically a puddle when Bell finished with her. He wasn’t expecting both Lili and Hestia to return the favor and massage him as Eina smiled and continued to play. After cuddling with all three of his girlfriends for quite some time after his own impromptu massage, Bell had walked Eina home.

“Your music was beautiful, Eina.” Bell smiled as they stood before her apartment.

“Thank you, I learned from my mother.” Eina looked beautiful in the moonlight and leaned in to kiss him. The two deepened their kiss, pressing their bodies close together and wrapping their arms around one another. They eventually had to separate for air, but both of their flushed faces couldn’t smile any wider if they tried. “Goodnight, Bell.” She rested her forehead against his gently.

“Goodnight, Eina, sweet dreams.” Bell’s red eyes stared into her green with nothing but love and affection. Eina nearly swooned again before they shared a softer kiss. Finally separating after just holding each other for a little longer, Eina headed into her apartment practically walking on air. Bell was much the same as he walked back to the Hestia Familia Home.

Returning home, Bell smiled as he saw the glow of an in-progress Status Update on the couch. He took off his boots and took the few steps necessary to reach the other couch. Hestia briefly looked up to give him a smile, while Lili only turned her head and gave him a grin. She’d slowly gotten comfortable with the idea of Bell seeing her topless, and now she didn’t mind if he was present during her Status Updates.

“You’re putting in so much effort, Lili, you’re growing well.” Hestia praised her newest Familia member. “Your stats are all increasing, but your Magic most of all.” She finished the update and placed a blank paper on Lili’s back. A quick circle of her index finger and the update copied over. “All done.” She picked up the paper and looked it over while Lili sat up.

“Don’t stare…Master Bell.” Lili’s cheeks were pink as she barely covered her breasts from his gaze. She was really starting to enjoy having his eyes on her like this.

“But you’re beautiful, Lili.” Bell smiled warmly and Lili couldn’t help but smile back.

“Love you too, Bell.” Lili replied with genuine emotion as she stopped covering herself and let him see her tits. She wasn’t flaunting her girls or anything, but by Prum standards Lili would be considered very blessed when it came to her figure. She’d heard the term Shortstack mumbled or whispered about her on occasion from men of other Races, mostly Humans.

“Gorgeous.” Bell looked at Lili’s breasts with an appreciation that only love could bring. He was almost tempted to request more time to look when Lili put her shirt back on with an adorable look on her face.

“He’s right though,” Hestia pecked Lili’s cheek before handing her the paper with her updated Status on it. “You’re beautiful, Lili.”

“Hestia…” Lili’s cheeks were turning from pink to red now as she nearly hid her face behind the paper.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – I 99 > H 104

Defense – H 130 > H 137

Dexterity – G 245 > G 253

Agility – F 396 > E 408

Magic – E 439 > E 452

Magic

-Cinder Ella-

Transformation Magic – Incantation: ‘Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.’

(Enables the user to transform into anything around their own size.)

Skills

Artel Assist – When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, this skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Harvester - When breaking down monsters the user is more likely to acquire a Drop Item and higher quality ones too. Also enables the harvesting of other monster parts for material.

-Status-

“See?” Hestia grinned at Lili. “You’re growth just keeps going up. You’ll probably hit D Rank in Magic soon enough!”

“Lili hopes so.” Lili smiled at seeing the results of her training. With how strong a lot of the bigger Familia’s were, she felt like training between their higher and lower leveled Adventurers might help explain the strength their members had. After all, Bell had been trained by a Level Six and two Level Fives and he’d experienced a massive boost in his stats too.

“You’ll get stronger as long as we keep training together, Lili. Let’s do our best.” Bell encouraged her with a bright smile.

“Yes, Master Bell!” Lili giggled as she stood up to switch places with him.

“You’re probably at the cap now, Bell.” Hestia warned her lover not to expect much change in his stats. “S 999 is the highest stats go per level, so if you want to keep getting stronger then you’ll have to Level Up.”

“Yeah, but I’m still not sure how I’ll go about that just yet.” Bell admitted as he removed his shirt and sat next to Hestia so that she could update his Status. He knew he needed to achieve a Grand Feat thanks to Miss Ryu, but knowing and doing were very different things. ‘I still have Floor Eleven and Floor Twelve to go through on the upper levels. Maybe something there will be strong enough to count as a Grand Feat?’ He mused while Hestia’s finger ran over his back.

“Huh?” Hestia blinked at what she was seeing while watching bell’s Falna grow. Her shock must’ve shown on her face because Lili spoke up in concern.

“Hestia? Is something wrong?” Lili questioned and Bell turned to look over his shoulder at his Goddess.

“I…this is…just, just give me a second.” Hestia shook her head and placed a blank paper on Bell’s back after finishing the update. “Here…look at this.” She handed Bell the paper containing his newly updated Status.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – S 972 > SS 1028

Defense – S 960 > S 991

Dexterity – S 981 > SS 1035

Agility – S 994 > SS 1046

Magic – D 500 > C 623

Magic

-Firebolt-

-Vesta Enhance-

Enchant Magic – Incantation: ‘Rise’

(Increases all Basic Abilities for five minutes. Then can’t be cast for five minutes after the increase wears off. Effect rises based on the Magic Stat.)

Skills

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Dual Wield – Significantly increases Strength and Dexterity when wielding a weapon in each hand.

-Status-

“But…that’s impossible…isn’t it?” Bell could only stare at his stats. Every Adventurer and Deity knew that the Falna gave a Status and five Basic Abilities that were tracked from the minimum of I 0 all the way to the absolute cap of S 999. What he’d done shouldn’t have been possible. His insane growth had somehow broken the cap of the Falna!

“I thought that was impossible too.” Lili was nearly gaping at seeing Bell’s stats. “That’s incredible.”

“I…I’ll talk with Hephaestus tomorrow.” Hestia looked Bell in the eye with as much reassurance as she could give him. “I was putting it off, since your growth was incredibly fast, but I thought you’d hit the cap and then need to Level Up to get stronger just like everyone else. But this…” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Well, Hephaestus has given her Falna to more people than anyone else I know, so I’m sure she’ll be able to make some sense of this.”

“Isn’t it bad for people outside of your Familia to know about your Status?” Bell took her hands in his gently.

“Hephaestus is family, one of the ones that I get along the best with.” Hestia assured Bell with a soft smile. “I’ll just be asking her for advice to try and figure out how this is possible. I don’t think I’ve messed up, but it could be possible. You two are my first two Familia members after all. Perhaps I did something wrong? I’ll admit that I don’t know every last thing about the Falna myself.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Bell calmed down as best as he could. Surely being stronger than the cap was a good thing overall? He did want to become a Hero and the strongest Adventurer, so this was on the correct path to fulfilling his goals, right?

“Let’s get some sleep for now.” Lili suggested with a small smile. “We can handle this situation after Hestia and Hephaestus talk tomorrow.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Hestia agreed with a nod. “No sense in worrying all night over it.”

“We’ll just treat tomorrow like any other day.” Bell smiled as his hands were held by his girlfriends and he was led towards the master bedroom. Lili slept on his right side, Hestia cuddled up against his left, and Bell slept soundly that night holding them close.

-Dungeon ~ Ninth Floor-

“Help me!” A man’s cry for help was silenced by a massive crash. Blood flew through the air as two more men ran away as fast as they could.

“Oh shit, he’s dead!” The younger accomplice of Kanu cried out at seeing the blood splatter that remained of their third man. “It killed him, Kanu!” He exclaimed, trying to keep pace with the fleeing Raccoon Man.

“Sh-Shut up!” Kanu yelled back, sprinting as hard as he could. “Be quiet or it’ll hear…” His words were cut off as he saw a large silhouette leap out of the dust from the previous attack. Their attacker dropped like a meteor and lashed out with the massive steel greatsword it had.

Another powerful slam that shattered the stone ground and threw up dust knocked Kanu off his feet. Blood was splattered outwards from the point of impact. The only remains of his younger accomplice aside from the crater where his body would’ve been. The Raccoon Man crawled backwards in terror as the best stalked forward through the dirt and dust in the air.

It was a Minotaur, massive, hulking and looking rather different from the others produced by the Dungeon. For one, it was covered in scars, it’s bull-like face had two large ones, the smaller across its right eye, and the larger one across its snout. Its right horn had been either broken or sliced off, leaving behind only around a third of the horn’s original length. It’s arms and torso, the parts not covered by thick fur, were also covered in various scars. But it was the fur itself that would get the notice of any Adventure. The thick fur that covered the bull-like head, shoulders, chest and upper back, the forearms, and everything from the waist down to the cloven hooves was normally a dark brown color. But this particular Minotaur’s fur had a distinct reddish color to it, as if the brown fur had completely changed color. That meant only one thing.

Mutation

Monsters that lived a long time tended to change in various ways. Some became experts at stealth and ambush tactics from years upon years of experience. But the ones that terrified many Adventurers weren’t the ones that perfected their hunting methods. It was the wild ones that were so vicious they even started killing their own kind. Monsters that preyed upon other Monsters, killing them and devouring their Magic Stones. After doing this for long enough, the influx of Magical Energy would cause changes to the Monster in question. They’d be stronger naturally, but some became bigger, some gained odd abilities that normal members of their kind didn’t possess, but they all had one thing in common…they were strengthened species.

This Red Minotaur wouldn’t be merely a Level 2 Raging Bull-Type Monster. It would be a Level 2 that was pushing into the boundaries of Level 3!

“W-Why…why the hell are you on the Ninth Floor?!” Kanu cried out in panicked terror as the Red Minotaur snarled at him.

The Minotaur didn’t answer, it lacked the ability to after all. Instead, it swung the steel greatsword at Kanu in a powerful downward strike that sliced the Raccoon Man in half, splattering the rocky floor with blood and tossing the upper part of Kanu’s body a good distance away from the point of impact.

“MROOOAAAARRR!!!” The Red Minotaur bellowed out after finishing off the last of the three Adventurers that it had crossed paths with.

“…” Ottar watched on in silence. His trained beast was now on a floor that he could contain it in a cavern. One that he knew would be passed by on the way down to the Tenth Floor. He just had to wait now, until he spotted Bell Cranel. But until that time, his presence alone would keep the Red Minotaur in the cavern, as well as keeping any normal Adventurer from entering. No one wanted to get on ‘Warlord’ Ottar’s bad side, or even worse, Freya Familia’s bad side.

-The Next Day ~ Dungeon-

“Firebolt!” Bell cast and the Wall Shadow was blasted with flames. The golem-like Monster collapsed and the light of the circular ‘face’ dimmed until it went out entirely. It was the last of a small group of three that Bell and Lili had run across this morning.

“You’re using your Magic almost exclusively today, Master Bell.” Lili had noticed Bell barely using his spear, and he hadn’t drawn his knives once yet.

“Yeah, I’m trying to work on my Magic stat today.” Bell smiled as he kept an eye out for more Monsters. “It’s my lowest stat since my Magic is still kinda new to me. Plus, with my other stats already being high…” He left the rest of the statement unsaid, but Lili understood. Bell was still slightly concerned about breaking the cap, so he was focusing on his lower Magic stat so he didn’t inadvertently raise his stats that had gone into the SS Rank.

“Well, it’ll just take a second to harvest these Wall Shadows!” Lili smiled, hoping to alleviate some of his worry. “Maybe I can try to get a couple extra Drop Items from them?”

“Sure thing, Lili, I believe in you.” Bell chuckled as he saw Lili’s smile. She was wonderful, trying to keep his mind of the oddity of his Status.

“Just let me know when you need a Mind Potion, Master Bell.” Lili reminded him as she cut off one of the finger blades of the first dead Wall Shadow. It crumbled away into black dust a second later making her grimace.

“No problem.” Bell nodded to her. As his Magic stat had grown, he’d been able to fire more Firebolts before getting the woozy feeling of low Mind. Each shot also packed more power now. But he still had to be aware of his limits so that he didn’t hit Mind Down again. That could end up being a death sentence in the Dungeon, even on the upper floors. “I should have five more shots before I’ll need the Mind Potion.” That would of course change if he needed to use his Vesta Enhance spell for any reason, but until they got down to the Tenth Floor, he didn’t see why he’d need to.

-Hephaestus Familia Home ~ Hephaestus’s Office-

“He what?” Hephaestus blinked at Hestia in disbelief.

“Bell broke the cap of S 999.” Hestia repeated to her niece, her blue eyes clear and completely serious.

“That’s impossible, Hestia.” Hephaestus shook her head slowly. “It’s literally not how the Falna works.”

“See for yourself.” Hestia pulled the folded Status Update sheet from her cleavage and then unfolded it.

“You really kept it there?” Hephaestus deadpanned at her aunt.

“I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere if I kept it there.” Hestia shrugged as she laid the paper flat on the desk between them.

Hephaestus picked up the paper and went over it quickly. Name, Level, Strength was at…SS 1028?! “What the hell?!” She couldn’t stop the outburst if she tried. Her sharp eyes quickly read through the rest of his stats. Defense was high, but still within the limits. Dexterity was at SS 1035! The boy’s Agility was even higher at SS 1046! Hephaestus almost sank into her chair in relief when she saw his Magic stat at only C 623. “What the hell did you do, Hestia?”

“I didn’t do anything…I think?” Hestia looked a mix of worried for Bell and annoyed that Hephaestus instantly thought she’d done something. “I’m just letting his Falna grow and adding in any Magic or Skills that show up.”

“Then how has he not only grown so fast, but also broken the cap that is intrinsic to the Falna?” Hephaestus questioned with a raised eyebrow. This didn’t make any sense at all. The Falna had been in use for the last thousand years and this had never happened before. Something had to have made it possible to exceed the normal limits of the Falna.

“It’s…a Skill.” Hestia finally spoke after a long moment of silence. She reached forward and ran her fingers over the ‘erased’ portion of Bell’s Skills.

“Liaris Freese?” Hephaestus had never heard of such a Skill before. She read over it and took a second to process what she’d read. “I guess this would explain why he grew so quickly. But it doesn’t really explain how he broke the limit of the Falna. Growth should’ve stopped when he hit the cap, no matter how strong his feelings are or how much he desired to get stronger. This Skill literally made him grown past the limit?”

“I’ve kept it hidden from Bell, because I’d never heard of it either.” Hestia admitted with some self-loathing. “But we both know how so many of the Deities are. Anything new or unique and they just have to have it for themselves.” She sighed heavily. “Bell is an open book if he’s pressed for answers, not to mention that Mortals can’t lie to us without us knowing. So, for now, I’ve kept this a secret from him. When he’s stronger, and our Familia is bigger, I want to tell him about it so that he understands why he grows like he does. I just hope that he’ll forgive me when that time comes.”

“You’re doing it out of concern for him, I’m sure he’ll understand.” Hephaestus tried to reassure Hestia with a genuine smile. The Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family smiled back slightly. “For now, though, you need to make sure that no one sees his Falna. Not many people can read Hieroglyphs, but there’s more than enough people in Orario capable of it.”

“I’ll make sure to tell Bell to keep his shirt on anytime that he’s not at home.” Hestia gave a sharp nod to her niece.

“Keep his shirt on?” Hephaestus blinked and shot her aunt an absolutely confused look. “What does that have to do with it?”

“Well, the Falna just sits on the Adventurer’s back, right?” Hestia replied before recalling something. “Wait…Lili’s wasn’t showing when we did the conversion. It appeared when Soma dropped his blood on it though.”

“Hestia!” Hephaestus nearly jumped across her desk to grab her fellow Olympian Goddess by the shoulders. “Are you telling me you don’t lock the Falna on your Familia members?!”

“Lock?” Hestia looked blankly at Hephaestus.

“Their Falna are just sitting in plain view, you don’t make them vanish after you get done updating them?” Hephaestus explained, trying to keep her composure.

“I do that?” Hestia asked and Hephaestus nearly screamed.

“Yes, you can do that, you’re supposed to do that as basic security to keep their Status secret from others!” Hephaestus shook Hestia back and forth. “Where are your children right now?!”

In…in the Dungeon!” Hestia spoke loudly as Hephaestus finally stopped shaking her.

“By the heavens, Hestia…” Hephaestus sighed heavily as she returned to her seat. “Why didn’t you ask me more about the Falna if you didn’t know everything about it?”

“Well, I was going to, but things were progressing well and I didn’t know that there was a way to hide the Falna to begin with.” Hestia explained without looking at her niece directly.

“Hah…” Hephaestus sighed while rubbing her temples. “Just…just bring them both here this evening and I’ll show you how to lock the Falna. Hopefully nothing happens that causes the boy to lose his shirt in the Dungeon today.”

“I’m sure that won’t happen…probably.” Hestia reached for the almost forgotten teacups that they’d been sipping from at the start of their meeting. The handle of the teacup suddenly falling off for no explainable reason made Hestia blanch. “Eh…?” She looked between the cup and Hephaestus before speaking again. “Th-That’s just a coincidence…right?”

The flat look that Hephaestus gave her didn’t reassure Hestia at all.

-Dungeon ~ Ninth Floor-

“Master Bell, is something wrong?” Lili asked as they trekked towards the Tenth Floor. They were entering a large cavern that would lead to a corridor that exited near the stairs leading down to the next floor.

“Not sure…but this seems strange.” Bell mentioned, his red eyes looking around again.

“Strange how?” Lili tilted her head. Nothing seemed to be happening as they walked.

“It’s just that it’s been almost too quiet since we entered the Ninth Floor.” Bell tried to explain his feeling of unease. “We haven’t seen a single Monster yet either.”

“Now that you mention it.” Lili narrowed her eyes as she realized that Bell was correct about the lack of Monsters and noise. She was surprised that she hadn’t picked up on it first, honestly.

‘What is this terrible feeling?’ Bell wondered as he just couldn’t calm down. “Let’s get to the Tenth Floor quickly.” He got a nod from Lili and they turned in the direction of the corridor that would lead them towards the stairs.

“Uuuoooo…” The low rumbling sound made every hair on Bell’s body stand on end. He quickly turned to face the sound and locked up with his eyes wide. The ground cracked under a massive cloven hoof as the Monster stepped into their view. A huge greatsword, chipped, cracked, and worn dragged along the rocky ground of the cavern. Its edge mostly blunt, making it more akin to a club now, but with just enough sharpness to cut when swung by the Minotaur’s massive strength.

Unseen by Bell and Lili, Ottar held up a lightly glowing blue gem. It was connected to a mirror in Freya’s possession and allowed her to see what was before the gem within the mirror. It had been a ridiculously expensive Magical Item to acquire, but it was perfect for allowing Freya to witness things without putting herself in any danger, something that all of her Familia approved of.

“Now then…why don’t you show me?” Freya smiled at the image of Bell in the mirror while reclining in her favored chair on her floor of Babel Tower. “Show me...everything.” She cooed as the Minotaur that Ottar had trained stalked towards Bell and Lili.

“Eh…?” Bell froze as he stared at the approaching Minotaur.

“A Minotaur?!” Lili exclaimed in shock and fear. “What’s it doing here?!” She took a step back from the Monster instinctively. “We should run, Master Bell! We don’t stand a chance!” Not getting a response, she turned to look at him. “Master Bell?!”

“Ah…uh…” Bell was beginning to breath harder and harder as he stared at the Minotaur. ‘Scared. Scared. Scared. Scared. I’m scared. I’m so scared.’ The trauma that Bell had ignored quickly reasserted itself when he was faced with another Minotaur. His body was trembling so badly that Lili could see it.

“Uuuoooo!” The Red Minotaur hefted the large greatsword and brought it down in a devastating overhead swing.

“BELL!” Lili screamed and tackled her boyfriend aside. The steel blade slammed into her large pack, shredding it instantly and then shattered the floor. The shrapnel of stones and the cloud of dust obscured the Minotaur’s vision.

“Huh…?” Bell finally blinked for the first time since the Minotaur had appeared. “L-Lili?” He looked down and saw his girlfriend lying on his chest, blood running down her face and the back of her robe shredded. The large pack had taken most of the force, her Superior Grade cloak absorbed some more too, but the shrapnel and shockwave of the massive blade had clearly injured Lili heavily. He gently held her close while forcing himself to sit up. ‘I’m so scared I can barely stand it…but I won’t let Lili die!’ He glared angrily at the Red Minotaur, his rage blocking his fear before Ais’s words flitted across his mind.

‘You must never be reckless, especially in the Dungeon.’ Ais had told him when he’d first tried to rush her in hopes of getting over his fear.

“Sorry Lili, bear with it for a bit.” Bell apologized and tossed Lili away. He promised himself that he’d apologize as he saw her bounce once off the stone floor. With a grimace he ran in the opposite direction, reaching down to grab a familiar orange potion in the process that had been scattered by the destruction of Lili’s large backpack. “Firebolt!” He cast and the flames leapt from his hand and slammed into the Minotaur.

“MROOOOAAARR!!!” The Red Minotaur roared at the spell hitting it. The brief moment that the Raging Bull-Type Monster paused gave Bell time to chug the Mind Potion and restore his reserves to full.

“Firebolt! Firebolt!” Bell raised both hands and blasted the Minotaur with two shots at the same time. The explosion of flames was larger and Bell didn’t hear anything like a roar of pain. For just a split second he wondered if his spells had somehow taken it down.

“UUUUOOO!!!” The Minotaur burst out of the smoke and punched Bell, its large fist impacting his breastplate and shattering it.

“GAKH!!!” Bell hacked as the wind was knocked out of him. He flew across the cavern and slammed into the wall as his breastplate fell to pieces. ‘Fast!’ Was the only coherent thought that Bell had as he fell to the floor. He forced himself to stand up, even as his body ached and the Minotaur roared loudly. ‘Can I win?’ He thought to himself, staring at the Monster as it locked it gaze on him again.

At the entrance to the cavern (the one that Bell and Lili had entered through) a Party of four Adventurers watched on in terror as the Minotaur bellowed. All of them were Level 1 and shaking in fear of the beast, sweat was running down their faces as they saw the Minotaur stalk towards the white-haired teen.

“A Minotaur, on the Ninth Floor of all places?!” The leader of the small Party nearly ground his teeth as he saw the Monster. “Damn it…we’ve gotta go, now!” He looked at his Party with panic building in his eyes.

“Are we really just going to leave that boy to die?” The Catgirl asked in horror.

“If it’s just us, there’s no way we can save him!” The large, bearded man next to her shook his head. His eyes were wide and sweat was pouring down his face.

“We’ll be wiped out.” The Supporter of the group agreed, shaking heavily.

“Run, or we won’t make it out alive!” The leader made the call and all four began to run back the way they came. With any luck, maybe they’d find a Party of Level 2’s on their way back towards the surface.

‘The first Hero I ever looked up to was grampa.’ Bell recalled as he stood to his feet. ‘He always said that he could never be a Hero, but I didn’t believe it. Gramps was the coolest. He had the body of a warrior, and I always felt safe in his hands.’ He recalled his grandpa’s advice about running if his life was in danger. About getting help if his life was on the line. Apologizing to a woman if she looked pissed. And how being laughed at wasn’t shameful. That the only thing shameful was not moving forward because you couldn’t make up your mind. ‘Gramps…I don’t think I can move.’ Bell ground his teeth as the Minotaur rushed towards him.

“MOOORRROOOAAARRR!!!” The Red Minotaur raised the battered greatsword high over its head.

‘We’ll both be killed if I don’t move.’ Bell fought against the fear within him that was locking up his body. “MOVE, DAMN IT!!!” He physically ordered his body and leapt aside just as the greatsword slammed into the spot he’d been standing in as well as the wall behind it. “Gotta get some distance…” Bell grunted only to see the wall shatter into gravel as the Minotaur swung the worn greatsword through the rock to try and hit him. He jerked his head and upper body to the side, the steel still slicing the tips of his white hair from the speed. ‘This thing knows how to fight!’ He realized that the Red Minotaur wasn’t just mindlessly swinging the greatsword around.

“B-Bell…?” Lili’s voice got Bell’s attention and he looked over to her. She was back on her feet, but was using a stalagmite to hold herself upright.

“Lili! Run!” Bell shouted as he skipped back to get out of range of the greatsword.

“Bell!” Lili tried to take a step forward but Bell’s voice stopped her.

“RUN!” Bell yelled louder. Lili shook her head, refusing to leave him here to die. “I’m telling you to run!” Bell ducked under a swing and moved to follow path of the blade at an angle. A trick that Tiona had demonstrated to him with her massive Urga. It would be hard for the Minotaur to reverse its swing without resetting its footing, and the angle he was moving meant that he’d be out of range even if it did swing again. “I need you to find help, Lili!” Bell tried to explain, or at least make an excuse to get Lili out of here. “Find other Adventurers! I’ll hold it off until you get back!” Seeing Lili still standing there, he raised his voice even more. “Hurry! Go!”

Lili was in tears as she took two steps forward and picked up Bell’s black spear. “Bell! Catch!” She threw the weapon, butt first, towards Bell before finally turning and doing her best to run for help.

“Thank goodness.” Bell caught his spear and took up his stance. ‘At least Lili got away.’ He felt some relief at that she would live through this now.

‘Please Bell, don’t leave me alone.’ Hestia’s voice rang in his head and his grip tightened on his spear.

“What the hell am I thinking!” Bell snapped at his thoughts. “I made her a promise! I’m not going to break it now!” He lunged forward with his spear, the weapon about equaling out the reach between him and the Minotaur. The Minotaur went for a wide swing, looking to bisect Bell. It didn’t expect him to duck low, letting the massive blade pass over him, before thrusting the sharp spear into the scarred torso of the Monster.

“UUUOOO!!!” The Red Minotaur roared as the rapier-like blade actually managed to make a small injury. It bled, barely, but wasn’t anything that the Minotaur had to worry about.

‘Minotaurs are known to use their powerful hooves to stomp on the legs of Adventurers to cripple them and make them easier to kill.’ Eina’s lessons rang through Bell’s head as he saw the Minotaur’s leg move. He leapt back as much as he could and watched the stone shatter into pebbles where his right leg had been not a second ago.

“Hestia’s Blessing, Eina’s Knowledge, My training under Ais, Tiona, and Tione, I’ll throw everything I’ve learned and gathered at you!” Bell roared back at the Minotaur. “And I’ll win!” He readied his spear as the Minotaur charged at him again.

-Dungeon ~ Seventh Floor-

The Loki Familia’s expedition traveled through the main route of the Seventh Floor without worry. Any Monster that appeared on the upper floors could be killed instantly even by the weakest members of their Expedition Party. As the first team of the two teams that they’d split their large group into, their primary goal was to eliminate any Monsters they encountered to make progress for the second team easier. Since the second team had the majority of their supplies for this expedition with them, it was all the more important that the path be as clear as possible for them.

“It’s great that we have the Smiths from Hephaestus Familia with us, right Ais?” Tiona laughed as she held onto the blonde’s shoulders.

“Yes, it’s great to have them with us.” Ais agreed, knowing just how invaluable the ability to repair and restore weapons and armor in the Dungeon was.

“Now we can really tear it up in the lower floors!” Tiona raised her fist into the air. “Limbs are gonna fly!”

“You know, once a weapon is broken, there’s no fixing it.” Tione looked at her sister pointedly. Tiona had gone through more weapons than probably anyone else in Loki Familia.

“Hephaestus Familia is good, at least they won’t slow us down.” Bete grinned as they continued to trek through the large corridor.

“There it is, Bete’s arrogance strikes again.” Tiona rolled her eyes at the Werewolf.

“You got a problem?” Bete growled at the Amazon.

“Bete, why do you have to say stuff like that?” Tiona questioned the older Adventurer. “Does it feel that good to look down on other Adventurers? I hate stuff like that.” She scowled at him.

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” Bete scoffed. “It’d be embarrassing to feel accomplished by comparing myself to small fry. I’m just being realistic.”

“Then take care with your words.” Riveria sent a sharp look at him. “It is as if you want us to misunderstand.

“Ah, shut up.” Bete retorted with a tsk. “I can’t stand wimps is all. Acting like hot shit when they can’t do a damn thing. Makes me want to puke.”

“All I hear is conceitedness for one that once walked in their shoes.” Riveria wasn’t impressed by the Werewolf’s personal opinion.

“That’s right!” Tiona agreed, looking at Bete with narrowed eyes. “You started out just as weak as the rest, Bete!”

“Just know your place, that’s all I’m saying.” Bete shrugged without a care. He’d seen what acting like you were the top dog got you when you couldn’t back it up. It was why he prided strength so much…why he refused to be weak.

“Your place…” Ais sighed quietly. ‘Back then, Bell got reminded of his place…but now…how did he grow so much? What pushed him so far?’ She recalled their time together training atop the wall. Her reverie was broken as the sound of rapid footsteps was heard.

“Hmm?” Tiona had noticed the sound too and was looking down the nearby corridor.

“Four?” Ais tried to count the number of different footfalls she could hear as they rapidly closed in.

“Whoa!” The four Adventurers came to a halt as they spotted the large group. “Who…who are you?!” It only took a moment for him to notice Bete when the Werewolf stepped forward. “Is that…Vanargand, Bete Loga?!”

“It’s the whole Loki Familia!” The Catgirl exclaimed, seeing so many famous Adventurers.

“Hey, what’s got you lot so worked up? You ditch a buddy to save your own skins?” Bete guessed tactlessly based on their panicked appearances.

“What’d you say?!” The bearded Adventurer in full armor growled at Bete.

“Stand down!” The leader held out his hand in front of his Party member. “There was a Minotaur.” He informed the Loki Familia.

“What?” Bete looked at the Level 1 like he was an idiot.

“A Minotaur, I tell you!” He raised his voice. “A Minotaur with a greatsword is hacking away at some white-haired kid in the upper levels!”

Ais, Tione, and Tiona’s eyes all widened at the man’s words.

“Greatsword?” Bete leaned forward. “Not some landform?”

“No, that was a forged steel greatsword it had, there’s no mistake!” The Catgirl shook her head rapidly.

“I’ve never heard of anything like that, not even a rumor.” Riveria looked slightly skeptical. After all, a Minotaur spotted on the upper floors was news that would quickly get around and see a mass exodus of Level 1 Adventurers from the Dungeon.

“Where was it?” Tiona questioned the man.

“Where’s the Adventurer being attacked?” Ais also stepped forward.

“We asked you a question, damn it!” Tione’s anger was quick to spark at the man’s lack of reply.

“N-Ninth Floor…the cavern that leads almost directly to the Tenth Floor stairs.” The man stuttered out seeing the rage in the Amazon’s eyes.

All three young women bolted down the corridor before anyone could stop them.

“What the hell are you three doing?!” Bete yelled as he quickly chased after them.

“…What are you planning to do?” Riveria looked at Finn. Seeing four of their Party run off was unexpected.

“You have to ask?” Finn had a small grin. “We will move ahead! All forces will convene on Floor Eighteen as planned!” He called out to the large Party. “Raul! Take the lead!” He pointed at Raul Nord, the Level 4 that often played Supporter to the Familia’s Level 5 and 6 Adventurers when they went on Expeditions.

“Y-Yes, sir!” Raul jolted at being called out and then having the leadership role thrust upon him.

“Finn…don’t tell me you’re going?” Riveria raised an eyebrow at the Captain of Loki Familia.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re staying here, Riveria?” Finn replied as he held up his hand. “My thumb won’t stop tingling.” He looked down the corridor that the other four had already disappeared down. “I want to see what happens with my own eyes.”

With that said, both the High Elf and the Prum headed down the corridor as the rest of the Expedition Party followed Raul on the designated path.

-Dungeon ~ Ninth Floor-

“Beast roars and the sounds of battle.” Ais spoked as the faint sounds echoed around the corridors of the Ninth Floor.

“That cavern, it’s the one a bit further down from here, right?” Tione questioned as they continued to run.

“Who’s that?” Tiona noticed the haggard form of someone in a torn up beige cloak hobbling along while using the wall for support.

“Please…Adventurers…” Lili spoke between heavy breaths. “Please…help…” She nearly collapsed only for Ais to move forward to catch her. “Master Bell…please…save Bell…” She begged them, her body weak and her vision still blurry.

“Where is he?” Ais needed to know if the battle had moved. If they weren’t in the cavern anymore, then it was a waste of time to go there.

“Down…there…” Lili pointed shakily at the corridor. “The large cavern…that leads to…the stairs.”

A figure emerging from the gloom made all four of them gape. The towering figure of Ottar walked forward with a large greatsword over his shoulder. Upon seeing them, he stopped moving and looked them over.

“Kenki…Slasher… Jörmungandr…” Ottar was surprised that three upper level Adventurers were coming towards the area where Bell was unknowingly undertaking his challenge. “Three long-time rivals of a different Familia…what better reason for a fight to the death?” He pointed the greatsword in his right hand at the three women.

“Why are you here?” Ais questioned as she gently set Lili against the wall. Both Tione and Tiona preparing for a fight as Tione drew her kukri knives and Tiona dropped into a stance to fight barehanded. Her Urga was currently being ported by one of the First Team’s Supporters.

“There’s no need for words.” Ottar held the greatsword at the ready. “Come.”

“Get out of our way!” Ais blurred forward with her sword drawn. A flurry of strikes rained down on Ottar, the Boaz man moving the greatsword with ease and dexterity to block every blow.

“Those moves…” Ottar pushed Ais back with a swing of his sword. “Yes…you recently reached a new Level, right?”

‘He blocked everything?’ Ais felt her eyes widen seeing Ottar not even having to move to defend against her.

“How strong will you get, Kenki?” Ottar raised his sword to strike.

“Don’t forget about us!” Tione’s knives slammed into the greatsword with her full weight and strength behind them.

“Got you!” Tiona had slipped under the opening that Tione had made with a powerful kick.

“…” Ottar didn’t speak, but his greatsword moved in a blur, sending Tione backwards and coming down to nearly cut off Tiona’s leg if the Amazon hadn’t aborted her attack and leapt out of range.

“Tempest!” Ais was surrounded in the gale of her Wind Enchant Magic. She shot forward even faster than before, a cyclone of Wind Magic surrounding both her body and especially her blade. Ottar blocked the sword, the Magic leaving small cuts along his face. With a strong step forward, Ottar beat back her attack and Ais skidded backwards along the floor.

“Hmm.” Ottar blocked Tione’s knives and raised his knee to stop Tiona’s kick at the same time.

‘The beast roars from before…I don’t hear them anymore!’ Ais realized and her worry spiked immensely. The only reasons that Monsters in combat stopped roaring was after they won or if they’d been slain. Knowing what Bell was fighting, Ais feared the worst. “Get out of my way!” A typhoon spun around Ais sending everything spiraling away from her. She aimed the point of her sword at Ottar and focused her Magic into it until the wind howled. “Lil Rafaga!” The horizontal tornado that was Ais slammed into Ottar at speeds that many wouldn’t be able to track.

“Huuuuuraaaahhhh!!!” Ottar roared as he pushed back against the gale of power. His arms and face, along with his clothing, were being sliced over and over again, but with a massive heave, the ground shattered. Ais’s feet dug trenches into the rocky floor and she nearly gaped at seeing Ottar still standing. The greatsword in his hand had seen better days though. The edge was chipped and the blade cracked along with the banded guard.

“He…stopped it?” Ais couldn’t believe it. She’d only held back just enough to not instantly kill him. But perhaps, that wouldn’t have been possible anyway? ‘This is Level 7? No. This is Warlord Ottar’s strength.’

“Go, Ais!” Tiona called out as she and Tione rushed Ottar together.

“Get to Bell! We’ll hold him here!” Tione yelled as her knives flashed against Ottars nearly ruined sword.

Ais needed no further prompting and blasted forward into Ottar’s blind spot with her Aerial fully focused on increasing her speed. The Boaz man realized what was happening and swung the damaged greatsword to try and cut off Ais’s path. He wasn’t expecting the sudden arrival of Bete.

“Who the hell do you think you’re swinging your sword at, you damn boar?!” Bete roared as he used both his Frosvirt and one of his daggers to stop the greatsword. Ottar glared for a second as Ais blitzed by and was beyond his reach in the blink of an eye.

Tiona, Tione, and Bete disengaged and Ottar quickly figured out why as Riveria and Finn walked down the corridor.

“Here I was thinking my thumb was tingling a bit too much.” Finn mentioned as he stepped forward to face Ottar. “How are you, Ottar?”

“Finn.” Ottar’s greeting was short.

“Riveria! Help that Prum, okay?!” Tiona requested as she and Tione took off after Ais now that Ottar was no longer blocking the way.

“Will you three, stop running off already?!” Bete chased after them with a growl.

“This is new.” Finn looked at Ottar with a small grin. “I never would’ve guessed that you’d be holding us up. Can I ask the reason for this?”

“You know I don’t need a reason to fight.” Ottar spoke up with a simple non-answer.

“You’re quite right.” Finn nodded easily. “So then, am I to understand that this is the will of your Familia?” The Prum looked into Ottar’s eyes without blinking. “Is this Goddess Freya? Does she wish an all-out war between us?” Ottar said nothing, merely holding Finn’s gaze. “I’ll ask again, was this the will of Lady Freya, or was it your own doing?”

“I act of my own accord.” Ottar replied simply as he rested the near-ruined greatsword over his shoulder and walked past Finn, clearly leaving.

“Uh huh.” Finn had a knowing smile at the blatant lie that had just been told to his face.

“You may come to regret not taking this chance to finish me off.” Ottar spoke as he walked away. “You are oblivious to your own incompetence.” He looked over his shoulder at both Finn and Riveria before disappearing down the corridor.

“Riveria, how is the girl?” Finn questioned as Riveria continued to heal Lili.

“She’s stable, but still in rough condition.” Riveria answered as Lili had fallen unconscious. “It took everything she had to make it this far.”

-Bell vs Red Minotaur-

“Gah!” Bell cried out as he blocked the greatsword with his spear. Well, mostly blocked it as his spear blade broke from the force. “My spear!”

“MOOOORRRRAAAHHHH!!!” The Minotaur’s follow up punch snapped the haft of the broken spear in two. Bell growled as he raised his hands, his palms pointing at the Minotaur.

“Firebolt! Firebolt!” Bell cast two blasts straight at the Minotaur’s face. The Monster howled in rage, even as it used the worn greatsword as a partial shield. The fight hadn’t been in Bell’s favor to start, but having the reach of his spear had at least made it possible to slightly injure the Minotaur. The arms and torso of the beast were covered in small stab wounds and shallow cuts.

“UUUOOOOO!!!” The Minotaur charged out of the smoke to slam into Bell head first. Only the obstruction of its vision had made its horn miss stabbing through Bell’s chest.

“Hakh!” Bell was sure he’d just coughed up blood from that. The green vambrace that Eina had bought for him was cracked and its sacrifice was probably the only reason that Bell’s arm wasn’t broken too. He went sailing backwards and bounced twice off the ground before rolling to a stop. “Hah…hah…” Bell panted for breath as he rolled onto his back. Everything hurt now…his spear was destroyed; his armor was reduced to scraps that were scattered over the cavern. He had his two knives and the rest of his Mind to cast spells, that was it.

“Mooorgh?” The Minotaur made an odd noise and Bell opened his eyes to see the beauty of Ais Wallenstein standing between him and the Minotaur. A second later and she had both Tiona and Tione at her side, all three women prepared to kill the Red Minotaur without a second of hesitation.

“You fought well.” Ais glanced at Bell, seeing the destroyed state of his armor and the various bruises and cuts over his body. The white-haired young man also had blood on his face and some soaked into what remained of his shirt. ‘You fought very well.’ She amended in her mind as she narrowed her golden eyes at the strange Minotaur. “We’ll save you now.”

‘Save?’ Bell felt his heart almost stop at that word. ‘It’s the same. It’s exactly the same as last time.’ His fingers dug into the rock and dirt as he clenched his fists. ‘I’m still just a weakling that has to be saved?!’ He forced himself to sit up, grinding his teeth and uncaring of the pain he was in. ‘Get up. Get up! Stand up!’ He got one foot under him and stood up, nearly swaying on his feet. ‘I’ve had enough of being pathetic! I made up my mind to be strong! My goal is standing right before me!’ He looked at the backs of the three girls. ‘If I don’t stand up right now. If I don’t reach for new heights right now. When Will I ever reach them?!’ He reached out and grasped Ais’s left arm, shocking the blonde that he was on his feet.

“Bell?” Tione looked at him in concern as he took a step forward.

“Never again…” Bell spoke as he lifted his head to stare at the Minotaur. “I will not be saved again!”

“Bell…” Tiona wanted to tell him it was okay, but the words died in her throat.

Bell’s red eyes were blazing with nothing but pure determination. No anger, no hatred, just pure focus and desire to defeat the enemy before him. None of the girls could speak up against him as he walked forward. He drew his knives and stood in front of the Red Minotaur.

‘Time for an Adventure!’ Bell thought as the Minotaur growled at him. “Rise!” He felt the rush flow through him as his Vesta Enhance Spell activated. His stats rose significantly on top of the boost to both his Strength and Dexterity from his Dual Wield Skill. He rushed forward as the Minotaur roared. The battered greatsword came down in an overhead strike, but Bell sidestepped and launched himself upwards. A roundhouse kick slammed into the side of the Minotaur’s head forcing it to face away from Bell.

“Well…look at that, the kid can dodge.” Bete remarked as he stepped up next to the girls. “You got rejected, Ais. Oh well, it’s against the rules to steal someone else’s kill.” Looking closer at who was fighting, Bete blinked for a second. “Wait a minute, isn’t that the ‘Tomato Boy’ from last time?” With a snort of amusement, the Werewolf watched the fight. “Can’t say I blame him. Same Monster, same savior, that’d just be humiliating.”

“He’s only Level 1, he needs our help.” Tiona shot an uncharacteristic glare at Bete.

“Leave him be, the kid is being a man.” Bete retorted with a wave of his hand.

“Who’s Level 1?” Tione stared at Bell fighting, seeing him move in ways and at speed that he’d never shown them before.

“Yah!” Bell struck with the Hestia Knife, slicing much deeper than he’d managed with his spear. The Red Minotaur roared in pain and rage as its blood fell to the stone floor. The swing of the greatsword was ducked and another laceration was made along the solid wall of muscle that made up the Minotaur’s abdominals.

“Bete…if I recall, just over a month ago, you said this kid looked like the newest of newbies, correct?” Finn hadn’t taken his eyes off the fight the entire time.

“What the hell happened…?!” Bete could only stare at Bell’s movements as he fought against the odd-looking Minotaur.

“MOOOORRRRAAAHHH!!!” The Minotaur swung the greatsword horizontally at Bell. It didn’t expect the teen to slide under the attack and leave a gash on its right leg. It turned to face him and slammed the sword down on the Adventurer, only to miss as the human jumped to the side before hopping back to his feet. “OOOUUU!!!” The Monster’s rage was palpable as it stomped after Bell, the wound on its right leg slightly slowing it down.

‘Don’t worry about its size! It’s just big, that’s all! You’ve fought people much faster than this countless times!’ Bell was doing everything he could to keep up with the Minotaur’s string of attacks. ‘Focus! Keep your eyes open!’ He ground the edge of the Hestia Knife against the worn greatsword to move in close and stab the Minotaur again. The knife he’d gotten from the Hephaestus Familia shop only made a small injury that bled slightly. It just wasn’t strong enough to get through the Minotaur’s hide. ‘This isn’t some pathetic fantasy! You’re not caught up in your own ego! You’re not daydreaming about some unobtainable wish!’ Bell spun over another horizontal swing before plunging the Hestia Knife into the Red Minotaur’s left leg and then roughly yanked it out in a spray of blood. ‘I…am going to be a Hero!’

“Argonaut…” Tiona spoke with a smile. “A legend from long ago. The story of a young man with the dream of being a hero. He journeyed deep into a labyrinth to rescue his kidnapped Queen from a Bull Monster. He was sometimes duped, and sometimes used, but despite the odds, with the help of his friends and weapons given to him by spirits, he gradually made progress and rescued the Queen. A comical man’s heroic tale. I’ve always liked that story.” She grinned and her eyes filled with warmth as she watched Bell fight.

-Babel Tower ~ Freya’s Floor-

“It can’t be!” Freya leaned forward in shock. “Is he really…?” She laughed while watching Bell continue the fight against the Monster Ottar had trained. “Can you see it, Ottar? This beautiful scene?” She knew that no one would notice the small blue gem that Ottar had left behind to allow her the ability to finish watching Bell’s trial.

-Dungeon-

“Firebolt!” Bell’s left hand knife was tossed into the air, the Minotaur reflexively looking up for a second to follow the movement. Bell’s left hand filled with flames that rocketed up into the Minotaur’s jaws like a magical version of an uppercut. The blast of fire went off and allowed Bell to leap back to catch his knife. The Minotaur roared in rage and pain as it lunged out of the smoke.

“That was quick!” Tiona gaped at seeing a spell go off so quickly. “A short chant spell?”

“Did he even use a chant at all?” Tione shook her head. Bell had never had a reason to show them his Magic during their training. This was new to all of them.

“He’s fighting well, but that Minotaur isn’t normal.” Riveria noted, briefly she wondered what kind of Magic the boy wielded.

“Minotaurs naturally have thick hide and fur that protects them from heat and cold. That spell won’t be enough.” Finn remarked as Bell leapt at the Minotaur and slashed at its neck with the Hestia Knife. “It’s figured out that only that black knife can really hurt it.” The Minotaur proved the Loki Familia Captain’s words when it jerked its head back to avoid the slash but didn’t care about the shallow cut that the knife in Bell’s left hand left on its skin.

“MOOORRRRHHH!!!” The Red Minotaur bellowed as it slammed a punch into the ground, throwing up rocks and dust. Bell only had a fraction of a second of warning before the battered greatsword was swung through the visual obstruction. He tilted his upper body at an odd angle, but his Hephaestus Familia knife was caught by the sudden swing. It broke from the force and the blade went sailing away.

“My knife!” Bell exclaimed with a growl, only vaguely aware that the boost from his Skill was now gone. He tossed the handle at the Minotaur’s eye, but the Bull Monster swung its remaining horn to knock it aside. The move however made the Minotaur lose sight of Bell for a second, one second that he capitalized on viciously! The Hestia Knife was a blur as it sliced through the right wrist of the Minotaur. Blood sprayed through the air as the severed hand, and the sword it held, fell to the ground.

“ROOOOOAAAAGGGHHH!!!” The Red Minotaur flailed in pain at the loss of its hand.

“Firebolt! Firebolt! Firebolt!” Bell fired in succession blasting the injured Minotaur back a few staggered steps. He sheathed the Hestia Knife and grabbed the fallen greatsword. “Hyah!” He hefted the heavy weapon into the air and brought it down on the Minotaur as hard as he could. The weapon split the Monster’s skin, deeper than Bell’s now broken knife had, and blood coated the blade.

“He got a hit!” Tiona exclaimed as the heavy blade slammed into the ground from the swing. Bell grunted as he used his strength and body mechanics to spin a full three-hundred-sixty degrees to slash the Minotaur across the stomach. “Oh, wow, he does suck with heavy weapons.” She recalled Bell saying that they didn’t feel right in his hands.

“He’s pushing it back though.” Ais spoke up, her eyes nearly unblinking as she watched the fight. Indeed, the Minotaur had staggered back a few steps from the two blows from its own sword.

“OOOUUU!!!” The Red Minotaur roared as it used its remaining fist to start swinging at Bell. The weight of the greatsword made dodging much harder, so Bell used the slab of steel as both blade and shield. A slash across the chest, followed by dodging a powerful fist to the head, then an overhead swing that lacerated the left arm. Bell was doing everything in his power to keep up with the raging Monster.

“There!” Bell saw the opening the loss of its right hand had left the Minotaur with. Using all the torque his body could produce, he spun and slammed the nearly destroyed greatsword into the Minotaur’s right side, cutting deeply into its flesh. He jumped backwards, dragging the jagged broken edge of the sword along with him, to dodge a furious haymaker that would’ve undoubtedly killed him if it had landed. The gaping wound in the odd Minotaur’s side gushed blood onto the rocks below.

“Mmmmrrrrhhh…” The Red Minotaur panted and huffed for breath. With a growl it slammed its remaining fist against the ground and took a three-point charging stance.

“Minotaurs only take that stance in desperation.” Finn commented while knowing that the battle was about to reach its conclusion, one way or another. “It’s done playing around.”

“Master Bell…” Lili had only been awake for a short time, but she’d already felt like her heart might stop on multiple occasions. Any wrong move and Bell would die. Her heart was breaking watching her boyfriend struggle for his life.

“MOOOOORRRAAAAHHHH!!!” The Red Minotaur charged forward as fast as its injured body could take. Bell rushed forward as well, seemingly to meet the Monster’s charge with his own.

“Dumbass!” Bete barked at the stupid kid for charging straight at a charging Minotaur with a busted sword and an equally injured body.

But Bell wasn’t charging to meet the Minotaur head-on. Eina, Ais, Tione, and Tiona had all given him some version of the same advice before: ‘Meeting a Monster’s charge directly is foolish unless you completely outclass it, avoid the charge and attack from behind instead.’ With that advice firmly in mind, Bell slammed the nearly broken greatsword into the ground and used it like a pole vault to go over the Minotaur. The Monster smashed into the sword, shattering it into pieces, while Bell landed behind it.

“HAAAAHHHH!!!” Bell launched himself at the Minotaur’s exposed back and drew the Hestia Knife. The black blade was buried to the hilt into the Red Minotaur’s flesh.

“Ooooouuuu…” The Minotaur hacked up blood as it tried to raise it’s left arm to strike Bell.

“Firebolt!” Bell pressed the palm of his hand against the butt of the Hestia Knife. The black knife glowed with the flames as it channeled the Magic straight into the Minotaur. An orange light could literally be seen as the spell detonated inside the Monster’s torso.

“Mrrrooooo…” The Minotaur had blood and smoke escaping its mouth and nostrils now, but still tried to reach for Bell.

“You want more?!” Bell yelled as he cast again. “Firebolt!” Another blast went off inside the Minotaur, it’s flesh bulging outwards from the trapped force. “Firebolt!” The third shot had flames escaping the Minotaur’s mouth, nose and even its red eyes were smoking. “Firebolt!” The last shot that Bell had left as Vesta Enhance wore off and the last of his Mind went into the flames. The final blast was too much for the beaten, broken, burned, and near-dead Monster. Its upper torso exploded outwards in a blast of fire. The ruined body, some of its ribs and spine showing, collapsed forward before bursting into the white-grey ash.

Only Lili noticed the Minotaur’s horn hit the ground and then seemingly shed the exterior coating to reveal a red horn beneath it. The fact that it didn’t disappear afterwards meant that once more, Bell’s odd luck with Drop Items had played out in his favor. If she hadn’t been rushing towards Bell nearly in tears, she’d probably have laughed.

“Master Bell!” Lili was at his side despite her previous injuries.

It was only as Lili was running towards Bell that the Loki Familia Adventurers seemed to snap out of their stupor.

“He won…” Bete blinked inwardly shocked that he’d been pulled into the battle so much. He could feel his fur standing up, like he’d gotten an adrenaline high and was raring for battle.

“He did.” Riveria nodded as she stood up.

‘To think that I, Braver Finn Deimne, would actually be inspired by another Adventurer’s courage.’ Finn had a smile on his face even as his thumb constantly tingled. “The kid is good. Very good.”

“That was amazing!” Tiona was already heading for Bell.

“You’re something else, Bell.” Tione joined her sister.

‘I’m turned on right now.’ Tiona and Tione shared the same private thought at almost the same instant.

‘Bell Cranel…you’ve truly become an Adventurer.’ Ais's only thought was filled with pride at Bell’s accomplishment.

“Mind Down…?” Lili was at Bell’s side and noticed that he was completely unconscious.

“He’s passed out, but still standing up?” Tiona marveled at the sheer refusal to fall that Bell had to have.

“What the hell is that kid?” Bete noticed the remnants of Bell’s shirt were barely covering his Falna. Why it was exposed was a mystery, but the Werewolf would happily take the opportunity to get some answers. “Hey, Riveria! Tell me the kid’s Status! You can read Hieroglyphs, right?”

“Are you telling me to steal personal information?” Riveria shot a look at the Werewolf.

“It’s right out in the open for everyone to see! That at stealing! What law is being broken?!” Bete countered impatiently.

“Hmm.” Riveria sighed before closing one eye and looking at the exposed Falna from a distance.

“So, what is it?” Bete couldn’t handle is curiosity very well at the moment.

“Just a moment…” Riveria hushed him before her closed eye snapped open in shock. “What?!” The High Elf actually burst into melodious laughter at what she’d seen.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?!” Bete wanted to know, damn it! “Hey, Ais, you can read some Hieroglyphs too, right?”

“S.” Ais spoke as she took a step towards Bell.

“Huh?” Bete didn’t know what she was referring to.

“His stats are all S Rank…” Ais seemed like she was almost in a daze as she walked forward.

“ALL S RANK?!” Bete, Tiona, Tione, and even Finn exclaimed. Lili, already knowing this fact, was quick to use her cloak to cover Bell’s back. The blocking of Bell’s Falna seemed to snap Ais out of her daze as well, the blonde suddenly looking nervous before being pulled over to Bell by an excited Tiona.

‘Technically everything except Magic is S…but these SS Stats…he’s literally broken the limit. It is a shame that I cannot see his Skills. Still, I can scarcely believe he’s Level 1.’ Riveria thought to herself as she walked over to the boy, subtly taking hold of Ais’s wrist to prevent the fidgeting hand from trying to move the cloak covering Bell’s back. “Don’t.” She whispered to the golden-eyed girl. “What has already been revealed cannot be helped. But to go looking further would be theft.” She murmured quietly. She knew Ais had seen the same thing that she had. A Status that had broken the limit. Ais of all people would want to know how it was possible, the most likely culprit being a Skill of some kind.

“Sorry.” Ais exhaled, looking down at the floor. She knew better, but her desire to know how Bell had grown so fast, and how he’d broken the limit burned within her.

“Name, what’s his name?” Finn questioned, tapping his spear on his shoulder.

“I don’t think I ever heard it.” Bete shook his head.

“Bell.” Ais perked up a bit. “Bell Cranel.”

“Yep, it’s Bell!” Tiona smiled at the white-haired boy.

“He’s really something else, huh?” Tione had a soft look in her eyes even as she helped Lili lay the injured young man down.

-The story of a boy with engravings on his back…-

-Total time as an active Adventurer: 2 Months-

-Total Monsters Slain: 5,001-

-Shattering the record for the fastest Level Up to Level 2, a new Record Holder has been born!-

-End Chapter-

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BOOM!

Bell has done it!

The Minotaur that Ottar raised has fallen! A Stronger Bell could even beat a Stronger Minotaur! The timeline has altered a little bit as well. With the extra time, Bell grew more, trained more, and killed more Monsters! No wonder multiple of his stats broke the limit before he even fought the Minotaur!

What will this lead to in the future?

Perhaps the butterfly will continue to flap its wings!

Also, how does Bell get to celebrate his record-breaking Level Up?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you think with a review!

Until next time, later!