Loki Familia Premise Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you a brand-new story! It’s Danmachi again! Since the Series STILL has a freaking stranglehold on my Muse’s throat. Once again, we’re REALLY changing things up! Breaking Canon over my knee! The same change as before applies, Hestia never descended to Gekai! So, who takes in Bell this time? Well, a bit of a change in Bell’s first day in Orario sees him meeting a particular Deity.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 1 – A Dream as Pure as Frozen Crystal

“Watching the snow again, Bell?” An old man chuckled at his young grandson.

“Yeah…” Bell, a young boy with pure white hair and red eyes smiled, looking out the window at the show falling and covering the ground. “It’s nice. Plus, we can have fun in it.” The boy smiled, knowing that the children of their remote village would be playing in the snow tomorrow for sure.

“You really like winter time, don’t you?” His grandpa patted his head fondly.

“Yep!” Bell beamed up at his grandfather. “Everything is pretty and the quiet is different from the rest of the year.”

“Hahaha…different isn’t always a bad thing.” The old man chuckled and went to stoke the fire more.

“Will you tell me another story tonight, grampa?” Bell asked, his rubellite eyes bright.

“Of course,” His grandpa chuckled. “We’ll have some warm drinks, sit by the fireplace, and I’ll read you a new Heroic tale.”

“Thank you, grampa!” Bell cheered and the old man burst into laughter at his exuberance.

Bell loved Hero stories most of all. His grandpa knew all sorts of them too! It was the best, he was the best! One day, Bell wanted to be a Hero, just like the people in the legends and tales. He dreamed about it more than anything. It was his very first desire in life, and it never went away, he wouldn’t give up until he achieved it someday!

-Dungeon City Orario ~ 10 Years Later-

“Well, that trip took longer than I thought.” Bell mused, even as he admired the sprawling city. He tried not to think about the loss of his grandfather again. He’d mourned and grieved enough already. His grandpa would want him to live his life and chase his dreams (and ladies’ butts!). He could practically hear his grandfather’s voice in his head still. “Still, I’m here now. Time to follow my dream. I’ll be a Hero, grampa, just like we talked about for so long.” With his desire still strong in his heart, he headed for the Guild to register as an Adventurer.

As he made his way down the street, marveling at all of the different Races that inhabited Orario. Humans, Cat People, Elves, Chienthropes, Dwarves, Hume Bunnies, Prums, Raccoon People, Amazons, and Beastmen of more types than Bell knew existed! Everything was so different from the simple mountain village that he’d grown up in. The two couldn’t even be compared! Orario really did live up to its nickname of ‘The Center of the World’.

It wasn’t hard to find the Guild Building, given the size of the building and the banners on it. “Okay…” Bell exhaled and then took a fortifying breath. “I can do this.” He walked in and went to the first available counter with someone behind it that he saw.

“Hello, how may I help you today?” The lady behind the counter asked politely.

“Hello, I’m new to Orario and I wanted to become an Adventurer.” Bell informed the woman.

“I’ll get someone to help you with that right away, sir.” The pink-haired woman bowed to him.

“Misha.” A Chienthrope man spoke up from behind the short woman. “You’re perfectly capable of registering a new Adventurer, and you’re free right now, don’t foist your work off on others.” His tone indicated that they’d had this conversation before.

“Yes, Mr. Rhemer…” Misha sighed at being caught trying to sneak a little extra break.

“Good.” Rhemer nodded before turning and walking away.

“Alright, so, there’s a few things you’ll need to fill out first.” Misha rummaged around beneath the counter before dropping a stack of papers on top. “If there’s anything that you don’t understand, I’ll help you with it.” She gave him a smile.

“Thank you very much, ma’am.” Bell smiled at her, even as he looked at the stack of papers in front of him. He could feel his hand cramping already.

-Evening-

“It’s already gotten so late…” Bell sighed, his head feeling overloaded.

After the initial paperwork to register as an Adventurer, he’d also gone ahead with his residency forms since the Guild offered the service and was the main regulatory body within Orario. After that was done, Misha had taken him through a rather long course on being an Adventurer. The pink-haired woman said she’d gotten the lesson plan from a coworker of hers, and that she couldn’t make such detailed work herself. Bell had learned about the different districts and areas of Orario, the various services the Guild offered, how to spot reputable shops and prices in the city, and plenty about the first few Floors of the Dungeon, including the Monsters that spawned there and the basic layout.

His brain was full, to say the least.

“Well, I guess I should find an inn for the night.” Bell muttered to himself as he walked along the street. Several restaurants and bars were teeming with activity, so Bell stopped by one to get something to eat. When he left, night had truly set in and some groups could be seen bar-hopping while enjoying their evening.

That was when his rubellite eyes fell on a woman leaning against a wall not too far away. She looked drunk, the way she was swaying on her feet every time she tried to walk. Seeing her stagger forward in her tipsy state, Bell couldn’t just leave her be, so he approached the woman and gently called out to her.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” Bell asked, keeping a respectful distance so that she didn’t think he was up to something nefarious.

“Eh?” The woman turned to look at him, confirming her inebriation with the heady flush on her cheeks. She was a svelte beauty, with light red hair in a ponytail. Her clothes were somewhat revealing, being a blue crop top, black sleeves with a blue hood attached covered her arms and shoulders, black short shorts that framed her butt nicely, thigh-high black stockings covered her legs, and she wore blue, heeled boots.

“Do you need any help, ma’am?” Bell offered his shoulder to her.

“Thanksh…” The woman accepted, letting Bell help support her before she pointed in the direction that she needed to go.

Bell walked slowly, matching the inebriated Goddess’s pace so that she wouldn’t trip. It was impossible to fake being a Deity. All of the Gods and Goddesses gave off a Divine Aura that Mortals could pick up on. This woman’s had been muted, perhaps by her intoxication, but as soon as Bell came into physical contact with her, there was no mistaking the feeling.

“Shorrry...I prolly look likes crap...right now...” The drunken Goddess apologized as they turned a corner onto another street.

“You shouldn't say that, Goddess, you're beautiful.” Bell told her with a gentle smile.

“Yur jush saying that...” She shook her head a little.

“I mean it though...” Bell assured her, his face gaining a faint hint of red. “You're very pretty, and... I like your red hair.” He complimented her genuinely. She really did look beautiful. Her hair was also new for Bell. There hadn’t been any redheads in his village at all. Most of the villagers had black or brown hair with only a few blondes.

“Really?” The Goddess giggled drunkenly. “I think I should keeps you aroun...little bunny...” She slurred her words a bit, though she was clearly happy.

“While I'd be happy to join your Familia, Goddess, I think it's better to get you home first so you can sleep this off.” Bell smiled at her gently. He could always come back to ask to join her Familia after she’d sobered up.

“Ish right…ova…there.” The Goddess pointed down the street they’d just turned onto and Bell nearly gaped at the residence pointed out.

It was a huge structure built on a small area of land. Multiple tall towers overlapped and supported each other, with the middle tower being the tallest. The home appeared as if it had been carved from flames with the red tint of the building that could only be seen by the lights on around the property. As they walked towards it, Bell could only wonder who this Goddess was to have such a large home. As soon as they entered the front doors, Bell saw a beautiful Elven woman with long, jade green hair. She could’ve easily rivaled a Goddess in beauty, but when her equally jade green eyes looked at the two of them, she only sighed heavily.

“Again...?” The Elf pinched the bridge of her nose. “You have to stop doing this…” She admonished the inebriated Goddess. The woman turned an appreciative smile onto Bell for his assistance. “Thank you for bringing our Goddess home, Mr...?”

“Bell Cranel, ma'am.” Bell gave her the best bow he could while still supporting the Goddess with his shoulder. “She looked like she needed assistance is all.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cranel.” The Elven woman thanked him properly before trying to take her Goddess off his hands. That turned out to be a problem as the redhead latched onto Bell with a death grip. “Loki...you have to let Mr. Cranel go.”

“…nuh uh.” Loki shook her head, her ponytail swinging around.

‘So, this is Goddess Loki?’ Bell at least had a name now.

“Finn, Gareth, help me with Loki, please.” The Elf called out to the next room over.

“Ah…” A blonde Prum sighed as he entered the entry hall. “I see.” Bell was starting to think that this had happened more than once. “Alright, the usual method, Gareth.” He looked at the Dwarf man next to him and received a nod.

“Aye.” Gareth nodded to Finn, both of them familiar with their Goddess’s antics. “I've got her arm.” He gave a strained smile to Bell as he took hold of Loki.

The three attempted to pull Loki off of Bell, but the Goddess only held on tighter. “Nooo…muh bnuuy!”

Bell felt his entire face go red from the situation. It was more than a little embarrassing to have three people trying to pry their Goddess off of him.

“She's got a death grip on the kid!” Gareth grunted, trying not to use too much of his strength and accidentally hurt Loki or Bell.

“Pull harder!” Finn was trying to work his fingers beneath Loki’s to break her grip on the young man.

Loki ended up wrapping her legs around Bell, sending them both to the floor. Bell, once more being kind to the drunken Goddess, turned to take the brunt of the fall for Loki.

“Muh bnuuy~” Loki was lying on Bell’s chest, giggling drunkenly. Her arms and legs now tightly wrapped around him.

“S-sorry…” Bell felt his face burning while looking up at the other three.

Riveria was once more pinching the bridge of her nose. “Mr. Cranel, if you don't mind, would you be willing to stay here for a bit until Loki lets go of you?” She’d be giving Loki a firm hand along with a lengthy lecture about this tomorrow morning.

“I'm actually new to Orario and I was looking for an inn to stay in when I found her, so that's fine with me.” Bell agreed as Gareth helped him back to his feet with Loki still clinging to him.

Finn smiled at Bell in thanks. “Then you'll be our guest for the night, we'll have a room prepared for you.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Bell nodded to Finn, making sure to keep his balance as Loki snuggled against him. The occasional drunken giggle escaped the Goddess still.

“Don't mention it, lad. Loki seems to have taken one hell of a liking to you already.” Gareth laughed at the situation, easily able to roll with things like this. It all came with being a longtime member of the Loki Familia.

Bell was led over to a couch in the nearby sitting room. A few other members of the Loki Familia either sighed or snickered at their Goddess when they saw her clinging to a stranger in a drunken stupor. All of them were quickly shooed away by Riveria. Finn was kind enough to bring Bell a drink while they waited for Loki to let him go. But as the minutes turned into hours, that was looking less likely.

Wanting to kill the time, Bell spoke with Finn, Riveria, and Gareth. He learned a bit about Loki, their Familia, and some more about Orario. Their conversation was only interrupted a few times by attempts to pry Loki from Bell, none of which was successful. Bell almost found it cute how the Norse Goddess wouldn’t let go, like a child with their favored toy. If he wasn’t still a bit embarrassed by the situation, he might’ve even laughed about it.

Bell didn’t remember falling asleep, but the way he woke up the next morning proved that he’d done so.

-Morning-

“Uuuugghh…my head…” Loki grumbled, letting go of the warm pillow that she’d been holding. “Mm?” She blinked when she realized the warm pillow was actually a young man. ‘A rather cute young man at that!’ Loki grinned before the memories of the previous night returned to her. “Oh…the bunny.” She grinned, only for her head to throb in pain. “Ooohh…” Looking around she spotted a few of the early risers already downstairs. “Someone, bring me some hangover medicine.” One of the girls rolled her eyes with a sigh, but went to fetch what her Goddess requested anyway.

“Good morning, Goddess.” Bell was roused from slumber by Loki’s movement and words. He politely kept his voice low, seeing that Loki was dealing with an obvious hangover.

“Morning, little bunny.” Loki yawned lightly. “Stay and have some breakfast. I need to thank you for looking out for me last night.” She stretched a bit, a small pop heard that made her groan a little. “That was one hell of a bar-hopping spree, even for me.”

“Thank you for breakfast, Goddess.” Bell was happy to accept, he was hungry.

“No problem.” Loki took the glass of water and the medicine that her ‘child’ brought her. She popped the pills and then swallowed them down with the entire glass of water. Handing the cup back to her Familia member, she then turned to Bell. “After breakfast I’ll give you my Falna, if you want it.” Loki had a good eye for spotting those that wanted to become Adventurers. She’d been doing it for decades at this point. Bell practically screamed ‘I want to be an Adventurer!’ to her eyes. He’d also mentioned joining her Familia last night, so it was even more obvious than if she’d just spotted him randomly.

“Really?” Bell blinked at the offer. “Th-Thank you very much, Goddess.” He stood up from the couch and bowed at the waist to Loki. He was ecstatic that he’d found a Familia so soon!

“No problem…” Loki waved off with a small smile. The headache would still take a bit to go away “We’ll get to it after breakfast.”

Breakfast at the Twilight Manor was a lively affair. Riveria, Finn, and Gareth had greeted Bell, all three once more apologizing for Loki’s behavior. When Loki, obviously recovered from her hangover, had gotten everyone’s attention, she nearly dragged Bell to the front of the room to introduce him to everyone as their newest Familia member. The warm welcome from the majority of the Familia had made Bell smile while he bowed to them in greeting and introduced himself.

-Loki’s Room ~ After Breakfast-

“I’ll need to see your bare back to give you my Falna.” Loki giggled lightly, sitting on her bed after placing a stool in front of where she was sitting.

“Yes, Goddess.” Bell slipped off his jacket and then pulled his black shirt over his head. He sat down when Loki patted the stool in front of her.

“Ooh, you’re a bit more muscular than I thought, Bell.” Loki grinned, gently running her hands and fingers over his back. “You worked hard where you lived growing up?”

“Yeah, I lived in a small farming village in the mountains before coming to Orario.” Bell explained, kind of enjoying the feeling of Loki’s hands on his skin. She had very soft hands, and the light touches felt nice. “We all had to pitch in with the work as soon as we were old enough.”

“I see. Well, it certainly did you some favors.” Loki snickered, briefly running her hands around his sides to touch his abs.

“G-Goddess?” Bell stuttered a little, not having expected her hands to wander to his front.

“This won’t take too long. I have plenty of practice with giving my Blessing!” Loki smiled to ease any nerves Bell might be feeling as she pulled her hands away from his body.

She lightly pricked the tip of her index finger with a small needle that she kept in a little box in her room. Placing her finger against his back made a blue light begin to emit from Bell’s skin. Loki easily went through the process of granting Bell her Falna. A place for his name, his level, his Basic Abilities, a place for Skills to manifest, another for Developmental Abilities, and with some surprise, three slots for Magic were able to be added.

‘Am I getting another Mage, perhaps?’ Loki wondered at the three Magic slots. It was always nice to have Mages in the Familia. They brought the heavy firepower to the Dungeon.

A second later and the Blessing was complete, Loki pushed a tiny scrap of her Divinity into it and watched her Falna appear on Bell’s back like a tattoo. The clown-like face was a perfect representation for a Trickster Goddess like her. But it was with some surprise that she realized that she wasn’t done just yet.

“A Skill?” Loki perked up. She had only seen this a handful of times before. A Skill manifesting while applying the Falna was fairly rare. She wouldn’t be able to reject this one, even if it was a negative Skill. The ones that appeared when the Falna was placed couldn’t be rejected at all. “Hmm?!” Loki was perfectly fine with a Skill appearing, it had happened before, however rare, but seeing Magic appear right off the bat as well was very, very rare. Riveria had Magic from the get go back in the day, but she was a High Elf and had already learned Magic without the Falna beforehand. “Are they linked?” She hummed and then looked at the Magic first. Loki blinked at seeing Ice Enchant Magic in Bell’s Falna. Looking at the Skill, she couldn’t help but be curious. They fit together so well…did Bell have some great desire to wield the power of ice? Or was this just a natural affinity, like Ais?

“Is there something wrong, Goddess?” Bell asked after a few moments of Loki not doing anything.

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Loki chuckled, preparing to surprise Bell with his first Status. She wrote the Magic and the Skill into Bell’s Falna and then the blue glow faded away. “Just one last thing.” Loki placed a blank piece of paper onto Bell’s back. A quick twirl of her finger against the paper and Bell’s new Falna copied over. “Here you go, Bell, your first Status.” She handed him the paper, easily hiding her grin.

“Thank you, Goddess.” Bell happily accepted the paper from her. When he looked at it, a smile spread across his face at seeing his own Blessing for the first time.

Loki was counting down in her head until he reached the sections about Magic and Skills.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 0

Defense – I 0

Dexterity – I 0

Agility – I 0

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

Aurora – Ice Magic – Enchantment

Incantation: ‘Frost’

-Skills-

Eilíft Frost – Provides protection from cold along with Ice and Water Magics and makes all Ice Magics the user casts use less Mind while significantly increasing their power.

-Status-

“Eh?!” Bell exclaimed in shock at seeing his new Magic and Skill.

“Hahahahaha!” Loki burst into laughter at the shocked look on Bell’s face.

“G-Goddess Loki…is this…is this real?!” Bell looked between his first Status and his new Goddess.

“Yes, Bell, it’s real.” Loki snickered, slowly getting herself back under control. “You have Ice Magic and a Skill that enhances it. Congratulations, you even surprised me with that one.” She pulled him into a hug and Bell returned it reflexively, wrapping his arms around her. “We’ll see if you’ll go the Mage path or the Magic Swordsman path in time.” Loki spoke to him softly, enjoying a warm hug and not being instantly rejected as she usually was.

“I think I’d do better with a sword.” Bell gave his honest opinion. It was more Heroic to have sword in hand as he battled on the front lines in his mind. Perhaps that was all of the stories that he’d been read as a child?

“Then we’ll get you a sword.” Loki promised with a grin. “But first, let me lock up your Falna.” She spun him around and set him back on the stool. “We don’t want anyone else to see your Status. That’s not something anyone outside of the Familia needs to know. And even then, only the higher ups, so that they know where best to utilize you when you’re eventually strong enough to join expeditions.” She moved her fingertips over his Falna in an intricate pattern and then watched as the tattoo-like marking appeared to sink into Bell’s skin, leaving it completely clear. “There we go…” Loki nodded happily, and then a grin appeared on her lips. “Oops…my hands slipped.” She giggled, once more running her hands over his back and then leaning forward to wrap her arms around him from behind.

“L-Loki…?” Bell looked over his shoulder at her.

“Almost fell over there.” Loki fibbed with a smile, her hands lightly moving up and down his abs. “A cute young man all to myself…” She grinned when his face went red. “Your such an innocent bunny, Bell.” Loki hugged him tightly. “My snow bunny!”

“I’m not a bunny…” Bell had been called that before by the girls of his village growing up. His white hair and rubellite eyes had been admired and cooed over by the females of the village.

“There are times when being a bunny can be a good thing~” Loki breathed into his ear teasingly. “Like having the libido of a rabbit in the bedroom.”

“Goddess!” Bell couldn’t help his surprised squawk.

“Hahahaha!” Loki burst into laughter again. “You’re going to be so much fun, Bell. I can already tell.”

“Please don’t tease me, Goddess.” Bell sighed, his face cooling off.

“Aww, but that’s part of the fun.” Loki pouted at him playfully.

“You’re a very affectionate Goddess, aren’t you?” Bell narrowed his eyes at Loki, scrutinizing the woman a bit.

“Maybe~” Loki purred, a grin on her lips. “If you’re up for it, of course.” She giggled seeing Bell fidget a little. “The others I have my eye on always reject me so coldly…it hurts me, right here.” She patted her chest over her heart.

“Really?” Bell raised an eyebrow at her words.

“Yep. Right in the feels.” Loki lamented with a sigh. “I’ve even toned down my physical affections…but they’re still rejecting me.” She wiped away a fake tear. “Oh, they’re such cuties though, I can’t stay mad at them!” Loki cheered rolling around on her bed like an excited child.

“You’re a hard Goddess to figure out, Loki.” Bell sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

“Don’t worry, Bell, you’ll have plenty of time to learn!” Loki smiled brightly at him, her red eyes sparkling with blatant meaning.

“Umm…” Bell’s eyes widened a little at the barely disguised come on.

“But before any of that, we need to test out your Magic!” Loki hopped off the bed, grabbed Bell’s hand, and then raced out of her room while nearly dragging Bell behind her. “Ais! Where are you? I need your help with something!” She called out while descending the stairs.

“Loki, must you be so loud? It’s not even noon yet.” Riveria called out, the High Elf standing in the Goddess’s path.

“Ooh, Riveria! Good timing!” Loki beamed at her Vice-Captain. “Bell has Magic! We’re going to test it out!”

“Magic?” Riveria looked over at Bell, and when she saw him nod the Elf made her decision. “Very well, I will supervise.”

“You called for me?” A girl’s voice came from behind Riveria.

Ais Wallenstein was a very beautiful young woman with long golden-blonde hair, gold eyes, and a slender body, her breasts and hips giving her curves that had caught many a man’s eyes. She was wearing a white and black battle cloth, black arm covers, and long blue boots up to her thighs. Her armor over this consisted of a head guard, breastplate, arm guards, hip guards, and knee guards. At her hip was a straight sword of high quality.

“Ais…” Loki pouted at the blonde. “You’re going on expedition soon enough; can’t you take one day off and not go to the Dungeon?”

“Mm...” Ais looked down at the floor. A lot of her Familia said similar things, but she wanted to get stronger.

“We’re going with her to make sure that she doesn’t over do it.” An energetic voice chimed in as two girls entered the large hall.

Tiona Hyrute, like all Amazons, had a darker skin tone than most other Races. Short, black hair, with two long bangs framing her face. Each of the longer bangs was held together with simple, bronze hair ornaments near the ends. Around her neck were golden-colored neckbands, the largest of which sported three blue gems. Her chest was covered by a white breast wrap that left just enough to the imagination. She wasn't very busty, but it certainly didn’t detract from her beauty at all. Her smooth and toned stomach was left fully on display. She wore a golden armband on each forearm and had golden anklets similar to her neckbands adorning her ankles. The pareo around her waist was a dark-yellow color with a thick band of green along the hem. The garment partially covered her legs and the brown loincloth that hung down to her shins. A thick, brown and white belt with a golden buckle sat around her hips, over the tied-off pareo.

“We’ll make sure she’s back by dark.” The other young woman spoke up with a smile.

Tione Hyrute, Tiona’s twin, was a lovely Amazon with long, black hair going down to just past her butt. Much like Tiona, she had two long bangs that framed her face, hers were braided however, and held together with silver-colored hair ornaments near the ends. Her ears were pierced, each one sporting a round, blue gem. Silver-colored neckbands adorned her neck and a deep-red bikini top covered her, very large, breasts and was wrapped around her back while being tied off behind her neck. A circular, silver moon ornament kept the top pulled tight to prevent any slipping. She also left her toned and smooth stomach fully displayed. She had a folded pareo tied around her waist, the color and design a match of her twin sisters. Red leggings attached to a garter belt around her waist drew Bell’s eyes. She also had silver-colored armbands and anklets to contrast her sisters’ golden ones.

“Instead of that, come watch Bell test out his Magic!” Loki declared, the bright smile on her face meant that she wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer.

“Magic? Already?” Tione cocked an eyebrow at their newest member.

“Neat! Most people take a while before they get any Magic.” Tiona praised Bell with a smile.

“The best part is that it’s an Elemental Enchantment, like Ais’s!” Loki revealed with a cheer.

“Huh?” Ais’s golden eyes quickly found Bell’s rubellite gaze. Bell couldn’t even blink to break their eye contact, such was the penetrating power of Ais’s intense stare.

“To the courtyard!” Loki declared, breaking the stare down as she dragged Bell along.

“Goddess…I can walk!” Bell cried out while three of the four women followed at a more sedate pace. Tiona was quick to catch up to Loki and Bell to watch the display.

Once the small group was out in the courtyard, Loki put Bell near the middle and then rushed over to Riveria’s side. “Okay, Bell! Give it a whirl!”

A bit nervous with the eyes of so many women on him, as most men would be for fear of screwing up in front of them, Bell gathered his resolve and took a steadying breath. With a slow exhale, he focused, and then he spoke the one word incantation to his new Magic. “Frost!”

A wave of bitterly cold air raced away from Bell’s position. The ground froze over instantly and the air temperature was quickly in the negatives. The encroaching ice continued to spread rapidly, even reaching the women’s position and making Loki, Tione, and Tiona shiver since they were exposing the most skin. Bell noticed that ice was forming over parts of his body, almost like armor, but he didn’t feel the chill at all. If anything, it was like a nice spring morning, cool but comfortable.

“D-d-d-damn…th-that’s…c-c-cold…” Loki’s teeth were chattering as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“No kidding.” Tione’s breath came out in white mist as she spoke. The Amazon also hugging herself to ward off the sharp chill.

“It’s already this powerful…that’s awesome!” Tiona cheered, her breath a huge cloud of white before she was quickly reminded of the chill and wrapped her arms around herself again. “I think my feet are gonna freeze to the ground.” She was indeed shifting from one foot to the next to prevent that.

“Impressive…it very much reminds me of Ais’s Magic.” Riveria nodded, less effected by the chill because of her robe and her Developmental Ability: Magic Resistance. “But if it’s this strong with all of his Basic Abilities still at I 0, there must be a reason.

“G-g-got…it in…o-one…R-Riveria.” Loki chattered to the High Elf. “B-Bell has…a S-Skill that…en-enhances his Magic.”

“I see.” Riveria held he chin and nodded thoughtfully.

Ais moved forward, not saying a word, but approaching the source of the frigid air and spreading ice. Her skin stung as the temperature dropped the closer that she got. Eventually she stood before Bell as her skin turned red from the biting cold. “Tempest.” Ais activated her own Enchantment and a green gale whipped up around her, pushing away the ice-filled air in a frozen cloud of mist.

“M-Miss Ais?” Bell blinked at her confused as to why she’d approached him.

“Control it.” Ais spoke to him reaching out with her hand.

Bell saw the green wind wrapped around Ais’s outstretched hand and arm and realized what she was trying to explain. “I’ll try.” He nodded to her and exhaled, his warm breath freezing into diamond dust instantaneously. The stinging cold stopped expanding. The deep chill wrapped around Bell like armor, covering the ice that was already on his body. “Like that?”

“Mm.” Ais nodded to him, the smallest of smiles on her lips. “Good.”

“St-Still cold…but n-not as b-bad…n-now.” Loki rubbed her arms furiously to try and warm up.

“Yeah…now its just like standing in ice, instead of in a blizzard.” Tione snarked a little, moving from foot to foot to prevent her bare feet from sticking to the ground.

“Y-Yep…” Tiona smiled her normal sunny smile. “But it’s getting warmer already.” She pointed out that the warmth of the sunlight on their skin had returned, unlike when it had no effect while Bell’s Magic was spreading.

“Huh…” Bell looked himself over after he ended his Magic. He still didn’t feel cold at all, and the ice ‘armor’ was falling off his body to shatter on the frozen ground.

“Do you…want me to teach you…how to use your Magic?” Ais offered with a cute tilt of her head.

“W-Would you?” Bell nearly gaped at the unexpected offer.

“Yes.” Ais nodded to Bell simply.

“It seems like Ais has taken an interest in Bell, or his Magic at least.” Riveria mentioned with a small smile.

“Ais and Bell?” Loki took on a thinking pose. “That’s too cute!” She rushed forward and jumped towards both teens with a wide smile. “Let me in too!” Ais reached out, snatched Loki’s outstretched left hand and then threw her to the wall at the back of the courtyard. “Guh!” Loki cried out when she collided with the stone wall, before falling to the ground.

“Um…is she okay?” Bell quickly went to check on Loki.

“Eh?” Loki blinked as she was gently helped to her feet. Seeing Bell’s worried ruby eyes as he checked her over for injuries made her smile softly. “I’m alright, Bell.” She assured him, happy to see the relief on his face at her words. “It’ll take a lot more than Ais’s rejection to hurt me.”

“I’m just glad that you’re alright, Loki.” Bell smiled at her.

“Oh, Bell, you’re such a sweet bunny!” Loki hugged him tightly, snuggling against him for a long moment.

“Goddess…” Bell didn’t whine…but it was close.

“Alright, alright…” Loki grinned at him. “Ais, Tione, Tiona!” Seeing the girls looking at her, Loki gave them instructions. “Take Bell to a weapon shop, preferably Hephaestus, or Goibniu, and get him a good sword. Nothing crazy, since we don’t want to stunt his growth, but something good enough to survive his Magic.”

“Sure thing!” Tiona raised her hand into the air with a bright grin.

“She said nothing crazy.” Tione reminded her sister. “That means nothing like your Urga.”

“Urga isn’t crazy! It’s a masterpiece!” Tiona argued in favor of her preferred weapon.

“Okay.” Ais’s response was the most normal.

That was how Bell found himself the envy of dozens if not hundreds of men in Orario. Walking through the city towards the main Hephaestus shop, practically surrounded by three beautiful women that were all high-level Adventurers. Bell felt nervous, and the looks of disbelief and envy weren’t making it better. Thankfully, the ball of sunshine that was Tiona was more than happy to keep things lively.

“So, Bell, what kind of sword do you want?” Tiona asked as they walked along.

“Um, I’m not sure, really.” Bell admitted, since he’d never actually held a sword before. “Something simple would probably be best.”

“Simple…hmm…” Tione looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, you can’t go much simpler than a straight sword.”

“Mm…hand-and-a-half maybe?” Ais looked Bell over carefully as she offered her suggestion.

“Yeah, that would probably work.” Tiona nodded in agreement with Ais.

“Thank you for helping me out, I really appreciate it.” Bell thanked the three girls as the shop came into few. “I don’t know much of anything about weapons, so having you here with me is a big help.”

“No problem, we’re Familia, we help each other out.” Tione shot him a smile.

“Yep! If you need any help, just say so!” Tiona was all too happy to offer her assistance.

“…Yes.” Ais nodded to Bell, a small, barely there, smile on her lips.

-Hephaestus Shop-

“So, you want a simple sword, not too strong, but strong enough that his Magic won’t destroy it…that about it?” The shopkeeper asked while looking at the four Loki Familia members.

“Yeah.” Tione looked at him flatly for repeating exactly what they’d just said.

“You’re really asking for a balancing act of a sword then…” The shopkeeper ran his hand through his hair. “The stronger the sword, the more durable it is. But you’re asking for durable without strength…that’s a more difficult order.”

“Well, where do you recommend that we start looking?” Tiona questioned with her hands behind her head.

“Maybe Superior Grade?” The shopkeeper nodded at his own thoughts. “Look for something that’s enchanted for durability rather than cutting power, would be my best guess.” He pointe dover to an area of the large shop that had a sign hanging down from the ceiling reading ‘Superior Grade’.

“Thank you.” Ais nodded to the shopkeeper and led Bell towards the section.

“Lucky kid.” The shopkeeper mumbled under his breath at Bell’s luck.

Several minutes later and Bell had held at least thirty different swords. None of them were bad, but some of them were heavier than he expected, while others where incredibly light via their enchantment. Bell picked up another simple-looking sword and unsheathed it.

It was a straight, double-edged sword with a nice finish on the blade. The handle was just big enough to consider it a hand-and-a-half sword. He gave it a few simple test swings and found it fit well in his right hand, and even gripping it with both hands wasn’t bad, if a little off in feel.

“You like that one, Bell?” Tiona asked, her eyes running over the simple blade.

“It feels pretty good.” Bell nodded in response.

“The tag on the sheath says it has a durability enchantment too.” Tione pointed out that it matched the criteria that they were looking for.

“How much is it?” Bell wondered about the price for the sword.

“…Loki is paying.” Ais informed him simply. “She says it’s a gift for…her snow bunny.”

“Goddess Loki…” Bell appreciated the gift…but did she have to spread that name around?

“You’re cute like a bunny, that’s for sure.” Tiona laughed and Bell felt his cheeks heat up a bit.

“Miss Tiona…” Bell shook his head.

“Aw, look at him blush.” Tione grinned at Bell, leaning close to him.

“Miss Tione…” Bell began to fidget a bit. He wasn’t used to having the attention of multiple beautiful girls.

“Hmm?” Ais tilted her head slightly. In her mind a younger version of herself compared Bell to a bunny with a smile. “…bunny.”

“Miss Ais.” Bell just hung his head at this point.

“Let’s look at some armor, since Loki is paying.” Tione suggested with a grin.

“Why not?” Tiona smiled brightly.

The girls took the sword and then dragged Bell over to the section with armor.

Bell would have a nice set of light armor and his chosen sword before the group left the shop.

When he was shown to his new room at the Twilight Manor after they returned, he was just glad to have a place to put his stuff down. He’d been given a small room, but at Loki’s insistence it was a single room instead of sharing with a roommate. Bell didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing though. From what he understood, a single room was usually only for the Executives that had earned them. Loki was big on rewarding excellence in her Familia.

“Bell!” Loki nearly kicked open his door, scaring the hell out of Bell in the process.

“LOKI!!!” Bell had his hand over his heart, feeling beating into his ribcage.

“Sorry about that.” Loki apologized with a grin. “Show me what you got today.”

“Uh, okay…” Bell showed her the light armor and the sword that he’d picked out with the girls’ help.

“Hmm…not bad.” Loki looked over the sword. “What’s its name?”

“Name?” Bell looked confused.

“Yeah, most pieces that are in the main Hephaestus shop are of good enough quality to have been named by their Smith.” Loki looked over the sword for the name. “Ah, here it is.” She pulled back a section of the leather on the handle. “Really?” Loki nearly scoffed at the name she’d read.

“What’s its name?” Bell was curious after seeing her reaction.

“Well…if it’s supposed to be named after what I think it is, then it’s almost an insult.” Loki shook her head. “It’s called Gram. But I don’t know if their intention was to name it after Gram, the sword also known as Balmung or Nothung, or the unit of measurement. The writing is in Koine which doesn’t have the distinction to tell.”

“Gram?” Bell didn’t know that name.

“A legendary sword that the Hero Siegfried used to slay the dragon Fafnir.” Loki explained.

“Hero?” Bell’s rubellite eyes lit up at the word. “I’ve heard a lot of Hero stories, but I don’t recognize that one.”

“You don’t know that one, huh?” Loki grinned at Bell. “Well, I could tell you it. Or is the legendary sword what you’re really interested in?”

“Both.” Bell smiled at his Goddess brightly.

“Hehehe…you’re a fun one, Bell.” Loki laughed, sitting next to him on his bed, after sheathing the sword safely and setting it between them. “But if you want a weapon on the level of Gram, then you’ll have to earn it.” She told him, leaning close enough to Bell that their noses almost touched. “If you get stronger and bring back good quality materials from the Dungeon, along with enough Valis, then I’ll make sure you get the weapon of your dreams. From this basic sword all the way up to a sword that could bear the name Gram without being an insult to the original.” Loki promised him, her red eyes staring into his rubellite gaze.

“I’ll do my best, Goddess.” Bell promised her right back.

“That’s what I like to hear, Bell!” Loki nearly glomped him onto his bed with a bright laugh.

“Loki!” Bell exclaimed at his affectionate Goddess.

“So…you want to hear Siegfried’s tale?” Loki pulled back from Bell with a knowing grin.

“Yes, please!” Bell was always excited to hear about new Heroic tales.

-The Next Day-

“Good morning, Miss Ais.” Bell greeted his tutor for the morning. He was wearing his new armor and had his sword with him as well.

Loki, Finn, Gareth, and Riveria had all agreed that Bell should have some training before entering the Dungeon. Since Ais has already offered to train him on how to use his Magic, she’d been tasked with teaching Bell the basics of being an Adventurer.

“Good morning.” Ais returned his greeting. She was also in her full adventuring gear. “Let’s get started.”

“Yes, Miss Ais.” Bell smiled and waited for instruction.

“Ais…” Ais looked at him “Call me Ais.” She placed one hand on her breastplate. “That’s what everyone calls me…does it make you uncomfortable?”

“No, not at all.” Bell shook his head. “…What should I do to start?”

Ais stared at him for a long moment before looking slightly away. “What should you do?” She looked as if she was questioning herself.

“Huh?” Bell blinked at her question. ‘Is…is Ais an airhead?’ While that thought was adorable and made the beautiful girl even cuter in Bell’s eyes, it wasn’t what he was expecting.

“I’ve been thinking…since yesterday…” Ais admitted as she turned her head back to face him. “…How about practice swings? I’ll show you how to wield your sword first.” She decided after a few moments of thought.

“Sure…” Bell agreed as he drew his sword from his hip.

The next several minutes were spent with Bell learning how to properly hold his sword, followed by practice swings. Ais corrected Bell anytime he did something that would leave him in a bad position, or if his swing was sloppy. Once Bell had the basics down, Ais drew her own sword and set it aside. She then took up her blue scabbard and held it like a sword.

‘She wants to spar? Already?!’ Bell felt a mix of excitement and anxiety building up in him at the prospect. Ais’s golden gaze sharpened and she stepped forward strongly. A pivot on the ball of her foot and Bell only had an instant to blink. “Eh?!” The Kenki’s foot slammed into his breastplate and sent Bell reeling backwards. His feet left the ground entirely and he bounced twice off the ground before he came to a stop. “…A-Ais?” Bell tried to look up with the wind knocked out of him.

Ais looked shocked at what she’d just done. “Ah…sorry…” She apologized to the white-haired teen.

‘Yep…she’s an airhead…cute…’ Bell thought before lying back on the ground and slowing getting his breath back from the unexpected kick. Ais approached after a few moments of letting him recover.

“Can you stand?” Ais asked, a phrase that would become ingrained into Bell’s mind soon enough.

“…Yes.” Bell sat up and got to his feet.

“…Then let’s fight.” Ais readied her scabbard again. “I’m not as good at instructing as Riveria and the others.” She admitted freely to being a novice instructor. “I think this is best.” Bell would swear he saw Ais become a black silhouette with glowing golden eyes for a second.

-Second Floor Overlooking the Courtyard-

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Gareth ran his hand through his thick brown beard. “Ais has never taught anyone how to fight before.”

“She’s also never shown interest in a new person like this before.” Riveria reminded the Dwarf, watching Ais begin sparring with Bell.

“It’ll be good for Ais.” Finn nodded, smiling down at the training going on below. “Hopefully it helps her open up more to everyone.” Ais had been closed off from everyone for far too long. Only the joining of Tione and Tiona and then Lefiya later had begun to slowly break down the wall that Ais had built between herself and others. “Aside from that kick a moment ago, she’s not doing too bad.”

“Ooh…” Loki flinched as Bell took a kick across the face and fell to the ground. “A bit too much there, Ais…”

“We might want to give her some advice, here and there.” Gareth suggested, seeing Ais fretting over the disoriented Bell.

“Agreed.” Finn and Riveria both nodded, watching Bell slowly get back to his feet down below.

“I’ll head down there and recommend that she start on Magic instruction.” Riveria spoke up a few minutes later, seeing Bell eat another kick to the face.

“Yeah…” Finn and Gareth both sighed at seeing Ais actually knock Bell unconscious this time.

-Afternoon-

“Wow, Ais really messed you up?” Loki chuckled lightly while Bell drank a Low Potion to heal the injuries he’d gotten while sparring with Ais. “You need to ease up a bit there, Ais.” She looked at the blonde girl with a shake of her head.

“Sorry, I forgot my strength…a few times…” Ais apologized, looking down at the floor. She hadn’t meant to harm Bell at all. But he was surprisingly quick at picking up what she was showing him.

“I’m okay.” Bell smiled once the swelling and bruises on his face healed up under the potion’s effect. “I feel like I learned a lot during our sparring, Ais.” He thanked her and Ais looked at him with a slight smile, glad that he didn’t want to end their lessons.

“You shouldn’t overdo it though.” Loki sighed at both of them while pricking her finger to draw a little blood. “Having to drink a potion after every spar isn’t exactly a good thing, you know?” She touched Bell’s bare back and the blue glow appeared as his Falna reappeared on his back. “Now, let’s see.” She watched his newly acquired Excelia and let it grow his stats according to what he’d done during his training today. “Yeah…you should ease up a bit more Ais, remember that you’re Level 5.” The Trickster Goddess looked at just how much Bell’s Defense had grown.

“…Sorry.” Ais apologized softly.

“That said, sparring with such a high-level Adventurer does show some benefits.” Loki mentioned while copying over the newly updated Status. “See for yourself, Bell.” She handed over the paper with a grin.

“Thank you, Goddess.” Bell accepted the paper, eager to see his first steps of growth.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 0 > I 8

Defense – I 0 > I 25

Dexterity – I 0 > I 9

Agility – I 0 > I 8

Magic – I 0 > I 15

-Magic-

Aurora – Ice Magic – Enchantment

Incantation: ‘Frost’

-Skills-

Eilíft Frost – Provides protection from cold along with Ice and Water Magics and makes all Ice Magics the user casts use less Mind while significantly increasing their power.

-Status-

“Oh…wow, my Defense is already at twenty-five.” Bell blinked at the much higher increase than his other stats. “I guess getting beaten down was good for something.” He let out a mirthless chuckle, his face blank.

Ais fretted from her place against the wall. Maybe she should take it a little easier tomorrow?

“You’ve made your first progress, snow bunny.” Loki gave him a smile. “Keep giving it your all and you’ll only get better.”

“Yes, Loki!” Bell nodded resolutely, not even caring about the nickname after seeing his progress. Sure, the sparring was tough, and it hurt…a lot, but he’d grown quite a bit in just one day! He wouldn’t give up! Heroes didn’t back down! ‘I will be a Hero!’ Bell declared internally. No matter how hard it was, or how long the path, he would reach his dream!

“Oops…my hands slipped again.” Loki giggled, happily running her hands over Bell’s muscles.

‘I…don’t like that.’ Ais realized after a moment of watching Loki touch Bell’s muscles. ‘…But why?’ She thought about it, still watching Loki fluster Bell, before a thought came to her. ‘I want…to pet the bunny.’ This just led to even more confused thoughts for the young woman though.

-Two Days Later-

“I feel like I’m being ignored a bit…” Loki eyed Ais and then looked at Bell who was smiling through his bruised face. “Well, at least you didn’t lose consciousness today, I guess?” She shrugged at the pair, considering it was technically improvement from the last two days

“I want to do well, Goddess.” Bell spoke up in Ais’s defense while Loki began his Status update. “I want to get stronger.”

“I know, Bell.” Loki understood his desire to improve. “But getting your head kicked in isn’t the way to go about it.” She knew that being surrounded by so many higher-level Adventurers was making Bell want to catch up with them. It was a powerful desire that she could practically feel every time that she updated his Status.

“But I am improving a lot.” Bell spoke up, only to shut up when Loki lightly flicked one of his bruises. “Ow…sorry.”

“Here,” Loki handed him the update, a smirk on her face from her little punishment. “You’re growing well, especially since you haven’t been into the Dungeon yet.”

“Thank you, Goddess.” Bell accepted the paper with a sheepish chuckle. He had no desire to make Loki upset with him or anything.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 20 > I 26

Defense – I 48 > I 63

Dexterity – I 21 > I 29

Agility – I 22 > I 30

Magic – I 30 > I 45

-Magic-

Aurora – Ice Magic – Enchantment

Incantation: ‘Frost’

-Skills-

Eilíft Frost – Provides protection from cold along with Ice and Water Magics and makes all Ice Magics the user casts use less Mind while significantly increasing their power.

-Status-

“You think I’m ready for the Dungeon, Loki?” Bell looked over at his Goddess after looking at his new stats.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll make quick work of the Monsters on the First Floor.” Loki laughed at the image in her head of Monsters inside of giant ice cubes.

“Great!” Bell was excited to try out everything that he’d learned in a real fight.

“Ais, watch out for him, and help him collect the Magic Stones, alright?” Loki looked over at the blonde.

“Yes.” Ais nodded, enjoying the bright smile that Bell gave her.

-Next Day ~ Dungeon-

“…Are you ready, Bell?” Ais questioned, as they stood before the Dungeon’s entrance.

“I’ll do my best!” Bell promised as the two of them walked down the flight of stairs that took them into the Dungeon proper.

Ais easily led Bell through the Dungeon, she was very familiar with a good majority of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Floors. Wanting Bell to have plenty of Monsters to hunt, she took him off the beaten path a bit. Any time that Bell looked like he might be losing his focus, Ais would stop and look at him pointedly. This usually led to Bell apologizing and refocusing quickly.

“Grrrh!” A squat green Monster with red eyes, sharp fangs, and short claws on each hand growled at Bell and Ais as they turned a corner. Bell knew what this Monster was easily, a Goblin! They’d had to deal with the rare one on occasion back in the village.

“I’ve got this.” Bell drew his sword, speaking mostly to himself as a way to banish any doubts or hesitation from his mind.

The Goblin rushed at Bell, since he had made himself the closest target. To Bell it looked slow. Having spent the last three days sparring with Ais, this Goblin wasn’t even close to the speed that he’d started getting used to. He didn’t even activate his Magic. He simply brought his sword down on the lunging Goblin and split its head like a melon. The Monster fell to the stone floor, dead, its blood pooling on the rocks.

“I did it…” Bell blinked at how easy it had been.

“You did good, Bell…” Ais praised him with a tiny smile.

“It’s all thanks to your training, Ais.” Bell smiled happily at her.

Ais accepted his thanks and moved forward to show him where to cut open to retrieve the Goblin’s Magic Stone. Once Bell had collected it, the Goblin’s body quickly broke down into white ashes. Bell put his very first Magic Stone in the slim backpack he’d bought to hold such things. Ais then led him further into the Dungeon.

“Grah!”

“Grrrah!”

“Nragh!”

“Kagrh!”

A small group of Goblins, four in total, were in the first cavern that Ais and Bell entered. The short Monsters wasted no time as they charged towards the new Adventurer with their sharp little claws raised and ready to strike.

“Frost!” Bell incanted as he drew his sword. Ice formed over his body, adding another layer of protection over top his light armor. His blade was wreathed in a cold mist, progress that he’d made with Ais’s help while she taught him how to control his Enchantment. The little green Monsters seemed startled for all of a moment before they went right back to charging at him. “Tah!” He swung his sword in a wide arc, a wave of frost spreading out along the arc.

“Gaaa-” The Goblins were swallowed up by the ice and went silent. When the frigid mist dispersed all that was left behind were four frozen Goblins. The cold had killed them, covering their bodies in a thin layer of solid ice from the extreme chill.

“I did it.” Bell blinked at killing all four at once. “Ais! It worked!” He turned to his tutor with a bright smile. “The trick you helped me learn is amazing!”

“You did very well, Bell.” Ais gave him a nod and a small smile. She was happy that her instruction to focus his Magic along the blade and release it when he needed it had worked so well. She felt…happy.

Bell spent just a couple of minutes breaking the thin ice from the dead Goblins and collecting their Magic Stones. He remembered his promise with Loki. Enough Valis and proper materials, and she’d make sure that his sword got reforged into something better and stronger. He’d collect as much as he could, both for the Familia and for his future!

“Grrrrr!” A Kobold turned out to be the next Monster they encountered. The beast had rushed them almost as soon as they entered the next corridor.

“Hah!” Bell didn’t let his Magic spread this time, focusing his Enchantment solely onto his blade. The Kobold lashed out with its claws, but Bell still found it kind of slow. His blade nearly bisected the Monster at the waist. The Kobold barely bled at all though. The Monster staggered a couple of steps before falling to the ground dead as ice spread from the injury and through its body. Frozen organs were not conducive to living for most beings, after all.

“…That was good.” Ais nodded to Bell, praise showing in her golden eyes.

“Even the Kobold doesn’t seem very fast compared to you, Ais.” Bell grinned, happy to have defeated another Monster. Ais showed him where the Kobold’s Magic Stone was, and he collected it quickly.

The first floor of the Dungeon would be rather cold in the areas that Bell and Ais traveled through. Ais could only smile at Bell’s progress with his Magic and his swordplay. There were multiple occasions when Bell hadn’t even activated his Magic, slaying the Monsters with just his newly learned sword skills.

Bell had actually impressed Ais a little when his Mind started running low and he had stopped using his Magic. Bell hadn’t called it quits though, no, he put everything she taught him to good use. Swordplay, some kicks that she used and had taught him, whatever he needed to do to win against the Goblins and Kobolds of the First Floor.

Bell felt a bit of pride in his chest when they left the Dungeon that day. He had one-hundred-eight small Magic Stones in his backpack. A testament to how many Monsters he’d slayed on his very first day.

-Guild Exchange-

“Your Magic Stones were worth 8,134 Valis, have a nice day.” The man behind the glass of the exchange window nodded to Bell and Ais as the tray with the money was pushed back onto their side.

“Thank you, sir.” Bell picked up the coins and placed them into his backpack. He wished that Ais would let him split the money with her, but the blonde had refused. Her reasoning being that Bell had killed the Monsters, so the Valis earned from their Magic Stones was his. “Hey, Ais…the Familia gets a percentage of all the money we earn in the Dungeon, right?”

“Yes.” Ais nodded as they walked over to the meeting area of the Guild so that Bell could give his report. It seemed that she still had more that she could teach him. For some reason, that made a small warm feeling appear in her chest.

-Guild Backroom ~ Later-

“Can you believe this?!” Misha showed Bell’s first report to the other Advisors. “He took out over a hundred Monsters on his first day!”

“Can you not take stuff off of my desk?” Bell’s Advisor, a silver-haired, and blue-eyed Elven woman by the name of Sophie questioned Misha.

“I can confirm that number.” The man from the exchange window spoke up from his desk nearby. “He turned in exactly one-hundred-eight small Magic Stones.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’m not sure if the Kenki helped, it didn’t look like she did, but the numbers match up.”

“That’s so many for a first day though. It might actually be a record.” One Advisor looked impressed. “We may have another meteoric rise about to happen.”

“You think he’ll level up in just a year?”

“Don’t be crazy, that only happens with the exceptionally talented.”

“But it does happen! And it’s been eight years since the Kenki broke the record. Plus, it’s the Kenki that is apparently teaching him, right?”

“Someone, get out the board!”

“I’ll put 10,000 Valis on the boy Leveling Up by the end of his first year as an Adventurer!”

“I bet 15,000 Valis that he hits Level 2 within a year-and-a-half!”

Once more, the Guild Betting Pool had a new addition.

-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-

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this pilot chapter. Once more a world in which Hestia never descended to Gekai. This time around it was Loki that took Bell in!

Her snow bunny!

With Ais showing him how best to use his Magic, plus the training, Bell did damn good for his first day in the Dungeon!

Bell’s Ice Magic will also continue to grow. He is partially based off of Hitsugaya Toshiro, so that should give you a bit of an idea as to how his Magic may grow in time.

On top of that, Bell and Loki have a promise to ‘upgrade’ Bell’s sword as long as he brings in the Valis and materials to do so. One day this fairly simple sword could don the name Gram, without spitting on the legend of the original.

Just how will this version of Bell progress in the future? How many lovely ladies will he attract? You’ll have to wait to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!