Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 18 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! After receiving his first Title, Bell and Lili are going to have a little celebration at the Hostess of Fertility. Perhaps some things will continue to change. Bell needs to replace his armor, spear, and his secondary knife too. A certain Smith should be able to help with that. We also take a peek to see what the Loki Familia is up to down in the Dungeon! How is the group that saw Bell’s fight against the Red Minotaur reacting on their expedition?

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 18 – Celebration and Blacksmith

“Hah…hah…what is going on with the Gods and Goddesses today?” Bell panted as he walked up the short steps leading into the Hostess of Fertility. He was late to the little party that Miss Syr and Miss Ryu had set up for him. “Why did so many practically chase me around the city?” He wondered aloud before pushing the front door open and entering the pub.

“Master Bell!” Lili called out from the table that she, Syr, and Ryu were sitting at. “Over here!” She waved him over to the table with a bright smile.

‘Busy as ever.’ Bell noted of the pub as he made his way around the tables and towards the three girls.

“Master Bell, you shouldn’t be late to your own party.” Lili gave him a once over, noticing his lightly disheveled appearance.

“S-sorry,” Bell apologized as he sat down. “A bunch of Deities practically chased me around the city on my way here.”

No one at the table noticed that Syr’s eyes had widened a bit once she spotted Bell. She was quick to school her expression back into her normal smile, but inside was a different story. The waitress was having a hard time coming to terms with what she saw as compared to the last time she’d seen Bell.

‘He’s changed. The color isn’t the same anymore. How? Why? This has never happened before!’ Were the thoughts running through the girl’s mind as she looked at Bell with her normal smile on the outside.

“It’s unfortunate that Hestia couldn’t join us.” Lili mentioned the lack of their Goddess.

“Lady Hephaestus wouldn’t let her skip out on work today.” Bell agreed that it was too bad that Hestia couldn’t be with them.

“Bell?”

“Hestia Familia?”

Murmuring picked up in the pub, becoming audible to the four at the table.

“White-haired human…if I remember right, ‘Rabbit Foot’?”

“A scrawny kid like that?”

“Heard he’s the record holder.”

“Two months? That’s nothing.”

“Sounds like those Minotaur rumors are true.”

“You’ve become the talk of the town, Master Bell.” Lili grinned at him, leaning a little closer.

“A rite of passage for all Adventurers on the rise.” Ryu gave Bell a small smile.

“Now that the guest of honor is here, let’s get this party started!” Syr beamed as they all raised their cups.

“To Adventurer Bell Cranel! Congratulations on ranking up!” The four cups were lightly tapped together before all four took a drink.

“Congrats!” Anya, the brunette Cat Girl, set a flagon on the table with a thud.

“Is that…ale?” Bell nearly flinched at the sudden arrival.

“Message from Mama Mia, nya!” Anya smiled brightly at Bell. “She’ll loan you Syr and Ryu as long as you laugh and drink up!” Her smile turned into a playful grin. “And spend your cash! It’s a great chance to spread your wings and try something new, nya!”

“Thank you very much!” Bell turned to the bar to thank Mia directly, but the Dwarf woman just waved if off with a grin.

“Now, Bell, please drink as much as you want. This is your party after all.” Syr picked up a bottle from the table to refill Bell’s cup. “Allow me.”

“Oh, thanks…” Bell smiled at the waitress. “You seem to be in a good mood Miss Syr.”

“You noticed?” Syr smiled back at him. “It might be a bit bold of me to say this, but I feel like giving you that book helped you.” She placed her hand on her cheek with a gentle smile. “And that thought makes me happy.”

“Miss Syr…” Bell was about to thank her again, but felt Lili place her hand on his thigh. He glanced over, his rubellite eyes meeting her chestnut brown eyes. A silent conversation passed between the couple in an instant. Lili informing Bell that he’d already thanked Syr enough for what had apparently been an accident in the first place. Bell, after thinking it over for a bit, agreed with his girlfriend and gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

“Allow me to congratulate you as well, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu’s small smile made Bell’s heart thump as always. “To rank up on your own like this, I may have misjudged you.” Her gaze was approving and warm, it made Bell’s cheeks turn pink.

“I definitely had help from a lot of people.” Bell admitted with a slight shake of his head. “Even you helped me, Miss Ryu.”

“No need to be modest.” Ryu’s small smile grew a bit. “Defeating a Minotaur is praiseworthy. Be proud of your accomplishment.”

“If you say so…” Bell looked down a bit, a smile growing. Praise from Miss Ryu made him feel all warm inside.

“Lili, on the other hand, was worried sick.” Lili reminded Bell with a look. “Her heart was breaking over and over.”

“Sorry Lili…” Bell apologized, but suddenly had his Prum girlfriend leaning into his chest.

“But you looked really cool, Master Bell.” Lili smiled as she pressed herself against him.

‘Lili!’ Bell blushed at how close she was in front of others. That and if she kept pressing herself against him, a certain part of him would definitely react.

“Oh my…” Syr hid a giggle behind her hand at the scene. “Perhaps I can’t tease you as much anymore, huh Bell?”

“M-Miss Syr!” Bell stumbled over his first word even as Lili separated from him with a satisfied grin on her lips. Ryu even raised an eyebrow at the scene making Bell’s face go red.

“Mr. Cranel,” Ryu decided to move the topic along to spare Bell any more embarrassment from Syr’s teasing. But even though she wouldn’t admit it, a part of her did desire to know more about Bell’s relationship status. “What is your plan going forward?”

“Oh, well, Lili and I are going to buy new armor and weapons tomorrow. My old set was completely destroyed.” Bell mentioned of his and Lili’s immediate plans.

“Lili’s backpack and cloak were destroyed too.” Lili nodded to the Elf. The cloak had still been new too! It was such a waste in the Prum’s eyes to have to replace it so soon.

“If that’s the case, may I come along?” Syr asked with a smile.

“Can I ask why?” Bell was honestly confused by the sudden request.

“I need to buy some things pretty soon anyway, and I’d like to have some company while shopping.” Syr gently placed her hand on her chin with a little grin on her lips.

“No, Master Bell!” Lili narrowed her eyes at the waitress. “Miss Syr only wants you there to carry her bags! Lili can tell! She’ll buy enough to make your bones crack! Turn her down!” Left unsaid was that Lili didn’t want another woman on her ‘shopping date’ with Bell tomorrow.

“C-couldn’t be that much…” Bell blinked at Lili’s declaration.

“Why would I do anything like that~?” Syr’s smile practically screamed ‘Who, me?’ to everyone at the table.

Thunk

“Ouch!” Syr cried out as a tray smacked her over the head.

“Don’t push your luck, lazy brat.” Mia looked down at Syr unamused. “Don’t be thinkin’ that you can take time off whenever you like!” Bell and Lili stared wide-eyed at the Dwarf woman laying down the law to her employee. “Ryu, keep an eye on her tomorrow.” Mia turned and walked away, leaving Syr holding the top of her head.

“Miss Mia…” Bell nearly gaped at the iron fist that Mama Mia ruled the Hostess of Fertility with.

“Mr. Cranel, what is your next move?” Ryu spoke up to get their previous conversation back on track.

“Huh?” Bell looked at the Elf confused.

“Once you have your new equipment, do you plan on going down to the Middle Floors straight away?” Ryu placed both of her hands on the table. “That would be unwise. I believe that your current condition will not suffice.”

“Oh, no…for starters I wanted to try out my new strength on the Eleventh Floor.” Bell shook his head at the idea of going into the Middle Floors so soon.

“Miss Ryu thinks that Master Bell and Lili aren’t strong enough?” Lili questioned the Elf woman with narrowed eyes.

“I did not mean to imply that you are weak.” Ryu shook her head gently. “However, the Upper and Middle Floors are very different.” A slightly faraway look filled the Elf’s eyes as she continued to speak. “Individual strength or ability is not the issue. It becomes impossible for a solo Adventurer to deal with every Monster. The Middle Floors are that dangerous.”

Lili gulped, realizing what the former Adventurer was getting at. “So, Miss Ryu means that…”

“Yes.” Ryu nodded to the Prum and then caught Bell’s eyes. “Additional members should be added to your battle party.”

“Wait, Ryu, if worse comes to worst…wouldn’t it be easier to run away if it was just the two of them?” Syr tilted her head slightly.

“Rather than plan for the worst from the start, it is more practical to avoid those situations.” Ryu shook her head. “It is best to prepare for anything. Make a three-person party at the very least. I suggest finding another worthy of becoming your ally.” She spoke to Bell directly.

“Ally…” Bell repeated the word and saw Lili nod to him. “Hmm, I don’t know of anyone likely to join us if I asked.” The only former Adventurers that he knew were Naaza and Miss Ryu herself. Both of them had their reasons for not dungeon crawling anymore, so he wouldn’t feel right about asking them. “Do you think scouting for new Familia members would be a good idea?”

“Looking for party members, Rabbit Foot?!” A loud voice questioned as a boot stomped on the wooden floor behind Bell.

“Huh?” Bell whipped around to the source of the voice to see three men standing close to his table. All three were clearly inebriated, the redness to their faces and the slight slur in the speaker’s voice gave that away.

“In the market for allies, are you?” The lead man, a somewhat scruffy-looking older man asked. His face had two prominent scars on it, one on his forehead and the other on the left side of his face, close to his left eye and almost touching the corner of his mouth. “You’re the one that everyone’s talking about. We’d be happy to let you join our group, so how about it?”

“What are you trying to say?” Bell questioned as he stood up from his seat. Their behavior wasn’t uncommon for the pub, but he’d noticed where the three men’s eyes were looking. They were clearly eyeing up Lili, Ryu, and Syr.

“We got your back.” The scruffy man nodded with his eyes closed. “So why don’t you let us have these ladies for a while?!” He spread his arms wide and his gaze locked onto Ryu. “I’m taking this cute little fairy of an Elf for myself!”

“These guys could be trouble.” Syr mumbled under her breath, a strained smile on her face.

Lili merely glared at the three men. These were the types that had muttered the term ‘shortstack’ behind her back before. She’d never give them the time of day.

Ryu simply ignored them entirely, sipping from her cup with her eyes closed.

‘No. This isn’t right. I’ll never shake hands with a man that looks at women like that.’ Bell’s red eyes narrowed as he glared at the three older Adventurers.

Unbeknownst to him, his new passive Skill was working. Heroic Will boosted his stats when he refused to back down in the face of adversity. But it was the secondary effect that was coming into play now. Those with lesser stats than Bell would see him as nearly unassailable. He would be perceived as ‘larger than life’ in simpler terms. To the three inebriated Level Two Adventurers, Bell started to seem much more imposing.

“No. That will not be necessary.” Ryu spoke up, her eyes open and staring at the scruffy man. “He does not need your help.” She set her cup down on the table with finality.

“Ohhh? What was that, little fairy?” The lead man walked over to Ryu with a grin. “We’ve been in and out of the Middle Floors for years now. Are you saying we can’t protect some puny kid?”

“Precisely. Now be gone. The likes of you are not worthy of him.” Ryu dismissed the three older men easily.

“You claiming that we, all Level Two, aren’t enough?” The scruffy man demanded, clearly agitated now. “Is that punk-ass brat better than us?” He reached to grab Ryu’s shoulder.

“Hands off.” Ryu stated flatly, an empty flagon in her hand quickly intercepted the reaching hand and captured it inside. A quick twist of her arm as she stood up from her seat had the drunken man’s arm painfully behind his back.

“Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” The Adventurer cried out as his shoulder and elbow were being strained to their limits. He dropped to his knees as Ryu tilted the flagon trapping his hand upwards, putting even more pressure on his joints.

“I apologize.” Ryu spoke from behind the restrained Adventurer. “It appears that my reasoning was much more self-centered than I originally thought. I do not want Mr. Cranel to join your battle party.” She glared down at the drunken man. “And I will not allow you to look down on him. He is my good friend.”

“Miss Ryu…” Bell felt his heart thump strongly inside his chest at her words. He didn’t know that she considered him a close friend like that.

“You bitch!” The shirtless man of the drunken party of Adventurers yelled.

“Get her!” The shorter and lankier man in the purple shirt next to him declared as they both rushed forward. Ryu let go of the flagon trapping the first man’s hand to face the charging duo. But she needn’t have bothered.

WHAM

Anya and Chloe slammed a chair each into the heads of the two men. The wooden chairs shattered across the two Adventurers’ backs as they crashed into the floor. Both of the Level Two men were nearly unconscious from the sudden surprise blow.

“Fufufu…better watch your back, nya.” Chloe, the rave-haired Cat Girl giggled as she held the remains of the chair she’d just broken.

“Men are such a pain, nya…” Anya sighed, also holding what little remained of the chair she’d slammed into one of the men.

‘One blow?!’ Bell gaped as he saw the two waitresses deal with the Adventurers. ‘Level Two Adventurers down in one hit?! No way!’ Perhaps he should’ve expected more of the staff of the Hostess to have been former Adventurers?

“Ah, another dude lost his temper.” A different patron cracked up. “Bad idea at the Hostess.”

“Idiot.” The Chienthrope woman with him rolled her eyes at the scene.

“Wh-What the hell are you?!” The scruffy man demanded as he pulled out a large knife.

Chloe and Anya’s eyes narrowed, their pupils little more than dangerous slits as they glared at the threat. Bell felt a shiver go up his spine at the sudden feeling of danger both of the Cat Girls were exuding.

BAM

The loud sound of shattering wood startled everyone in the pub as they all shakily turned to the sound of the noise. The source turned out to be Mia, the owner had outright shattered the bar top in front of her with her fist.

“Oi! You snot-nosed, fuck wits! No touching the girls!” Mia glared a violent death at the now quivering trio of Adventurers. “This is a place for eatin’ and drinkin’. You want to brawl, take it outside. If you’re looking for girls, go slum it in the brothels. Now, pay what you owe and make yourselves scarce.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…” All three Adventurers threw down their pouches of Valis and hightailed it out of the Hostess of Fertility as fast as they could.

‘A pub that sends Level Two Adventurers running in terror…’ Bell nearly gaped at what he’d just witnessed.

“Nice work everyone.” Syr smiled as Anya and Chloe collected the pouches of Valis and took them to Mama Mia.

“My apologies.” Ryu sat back down with a half bow. “I hope that I did not ruin your celebration.”

“Think nothing of it…” Bell shook his head and gave the Elf woman a smile as he also sat back down. Ryu graced him with a small warm smile and Bell felt his heartbeat speed up slightly again.

“Now, then!” Syr clapped with a smile. “Shall we get this party back on the right track?” The small celebration continued for a good while after that without further interruption. But unknown to the other three, Syr was making some plans of her own. Plans that involved speaking to a certain Goddess and getting some answers in the near future.

-Next Day ~ Eighth Floor Hephaestus Familia Shop-

Bell and Lili were walking along searching for Bell’s new armor and weapons. They’d spent the first part of the morning getting Lili’s new cloak and backpack. The Prum was practically shining with happiness as she and Bell walked hand-in-hand. Her new cloak was identical to her last one, being Superior Grade and everything. Her new backpack was of similar dimensions as her old one too, the shop that she’d bought it from even had the same color. It was a good day for Lili!

‘I was able to turn in the Red Minotaur’s Magic Stone for 60,000 Valis. But now that money is burning a hole in my pocket.’ Bell had a smile on his face and had made sure to thank Lili properly for remembering to pick up the Minotaur’s Magic Stone before they’d both collapsed. ‘Still, we’ve searched most of the shop and haven’t found any Welf Crozzo armor.’ He looked at some of the other armors too, of course, but none of them were calling out to him like his old armor had. “Can’t find it anywhere. Is there any still for sale?”

“We could ask up front, Master Bell.” Lili offered with a smile, gently squeezing his hand. “If they have any in stock, then surely the salesperson would know, right?”

“Yeah, that’s probably my best bet.” Bell agreed, returning the gentle squeeze with a grin. Lili felt her heart flutter at the simple affection and leaned into Bell’s side a little as they headed for the front.

“My life’s on the line here! Why is this off in the corner?! Come on, man!” A redhaired teen a bit older than both Bell and Lili had his hands on the sales counter while glaring at the salesperson.

“The higher ups make the rules, not me.” The Raccoon Man behind the counter responded with his arms crossed. “Your work needs to sell more if you want better shelf space. They won’t listen to your complaints otherwise.”

“Oh, so now you’re trying to say it’s my fault?” The redhaired young man in the black robe leaned over the counter a bit. “I had two sales on the same day the month before last!”

“And those were your only two sales in over six months.” The clerk reminded the angry redhead.

“Why you…” The redhead growled at the shopkeeper.

“Ah!” The Raccoon Man’s eyes lit up at seeing Bell and Lili approaching. “Hello there. How can I help you two?” He smiled at the duo politely.

“Huh?” The redhaired young man turned to look at Bell and Lili.

“I’m looking for armor made by Welf Crozzo, is there any in stock?” Bell asked the shopkeeper with a smile.

“Did you say…Welf…Crozzo?” The Raccoon Man blinked at Bell’s question.

“Eh?” The redhead in the black robe had wide eyes at the request.

“Yes…” Bell and Lili shot a look at each other in confusion. “I’d like to use his armor. The last set I bought was great.”

“Wahahaha!” The redhead slammed his hands down on the counter top with loud laughter. “Would you look at that! There’s at least one name on my list of clients!”

“Ugh…” The Raccoon Man rolled his eyes.

“Here you go, Adventurer!” The redhead lifted up a box from beside his feet and set in on the counter. “Welf Crozzo’s armor!” He pulled the lid off the box to reveal a set of white and red light armor incredibly similar to Bell’s previous set.

“Woah!” Bell exclaimed, with his eyes nearly sparkling. “It looks just like my old set! They still had some!”

“So? Wanna try it out?” The black-robed man questioned with a grin.

“Huh? But…isn’t this yours?” Bell looked at the redhead.

“Yeah. It’s mine alright.” The young man chuckled. “Because I forged it.”

“Eh?” Bell’s eyes widened as he realized who he was talking to.

“The name’s Welf Crozzo. Currently a low-ranking Smith in the Hephaestus Familia.” Welf introduced himself with a smile.

The transaction was made quickly after that. When Bell mentioned that he’d like to talk to Welf about replacing his destroyed spear too, Welf lit up even more. Bell and Lili followed Welf outside to find a place to talk. The trio sat on a bench not too far from other blacksmith shops. It was as good a place as any to introduce themselves and have a chat.

“What?! You’re the Rabbit Foot?! The new record holder?!” Welf gaped at Bell in shock.

“Shh!” Bell hushed the Smith, warily looking around as if another God or Goddess was going to pop out of nowhere to try and bombard him with questions or offers to join their Familia. “Please, not so loud.”

“Somehow I imagined you’d be older than me.” Welf admitted as he looked at Bell. “Then again, age doesn’t really matter when it comes to Adventurers, does it?”

“How old are you, Mr. Crozzo?” Bell questioned the other teen.

“Turned seventeen this year.” Welf answered before looking at Bell. “Could you do me a favor and drop the ‘Mr. Crozzo’ though? Not particularly fond of my family name.”

“Oh, sorry, Mr. Welf.” Bell gave a short bow to apologize.

“You could drop the ‘Mr.’ part too.” Welf informed with a shrug. “Eh, I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

“No offense meant, Mr. Welf, I only learned about what the Crozzo name meant when Lili told me after hearing that I wanted more of your armor.” Bell apologized again. Lili placed her hand on Bell’s and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Welf waved it off with a sigh. At least Bell hadn’t asked him for a Magic Sword yet. It would certainly be new if someone didn’t for once. “Anyway, you wanted to talk about me forging you a new spear, right?”

“Yes, please.” Bell smiled brightly, his mood picking up.

“Well, I’ll cut right to the chase then.” Welf had a large grin of his own. “I’d like to keep you around.” He crossed his arms as he looked at Bell. “I don’t want to sound full of myself, but I put good quality work on the shelves. There’s just one problem…none of it sells. Everything gets rejected at the last minute. I can’t figure it out.”

‘Pyonkichi…’ Bell thought about the name of his armor as his face went deadpan. ‘Maybe rethink your naming style? Just an honest opinion.’

“But then you came along.” Welf’s grin returned, possibly even brighter. “You saw the value in my work. You bought two pieces from me on the same day even. And now that you need replacements, you’ve come looking for my stuff again, like a client.” He leaned back a bit with a smile. “To be blunt, we low-ranking Smiths compete for clients. Adventurers flock to the famous Smiths, but getting your name recognized is easier said than done. Usually, it’s only newer Adventurers with little money that buy our stuff every once in a while. That’s just how it is.”

“That sounds tough.” Bell nodded to Welf after hearing about his struggle to gain any recognition as a Smith.

“It’s not everyday a low-ranking Smith is recognized.” Welf shook his head before his gaze focused on Bell. “But you did. Nothing could make me happier than to see the quality of my work recognized.” He smiled brightly at Bell. “You’re my first client. I can’t just let you walk away.”

“So, you want me to keep buying stuff from you, right?” Bell figured out where Welf was going easily enough.

“Well yeah, but I was hoping for something more permanent.” Welf admitted with a chuckle. “Would you sign a direct contract with me, Bell Cranel?” He asked as he put his right hand over his heart. “A contract between one Adventurer and one Smith. I make strong weapons and armor out of the Drop Items and materials that you bring back from the Dungeon, at a cheaper price. Mutual benefit, we help each other out.”

‘Weapons and armor tend to be stronger when they’re made for a specific person.’ Eina’s voice filled Bell’s mind as he recalled one of their many lessons together.

“Direct Contract?!” Lili exclaimed, eyeing Welf suspiciously. “Is this because Master Bell is Level Two and the record holder? Are you just trying to use him to advance your own career?!” The Prum wouldn’t allow anyone to use her boyfriend like that!

“Honestly, level doesn’t matter that much to me.” Welf shook his head. “Because of all the options in Orario, you chose my work.” He laughed happily while looking at Bell. “Never thought this day would come, that someone would want to use something I made, you know? It’s an awesome feeling, I can tell you that much!”

‘He’s a good Smith, and a good person.’ Bell thought to himself, seeing how happy Welf was that someone had finally seen the value in his work and appreciated it. ‘I can see myself working together with him.’ He smiled and looked at Lili.

“Master Bell…” Lili saw the look on his face and knew he was sold. She sighed lightly before leaning into him with a smile. If Bell wanted to contract with this Smith, she’d support him.

“Okay then, I’ll sign a contract with you, Mr. Welf.” Bell agreed and the two clasped hands to seal their agreement.

“It’s settled! Don’t know what I’d do if you said no.” Welf chuckled as they shook on the deal. With a grin he raised their clasped hands into the air. “Yeah!” He cheered while looking at the other blacksmiths that had been watching them.

Bell and Lili blinked as they heard the grumbles, even from across the street, before the Smiths returned to their shops.

“What was that about?” Bell questioned confused.

“Were they all…?” Lili felt like she understood, but wanted some confirmation.

“Yeah, they were all after a direct contract with you, Bell.” Welf nodded to the pair. “If you had rejected me, another of them would’ve been over here in short order making you an offer, and then another, and another, until you either agreed to one or there weren’t any other Smiths left to ask.”

“Smithing really is a competitive business…” Bell goggled as he roughly estimated how many Smiths had been watching them.

“You have no idea.” Welf chuckled at the Adventurer. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Bell.”

“Me too.” Bell smiled at his new Smith partner.

“I’ll prepare all the paperwork as soon as I can, but for now could I ask for a favor?” Welf’s expression was incredibly serious.

“Favor?” Bell tilted his head slightly.

“Of course, I’ll pay you back.” Welf promised with a sharp nod. “Just tell me what you need and I’ll make it all for free.”

“Huh?” Bell gaped at getting gear for free.

“Why are you surprised?” Welf questioned the Level Two. “Adventurers want gear from Smiths. That’s just common sense, right?”

“I think it’s the ‘free’ part that’s shocking, Mr. Welf.” Lili deadpanned at the Smith.

“In exchange, Bell, add me to your battle party.” Welf requested with the best bow he could give from his seated position.

“Eh? Our battle party?” Bell wondered why Welf would ask for such a thing.

“Not so fast!” Lili moved quickly, placing herself between Welf and Bell. “That’s not something that you’d normally request. What’s your reason?” She narrowed her brown eyes as if daring Welf to try and lie to her.

“Well, the truth is I’m still Level One, so I don’t have the Blacksmith Developmental Ability yet.” Welf admitted with a sigh. “I’ve been able to make some Superior Grade armor and weapons through the use of Runes and such, but without the Developmental Ability, my smithing is hitting a plateau. I want to join your battle party to finally rank up and hit Level Two.”

“I see…” Lili mulled the words over in her mind. “So, you want the direct contract with Master Bell to secure a client for after you’ve ranked up then?”

“That’s about right.” Welf admitted to the Prum girl. “You’re pretty perceptive little Lili.”

“Master Bell, may I ask Mr. Welf a few questions before you decide whether to add him to our battle party or not?” Lili requested with a sweet smile.

“Um, alright?” Bell agreed, something inside of him telling him that the sweet smile hid danger.

“Thank you.” She leaned up to peck his cheek softly before turning to face Welf. “You’ll comply of course, right, Mr. Welf?”

“Y-yeah, sure…” Welf leaned back from Lili a bit. “Is this like a background check or something?”

“More like an interrogation.” Lili’s gaze was suddenly much fiercer as she stared into Welf’s eyes. “Don’t try and hide anything, Mr. Welf.” The tone of her voice made Welf wonder just how bad it would be if this Prum thought he was lying. ‘I’ve heard of people using Boaz and Weretiger bodyguards for intimidation before…but I’ve never heard of a Prum that was this good at it!’

“Lili?” Bell had never seen Lili’s protective side like this before. It was both heartwarming and kind of scary at the same time.

-Dungeon ~ Floor Forty-Four-

“Outta my way, Bete!” Tiona called out as she rushed towards a large stone Monster known as a Flame Rock. “Don’t blame me if you get sliced in half!”

“Who the hell would get hit by a clunky weapon like that?!” Bete shot back as he leapt upwards and pulverized the head of one of the golems with his foot.

“Hah!” Tione landed off to the side with her twin kukri knives in hand. Behind her one of the Flame Rocks went still. A second later and its head slid sideways from a precision cut and fell to the ground. The rest of the golem collapsed a moment later with a loud crash.

“Something got ‘em all riled up, eh?” Gareth deadpanned as the three Level Five’s tore through the large group of Flame Rocks that had appeared. “None of the lower level members are getting any Excelia.” The Dwarf turned to look at Finn and Riveria. “What in the world happened before our rendezvous?”

“That Adventurer we saw on the way down seems to have inspired them, Gareth.” Finn answered as he watched Tione, Tiona, and Bete destroy one golem after another.

“This have anything to do with the two that Ais and Riveria carried out of the Dungeon?” Gareth made an educated guess.

“Indeed.” Finn nodded, looking at his friend. “A Minotaur appeared on the Ninth Floor. That young man slayed it himself.”

“It was no normal Minotaur either.” Riveria spoke up from Finn’s opposite side. “That Red Minotaur was definitely a strengthened species. That boy, at Level One, took it down on his own.”

“What?!” Gareth’s head snapped toward Riveria so quickly his bushy beard swung about from the motion. “A Level One bested a Minotaur? A Level One bested a strengthened species Minotaur?!”

“Ais and I can both confirm.” Riveria nodded to the Dwarf. “We read the Status on his back.”

“Still sounds unbelievable to me.” Gareth ran his hand through his beard. “What did you think of this Adventurer after seeing him with your own eyes?”

“He was rather brash, and still showed his inexperience, but I can understand why Bete and the others can’t sit still.” Finn commented on what he’d seen of Bell during the fight. His thumb still tingled a bit when he thought back to it. “Seeing that boy reminded them that they are Adventurers, just like him.”

“The probability that one of us will fall is rather slim.” Riveria mentioned, her green eyes watching over the expedition. “So, witnessing a life-and-death battle was…breathtaking.” The High Elf let out a pleased sigh. It had been a very long time since they’d had to struggle much at all outside of pushing into new Floors in the Dungeon during expeditions. That young man had reminded them all of that pure, burning passion for adventure that they’d forgotten or grown dull to over the years.

“It still sounds like you’re pulling my leg.” Gareth remarked, though he would’ve liked to see such a thing himself if it happened.

“Riveria…” Ais spoke up as she approached the leaders of her Familia. All three giving the blonde their attention.

“What is it, Ais?” Riveria questioned the golden-eyed girl.

“How do you think…someone goes beyond the limits of Basic Abilities?” Ais wanted to know Riveria’s thoughts on Bell’s over the limit stats that they’d seen.

“We are entering the realm of impossibility.” Riveria spoke, sharing a pointed look with Ais about revealing the information they’d read off of Bell Cranel’s back. “While we can always try to hone our abilities, there is no way to go beyond their limits. Do not concern yourself with foolish ideas, Ais. The strongest we can become is determined by our Level.” She knew her subtle message had gotten through when she saw Ais’s gaze change slightly. ‘It is most likely a unique Skill. Do not worry about it. There is likely no easy way to obtain it or it would be documented.’

Technically speaking, one’s Basic Abilities could all reach ‘S’ rank if they spent the time to train them up. But depending on one’s inclinations and aptitude, certain stats could take years to reach the maximum. Most Races had aptitudes for certain Basic Abilities over others as well. Riveria, as a High Elf, had a strong aptitude for Magic and so that stat was almost always ‘S’ rank when she leveled up. On the opposite spectrum, her Strength and Defense rarely surpassed the ‘G’ or ‘F’ rank. Gareth, as a Dwarf, was practically Riveria’s inverse. His Strength and Defense were almost always ‘S’ rank by the time he leveled up. However, his Magic stat was often ‘G’ rank or lower at any given time. Most Adventurers focused on the stats they were inclined towards and pushed to raise them before accomplishing a Grand Feat and leveling up. A rank up was a faster way to increase one’s power rather than spending years training up stats that one didn’t have any aptitude for.

‘That’s what makes that boy’s stats being all ‘S’ so much more special.’ Riveria hummed to herself as Ais turned and drew her sword, walking in the direction of the Flame Rocks.

“Okay.” Ais would put Bell’s immense and unheard of growth out of her mind, for now.

“Oi, Ais…” Gareth was going to ask her to hang back so that some of the Level Three and Level Four members could get some Excelia.

“Do not waste your breath.” Riveria sighed as Ais continued to move towards the battlefield. “Her spirit is alight. War Princess -Senki- has awakened…”

‘I will become…even stronger!’ Ais declared in her mind before she blurred forward and one Flame Rock among the horde of golems split in half vertically. Thoughts of Bell’s fight with the Red Minotaur filled her mind as she moved, slicing through the Flame Rocks one after another. For the first time in a long while, the ‘black flame’ within her did not flare up during battle. Ais simply fought to grow stronger, rather than out of revenge or to protect her Familia members.

“Having fun, Ais?” Tione asked with a smile as the two went back-to-back amid a group of the golems.

“…I think so?” Ais realized that she was feeling different than usual.

“That’s great!” Tiona bisected a Flame Rock with her massive Urga and laughed as it fell to pieces behind her.

“Mhmm, much better to enjoy the battle on the path to getting stronger.” Tione leapt forward and sliced off one of the Flame Rock’s arms before kicking its stone head off its shoulders with her bare foot. She landed easily as the body fell forward and slammed into the ground.

“Less talking, more fighting!” Bete howled as he shattered the top half of a Flame Rock with a flying kick.

“Oi, Bete! Don’t destroy the Magic Stones!” Gareth hollered down as the Flame Rock burst apart into black dust from having its Magic Stone destroyed.

The Loki Familia had purchased Durandal weapons from the Hephaestus Familia to help deal with the acid-spewing new species they’d encountered last time on the Fiftieth Floor. Not to mention thirty-some Magic Weapons to equip as many of their Level Three and Level Four members with, for the added firepower. Since part of the deal to get the best of the best of Hephaestus Familia’s Smiths to come with them on this expedition had been that all Drop Items were property of the said Smiths. It was rather obvious that the Loki Familia needed to collect as many Magic Stones as possible during this expedition if they didn’t want to sink into the red financially.

“Give them a bit more time to get it out of their systems, then we’ll have the Level Three and Four’s move in to take over and gather Excelia for themselves.” Finn had a little grin on his lips as he watched the four executives continue to decimate the Flame Rocks. As Captain, he needed to see to the benefit of the entire Familia, not just the top members. Bete, Tione, Tiona, and Ais would just have to accept that they weren’t allowed to slay every single Monster the expedition came across.

“If we continue at our current pace, we should make it to the safe zone on Floor Fifty on schedule.” Riveria mentioned while the expedition continued to follow after the four executives as they cleared a path through the current Floor. Already the happy sounds of the Smiths collecting Drop Items was being heard as members of the Loki Familia hurriedly gathered the slain Flame Rocks’ Magic Stones.

-Hestia Familia Home-

“Hmm?” Hestia blinked at a letter attached to the front door of her Familia’s home. The petite Goddess pulled the letter off the door and took it inside with her. “Who could this be from?” She wondered aloud, gently opening it as she sat on the couch. As soon as she unfolded the paper inside her eyes widened before narrowing into a glare. “Freya?! What the heck does she want?” The Goddess of the Hearth, Home, and Family nearly swore.

It didn’t take long for Hestia to read over the letter. Nor did it take her any longer to read it the second time. Or the third. Her blue eyes were a storm of emotions as she finally set the letter down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“What does she know? How?” Hestia clenched her hands into fists as worry seeped into her mind. The opened letter lay on the table innocuously.

“My eyes have noticed a change in your child. One I’ve not seen before. I would like to meet to discuss it at your earliest convenience, Hestia.”

Hestia knew that Freya had some strange ability to see beyond normal things, even in Gekai. One of her Domains, no doubt. But this still greatly worried her. The only thing that had changed in Bell that Freya wouldn’t have ever had a chance to see before was the loss of the Miracle that had been lying dormant inside of her lover. Now she was left with only two options. Meet with Freya and hope to throw the Norse Goddess off of Bell’s trail. Or ignore Freya’s letter entirely, which would assuredly send the curious Goddess on her own hunt for answers. Knowing Freya and how many practically, or literally in some cases, threw themselves at her, it wasn’t impossible that the Goddess of Beauty would figure out what had happened on her own.

“Damn it…” Hestia wrung her hands together. “Hephaestus!” She grabbed the letter, folded it up again, and then stuffed it into the envelope. She was back out the door and running towards her niece’s home as fast as possible. Hephaestus was the only other Goddess that knew about Bell’s Miracle. Hestia could confide in her about this. ‘And maybe, just maybe, we can figure a way out of this.’

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Celebration! Yay!

Ass kicking by best Elf, Ryu! Yay!

Bell and Lili meet Welf! Woohoo!

Lili is protective of Bell, awww~! Welf will learn to fear the Prum!

The Loki Familia expedition is going well, so far. That may or may not last though…

Also, Freya has seen the change in Bell…that’s bad.

How can Hestia, with Hephaestus’s help, hide the secret of Bell’s Miracle from Freya? Will they be able to at all?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you think with a review!

Until next time, later!