Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! After accomplishing a Grand Feat, Bell needs some time to recover. But there are still things to do after an Adventurer Levels up! The final Status Update of the previous Level’s stats, then the increase to the next Level and resetting the stat tracking back to I 0. Not to mention the addition of a single Developmental Ability, so long as at least one presents itself in the Falna during the Level Up process. Perhaps Bell’s own Level up will be a bit out of the ordinary, just like many things with the rabbit-like Adventurer.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 16 – Level 2 and a Miracle

Gareth Landrock, Level 6 Adventurer and Top Executive of the Loki Familia, led the second team of the Loki Expedition through the Dungeon. Their group was made up of most of the Level 3’s and Level 4’s as well as the Hephaestus Familia Smiths. They were currently walking through the main route of the Eighth Floor, the pathway having recently been cleared by the first team, so they encountered very little in the way of Monsters. If Gareth knew Finn and Riveria, then the first team should already be clearing the way through the Tenth Floor for them.

“Hmm?” Gareth narrowed his eyes as he heard the rapid approach of footsteps heading their way. ‘Doesn’t sound like a Monster. Those are the sound of boots hitting rock.’ The Dwarf thought, though he still tightened his grip on the axe in his hand, just in case. The two rushing towards the expedition group turned out to be Riveria and Ais. Both women were carrying someone and Gareth was confused. “Riveria? Ais?”

“What happened?” Lefiya questioned as the duo rushed past the second team.

“I’ll explain later, we’ll be right back!” Riveria replied quickly as she and Ais continued to run. The Prum in her arms looked worse for wear. The white-haired teen on Ais’s back looked to be in even worse shape and was clearly unconscious.

“They’re in a hurry…something went wrong for those two.” Gareth mentioned with a trace of worry in his tone. He’d seen all too often what the Dungeon could do to Adventurers; even on Floors that they’d traversed before. All it took was a single irregular event or Monster to throw everything off.

“I wonder what happened?” Lefiya’s blue eyes were filled with worry. She was a rather caring Elf, and not so bound by the strict stigmas that some Elven Tribes followed. It was in her nature to worry about things involving her Familia.

-Guild Infirmary-

It was no surprise that Eina had very nearly collapsed at seeing Bell and Lili carried into the Guild from the Dungeon. The advisor’s first reaction to seeing both of them covered in blood and being carried in was to fear the worst. Riveria loudly asking to be taken to the infirmary had snapped Eina out of her shock. The Half-Elf quickly guided Riveria and Ais to the Guild’s onsite infirmary and had both Bell and Lili gently laid on separate beds. The staff were quick to get Potions for both Adventurers as well as bandages as treatment began. Eina excused herself for a brief moment to send a message to Hestia with one of the Guild’s employees.

Hestia had arrived several minutes later, having clearly run the entire distance if her labored breathing was any indication. In a blink she was between the two beds holding Bell’s hand with her right and Lili’s hand with her left. There were tears in the corners of her blue eyes as she looked them over.

“Oh Bell, Lili, I was so worried…” Hestia felt the first tears roll down her cheeks. Seeing them both alive, sleeping off the injuries they’d taken, it was like a massive weight had fallen from her shoulders. Eina gently placed her hands on Hestia’s shoulders, offering her own support and emotional comfort to the Goddess.

Ais and Riveria watched this for a moment, neither wanting to speak and break the moment. It was several moments later before Hestia had gathered herself enough to let go of Bell and Lili. Eina stepped back as Hestia stood up and turned to face Riveria and Ais.

“You two were the one’s that rescued them?” Hestia asked softly.

“All we did was carry them back here.” Riveria shook her head gently. “That young man took down the enemy all by himself, with nothing but his own strength.”

“Thank you, so much.” Hestia smiled beautifully, her eyes looking over Bell with pride before she turned back to face them. Ais and Riveria gave a short bow to the Goddess in return before quietly leaving the room. Riveria noticed that Ais hadn’t stopped looking at Bell until the door closed behind them.

“I have a feeling, that this expedition might be more than we expect.” Riveria mentioned as she and Ais headed for the Dungeon once more. They needed to catch up with the rest of the expedition team, and rejoin the first team at that.

“…” Ais didn’t speak, but her golden eyes narrowed slightly at Riveria’s words. Things had already been happening in the Dungeon recently. Too many irregulars and way too often. The Loki Familia was already looking into things and may be the ones that had to take care of it all.

-Bell’s Dream-

“You looked good out there Bell.” His grandpa smiled at the younger version of Bell. “Yes, you got hurt pretty bad…could hardly believe it. But you held your ground. You didn’t lose to that Monster. Be proud.” He returned the hug of the boy that had a hold of his waist.

“I want to be someone like you, someone strong like you. I want to become my own Hero.” The child Bell spoke with tears in his eyes.

“That all? Too low, too low!” His grandpa took hold of Bell’s shoulders with a chuckle, the familiar smile on his face. “If an old geezer like me is your goal, then aim for something bigger!”

“Well then, would you be happy if I became like one of those Heroes in the stories?” The young Bell questioned, his red eyes on the ground.

“But of course!” His grandpa knelt down to be at eye level with the boy. “You’re my pride and joy and always will be,” He gently ruffled the boy’s white hair. “So, don’t worry about making these old bones happy.” That same wide grin, filled with both cheer and a bit of mischief, smiled at the child. “Real men chase after ladies’ butts! Rescue the damsels in distress! Show off! Always face forward!” He chuckled at the bright smile on Bell’s face. “If it’s for the women that you fall in love with, whether it’s becoming a Hero or whatever else…you can do anything. After all, you’re my grandson that I’m so proud of.”

-Guild Infirmary-

“What are you dreaming about, Bell?” Hestia smiled softly as she wiped away the single tear that had fallen out of the corner of Bell’s eye. “There’s so many things I want to say.” She leaned over to place a loving kiss on his forehead. “You did your best, congratulations, Bell.” She smiled softly at his sleeping face. “This is the first page of your adventure.”

“Bell.” Lili held her boyfriend’s hand as he slept. Her injuries weren’t nearly as bad as his so she’d been up after a night’s rest.

“I’m so glad you two made it back.” Eina gently trailed her fingertips along Bell’s cheek while her other arm was around Lili’s waist, holding the Prum close. Her green eyes were full of emotion, but the two most prominent were relief and love.

It was a happy little family that gathered around a single bed in the Guild Infirmary to wait for their loved one to wake up.

-Babel Tower ~ Freya’s Floor-

“Aaahhh~” Freya cooed as she laid back in her favorite chair. “It was such a wonderous sight, Ottar.” She smiled up at her Familia’s Captain. “The boy’s soul was blazing brightly as he fought! Pure desire, no impurities like rage or hate, just sheer determination to defeat your Monster.” She giggled with mirth. “You’ve exceeded my expectations completely.” The Goddess of Beauty gave him a loving smile. “I knew that I could count on you.”

“As you desire, I shall strive to fulfill.” Ottar replied with a small grin on his lips, a showing of emotion that Freya was thrilled to know that only she got to see.

“Mmm~ I’ll be sure to reward you for such, my love.” Freya purred with desire. Ottar was truly the one that most understood her in Gekai, especially amongst the Mortals. Perhaps it truly had been Fate when she’d met him so long ago.

“Has the boy met your expectations, my Lady?” Ottar questioned of Bell Cranel’s defeat of the Red Minotaur.

“I’ll have to wait until I see him again to be sure, but I can only expect that he’ll shine even brighter now.” Freya hummed happily as she looked out over Orario with a grin.

-Hestia Familia Home ~ Noon-

“I thought I was dreaming at first.” Bell admitted as he held Hestia and Lili close while they cuddled on the couch together. “But I guess I won in the end.” He gently hugged them tighter. “Sorry that I worried you all.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Bell.” Hestia denied as she squeezed him tighter. “I’m just so glad that you’re alive.”

“You saved both of our lives, Master Bell.” Lili also tightened her hug. “Lili could never be mad at you for that.”

“I didn’t think Eina was going to let me leave her sight for the rest of the day, to be honest.” Bell chuckled as Eina had nearly hugged the life out of him when he’d woken up. It had been a bit awkward to wake up and see the tears in his girlfriends’ eyes, but once he’d realized that all three were crying in relief and joy, Bell had done his best to soothe Eina, Hestia, and Lili.

“I know that I’m not going to.” Hestia shook her head, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

“Neither will Lili!” Lili laid her head on his chest, right over his heart.

The next hour was spent just being together and sharing the relief and love that came from their return from what could’ve been a fatal encounter.

“Right…we should head to Hephaestus’s place soon.” Hestia sighed as she reluctantly let go of Bell. “She said that she’d show me how to lock your Falna so that others couldn’t see them.” Lili had told her that the members of Loki Familia had been able to read Bell’s Basic Ability stats after the Minotaur battle. That was annoying, but none of them seemed like they were going to share it with anyone, so Hestia put it aside for now. She’d know if they told Loki at least, since the redheaded Goddess would assuredly be on her case about Bell breaking the limit once she knew about it.

“Do we have to?” Lili mumbled from her place cuddled up with Bell.

“Yes, Lili.” Hestia smiled and gently patted the Prum’s head.

“Fine…” Lili sighed as she let go of Bell and stood up from the couch.

“It’s for the best, right?” Bell smiled at both of them as he stood up too. “It would be bad if people from other Familias could read our stats and Skills just by lifting the back of our shirts.” Lili and Hestia both looked at each other and made a mental note to inform Bell about the Loki Familia members that knew about his Status.

-Hephaestus Familia Home-

“This isn’t that hard to do.” Hephaestus nodded to Hestia as both Lili and Bell sat next to each other on stools with their backs exposed. Hestia’s Falna was visible as the ravenette Goddess pricked her finger with a needle. “Just follow my instructions…” Hephaestus whispered into Hestia’s ear.

Bell felt Hestia’s fingers on his back for a moment as they moved in a set pattern. He didn’t feel any different, but Hestia’s happy exclamation and Hephaestus’s congratulations told him that it must’ve worked out. He watched as Hestia moved to Lili’s back and traced a pattern onto her visible Falna. There wasn’t any glow, like when their Status was updated, but the black lines of the Hieroglyphs slowly faded away, like they were sinking into Lili’s skin. Her unblemished back was left bare as she covered her breasts with her shirt.

“See? Nothing too difficult.” Hephaestus smiled at her aunt in amusement.

“I just didn’t know…” Hestia pouted at Hephaestus. If she had known that she could do this before, then of course she would’ve!

“From what you’ve told me, you may want to update both of their Falna as soon as you get back home.” Hephaestus suggested to Hestia with her visible eye locked onto Bell’s now bare back. “Defeating a Minotaur, especially a strengthened species, at Level 1 will almost certainly be counted as a Grand Feat.” The Goddess of the Forge shook her head. “Two months…you’re going to cause a riot at the upcoming Denatus, you know that?”

“It’s not like we planned for this!” Hestia hugged Bell from behind while narrowing her eyes at Hephaestus. “The other Deities can shut up for once!”

“You and I both know that won’t happen.” Hephaestus deadpanned, the flattest of looks on her face.

“I know…” Hestia grumbled as Lili and Bell got themselves dressed properly again and stood up.

“Thank you very much, Goddess Hephaestus.” Bell and Lili both bowed to the Goddess of the Forge to show their thanks.

“Don’t worry about it.” Hephaestus waved off with a smile. “Hestia should’ve asked me sooner.”

“Hey!” Hestia pouted at her niece for laying the blame at her feet again, even if she wasn’t really wrong. “I’ll see you later, Hephaestus.” She took Bell’s hand in her left and Lili’s in her right before practically dragging them from Hephaestus’s office. Hestia sped up even more when she heard the laughter of her niece behind them.

-Hestia Familia Home-

“Let’s get you taken care of first, Lili.” Hestia smiled at the brunette.

“Yes, Hestia.” Lili looked at Bell before pulling her shirt over her head without a care. Her breasts bounced slightly from the movement and Bell found himself admiring them again. “Hehehe…” Lili giggled as she sat down with a grin on her lips.

“Tease…” Hestia giggled at Lili as a single drop of her blood landed on Lili’s bare back. The Falna became visible before it began to glow. Hestia gently looked through Lili’s Excelia and let the Falna grow stronger from it. “You’ve gotten a bit of a boost from that encounter, Lili.” She mentioned while placing a blank paper onto the girl’s back to copy over the updated Status. “Here you go.” The paper was handed to Lili with a smile.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – H 104 > H 110

Defense – H 137 > H 155

Dexterity – G 253 > G 267

Agility – E 408 > E 422

Magic – E 452 > E 461

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-

“Lili’s Defense went up a lot.” Lili noticed as she saw the eighteen point increase.

“You took a strong blow, even glancing, from that Monster.” Hestia hugged Lili from behind and kissed the top of her head. “It’s no surprise that your Defense spiked like that.” Lili and Hestia enjoyed the closeness and warmth of each other for a long moment before separating. “Your turn, Bell.” She patted the spot that Lili had vacated. Bell shook himself, his gaze having been on Lili’s breasts, before he removed his shirt and took the spot beside Hestia. “Naughty boy~” She whispered into his ear. Lili just looked pleased with herself as she put her shirt back on.

“You can’t blame me.” Bell smiled at Lili, making the Prum’s cheeks gain a dusting of pink on them as she beamed at him.

“Nope.” Hestia winked at Lili, who’s cheeks were now turning red, before she let a drop of her blood fall onto his back. Once more the Falna appeared before it began to glow. Hestia watched the fight with the Red Minotaur through Bell’s Excelia and guided it to grow and strengthen his Falna further. Just as Hephaestus had predicted, the number ‘2’ was visible behind the number ‘1’ beside Bell’s Level. It was a sign that a Grand Feat had been accomplished and as soon as Hestia wanted to change it, then Bell’s Falna would advance to the next Level. “Eh?” Hestia blinked, not only at the boost that Bell’s stats had gained from the fight, but also at seeing something else appear again.

“Hestia?” Bell looked over his shoulder at her.

“You’ve grown even more and something else has appeared again.” Hestia smiled, though it was slightly strained, considering the utter impossibility that Bell had already accomplished. She placed a blank paper on his back and let the update copy over. “See for yourself, Bell.”

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1 (2)

Strength – SS 1028 > SSS 1137

Defense – S 991 > SSS 1110

Dexterity – SS 1035 > SSS 1145

Agility – SS 1046 > SSS 1344

Magic – C 623 > SS 1023

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.)

-Thunderbolt-

Skills

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

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

(Developmental Ability)

(Abnormal Resistance)

(Hunter)

(Luck)

-Status-

“Tr-Triple ‘S’?” Bell gaped at what he saw. Even his Magic Stat that he’d been working on for most of the day had drastically increased. But for it to jump so high? It boggled his mind. It actually took him re-reading his updated Status to notice the new addition to his Magic. “I HAVE A THIRD SPELL?!”

“You do?!” Lili nearly gaped at the news. Magic was a tricky thing to unlock and the chances of it appearing from the Falna was incredibly low. But Bell had unlocked three spells in his first two months as an Adventurer and he wasn’t even a Mage!

“It looks like another Swift Strike Magic…there’s no incantation.” Hestia pointed out. “But I get a weird feeling from it, like it’s not quite the same as your Firebolt spell. It’s as if my Divine Intuition is tingling when I look at it.” She didn’t know how to describe it any better than that.

“What in the world is going on?” Bell leaned back into Hestia’s embrace with a sigh. Sure, his crazy stats were great for becoming the Strongest Adventurer and a Hero, but a third spell on top of it too? He needed a break from his own craziness at this point.

“You’ve done an amazing thing, Bell.” Hestia gently ran her fingers through his white hair. “Be proud of your accomplishments.”

“You’re incredible, Master Bell.” Lili agreed as she moved beside him and hugged him gently.

Bell would simply lay there in their embrace for a time, just unwinding from the unexpected events that seemed to keep happening around him. It was only a bit later, after noticing the time on the wall clock, that Bell slowly sat up from his relaxed position.

“I should probably tell the Guild that I’m Level 2.” Bell stood up, kissing Lili’s cheek as he moved her.

“Are you sure that you’re up for that now, Bell?” Hestia asked, worry in her tone for him.

“Yeah. My body feels pretty good, and the Guild always wants to know about a Level Up as soon as possible according to Eina.”

“We’ll have to look into replacing the armor you lost in the Dungeon soon.” Hestia mentioned since Bell seemed to be alright.

“Considering his last set is broken fragments scattered across the floor of the Dungeon, it would be wise to replace it soon.” Lili nodded in agreement.

“True.” Bell nodded as he put his jacket on. “But it was a great set of armor. I’d like to get something made by the same Smith, if I can. A new spear too.”

-Hephaestus Familia Territory ~ Welf Crozzo’s Smithy-

“This armor is gonna be awesome! Just you wait and see!” Welf declared as he hammered his newest work into shape. The glowing yellow metal slowly taking on the form that he desired. He felt the sudden urge to sneeze but shook it off. A lapse like that could cause him to strike his work wrong and screw it up.

In the back of his mind, he did wonder if someone was talking about him though.

-Guild-

“Eina!” Bell smiled brightly as he saw his girlfriend behind the counter. He quickly walked towards her and stopped before her with a grin. “You’ll never believe it!”

“What’re you talking about, Bell?” Eina tilted her head slightly, her brunette locks swaying from the motion. Her boyfriend looked in good spirits and was fully healed, so at least nothing bad had happened. Her heart couldn’t take two shocks so close together.

“I leveled up from slaying the Red Minotaur.” Bell whispered to her with excitement in his ruby eyes.

“Le-Leveled Up!” Eina exclaimed, louder than she meant to as a few of her coworkers looked over at her and Bell. Not to mention a few Adventurers that were close enough to have heard her. The Half-Elf slapped a hand over her mouth at her blunder. “I’m so sorry for blurting that out!” She bowed her head in apology.

“It’s alright, you didn’t yell it for everyone to hear or anything.” Bell waved it off with a chuckle. “Besides, Adventurer Level Ups always get announced anyway.”

‘Yes, they get announced, but it’s the speed that you leveled up at! Two months is unheard of!’ Eina nearly yelled inside the privacy of her own mind. On the outside she quickly put on her professional face. “Misha, please take over for me, Mr. Cranel needs some paperwork handled in private.”

“Sure, sure, here you go.” Misha handed her a blank Level Up Report form. Eina took it with the tips of her ears starting to turn red in embarrassment. Of course, Misha had heard her outburst. “Try not to freak out again, Eina.” The pinkette teased her friend.

“Let’s go, Bell.” Eina did her best to ignore Misha’s giggling as she led Bell to one of the private rooms. She led him to the end of the hall and opened the last door. Bell entered, noticing that it looked nearly identical to the one that he had taken notes and learned from Eina in before. Eina followed, closing the door behind her.

“Eh?” Bell hadn’t been expecting to hear the click of the lock. He turned to look at Eina and nearly had to catch her when the Half-Elf threw herself into his arms and captured his lips.

The Level Up Report form fluttered to the ground as Eina deepened their kiss. Bell could practically feel the desperation in his girlfriend and quickly reciprocated her love and affection as he kissed her back. She’d been terrified when he’d been carried in, but hadn’t been able to show much for fear of being deemed of favoring Bell and the Hestia Familia too much. The Guild, and all of its workers, were to remain neutral in all topics concerning the various Familias of Orario. Now that they were alone though, Eina could finally express her relief and joy that Bell had come back alive.

“Bell…” Eina panted when she separated their lips to look into his eyes. “I was so worried.” She moaned when he captured her lips this time and kissed her deeply, their tongues quickly meeting as they got further and further into their kissing. “Mmm!” Eina let out a muffled moan as Bell’s hands groped her ass before lifting her up by her bottom. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as they continued to kiss.

Bell set Eina on the edge of the table before separating their lips. “Eina, I love you.” Bell’s sincere declaration made Eina’s heart flutter like it always did when he said that. Without a thought, she reached up and undid the bow at her neck. When it was untied, her hands deftly unbuttoned her vest before she shrugged it off, leaving her in just her white button-up shirt. Bell’s jacket was the next thing to go as the Half-Elf’s hands slipped under it and slid it off his shoulders.

“Bell,” Eina kissed him. “I love you,” She pulled back and quickly began unbuttoning her shirt. “So much.” Eina kissed him deeply again as she pulled her shirt open to reveal her white bra to his eyes. “Touch me~” She mewled and Bell quickly granted her request. His hands trailed up her sides, leaving tingly sensations in their wake, before he gently cupped her bra-clad breasts with both hands.

“Eina, you’re gorgeous.” Bell kissed her softly this time, making Eina hum in pleasure. His experienced hands began to massage her tits and Eina tightened her legs around his waist to bring him closer.

“More…” Eina’s breathing was heavy after only a little time of Bell massaging her breasts. She reached behind her back to unclip her bra and slide it down her arms. Her face was a dark red, all the way to the tips of her pointed ears, as she let Bell see her tits for the first time. They were large, her uniform did very little to hide them, and each was capped with a light-pink nipple and areola.

“Eina.” Bell rested his forehead against hers gently, the two staring into each other’s eyes. An unspoken conversation passed between them as Eina offered her half-naked body to her boyfriend.

“Ooh~ Bell…” Eina leaned back, her arms supporting her weight, as Bell trailed kisses from her mouth, to her cheek, down her neck, across her collarbone, and then finally to her breasts. She panted as his hands and mouth began to please her. Her right nipple was quickly taken into Bell’s mouth where he lavished it with his tongue. Her left tit was massaged and her nipple teased between his fingers. She was so turned on right now, her heart full of love while her mind whispered about how dangerous and naughty this was to do inside the Guild.

“You’re so soft, Eina~” Bell pulled back with a hot breath on her wet nipple. Eina mewled at the stimulation before Bell switched and captured her left breast with his eager mouth.

“Aaah…mmm…Bell.” Eina had her hand over her mouth to prevent her moans from getting too loud. Bell was good at this! Her free hand ran through his hair and urged him closer to her tit. She was so hot right now. The feelings were new and incredible to her and she wanted more. She rolled her hips into Bell’s, feeling his hardness through his pants.

“Mmm, not like this…” Bell spoke as he pulled his mouth from her breast, the sudden cool air making her nipple perk up even more. His smoldering red eyes met her beautiful green gaze and she felt her heart thump in her chest. “I don’t want you to have any regrets about your first time, Eina.” He kissed her lips tenderly and Eina held him close while falling in love with Bell all over again.

‘How many men would deny this opportunity, just because they wanted to make my first time special?’ Eina wondered as she was immersed in her love for Bell. Their lips separated as Bell stood back to his full height. Eina took a moment to catch her breath, her heaving chest making her girls bounce and capturing Bell’s attention. Eventually Eina had calmed herself and smiled beautifully at her boyfriend. “I keep falling more in love with you.” She giggled, leaning forward to press her tits into his chest as she hugged him.

“I love you so much, Eina.” Bell tilted her chin up and kissed her softly.

“Love you so much, Bell.” Eina repeated once their lips separated.

The next few minutes were spent with Eina letting Bell watch her redress. Though it only took a few minutes because she couldn’t get her bra on with Bell’s eager hands constantly massaging her tits and making her moan. When he’d finally seemed to have enough of her breasts, her button-up shirt was the next obstacle as he playfully kissed her neck while running his hands slowly up and down her sides and over her trim stomach. She did eventually manage to get dressed properly again, not that she was in any hurry to end their fun, before the almost forgotten form was picked up and they sat at the table together.

“Okay…that’s enough fun for now.” Eina playfully chastised him with a giggle. “Bell, congratulations on your advancement to Level 2, you’ve been working very hard!”

“Thank you very much!” Bell smiled back at her. Both of them were sending heated looks at each other, but they were enjoying their post make-out high, so they could be forgiven for it. The Level Up Report was fairly standard paperwork, just Bell’s name, his new Level, and then what he’d done to achieve his Level Up. This was mostly to confirm what others could be asked about and to try and get a record of Grand Feats from as many Adventurers as possible. The Guild could more reliably advise Adventurers looking to Level Up if they knew as many options as possible for achieving a Grand Feat.

“Is the Level Up Report all you needed today?” Eina questioned as she looked it over once Bell was done.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you about Developmental Abilities.” Bell recalled that his Status had multiple listed as possibilities.

“This will be your first one.” Eina nodded with a happy grin. “Do you have a few options to choose from?”

“Yes.” Bell recalled the first option that was on his Status Update. “The first is Abnormal Resistance.”

“Protection against poison and other status ailments.” Eina informed, since it was a very common Developmental Ability among Adventurers. It was often an option for any Adventurer that had encountered a Purple Moth Monster on a few occasions and been exposed to its poison.

“The next one is Hunter.” Bell listed and tried not to show how cool he thought that one sounded.

“Oh, that’s a rarer one.” Eina looked impressed. “It gives you a boost when you fight Monsters of the same Species that you’ve slain and received Excelia from before.”

“The last one was Luck.” Bell finished and blinked at the confused look Eina had.

“Luck? I’ve never heard of that one before.” Eina shook her head. “It probably does exactly what it says, improves luck. But I don’t think the Guild has ever recorded anyone having it before. That would make it a Rare Developmental Ability, perhaps even unique!”

“Hestia said it was something like ‘protection’…so she recommended choosing Luck.” Bell chuckled at the memory.

“A rather strong recommendation, I bet.” Eina giggled softly.

“Hunter seems really useful, and if it’s rare then I don’t want to give up on it.” Bell gently scratched his cheek. “But I don’t want to disregard what Hestia says either, and Luck might be even more rare from what you’re saying.”

“Hmm…I see…” Eina looked thoughtful before she graced him with a smile. “The simplest way to decide between them is to think about your goals.”

“My goals?” Bell raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Eina tapped his nose with her index finger, a teasing grin on her lips. “If you want to best the Dungeon, then Hunter will serve you well, Bell. For reliable, efficient dungeon crawling, I highly recommend it.” She tilted her head and gave him a beautiful, loving look. “But if your goal is something loftier, someplace currently out of reach, there may come a time when you need to make Fate an ally more than anything else. In that case, you’ll need a great deal of Luck, at least, I think so.” She leaned forward to kiss him before pulling back to gaze into his eyes. “There is no wrong answer so be confident when you choose, okay? Because whichever you choose will be the ability you need right now.”

“Thank you, Eina.” Bell smiled lovingly at her, leaning forward to kiss her again.

“Hmm…” Eina giggled when she pulled back a moment later. “Before we get distracted again, we should finish up. People will start wondering what’s taking so long soon.” The couple shared a few more kisses before leaving the private room with Bell’s completed Level Up Report.

-Hestia Familia Home-

“Hestia, Lili, I’m home!” Bell called out as he closed the front door behind him.

“Welcome home, Master Bell!” Lili hugged him.

“Welcome back, Bell.” Hestia closed the book that she’d been reading with a smile. “Shall we finish your Level Up?”

“Yeah.” Bell nodded to Hestia as he hugged Lili and lifted the Prum off the floor with a grin. “Right after I hug Lili.”

“Master Bell!” Lili laughed even as she kicked her feet that couldn’t touch the floor.

A short time later and a shirtless Bell was lying on his stomach on the large bed in the master bedroom with Hestia straddling his waist.

“Alright, Bell, you talked with Eina, right?” Hestia waited until he nodded before continuing. “Have you decided what Developmental Ability you’d like?”

“Yes, I’d like Luck.” Bell smiled at her over his shoulder.

“I see.” Hestia smiled back at him warmly as she took her blooded index finger and began to write the Developmental Ability into Bell’s Falna. “At long last, you’re Level 2, Bell…is what I’d normally say.” She laughed as she continued to write. “But in your case, it happened too fast to be nostalgic.” She was almost finished writing Luck into Bell’s Falna in the spot for Developmental Abilities.

Hestia knew he probably had a hard time choosing between Luck and Hunter. Both were rare, and Hunter could only be acquired on the first Level Up. The fact that he’d taken her words and recommendation to heart and gave up on Hunter made her love him all the more. It was too bad that he couldn’t acquire Hunter later like he could Abnormal Resistance, but that was just how that particular Ability worked. The appearance of not one, but two new Skills nearly made her cry out in shock, but she did her best to keep it together. Maybe having new Skills would help ease the pain of losing Hunter forever? She finished writing in the Luck Developmental Ability with a smile, but that smile turned into a curious frown when the Falna continued to glow.

‘What the? But I finished? Hephaestus said the last part of a Level Up was to write in the chosen Developmental Ability and then it would be done.’ Hestia blinked at the still glowing Falna. ‘Even I know that this shouldn’t be possible…’ She placed her index finger onto Bell’s back, almost like she was in a trance, and started to write again. ‘It’s working?! How?! Why?!’ Hestia could barely believe her own eyes as she wrote the Hunter Developmental Ability into Bell’s Falna right under the Luck Ability she’d just finished with. The moment she’d finished and pulled her index finger away, the glow disappeared from the Falna as the Level Up was completed. With slightly shaking hands, Hestia placed the blank paper onto Bell’s back and copied the first of his Level 2 Status Updates over. “…You’re all done, Bell.” She looked at the paper with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“I don’t feel any different?” Bell sat up as Hestia slid off of him and then got off the bed.

“It’s not like the structure of your body changes…” Hestia shook her head distractedly. “Things like ‘I feel so much power!’ don’t happen. But your Status is Level 2 now, so you’ll be able to pull off moves you never knew you could before.” She gave him the best smile she could even as she folded the paper with his Status Update on it and then placed it in her cleavage.

“Hestia?” Bell looked concerned at his lover’s odd behavior. “Are you okay?”

“I need to ask Hephaestus something really quick.” Hestia answered as she hurriedly left the bedroom and rushed downstairs.

“Hestia?” Bell blinked at her sudden exit.

“Is something wrong, Master Bell?” Lili poked her head into the doorway. “Hestia just slipped on her flipflops and bolted out of here faster than I’ve ever seen her run before.”

“I…don’t know?” Bell looked completely confused. “I’m kind of worried now.”

“Well…” Lili walked into the room with a smile. “Lili can take your mind off that until Hestia gets back.” Her smile became a mischievous grin as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head revealing that she was going braless. “Would you like that, Master Bell~?”

“I could be convinced.” Bell knew that if anything had gone wrong, then Hestia would’ve told him. Plus, he was a teenaged male, his girlfriend clearly offering to have fun would be a strong argument against most forms of worry. “Come here, Lili.” He pulled her onto the bed and kissed her deeply.

“Mmm, Master Bell…” Lili cooed once their lips separated. With a smile she pushed him back and straddled his waist. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pressed her tits against his bare chest before tilting her head up to catch his lips again. The warmth of the skin-on-skin contact made both of them hum pleasurably as Bell’s hands quickly pulled Lili’s skirt up to expose her panty-clad bottom before beginning to massage her ass with both hands.

-Hephaestus Familia Home ~ Hephaestus’s Room-

“Mmm~” Hephaestus stretched her arms above her head. It had been another good day of work for her Familia. After a nice dinner she’d taken a long bath and was now able to relax with some good wine. Since most of her upper level Familia members were with the Loki Familia Expedition, it had been a bit quieter than normal today.

That quiet was suddenly interrupted by what sounded like footsteps rushing through the hallway outside of her door.

“Who would be running around right now?” Hephaestus wondered just which of her Familia members would have any reason to come see her when she was about to relax.

“Hephaestus!” Hestia yelled as she practically kicked open the door to her niece’s room.

“HESTIA?!” Hephaestus cried out in shock at the loud entrance. “How did you get in here?!”

“I lived here when you were helping me out, remember?” Hestia answered and Hephaestus nearly facepalmed at her aunt remembering the layout of her home just to be able to come by unannounced like this. “I need you to see this, Hephaestus!” Hestia pulled a folded piece of paper from between her cleavage…again, much to Hephaestus’s disbelief.

“What could be so bad that you broke into my home and…” Hephaestus was cut off as Hestia unfolded the paper to reveal a Status Update. It was for Bell Cranel and was clearly his first Level 2 Status. “Why’re you showing me this?”

“Read this part!” Hestia pointed at the new section for Developmental Abilities.

“What, did he get something rare…?” Hephaestus nearly choked on her own breath. There, plain as day, were two Developmental Abilities…on a Level 2 Status Update! “Th-This isn’t…possible…” The Goddess of the Forge shook her head before snapping her gaze onto Hestia. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

“Nothing!” Hestia shook her head, sending her twin-tails flying.

“You had to do something, Hestia!” Hephaestus grabbed her aunt and shook her slightly. “This literally CAN’T happen! To change this would require more than desire or any Skill! This could only be changed by…a…miracle…” Hephaestus’s visible eye widened even as her shoulders sagged and she nearly stumbled back into a nearby chair.

“Hephaestus?” Hestia took a step towards her niece in concern.

“Close the door, Hestia…” Hephaestus muttered out as she blindly reached for the small liquor cabinet nearby.

“Ok…” Hestia did as she was told, and when she turned back around, she saw that Hephaestus had grabbed not wine, but hard liquor from the cabinet. The redheaded Goddess didn’t even bother with the glass sitting on the table, she popped the top off and took a long pull straight from the bottle.

“What the fuck?” Hephaestus swore her aunt’s boy was going to make her a drunk at this rate. How much impossible shit could one Mortal boy do?!

“Hephaestus…?” Hestia approached slowly and sat down across from her niece.

“What did you give him?” Hephaestus sighed heavily, her red eyes looking into Hestia’s blue.

“Huh?” Hestia blinked at the question.

“Your boy, Bell…what did you give him?” Hephaestus elaborated a bit more. “The only way to break the Falna like this would be a literal Miracle, Hestia. Those can only be given to Mortals through our Arcanum, or from giving them something from Tenkai.”

“But no Deity can use Arcanum in Gekai.” Hestia shook her head slowly. “When we descend, we automatically agree to the ‘No Arcanum in Gekai’ rule. That’s bound by the will of every God and Goddess and enforced by Ouranos’s Domain of Divine Authority. If we use Arcanum even for a moment then we’ll be sent back to Tenkai as punishment.”

“I’m aware, Hestia, that’s why I want to know what you gave him.” Hephaestus took another drink from the bottle. “Did you take something Divine from Tenkai and bring it with you? You know that’s against the rules, right? You could be sent back to Tenkai for it.”

“I know the rules!” Hestia looked at her niece with a frown. “I didn’t bring anything with me. If I had, do you think I really would’ve been able to hide it from you while I was living here?”

“Hmm…” Hephaestus closed her visible eye for a long moment. “I suppose not. But that means that your boy had a literal Miracle sitting within him since before he met you. So, how did he get it?”

“Another Deity?” Hestia spoke the only possibility there was. “But Bell’s village didn’t have a Deity living there.” She would know, Bell had told her everything about the village he’d grown up in. From his earliest memories to leaving after his grandfather had died. There was no mention of any God or Goddess at all.

“There are a few Gods and Goddesses that might break the rules and bring some food or something from Tenkai.” Hephaestus let out a heavy breath. “But I don’t know why they’d give any to a random child from a mountain village instead of to someone in their own Familia.”

“You mean like our Ambrosia?” Hestia’s eyes widened at what a Mortal consuming Ambrosia could bring about.

“Ambrosia, the Xiāntáo, Iðunn’s Apples, the Soma ritual drink that Ganesha told me about once, any of them could set a Miracle within a Mortal. If the conditions were met, then that Miracle would activate and something impossible would occur.” Hephaestus stopped drinking from the bottle and actually poured herself a glass of the liquor.

“Impossible, like manifesting two Developmental Abilities at the same time?” Hestia realized how this fit together now.

“Exactly.” Hephaestus poured a small amount of the liquor for Hestia. “If you’re lucky, Bell won’t have a Developmental Ability option whenever he gets to Level 3. Then this whole thing can just be swept under the rug.”

“If he does have options?” Hestia asked before sipping the liquor, she scrunched up her face at the strong taste.

“Then you have to make sure that no other Deity, or any Mortal that can read Hieroglyphs, ever sees his Falna.” Hephaestus leaned forward to impress upon Hestia how serious this was. “If the other Deities in Orario find out that Bell had a literal Miracle, the entire city could be flipped on its head. There would be accusations, arguments, fighting, even War Games could break out over this.”

“I…I see…” Hestia took a slow, deep breath. “Now that I know how to lock his Falna, that at least helps. But how do I go about keeping something like this from Bell? I can’t use the excuse that I messed up like I did with Liaris Freese when I hid it. Bell knows how Developmental Abilities work.”

“For now…say it’s because of that Luck Development Ability.” Hephaestus offered an excuse. “It’s never been seen before either. What could be luckier than getting two Developmental Abilities at Level 2, right?”

“That…that could work.” Hestia nodded, inwardly happy that she wouldn’t have to outright lie and hide anything else from Bell. Just twist the cause of his unusual situation to his never-before-seen Luck Ability. “Thank you, Hephaestus.” She downed the rest of the liquor, quickly remembering why she hadn’t drunk the rest as her face scrunched up again and she coughed a little.

“Make sure he stops doing the damned impossible.” Hephaestus sighed. “If this keeps up there’s going to be no way to protect the boy. One of the other Deities with a large and powerful Familia will almost certainly attempt to take him for themselves. Heavens forbid if that was Freya, or Ishtar, or Loki if she decided that she was interested.”

“Like hell!” Hestia leapt to her feet with divine wrath in her eyes. “Those damn homewreckers! They better keep their hands off my Bell!” The short Goddess was nearly snarling at the mere thought of any of those three Goddesses touching Bell.

-Hestia Familia Home-

“I’m back.” Hestia called out a she closed the front door behind her.

“Hestia!” Bell and Lili both emerged from the dining room and nearly rushed to wrap her into a double hug. “What happened?”

“Sorry that I freaked out a bit.” Hestia was really enjoying this hug right now. “I just didn’t know what to do or how to react to what happened during Bell’s Status Update.”

“What happened?” Bell was starting to feel nervous now.

“Something very good, actually, but it once more broke the known rules of the Falna.” Hestia sighed as she pulled the folded up paper from between her breasts. She handed it to Bell and watched him unfold and then read his newest Status.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – I 0

Defense – I 0

Dexterity – I 0

Agility – I 0

Magic – I 0

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.)

-Thunderbolt-

Skills

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

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

Argonaut – Executes automatically after charging from active actions.

Heroic Will – Raises Stats when the user refuses to give up in the face of adversity. Those with lower Stats see the user as near unassailable.

Developmental Abilities

Luck – I

Hunter – I

-Status-

“I’ve got two Skills and two Developmental Abilities?!” Bell felt like he was getting lightheaded. Even he knew this was absolutely ridiculous.

“Hephaestus thinks it’s because of you choosing the Luck Developmental Ability.” Hestia told him as she gently hugged him. “What could be luckier than getting two Developmental Abilities at the same time?”

“I…I guess that makes some sense…?” Bell mumbled as he was led over to the couch to sit down. “But what about the Skills? Is that from the Luck Ability?”

“Argonaut…the desire to be a Hero…” Hestia had a teasing grin on her lips. “You really admire the Heroes from fairytales, don’t you Bell?”

“I…uh…well…” Bell felt his face getting hot as he blushed. He knew most people grew out of those stories, but he’d always liked them ever since his grandpa had first read them to him as a little boy.

“Bell…” Hestia placed her hand on his shoulder. “That’s cute.” Her eyes were half-lidded and she had a teasing smile as she looked at him.

“Goddess…!” Bell looked away while Hestia and Lili giggled.

“Heroic Will too?” Hestia pressed her body against Bell’s. “Wanting to stand against any adversity and have others see you as larger than life?”

“No…” Bell refused to meet either Hestia or Lili’s eyes. His face was burning hot now.

“You’re too cute, Bell!” Hestia nearly tackled him to the couch and kissed him soundly.

“You really are, Master Bell!” Lili agreed, jumping into the pile to cuddle up to Bell and kiss him when Hestia wasn’t claiming his lips.

“Thank you both.” Bell spoke after a few minutes of kissing and cuddling. He was much calmer about his situation now and realized that had been their intention from the start. He hugged them both close and kissed the tops of their heads. “I love you.”

“Mmm, love you too, Bell.” Hestia snuggled into his neck.

“I love you, Bell.” Lili kissed his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

The three were content to cuddle together until a knock on the door interrupted them several minutes later. Eina was quickly brought into the cuddle pile almost as soon as the door closed behind her. Not that the Half-Elf minded in the slightest. A thoroughly happy Bell slept well with his three girlfriends cuddled up to him that night. It was a very welcome ending to his first day as a Level 2 Adventurer.

-End Chapter-

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Hmmm…didn’t Bell’s grandpa once give him a drink that was supposedly ‘as good as’ the Ambrosia of the Gods? My, my, my, what could it have POSSIBLY been?

Yeah, Zeus said “Fuck the rules, I’m Zeus!” and nobody knew about it. Well, maybe Hermes…he’s a secret collector after all.

Now Bell has earned a bonus Developmental Ability via the Miracle that was left within him that day.

With Luck boosting his already good luck, and now Hunter to help him in his future battles within the Dungeon, things are looking even better for Bell! He also got a second ‘Hero’ Skill!

Heroic Will increases Bell’s Stats in the face of adversity and being outgunned, so long as Bell doesn’t give up and lose his willpower. It also makes him seem ‘larger than life’ to those with lower Stats than his own. For a guy that has Stats in the SS and even SSS range, that’s a lot of other Adventurers. Of course, Higher Level Adventurers aren’t really effected by it as much because of the Level Boost.

Next up is Denatus!

Will Bell still be the Little Rookie?

We’ve also got incoming Blacksmith!

How’re the Loki Familia girls doing on their expedition?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you think with a review!

Until next time, later!