Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 29 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! The Dungeon’s anger has spawned a Black Variant Monster! The Black Goliath is bigger, taller, stronger, and has abilities that a regular Goliath doesn’t have! What can the Adventurers of the Eighteenth Floor do to stop it? Can they survive against an irregular like this?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 29 – Black Goliath

The rogues of Rivira that had joined Mord in trying to beat Bell fled back towards Rivira as soon as they saw the towering Black Goliath.

“Mord, move it!” One of the men yelled back as Mord got back to his feet and tried to follow after them.

“OOOUUUAAAHHH!!!” The Black Goliath bellowed and the air visibly distorted in front of it.

BOOM

A second later and a tree, along with the ground around it were blown apart from the pressure blast, sending the nearby Adventurers stumbling.

“A Howl?!” One Adventurer yelled out in shock.

“Goliath’s Howl doesn’t blow shit up from a distance!”

“This thing’s stronger than a normal Goliath!”

“OOOUUUAAAGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath roared out with both arms spread wide, the air around it shaking from the sheer volume.

-Edge of Rivira-

“What the hell is that thing?!” An older man demanded loudly. He was a well-built, muscular man with black hair and one teal eye, with an eyepatch covering his missing left eye. He wore a sleeveless open jacket that showed his muscular body, he had on arm covers and gloves, blue pants, dark boots, and a belt that had a red monster face carving and fur. This was Bors Elder, a Level 3 Adventurer, and the current leader of Rivira by virtue of having the highest Level among all of the residents.

“Do you understand now, Bors? That is no ordinary Goliath!” Asfi looked over at Bors with impatience at the lack of any rallying of Rivira’s Adventurers.

“Then we ought ta run!” Bors looked at Asfi like she was crazy. It was standard practice in Rivira to abandon the town when an irregular Monster or situation came around.

“The passageway to the Seventeenth Floor has been blocked! Unless you’re going to head deeper into the Dungeon, there’s no way out!” Asfi informed him with a hint of annoyance in her tone. “That earlier howl will most likely attract Monsters to come up from the Nineteenth Floor and rouse all of the Monsters that were already hiding on the Eighteenth Floor too! Before we’re overwhelmed, we need to gather all of the Adventurers, weapons, and supplies that we can and slay that Goliath!”

Bors ground his teeth, his lone eyes glaring, though not at Asfi, but the irregular situation. “…damn it all!” He turned to face that gathered Adventurers of Rivira. “You lot get all that?! We’re takin’ that thing down!” He walked through the crowd while still speaking. “I’ll personally see to it that anyone that turns tail and runs will never set foot in this town again!”

“YEAH!!!” The rogue Adventurers of Rivira roared out as they quickly spread out through the town to collect every weapon and all the supplies that they could.

Asfi let out a sigh and finally getting the Rivira residents to join the battle. “I suppose I should join them.” She leapt off the edge of the cliff and the wings on her sandals glowed before greatly increasing their size. Asfi flew back towards where Hermes was, needing to make sure that her God was safe before joining the battle.

-Black Goliath-

“AAAHHH!!!” Mord cried out as the abnormal Goliath’s fist smashed down just behind him, the shockwave alone enough to knock the group of fleeing Adventurers off their feet and send them crashing to the ground.

“OOOUUAAGGHH!!!” The Black Goliath reared back its fist again, ready to kill the Adventurers.

“Firebolt!” Bell launched his spell. The flames exploded in the face of the Black Goliath and halted its attack.

“R-Rabbit Foot?!” Mord couldn’t believe that he’d just been saved by the punk he’d tried to beat the hell out of not even half an hour ago. “Aughk!” He choked as something grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him away at speed. A few seconds later and Mord was roughly tossed onto the ground at the edge of the treeline. With a grunt, he looked up to see who had dragged him out of the line of fire. “Y-You’re that Prum…from Rabbit Foot’s Party!”

Lili looked down at Mord with annoyance. “If you’re not going to fight, then run away. We can’t afford to protect you in this situation.”

“W-Why did you…save me?” Mord had to ask, especially after what he and the group from Rivira had done.

“You should be thankful that Master Bell isn’t the type to let people die just because they were assholes.” Lili narrowed her eyes at Mord. “If you can’t fight, run away or hide. Don’t waste the life that Master Bell saved.” She took off back in the direction of the battle.

Mord could only sit on the ground and think about what he’d done. The realization that Bell Cranel was simply a better man than him was a blow to his pride as a man and an Adventurer…but it wasn’t a hard realization to come to either.

Back at the battle against the Black Goliath, Mikoto and Ouka launched a dual attack against the giant’s right leg.

Clang

Both Adventurers felt their arms shake from the impact, even as they retreated backwards.

“No good, we can’t even damage it!” Ouka grimaced, looking at the cracks along the edge of his axe that had struck the Black Goliath.

Mikoto’s eyes were locked on her, now broken, katana. The blade had snapped against the titanic Monster’s skin!

“RAAAHHH!!!” The Black Goliath swung its fist in a low, sweeping punch.

Mikoto and Ouka threw themselves to the side, barely avoiding the blow. Both looked back at the spot they’d just stood upon in shock, a large trench had been torn out of the ground by the Monster’s swing!

“Mikoto, are you hurt?!” Ouka questioned while looking her over.

“That was close.” Mikoto said as they both got back to their feet.

The Black Goliath reared its head back, its chest expanding a bit as it inhaled deeply. Both Ouka and Mikoto looked up in fear and panic, recognizing the incoming Howl attack.

“Ignite, heretic spell! Will o’ Wisp!” Welf chanted, timing his spell to coincide with the moment the Black Goliath opened its mouth.

BOOM

The Howl exploded as it went through the forced Ignis Fatuus. The Black Goliath’s head was obscured by smoke for a second, but it turned its head to glare at Welf with one of its baleful red eyes.

“Are you kidding me?!” Welf couldn’t believe that the Monster didn’t even look injured from having its own attack blow up in its face!

A green blur raced across the ground toward the Black Goliath. It leapt from the ground, kicked off the Black Goliath’s knee, and then slammed a powerful blow into the bottom of the giant’s chin. “Hah!” Ryu kicked off the reeling chin of the Monster and made distance.

The Black Goliath’s head had snapped backwards from the unexpected blow, but the irregular Monster shook it off a second later.

‘Bigger, sturdier, and with quick reflexes. A normal Goliath can’t compare.’ Ryu looked over the Black Goliath as it refocused on the battle. ‘A regular Goliath is classed at Level 4. But this one could easily be Level 5!’

“OOOUUUAAAAGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath bellowed and stomped on the ground, the force like a bomb as dirt and dust where thrown into the air.

-Hestia and Chigusa-

“Miss Chigusa…” Hestia was doing her best to keep up with the Adventurer as they ran. “I notice that we’re heading toward Rivira. Is there a plan?”

“Yes!” Chigusa confirmed as they moved. “Weapons break easily when fighting Floor Bosses! We need to get as many spares as possible!”

“Roooaaarrr!” A large bear-like Monster tore through the trees and stopped in the path ahead of Chigusa and Hestia.

“B-Bugbear!” Chigusa put herself between Hestia and the Monster, drawing her wakizashi to defend.

The Bugbear was normally found on Floors Nineteen and Twenty. It was a Level 2 Monster with comparable strength to a Minotaur, but more agile. A single Level 1 Adventurer like Chigusa didn’t have much of a chance against one alone.

“Miss Chigusa…” Hestia was worried as the Bugbear reared up on its hind legs.

Chigusa grimaced as she tightened her grip on her wakizashi. “It’s the bellowing of the Black Goliath.” She spoke to Hestia, watching the Bugbear for any sign of an attack. “It’s drawing in the Monsters on the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Floors, making them gather and riling them all up for a fight.”

An arrow came flying in from the side, piercing the Bugbear’s eye.

“Take ‘em down!” A large group of Adventurers rushed onto the scene, ready to meet the waves of Monsters head on.

“Rivira’s Adventurers?!” Hestia exclaimed as the large group of Level 2 Adventurers quickly cut the Bugbear down before moving on.

“The hell do ya think you’re doing here, ya Monsters?!” One Adventurer yelled at the horde that had been called by the Black Goliath’s bellows.

“Crush them all!”

“Let’s get to that big bastard!”

“Yeah!”

Up above, Asfi flew through the air towards the Black Goliath. She noticed that Hestia and Chigusa were safe (or as safe as they could be in this situation) and moved ahead. “It seems like they can be relied on in times like…this!” She threw two glass vials at the Goliath’s face as she flew past.

BOOM

A fiery explosion engulfed the Black Goliath’s head the second the two vials had broken on its skin. The thick cloud of smoke that obscured its vision bought the rallying Adventurers a short amount of time. But as the smoke cleared, it revealed the Black Goliath to be mostly fine after the explosion.

Asfi landed on the ground next to Ryu, the two Level 4’s looking at each other for a moment. “Barley singed, huh?” The Captain of the Hermes Familia sighed, seeing the results of her initial attack.

“Andromeda.” Ryu looked at Asfi for the current plan of attack.

“Leon, the reinforcements are preparing to launch a barrage! Please draw the Goliath’s attention for as long as possible!” Asfi requested of the Elf woman while conveying the plan to defeat the irregular Monster.

“Understood.” Ryu nodded, locking her gaze on the recovered Black Goliath. “We’ll split the Monster’s attention between us.”

Asfi’s eyes widened and she looked stunned by Ryu’s word. “Huh? No…I didn’t mean…”

“Alright you lot! Andromeda said that she’ll keep that thing busy! So start casting for all you’re worth!” Bors’s loud voiced was heard from the backline.

“BOOORRRRSSS! You’ll regret this!” Asfi swore personal vengeance against the leader of Rivira while following behind the charging Ryu.

“No need to hold back!” All of the blacksmiths in Rivira had arrived, carrying every weapon the town had to offer. “We got all the weapons you could ever need!”

“We’ve got Low Potions, Mid Potions, High Potions, and Mind Potions!” One of the apothecarists from Rivira yelled out, the small group of them having hauled everything they had to the backline of the battlefield. “As long as you don’t die, we can always heal you!”

“OOOUUUAAAGGGHHH!!!” The Goliath roared at the Adventurers rushing it. Its head whipped to the side as Ryu came in from its blind spoke and struck it across the face with her wooden sword.

‘Faster! I need to move faster!’ Ryu was making the most of both her Skills, Aero Mana, which increased her attack power the faster she was running, and Mind Load, which let her strengthen her attacks at the cost of Mind. It was the only way that she could bridge the Level gap between her Level 4 power and this Monster’s estimated Level 5 strength.

With the Black Goliath’s attention diverted, the rest of the Adventures attacked it legs, a common tactic against the Floor Boss Goliath on the Seventeenth Floor. Three Adventurers rushed in with swords, hacking into the pitch-dark skin of the left leg. Four Adventurers were wailing on the right leg with axes and war hammers, trying to cripple the limb.

BOOM

Asfi flew past the Black Goliath’s head, blowing it up with two more vials form her many pouches.

Down below and towards the rear, Bell’s Party regrouped.

“Welf!” Bell called out as he and Lili ran over towards the blacksmith.

“Bell! Little Lili!” Welf was glad to see them alright still. His own greatsword was stained with the blood of Monsters he’d already killed form the horde that was coming up from the Nineteenth Floor.

“Are you okay?” Bell asked as he took a second to catch his breath. The entire Eighteenth Floor had become a battlefield it seemed.

“I’m fine.” Welf assured his buddy. “We’ve been trying to keep the Monsters from swarming towards the fight with the Black Goliath.” He explained, looking towards the ongoing fight and then at the Monsters being taken down near their location. “The three from the Takemikazuchi Familia are helping us out back here too, so we’re holding the line for now.”

“Lili is fighting Monsters and delivering what supplies she can throughout the area.” Lili’s increased physicality form her Level Up was quickly being put to the test as she fought and ran across the battlefield. “Speaking of which.” She handed Bell a Mid Potion, a High Potion, and a Mind Potion. “Lili was able to get these for Master Bell. “And these for Mister Welf.” She handed the blacksmith a Mid Potion and a Mind Potion.

“Thanks, Little Lili!” Welf tucked the two potions into his sash safely.

“Where’s Hestia?” Bell asked, worried about his Goddess.

“Last I saw, she was with Lord Hermes in the back.” Welf pointed to the area behind the blacksmiths and apothecarists, which were behind the line of casters preparing the incoming barrage of spells.

“Good.” Bell let out a relived breath, one matched by Lili.

“Hey, Rabbit Foot! Come get some action!” A group of three Rivira Adventurers called out as they headed back towards the battle with the Black Goliath after having replaced their broken weapons. “You’re not scared, right?!”

“Your spear is right over there.” Welf pointed to Kokutogenishiki resting against the packs that held their Party’s belongings. “Be safe out there, Bell.”

“Got it!” Bell nodded to Welf.

“Master Bell.” Lili quickly stood on her tiptoes and pulled Bell down into a quick kiss. “Come back to us.” She whispered to him softly.

“I will.” Bell promised her with a nod. He rushed over and grabbed his black spear before heading towards the front line.

Welf briefly looked at the wrapped bundle next to their packs, but grimaced as he once more warred with his own feelings. Years of disdain and years of a resentment that had built up over time were hard to overcome. Welf had only heard Hephaestus’s words the day before yesterday…he couldn’t just turn off his years of feelings like a switch. With a shake of his head, he charged back into the battle against the approaching horde of Monsters.

Lili took off, putting her new speed to use as she slashed the back legs of a Battle Boar, crippling its ability to charge, as she rushed to gather more weapons and potions to distribute. She smiled as she heard a ‘thank you’ come from the two Adventurers that had been facing down the Battle Boar. Glancing back she saw the Monster already slain, a sword sticking out of the boar’s head. Without being able to charge, a Battle Boar was more of a sitting target than a threat.

-Black Goliath-

“OOOUUUAAAHHH!!!” The Black Goliath howled again, the distortion of air blowing apart a chunk of the ground, but the nearby Adventurers had already scattered.

“Hup!” Asfi flew directly in front of the Goliath and tossed four vials this time, two into each of its red eyes. She was flying backwards as fast as her Talaria sandals were capable of a split-second later.

BOOM BOOM

“AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!” The Black Goliath covered it face as clouds of smoke poured out of its ruined eyes.

Below the Adventurers continued to attack en masse, trying to bring the Black Goliath down so that the spell barrage would land without fail.

“Firebolt!” Bell cast his spell into his spear. The rapier-like blade erupted into flames a second later as Bell launched himself forward and slashed the right leg of the titanic Monster. Blood flew through the air as the empowered blade made a smoldering laceration in the tough skin. “Got it!” He cried out as the leg gave and the Black Goliath, still holding its damaged face, was forced to take a knee.

“It’s down!” Bors yelled out, motioning for the casters to unleash the barrage. “CLEAR OUT!!!”

The Adventurers that had been fighting the Goliath up close bolted away from the injured irregular, not wanting to get caught up in the incoming attack.

A multitude of spells were launched all at once towards the weakened Black Goliath. Fire, Lightning, Ice, Light, all rained down on the Monster in a series of explosions as the Magical Energy mixed and detonated over and over again.

“GUUUAAAAHHHH!!!” The Black Goliath’s pained bellow was heard through the thick smoke and dust. When the Adventurers could see the towering Monster again, it was sparking with residual electricity, smoke was rising from its burned flesh, and large shards of ice were sticking out of its body in various places, covering it in blood.

“Direct hit!”

“Finish it off!”

“Yeah!”

“Take it down!”

Bell was about to join the charge when Ryu’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Ryu?”

“Something’s not right.” Ryu’s blue eyed were narrowed on the Black Goliath. She’d seen the horrors that the Dungeon could spawn in its rage before, and she knew that this was far too easy.

The Black Goliath exhaled heavily, its breath like a sudden strong breeze. Its entire body seemed to pulse for a second, before the ice shards were forced out of its flesh and shattered. All of the injuries on its body healed in seconds and it stood up to its full height with white steam rising off its body.

“REGENERATION?!” Ryu’s eyes were wide in shock.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Bors’s loud voice was heard from the back. “SINCE WHEN CAN A GOLIATH REGENERATE?!”

“OOOOUUUUAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!” The Black Goliath’s bellow shook the air throughout the Eighteenth Floor. Then it completely changed its fighting tactics as it looked towards the backline where the Mages were. “ROOAAWWHH!!!” It launched Howl after Howl at the backline, one after another as the visible distortions in the air exploded, tearing apart the land.

“Fuck! It targeted the Mages?!”

“It’s not dumb!”

“INCOMING!!!”

The warning came just in time for some, but too late for others.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Blast after blast rocked the area around the Goliath, scattering the Adventurers and destroying their formation. The supplies were cut off, weapons and armor were destroyed, the Mages were injured, but thanks to Bors using a Skill of his that bolstered Endurance, he was able to tank the direct shots that would’ve killed the Mages. That did leave the leader of Rivira injured and on his last legs as he struggled to stand.

“D-Damn it…” Bors’s breaths came in pained grunts, blood running down one side of his face. “Hurry up!” He yelled at the inured Mages. “We need another barrage! There’s no way that thing can regenerate like that over and over! We need Magic to take it down!”

“GRRRAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath gave the Adventurers no reprieve as it raised both of its fists above it head and then brought them down on the ground.

BOOM

The entire area was shattered, the ground turning to rubble as the shockwave of the impact tore through it. Adventurers went flying, the hail of debris struck everyone in range, the remaining Adventurers were now less than half the number that they had been before. Worse still, now they were all injured on top of being scattered and disoriented.

Monsters from the forest emerged onto the devastated battlefield. With the backline torn apart by the barrage of howls, they were hard-pressed to keep the ever-increasing number of Monsters at bay. Some fought to protect their injured friends, but no one was at full strength, and the number of Monsters never lessened no matter how many they killed.

“It targeted the casters…” Ouka had survived the barrage of howls and was looking over the devastated battlefield. “Is it wary of another barrage?”

“Ouka!” Chigusa ran towards her Familia’s Captain with a large shield strapped to her back. She’d been trying to bring it to one of the forward ‘tanks’ fighting the horde of Monsters when the barrage of howls had scattered everyone.

“Chigusa!” Ouka was glad to see her alive after the devastation. The two shared a quick hug before Ouka held Chigusa at arms-length with his hands on her shoulders. “Chigusa, give me that shield!”

“Sh-Shield?” Chigusa blinked as she realized what Ouka was planning. “O-Ouka, no! You can’t act as a wall by yourself!” It was true that they couldn’t lose any more of their casters. Magic was essential for fights against Floor Bosses. But trying to be the sole ‘wall’ for the few remaining casters was suicide! “You can’t! Ouka, you’ll die!”

Ouka looked into her eyes, locking her gaze with his. “Please, Chigusa! Don’t force me to be a shameful man! I don’t want to be remembered for false bravado! I refuse to be a man that sacrifices others while I run away, too afraid to risk my life! I’m from the Takemikazuchi Familia!”

Chigusa felt the tears fall from her eyes, hot lines trailing down her cheeks. Without a word she unstrapped the large tower shield from her back and handed it over to Ouka.

“…thank you.” Ouka took the shield and ran towards the front, hoping to find the remaining casters before they were targeted again. He hated to see Chigusa cry like that, but he had no choice right now. ‘We have to survive this, and to do that, I’ll put my life on the line to bring this thing down!’

-Bell, Ryu, Asfi-

“Ryu, Miss Asfi, are you both alright?!” Bell’s concern was palpable. The impact and the following shockwave and destroyed everything around them. Bell felt the pain in his body from the various pieces of debris that had hit him.

“I’m fine, Bell.” Ryu stood to her feet, only a small grimace on her face to give away her pain.

Asfi got to her feet as well, though she looked a bit dazed by the sudden turn of the battle. “I’m alright…” She grimaced as she saw the current state of the battlefield. “This isn’t good, we’re all vulnerable to a Howl!”

“ROOOOAAAAHHHH!!!” The Goliath bellowed and the Monsters from the forest started to increase their attacks on the remaining Adventurers.

“It’s calling more Monsters…” Bell’s attention was split as he tried to focus on the Black Goliath, but was also looking for any sign of Lili and Welf on the destroyed battlefield.

“Bell…go deal with those Monsters.” Ryu requested as she took a step forward. “We’ll be caught in a pincer attack if they advance any further.”

“What about you?!” Bell didn’t want to leave Ryu to face the Black Goliath on her own.

Ryu looked over her shoulder at Bell. “Andromeda and I will keep the Goliath occupied. The two of us will buy enough time for another barrage.”

Bell saw the look in Ryu’s eyes, she wanted to protect him, to keep him far away from the Black Goliath. It was done out of love and concern, but Bell felt his heart twist in his chest. “Ryu…”

“Good luck…” Ryu gave him a nod and a barely there smile before she and Asfi took off towards the Goliath again.

“Damn it.” Bell clenched his fists, hating the fact that he couldn’t do more in this situation. He picked up his black spear and rushed towards the incoming horde of Monsters.

-Furthest Line ~ Hestia, Hermes, and apothecarists-

“Hestia!” Lili ran towards the group that was trying to restart the distribution of potions to the Adventurers after the devastation.

“Lili!” Hestia felt a painful weight on her heart lessen slightly at seeing Lili looking alright.

“Bring Lili all of the potions and weapons you can!” Lili was panting from having run across the battlefield multiple times already. “Lili will carry them to the front!”

“You heard the little lady!” Hermes rallied the apothecarists and remaining blacksmiths.

Lili quickly pulled on a large backpack, almost as large as her normal one, but weighed down with the massive amount of weapons inside of it. Her Artel Assist Skill activated, compensating her strength in proportion to a percentage of the weight that she was now carrying. “What…is that?” Lili blinked at a large, roughly made, jet-black sword that gave off an intense feeling that she couldn’t describe. The massive weapon had two handles, one normal one, and the second at a forty-five degree angle to the first. Given that the weapon towered over even greatswords, it was easy to figure out that the dual handles were the only way to actually swing the damn thing. Badly designed as it was, it was one of the last weapons on the racks, and without anyone to stop her, Lili grabbed it too.

“Be careful, Lili.” Hestia hugged the Prum and kissed her cheek.

Lili returned the hug and kiss, before readjusting the straps on her shoulders. “Lili is the best option; the others are too injured or have had their morale broken.” She looked over to a small group of Adventurers that seemed to be out of it, just staring blankly at the Black Goliath in the distance. With determination, and despite her own exhaustion starting to set in, Lili ran off with the cache of weapons and potions.

-Backline-

“Firebolt!” Bell blasted another Monster in the face, the Mad Beetle screeched before it fell to the ground, dead. With a swing of his spear, he cut down a Lizardman that had come up from the Nineteenth Floor. The head of the Monster went flying as Bell kept moving.

“Bell-sama!” Mikoto cut through a dragonfly-like Monster that had been about to fire something at bell from behind. “The Monsters are pushing us back!”

Bell grimaced as the two of them fought, killing another handful of Monsters. “Firebolt! Firebolt! Firebolt!” Three bolts of flame rushed from Bell’s free hand and blasted the incoming Monsters.

“Yah!” Mikoto cut down the only survivor, a Bugbear, and the two of them went back to back as they tried to catch their breath.

“Push them back!”

“Damn Monsters!”

“RAAAHHH!!!”

Almost two dozen Adventurers, all clearly having been hit by the barrage of howls earlier, came charging in with new weapons, none of them seeming to have any wounds at the moment.

“Where?” Bell wondered where the reinforcements had come from.

Lili running up to him out of breath was his answer. “Master…Bell!” The Prum panted out as she stopped next to Bell. “Lili has…brought potions and weapons…to get the injured back on their feet!”

Bell hugged Lili close for a moment, glad to see that she was still safe. “Thank you, Lili!”

“We need to deal with the Black Goliath if we want this to end.” Mikoto gratefully accepted a Mid Potion from Lili, the injuries on the swordswoman vanishing a moment after she drank it.

It was true.

Every time that the Black Goliath roared, more Monsters came up from the Nineteenth Floor. The horde would never be defeated, no matter how many they killed at this rate. Not to mention the attacks from the Black Goliath itself.

“Lili…has a thought…about that.” Lili’s breathing was still ragged, but she lugged the long, shoddily crafted, black sword this far for a reason. “Master Bell…use this.” She showed him the monstrosity of a weapon. “Lili can tell…its powerful.”

Bell could tell too, even without having to touch it. “Was this made from a Deep Floor Monster?” He couldn’t imagine what Floor of the Dungeon could produce a Drop Item of this strength, but it had to have been an incredibly powerful Monster before it had been slain.

“If Master Bell uses his Skill and that Spell…on top of this weapon’s power…” Lili looked into Bell’s eyes with complete belief. “We can win!”

Bell took the jet-black sword, that was longer than his spear, into his free hand. The weight alone was incredible, but Bell could still lift and carry it. He handed Kokutogenishiki over to Lili so that he could hold the monstrous sword properly with both hands. Feeling the power held within the weapon, Bell made his decision instantly. He took one hand off the sword and took out the Mind Potion that Lili had given him earlier. After drinking it down he felt his reserves refill, and took hold of the black sword again. “To use my Skill to the fullest, I need three minutes.”

“If you need someone to buy you time, I can do that.” Mikoto offered with a nod. “My Magic is well-suited to restraining an enemy.”

“Thank you, Miss Mikoto.” Bell gave her a smile and a nod of acceptance.

“Lili will do what she can to get more of the Adventurers back on their feet.” Lili told the two as the plan was made. She still had more potions, and the more people they had fighting, the better off they’d be.

-Ryu and Asfi-

“RAAUUGGHH!!!” The Black Goliath lunged forward, its massive hand trying to swat Ryu out of the air as the Elf woman leapt at the towering Monster.

Ryu spun around the strike and kicked off the Goliath’s arm to increase her speed even further. With Aero Mana and Mind Load both active, she swung her wooden sword and bashed the Goliath across the face. One of its teeth went flying from its mouth along with some blood as it staggered back a step. Ryu was forced to retreat, however, as the Goliath’s opposite hand came around to try and grab her.

“Leon! You’re going to get yourself killed!” Asfi called out as she flew next to the Elf warrior with her Talaria sandals.

“Everyone’s lives are at stake! I have to do my part!” Ryu shouted back, her normally reserved voice long gone. “But its hide is too strong! Weapons barely injure it!”

“Don’t expect my Magic to fare any better! This is a terrible matchup!” Asfi would’ve already used her Magic if it was of any help in this situation.

“In the end, our only chance is another Magic barrage!” Ryu stated the simple truth. The Black Goliath was just too durable against regular attacks.

Asfi looked at Ryu like she was crazy. “But it’s simply going to heal again, even after a direct hit!”

Ryu grit her teeth. “Then we must exhaust its supply of Magic Energy first!”

“That’s impossible…” Asfi’s expression was bleak, she was experienced enough to know that a Monster Rex had vastly more Magic Energy available to it than any regular Monster could hope to possess.

-Welf-

“Bell?” Welf blinked, seeing Bell and Mikoto running towards the frontline. “What the hell is that sword?!” The blacksmith had never seen the like of it, and even if it was shoddily made, he could tell that it was made from an insanely powerful Drop Item just by looking. “What do they think they’re going to do with that thing?” He looked towards the Black Goliath, still swinging at Ryu and Asfi, and it only took a moment for him to start putting the pieces together. “We need another barrage…Bell’s going to try and use that light he used against the Infant Dragon and combined it with that sword’s power…” Bell was going to try and be the barrage, all by himself!

Welf could only stare as Bell and Mikoto got farther and farther away. His mind warring with his roiling emotions. Logic told him what he needed to do. Feelings built up over years and the vow he’d made told him not to.

“Stop weighing your friends’ lives against your pride.”

The words spoken by his Goddess…he even heard them in her voice.

Welf ran.

He ran and ran, pushing his body as hard as possible, uncaring of the minor injuries he’d gotten while fighting. None of that mattered as he rushed headlong towards the one thing that he could offer his friends and everyone else here. When he got to his destination, he threw his nameless greatsword to the ground and grabbed the wrapped bundle with firm hands.

“I’m sorry…” Welf apologized as he nearly tore the white cloth off. “I know I’ve treated you like a curse.” He unwound the cloth faster and faster. “I hated my own ability, disdained Magic Swords…” He pulled off the last of the cloth. “Loathed my own creation.” What was revealed was a black and red Magic Sword that looked to be made by roughly hammering metal into the vague shape of a sword. It had a red gem between the blade and the thin handle, like it didn’t have a proper hilt at all. Which, to be fair, it didn’t. Welf had only made this Magic Sword to prove his resolve to Hephaestus when he’d joined her Familia.

Back when he’d sworn that he’d never make another Magic Sword for the rest of his life.

Welf held the sword, his creation, properly for the very first time. “There’s someone that I want to save…so please, lend me your strength.” The blacksmith took off after Bell and Mikoto, Magic Sword in hand.

-Black Goliath-

“Bell?!” Ryu saw Bell and one of Takemikazuchi’s members running towards the front lines. She’d never seen the stupidly large weapon that Bell was carrying with him, but it didn’t take long for the intelligent woman to figure out that Bell had a plan. “Andromeda! Buy me some time!”

“What?!” Asfi questioned, only to see Ryu continuing to bounce between the Goliath’s attempts to grab or crush her. “You’re going to cast a spell now?!” They needed Magic, to be sure, but concurrent casting while under direct attack was insane! “Stay still until Leon is done!” Asfi flew around from behind and threw another four bottles of her special creation into the eyes and face of the Black Goliath.

BOOM BOOM

“OOOUUUAAAHHH!!!” The Black Goliath staggered back a step, shaking its head and covering its face as smoke poured off it blown apart face.

“In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of star fire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy.” Ryu chanted as Magic Power poured off of her in a powerful aura. She’d pour everything she had into this one spell if it would protect the one that she loved. “Luminous Wind!”

Over thirty sphered of glowing green and gold magic filled the air around Ryu. With a motion of her hand the orbs shot forward in a way, all aimed at the Goliath.

The Black Goliath’s face had just regenerated when the orbs smashed into its body, each one going off like a bomb, blasting chunks out of it flesh. “AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!” The titanic giant staggered backward two steps under the onslaught of Ryu’s spell, bellowing in pain.

With Bell and Mikoto, the two had stopped running when Ryu had unleashed her spell. Judging that this was the right time, Bell called up the one spell he’d use some of his restored Mind on. “Rise!” He activated Vesta Enhance and felt the rush as all of his stats were increased, including his Magic stat for what he was about to do. Bell held the monstrous sword to his side and focused on a specific Hero of legend, a simple boy that had fought a giant and killed it with a single stone from his sling. Gold, white, and blue lights gathered around Bell’s hand rapidly as he began to charge his Argonaut Skill.

Bonnng

The sound of a large bell being rung filled the air.

-Mord and Rivira’s Adventurers-

“Mord! We need to go!” Scott cried out as the never-ending horde of Monsters kept pushing the Adventurers back.

“Damn it!”

“There’s too many!”

“We can’t hold on!”

“There’s no end!”

Morale was sinking quickly as the horde only grew in size.

“We gotta get the hell outta here! Run towards town, we can still…”

“DON’T YOU BASTARDS DARE RUN AWAY!!!” Mord bellowed out so loudly everyone heard him, even over the fighting.

“Huh?! Are you insane, Mord?!”

“We don’t stand a chance! What good is sticking around?!”

“We fight!!!” Mord declared firmly. “You’re just gonna let Rabbit Foot and those ladies fight while you run and hide, huh?! You happy with that?!” Everyone could see the distinct white hair and the white and red armor of Bell Cranel standing before the recovering Black Goliath. “No, of course you ain’t! We haven’t done anything worth a damn, so there’s no way we’re running away now!”

“Damn it! I don’t need you to tell me that!”

“I already know that much!”

Bonnng

All of the Adventurers blinked at hearing the loud bell-like sound.

“What the hell is that noise…?” Mord looked towards the direction, only to see Bell glowing with intense gold, blue, and white light.

Bonnng

“Oy…isn’t that?”

“Look at that!”

Mord felt a wide smile cover his face as a sense of hope filled him. “CHARGE YA BASTARDS!!!” He rallied the rogue Adventurers of Rivira as they attacked the horde of Monsters with renewed vigor.

-Bell and Mikoto-

Bonnng

“Bell-sama…” Mikoto could feel the amount of power that Bell was putting off as the lights danced around him. It was insane to think that they were both Level 2 when he could output so much power.

“OOOAAAUUUGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath had regenerated from Ryu’s Luminous Wind, steam was still rising off of it in places, but it too felt the build up of power and locked on to Bell as it’s sole ‘enemy’ now. The Goliath reached out with its giant hand to try and crush Bell with a roar.

“I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through anything, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth - shinbu tousei!” Mikoto had never chanted so fast in her life, but she had long memorized this incantation to her one and only Magic. “Futsunomitama!”

A glowing Magic Circle appeared above the Black Goliath. From the circle a gigantic sword of energy fell and stabbed through the Goliath. When the tip of the glowing sword touched the ground, a second Magic Circle appeared.

CRACK

The ground beneath the Magic Circle shattered and compacted as gravity suddenly increased immensely. Even the Black Goliath was forced to its knees instantly, its reaching hand now pinned to the ground from the force of the intense gravity.

CRACK

The depression in the ground got deeper as Mikoto poured more and more of her Mind into her spell. The heavy force was compressing the stone sinking the Black Goliath deeper and deeper.

Bonnng

“OoOuUaAgHh!!!” The strained bellow of the Goliath as it fought against the crushing force made for an odd sound. But the fact that it was moving at all was insanity as far as anyone watching was concerned.

“It’s…so strong…” Mikoto ground her teeth, feeling the push back from the Black Goliath as it moved. The skin of her hands split here and there, opening up in tiny, weeping cuts as her spell was fought against. Every movement of the Goliath made another cut appear, small wisps of her blood flying through the air as she tried to keep her hands closed together to maintain the cage of gravity.

Bonnng

Bell continued to focus, pouring his everything into Argonaut as the power grew and grew. He felt his body straining, not used to holding this much power and energy. It was becoming clear to Bell as he continued to charge the Skill that it came with a drawback. For the ability to turn the tables, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, Bell’s body would pay the price of the backlash of that Heroic power.

Bonnng

The bell was getting louder and louder with each ring.

“I can’t…” Mikoto’s hands were bleeding profusely now, blood falling from them as the tiny cuts started to crisscross and make larger wounds. There was no unmarred skin on her palms anymore, and even the backs of her hands were being slowly torn apart now. “It’s too strong…”

“ROOOAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath forced itself upright, shattering Mikoto’s spell. It didn’t come out unscathed though, its entire body hunching over and nearly collapsing proof that it had broken its own bones and torn its muscles in order to fight against the crushing gravity.

“Aauuggh!” Mikoto screamed in agony as her spell was forcibly broken for the first time since she’d gained it. Her hands flew apart from each other and she was fairly certain that a few of her bones had just cracked from the force. “I’m sorry…Bell-sama…” She bit out as she collapsed to her knees, not able to move her hands at all.

Bonnng

“OOOUUUAAAGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath unleashed a howl at Bell and Mikoto. It couldn’t move as its broken bones and muscles had yet to heal, but it could launch the howl just by looking at its targets.

Ouka ran forward, the tower shield that he’d gotten from Chigusa in hand. He took up a strong stance and held the shield between Bell and the incoming howl. Bell was solely focused on Argonaut, unable to break his concentration lest the Skill fail. Ouka braced himself and threw everything he had into defending Bell.

BAM

The tower shield warped under the impact. Ouka’s arms fractured and slammed into his torso. The force that was not absorbed by the shield slammed into the young man a micro-second later. Ouka hacked out a mouthful of blood as every single bone in his body rattled, some more of them definitely cracking, and all of his muscles and organs roiled as the shockwave rippled through his body. For a brief instant, not even a fraction of a second, Ouka felt as if all of his blood was trying to escape his veins at the same time, a pain that he couldn’t even describe overloading his nerves until he felt nothing at all. His feet tore trenches through the earth before the tower shield shattered into pieces and he was flung backwards, just to Bell’s right, barely missing him. Ouka had already blacked out as he rag dolled through the air and then hit the ground, bouncing once, and then hitting the ground again a few meters away before coming to a stop.

“Ouka-dono!” Mikoto cried out at seeing her Captain being flung away, demolished by the power of the howl.

“OUKA!!!” Chigusa’s scream was heard over everything for the instant that it existed.

Bonnng

“OOUUAAGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath’s had regenerated enough for it to move as it reached for the edge of the depression in the earth that Mikoto’s spell had made and sank the titanic Monster into.

“LIKE I’D LET YOU!!!” Welf’s roar resounded loudly as he skidded to a stop a few meters to Bell’s left. “KAZUKI!!!” He swung the Magic Sword in his hands and a stream of flames was launched at the Black Goliath.

FWOOSH

An immense blast of flames burst into life, roaring and crackling as the entire hole that the Goliath was stuck in became a tinder box. The sheer heat the flames gave off was staggering, making both Welf and Bell break out into savage sweats near-instantly. Even Ryu and Asfi couldn’t get close as the burning hot air stung their skin.

“AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath bellowed in pain as it was torched alive. If one could look at the blaze without hurting their eyes, they’d be able to see parts of the Goliath’s skin flaking off as ashes and that its white hair was burnt away.

Bonnng

The conflagration that came from the single swing of Welf’s Crozzo Magic Sword lasted several seconds. However, the flames dissipated from the blade after that and it became transparent, like glass, before shattering into tiny fragments.

Bonnng

The inferno unleashed by the sword lasted a bit longer before burning out, revealing the scorched form of the Black Goliath. Patches of its skin had burnt away entirely, revealing the muscles and bone underneath. Its head was half gone, and parts of its body flaked off as ashes that fell to the hot stone at its feet.

“What the hell…” Asfi gaped at the destructive power a single swing of a sword had unleashed.

“So that’s a Crozzo Magic Sword.” Ryu breathed out, now able to see firsthand what had overwhelmed the Elven Forests that had fallen to Rakia so long ago.

“uuaaUuAaRrGgHh!” The Black Goliath started to regenerate again, its patches of skin steaming as they were remade, and even the missing half of its head reforming rapidly.

“Oh come on!” Welf cried out, seeing the giant regenerating from what would’ve killed any other Monster. Despite Kazuki’s rough look, Welf had made sure that the sword was more powerful than anything that any High Smith in Hephaestus Familia could produce. He wasn’t a scholar of Magic or anything, but he’d eat his boots if what Kazuki had unleashed had been anything less than the equivalent of a Level 5 Mage’s full power.

Bonnng

“Thank you, Welf.” Bell thanked his friend for coming to his aid.

“Bell…you, okay?” Welf asked after looking over at his friend and seeing Bell glowing so brightly that he was hard to look at.

“I’m…fine.” Bell hid a grunt of strain as his body felt like it was starting to come apart from the power it was containing. “Please take Miss Mikoto away from here.” Bell passed the full charge of Argonaut into the huge black sword, making the light glow off the powerful weapon even brighter than it had on his own body.

“Time to go!” Welf grabbed Mikoto and carried her off as fast as he could run. He stopped by Ouka and kneeled down, covering both Mikoto and the injured man with his body as best as he could. His blacksmithing robe was resistant to heat and fire, so hopefully it would provide some protection from the kick back that he was sure would be coming.

“RRRAAAOOOUUUGGGHHH!!!” The Black Goliath bellowed as it grabbed the edge of the hole and nearly threw itself back onto the ground. It stood to its full twenty meter height and took a single step towards Bell.

“THUNDERBOLT!!!” Bell cast into the monstrous black sword as he felt all of his Mind vanish near instantly.

KRAKBOOM

The swing of the brightly glowing sword filled with the power of Thunderbolt and Argonaut shook the air and rattled a good portion of the Eighteenth Floor. Even the crystal ceiling so high above rattled and resonated with the soundwaves caused by the thunderclap.

No one could see anything.

Those that had tried to watch were holding their eyes in pain from the intensity of the light. The crash of thunder continued to resound throughout the Floor, but several people only heard ringing in their ears. Those that had closed their eyes slowly opened them to see what had happened.

“By the Gods…” Bors muttered, staring at what Bell had accomplished. He’d been far enough away that the ringing in his ears didn’t deafen him to everything else.

The Black Goliath was nearly gone.

Everything from the waist and up had ceased to exist. Crackles of residual lightning tore at the legs and hips that had been blasted back into the depression in the ground, breaking them apart as well, counteracting any attempt for the irregular Monster to regenerate any further. The air smelled of ozone and bits and pieces of the Black Goliath were here and there all over the battlefield. There were scraps of the pitch-dark skin, long strands of the white hair that were like silk bound and twisted with thousands of other strands to create ridiculously strong rope.

The boulder of a Magic Stone that had just barely been peeking out of the remains of the Black Goliath was exposed as the residual lightning broke down more of the scorched flesh. When it finally fell out and landed on the ground, the remaining flesh exploded into a large cloud of white ash.

The red color of the crystal ceiling faded away, back into the normal shine of ‘Day’ for the Eighteenth Floor. The Dungeon was done with its tantrum, it couldn’t muster up any further energy for this Floor.

“HE DID IT!!!” Mord cried out loudly, the only a few of the Rivira Adventurers could hear him over the ringing in their ears. Those that could quickly joined him in cheering, and those that couldn’t, but could still see, cheered as they saw the cloud of white ash in the air.

The horde of Monsters that had been called up by the Black Goliath practically stampeded away from the Adventurers. Every last Monster on Floor Eighteen was quick to escape down to Floor Nineteen, seeking protection in the further depths of the Dungeon. The force that had wiped out the Black Goliath was not something that any of the Monsters wanted to go near.

-Backline-

“BELL!!!” Hestia took off towards where she knew Bell was, the epicenter of the lightning blast. She didn’t care about anything else at this moment, other than checking on Bell. That kind of power didn’t come without a drawback, not when the one that unleashed it was only Level 2!

Seeing Hestia run off, Hermes’s lips twitched upwards into a smile, and then a moment later he couldn’t contain himself at all. “Ahahahaha…YES! I SAW IT!!! I, Hermes, saw it with my own eyes! ZEUS’S PARTING GIFT!!! No talent?! Doesn’t have the ability?! Don’t make me laugh, Zeus! Be proud! Your grandson’s the real deal! The last Hero your Familia left behind!” He laughed wildly at what he’d just witnessed. His father’s final ‘child’ taking the first step towards becoming a True Hero. “It’s coming! A new era is coming! Something will happen right here in Orario to usher in a new age!” He felt excitement coursing through his being. “Warlord Ottar! Nine Hell Riveria Ljos Alf! Braver Finn Deimne! Kenki Ais Wallenstein! With heroes like these all in one place, how could something NOT happen?! And I’ll be there, watching over it all! This great event that will carve its name into history! I’ll see how these heroes live and die! The story they’re writing, bound by the love of their Gods! Their Familia Myth!”

Hermes put a hand over his face as he laughed. “Hahaha… This is the ultimate show! The best entertainment! The pastime to end all pastimes, and I can’t wait!” He looked between his fingers as his chuckles increased. “Aahhh… I’m so glad I came down to this world.” He threw his arms wide and laughed loudly in his cheer and excitement.

-Bell-

There was no sound.

There was no sight.

He couldn’t feel anything.

Couldn’t smell anything.

Bell Cranel stood in the same place that he’d made his swing with the monstrous black sword that had been filled with both the full power of Argonaut and Thunderbolt, both increased by Vesta Enhance on top of it all. Ryu was the first one at his side, having been the closest that was still in able condition.

“Bell!” Ryu had a smile on her face as she stopped beside him. That smile fell when Bell was unresponsive. “Bell?!” She waved her hand in front of his face and still didn’t get a reaction. With panic starting to rise up within her, Ryu placed her ear to Bell’s chest.

Bmp…Bmp…Bmp…

Bell’s heart was still beating.

Ryu let out a sigh of relief as she stood back up to her full height.

“R-Ryu…?” Bell’s quiet voice passed his lips and Ryu perked up.

“I’m right here, Bell.” Ryu assured him seeing his eyes slowly moving, even if they were hazy and unfocused.

“Everything…tingles…” Bell managed to say after a moment.

‘His nerves are overloaded!’ Ryu realized after a second to think about it. “You’re going to be okay, Bell.” Ryu gently guided him to the ground, letting his use her lap as a pillow. When she heard other footsteps approaching, Ryu turned to look at them. “He needs a potion! Do we have any High Potions left?!”

Welf shook his head, having come over to check on Bell. “I don’t have one.”

“Lili gave him one earlier.” Lili quickly checked Bell’s armor and found the High Potion. She uncorked it and gently put it to Bell’s lips. “Here, Master Bell, drink this…slowly…that’s it.” Lili gently raised the end of the vial over several seconds as Bell swallowed the High Potion as best as he was able in his current state.

Everyone watched with relief as the injuries covering Bell’s body, some of which looked like burns, probably as kickback from his own attack, faded away. Bell was still out of it though and Lili quickly checked her pockets.

“Mind Potion…Master Bell needs a Mind Potion!” Lili looked around, only for said citrus-colored potion to be held in front of her.

“That I do have!” Welf smiled, having not needed to use his from earlier.

Bell was slowly given the Mind Potion and his head began to clear up.

“Ugh… Did…did we win?” Bell blinked a few times, his sight finally returning along with the rest of his sense.

“You won, Bell.” Ryu, Lili, and Welf all said at the same time.

Bell chuckled lightly at the three of them. “That’s good…” He sighed. “My body still feels kind of sore.”

“After that crazy stunt you pulled, I’m not surprised.” Ryu gently ran her fingers through his hair. “You overloaded your nerves…that usually only happens in extreme cases when using Stat-Raising Enchantment-type Magics.”

“I’ll make sure…not to do that again…unless I absolutely have to.” Bell promised as he let himself relax.

“BELL!!!” Hestia nearly slid to a stop beside him and dropped to her knees. “My Bell, my sweet, brave, Bell!” She was checking him over for any lingering injuries. “Are you okay?! Can you move?! Do you know who I am?!”

“I could never forget you, Hestia.” Bell smiled warmly at his Goddess.

“Bell.” Hestia’s beautiful smile graced them all and Bell welcomed the gentle kiss that came afterwards. “I love you so much.”

“Love you too, Hestia.” Bell returned the affection, content to lay in Ryu’s lap for a while longer.

“OUKA!!!” Chigusa’s cry of joy made Welf and Lili look over to where the three from Takemikazuchi Familia were.

Ouka was sitting up, blood was still on his chin from his previous injury, but the single High Potion that Chigusa had on her was enough to get the young man back to health. “I’m alright, Chigusa.” He held the crying girl close to his with a gentle smile. “Just a little sore right now.”

The simple fact was that he could’ve very easily been dead. But no one wanted to think about such things in the wake of their survival and defeat of the Black Goliath.

Welf briefly looked around for any traces of the massive black sword that Bell had used, but not seeing even a fragment of it, he surmised that it couldn’t handle all of the power and was destroyed during the attack that had wiped out the Goliath. The blacksmith put it out of his mind, considering it unimportant in the long run. Bell being alive and the crisis over was all that really mattered right now.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Bors walked over with Asfi. “An irregular comes along and Rivira didn’t get wiped out.” He chuckled, grimacing a little from some minor injuries that he was just toughing out for now. “Let’s get Rabbit Foot to Villy’s inn so that he can rest.” Bors turned to look at the gathering Adventurers of Rivira. “Alright you lot! We’ve got some work to do! Gather up all the Drop Items from that big bastard and take ‘em to my shop! The Magic Stone too! We’ll let Rabbit Foot decide how they’ll be handled since he brought that thing down! And if I even think that any of have gotten sticky fingers, you’re gonna lose them, understand me?!”

“Right!”

“Sure thing!”

“Who’s gonna steal from the guy that saved our lives?

“Let’s get started!”

Bell drifted off for some much needed sleep as he was carried off to the best inn in Rivira. Ouka was given a room as well at no charge, Villy being more than happy to donate two rooms for the ones that had saved Rivira.

Bors stopped by a large gray-white tooth on the way back to Rivira and tapped it with his knuckles. “Goliath Tooth is the normal Drop Item of the Goliath…but this thing is ridiculously huge.” He mentioned to one of the Adventurers that had come over to help gather up the Drop Items of the Black Goliath. “Help me pick it up, would ya?”

“Sure thing, Bors.” The two men lifted it with some struggle.

“Damn thing’s heavy as hell! It must be way more dense than a normal Goliath Tooth!” Bors grunted out as they headed for his shop in Rivira. “If Rabbit Foot is willing to share some of these…even split up amongst all the residents of Rivira…we’re gonna make a killing!”

“Yeah, but getting this stuff up to the Surface is gonna be a pain in the ass!” The other man grunted as they headed up the sloped path towards Rivira.

-Villy’s Inn-

Hestia hummed softly as she gently ran her fingers through Bell’s hair as he slept, just watching him sleep and recover from the battle.

Lili was lying next to Bell, holding onto his arm and just snuggling her boyfriend. Not wanting to be separated from him for even a second.

Ryu was sitting next to Hestia, her hand gently holding Bell’s as she looked at his sleeping face with warmth and love.

Welf was sitting in a chair near the door, perfectly happy to relax while they waited for Bell to wake up.

The group was just happy that they’d all made it through. Everything else could wait until later.

-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-

Begone with the thunderclap!

The Black Goliath is wiped out!

Vesta Enhance + Argonaut + Thunderbolt with nearly full Mind = HOLY SHIT!!!

A boulder of a Magic Stone and plenty of Drop Items for Bell and the Hestia Familia! That should make some nice cash for the Familia!

Bell will probably even be nice and let Rivira have a couple as thanks for fighting alongside them.

Aside form monetary gain and material acquisition, what gains will come from this battle for the Status of those who fought?

I’m sure it’ll be a good jump!

How will Eina react once they’re back on the surface? What will Tiona, Tione, and Ais have to say when Bell tells them about it?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you think with a review!

Until next time, later!