Summary: This is the story of an adventurer named Bell Cranel. Bell isn't your normal everyday adventurer either, no, he is in fact, an unblessed one. No one would accept him into their Familia, due to his weak looking self. Leaving Bell with one last option to secure his dreams. Watch as Bell becomes the first unblessed adventurer to enter the Dungeon. Tread carefully young hero...The Gods are not with you here...Yet!

Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any characters from the light novel. Please support the original release by buying the manga, the Light Novel, and the anime when it's available. Look on google play if you wish to buy the Light Novel like I did. I do, however, own this story idea and any new original characters or monsters I use.

Author's Notes: Well, welcome to chapter two. I don't have much to say up here so just don't forget to review. The more you review, the more I feel like people want another chapter as fast as possible. Also, the song I listen to while writing the boss battle was Dark Master of Shadows. I recommend you listen to it as you read the battle. It makes it more epic, believe me on that. With all that said, let's jump right into it.

Character quote of the day: "He keeps on running from me...As I wonder why? Will I ever learn what makes him so strong, so fast? I need to know, so I, myself can get stronger. He reminds me of a rabbit that is quick to startle, so fearful, nervous, quiet, soft, and cute- F-forget I said anything!" ~ Aiz Wallenstein

Story: Somebody Up There Likes Me

Chapter Two: Into the Chaos

I was on my last legs, this I know. My options were dwindling down to nothing. I wasn't going to make it if I kept up like this. No, I knew I wasn't going to make it at this point. This whole week of searching for a Familia to join was a fruitless effort. I should have realized this so much sooner. I couldn't wait any longer for them to get back to me, either! No, I had to make a decision, right now. Find a job and wait for someone to take me into their Familia, or...enter the Dungeon alone.

I was out of money to spend on food and equipment. I had been sleeping in an alleyway next to a bakery and clothing store since I got to the city of Orario. I had made sure not to waste my money spending my nights in a hotel that would bleed me dry in a single day. If I did find a job, I would be sleeping on the streets for awhile as I waited to save up enough money and get myself a place to stay. A nice place to stay cost somewhere around eight hundred thousand vails. It was the smart choice that was for sure. It would take some time to accomplish with the terrible wages, but at least I wouldn't be fighting overpowering monsters and have many chances of kicking the can too early.

Then, there was the possibility that I would run into the random Goddess who was looking for people to join her Familia that I heard about. I had been trying to find her for the last couple of days now when I had first heard about her. I had obviously not found her or I wouldn't be in this situation. It was an unlikely chance that I would run into her. Someone else may have already joined her Familia since I hadn't heard anything further about her in the last day or so. That and if I look for her at this point in time, I would be hungry the next day if I didn't find her. I'm out of money which meant that I would have to struggle down into the Dungeon hungry. Which I knew was insane.

Lastly, there was...that option. It was the one that risked everything I owned and had achieved to this point. It would be the most dangerous and stupidest thing I had ever done to this point in my whole life. Would I enter the Dungeon? It would be the fastest way to make the most money if I lived long enough that is.

Eina had told me how insane it was to go into the Dungeon without being blessed, especially if you were unblessed and alone. She had insisted last night that I should join a Familia. I had already tried to join multiple Familias that day and well into the evening. I had still tried even after that day. I had been almost rejected by all of them with some of the best replies being, "We'll get back to you." or "Yeah, we'll see..." Those basically meant, 'yeah right'.

I had told her that I was in one, it was a lie of course. I thought she might reject my application if I wasn't in one. She became less hostile when I told her that. Though, she said I was going to have to tell her which one it was so she could put it into my file the Guild was making on me. I managed to get out of that topic, thanks to some girl behind the counter distracting her. I snuck out of course and hadn't gone back. It didn't matter all that much, I was an adventurer at this point anyway. Do I regret lying? Not entirely...maybe just a little, okay yes. I don't like lying to girls or anyone rather.

I took a deep breath to calm my mind as I narrowed my eyes in deep thought. It was time to come out of my comfort zone. I picked up my backpack that was lying next to my feet. It was just a simple backpack that had a grappling hook hanging out the back. I had been talked into buying one. Who knows, it may come in handy at some point in time while I was in the Dungeon. I really don't like wasting my money on things that I don't need or wouldn't use. Especially when I had little money to spend anyways. I was always careful to spend as less as I could, I wasn't cheap or anything, I just didn't allow myself to spend more on the same item. There might come a time when you need the money you were saving. They were called emergencies for a reason.

My mind was set now. I was going into the Dungeon. There wasn't any other option for an adventurer like myself. Anything else would be a disgrace for my title as one. Life was hard, as it should be. Nothing was easy and if it was, was it truly worth it? Don't you feel ecstatic when you accomplish something that you thought was impossible? That was when you realized that you could do it, you shouldn't doubt yourself. Always, dream big and be rewarded for your efforts should you succeed.

I looked at the impressive size of the Tower of Babel. It's ever reaching design to the heavens. It also acted like a lid or a cap to the Dungeon. Sealing the monsters from the surface. It was my target destination. I put on a determined look as I made my way through the morning streets. The streets were quite dark and empty, soundless even. The only sound was the quiet waters of a working water fountain and my own footsteps. There was a cold morning breeze that made my body almost shiver at its embrace. The air was almost warning me of dangers that were about to be before me. The sun was still rising in the sky, telling me that it was barely five in the morning. I could feel the butterflies fluttering around in the pit of my stomach.

My nervousness was fully realized the closer I got to that mammoth of a tower. This was my first time entering into the tower. I couldn't believe seeing the inside of this place. The huge doors of the tower lead right into a room where there was a spiral staircase that descended down into the Dungeon, I assumed. The roof to the next floor was at least fifty feet above my head. I couldn't believe my eyes seeing the large white pillars extend up into the ceiling. Everything was so expertly crafted, skilled hand-manship at its finest. The handiwork of the Gods, that was for sure.

Getting over my initial awe of the spectacular sight; I made my way over to the stairs at a brisk pace. I needed to get down there first and before anyone else. The more money I could make if I was the only one down there. When my hands grasped the metal railing, it was cold to the touch, but it wasn't unpleasant. Climbing down the stairs I watched as it grew darker along the stone walls, the candles barely lighting the way down. My footsteps echoing in the darkness.

At the bottom of the first set of steps, I notice what seemed like a doorway with quite a bit of a twist. It was large and glowing with a moving purple mass leaking from it. The mass was moving in what seemed like a ripple effect of moving water, wave after wave. I had never seen something so strange in my whole life. It was just like some kind of protection portal or something. I assumed it was a very powerful spell placed on the doorway to keep the monsters from escaping from the Dungeon while also allowing the right kinds of species through. Very interesting!

This was it, the start of my whirlwind adventure. Stealing the last of my nerves, I prepared myself for what was to come; as I knew not what to expect. You know this is my first time in the Dungeon. I stepped through the purple haze and felt this weird tingly sensation moving all over me. It lasted for a second, and the next thing I saw...was utter darkness. I couldn't see anything for a good couple of seconds. My eyes were adjusting to the lack of light around me until a bluish glow emitted from the walls around me. On closer inspection, I notice that these were glow gems. They lined the cave shining down just enough light to make everything visible while still being dark at the same time.

Taking my first steps into the belly of the beast was...quiet, except a couple of drips of water echoing deep in the cave. It was drastically colder down in the Dungeon. It would be a lot colder if I didn't have a jacket on under my light leather armor. The armor itself didn't protect me all over, but it did protect my shoulders, arms, knees, and lower legs. In fact, 'armor' was an overstatement. It was more like padding really. The armor wasn't meant to be bulky and restricting. No, it was meant to be light and unrestrictive to not affect the overall speed of the person wearing it. After all, my grandpa always said, "Less is more...er...maybe not in that context."

"Always remember Bell, when it comes to women, less is more...Ha ha~!" He laughed merrily with his cheeks darkening in a reddish hue.

"Okay, Grandpa!" I cheered from a spot on the floor looking up at him, "What does that mean?" A younger version of myself asked my grandfather curiously with a tilt of my head.

My grandpa just sighed, "You'd make a terrible adventurer with that kind of question." He grunted to my dismay.

A look of horror crossed my face, "No, I can be one of the best adventurers that ever lived! Please teach me your ways grandfather!" I practically begged the older man for his insights.

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Hmm...that's an interesting proposal. Alright, Bell..." My eyes lit up, "I will teach you how to be the best kind of adventurer the world has ever seen! This I promise."

"Yay!" Was my simple overexcited reply.

True to his word, he had taught me how to fight both with my hands, weapons, how to flirt, and how to evade. It was five years ago before he passed away.

I facepalmed at the memory. I should have remembered how my grandfather always tied in women to anything a good adventurer does. Anyways, back to the armor; sacrifice protection for mobility. I could dig that. If there was one thing I was praised for, it was my natural ability to escape the pain. More like the nifty ability to flee. Anyway, after looking around the cave, I noticed that it was quite large and wide, unlike the mines I had been so used to. 'Well, Bell...wanna have an adventure?' I mentally asked myself, like I had to reassure myself that I could do this.

My hands were in a combat ready position, not too far away from my knives, ready to slay any monster that jumped into my path. My instincts were sharpening the further I walked down the path. My hands moved closer to my weapons. Then...something out of the corner of my vision blurred for a second. I pulled out my blades and spun around quickly to see a large dog- headed monster lunging out the cave wall. It came from a blackish portal like it was just born into this world, ready to kill. I rolled out of way, grunting in a little bit of pain from the cold hard ground.

The creature flew over my last spot and landed on all fours before turning to me with hate filled eyes. It then stood up on its hind legs. This was a Kobold. It had the head of a dog, though it looked more like a small wolf's head with a shorter snout, red eyes, a small black nose, and over-sized whiskers. Its sharp teeth were bared at me in anger or aggression. It was covered in patches of fur showing off its humanoid body, a mid sized fluffy tail, and its long black claws. So, this was the floor one monster.

It once again rushed at me, this time it stuck to the ground knowing I would roll out of the way if it had jumped at me again. I was dual wielding my knives, one across my chest and the other hanging at the side. Most people believed it was rather unconventional to duel wield weapons. I would agree with those people until they started talking about knives. Knives were small, light, and could be handled easier. They gave you enough room to not worry about cutting yourself. It also felt less awkward than trying the same with swords. Two different ballparks, totally.

The Kobold extended its left hand aiming its claws at me. Ready to tear through my clothes and armor to cut into my flesh.

I managed to sidestep the beast, I quickly lashed out with my knife in my right hand in a swinging motion. I watched as it sliced the Kobold's chest. I heard it let out a pained filled wail as it grasped at the wound, its blood pouring out of the injury. The Kobold's blood was red and rushing down its chest. The hand that was covering the slice mark was starting to become covered in blood from all the blood pooling out.

But, I didn't stop my assault there. I couldn't give it time to recover or call for help. I was not going to be overwhelmed by a horde of these guys. I don't think I could handle more than two at a time. I then used my hanging knife next and stabbed into its chest. It hadn't raised any defenses or even attempted to stop me. I guess it was too distracted by all the blood it was losing. I pulled out my knife seeing a thin trail of blood following it on the way out and kicked it in the guts, sending the dying Kobold falling backward to the hard rock ground. I watched on as it fell to the ground, not breathing, lifeless in a pool of its own blood. I had made my first kill.

I looked down at my blood splattered weapons. I had gotten lucky that I managed to catch it spawning behind me, or it would have been much worse. Now, it was time to claim my prize. I had to carve out the crystal in its chest. It didn't take me long to cut it out, but it was a messy and bloody scene. I pocketed the blue gem in a sack on my side. Once the magic stone was out, the body started to disappear into nothingness. I didn't know how much I would make with a simple floor one magic stone, but I knew it couldn't be a lot. That meant I had a long way to go before I could leave this place.

I pushed forward into the expansive cavern. Hopefully, my time down here would be this smooth.

Once again, that notion was proven wrong when two Goblins popped out from behind stalagmites. The two Goblins were as short as dwarfs with long arms that reached down from their shoulders to their calves. They have four fingers on their hands, pale green skin, big yellow eyes, a large mouth on their big head, horns popping out of said head, a big pudgy nose, and pointed ears. Lastly, hair was covering them up from their ankles to their armpits, but their chest was bare.

The Goblins were playing the number game on me, huh? I watched as one stood about two meters in front of me while the other one went for my blindside. 'I have to act first in this case and catch them off guard before they are ready.' I planned. Sure the Goblins were considered the weakest monsters in the whole Dungeon and around the world, but if they out numbered a level one adventure, the odds were not in your favor. I was also not a level one adventure. I acted on my plan right away. I threw the knife in my right hand right at the one in front of me.

The Goblin ducked under the weapon and turned to see where the weapon had landed. Almost like, it wanted to go fetch the discarded weapon. The Goblin had forgotten one major thing about fights. Never, ever, under any circumstance, take your eyes off of your enemy. I used its distraction as my weapon. I ran right at the Goblin, it turned to see me rushing at it, but sadly for the Goblin, it was far too late.

I used my leather armor on my shoulder as a battering ram and tackled the green skinned monster to the ground. Its face was twisted in a look of pain. I could see the fear in its big, disgusting, yellow eyes. Both of my hands took a grip of my second knife that I had been holding in my left hand and plunged it down deep into its neck. Killing the Goblin, as its blood danced out from the fatal blow and onto me. Staining my clothes in its yellow blood.

I hopped off the dead creature and made a rapid one-eighty spin, switching the blade from my left hand to my right one and let the sucker fly at the other Goblin. To my luck, it connected to the Goblin's stomach. It coughed up its thick, slimy, yellow blood from its mouth once before falling backward. After three seconds, I sighed in relief. This was a lot more intense than I had thought. Your nerves were constantly telling you, "Look out!" or "What was that?" You had to look everywhere and always assume that there was engagement every step that you took. Maybe, it was like this because I was the first one down here? More monsters spawned while the adventures were gone over night, they just stayed and waited for the next batch of adventurers to arrive.

I made my way over to my first discarded weapon that I had thrown and was about there when I heard something behind me. I turned on my heels to see another Goblin standing over the last one I had killed. My eyes widened when I saw it reach down and pull out my knife from the dead Goblin's stomach. I took a step back, "W-what, ho-how, why?" I stumbled over my words. I did not expect any of the monsters down here to actually use weapons. I was in shock for a second, standing there just staring at it before I realized something. It was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I saw a shadow moving towards me from behind. I had realized that I wasn't just fighting two or three Goblins. No, I was fighting four of them. And if the scene before me was any indicator, this other Goblin had my other knife in its grimy little hands. I now had two Goblins with weapons coming at me. I turned to the small foe dashing at me and jumped away from a horrible swing of my own blade. The Goblin was clumsy and fell flat on its face. This gave me just enough time to pull out my friend's gift from my bag. I held it out in front of me protectively in my left hand. I didn't have enough time to attack the fallen Goblin as it shot up off the ground. I blocked the knife stab and managed to keep the Goblin in a hold of strength.

I was starting to overpower it until pain rushed throughout my body. It came from the outside of my thigh. Tears were welling up in my eyes as I let out a scream of agony. I fell to one knee, now that my right thigh was punctured by my own weapon in the grasp of the other Goblin. I gritted my teeth in anger, at being stabbed, and forgetting the third goblin. I somehow managed to keep the weapon locked with the fourth Goblin, but it was overpowering me quite quickly.

My right hand shot down to the knife that was buried in my upper leg. I clutched the Goblin's wrist and twisted it. It quickly let go of the weapon in my thigh. I pulled the weapon in my leg out fast and found an even greater pain embrace me. I didn't allow it to stop me from taking the new weapon in my right hand, stabbing it right through the bottom of the third Goblin's jaw. I pulled it out as fast as I put it in there. I didn't spare a glance at the Goblin behind me as it hit the cave floor.

I added the second weapon to the weapon lock, I let out an enraged scream of power, "Aaaaahhhhh!" I broke the hold almost instantly. The Goblin's arms went up in the air leaving it open for an attack. It had also lost its hold on my knife as it flew into the air. I lunged forward and stabbed both of my knives into its chest. I snarled seeing the Goblin still alive. I straddled the monster. My left hand took hold of one of its horns on its big head, my right hand tightened into a fist and cocked it back, ready to rain down hell on the monster.

My fist launched forward, and connect to its jaw. I had ended up punching the Goblin seven times before it died from the knife wounds I had inflicted earlier. I panted tiredly as my anger subsided. I rolled off the Goblin and swung my backpack over to my front. I had to get my medical equipment out and cover my injury on my leg right away. I put a rag into my mouth to stop me from screaming out and gaining more unwanted attention. I covered the stab with another rag that I had covered in alcohol, which I found out was incredibly painful. If I didn't put that rag into my mouth...every monster would know where I was. I cleaned the wound as tears were freely falling from my eyes. 'Damn it, It hurts so much...' I cried out mentally.

After I cleaned the wound off, I wrapped up the wound in bandages tightly, though not too tight that it would cut off the circulation of blood in my leg. I'm just glad that the jerk didn't hit an artery. Wow, I would have to waste my only health potion so soon. I tried standing up, but that was a bad, really bad idea. The pain was terrible and only grew more unpleasant as I tried walking on it. I had messed up big time. If only I would have paid better attention to details.

I stood up and limped over to the wet wall of the cave and rested against it. If the pain didn't let up soon, I was going to have to drink the health potion. The little prick knew where to hit me. Speed was my biggest strength, without it..I'm a sitting duck. I couldn't out run anything like this. This was just the kind of thing I was so worried about. These monsters down here weren't all that stupid. No, they were far from intelligent, but far from primal.

Those Goblins had proved to me that you should never underestimate an opponent. Thanks to them, I had to drink some of this health potion. What a total waste. I once again found myself digging through my pack to find the blue elixir. "Ah-ha!", I exclaimed happily when I found the item in question, and way too loud if the howl of a Kobold was anything to go by. It was then followed by another howl, and then another.

I popped the cork and took a swig of life. It tasted like blueberries, nice. I downed about a fourth of it. It was enough to completely get rid of all the pain and damage I had obtained. I could once again stand and move the same as before. I didn't know what they put into this blue liquid, but it was damn good. It also acted fast too.

That was when the sound of pitter patter crept closer to me. The tell tale echoes of footsteps bouncing off the walls. They were closing in on my position. This time the Kobolds out numbered me three to one. This time, however, I went and collected my weapons in a hurry. I was not going to be caught off guard should the Kobolds know how to wield weapons. I was not going to get any more injuries by being stunned by the enemies abilities to use weapons. This time, I was going to make sure I was more careful on how I used my weapons.

They were very close now. They were sprinting at me. I could see their red and yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. I held my two weapons at the ready as I stood my ground, waiting for the right moment to rush at them as well. After I killed these Kobolds, I could loot the four dead goblins laying around me, then I would do the same to them as well.

I then heard more of my grandfather's words coming to the forefront of my mind.

"Remember little Bell, girls, and women like a man that is fearless. A man that doesn't back down from his beliefs. A man that will protect them when they are not able to do it themselves because let's face it little Bell. Plenty of women are able to fend for themselves, just not at all times. So always remember to remember to be there when those times come, because they surely will. They want a man, not a pussy."

I nodded my little head in agreement, before asking 'the question' that a five-year-old should have never asked. Or rather a grandfather shouldn't be more than delighted to answer. "What's a pussy?"

The smile on my grandfather's face had widened really big. "Oh, I'm so glad that you asked. Well, there are three meanings to the word. Firstly, one is a cat. The second is a man that is quick to run away from a fight or opposition." He told me informatively. Then a weird look crossed his face as he giggled like a schoolgirl. "Then there is the last meaning and also my favorite. A pussy lays between two delicate, smooth paves. Those paves may lead to the deepest depths of a magical jungle, or to a vastly empty, smooth desert. Though they both have a cavern in the middle, and once your drill pierces through said cavern, your drill shall pierce the heavens!"

He later explained what he had meant in full detail. Regardless of that memory, what he said was true. Not all women needed to be protected, but there was always a point in someone's life that they would need help. If I was too weak to help them... what kind of good adventurer would I be? It was the most important part, well to this situation anyways... The other part was for when I was in deep, troubled waters, but they were only thigh high~

Back to the real problem at hand, three Kobolds rushing into the light. It was at this point in time, I made my move. I wasn't going to be encircled again. No, I wasn't going to die down here either, not to these guys or any monster down here in the Dungeon. I will survive, and I will become the best adventurer there has ever been!

I did the same as the Kobolds. I lunged at them. The lead Kobold and I clashed.

Many hours had passed as the sun was now vanishing under the horizon of Orario. Shops were now closing while restaurants, pubs, and bars were becoming much more lively as the night was just about to begin. Unless you were stuck behind the counter in the Guild building for another hour.

Eina Tulle was sitting quietly behind the Guild counter. She was reading from a book called 'Brisk'. It was a book about an energetic young hero that had gone against the flow of the common ground. While everyone else was praising the sun, the moon, the earth, or the water. He had praised the sky and its boundless freedom which got the approval of the sky God. He had to fight through hard trials to become the champion of the sky. This first book was mostly about the first step of his adventure, which was really good in her opinion. The description of places and people were by far excellent, it wasn't just like those old played out harem stories that made the hero stupid and not able to see when women liked him or not. It was a new spin that she highly appreciated.

She looked up from her book to look around the Guild. It wasn't full, but it wasn't empty either. She had to admit that it was rather boring today since nothing of note happened, unlike most days. Something always happens at the Guild. Though, it seemed like today it was just really slow. The high point of her week was when that boy, Bell Cranel, had come running into the Guild. Now that she thought about the boy, she couldn't help but sigh. The boy didn't look like much. Yes, she knew looks could be deceiving, but Bell just looked so green. So green in fact that she believed he may not even know how to fight.

That and his first impression almost made him look like a cry baby. It was almost sad to see the boy in such a bad state of mind. Something bad must have happened that caused him to look like that. He had even forgotten to try to make himself not look weak. He looked like all of his dreams had been crushed in a couple of hours.

He did, however, manage to lighten up when he signed all the paperwork, bought his equipment, and listened to her explain about the main goal of the Guild. The Guild's goal is to manage the monster threat created in the Dungeon. Aside from this, the Guild buys magic stones, drop loot, and adventurer created maps of the Dungeon. He seemed happy to hear that there were other ways to make money at the Guild.

Bell must have been so excited about becoming an adventurer, that he took off before he told her what Familia he was in. It was fine for now, but she really needed the information. It was her job to make a full portfolio on her adventurers like everyone else in the Guild. She would just get it from him when he popped up from where he was living at and strolled right into the Guild. Bell didn't seem to be the stupid type that just rushed into the Dungeon the moment he became an adventurer.

No, he listened to her and soaked in all of her information that she gave him. He was a rather good listener, even in his current state of mind at that time. She flipped to the next page in the book when she heard the nicely crafted doors to the Guild open. She quickly put the book back into a drawer that was under the counter to put personal belongings into. She adjusted her glasses back to the right position as the person who entered stopped a little bit in front of her. She looked up to see...

"Bell?!" The boy she had just been thinking about walked right into the Guild like nothing was wrong. The grin on his face fortified that too. Only, there was something wrong, very wrong. His clothes were all ripped up in a claw mark fashion, he was dirty as heck, and blood was all over his clothes and skin. He looked like he had just gotten back from a war zone and lost. She knew the Dungeon was a dangerous place, but he looked like total shit. "What happened?", she questioned the male in front of her.

"Hmm?" was his first response not getting what she was referring to. "Oh this," he lifted up his arms motioning to the damage. "These are just from some Kobolds that got me pretty good, especially on the back. The Goblins got me in the legs, though. At first, I thought it was because they knew my weakness, but it turns out that the Goblins could only hit me there." He laughed in good nature like he almost didn't get killed. He then put a hand to his chin while looking down at the ground in thought before mumbling, "Well besides the ones that threw rocks at me." He finished rambling of 'some' of the injuries he had been dealt.

"Bell what floor were you on?!", Eina demanded. He had better not have gone to the second or third floors yet or even lower. If he had gotten this badly beaten up by being on the first floor..., it was not going to end well with Bell Cranel.

"Oh, I was on the first floor. I just got there really early, I believe it was about five in the morning." He told her like it was nothing. Why did he seem so fresh after being in the Dungeon for over fourteen hours! Not only that, but he went extremely early. No one ever heads out that early. The floor must have been swarmed with monsters. That and seeing him still alive, also meant he had to have killed a ton of monsters. It was definitely not worth it if he came out looking like this. People would just make fun of him.

"Aren't you tired, or hurt?" She questioned further still not losing the worry in her voice. If there was one thing Eina was, she was very concerned for her adventurers.

Bell snapped his fingers as he remembered, "Well yeah, I was really tired, but I took that stamina potion, now I feel like I can go back down there and go for round two."

'Please don't.' She thought tiredly. Seeing him come back in an even worse state would send her over the edge. Him coming in here looking like this already was enough to want to chew him out, which she so totally was going to do after he was done.

"The health potion took good care of my injuries." He gave the older girl a thumbs up. He got closer to the counter, "Do you know where I can buy more of those potions at?" Bell asked her curiously as his red orbs he called eyes sparkled.

Eina blinked seeing the boy look at her like this. Dare she say, he looked cute. Though back to the problem at hand, Eina could not believe this. How could she? Standing in front of her was one of newest adventurers around. He looked as green as grass, but from the way he talked, it seemed like he was a champion and this was a common thing for him. He also didn't try hiding anything or make up any stories or over exaggerate his feats. He told it like it was, a good trait to be sure.

The boy was fine as she examined him with calculating eyes. He wasn't bleeding or looked like he was in pain. He was alive and in good condition. Well, Bell was in good condition, but his clothes were another story. He must've been more skilled than she had assumed. She knew not to judge a book by its cover, but everything she had seen a couple of days ago told her otherwise. Though, that wasn't going to save him from being chewed out once he was done turning in his loot and gems, but first to his question.

"Well, I'm happy to see that you are fine Bell-san." Bell's smile only grew more wide hearing that which ended up causing Eina to smile as well. "You can find more potions like the ones you had at Miach Familia. They make all sorts of useful potions."

Bell nodded gratefully, "Thank you! I'll have to check them out."

The older teen waved it off with a simple 'you're welcome' then motioned over to the teller booth. "Over there is where you turn in your loot." She informed the white haired boy.

"Alright!" He cheered heading over to the booth. The entire time her eyes never left him. Her eyes widened when she saw his back. There was almost nothing there. It was ripped to shreds leaving a massive hole in his shirt. He must've had been hurt really bad, she could just tell by looking at the mess on his back. What happened to him down there? The last thing she wanted was Bell dying on her so soon, or at all rather.

She still remembered when four adventurers assigned under her died, but the one before them hit her the hardest, Maris Hackard... That was when she had realized what Rehmer had meant by not getting close to your adventurers. Yet, she had always gotten close to her adventurers, granted not that close after what happened to Maris. No, she had separated her personal life from work. She was not going to have another Maris. It was too painful. She still remembered seeing her body being carried out of the Dungeon by a group of adventurers that said she was attacked by an infant dragon. She started blaming herself for their deaths, wondering if there was something she could have done to save them or better prepare them for the dangers in the Dungeon. Her fellow coworker, Rose, told her to just endure it. There were other jobs that they could've done and that it was their own fault that they died. Although, Rose spoke like she was annoyed. Eina could see that there also was sadness in her expression. She has gone through the same thing as she has.

It was four years after Maris' death, she had met Bell. After he had left, when she went in the office, Rose who had been watching, commented that Bell would die fast as an adventurer. Eina tried to protest, but she knew what Rose was saying was true. Bell just didn't look the part. In fact, looking at his clothes told her he had come close to death today. She didn't want to believe what Rose had said though, not after she had accepted the job as his adviser that night. She had gotten angry that night at her coworkers.

After her protesting against Rose, Rose had asked his preferences, and Eina told her that it was an Elf. Rose had gone up and asked her co-worker, Sophie, if she wanted to be his adviser. However, she refused to be the adviser of an adventurer that would die fast. Eina protested their decision, though Rose then asked the others if they wanted to bet on how long Bell would survive. At this point, she became furious at her fellow coworkers and decided to take Bell as her own assigned adventurer. She then made them promise her that they wouldn't bet on how long Bell would live for. They should have been ashamed of themselves. Betting on the life of a young boy not lasting even a year or less.

She took one look behind the counter of teller booth and saw Rose, "Oh great...", Eina said sarcastically. More problems coming her way. She knew very well that she was going to say something after Bell left.

I was standing in front of a woman who was staring at me blandly. She was tall and skinny, yet still beautiful. She was wearing the Guild uniform, with long, wild red hair, a sharp facial structure, yellow eyes with slits, a pair of red wolf ears on the top of her head, and a red tail hanging limply. It almost showed the exact amount of emotion as the woman's face! Bad joke, I know. The young woman was part of the werewolf species. Or if you asked my grandfather, the most loyal and wild in bed partners. But no one asked him anyway? Yeah I kinda did, didn't I?

Anyways back to the woman who was staring at me blandly. She pushed out a drawer and quickly I got the message. I took out my sacks and dumped them into the draw. She looked at me for a second, and spoke up in a knowing tone, "A week's worth of saving magic stones." She pulled the drawer back to her side and started counting.

I frowned at her not getting what she was saying. I then realized what she said, 'Oh, she thinks I been saving my stones since I joined the adventurer occupation a couple of days ago.' I pondered the woman's statement before answering. "No actually," she looked up from counting with a raised eyebrow. "Today was my first day in the Dungeon." She dropped a magic stone that was in her hand. There was a look of shock that went across her face before she realized what kind of face she was making and frowned. A look of disbelief crossed her face.

"Bullshit!", she snorted out. My eyes widened hearing her not believe me. Why would I lie about something like this?

I waved my hands out in front of me, "No, no, no, I'm telling the truth!" I urged her to believe me. She seemed like she wasn't going to give me the time of day though as she continued to count the magical stones and loot drops. There was about ten goblin horns, seventeen Kobold teeth, and five Kobold claws, plus the wide assortment of gems.

"Your total stone count is one hundred and fourteen, ten Goblin horns, seventeen Kobold teeth, and five Kobold claws." She told me in the same monotone voice. "Goblin horns are five hundred apiece." Well damn, I made half my money back didn't I? And that was just the Goblin horns! I was at five thousand with that.

"Kobold teeth are seven hundred and fifty apiece." Oh dear God that's twelve thousand seven hundred and fifty! So doing mental math, that's only seventeen thousand seven hundred and fifty...seventeen thousand seven hundred and fifty! Where the hell did the 'only' come from?!

"Kobold claws are rare, the rarest drop loot on the first floor. They are listed at one thousand- one hundred." Okay, that's... five thousand-five hundred added to seventeen thousand-seven hundred and fifty is..., twenty-three thousand-two hundred and fifty. Good lord! He made more money in one day than in his whole life, and she wasn't even done yet it seemed!

"Floor one magic stones are fifty apiece." That was five thousand-five hundred and twenty! That meant my total haul today was twenty-eight thousand-seven hundred and seventy! If I kept this up..., I would be able to get a small place very soon. Though, I might want to buy some better armor.

Well, this was something else. The woman behind the counter just looked at me oddly for a second before she notices that I caught her staring at me which caused her to click her tongue. "If this is as you say you're 'first' day, then you have made more vails than a party of five level one adventurers." She said with that disbelieving tone coming back again.

"Soo...,"

"I don't believe it." She finished pushing out the drawer which had the vails ready for me. I was a little dejected at her reply, but I didn't say anything to her. I doubt anything that I said was going to make her believe me. I just took my vails and started to head back over to Eina, but I was stopped by Rose. "You should give up being an adventurer." That stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned to face her again with a horrified expression.

"W-wh-what?" I stumbled over my one word. Where was this coming from all of sudden?

"Find another job." She added making me feel that much worse. Yet, I was able to catch something. She was concerned for me for some reason, that was what I got from her. She wasn't trying to be an ass or anything, or maybe she was but that's not what I got from her.

I smiled at her, which I guess she was not expecting, "I have actually thought about that, but I was short on time and low on money. This was the best last option I had." The woman was startled by that response, "I'll keep it in mind though, it's always good to have more options open right now." With that said, I went back to Eina.

When I got to Eina, she looked up at me from her paperwork. "Alright Bell, we have things to discuss." She then ushered me over to a table where she sat across from me. "Alright, the first thing we need to talk about is coming here looking like this." I chuckled at that. I guess no one likes seeing someone look the way I did.

"Sorry, I just had to come here right after going into the Dungeon, you know?" I told her honestly.

She merely sighed, "Yes, yes I understand. Anyway, let's talk about the registration form that we need to finish."

I forced a nervous smile, "Yeah, let's." I agreed unenthusiastically. She looked up at me from the paperwork with a perplexed look. She didn't understand my sudden change in my personality. Well, she was going too.

It had been a day ago that Eina had found out that I wasn't in a Familia. It had thrown a wrench into everything I planned. Eina had made me promise her that I wouldn't go early in the morning again because of it. That and a lot of guild staff couldn't believe that there was an adventurer without a Familia. There hadn't been a unblessed hero in the last three hundred and twenty years or so. It also didn't help that I looked like I was mauled by a bear. Eina was more worried about something and was muttering, 'not again over and over.' I should have known that this was going to be the typical reaction.

It may have also caught the attention of other adventurers that were in the Guild when Eina had gotten a little over excited and shouted it aloud. The registered board had been getting a lot of attention as of late, thanks to my filled out form. The registered board was basically where you can see all the active adventurers, what their kill count was, how much money they have made, loot items obtained, amazing feats, their level, and what Familia they were in. Unlike every other adventurer active, I was the only one with a blank Familia line and level line. If you were unblessed, you weren't even considered a level. So, I was the only level zero around.

I could hear people talking about me in hushed voices. I was the talk of the town and not in a good way either. A lot of people were betting I wouldn't even last a damn month before I was killed. I mean, I don't know why either! I had killed one hundred and eighty-six monsters in two days on the first floor! Some people had even told me to give up. Yet now, I wanted to be an adventurer more than being a hero. I now had something to prove. I had to prove that I could be a hero, even without the Gods' help.

Sure you could get a significant power boost because of the Gods, but I was going to get as far as I could without a blessing. I am a champion. I knew I could be a great adventurer. I was like a baby bird flapping my wings ready to jump out of the nest. I wasn't going to be stopped by words and others beliefs alone. They were going to have to kill me in order to stop me.

So, I killed them with kindness and save my rage for the monsters down in the Dungeon. Speaking of the Dungeon, this was my third day into the Dungeon. I was of course by myself. I was finishing up my map that I had decided to make of the first floor. It would be a little extra money. I had made my map look something like 'Alsings'. He made high-quality maps, so I figured the Guild would pay more for a high-quality map. I was almost done with said map, but I was going to the 'Hang' to finish the last part of my map. The 'Hang' was basically a cliff with a far drop down that looked almost endless. It was at the very back of the first floor. There was also an overhang on the other side that went about halfway over the cliff. The Hang wasn't at a dead end, but it was in fact at the main intersection between three paves.

I walked over to the edge of the cliff looking down into the darkness. I could feel the childish vibes coming from deep within. I decided to play the echo game. "Echo!" My voice ricocheted off the cavern walls as it disappeared into the depths. An amused smile crosses my face. There was always something I wanted to do now that a thought popped into my head. In one of my grandfather's stories, he had told me when I was younger, there was a place just like this.

"Are you listening Bell?" My grandfather asked me looking down at me. He always made sure I paid attention at the important parts of the stories.

I nodded my little head at him, "Yes, grandpa." I pouted seeing him not believe I was listening to him. He should have known better! I always listened; I was a good boy.

He smiled hearing my voice, "Very good, anyway..., where was I?"

"You were at the part where the adventurer comes to an intersection," I told him informatively.

He gained a knowing look, "Yes the intersection!" He rubbed the bottom of his chin, "Our hero came to an intersection that had three paves that met each other in the middle. In front of the middle path, however, there was a cliff with an overhang on the far side and a bottomless pit below. The hero stopped and looked at the overhang... He knew his destiny was on the other side of the overhang. This is the real important part Bell... Let's give our hero some more strength!" He usually did this to get me more active in the story. "Do and say as I do." He requested of me. "Stand up."

I stood up.

"Put your left hand out in front of you."

I put my left hand out in front of me.

"That's it, now say after me." He coughed into his hand, "Darkness begone!"

"Darkness begone!"

"Now bow down all the way to the ground, Bell,"

I bowed down like I was asked.

"Say this next Bell; Light show me the way!"

"Light show me the way!"

"Now bend upwards while staying on your knees, yes like that bell. Put your hand up over your head real high."

"Like this?" I asked.

"No, you want to have it like you're holding up a ball, like this... See how my arms aren't straight up?"

"Yes, grandpa," I replied.

"Good. Now put that all together." He said seriously.

I smiled at the memory. "I might as well..., just for old time sake." I grinned as I got to act like a hero from my stories.

Freya was watching her newest interest rather eagerly. Bell Cranel, had proven worth her time. His first day in the Dungeon... she could see it in his eyes. The untapped potential, the desire, and the anger. There was something lurking under the surface. Something she wanted to uncover for herself. Her interest was growing by the days. He was already moving at a pace that was unbelievable for an unblessed hero. She would know all about that after all. She had watched those men and women of old long ago.

The people on the ground below her tower had no idea of the power this young boy possessed and it was only growing by the day. He was growing strong with each kill. He would have to be somewhere near a mid-level one. He was just so strong, he must've had some kind of training in some part of his life. Now she was watching this fresh blood trying his best to map out floor one of the Dungeon. She wanted to see his transparent soul fight, not map out a cave. Though, he had been standing in front of a cliff for over five minutes.

"What is he doing?" She pondered aloud. It was quite boring to see him just standing there, doing nothing. She looked up over her shoulder to Ottar, "Do you know what he is doing?" She asked the number one adventurer in all of the lands and the only level seven to ever exist. If there was something she didn't know about the Dungeon, which was very unlikely, then Ottar surely wouldn't, but she could always get his thoughts on this matter.

"That place is called the Hang. It's a common sight at the very end of the floor. It can be reached by three paves. Other than to say you have reached it, it means you're ready to move to the second floor." He informed her of the importance of the end of the floor. She had already known this fact. "He might just be trying to grasp that he is ready for a harder floor.", he added.

Freya just looked at him before accepting the answer with a sigh, "Fine then." She rested her perfect face into her delicate hand. Then...

Bell's left hand shot forward... This got the attention of both of them. They had no idea what he was doing or why but... it made them feel like he knew something they didn't, which should be impossible. "What's this now? Does Bell know something about the Dungeon that you don't, Ottar?" Ottar didn't say anything, but he was watching the new adventurer through the magic mirror closely. Freya grinned, 'Do you know something that I don't Bell? Show me what you know!'

I put my left hand out in front of me. I put a determined look on my face like the hero in the story did, as I called out the words from the hero in the story, "Darkness Begone!" I then dropped to my knees in a full body bow, "Light show me the way!" I then bent upwards and raised my hands like I was praising the sun. Much to my surprise and awe, there was a glowing white ball between my arms. My mouth dropped a little as did my hands.

'No way...,' I thought. It couldn't be..., The story my grandfather told me..., was about an actual adventurer on the first floor! That meant this light was going to take me to... My destiny? If this did, my grandfather whole life would come into question. My grandfather knew of the Dungeon... He knew things about it that others did not. This also wasn't on any map of the first floor, which meant this was an undiscovered territory. Then, how did he know of this place if no one else did? Who was my grandfather?

The light moved towards the edge of the cliff, then... out of thin air appeared a bridge made of stone that led right to the overhang. Calling it a bridge was an overstatement at best. I stood up and followed after the light. The ball of light kept on leading me to the stone bridge. I watched on as the ball floated right over the bridge, it called for me to follow after it. It beckoned me to trust it. I took in a deep breath and said to myself loudly, "Well, Bell... wanna go on an adventure?" Of course, I already knew the answer. I took one careful step on the stone bridge to make sure the airborne rocks didn't fall or move under my weight. To my awe, they were perfectly stable and had the feeling of solid ground. I trailed behind the light as it led me up the bridge of rocks.

When I got up to the top there was nothing. I was completely surrounded by darkness. The light disappeared into the ground. I stood there, waiting for something to happen. Three seconds later, a spark appeared on the floor a little bit in front of me. That spark became a small little fire that burned a line down the floor, which I noticed was lined in gold and stone. The fire continued to shoot down in a thin line when it branched of six times. Those new fires went to six doors and lit up torches on both sides of the doors. The fire lit up the area I was in, and I was stunned at what I was seeing.

There were six doors, three on each side. There was also three pillars of marble that separated each door. They opened and six Kobolds wearing what seemed like leather armor, and had spears in their hands, marched out from the doors. They were standing at attention, staring at me, not make a single sound. I had also noticed that the ones on the right had red eyes while the ones on the left had yellow eyes. I was quick to pull out my knives ready for them to attack me. Much to my surprise, the only thing they did was snarl at me. I kept a close eye on them and waited for them to attack me.

That was when the fire hit the last door that was directly in front of me. It was so much bigger than the rest. The fire burned a design into the door of a Kobold's head. I now knew what I was looking at, this was a monster Rex door. Behind this door was the most powerful foe I would have ever crossed at this point in my life. This was going to be a brutal fight. It also clicked in my mind that this place was undocumented which meant big money. No one even knew of a monster Rex being on the first floor! That and a boss magic stone? Today was definitely pay day.

This would also complete the map and add some more money to my growing amount. It was time to fly, right? A Familia will accept me into them for sure if I did this. If I survived this I mean. 'Be with me, grandfather.' I asked a silent prayer of protection from my dead grandfather.

I knew he was watching over me. This time, I wanted to give him a show and truly prove to him I was an adventurer worth my salt. It was time for me to fly and be the adventurer I always dreamed of being! "Let's do this!"

I started to move forward as the large doors opened before me. I kept a close eye on the armed Kobolds around me as I moved forward. They just watched me walk right by them. I walked right past the large doors and then they closed behind me. I turned to face the door hearing locks being turned on the other side, locking me in. There was no turning back at this point. I was going to fight a monster or not.

"Let's just hope your training was enough." That was the last thing I said before taking a look around the room. It looked like the rest of the cave on the first floor of the Dungeon minus the torches and burning red flames. There were large rocks around the room I could use as cover. Stalagmites and stalactites in certain places, and metal chains hanging from the ceiling as well. There was also some uneven ground too. In short, there was a lot of ways to control this fight, if I used the terrain to my advantage. I saw that across from me was another door. It was opening wide showing nothing but darkness on the other side of them. I knew that the monster Rex would be coming out of that door.

I could hear its loud footfalls as it came closer to me. I could also make out the sounds of something being dragged along the cave ground, something made of metal. I saw two different colored eyes glowing in the darkness. The right was red while the left was yellow, sparks were flying off the ground. The beacons of my destruction. Those eyes were locked on me the entire time. It then..., stepped into the light of the circular room. It was a massive Kobold standing at ten feet-seven inches. Unlike all the Kobolds I had killed before. This one had fur all over its body, and its tail was much longer than the rest of the Kobolds I had ever seen. It also had leather armor around him, protecting him. Unlike the guards outside the door behind him, this one was carrying a butcher's cleaver. It was absurdly large and very intimidating.

I took a step back, and my hands tightened around my knives. I could not look away from the Kobold Rex in front of me. I had no idea what to expect from this monster Rex. Was it fast, how strong was it, and was it able to use magic? These were just some of the many questions running rampant in my mind. It stopped moving when it was at the same distance I was from my door. It let out an ear ringing howl that almost tore out my eardrums. I had to cover my ears from the horrible howl. I felt like I was stunned for a couple seconds. When I looked up after regaining my bearings...

My eyes widened largely seeing the monster rex standing right in front of me. I dove underneath the cleaver that was looking to bisect me. On the way under the beast, I lashed out with my right blade at the unarmored part of its leg. I rolled back onto my feet and turned to the monster rex. I froze seeing that one red eye glaring at me over its shoulder. I looked down to where I had made my cut and saw something that made me incredibly fearful. The cut I had made on the Kobold was shallow and bleeding lightly, like a paper-cut. I knew it was only a passing glance, but my knife should have done more damage than what I was seeing. 'Just how strong is this guy?'

Now, it turned completely to me again. 'If I want to do any damage at all... I'll have to stab into it. Much to my horror, that means getting close.' We stared each other down, then it rushed me. Boy was this thing fast. I went at it too. I quickly had to jump to my left to avoid a swing of that massive weapon. I then ducked under its claws that slashed at me from its free hand. I was now in range. I stabbed into its leg where armor was, I didn't have the time or luxury to pick where I was going to strike. My blade went deeper into its leg but still not deep enough for this thing to really feel it or slow it down.

I then found a backhand slap that went across my face as I was sent flying into the air. I slammed into the cold hard ground coughing up spittle. "Damn it..." I grunted out in pain. I was going to feel that in the morning. I looked around as I got up to my feet. There were some large rocks around me I could use as cover... or as a diving platform. 'I've got a plan.' I made a mad dash for the rocks with the Kobold hot on my heels. I got into the maze of rocks and stones and did some fast twists and turns. I had effectively lost the Kobold in the pile of rocks rather swiftly. That was when I put my plan into motion. I started to climb up the massive boulder as quietly as I could. I perched myself on top of the rock, keeping my eyes peeled for the monster Rex below.

My eyes caught sight of the monster moving towards me. I could see it sniffing the air trying to locate me. I could tell its nose was doing its job since it was coming over my way. I laid down flat against the boulder to stop it from seeing. I watched it closely as it moved under the boulder. I waited as it paused, it was at this point I ducked my head back to stop it from seeing me should it look up. I waited to hear its footsteps start moving away from me. When they did...

I quickly stood up seeing its back turned as it continued to move past the rock. 'Now!' With that thought in mind, I jumped from my perch and dive-bombed the beast. It all happened so fast!

My knife on the right connected into its leather armor, and if the yelp of pain was something to go by, its skin. I used my right knife as a hook and an anchor to keep in place. While my left knife was like a pecking bird's beak. I kept on rapping at its back putting as many holes into it as I could. Blood was oozing out of the multiple wounds the beast had just received.

Then it roared in anger and pain. It started trying to shake me off like a dog with a bad case of the fleas. The Kobold saw that this was not going to help it remove me from it as I hung on for dear life. It reached its free hand back and grasped me. It pulled me right off of him. It let out another roar as it threw me over to a natural cave pillar. I bounced off the ground like a kick ball before I dug my knives into the ground to stop before I hit the pillar. I skidded to a stop. I felt like total crap. Looking down at myself, I could see blood. My own blood, yet instead of feeling worried, I felt angrier than anything. I was all scraped up from the hard cave floor.

I looked up to see the monster rex holding onto my backpack. He had taken it when it threw me over here. Fantastic, I couldn't use my health or stamina potion either. 'I have to be extremely careful now.' I watched as it threw my pack further behind itself and started coming towards me slowly.

I stood up shakily, not honestly sure if I could stand just yet. My clothes were ripped up again from the skidding across the cave floor. I took one glance upwards and saw my next move. It also played in mind that if I hadn't stopped my rapid approach to the pillar. I would have been impaled by the stalactites hanging from the ceiling around the pillar. 'I need this thing to come to me. Then I can make it drop the roof on itself.'

After having a small breather, I felt somewhat better to stand and move around again. I wasn't going to fall over now. It was about half way from me. I raised my knives in front of me, "What's taking you so long?" I started taking some steps back toward the pillar. It looks at me with barely controlled rage, "What, you scared?"

That had done the trick. It snarls at me as now both of its hands grasped around the giant cleaver. It then sprinted its way to me. I was about five meters away from the pillar when we clashed. It tried using its longer reach on me, though I was able to swiftly dodge those attacks. My speed keeping me safe from harm. I had gotten us to move closer and closer to the pillar. Then I saw an opening, something I could not let slide. If I could inflict more damage I had to take that chance. It had missed a swipe at me which left it wide open. I lunged forwards and got two stabs in on its belly. It bellowed loudly.

That was when I realized that the choice I had just made, was the wrong one. I jumped back when my mind warned me of the danger, but it was already too late. The cleaver cut into my gut. Leaving a large gash mark on my stomach. It wasn't deep, but it was a very big problem. I let out a cry of pain as the pain surged throughout my body. My back hit the pillar behind me. We had reached the pillar. I hoped that this next move would take the monster Rex out.

I watched on as the creature sent a swing of the cleaver my way, looking to decapitate me. I fell to the ground as the cleaver dug into the pillar. I rolled between its legs and stumbled to get away from the immediate area. I dove behind a rock and stuck my head out to watch. The cleaver was stuck into the pillar about three-fourths in. In a show of strength, it ripped the cleaver the rest of the way through the pillar. It roared once again, but it stopped when the cave started shaking. It looked up and saw the danger. It started to run, but all in a vain attempt to escape. The stalactites fell all around the mighty Kobold until one hit him. It pinned him down, and then more fell on top of him. Its screams of pain were drowned out by the booming rocks falling down on top of it.

I sighed in relief, it was over. I limped my way over to my backpack and downed the health and stamina potions quickly. I was fully recovered. I threw my backpack over my shoulders. I had beaten a monster...

I felt blood leave my mouth when something large and heavy hit into my back. I went face first into the ground. I turned onto my front side to see what had hit me. Whatever it was, caused a lot of damage. My eyes widened fearfully. It was not dead.

'It's not dead... It's not dead?! IT'S NOT DEAD!' My mind screamed. I hopped back on my feet. It was covered in blood, missing fur, and all of its upper armor was completely destroyed leaving only a few parts of his lower armor intact. I also saw what it was holding in its hands. It was that large metal chain that had been hanging from the ceiling. No, this damn monster had great range with that kind of weapon. Which meant, I had to get close and make that weapon useless to fight with. I rubbed my back and felt water, or should I say blood. I confirmed that by bringing my hand to my face seeing my blood, I was bleeding again. That and I had used the last of my health potion. I could not take any more heavy hits if I wanted to live past today.

My stamina was back now so I could easily get him. I just had to be careful not to be hit or underestimate the injury on my back. I had to fight through the pain. I took a deep breath... I bolted right for the Kobold. It swung its chain down which caused me to divert my path to the right. The ground cracked under the hit. Some of the debris came up and scratched some of my exposed skin. They hurt, but definitely not like the wound on my back. I kept up my charge until it got the smart idea to just keep swinging the damn chain around in a circle. I had to drop to the ground to avoid being hit. I could feel the wisps of wind smacking into me as the chain passed over me multiple times.

The Kobold then had to stop from becoming dizzy, due to spinning around rapidly for about a minute. I jumped up to my feet and booked it for him. I was about halfway to him now. The Kobold got over its dizziness and started to swing the chain again, though this time mixing up its attacks from side swipes to downward swings. I was hard pressed to dodge everything thrown my way, but I was getting closer now. 'One-fourth from you now!' I thought determinedly ready to engage.

It then began its spin cycle once again forcing me to the ground. This time the thing went three whole minutes swinging the damn chain, and once he was done, it left him wide open. I became like lightning as I flashed over to him. I was now in front of the super wobbly beast. I slashed out with my two blades and cut into the unarmored skin and weakened flesh, releasing blood from the monster rex.

I got in five slashes and three stabs before the creature stumbled backward dropping the chain, it was staggering from the suffering I was causing him. Seeing it move backwards didn't stop my assault. I rushed in not giving it the time of day to recover from my blows. Yet in one instant, I had gone from winning to getting my ass handed to me.

It flashed out a quick swipe of its claws that buried themselves into my gut and were forcefully torn out. As my blood ran down from my new wound, it scratched me across my face and ripped at the flesh on my left leg. It then kicked me away from it.

The Kobold kicked Bell away from itself. The human slammed up against one of the fallen stalactites and sat there limply as blood was pooling out of him. The human was as good as dead. It was going to bleed out soon. However, he wasn't going to give it that opportunity. He was going to tear Bell apart limb from limb while he was alive. The large monster stalked towards the heavily injured Bell. Ready to finish the job it had started.

As it moved closer to the fallen boy, it noticed a twitch of his hands. The boy's burning hot red eyes shot wide open. "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" The boy roared. His eyes were glaring deadly at the Kobold. Bell stood up like he wasn't injured at all. Bell was pissed. His entire demeanor had changed in one instant. There was a white aura surrounding him. Bell had changed somehow, someway. Something had awoken from deep inside of him. "I'M NOT GONNA DIE!"

I couldn't see anything. Everything around me was black. I was in a constant pain for a bit, but then I felt nothing, nothing at all. Was I dead? Where was I? I thought when we were dead, we went back to heaven. This was not heaven, at least I hoped it wasn't. Then I saw something in front of me, it was hopping towards me as it came over the dark horizon. A first, I thought of it as a rabbit, but it was larger than that. A hare maybe? No, it wasn't a hare either. As it came closer, I finally saw something that blew my mind. This rabbit had antlers. This was the exotic, mythical Jackalope. It looked just like a white rabbit, with antlers, and red eyes.

I just stared at the creature in front of me perplexed. Why was there a Jackalope in front of me? What did it mean? Where had it come from?

Then behind him appeared a lot of my memories. Not just all of my memories, no, these were the memories that upset me greatly. They angered me, and I hated these memories so much. Had this damn Jackalope just come here to torment me? The angrier I got seeing the memories, then the angrier the Jackalope got as well, if the narrowing of its eyes were something to go by.

I then saw the pictures of my memories replaced with that of the Jackalope's. I watched on as the memories of the Jackalopes played. They were nothing but suffering and constant running away and hiding. Once they were done, I looked back down at it. "Why are you showing me this?" It didn't answer me of course, well not in the way I thought anyway. More memories played behind it. I gritted my teeth, "Stop it." I growled. I did not like seeing these memories, yet they continued. "I said stop it!" I grabbed the hairs on my head. Then the voices started.

"Who are you?"

"He looks weak as hell!"

"Yeah right."

"I'll give him about a year before he kicks the can."

"Three weeks tops. An unblessed hero will surely die fast."

"Find another job."

"What an idiot!"

"What you trying to be cool or something?"

I took in a deep, long breath. Yet, I was still enraged at all the voices and mirrors playing around me. I felt like I had to speak up for myself with all the abusive remarks. I had to let them know just why I wouldn't back down from anyone or anything! "I may not have the blessing of a God, but I was born to be an adventurer! I will not be detoured from my path, my dream, and my destiny! I am a champion!" I yelled back at them. Locking my eyes with the Jackalope. The Jackalope got the message.

The Jackalope lunged high up at me, I put my hands out in front of me and caught the exotic animal. When I did, something surged through me. I watched on as the Jackalope disappeared into a glowing white light that exploded around me. Then..., I felt nothing but rage building throughout me and growing deep inside of me. It washed over me like a tidal wave. I could feel again. I was in extreme pain everywhere, and it only made me even more upset.

How could I be beaten by this? I could move my hands again. I wanted to harm something. I needed to lash out at something. Then I heard the footfalls of that... thing. My eyes snapped wide open. I needed to unleash this horrible anger that was building up since the day I dreamed of becoming an adventurer! I also had to pay this guy back in full for the pain and the almost taking of my life. 'I won't die... I will not die... But you will!' I thought darkly.

I screamed out from the frustration, the pain, and the anger. "AAAAAHHHHHHH!" I stood up, feeling my body protest against the sudden movement. Yet, the anger had overridden everything. I was seeing red. "I'M NOT GONNA DIE!" I yelled out at the top of my lungs. My fear of this thing was gone. I just wanted to kill it. My hands tightened around my knives. I...I...I'm going to end this now. I gritted my teeth, "Here I come!"

I rushed at the Kobold Rex and tears building in my eyes. 'Oh God the pain!' I screamed mentally. I was so hurt that I felt like I was dying, yet I was still moving... No, I was going faster than normal! What was this aura around me? I was now standing in front of the monster rex. The surprised look on its face was priceless. It didn't expect the burst of new found speed from me. I glared up into its different colored eyes. "I'm going to kill you."

Hearing those words come out of my mouth, it snarled aggressively at me. It sent out its clawed hand at me. I parried the attack with my knife. I don't know how I did that, my strength was nowhere that close to being able to block any kind of its attacks. It didn't matter for now. Killing this thing did matter though. It was going to fall and by my very own hands. This was my adventurer! My story! And I was the writer!

I and the monster Rex were trading blow for blow until it got a lucky slash on my shoulder. I flinched backward and I bared my teeth at the monster as a growled surfaced from the back of my throat. I jumped right back at the monster. I believe that I was even faster now. I was now on the attack, not the defensive any longer. We danced around each other and still trading blows. I was aiming at its hands every time they came my way. The monster's arms were covered in gashes and slash marks from all of my successful hits and cuts. "Come on!" I yelled. "Fall already!" I demanded. "Die!" I declared.

It raised its right hand above its head, ready to lay down the hammer! 'Right there!' I saw the opportunity I had been waiting for presenting itself. I sidestepped the blow, foregoing the cracks it made into the ground. I plunged my knife into its right leg. I didn't stop there! I kept on stabbing and finally jumped out of way of another swing. The monster Rex fell to one knee, holding its leg with the multiple stab wounds pouring blood onto the ground. It was panting from all the damage it had received.

This was it. The Kobold was on its last legs. I might as well be too. This was most likely going to be its last stand. I ran right in, it threw its left arm at me. I jumped over the swing and over the Kobold's shoulder. I used the knife in my left hand to stab into the back of its shoulder and positioned myself on its back. It tried to grab me but missed. It had failed to stop me, now it was truly doomed to die by my hands. I raised the knife in my right hand to repeatedly gore out the right eye of the monster rex. Blood going everywhere.

The monster howled out in distress. I could hear the locks on the door that I came in from being unlocked. Reinforcements, yeah, no! They were not helping this guy out before I killed it. I just kept on stabbing. The monster finally got a hold of me and threw me again. Though this time, it was a lot more lazily and powerless. It had run out of juice while I was still running high off whatever I was on.

I hit the ground, but I rolled backward once before catching myself in a crouched position before I got too far away from the monster rex. I got to my feet and noticed my other knife still in its shoulder. Seeing that I only had the knife in my right hand, I rushed forward again.

The boss monster snarled seeing me still coming for it. What? Did it actually think I was going to let its reinforcements get here to help it? It lashed out weakly with its left hand. I parried the blow and leaped right up over its head. I put both hands on the knife in my right hand, and I brought it right down on its head. The monster rex fell and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I hopped off the body of the massive Kobold, pulling out my weapons. I turned my gaze to the door that was opening. I could see the light flooding into the room.

The six regular sized Kobolds wearing the leather armor from before charged into the room heading right for me. Their spears pointed right at me. "You guys too, huh?" I gnashed my teeth, and I ran at them too. The one leading the Kobolds on the right lunged his spear out at me. I moved to the side and stabbed him in the throat.

Then a Kobold on the left met a throwing knife in the face. A spear was sent forward at me. I took hold of it in my now freed up hand and snapped it in half. I took the part that still had the spearhead and plunged it into its stomach. Killing the Kobold as it went right through to its back. 'Three down.' I thought. The three remaining Kobolds threw away their spears and opted for their claws instead. They wanted to get in close quarters combat, that was going to be their mistake.

The last remaining red eyed Kobold came at me, first. I caught its hand and pushed him into another Kobold. The two fell to the ground in a tangled mess. The only standing Kobold ran at me. I went to the ground and kicked out its legs. It toppled over on its face. I jumped onto its back and stabbed into it a couple of times. I grabbed a spear that was discarded and threw it at one of the last remaining Kobolds that had gotten to its feet. It grazed its side. I dodged the second Kobold that jumped at me and maneuvered around it then went in for the injured Kobold behind it. I sliced into the Kobold's neck, spilling its blood onto the floor. 'That's five.'

The last Kobold bared its teeth threateningly at me before coming at me. I just glared it down. The last of my rage was slowly easing with every passing second. I could feel the pain so much more now, whatever power that I had discovered here today, was disappearing. It was going to leave me in a world of hurt as well. I parried its blows with my knife before throwing a punch in its face. My punch nailed its small black nose. The creature's hand went right for its nose, while I went right for its chest. I stabbed right into it. I pulled the blade out and watched the body fall. "That's six..." I panted out tiredly. I had won somehow.

And just like that, my anger subsided. I blinked a couple of times when all the rage that I had felt, disappeared also suddenly. I looked down at my...non-existent shirt. I was covered in wounds and bruises. Now that the power was gone..."Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I bellowed out in agony as I fell to my knees, and tears were pouring out of my eyes freely. I Curled up into a ball. "Ahhh, so...much...pain..."

What the hell was I going to do now...

Author's notes: That is what I call a power chapter! So fast. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review of your own thoughts. I wonder what this new found power is? A Jackalope? What is this madness! I have also created a money system with the Guild which will be explained in more detail. Anyway, if you have questions please ask. Also, skills can still occur if you are not blessed by a God or Goddess. I can't wait to write the next chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this epic chapter. I think it's the longest I have ever written for any of my stories. There is a lot of detail in this chapter, and for anyone who has ever read the books, you would know Rose is a character, not an Oc. The only Oc I had in this story is the map guy, Alsing Moto. Have a wonderful week ladies and gentlemen. Don't forget to review. Those are very important, you know.