Ganesha Familia Premise Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you a brand-new story! It’s Danmachi again! Since the Series has once more tightened the stranglehold that it has on my Muse’s throat. Once more, we’re REALLY changing things up! Breaking Canon over my knee! The same change as before applies, Hestia never descended to Gekai! But in the course of Bell’s formative years, Zeus does everything that he can to prepare Bell to become a Hero! You know, without doing anything that would give away that Zeus is a God. Kek! When a great goal and dream is declared and strived for, amazing things can certainly happen! Overcome everything that stands in your path through your own strength, Bell Cranel!

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 1 – Strength to Accomplish a Heroic Dream

In a small farming village in the mountains lived an old man and his grandson.

This was no ordinary old man, though no one would be able to tell by looking. For this old man was actually Zeus, the King of the Gods of the Olympian Pantheon. Shortly after his Familia’s destruction by the One-Eyed Black Dragon, last of the Three Great Quests, Zeus had been forced out of the Dungeon City of Orario and had taken in his young ‘grandson’. The Deity in disguise had then moved to this remote village and made a home for himself and Bell, introducing himself as the infant Bell’s grandfather, the Deity and infant had settled into a life of simplicity and manual labor.

Bell grew up normally enough, but Zeus had to laugh at how much the young boy enjoyed Heroic Tales. Bell had learned to read seemingly just to be able to read the picture books that his grandfather wrote and illustrated for the children in the village. The way his rubellite eyes lit up as he was told the tales or read them himself always brought a smile to Zeus’s face.

When Bell was old enough, Zeus put him to work around the village, just like the other children. Bell gathered firewood, hauled water, tended the fields, helped with the smaller livestock, and whatever else needed to be done around the little village. Everything was slow and idyllic, a quiet life filled with simple joys and daily labors. It was that way until Bell, at six-years-old, had been attacked by a Goblin.

The small, green Monster had been scrounging around the forest at the edge of the village while Bell had been gathering firewood. The Goblin had screeched and charged at Bell, but the boy struggled against the small Monster. Kicking at it, guarding against its little claws, and occasionally landing a flailing punch to it. The attack ended when Bell’s grandfather had charged the Goblin with a farming hoe and nearly took the Monster’s head off with it. The dead Goblin lay in the dirt as the young Bell held onto his grandfather with tears in his rubellite eyes.

“You looked good out there, Bell.” His grandfather smiled down at the boy, gently patting Bell’s back. “You got hurt a bit…could hardly believe it. But you held your ground. You didn’t lose to that Monster. Be proud.”

“I…I want to be someone like you, someone strong like you.” Bell sniffled into his grandpa’s shirt. “I want to become my own hero.”

“That’s all?” The old man chuckled, kneeling down to be at eye-level with Bell. “Too low, too low! If an old geezer like me is your goal, aim for something even bigger!” Zeus encouraged the young boy.

“Would you be happy if I became a Hero like the ones in the stories?” Bell looked up at his grandpa, the tears in his rubellite eyes had stopped for now.

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

“Yes!” Bell cheered, hugging his grandpa. The old man hugged him back, giving full support to the boy’s dream. “But…how do I become a Hero? The ones in the stories are strong and smart, they’re warriors and stuff.”

“Then we’ll have to train you up so that you can be strong, right?” His grandpa chuckled, only to burst into laughter at Bell’s excited nodding.

Bell’s ‘training’ consisted of helping more around the farming village they lived in. Tending the fields, helping with the animals, carrying water, gathering firewood, and helping with the harvest in the autumn. The only thing different from what the other children were doing was the sheer amount of what Bell was carrying, hauling, chopping, and tending to. When the daily labor was done, Bell would learn the basics of fighting from his grandpa. Well…it started more as play-fighting with the two wrestling around, Bell learned from the roughhousing, rather than formal instruction. But, as he got older, his grandpa started teaching him properly. How his grandfather knew a specific Martial Art, the young Bell never thought to question.

“Oh ho?!” Zeus chuckled as Bell nearly swept his foot. “Looks like you’ve finally got that technique down, eh Bell?”

“I did it, grandpa!” Bell cheered brightly. The sack full of sand in front of him torn open from his punch, and the sand spilling out onto the ground.

“That’s one down, but there’s still more to learn.” Zeus laughed at his excited grandson.

“This Void Fist Martial Art is so cool, grandpa!” Bell smiled up at Zeus with a bright smile.

“It comes from the Far East, Bell.” Zeus chuckled, taking Bell’s hand and starting to walk back home with the boy. “I saw it a lot, years and years ago, when I was younger. Even I could memorize it after a while.” He laughed, hiding the fact that it was from a member of his lost Familia that he’d memorized the movements and techniques from. One of the few from the Far East that had ever joined his Familia; but in a Familia of Level 6’s, 7’s, and even Maxim’s Level 8, a Level 5 didn’t stand out much. “They also call it the Dark Body Art in the Far East; because it was supposed to make a normal person able to fight and kill Monsters. If I recall correctly, this style is supposed to be from before the time when the Deities descended to Gekai.”

“Wow!” Bell’s eyes were sparkling at the information as he looked up at his grandpa.

That night, after dinner and baths, Bell was eagerly waiting for his grandpa to tell him another new Heroic Tale. He never questioned why his grandfather knew so many of them, and so well, he was just happy to listen to them all.

“Tonight I have a special tale for you, Bell.” Zeus smiled at his adoptive grandson.

“Special?” Bell almost started bouncing in place from excitement.

“Yep,” Zeus nodded with a chuckle. “It’s the Legend of Hercules!” The name always brought up memories for Zeus, some good, others bad. Hera had not been pleased in the slightest with him when Hercules was born. But that was another time, long ago, and had no bearing on telling the story to Bell. Zeus’s reason for telling Bell the story of his Demi-God son was twofold.

Firstly, to inspire his grandson with all that Hercules had overcome in his life.

And secondly, to give Bell a path forward that didn’t rely on Magic.

While it was true that many Heroes in the legends and tales had Magic of their own, it was something that wasn’t common to manifest in people, even with a Falna. Bell wasn’t the type to sit down and study the intricacies of magical theory and the power of Mind in relation to spells. So telling him the legend of Hercules, who used his strength and his wits to solve his many labors and challenges rather than Magic, would hopefully inspire Bell to continue improving himself; rather than waiting around for Magic that may never manifest.

“Hercules is so strong, grandpa!” Bell’s little face was nearly glowing as he listened to the story.

“Yes, he is.” Zeus agreed with a smile. “Strength and wits can take you far if you put in the time and effort to develop them.” He gently ruffled Bell’s white hair. “But if you need to use a Magic Item or Weapon on occasion, then a Hero will do that too!”

“Yeah!” Bell threw his hands up with a cheer. “I’m gonna be that strong when I become a Hero!”

“I’m sure you will, Bell!” Zeus laughed along with his grandson for a bit before resuming the story. “Women love men that’re strong and reliable!”

Over the years, Zeus slowly increased Bell’s workload to toughen the boy up and condition his body further. The villagers smiled at how helpful Bell was, the youngster always wanting to do more. By the time that Bell was fifteen, he was hauling more than a grown man, and doing so with ease. If Zeus had to estimate, he’d say that Bell was about the strength of a Dwarf, one of the hardiest and strongest Races in Gekai; most of them able to kill weak Surface Monsters even without a Falna.

“So, maybe I stole the training idea from that one series… It was still effective.” Zeus quietly chuckled to himself as he watched Bell work in the fields. Incorporating physical conditioning into Bell’s routine chores had led to the boy not even realizing that he was being further trained in everything that he did.

“Whoa!”

“Impressive!”

“So strong!”

Zeus’s chuckles turned into laughter as Bell actually exerted himself a bit and started carrying a large load of newly harvested crops. The weight his grandson was hauling was far more than any of the men in the village could hope to lift on their own, much less carry like Bell was doing.

Aside from helping around the village, Bell also took up another task that was left to the men normally.

Dealing with Monsters.

Their remote village didn’t see too many of them, and it was usually only Goblins at that, but the vicious creatures still needed to be dealt with when they came around. These Surface Monsters were, on average, said to be about three times weaker than their counterparts in the world’s only Dungeon. But they were still Monsters, and most people used weapons to make it easier to deal with them. The oldest ones, ones that were still alive after escaping from the Dungeon in the Ancient Times, were the biggest threats to the daily lives of the people. Thankfully, such Monsters had been mostly wiped out after the Deities had descended and started giving their Blessings to Mortals to fight back against the Monsters. The Goblins that Bell usually dealt with were merely offshoots, the descendants of the Monsters that hadn’t been wiped out initially and had instead started splitting their finite Magic Stones to produce their own ‘offspring’ on the surface.

Bell’s ever-growing strength and his continued practice of the Void Fist style allowed him to deal with said Goblins easily. Usually in one strike or kick before the Goblin could do much of anything.

Many years would pass like this, filled with simple day-today routines. Bell would work, hauling larger loads, cutting more firewood, harvesting entire fields by himself, and working out when there wasn’t much to do around the village. All the while, he continued to practice and refine his Void Fist, his body becoming strong and fit from all of the work and effort he put into it, reaching the ideal of the Dark Body Art that had been developed to let people fight off Monsters without the Blessing of the Gods.

But things change and accidents happen.

A devastated Bell nearly collapsed into the chair near the fireplace in the cabin he and his grandpa called home.

The Village Headman had come to deliver terrible news to him. His grandfather, the only family he had in the world, was gone. Their hunting party had been caught up in a small landslide and his grandfather had pushed the other men to safety, only to then be caught up in the moving earth and carried over a cliff. The deep ravine below had a fast-flowing river too, which prevented the men from being able to find the older man’s body.

Bell had felt hollow for hours after receiving the news. In his mind, he kept running through different scenarios. He should’ve gone with them. If he was there, then he could’ve saved his grandpa…he could’ve…he could’ve done something…. In this state of grief and cyclical thinking, running through ‘what ifs’ and ‘I should haves’, interspersed with bouts of tears and deep sadness that made it hard to get out of bed in the mornings; Bell slowly mourned for the loss of his grandfather, the only person he had in the world. His family was gone.

Coming to terms with this new reality sparked a new desire in Bell Cranel. If he was the last of his family, then he’d have to find a new one, and make his own one day.

‘Follow your dream, Bell! Women love Heroes!’ His grandfather’s voice rang out in his mind, bringing the first small smile back to Bell’s face since he’d received the horrible news. For all of his grandpa’s noble qualities, the man was an unrepentant pervert and appreciator of the female form. Life slowly returned to Bell’s rubellite eyes as he remembered his grandfather. Slowly, but surely, Bell stopped focusing solely on the loss of his grandpa and started to celebrate the man’s life. He’d been with Bell for as long as the young man could remember and had made his life fun and taught him so much. There was far more to smile about than the loss of the kind, old man could overshadow.

“I’m going to do it, grandpa.” Bell decided, looking at the few books that his grandfather had left him, all of them Heroic Tales. “I’m going to be a Hero!”

-Weeks Later ~ Dungeon City, Orario-

Bell had been traveling with a merchant caravan for the last couple of weeks from his remote farming village. He’d made money by selling all of the goods that he and his grandfather had, along with their cabin. He’d only kept a few very meaningful mementos from his grandfather’s things, and a few supplies for the journey. The young man had hiked through the forested mountain and crossed a large expanse of sparsely wooded grasslands before reaching the next town along an often used trade route. There he’d bought passage on a merchant convoy headed for the Dungeon City. Along the way, Bell had demonstrated his worth by dealing with almost every Monster that the traveling merchants came across, often times even faster than their hired guards, much to the surprise of the caravan.

“Finally here.” Bell grinned up at Babel Tower, standing imposingly in the center of the sprawling, walled city.

Orario was everything that Bell had imagined and more! There were so many people of all different Races and cultures! Humans, Prums, Beastmen of more types than Bell knew existed, Dwarves, Elves, Amazons, and so many beautiful women too!

His grandpa’s appreciation of women may have rubbed off on him over the years.

“All right…now, I just have to find a Familia and then register as an Adventurer, according to the guards at the gate.” Bell mumbled to himself as he started walking down the large street. The various Deities that called Orario home were spread out, having homes wherever they pleased, apparently. Now it was just a matter of finding them.

“Stop!”

“Thief!”

“Get back here!”

“Hm?” Bell blinked, looking over to where the commotion was coming from.

A man was running away from two pursuing people. He was clutching a leather bag tightly, desperately, and looked desperate as he nearly barreled through the crowd. The thief clearly didn’t care who got in his way, as he bodily knocked people to the ground as he fled his pursuers.

“GRKH!!!” The thief hacked out as an arm suddenly appeared in front of him. He was clotheslined and his feet left the ground entirely. The arm quickly wrapped around his neck and started to choke him out from the pressure it was exerting on his throat.

“Don’t you know it’s wrong to steal?” Bell looked at the weakly flailing man, ignoring the slaps and punches that the thief was hitting him with. They didn’t hurt Bell at all, having trained and conditioned his body into the ideal of the Dark Body Art after more than a decade of training. The young man was stronger and tougher than anything this thief could hope to muster.

“Thank you for catching him.” One of the two pursuers nodded to Bell as they stopped in front of him.

“What Familia are you from, if we may ask?” The second man questioned Bell.

“I just got to Orario a short time ago.” Bell motioned with his free hand back towards the gate that he’d entered through at the end of the Eastern Main Street. He noticed that both men were wearing matching outfits: White shirts and green pants with a reddish sash around their waists and over their right shoulders. There was also a badge pinned to the sash in the shape of a shield with the image of an elephant head on it. “I don’t have a Familia yet.”

“But this is a Level 1.” The man on the right blinked at Bell while motioning to the passed out man still being held up by Bell. “No un-Blessed person should be able to handle a Level 1.”

“Soma Familia again, I bet.” The man on the left grumbled and motioned for Bell to hand the thief over. Taking the unconscious man, he placed him in handcuffs before he threw the thief over his shoulder to carry.

“Would you be willing to come to the Guild to give your report on this incident?” The man on the right asked Bell politely. He briefly turned away before Bell could answer to return the leather bag to its rightful owner with a smile.

“Sure.” Bell agreed easily and followed the two men who introduced themselves as members of Ganesha Familia.

It took a little while to get to the Guild, the building being in the northwest of Orario, rather than the east where Bell had stopped the fleeing thief. But the walk was informative as the Ganesha Familia members pointed out important places for Bell to check out as a newcomer to the city.

-Guild-

“Again?” One of the Guild employees sighed as the thief was presented to them. “Take him to the first room, as normal. I’ll write up the report.”

Bell was just sitting in a chair off to the side in the ‘first room’ as the Guild employee filled out a form, and the thief was shaken awake to be questioned. That was a loud affair at first, until the thief seemed to realize just how much trouble he was in. Bell was asked to give his statement, which he did to the best of his ability. It was shortly after that when the door to the room was knocked on and then opened.

The woman that entered was beautiful; with azure hair and deep blue eyes. She was youthful, but had a stern look on her face. She wore an orange dress with four slits up the sides to leave her legs free to move. There were black stockings on her legs, and her feet had armored shoes on them. Her arms had long, black, fingerless gloves on them that went all the way up to her elbows and silvery metal gauntlets over them. Both of her ears were pierced with a golden charm inlaid with a red gem, and she had a golden ornament in her azure hair.

“Captain Shakti.” Both of the Ganesha Familia members bowed to their Captain in respect.

“Is everything taken care of?” Shakti asked the two men calmly.

“Yes, ma’am.” Both men confirmed.

“Are you the one that caught the thief?” Shakti’s eyes looked at Bell appraisingly.

Bell stood up from his chair and nodded to the woman. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?” Shakti requested of Bell while motioning for him to follow her out of the room.

“Alright.” Bell agreed easily to the woman’s request.

The two talked for a bit in the hallway outside the door of the first room. Shakti had been visibly surprised for a second that Bell was an un-Blessed person that had just arrived in Orario. When Bell confirmed the story that he’d given for the report, there was a hint of something in Shakti’s blue eyes. The woman was clearly searching his rubellite gaze for any hints of deceit, but she only saw blatant honesty from Bell.

‘An un-Blessed human that can subdue a Level 1 with pure strength.’ Shakti mulled the idea over in her mind. With the apparent weakness of the Soma Familia thief, it would probably be possible for an un-Blessed Dwarf, Weretiger, or Boaz to restrain him…but a human? One of the two Races considered to be the ‘weakest’? “Would you come with me, Bell Cranel?”

“Where to?” Bell didn’t mind, but he was burning daylight and would need to find some accommodations soon.

“To my Familia’s home.” Shakti answered with a small smile.

Bell agreed and walked with Shakti out of the Guild building.

-IamGanesha ~ Ganesha Familia Home-

“It’s a giant statue!” Bell exclaimed, craning his neck to look up at the top of the massive statute of an elephant-headed Deity. He then looked down again, following after Shakti, and saw where the entrance was. “Why is the door in the crotch?”

“Hah…” Shakti exhaled heavily for a moment. “Our Patron God, Lord Ganesha, is a bit eccentric.”

“I…I see…” Bell followed after Shakti, still mentally processing that this massive statue (with the entrance at the crotch) was actually a massive building for Orario’s largest Familia.

Being led up multiple floors of stairs, the two reached the office of the Patron Deity.

“I AM GANESHA!!!” The booming voice of the God in question nearly assaulted Bell’s ears the second that he stepped through the door.

“Yes, Lord Ganesha, we know.” Shakti shook her head a little at her God’s antics. “This is Bell Cranel.”

“I’m honored to meet you, Lord Ganesha.” Bell bowed respectfully to the God.

Ganesha was a muscular man that wore a red and yellow elephant mask over his face and had long, shaggy, black hair. He had an orange sash that went over his right shoulder and wrapped around his waist. A gold rimmed leather plate sat on his stomach, holding the garb together. He wore white pants with dark brown under the knee boots which also had gold accents. Ganesha had gold jewelry adorning his body; a thick gold necklace and arm bands, and he also had gold rimmed gauntlets.

“I am pleased to meet you as well, young Bell!” Ganesha’s energy continued in his reply, the Deity smiling at Bell. “I am the God of the Masses, Lord Ganesha!” He flexed, showing off his musculature.

“Lord Ganesha, if we could get to the reason that I brought Mr. Cranel here?” Shakti requested, and Ganesha did settle down a bit as his Captain began to speak and explain the incident that Bell had helped resolve.

“It pleases Ganesha to see such an upstanding young man coming to Orario!” Ganesha declared, standing atop his large desk to do so. He hopped down from the desk to stand in front of Bell. “Bell Cranel, would you like to join my Familia?”

“Eh?” Bell blinked at the Deity for a second, believing that he might’ve misheard him. When the offer fully processed, Bell could only think of all that the two men and Shakti had already told him about Ganesha Familia. From being the largest Familia in Orario with an ‘S’ Rank from the Guild, to all of the various works they did around the sprawling Dungeon City to help keep the peace. It was the kind of Familia that almost anyone would want to join. That made Bell’s answer obvious, of course. “I’d be honored to join your Familia, Lord Ganesha!”

“That is what Ganesha likes to hear!” Ganesha posed with a bright smile on his face. “You’ll need to remove your shirt, Bell. I need to have access to your bare back to bestow my Blessing upon you!”

“Yes, sir.” Bell easily slipped off the backpack that he’d brought from the village to carry his few meaningful possession in. He undid his brown jacket with the black square on the shoulder and set it next to his backpack, then pulled his black shirt over his head, revealing his toned and defined body to Ganesha and Shakti.

‘Oh…’ Shakti’s face betrayed nothing, but her blue eyes roamed over the exposed skin. ‘A warrior’s body through and through.’ As an Adventurer, Shakti was very used to seeing men going shirtless, whether from her own Familia, or from others. Many of them had defined muscles and well-built physiques, but something about Bell’s body was different in a way that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. ‘It’s just…better?’ She thought in the privacy of her mind, while also wondering just what kind of training Bell had to go through to get such a body.

“Hold still now, Bell, I’m going to give you my Falna.” Ganesha urged Bell not to move as he took a golden needle and pricked his finger to draw blood. The elephant-masked God let a single drop of his blood fall onto Bell’s back and a blue-white light glowed from the skin as the process began. “This won’t take too long. Ganesha has a vast amount of experience doing this!”

Ganesha easily began inscribing the required hieroglyphs upon Bell’s back. A place for his name, his Level, his Basic Abilities, a place for Skills to manifest, another for Developmental Abilities, and a single slot for Magic was added, which hinted that Bell may not have much aptitude for Magic.

‘He has the body of a warrior already, I’m sure his path is not that of a Mage.’ Ganesha thought to himself as he continued to trace out the image of his Blessing. As he was finalizing the process, something manifested immediately within the Falna. ‘No, wait, it’s two things.’ Ganesha deciphered the hieroglyphs that formed and knew he couldn’t reject these two since they appeared as the Falna was being placed. ‘Not that I would reject them. These Skills represent his years of hard work, no doubt.’ Writing the two Skills in completed the Blessing, and Ganesha pushed a tiny scrap of his Divinity into it and watched his Falna appear on Bell’s back like a tattoo. The image of the God of the Masses, the shield bearing the head of an elephant, snapped into sharp relief as if placed upon Bell by a master tattoo artist.

“Here you are, Bell!” Ganesha cheered as he copied the brand new Falna over to a blank piece of paper that he pressed to Bell’s back before passing it to his newest ‘child’. While Bell looked at the paper, Ganesha locked the Falna securely, making it fade from Bell’s back as if it was sinking into the young man, leaving only his bare skin behind.

“Thank you, Lord Ganesha.” Bell smiled as he looked at his Blessing for the first time.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 0

Endurance – I 0

Dexterity – I 0

Agility – I 0

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

-Status-

“I have Skills?” Bell read over them both. It was unexpected, but a very pleasant surprise. They both looked very useful too, at least to his eyes.

“Yes, it happens sometimes!” Ganesha stood up with a large smile. “The life you lead before being Blessed has an effect on the growth of your Falna! Those that worked hard or trained hard will find that they have an easier time developing Skills related to all of that life experience!” Ganesha posed like a bodybuilder. “For you who forged your body to the state it is in now, a Skill immediately manifesting was quite possible!”

“Congratulations, Bell.” Shakti smiled lightly at him. “I’ll show you to your room.” She offered as Bell burned his Status paper with a candle on Ganesha’s desk.

“Thank you, Miss Shakti.” Bell accepted the offer with a smile as he put his black shirt back on and picked up his jacket and coat.

“Ganesha welcomes you to the Familia, Bell Cranel!” Ganesha hollered as he handed Bell a bag that was filled with Valis coins.

“Thank you, Lord Ganesha!” Bell smiled back at the eccentric Deity as he accepted the money. “But what is this for?”

Shakti was the one that explained. “It’s a gift, Bell. Lord Ganesha gives all new members a one-time gift of 50,000 Valis upon joining the Familia to get themselves equipped for the Dungeon. We are an Exploration Familia, even with all of the other tasks that we perform throughout Orario.”

“Ah, I get it.” Bell bowed at the waist to Ganesha for the gift. “Thank you for looking out for me, Lord Ganesha.”

“Spend it wisely, Bell!” Ganesha encouraged the young man before puffing out his chest. “I AM GANESHA!!!”

Shakti quickly led Bell from the office before Ganesha’s energetic attitude got out of hand. Their Deity could always get a bit overexcited when a new member joined the Familia.

Bell was honestly expecting a bunkhouse or barracks style of room with many roommates given the sheer number of members he saw in the Familia Home, not to mention all of the ones that were out in the city or in the Dungeon. But what he was given was a small, single room to himself. A bed, chest of drawers, small closet, and a desk with chair was all that the room contained.

“It’s a little small, but everyone starts out with a room this size.” Shakti informed Bell of the Familia’s policy. “Lord Ganesha rewards those that push past the obstacles of life; so once you become Level 2, you’ll be rewarded with a larger room.”

“This is about the same size as the room that I grew up with back in the village, so it’s enough.” Bell waved off the size of the room. “Where’s the nearest bathroom?” That was an important thing to know in a building this massive.

“At the end of the hall.” Shakti pointed to her left. “The baths are on the ground floor and both the male and female sides are large enough to accommodate a few dozen people at a single time. There might be a wait for the large bath, but if you just want a shower then you should be able to get in and out easily enough.”

“Thank you, Shakti.” Bell thanked his new Captain for the information as he set his small amount of possessions in his new room.

“The kitchen and dining hall is also on the ground floor, and it’s impossible to miss, so you can always go there for food if you’re hungry.” Shakti gave him the last important info about the areas of the large Familia Home. “Whenever you want a Status Update then you’ll need to go see Lord Ganesha, he’s usually available in his office in the evenings.”

“Evenings for updates, got it.” Bell smiled at the info. He’d try and get an update as often as possible to see his growth. Every small step was another step closer towards his goal! “Where would you recommend a new Adventurer to buy weapons and armor?”

“Hmm,” Shakti thought about it for a moment. It had been a long time since she’d been a Level 1. “The Hephaestus Familia shop on the eighth floor of Babel Tower is a good place. But you should get your registration with the Guild done first.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bell chuckled at the insistence he heard in Shakti’s words. His new Captain was clearly the strict and orderly type that preferred things to run smoothly whenever possible.

“I’ll leave you to get yourself settled in here and within Orario then.” Shakti nodded and prepared to leave. “Bell…” Seeing him look at her, Shakti gave him a smile. “Welcome to the Familia.”

“Thank you, Miss Shakti.” Bell returned the smile with one of his own. ‘Miss Shakti has a pretty smile.’ He thought as the Captain walked away from the doorway of his room, probably to continue other tasks that were required of her.

-Guild-

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

“Hello, I’m new to Orario and I wanted to become an Adventurer.” Bell informed her with a polite tone. Inwardly he marveled at how cute her bunny ears were.

“Ah, I see, well we’ll need to get the paperwork done to register you.” The woman smiled as she reached under the desk and pulled out a set of forms. “Do you have a Familia yet?”

Bell nodded to the woman with a small smile. “Lord Ganesha accepted me into his Familia.”

“Another one for Ganesha, all right then, please fill out these forms.” The Hume Bunny woman giggled lightly as she set a few forms on the countertop before placing an odd item on the counter next to them. “If you could, please place your hand on this so that we may confirm your Falna.” She gestured to the flat wooden tablet with what looked like a crystal set into it.

“What’s that?” Bell looked at the device curiously.

“A Divinity Sensor.” She explained patiently. “If you place your hand on it without having a Falna, nothing happens. If you do have a Falna, the crystal lights up for a few moments. We can’t let un-Blessed people enter the Dungeon, because it’s basically suicide. I’m sure you understand?” That particular rule had been put in place after several hundred deaths over the years from un-Blessed people filling the role of Supporter.

“That makes sense.” Bell nodded and placed his hand on the device. A second later and the crystal lit up with a light blue glow for several seconds.

“Falna, confirmed.” The Hume Bunny nodded and began helping Bell finish the paperwork for his registration. When he got to the line for Familia, Bell happily wrote ‘Ganesha Familia’ onto the blank line of the form.

-Hephaestus Familia Shop ~ Eighth Floor of Babel Tower-

“Hmm?” Bell looked over armor and weapons in the shop, trying to find something that felt right. “I can’t restrict my movement too much, or my Martial Arts will be hindered.” That ruled out some of the plate armor sets that he saw, given their designs. “Maybe I should focus on a weapon first?” He looked through the racks, but nothing really stood out to him. Walking further and further into the back, Bell finally came to the back wall which was more cluttered compared to the neat and tidy appearance of the front of the shop. “Is that a weapon?” He spotted something covered in a purple cloth, but clearly attached to some kind of staff.

Reaching out to take hold of the white wrapped part of the staff, Bell blinked when he felt the weight of the object. It was heavy, far heavier than what he’d normally expect of a weapon. Still, with just a slight adjustment, Bell easily picked it up with one hand and pulled the purple cloth from the top of the odd weapon.

With the cloth removed, a massive blade was revealed. It resembled that of a large double-edged greatsword, and the blade was honestly wide enough to act as a shield, if necessary. The pommel had a large, crescent moon-like design. The shaft of the weapon was black, except for the white wrappings around the part that Bell was holding. Due to its large size and weight, Bell figured this was probably a weapon meant for a stronger Race, like a Dwarf, Weretiger, or Boaz to wield. By his estimate, from his years of hauling things around the village, it would probably take at least three grown men to carry this thing around because of the weight and length.

“I wonder if this has a name?” Bell looked over the weapon for a bit, freely moving it around like it wasn’t a massive, heavy piece of metal. “There…” He spotted the small imprint in the guard of the weapon where the blade met the staff. “Banryū, huh?” Bell was fairly certain that name had to come from the Far East, but he didn’t know the language enough to translate it. “Made by… Welf Crozzo.”

Slowly getting a feel for the huge weapon, Bell smiled as he lightly swung it around. The weight was probably too much for a normal man, but not only was Bell already stronger than any normal human, he now had a Falna to empower him, and his Life Vigor Skill boosted his Strength even further. With a grin, he slipped the purple cloth back over the blade, now recognizing it as the pseudo sheath that it was. He rested the massive weapon on his right shoulder and looked around for a good piece of chest armor that wouldn’t hinder his flexibility too much. He’d worry about any other armor later after experiencing the Dungeon once.

“I think this one will work.” Bell smiled at a set or armor on a low shelf, clearly set aside as a non-selling item given the out of the way placement. It was a simple cuirass that covered the chest, sides, and back, with small pauldrons over the shoulders. The armor was white with some lines of red on it and Bell had an almost eerie feeling at how well it seemed to match his size. Picking up the armor with his left hand, Bell walked back up to the front of the shop.

“Did you find everything…you were…looking…for…?” The man behind the counter nearly gaped at seeing Bell carrying the massive weapon over his shoulder.

“Yes, sir!” Bell nodded to the man as he placed the armor onto the counter. “This armor and this weapon, please.” He gestured to the tag on Banry­ū with a smile.

“Y-Yes, sir…thank you for your patronage.” The man’s smile was barely masking his stunned expression. “Your total today is 36,000 Valis.” He was still staring at the massive weapon so casually resting on Bell’s shoulder as he accepted the money and completed the sale. “Please, come again.”

“I will, thank you!” Bell picked up the box that his new armor had been placed in for ease of carrying and headed out of the shop.

“No one is gonna believe this…” The man mumbled to himself. “That guy was carrying ‘Crozzo the Defective’s’ weapon around like it weighed as much as a regular sword! And Crozzo actually made a sale!” He wasn’t sure which would be more unbelievable to his Familia members.

-IamGanesha-

“What the HELL is that thing?!” Modaka, a member of the Familia, questioned as soon as he saw Bell carrying the massive weapon over his shoulder.

Modaka was a fairly plain-looking young man, with tan skin and dark brown hair that curled naturally and made his hair look sort of bushy. He wore a dark green sash around his chest that also wrapped around his waist and beige pants. He’d greeted Bell, the newbie, with a friendly smile before he’d gone out to shop for his gear.

“My new weapon.” Bell answered with a smile. “I’ll practice with it for the rest of the day to get used to it. A few hundred swings should do it.” The deadpan look he got from Modaka was completely missed.

Many whispers and murmurs were going around the Home by the time Bell went out back, towards the open area where training, sparring, and working out was done normally. The immense weapon was such an outlier for a human to wield, looking more like something a Boaz or Dwarf would use.

WOOSH

The first swing of Banry­ū kicked up a small breeze from the sheer size as it passed through the air.

“Hmm, more like this?” Bell corrected his grip and then swung the Great Swordstaff again.

Woosh

The wind was noticeably less with this swing.

“That felt better.” Bell nodded at his second swing. He wasn’t even paying attention to the small crowd of his Familia members that were watching him swing the immense weapon around. “Now, a hundred swings in every direction with both hands, then a hundred swings in every direction with just the right hand, and we’ll finish up with a hundred swings in every direction with just my left hand.”

Those close enough to actually hear Bell’s ludicrous-sounding plan nearly choked on their own breath. But as Bell began his practice to get used to his new weapon, everyone could tell that the ridiculous size and weight weren’t bothering Bell at all. It quickly became boring for the majority of the onlookers, who left to do their own things.

The sun was starting to set when Bell was finishing up his last dozen swings with his left hand. “Eighty-eight…” Another swing. “Eighty-nine…” Another swing in a different direction. “Ninety…” He continued counting the swings out as he made them. Bell really felt like he’d gotten a good grasp on how to use Banry­ū after the last few hours of swinging it around.

“Wow, you really didn’t stop, huh?” A woman’s voice spoke up from behind Bell.

“Ninety-two…” Bell swung again before looking over his shoulder at the speaker, sweat visible on his face.

The woman had short slate blue hair and cerulean eyes. She wore a pure blue top over a modified short dress that was black in the center and dark gray on the sides, as well as a pair of black gloves that reached above the elbow. There were two light blue straps around her waist and a smaller one which held a piece of pure blue cloth that hung down from her waist on the right side. She also wore a pair of metal and leather shoes, with the right one reaching higher than the other, and a pair of black stockings that reached above the knee.

“Hi!” The woman smiled at Bell. “I’m Ardee Varma.”

“Hello, Miss Ardee.” Bell swung again. “Ninety-three…” She had some resemblance and the same last name, so Bell felt like it was alright to ask. “Are you Miss Shakti’s sister, perhaps?”

“Yep, Shakti’s my big sister.” Ardee confirmed with a grin, displaying a cheerful personality. “I heard about our newest member training with a huge weapon and thought I’d come see if you were almost done, since dinner is about to be served.”

“Ninety-four…” Bell took another swing. “Almost done. Just need to get to one-hundred.” Another swing. “Ninety-five…” Bell looked over Ardee again as she watched him. ‘She’s cute.’ He thought to himself, seeing Ardee’s curves, her breasts, along with her beautiful face. “Ninety-six…” He swung again.

“You’re really into this.” Ardee laughed lightly, a pure and sweet sound that made Bell smile reflexively.

“Ninety-seven…” Bell made another swing. “Ninety-eight…” He swung again. “Ninety-nine…” He swung one last time to finish the set. “One-hundred.”

“Good work.” Ardee praised him, lightly clapping with a grin. “But you definitely need a shower before you go to dinner.” She pointed out with a little giggle.

“Yeah…I probably should.” Bell agreed, feeling the sweat that his body had worked up on his skin and soaking into his shirt. He pulled his shirt off with one hand, his other holding onto Banry­ū so that the heavy weapon didn’t fall over.

“Oh…” Ardee let the sound escape her lips as her blue eyes beheld the same sight her older sister had earlier in the day. But her view was further enhanced by the sweat clinging to Bell’s skin, a drop or two rolling down his chest and over his defined abs. Her eyes followed one such drop from his chest, down his abs, until it stopped at the waistband of his pants. Ardee gulped, swallowing her sudden bout of excess saliva that she hadn’t even noticed. “We should head inside. You still need a shower, Bell. I’ll see you in the Dining Hall!” Ardee speedwalked back inside the Familia Home, internally denying that she’d almost been drooling over Bell the whole way.

-Next Day ~ Dungeon ~ First Floor-

“Armor?” Bell patted his new armor that protected his torso. “Check. Weapon?” He adjusted his grip on Banryū. “Check. Map?” He held up the folded paper with a grin, having bought it this morning to make navigating the Dungeon easier. “Check. Potions?” He smiled recalling using some of his leftover money from the 50,000 Valis gift to stock up on plenty of Low Potions and even a couple of Antidotes for later when he went deeper into the Dungeon. All of them now rested securely in his backpack. “Check. I’m ready to go!”

With that, Bell took his first step off the main route through the First Floor, now on his own hunt for Monsters.

“Grrrr…” The short, green Goblin snarled at the Bell, making an aggressive step forward as soon as it spotted him.

“Come on.” Bell stashed his map away and held Banry­ū at the ready. He could easily kill a Goblin with his Martial Arts, but he needed to get in as much practice with his new weapon as possible.

“Grah!” The Goblin charged at Bell with a shriek, claws raised to strike.

Unfortunately for the Monster, Bell was a young man, and had quite a bit of height on the Monster. That also meant he had more reach, and his Great Swordstaff extended that to even further lengths.

“Hup!” Bell brought swung Banry­ū through the Goblin easily, the heavy blade and the speed it was traveling at messily bisecting the Monster without even slowing down.

The little green Monster hit the stone floor of the Dungeon in two pieces as its blood began to pool below the two halves.

“That was easy.” Bell commented on the ease that he’d killed the Goblin with. Putting that aside for now, he smiled brightly at his first kill in the Dungeon as he pulled out the small knife that he’d brought from the village. “The Magic Stone is in the chest.” Bell recalled from the talks that he’d had with one of the many Ganesha Familia members over dinner last night. Bell rolled the dead Goblin over and cut into its chest carefully. Seeing the sliver of purple crystal among the flesh, Bell used the tip of his knife to extract it. “My first Magic Stone.” He smiled at the small thing. It wasn’t much, but it was the first that he’d ever earned in the Dungeon. It was symbolic of starting his Adventurer career if nothing else.

The Goblin corpse quickly broke down into white ashes after the Magic Stone had been removed. Bell watched the process in a kind of morbid fascination before shaking his head and continuing onward. He placed the Magic Stone into his hip pouch with a grin and entered the corridor on the other side of the cavern. He was ready to continue, one day Orario would know his name as a Hero!

“Gah!”

Woosh

“Grrr!”

Woosh

“Grah!”

Woosh

“Grrssh!”

Woosh

The shrieks of attacking Goblins were silenced with the sound of displaced air, one after another, on the path that Bell was making through the First Floor. The green Monsters saw Bell, charged Bell, and ended up split in half for their trouble.

“You guys are as dumb as a sack of rocks, huh?” Bell shook his head as he extracted his newest Magic Stone. “Oh well, more Magic Stones for me!” He added the newest stone to his hip pouch.

“Grrrggghhh!” A new Monster growled threateningly at Bell in the corridor as he rounded a corner. It was a bipedal, gray-furred, dog-headed Monster known as a Kobold. Aside from Goblins, they were the only Monster known to spawn on the First Floor. Though the occasional Dungeon Lizard might crawl its way up from the Second Floor every now and then.

“A Kobold.” Bell readied himself. Kobolds were faster than Goblins and had more reach.

“Grarrr!” The Kobold lunged forward.

Splat

A wet splat was heard in the cavern as Banry­ū tore through the Kobold vertically, splattering the stone floor with blood and guts.

“Faster, but not by much.” Bell looked at the bloody mess. “Well, I should still get your Magic Stone. He only had to cut into the left side of the chest, a bit off center of the spine, to find the tiny purple crystal. The Kobold turned to white ash just like the Goblins had done previously. “What does that make so far?” Bell was keeping a tally in his head for the day. “Thirty-seven? Still no Drop Item though.” Bell mumbled to himself as he put the newest Magic Stone into his pouch.

Drop Items were parts of Monsters that stayed behind after the rest of the body turned to ash. Not all Monsters would leave one behind, but the items could be sold for a nice amount at the Exchange in the Guild or to Mercantile Familias. The rarer the Drop Item, the more it was worth, so Kobold Nails and Goblin Fangs weren’t worth a ton, but they were worth more than any single Goblin or Kobold Magic Stone.

“Ganesha Familia certainly isn’t hurting for money, but I don’t want to take more than I give to the Familia.” Bell nodded to himself. That would be rude to his fellow Familia members and an insult to Lord Ganesha for taking him in.

“Geh?”

“Hn?”

“Gkh.”

“Grr.”

“Four Goblins?” Bell raised an eyebrow at seeing the small group as soon as he rounded the corner into the next decent-sized cavern. The four green Monsters spotted him at the same time and, after a second of confusion, all four rushed towards him with snarls. “Come on!” Bell roared back, bringing Banry­ū around in a horizontal slash.

The first Goblin died like all of the rest; bisected by Bell’s massive weapon. The second tried to jump at Bell, but he wasn’t an idiot, he cocked back his left hand and formed a fist, then he punched the airborne Monster as hard as he could. Given that Bell had been toughened up through intense labor and sparring for most of his life, along with the years spent mastering the Void Fist, the Goblin’s fate was a foregone conclusion. It’s head nearly exploded from the force of Bell’s punch, the corpse rag dolling through the air until it hit the ground with a thump a good distance away.

“Grah!” The third Goblin lashed out with its claws, but only managed to bounce off the flat side of Banry­ū.

“Bye!” Bell swatted the Goblin with the flat side of his huge weapon, sending the screeching Goblin slamming into the stone wall at high-speed with a sickening crunch. The corpse flopped onto the ground a second later.

“Grrr!” The fourth Goblin leapt at Bell; both of its clawed hands aimed at his torso.

“Take this!” Bell turned Banry­ū’ to the side, leaving the cutting edge beneath the airborne Goblin. The he raised his hand holding the weapon upwards quickly. The Goblin was split in two and exploded into black ash. “Aw, damn! I broke the Magic Stone!” Bell lamented the loss of the money, but resigned himself to making a few mistakes like this as a newbie Adventurer with a new weapon. “That brings me up to…” He counted in his head for a second. “…forty-one Monsters total today.” It was a good start and he still had hours left to hunt before returning to the surface.

“Grrrrggghhh!” A Kobold had entered the cavern from the opposite corridor that Bell had come through before he could even collect the Magic Stones.

“Back to work.” Bell brought Banry­ū to bear again.

“Grrrooaaawwwrrr!” The Kobold rushed at Bell. It’s first swipe was blocked with the flat of the blade.

“Yah!” Bell swung his fust at the Kobold as he pivoted on his feet. His fist smashed into the dog-like head and the Monster crumpled to the stone floor as its skull caved in from the blow. “Hey…you were a little faster than the last one.” Bell commented, while using his boot to roll the Kobold over so he could harvest the Magic Stone easier.

-Later-

Bell was all smiles as he ascended the stairs out of the Dungeon, even though he was covered in sweat. Why was he smiling? Because of the fat pouch tied to his waist, of course! He’d filled the pouch to the limit with tiny Magic Stones from Kobolds and Goblins. So many in fact that he’d even had to stuff the rest into his backpack until it was almost overflowing too! No Drop Items today, but with how many Magic Stones he had, Bell wasn’t complaining.

“Someone had a good day.” One older Adventurer commented to his Party.

“Obviously.” One of the other men replied with a snort.

Their buddy just eyed the massive Banry­ū. “How the hell is he carrying that thing around like it’s nothing?”

“Why don’t you ask him?” The first Adventurer joked.

“Hell no.” The third shook his head in denial.

Bell happily made his way to the Guild Exchange to turn in his Magic Stones and get his money. He didn’t even have to wait in line as there had been a free window when he’d arrived. He upended the pouch and then emptied his backpack of the little purple crystals with a grin. The tray had overflowed and had to be emptied before he could put the last of his spoils into it.

“Hmm,” The man behind the window made a brief noise before moving the Magic Stones onto a set of scales and weighing them. He made a few marks in his ledger, and then opened a drawer below the counter. The jiggling of coins was heard and Bell could only watch happily as the Valis were placed into the tray. “You’re Magic Stones were worth 18,468 Valis. Have a nice day.” The tray was pushed back onto Bell’s side.

“Thank you, sir.” Bell smiled as he collected the coins and placed them into the pouch on his waist. He left the window and made his way over to the meeting area to give his report. The Ganesha Familia had several Advisors because of the size of their Familia, so Bell smiled at the man he’d be speaking with today and gave his report about his first day in the Dungeon.

-Dungeon Advisor Area ~ Back of the Guild-

“Look at this!” One of the Ganesha Familia Advisors spoke to his colleagues, holding up Bell’s first report. “Almost two-hundred Monsters slain on his first day!”

“Eh? Are you serious?”

“That’s so many!”

“Is that a record? We should check if that’s a record!”

“Did he clear out the First Floor by himself or something?”

The multiple Ganesha Familia Advisors were all curious about Bell Cranel now. Sure, the young man had looked strong enough to try his hand at being an Adventurer, but most newbies killed a dozen or so Monsters on their first day and came back with a few injuries. Bell had no injuries, but had killed over ten times as many Monsters than a normal rookie would on their first day.

“Is the First Floor more active than usual?” One of the Advisors questioned after thinking about it for a bit.

“You’ve got a point…over one-hundred just on the First Floor does seem like a lot.” Another agreed with the first.

“Bell said that he went off the beaten path, Monsters can build up in those areas if no Adventurers go clean them out.” The Advisor that had taken Bell’s report mentioned. “It looks like Ganesha has another good one.”

“Maybe Ganesha Familia will end up taking one of the Top Two spots in Orario someday?” One of the other Advisors chuckled as he brought over coffee for the group.

-IamGanesha ~ After Dinner-

“I am Ganesha!” Ganesha greeted Bell as his newest ‘child’ entered his office for his first Status Update.

“Yes, Lord Ganesha.” Bell agreed as he sat on a stool and took off his shirt.

Ganesha used his golden needle to draw blood and let a drop fall onto Bell’s back. The blue-white glow shone from Bell’s skin as the Falna appeared and allowed Ganesha to start watching the Excelia within to see what Bell had done today in the Dungeon. “Ganesha is most pleased, Bell! You’re drive and dedication are truly impressive!” The eccentric God praised his child with a laugh. Inwardly he was surprised at the sheer amount of Monsters that Bell had killed on his first day in the Dungeon.

“I did my best.” Bell smiled at the praise from his God. He was eager to see how much he’d grown after his first day too. He’d exerted himself quite a bit by traveling around the First Floor, hunting Monster after Monster.

‘Hmm, this growth is impressive…but he did work very hard today.’ Ganesha kept his thoughts private as he moved Bell’s Excelia into his Basic Abilities and watched the numbers grow. “Here you are, Bell.” Ganesha copied the Status Update onto a blank paper and handed it over to the young man.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 0 > I 19

Endurance – I 0 > I 12

Dexterity – I 0 > I 18

Agility – I 0 > I 15

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

-Status-

“Sixty-four points in one day…is that good?” Bell looked over his shoulder at Ganesha curiously.

“It’s rather incredible for a first day!” Ganesha praised Bell with a smile. “As you grow, it’ll take more and more Excelia to increase your numbers, but this much growth is still impressive! Ganesha is very proud of you, Bell!”

“Thank you, Lord Ganesha.” Bell thanked his God as he burned the Status Update with a nearby candle.

-Next Day ~ Dungeon Second Floor-

“Gah!”

“Eraah!”

“Yipe!”

“Barh-ipe!”

“And five.” Bell stabbed the last Monster of the small group, a Goblin, through the stomach, the massive blade of Banry­ū bisecting the small Monster. On his second day, he’d decided to drop down to the Second Floor, hoping for more Monsters to hunt.

The Guild advised that newbie Adventurers with Stats in the I and H range should hunt exclusively on the first four floors. The Fifth Floor was the first cut-off point where newbies started to die in larger numbers as the layout of the Dungeon got more complex and stronger Monsters appeared. Heeding that advice, Bell decided to drop one floor per day until the fourth if he didn’t find any challenge.

“Still…today isn’t much more challenging.” Bell sighed, having already memorized the attack patterns of the Goblins and Kobolds. After seeing them so many times, even a monkey could figure it out. He cut open the first Kobold and extracted its Magic Stone. He moved on to the next Monster after watching the dog-headed beast turn to white ash without leaving behind a Drop Item. “I guess I’ll keep hunting the outer edges of the floor, like I did yesterday.” Bell moved on after collecting the fourth and final Magic Stone of the group.

-Guild Exchange ~ Late Afternoon-

“Here, ma’am.” Bell recalled passed over all of the small Magic Stones he’d collected today. Handful by handful he emptied his sleek backpack and filled the tray twice over.

“Thank you, sir, one moment please.” The Chienthrope woman smiled at Bell as she began weighing the pile of small Magic Stones. She quickly had the weight recorded and made a mark in her ledger before gathering Bell’s money. “Your total today is 19,632 Valis. Have a nice day.” She pushed the tray back onto Bell’s side.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Bell collected his earnings and made his way over to the meeting area to see one of the Ganesha Familia Advisors to give his report.

-Guild Advisor Offices-

“Even more this time…” A female Advisor set the report on her desk and let some of the other curious Ganesha Familia Advisors look at it.

“Two-hundred-twelve?!” One of her colleagues exclaimed in shock. “How is he hunting so many?!”

“Are we sure he didn’t have any experience before he came to Orario?”

“Maybe he’s just talented?”

“It could be that he’s just that strong… I mean, have you seen that massive thing he calls a weapon?!”

-IamGanesha-

“Another day of hard work, Bell! Ganesha is pleased by your diligence!” Ganesha cheered as he watched the Excelia and guided it into the Basic Abilities so that they would grow.

“I think I’m going to head down to the Third Floor tomorrow.” Bell informed his God with a sigh. “The first two floors weren’t that much of a challenge and my Endurance seems to only be growing because of how much I exert myself.”

“Just follow the recommended Floors for your stats, Bell.” Ganesha’s loud tone noticeably lowered. “One can improve themselves at any pace; but mistakes happen more often when one is rushing.” The God of the Masses told him with the air of someone who had said the same to countless others before. “All done.” Ganesha handed the paper over to Bell.

“Let’s see…” Bell looked at the new Status Update.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 19 > I 39

Endurance – I 12 > I 33

Dexterity – I 18 > I 38

Agility – I 15 > I 30

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

-Status-

“Seventy-six points…even more than yesterday.” Bell noticed the difference. For the extra Monsters that he’d killed, he had grown just a bit more.

-Next Day ~ Dungeon Third Floor-

“Ssshhhrrraaa!” A Dungeon Lizard dropped down from the ceiling at Bell. “Shak!” It was promptly cut in half by Banry­ū and hit the ground with a wet splat.

“Eighty-four…” Bell counted off as he dodged a Kobold’s claw swipe. It didn’t get to make another as Bell’s foot smashed into the side of its head with a roundhouse kick that made the Monster spin in the air for a second before crashing into the ground. “Eighty-five…” He spun into a backfist; his fist slammed into the side of another Kobold’s head, shattering the jaw and jerking the neck sharply with an audible crack. The Kobold fell to the ground like a sack of rocks, dead. “Eighty-six…” His footwork was impressive as he sidestepped a Goblin and bisected it with his huge blade. “Eighty-seven…” His next kick caught a Goblin under the chin with enough force that the Monster’s feet left the ground and it made a full flip before it hit the floor and didn’t move again. “Eighty-eight…”

“Grrrraaahhh!” A Kobold rushed towards him, claws at the ready. It was split in two by Banryū for its trouble.

“Eighty-nine…” Bell sighed as the group was finished off. “I’m definitely going to the Fourth Floor tomorrow.” He cleaned the blood from Banry­ū with a cloth he now carried for just that purpose. “My Endurance stat is only growing because I keep pushing myself to hunt more and more.” He opened up the first Goblin and collected its Magic Stone.

-Guild Exchange-

“Your total today is 21,943 Valis.” The Elf man behind the glass placed the coins into the tray and pushed them back towards Bell.

“Thank you, sir.” Bell collected them, adding them to his money pouch. “I’m glad that I’m making myself some money.” Ganesha only requested ten percent from his children (though most gave a bit more for the Familia’s wellbeing) but Bell only spent his newly earned money on some extra clothing and a couple of books so far.

-IamGanesha-

“You think I’ll get another Skill soon, Lord Ganesha?” Bell questioned his God as he got his Status updated again. He knew he’d only been at it for three days, but he’d really like a new skill or ability to learn and get stronger with.

“They’ll come in time, Bell.” Ganesha laughed at Bell’s desire to improve himself. “You just have to be patient and work hard. Self-improvement takes time, as you overcome the obstacles in life’s path.” He could understand Bell’s desire to grow. Being surrounded by so many higher leveled Adventurers within the Familia was probably pushing Bell to want to improve faster. “Keep working, and you will become a better you.” Ganesha finished the update and copied it over to a blank paper.

“I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up so early. I was already surprised by having two Skills when I got the Falna.” Bell accepted the paper and looked at his growth for the day.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 39 > I 59

Endurance – I 33 > I 53

Dexterity – I 38 > I 58

Agility – I 30 > I 48

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

-Status-

“Seventy-eight points today…I guess dropping down to the Third Floor helped out.” Bell was happy that his effort was paying off.

“The amount of Monsters you killed certainly played a part as well.” Ganesha assured Bell that his hard work would make itself known as long as he kept at it. “I am Ganesha!” He posed, flexing his muscles.

“Yes, Lord Ganesha.” Bell chuckled at his God while burning his Status Update paper.

-Dungeon ~ Fourth Floor-

“This is…” Bell ducked under a Dungeon Lizard that had launched itself from above. “A bit…” He bisected a Kobold at the waist with his Banry­ū. “Closer to what I expected from the Dungeon!” Bell stabbed the Dungeon Lizard as it turned to attack him from its failed ambush, cutting the lizard in half. He used the Great Swordstaff upwards to split a lunging Goblin in two, used his footwork to get around one Kobold, punch the Kobold behind it in the chest so hard the ribcage caved in, and then spun to hack the first Kobold in half at the waist. He looked around to make sure all of the Monsters were dead now. “Woo…” Bell exhaled with a smile, sweat on his face. “They’re making me work for it now at least! That was a good sized group! I’m up to one-hundred-fifty-four from that fight!”

-Guild Advisors’ Offices ~ Late Afternoon-

“This is impossible…” A Ganesha Familia Advisor just stared at Bell’s newest report. “Two-hundred-sixty-one…in one day…on the Upper Floors…not even the Fifth Floor…” The Advisors of the Ganesha Familia could hardly believe it. But the proof was right in front of them and backed up by the Exchange. Bell Cranel, even alone in the Dungeon, was bringing back better results than some of the experienced Level 1 Parties! It was just ridiculous. “He’s going to hit the 1,000 Kills mark before the week is out at this rate!” Most newbies took close to a month, if not a bit longer to kill that many Monsters.

-IamGanesha-

“I am Ganesha!” Ganesha greeted Bell after dinner again. His newest child came to him everyday for an update. “Let’s see how much you’re hard work has improved you today, Bell!”

“Yes, Lord Ganesha.” Bell chuckled at Ganesha’s exuberance.

The drop of blood was placed on Bell’s back, bringing out his Falna in the blue-white light. Ganesha watched Bell’s Excelia seeing how hard his child was working to improve himself. “Every day you further improve yourself, but that’s to be expected with how much work you’re putting in.” Ganesha praised Bell for his hard work as he moved the Excelia over and completed the update easily. When nothing new appeared, an update could be done in a very short time. Especially by one of Ganesha’s experience.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 59 > I 73

Endurance – I 53 > I 68

Dexterity – I 58 > I 72

Agility – I 48 > I 64

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

-Status-

“Hmm…my Strength and Dexterity might hit H Rank soon.” Bell smiled at his progress. He’d work even harder to make that happen. ‘I’m going to become a Hero! No matter how long it takes, or how hard I have to work to do it!’ Left out of his internal declaration was that he’d like to meet some girls soon too. He wouldn’t be able to make a family of his own if he didn’t talk to a girl after all. ‘Well, there’s Miss Shakti and Miss Ardee, but I don’t know if they’re even looking for relationships right now.’ He thought about the two women he spoke with the most in the Familia, usually at dinner.

-Next Day ~ Dungeon Fourth Floor-

Bell kicked a Goblin into a Kobold and sliced through both of them with Banry­ū. A Dungeon Lizard attempted to drop down on him from above, but Bell swung the Great Swordstaff around and cleaved the falling lizard in half, before splitting a charging Kobold nearly in two on the downswing. One Goblin had its head nearly smashed by Bell’s foot as he kicked it into two others. They all died as Bell split them in half with his massive blade. He punched a Kobold, shattering its jaw before grabbing the falling Monster and swinging it bodily into another Kobold. Both died in a shower of blood and gore as Banry­ū cut them down.

“Not too bad today.” Bell smiled at finishing off the group of Monsters. “So that’s…” He counted the bodies lying around. “Two-hundred-three…not too bad for almost being done for the day.” But he did still have another two or so hours, if his sense of time was accurate. “Let’s harvest these quickly before another Monster shows up.” Bell cleaned the large blade with the cloth he had for it, which was starting to get pretty dirty itself, before getting to work on harvesting the Magic Stones.

-Guild Advisors’ Offices-

“Woo! Mills, you’re buying lunch tomorrow!” One Advisor cheered as another Advisor cursed under his breath.

The reason?

A bet had gone around that the newbie, Bell Cranel would exceed the 1,000 Kills mark within seven days of becoming an Adventurer. Normally that would be a sucker’s bet, but Bell had proven to be an insanely hard working Adventurer. Both sides had some takers and now, with Bell’s latest report, the winners were declared. Those that had bet Bell would break the mark had been proven correct.

“Over 1,000 Kills in just five days…” Rose Fannet, a Senior Advisor looked over the report. “This kid is going to end up killing himself at this pace.” She’d seen that plenty of times already. The redheaded Werewolf woman knew that she’d become a bit jaded over the years after watching so many Adventurers die; but it was hard not to after seeing so much death.

-IamGanesha-

“Your hard work and effort have paid off, Bell.” Ganesha laughed as he updated Bell’s Falna again. “Just as you suspected, your stats have reached H Rank!” He handed the new Status Update to Bell.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – I 73 > H 101

Endurance – I 68 > I 95

Dexterity – I 72 > H 100

Agility – I 64 > I 93

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Life Vigor – Raises Strength by a large amount and promotes healing. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

Vitality – Raises Endurance by a large amount, reduces the effects of and disperses all status ailments over time. Effect rises based on the user’s Level.

-Status-

“This is just the beginning!” Bell grinned at seeing his first small goal be accomplished. “I’ll keep working hard and getting better!”

“Ganesha will be supporting you the whole way!” Ganesha laughed boisterously from behind Bell.

Bell had no idea just how soon things were going to change for him.

But his determination to grow stronger and become a Hero would be the key to his future!

-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-

BOOM!

Another Pilot Chapter for Danmachi!

Bell in Ganesha Familia! Bring on the memelord God! Kek!

This Bell is a PHYSICAL BEAST!!! Expect his stats to keep growing and growing!

Yes, he has Banry­ū from Inuyasha! The base version without the Demonic Power…for now!

Bell, much like Bankotsu, can swing it around like it’s a regular sword!

Also, another character influence! Suiryu from One Punch Man and his Void Fist/Dark Body Art! *Cackles*

Oh, you can just HEAR the Monster in the Dungeon breaking!

Or was that the bones of the Familias that will try and get in Bell’s way? HAH!

You may notice that Ardee is still alive! How and why? You'll find out later!

What happens next?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!