Sarutahiko Familia Premise Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! Now that Lili is under the protection of Sarutahiko Familia, and staying with them, she can actually experience what a normal life is like for the first time. It’s sure to be quite the change from what she’s used to. Plans are made to head further into the Dungeon! Practice and training are necessary to improve! Members of a certain Familia may be a bit of a nuisance though.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 5 – Life, Training, and the Tenth Floor

Lili blinked as she woke up warm and comfortable, which was uncommon for her. Letting her memory of yesterday come back, the Prum girl smiled a little as she recalled Bell defending her from the thugs that made up her Familia, then taking her to his Familia Home. Lord Sarutahiko had graciously allowed her to stay, and even stated that he’d get her out of Soma Familia, one way or another. “Is this what it’s like to be cared for and wanted?” Lili questioned the empty room quietly before sitting up and pushing the blanket of the traditional futon off of her. For being so simple, the bedding was remarkably comfortable.

A light knock on the sliding door to the room got Lili’s attention.

“Lili-san, breakfast will be ready shortly.” The voice of one of the female retainers of the Familia spoke through the door.

“Thank you.” Lili replied without really thinking about it. “Breakfast first thing in the morning... A nice hot bath last night before dinner… Do people normally get to do this every day?” It certainly hadn’t been possible for her as she scrimped, saved, and stole every Valis she could to try and reach the ludicrous 10,000,000 Valis threshold that would let her leave the Soma Familia.

Lili picked up the simple, beige yukata (one of many) that she’d been given by the Sarutahiko Familia and slipped it on, tying it closed with the red obi. She looked at herself in the full body mirror in the corner of the room and ran her hands over the cloth in no small amount of wonder. It was brand new, clean, and fit her well, covering her from neck to ankle. Just seeing herself dressed in such a simple garment brought up a number of emotions that Lili wasn’t used to feeling: happiness, acceptance, comfort, and safety.

Sarutahiko had given her this room as her own too, along with all the new yukata that she could wear around the compound or if she wanted to go out into the city with Bell. She was under the Familia’s protection as a soon-to-be member and the warmth and kindness that Bell and the Familia showed her nearly brought tears to her eyes again. “No, no, no more tears.” Lili shook her head and put on her new socks. She was still learning the ins and outs of a Far Eastern home, but she had been asked to always have on socks or house slippers when walking inside to prevent the floors (and especially the tatami mats) from getting dirty.

“Good morning, Lili.” Bell smiled warmly at her as soon as she entered the dining room.

“Good morning, Master Bell.” Lili returned the greeting with a small smile. “Good morning to you as well, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili bowed at the waist to the God as she greeted him.

“Good morning, Liliruca.” Sarutahiko nodded to the Prum with a friendly chuckle. “Breakfast is about to be served, so sit and eat your fill.” He motioned to the cushion next to Bell’s at the low table.

Lili sat next to Bell, putting her legs beneath her and sharing a small grin with him as the food was brought out. It was a fairly standard breakfast; consisting of rolled omelets, miso soup, grilled fish, rice, steamed vegetables, and pickled vegetables, with green tea to drink.

“All of this for breakfast?” Lili blinked at seeing the full meal. She was used to only having some bread with cheese and some water usually.

“No one goes hungry in my Familia.” Sarutahiko told Lili with a warm smile, before picking up a piece of the grilled fish with his chopsticks and taking the first bite of the meal. This seemed to prompt the rest of the Familia to begin their breakfasts as well.

“It’s good Lili.” Bell assured her as he picked up the miso soup and sipped the warm broth. It didn’t require a spoon and the traditional way to consume the soup was to sip it straight from the bowl.

Lili picked up the chopsticks, and after a few moments to observe how the others used them, picked up some fish before bringing it to her mouth. “Oh.” Lili marveled at the taste. Her grip with the chopsticks wasn’t as steady as the other Familia members, but she could at least use them. She followed Bell’s example next and sipped some miso soup, feeling the warmth fill her belly. ‘This is what a Familia is supposed to be like, isn’t it?’ Lili thought to herself as she enjoyed breakfast in the warm and lively environment of the Floating Bridge Mansion.

After breakfast, Bell went to prepare for their day in the Dungeon as they were planning to head down to the Tenth Floor today. Lili was surprised (again) when two of the female retainers guided her to a different room and stood her in the middle of it. There were various chests lining the walls and even a few wardrobes for holding clothing. Lili was about to voice her confusion when one of the women opened a wardrobe and pulled out a dark-blue set of clothing before carrying it over to Lili.

“Please, try this on, Lili-san.” The woman smiled at the Prum as she held out the clothing to her.

“O-Okay…” Lili blinked but went along with it as she untied her obi and the second retainer woman held it for her. When Lili slipped off her yukata, leaving herself in just her panties, the yukata was also held for her. Taking the garments, she stopped when she realized that it wasn’t just cloth, but folded up with the clothing was an undershirt of metal mesh-like material. “What’s this?” She looked at the woman that had handed her the clothing.

“Kusari gusoku…chain armor in the common language.” The woman answered after a second to think about the proper translation. “The mesh will block slashing attacks and keep you light and mobile. It’s not the best against stabbing or bludgeoning attacks though, but it can be easily hidden by your clothes.”

“I see.” Lili slipped the mesh armor on, briefly shivering as the metal touched her skin, but it felt nice on her all the same. She slipped on the dark-blue shirt and found that it did indeed hide the mesh armor completely, the sleeves going down to her elbows while the mesh stopped at mid-bicep. Next were the pants, which were just loose enough to allow her legs complete freedom of movement, but the hems around her ankles could be pulled tight with the small strings on them. She tied the sash that was stitched into the pants until they were comfortable on her hips.

“Your armor, Lili-san.” The woman helping her dress had moved over to another chest while Lili had been dressing and returned with some armor that looked like vambraces. “Han kote to go over your forearms and the back of your hands for protection.”

“Thank you.” Lili was just stunned at this point as she learned how to easily strap the armor on to her arms with just one hand. She’d been given a room of her own, new clothing, and now new gear for dungeon crawling too. She wasn’t even a member of the Familia yet!

“Finally, we have this.” The woman was nearly beaming at getting to ‘dress-up’ Lili in the gear. “This muffler is actually a mask that you can pull up over your mouth and nose to help prevent you from breathing in irritants or poison. It’s not infallible, but it should help.”

Lili slipped the muffler over her head and adjusted it around her neck as she was shown. Once it was in place, she pulled up the mask and covered her mouth and nose with it. Looking at herself in the mirror again, Lili could only stare at how much different she looked compared to the old clothing and cloak that she used to wear. She pulled the mask down for now and thanked both of the retainer women profusely for everything.

Then she was surprised once more when she was given a new knife and holster, a small belt with a few pouches to carry items, like her bowgun bolts and metal needles called senbon that were made for throwing and stabbing, plus potions and antidotes. Lili only needed to go put her boots on and get her large backpack, and she’d be ready for another day of dungeon crawling. Only now she’d be better equipped than she ever had been before!

“You look great, Lili!” Bell praised his Supporter as soon as he saw her while waiting by the front door.

“Th-Thank you, Master Bell.” Lili blushed slightly at the compliment, seeing Bell give her a once over with his eyes. “My boots…” She stared for a second when she saw that her old, worn boots had been replaced with a new pair that were very similar and looked identical in size. Lili pulled them on while wondering when exactly these new ones had been procured for her. She slipped her arms through the straps of her large backpack and smiled at Bell. “Ready!”

“Let’s go, Lili.” Bell chuckled as the two left the main building and were out of the compound a minute later on their way to the Dungeon.

-Dungeon ~ Tenth Floor-

The Tenth through Twelfth Floors kept the same overall structure as both the Eighth and Ninth Floors, however the light from above was reminiscent of morning mist. The ceiling was a bit higher as well and the grass-covered floor sprouted the snags of dead trees. Not a single leaf was on any of the branches, yet they grew from the floor as if they were living plants. According to Sophie, this was to provide the Large Category Monsters with landform weapons to use against Adventurers; which Bell made sure to remember and factor into his upcoming fights on this Floor.

“Something moved.” Bell spoke softly, just loud enough for Lili to hear him. The light creaks from the dead trees and the rustling of grass alerted both of them to the presence of something hiding at the edge of the mist. “Lili, stay close.”

“Yes.” Lili moved to stand directly behind Bell, but just out of reach, in case he needed to react faster than she’d be able to get out of the way.

“Gii!”

“Gii!”

“Gii, gii!”

“Master Bell, they’re Imps!” Lili informed him after hearing the sounds. She had only been to Floor Ten and Floor Eleven a few times in all her years as a Supporter, but she wouldn’t forget the sound of the little Monsters.

The Monsters revealed themselves as they came flying out of the misty fog. Small Demon Type Monsters with jet-black skin, humanoid bodies, small wings on their backs for limited flight, and long tails tipped with what looked like small axe heads. Their eyes were a nearly glowing red, they had small mouths full of little fangs, their ears were sharply pointed, and they each had a single small horn on their heads.

“Imps travel in groups.” Bell recalled as he drew his chokuto. He was honestly surprised at how easy it was to keep track of their movements. Bell thought that Tenth Floor Monsters would be faster. He didn’t realize that he was already above the rank that was advised for this Floor, ‘B’ in his stats. Bell was already at ‘A’ rank in most of his stats, so the Imps didn’t seem nearly as fast to him as they would to most Adventurers that were coming down to the Tenth Floor for the first time.

“Gii!” The lead Imp rushed Bell with its claws and was followed by two more Imps on either side, just slightly behind.

“Hah!” Bell swung his sword and decapitated the first Imp. The second was impaled through the chest, killing it near instantly, while the third took a powerful front kick that slammed it into a dead tree a few meters behind it with a sickening crack.

“Gii!” The remaining four Imps had split into two pairs and tried to flank him.

Wsh

Wsh

The two Imps on the right both died as a bolt pierced each of their heads from Lili’s bowgun.

“Gii!”

“Gee!”

The last two Imps were both cut down by Bell in a single swing of his chokuto. The corpses hitting the grass and rolling a short distance, staining the grass with their blood.

“Thanks, Lili!” Bell smiled at her over his shoulder.

Lili smiled back at him. “No problem, Master Bell!” If she was soon going to be out of Soma Familia, then she might as well gain as much Excelia as she could!

“Buwaah!” The guttural growl and the heavy footsteps gave away the next Monster’s identity before it had even cleared the fog.

“An Orc!” Lili called out to Bell, knowing that this was the first time that he’d seen one.

The Orc was a huge, pig-headed monster standing roughly three meters in height. It had greenish skin and wore what looked like old hide around its waist like a skirt or kilt. “Gwaarrrggh!” The Orc let out a cross between a hog’s squeal and a roar as it raised its club and rushed at Bell. The Monster slammed the club down at the white-haired Adventurer, but only succeeded in smashing the ground as Bell had already moved.

“Hyah!” Bell had moved into the Orc’s blind spot and hacked through its right leg. The loss of the limb destroyed the Orc’s balance and it collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.

“Buuaaahhh!!!” The Orc bellowed in pain, only to be silenced a second later as Bell’s chokuto stabbed through its head.

“That was amazing, Master Bell!” Lili smiled and clapped for him. “You took it down so easily, and it was your first time ever fighting an Orc!”

“It was big and strong, but not that fast.” Bell mentioned, pulling his sword out of the Orc’s head.

“If you can flip the Orc over for Lili, it’ll be a lot easier to get its Magic Stone.” Lili requested as she pulled out her new knife and started opening up the Imp corpses that she’d already gathered together.

“No problem, Lili.” Bell easily rolled the dead Orc onto its back to make harvesting its Magic Stone easier for Lili. “Eight Monsters already and we’ve only been down here for a few minutes.” He noted the number and hoped to make some good progress today.

-Late Afternoon ~ Guild Exchange-

“Your Magic Stones were worth 52,986 Valis and the Drop Items, including Orc Hide, Imp Horns, Needle Rabbit Tusks, and one War Shadow Finger Blade, come out to 21,578 Valis. Your total for this exchange is 74,564 Valis.” The Guild worker behind the glass nodded to the pair as the drawer was pushed onto their side, nearly filled with Valis coins.

“So much in one day.” Lili had never seen any of the previous Partys that she’d worked with make this much at once.

Bell placed the money into his hip pouch, nearly overflowing it, and smiled at Lili. “It’s thanks to your Support that we’re making so much more, Lili.” He praised her with a warm smile.

“Master Bell killed most of the Monsters, Lili only took down a fraction of them.” Lili shook her head with a smile on her lips. Being thanked and praised was something she was only just starting to get used to.

As they left the Guild, after Bell gave his report to Sophie, the two walked down the streets of Orario, heading back to the Floating Bridge Mansion.

“Bell?” Tiona noticed him, her voice catching Bell’s attention.

“Tiona?” Bell smiled at the unexpected meeting and looked at Ais and Tione who were with Tiona. “Ais, Tione, good afternoon.” He greeted them with a grin.

“Good afternoon, Bell.” Ais smiled back at him.

“Hey, fancy running into you.” Tione grinned right back before her eyes landed on Lili. “Who’s this?”

“This is Lili, my Supporter, and she’s going to join the Sarutahiko Familia soon.” Bell introduced Lili with a smile.

“M-Master Bell…th-these three are…are…” Lili wasn’t dumb. She easily recognized the three young women in front of her.

“Ah, don’t worry about that.” Tiona waved their fame (or infamy, depending on who you asked) away with a laugh. “I’m Tiona Hyrute, nice to meet you!” She introduced herself to Lili brightly.

“Tione Hyrute, don’t worry about the Level difference or anything, alright?” Tione nodded to Lili with a friendly smile. It was always kind of annoying when people acted weird around her just because she was Level 5 and from the Loki Familia.

“Ais Wallenstein.” Ais bowed slightly as she introduced herself to Lili properly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“L-Liliruca Arde…” Lili was clearly a bit intimidated as she almost mechanically bowed to the three Level 5’s.

Bell rested his hand on Lili’s shoulder to help her calm down, getting a small smile from Lili a moment later. “Did you three just get back from the Dungeon too?”

“Nope, we just got done at Goibniu Familia’s shop!” Tiona answered him with a grin. “Ais needed to pick up her sword.”

Ais suddenly looked like a weight had fallen on her shoulders, the swordswoman looking at the ground and hanging her head.

“Ais?” Bell didn’t know what to make of the sudden change in mood.

Tione patted Ais’s back for a moment. “She broke the sword that Goibniu loaned her while her regular weapon was getting maintenance, because of those Flower Monsters.” She explained the situation.

“Forty…million…” Ais sighed out heavily.

“Eh?!” Bell and Lili both visibly flinched at the cost of the broken sword.

“It’ll take me a week in the Lower Floors to make that much…” Ais mumbled out.

Tiona pulled Ais into a side-hug. “That’s no big deal, Ais! We’ll go with you! I have to pay off Urga too!” The ball of sunshine offered with a bright smile. “Oh! Maybe we can invite Lefiya, Finn, and Riveria too? We could make a lot of money that way and pay off our debts!”

“Huh, so you can have a good idea every now and then.” Tione teased her sister with a smirk.

“Pfft!” Tiona blew a raspberry at Tione for the jibe.

“Thank you, Tiona.” Ais smiled at her friend for offering the idea to make it a group trip.

Bell once more realized just how far ahead of him the three women were as they casually talked about spending a week in the Lower Floors of the Dungeon. He’d only just gotten down to the Tenth Floor, and they were talking about Floors Twenty-Five through Thirty-Six as if it was just a good place to make enough to cover their financial needs.

“We’ll probably be gone for about a week, so…” Tione looked between Ais and Tiona before turning to face Bell. “You want to train with us again before we leave tomorrow?” Ais and Tiona both perked up a bit upon hearing the suggestion.

“I’d like that very much.” Bell agreed with a smile.

Lili gaped at him like he was insane for agreeing.

“Let’s go!” Tiona’s excitement was already rising as she grabbed Bell’s hand and nearly dragged him along. “Which way to your Familia’s home, again?” She hadn’t memorized it the first time.

“This way.” Bell laughed as he took Lili’s hand, leading the stunned Prum along as well.

-Floating Bridge Mansion-

“Bell, Liliruca, welcome home.” Sarutahiko greeted the two with a smile. “I see that you’ve brought your lovely lady friends again, Bell.” The Deity looked over the three women from the Loki Familia with a chuckle.

“Greetings, Lord Sarutahiko.” Ais, Tiona, and Tione bowed slightly to the God in respect.

“We’ve come to train with Bell, again.” Ais explained to the Far Eastern God.

“I see.” Sarutahiko nodded to them. “Liliruca, come sit with me and watch their sparring.” He sat down on the wooden walkway that wrapped around the main house and then patted the spot beside him. “I’m sure you’ll be able to keep up one day, but for now it’s best to learn by watching.”

“Yes, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili moved over to sit by her soon-to-be Patron Deity. She shrugged off her large backpack and relaxed as she sat down to watch the spar that was about to happen. “Master Bell is crazy for sparring with three Level 5’s at the same time.” Lili mentioned, watching the four Adventurers stretch as they prepared.

“It’s a large challenge, but the girls know how to hold back, and it is learning from such challenges that people are able to grow.” Sarutahiko told Lili with a knowing smile as he watched the four about to begin.

“Ready, Bell?” Tione grinned predatorily at him.

“I hope so.” Bell chuckled, feeling like prey before a predator.

“You’ll do great, like last time!” Tiona encouraged him with a smile. “But don’t think we’ll fall for the same tricks!” She rolled her shoulder with a laugh.

“Mm…we’ll do our best so that you can grow, Bell.” Ais promised him with a small smile on her lips. Left unsaid, however, was that she was also hopeful to see similar growth for herself, like the last time that the four of them had sparred.

“Begin!” Sarutahiko called out suddenly. The three women instantly rushed at Bell the second the spar had been started.

Bell skipped back to dodge the triple attack, already chanting for a spell. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Fū!” He formed five hand signs at blurring speed and inhaled deeply. From his mouth, Bell exhaled a massive burst of powerful wind that stopped the charge of the three girls.

“Holy crap!” Tiona called out over the howling wind.

Tione protected her face with her arms, trying not to take her eyes off Bell. “It’s almost like Ais’s Magic!” Her long hair was flying behind her from the high-speed wind.

Ais felt strangely happy that Bell possessed Wind Magic like she did, but wasn’t entirely sure why. “Mmn…” She braced herself against the gale even as her long, golden hair whipped behind her.

Bell wasn’t idle as his spell started to fade. He was already making his next move to follow up. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Do!” Bell held a single hand sign and stomped his foot on the ground.

“Huh?!” Tione cried out in surprise as the earth beneath her feet briefly lost cohesion and rushed up to cover her all the way up to her waist.

“What the heck?!” Tiona was just as confused as her sister as she was caught in the same way.

Ais blinked at the earth that was now rehardened around her legs, trapping her in place. “Hm?”

Bell pressed his advantage and continued his chain of spells. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Rai!” Three quick hand signs and he threw both of his hands forward as they sparked with electricity. The bolts shot towards the trapped girls, looking to score the first damage of the spar.

But it wasn’t going to be that easy…

Tione, Tiona, and Ais all struck the hardened earth trapping them in place; the Amazons shattered it into pebbles with a single punch, while Ais only needed a single strike from her scabbard. The Lightning Magic passed through the empty space a second later.

“Tricky, Bell!” Tiona laughed as she came down on him with an axe kick.

Bell quickly vacated the area as Tiona’s heel shattered the ground where he’d been standing. He wasn’t given a second of respite though as he barely had time to raise his guard to block Ais’s scabbard. He was still batted away and straight towards Tione. “Grgkh!” Bell hacked out as Tione’s kick caught him in the side and sent him flying through the air for a moment. He hit the ground and rolled, skipping up to his feet a second later.

“Gotcha!” Tiona was on him instantly, coming at Bell with a seemingly never-ending combo of punches.

Bell proved his Monstrous Talent as he began to block and parry the Amazon’s strikes. He smacked a straight punch aside, pivoted to get into Tiona’s side and delivered a punch, ducked beneath her retaliatory kick, and swept her remaining foot out from under her. He was forced to block as Tiona proved both her strength and her prowess at hand-to-hand combat by catching herself with her left hand and kicking Bell backwards with her right leg. Bell briefly marveled at the strength and balance it took to pull off that counter as he skidded backwards.

“Mm!” Ais swung her scabbard as Bell came to a stop. She was behind him, in his blind spot, and her strike was already halfway to him when Bell surprised her. He backflipped over her swing, the two briefly meeting eyes, and landed behind her.

“Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Sui!” Bell rushed through three more hand signs, knowing that Ais would react quickly. Just as he expected, Ais pivoted on her right foot and her scabbard came around again, aiming at his head. Bell blasted her backwards with a powerful, high-pressure stream of water from his mouth. Ais actually lost her footing from the completely unexpected spell and rolled along the ground for a second before leaping out of the water spell’s range easily.

“Ugh…” Ais didn’t look particularly pleased to suddenly be soaking wet.

Bell didn’t get any respite as Tione nearly kicked him in the back. Only his growing awareness allowed Bell to roll forward and dodge. Tione didn’t give him any time to use his Magic again; she stayed on him with a chain of strikes and kicks, pushing Bell back even as he quickly got used to Tione’s moves and began countering and blocking most of them. The ones that did get through were still strong and painful, but Bell was at least landing a couple of his own on Tione, even if it was only because she was holding back.

Tiona’s punch came at him from the peripheral of his vision. Bell was able to jerk his head to the side, making more distance between his face and her fist, but it only mildly lessened the blow when her fully extended arm and fist struck his cheek. He staggered from the blow and the sisters took the opening. Tione’s kick made Bell’s feet leave the ground. Tiona’s punch knocked him backwards through the air. Tione’s hammer fist pounded him onto the ground. Then Tiona’s stomp was barely dodged as Bell rolled to the side.

His body ached, but Bell pushed the pain aside and focused on his Mind. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Fū!” A single hand sign was all he needed as the wind swirled around him in a powerful gale, pushing the two Amazons backwards as Bell poured a good amount of Mind into the very simple spell.

“Woah!” Tiona stumbled backwards a couple steps.

“Damn!” Tione was pushed away. “How much Mind does he have?!” Bell had cast quite a few spells already. But he still wasn’t showing any of the symptoms of a Mind Down.

Bell didn’t even bother getting off the ground, knowing he didn’t have the time to waste. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Sui!” Three quick hand signs and the water from his earlier spell that still covered the ground rose up into a thick mist that quickly reduced visibility to almost nothing.

“Eh?” Ais had come in, looking to capitalize on Bell’s downed state, only to stop her charge before she stepped into the thick fog. ‘Charging in when I can’t see what Bell is doing… That’s a bad idea.’

Tione and Tiona obviously had the same thought as the two leapt out of the thick mist a half-second later, landing on the opposite side from Ais.

‘They’re separated and I have a second or two before Ais blows away my mist with her wind.’ Bell was still ignoring the pain from the blows that he’d taken as best as he could. He exhaled slowly to steady his breathing and focus on his next move. “Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Ka!” He weaved six hand signs and inhaled deeply before facing the direction that the twins had jumped in. When he exhaled, a huge fireball erupted from his breath, the incredibly hot sphere of flames rocketed out of the heavy mist straight at Tiona and Tione.

“Damn!” Tione cursed and leapt out of the way, pushing the bounds of Level 3 that the Loki Familia girls had agreed to restrain themselves to.

Tiona bolted out of the path of the immense fireball as fast as she could, while keeping check of her strength and speed to not break the restriction. “Hot, hot, hot!” The heat coming off the fireball was impressive, to say the least.

“Tempest!” Ais activated Ariel, the green wind whipping around her before she swung her scabbard and sent a wave towards the mist that Bell was hiding in. She saw Bell’s back become visible and blitzed towards him before he could turn around.

“Earthly God’s mastery, Gogy­ō… Rai.” Bell muttered under his breath as he went through five hand signs quickly. The wind blew his mist away and he could practically feel Ais bearing down on him. He pivoted at the last second, still took a glancing blow from the thrust to his left shoulder, but managed to grab onto Ais’s scabbard and her outstretched arm.

BZZZZTTTT

Bright, blue electricity coursed through Ais, surrounding her and Bell in electric discharge. The Lightning Magic made Ais’s whole body tremor strongly even through her wind, thanks to the direct hold that Bell had on her. She ground her teeth before pouring more Mind into her enchantment, blasting Bell away from her.

“Guh!” Bell hit the ground and rolled, but skipped back to his feet even as he felt the fog encroaching on his consciousness.

Ais moved in, readying her scabbard to finish the spar, only to blink as Bell fell forward. Without a second thought, Ais dropped the scabbard and caught Bell, his face landed on her breasts as she gently wrapped her arms around him, holding him upright against her. “Bell?” The concern in her voice was palpable.

“Sorry…” Bell apologized through the haze in his head, his voice muffled a bit by her breasts. “I think…I went too far… Magic…” His ability to form complete sentences was fading as his Mind was nearly depleted. A subconscious part of his brain did very much enjoy resting his face in Ais’s soft tits though.

“Tapped out, Bell?” Tiona questioned as she and Tione approached to check on him.

“Mm…” Bell made a noise, rather than speak.

Tione grinned and gently ran her fingers through Bell’s white hair. “You’re always full of surprises, Bell.” She praised him softly, her eyes showing her affection for him.

“You’re the best, Bell.” Tiona agreed with a warm smile for the young man that had so thoroughly enamored the three of them.

“You did very well.” Ais spoke softly to Bell, letting him rest on her. Her heart was beating strongly from the situation, but there was a happy little smile on her lips too. Ais wanted to enjoy this for a while longer, even if just for a few moments more.

“Master Bell!” Lili was rushing over, a Mind Potion in her hand. “Is he okay?!”

“He’s fine; just got close to Mind Down.” Tiona assured Lili with a grin.

Tione shot Ais an understanding look, while the swordswoman helped Bell turn around so that he could drink the Mind Potion. She knew that her surrogate sister wanted to hold Bell for longer, but a full Mind Down was a pain to deal with, so it was better that Bell drink the Mind Potion before he hit that point.

“Here, Master Bell, drink…slowly…there, like that.” Lili eased the vial to Bell’s lips and let him slowly sip it until he’d finished it. “You used your Magic in the Dungeon today too; you really shouldn’t have pushed it during this spar.”

“Eh?” Tiona blinked at this new information. “He used his Magic in the Dungeon today? Like, all day?” She looked at Lili curiously.

“Well, not all the time, but very regularly to strengthen his Magic stat.” Lili answered the Amazon.

“He cast that many spells, some of them really powerful, and he’d already spent an entire day in the Dungeon doing the same?” Tione looked between Bell and Lili in surprise.

“Yes, but Master Bell always has a Mind Potion, just in case.” Lili held up the now empty vial.

“Bell…” Ais looked at the young man slowly regaining his mental clarity with surprised, yet approving, eyes. ‘He must have substantial amounts of Mind, like Lefiya and Riveria, to be able to use so many spells like that.’ Why that pleased her so much alluded her, but something deep within herself liked that Bell was constantly proving just how strong he was.

“Oh man… Sorry about that.” Bell blinked and shook his head slightly to clear away the last remnants of the mental fog. “We can keep going, if you three want to.” He offered, smiling at Tiona, Tione, and Ais as he stood up to his full height again.

“We’re good, Bell.” Tiona giggled, wrapping her arms around his right arm with a smile. “You were awesome!”

“Mhmm~” Tione wrapped her arms around Bell’s left arm. “Already so much stronger since last time.” She praised him with a lilt in her voice that made Bell smile instinctively.

“How did you get so strong?” Ais couldn’t help but ask Bell curiously. A burning part of her wanted to know, in hopes that she could grow like Bell was doing too.

“A lot of hard work and good training partners.” Bell answered with a smile, being honest, but also flattering the three Level 5 women at the same time.

The happy little smiles he got in return were very cute.

“We should probably be heading home.” Tione looked at the shadows being cast by the setting sun. “We still have to ask the others if they want to join us for a week in the Dungeon.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Tiona clearly didn’t want to let go of Bell just yet.

Ais smiled gently at Bell. “We’ll see you when we return, Bell.”

In short order, the three Loki Familia members bid Sarutahiko a polite farewell. They happily chatted on their way out of the compound, escorted by Bell and Lili who joined in on the conversation a bit. Tiona was giggling while playing with Ais’s hair, feeling the static that still clung to it from Bell’s Lightning Magic. Bell and Lili waved to the three young women until they rounded the corner, then shut the large, iron-banded, wooden gate behind them.

“Have you worked up an appetite, Bell?” Sarutahiko chuckled as they entered the house for dinner.

“Yes, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell rubbed the back of his head as his stomach growled.

Sarutahiko smiled as they headed for the dining room. “We’ll update your Status after we eat.” He then turned his eyes on Lili. “Liliruca, I sent Soma a message today. I’m not sure how long it will take him to respond, but when he does, I hope to have good news for you.”

“Thank you, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili bowed to the Great God of the Shinto Pantheon. She couldn’t wait to convert to his Familia. Being fed, having her own room, new clothing and gear, being wanted and cared about. Lili loved everything about the Sarutahiko Familia even after only being here for a single full day.

-Soma Familia Home-

In the room of Soma sat a small tray next to a slot on the wall. In this tray were letters and correspondence from many people. However, it all sat unread.

Soma continued to brew his wine, always seeking to further improve his creation’s flavor, consistency, and balance. He had long since stopped even looking at his mail. Zanis handled it and made sure that he got any letters that required his attention. So, like always, he didn’t think about it and instead focused on his brew.

Zanis Lustra, Captain of the Soma Familia, a Level 2 Adventurer…though it could be said that he was basically retired now, since he hadn’t been in the Dungeon in years; would check Soma’s pile of mail that the grunts at the gate brought in every day. He only did this maybe once a week though. Anything that wasn’t from the Guild was basically trash, it was always someone wanting to buy the Divine Wine after all.

The only thing the Guild sent out were the quarterly Denatus meeting invitations, which Soma had always ignored, so Zanis burned them; and the list of Soma Familia members that had gotten in trouble for one petty crime or another in their hunt for enough Valis to meet their monthly quota. Zanis never let Soma see those letters though. He handled them in his position as Captain. The ones that got caught were bailed out, only to be informed that the money that paid their fines was now a debt hanging over their heads. Until that debt was worked off, none of the Valis that was brought in by said member went towards their monthly quota. It was a great system that made them bring in even more money to clear the debt as fast as possible so they could work towards their quota.

Zanis often mentally congratulated himself on how perfect his system of making money was.

Unfortunately for Sarutahiko and Lili, his letter wouldn’t even be read, just tossed out like all of the others.

-Twilight Manor-

It was after dinner and baths when Ais went up to Loki’s room; Tione and Tiona both following behind her. All three were going to get a Status Update. Ais because she’d sparred with Bell and wanted to confirm her theory that he’d been the one to make her grow last time. Tione and Tiona because they thought it was odd that Ais was going since they hadn’t been in the Dungeon today and both were curious enough to get an update with her.

“Huh? You three? But ya didn’t go into the Dungeon today, did you?” Loki questioned with a tilt of her head. “Well, whatever, never hurts to get an update!” She moved her fingers as if she was squeezing something. “I had a bit to drink at dinner…so my hands might slip~”

A knife landing right in front of her, the blade stabbing into her mattress, made Loki jerk back in fright.

“Are you sober now?” Ais asked with a deadpan look.

“Uh huh, yep, totally fine now!” Loki rapidly nodded her head, if one looked closely, they’d see small tremors of fear from the Goddess’s body.

Ais pulled the straps of her sundress off and held the top of the garment over her breasts as she sat down, leaving her back bare to Loki.

The Trickster Goddess pouted at not getting to have any fun; but she still prepared a needle and three blank papers for their updates anyway.

A drop of Loki’s blood touched Ais’s blemish-free skin before the blue-white glow emanated from her back as her Falna faded into view. ‘Eh? Sarutahiko’s kid again? Did Ais figure out that something about him made the three of them grow last time?’

-Status-

Ais Wallenstein

Level 5

Strength – D 564 > D 569

Endurance – D 553 > D 560

Dexterity – A 827 > A 831

Agility – A 824 > A 828

Magic – S 900 > S 902

-Magic-

Ariel – Incantation: “Tempest.” Wind Enchantment Magic

-Skills-

Avenger – Heavily increases the user's attack power against Monsters, massively increases the user's attack power against Dragon Type Monsters. Effect rises based on the user's hate.

Sky Theatre – Allows the user flight and full aerial mobility while using Wind Magic. Protective wind will surround allies in range.

-Developmental Abilities-

Hunter – G

Abnormal Resistance – G

Swordsman – H

-Status-

“No new Skill this time, Ais-tan…but you did grow a bit.” Loki handed the paper over to Ais.

Ais looked over the update, noting her growth from just sparring with Bell, since she hadn’t gone into the Dungeon today. ‘I was right… He did help me grow.’ She thought to herself, a small, happy smile on her lips. ‘Bell… What is it about you? You made the black flame go out… And you help me grow stronger.’

Ais had always felt like she had an ugly, black flame of revenge and hatred burning within her ever since her mother had been taken. Riveria had been the only one capable of soothing it, leaving it as only smoldering embers. But it always came back, and needed Riveria to soothe her again. But Bell… Just being with him, it doused the flame, shrinking it to almost nothing. And when they spent time together, when he held her hand, the black flame went out completely and she was no longer tormented by it. ‘Is this…what love is like?’ Ais honestly had no idea about love like that. But a part of her wanted to find out.

“Me next!” Tiona pulled her tube top down around her stomach and sat with her back facing Loki once Ais stood up and move aside.

‘What the heck is going on with that guy?’ Loki watched Tiona’s Excelia, noticing the spar from her point of view this time. It was a good bit of exercise for her girls, when they were holding back like that, but at their Level it wouldn’t normally be enough to make them grow more than a single point in any of their applicable stats. She finished the update and handed Tiona the paper.

-Status-

Tiona Hyrute

Level 5

Strength – A 889 > A 894

Endurance – A 867 > A 871

Dexterity – B 783

Agility – A 801 > A 806

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Berserk – Strength rises every time the user takes damage.

Intense Heat – Raises the strength of all abilities by a large amount in a pinch.

-Developmental Abilities-

Fist Strike – G

Diving – G

Abnormal Resistance – H

Crush – I

-Status-

“Hey! I went up again too!” Tiona smiled brightly at her increase. “Well, except for my Dexterity…but I didn’t use Urga, so that’s about right.” In her head, Tiona was putting the pieces together though. ‘Something about sparring with Bell is making our stats grow more than they should. I wonder what it is?’

“Is just sparring with Bell while holding back really enough for us to grow like this?” Tione pulled her red bikini top down around her stomach like Tiona had done as she took her sister’s place in front of Loki. ‘But that doesn’t really make sense, does it?’

“Something about Sarutahiko’s kid seems to be helping you girls out.” Loki shrugged as she watched Tione’s Excelia before moving it over into her Basic Abilities and watching them grow. ‘Probably best to keep it quiet and ask in private later.’ The redheaded Goddess made a mental note to visit Sarutahiko a little later to try and get some answers. She finished Tione’s update and then copied the numbers over onto a blank paper with a twirl of her fingertip.

-Status-

Tione Hyrute

Level 5

Strength – A 824 > A 829

Endurance – B 769 > B 773

Dexterity – B 781

Agility – B 785 > B 790

Magic – G 207

-Magic-

List Iorum – Incantation: “My desire that was sunk in the sea, my longing that was nurtured in the sea - the time has come. Shape yourself, bare your fangs, and become a snake. Escape the sea, cross the land, and cover the world. Capture time, stop time, and trample over time.” Magic that restrains the target based on a certain chance. The probability of the magic succeeding goes up based on the user's Magic stat.

-Skills-

Berserk – Strength rises every time the user takes damage. Effect rises based on the user's anger level.

Backdraft – Raises the power of the user exceptionally high in a pinch.

-Developmental Abilities-

Fist Strike – G

Diving – G

Abnormal Resistance – H

Healing Power – I

-Status-

“Hmm… Maybe we should use weapons to spar with Bell next time?” Tione hummed thoughtfully, noticing that neither her Magic nor Dexterity had increased from the sparring. ‘If sparring with Bell makes us grow like this, then we should work on everything that we can.’

-Floating Bridge Mansion-

Just about done, Bell.” Sarutahiko watched Bell’s Excelia from his day in the Dungeon, all the way to the end of his spar with Loki’s girls. After he’d seen everything, he moved the Excelia and watched as Bell’s numbers rapidly climbed until he barely suppressed an exclamation of shock. He copied the numbers over before securely locking up Bell’s Falna again. “I think you may be a bit shocked this time, Bell.”

“Hm?” Bell looked over his shoulder at Sarutahiko, but took the new update all the same.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – A 818 > S 993

Endurance – B 708 > S 905

Dexterity – A 824 > S 904

Agility – A 812 > S 981

Magic – A 861 > SS 1,052

-Magic-

Gogyō (Five Elements) – Incantation: “Earthly God’s mastery.” This Magic allows the user to use five different elemental Magics by using the appropriate word modifier: Sui for Water Magic, Do for Earth Magic, Fū for Wind Magic, Rai for Lightning Magic, and Ka for Fire Magic.

Kokushin (Black Needle) – Incantation: “Disrupt.” This Magic allows the user to create a black material in the shape of needles, batons, or rods at the cost of Mind.

-Skills-

Fugō (Sign) – Allows the user to change the form of a spell by making different signs with their hands.

Shihyō (Paragon/Teacher/Model/Leader) – Removes limits of growth. Rate of growth increases in proportion to the user’s efforts to improve. Growth of others increases when instructing them.

Kanchi (Sensing) – Allows the user to sense living things within a certain range of themselves and distinguish between Monster and Non-Monster. The range increases based on the Magic stat. Active Trigger.

-Status-

“EH?!” Bell nearly fell over in shock, even though he was sitting down. “D-Double ‘S’?! Isn’t…isn’t that impossible?!” He turned around to look at Sarutahiko face-to-face.

“Breathe, Bell.” Sarutahiko eased his child and helped him slowly calm down. “There’s an explanation for this, if you recall.” The elder God mentioned and pointed at the Skills listed on Bell’s Status. “Removes limits of growth.”

“My Skill…” Bell read it again, like he’d done multiple times already, but this time he fully understood what the Skill did. It wasn’t just accelerating his growth and removing any limit to how fast he could grow. Shihyō was outright removing the normal cap that Adventurers had on their stats! That meant that he could grow much stronger, per Level, than any other Adventurer in Orario! Looking back at his update he only just now noticed his new addition. “I have another Skill…” Bell stated calmly. It wasn’t like that was a huge paradigm shift like the realization that he could grow beyond the S 999 cap that was supposed to be on all of his stats.

“Yes, you do.” Sarutahiko chuckled at Bell’s shift in tone. “A rather useful one for an Adventurer, I’d say.”

“Sensing, huh? Being able to tell people and Monsters apart from a distance will definitely come in handy.” Bell nodded in agreement with his God. “I wonder if I could pick out specific people with it if I practiced enough?” He held his chin and considered what he could do with his new Skill.

“There’s only one way to figure that out.” Sarutahiko smiled at his child.

“Hard work and practice.” Bell chuckled and returned the smile of the elder God.

He knew what he’d be trying out tomorrow in the Dungeon.

-End Chapter-

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Boom!

Bell breaks the S 999 cap for the first time!

Just how strong will he become before he accomplishes a Grand Feat?

Lili has a new home with the Sarutahiko Familia! Yay! *All of the love and snuggles for Da Bean*

Now…if only Zanis wasn’t a worthless douchebag.

Oh well, if peaceful measures and diplomacy don’t work…there are OTHER ways to get Lili out of Soma Familia.

Ais, Tiona, and Tione spar with Bell again before they take a week long excursion into the Dungeon to earn money to pay off some debts! And as expected, Bell’s Skill makes them grow a bit more!

Ais is realizing that she has feelings for Bell and it’s adorable!

What’s next for Monstrous Talent Bell?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!