The Dungeon thrives on the bodies of the adventurers that enter it, seeking to eliminate them at all costs. The adventurers themselves delve into the Dungeon in order to plunder its resources and exploit the structure for all that it was worth. It is due to this endless cycle perpetuated by the gods that it is difficult for the rest of the world to make any difficult change – all is centered on Orario, where the gods see the sacrifices of humans as a fun game, and where they indulge their own mortal pleasures.

Which is why, I resolved to change that. Bit by bit yes, but change nonetheless. "Thank you for your patronage, Bree-san!"

"No worries", I replied, waving a hand at the guild receptionist in front of me as she unfurled the piece of paper and widened her eyes, "As long as you keep the valis flowing, I'd be happy to help."

Less rookie adventurers dying meant a sizeable number of adventurers ready to take on the next day, bringing greater profits and ensuring their safety for a time, at the very least. It was why I drew maps on each of the floors, and even though they barely last a month before I have to redraw them again (thus subsequently cutting down the number of floors that I can map to the first ten floors), it still provided me with a sizeable income and a great ego boost.

Everyone was using my maps, after all.

"Anyway, here's your salary for this month!" Ah, money. The burlap sack filled with valis was pushed into my hands, and I made the motion of staggering backwards just so I can take a gander at everyone around me. This time, only a few people stared at the sack with jealousy in their eyes, while the others kept on doing what they were doing, all the while shooting nervous looks in my direction. The latter seemed to get the message, while the former…

…Well, I guess I can educate them for a while, later.

"Thank you", I replied, already planning to throw the entire thing to the forge a while later. It wasn't as if I needed the amount of valis that I gained, no (even though I certainly need quite a lot of them for upkeep), but because by smelting the valis that I currently have on hand, I get more working material for my projects. "In any case, I'll be back at the forge. If you have any problems, you know where to find me, alright?"

"Sure!"

With that, I bade my farewells towards the Guild staff and made my way towards the doors, only for them to slam open and a figure to run into me. Blood coated the rest of my clothing and the sack of valis, and I blinked once again to see a figure covered in blood currently trying to stick his figure onto me.

I winced. The rest of the people inside the Guild winced. Blood-stained clothing and a burlap sack were a pain to get rid of especially in Orario, which meant that I might be spending quite a few hours cleaning it off. The figure in front of me seemed to realize the situation that he was in, and quickly stepped back in horror while I watched him drop into a low bow.

"Sorry!"

Oh well, you can't have good days all the time.

/-/

"So, what you're saying is that you want to apologize, buy you don't have the money to pay me back for my clothing."

"Yes! I am so very sorry about what I did! I would never do it again!" The boy in front of my all but screamed, while his dungeon adviser looked pleased as she nodded along with his words. It didn't need a second look to tell me that the boy received quite a good scolding.

"I am sure that we can make out a deal, Bree-san." His dungeon adviser said, green eyes flashing in the light of the booth. I sighed, already shaking my head as I drew up my burlap sack and tossed it towards the newbie.

"Bwuh?" Indeed. Elegant choice of words. His dungeon adviser seemed to share the same thought process, since she looked at me like I was insane. Or maybe I was, given that I counted the money inside and it amounted up to two hundred thousand valis. Quite a low salary for a contract worker like me, actually. I'm pretty sure I could get this stuff in the millions if I just farmed the upper floors.

"Keep it." I said, shooting a glare at the dungeon adviser in order to quell any dissent. "Look, you're in a new familia, and you're a newbie yourself. Trust me, I know how that feels. You're going to need a little help. Not a lot of people would do so. What I want you to do is get this money, use it to get a solid base of operations around here, and pay it forward. Find another familia starting out and give the same treatment to them."

"Why, though?"

"Do you think the gods would be kind enough to share their wealth?" I asked with a raised brow, only for the guild advisor to cough and glance away from my gaze. It was an answer in of itself. "It's our job as mortals in order to look out for one another. Even if this is Orario, and even if most of the population is full of scumbags and thieves that could very well rob you of your wealth in the next five minutes."

And to be honest, the boy seemed frank and innocent enough that I knew he wasn't going to spend the money on trivial things. Well, I don't know the Familia that he works under so I might be wrong, but a single person might be a good start for this kind of enterprise.

"I'm leaving", I suddenly announced, shocking the pair out of their stupor as I stood up, "I already told everyone in the Guild that I'd be returning to my forge, and I'm running a bit late. Wouldn't want my god to be mad at me for that."

The two said their brief farewells even as I stepped out of the booth in new clothing and made my way out of the Guild. Along the way, I could already hear the bickering between the two that I had met earlier as a smile formed on my face.

Well, no time like the present, however. I still need to report back immediately.

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I entered the Enki Familia abode, a lowly flat for two just a few blocks away from the main market district. An otherworldly smell assailed me at that instant, and I turned my gaze towards the lone desk and chair in the entire room and nodded at the figure currently sitting in it. My twin nodded, leaning back with a smile on his face as he brushed a few silver locks to reveal bright amethyst eyes.

"You're late today."

"Couldn't help it. I was distracted by someone smashing into me and smearing blood all over my clothes." The figure raised an eyebrow as I took a seat, and the gears clicked in my mind a second later as the figure kept on winking at me. "No, it's not some kind of sick fetish. Get those thoughts out of your head, Administrator."

"Ah, well sorry for that. I was bored waiting here for an hour, you know? Might've done some redecorating in the process." At that, I paled, looking towards the Administrator with wide and frantic eyes before he laughed. "I was joking. Anyways, report."

I grumbled into my seat. "Stuck at sixtieth floor. I'm not sure if it's a dimensional space or anything, but the flood of monsters there seemed to be coming out of the woodwork in places that you don't expect."

"And the gods?"

"Starting to take notice of my actions in Orario. Needless to say, Hephaestus and Hermes are on line with the idea, while the others…not so much."

"Good." The Administrator stood from his seat, proffering a hand towards mine as I shook it, the memories flowing between the two of us instantly. A portal shimmered to existence behind him, dyed in all the colors of the world, and his face turned serious once more. "Remember, reach the Root first, and protect it from harm. Got that?"

"Loud and clear." With that, the Administrator entered the portal and promptly winked out of existence. A few seconds later, I sighed and sat back down on my chair, leaning against the backrest and groaning my anguish towards the ceiling.

Could it be still called a Familia if the god and their child are both the same person?

Technically, yes…But semantics always rubbed me the wrong way if I'm not the one doing them.