The Story of The Salamander

by The wiErDos Association

Every tale has a legend and in every legend has a story. Join in the adventures of Natsu Dragneel alongside with his newbie goddess as they live their lives with their friends and explore the wonders of the dungeon.

11. Chapter 11

A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here and I've got another chapter for you all.

Hope ya like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.

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- New Changes, New Faces -

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A carriage was seen making its way down a dirt path. Its large wooden wheels rolled across the rough terrain as it made rattling sounds along the rugged terrain. A horse was used to pull it from the front and accompanied by its coachman.

It's one of many sightings that come and go around these parts.

Most of them make their journey towards the famed city of Orario. The city is known for its trade and its dungeon where people can find their glory by making a name for themselves. Because of that, it is no stranger to many people living outside of the city. A lot of them come from distant places for an opportunity and join a familia. Thus, most of the populace become adventurers or at least at some point in their lives.

If becoming an adventurer is an impossibility for them, there are other offers such as becoming a blacksmith, merchant, etc. However, being an adventurer is the greatest profession of them all, and quite also the most dangerous.

Orario was the only existing one with a dungeon in it so adventurers there were often stronger than their counterparts outside. Because of the system surrounding the dungeon, it had more access for adventurers to boost their experience, and the neverending abundance of monsters came in handy for most of them which gave them some more luxury than others. Added to that with the amount of trading the city had with other neighboring places and you got yourself a city brimming with riches. Not to mention, most of the gods and goddesses also resided there.

This particular carriage was not carrying goods like their merchant variants. It was filled with people ― all walks of life from young ones to elder people looking for a better life inside the city of Orario.

"Hmm... I wonder how long till we get to the city?" A girl muttered quietly from her seat. Her eyes staring over at the distance as she tried to peer her head at the side to get a clear view. The sight of distant horizons betrayed her expectations although that was to be expected as she was informed that it would usually take a month to get there.

However, her impatience made her excited about what was to come. The stories that she heard from other travelers about the adventurers there. If she came to that city, she would certainly see them for herself. People who were blessed by their gods to slay the monsters of the dungeon and bring glory to their name.

Their names were known across the world for their deeds. Almost anywhere across the world, people knew of their names because of the rumors that came with them.

The girl knew only a few of them through hearsay. She could recall them inside her head. From her hometown, she would always hear them from travelers who stopped by to rest.

First, there was Finn Deimne, the Braver. The one single Pallum that was known throughout his own race as well as others. His rise to fame was inspiring for the Pallum race. People would come and visit the city just to admire the little adventurer up close.

There was also Gareth Landrock. His alias was Elgarm and was known to move huge monsters with his own hands with ease. He was a dwarf that inspired hardened adventurers.

Riveria Ljos Alf, a High Elf with a moniker of Nine Hell for her extreme proficiency in magic that put average magic users to shame. She was well-known by most elves because of her status close to elven royalty.

These three names were joined under the same familia, the Loki Familia. And it was considered to be one of the strongest known familia in the world today along with the Freya Familia.

She also heard other familias as well but those two familias stood out the most in terms of influence and popularity among the masses.

And who could forget about the famous Sword Princess?

A human who was making a name for herself for her use of the sword. In just a span of a few years, she was already close to matching the three adventurers who had been exploring far longer than her. The speed of which she was progressing was unbelievable and currently holds the record of the fastest person to rank up.

She wondered if there were people who tried to catch up with her and break her record.

For that kind of person, it was probably next to impossible unless they were blessed or special just like her.

The girl considered her to be an enigma since she hadn't heard anything about her except for her world-breaking achievements. Mysterious would probably a better word to describe the Sword Princess. There were even rumors if she was a human at all.

Whether that was true or not, she could not wait to see them in person.

"Oh my, please be careful, dear. It gets dangerous around these roads if you're not strapped close enough." The voice of an old woman caught the girl's attention, prompting her to glance at her side before nodding in return.

"Forgive me, madam. I was just excited." She politely replied with a sheepish smile.

"My, it's been a while since I last met a spirited lady like you. Are you going to Orario by any chance, young lady?" The old woman said.

"Yes, I hope to make a name for myself there." She paused. "And also to become an adventurer."

"Is that so? Did something motivate you to become one?"

"Yes. It is quite a story but because of that, I dream of becoming one. I heard rumors about Orario so I decided to see it for myself."

"I see. I hear that there are many people who come to that place for that same purpose."

"Umm, have you been into Orario, ma'am?" She tried asking the old woman.

"No, I haven't but I figured that it would be a good place to settle down together with my love. Maybe he had grown tired of the scenery and wanted a new place to sit down." She turned her eyes towards an old man beside her who was sleeping throughout the journey.

The girl immediately assumed the old man to be the woman's partner, noticing the level of affection she showed towards him.

"I see. I hope you find a suitable place to settle in."

The two smiled in content but it was not long after their conversation that another had joined in, seemingly overhearing their conversation just now.

"Oh, are you also going to Orario?" Another woman suddenly talked in a lively tone in which the girl turned around to answer. Her eyes traced down to describe the woman's appearance.

She had black hair that was cut in a bowl haircut. Her eyes were painted black as well and her apparel matched her colored features. However, the most prominent feature she got from her was her armored clothing that consisted of a fully armed breastplate and elbow guards situated on her arms. A single tasset was donned on her left side which was also accompanied by a pair of greaves for her lower body.

In addition, she seemed to be carrying a rapier with a guard that was shaped like petals.

The girl could tell the woman in front of her probably hailed from a family of knights, judging from her armor pieces with its distinct insignias.

"Yes, I am. I plan to make a name for myself and also to become an adventurer." She said.

"I see. I guess we're the same. My name's Riana Woods. I am a knight in training but I aspire to be one. I heard that going to Orario would help me become one."

"Oh, my name's Sonya Anima. As you can see, I plan to go to Orario to become an adventurer." The girl named, Sonya spoke.

"Is that so? Nice to meet you, Miss Anima." Riana answered with a polite tone much to the girl's embarrassment.

"Ah, please just call me Sonya. It doesn't feel right to be addressed formally all the time." She reasoned.

"Really? I was taught to address people on their last name as a sign of respect. And judging from your outfit, you looked like someone from a noble family." Riana replied with a questioning look on her face.

"Is that so?" Sonya raised a brow in curiosity. "I think I can say the same to you."

"Ah, maybe you're right about that but it's not what you think. My family has a bit of a unique history." Riana replied.

"I would like to hear about it." Sonya smiled.

"Ah, but before that, I'd like to repeat myself. Nice to meet you, Sonya-dono. Please call me Riana as well."

"Likewise." The two girls reached a handshake and smiled as soon as they finished their greetings. And with that, the two immediately formed a bond of friendship with each other as they continued to talk throughout the journey.

"Ah, it's nice to see young people still living their lives to the fullest, don't you think my dear?" The old woman muttered, watching in content as the old man beside her joined in.

"Yeah."

...

It wasn't long until night descended upon them. The carriage made a short stop in a safe area near the main road since traveling at night was dangerous due to the monsters. People would set up their own tents near the carriage to tuck in for the night. Hired adventurers would stay up to keep watch of any approaching monsters that might stumble across their location.

Sonya and Riana set their own tents near to each other and continued their conversations from earlier. Within just hours of meeting each other, the two had developed a close relationship and had been sharing their life stories with each other like best friends.

According to Riana, she had come from a family of knights far away from here and was granted permission by her family to journey towards Orario to become a knight there.

"So your father and mother were also knights just like you?" Sonya exclaimed in surprise as she listened to her new friend's story.

"Yes. My families' generation was a line of knights that served worthy people throughout the ages. One of our goals was to find someone worthy of our servitude. It was one of the reasons why they let me embark on this journey." Riana explained.

"I see. So by going to Orario, you hope to find someone that you think is worthy to serve while also striving to become a better knight."

"That is pretty much my mission." Riana paused. "But of course, that one has to be strong and has qualities of a true leader. So far, my journeys bear no proof of such a person until now. I hope to find someone in the famed city while honing my skills as a knight."

"That sounds like a great dream!" Sonya praised.

"Please, you're embarrassing me, Sonya-dono." Riana said in a sheepish tone. A hand was placed over the back of her head.

"So are you going to be an adventurer?" She asked.

"If that's what it takes to become stronger, I'll be more than happy to do it." Riana declared, placing a fist over her chest. A clear determination was seen from her black eyes.

"How nice. I'm still inexperienced about the whole thing but I hope that I get to be confident just like you." Sonya said.

"Of course, you will. You may not have confidence right now but the fact that you left your home and accepted to become an adventurer takes a lot of courage." Riana praised.

"R-Really?"

"Hnn... hnn..." The knight nodded. "Even I do get homesick sometimes. It was hard for me to leave my family behind for the sake of my dreams. Until now, I still have second thoughts about what I did. Whether it is alright to leave them behind remains a question for me. Plus, I was all alone on this journey until I met you, Sonya-dono." She explained.

"I-Is that so? I never really thought about it like that."

"I hope we can continue to be friends once we arrive at Orario."

"Of course! If it's not too imposing. Would you like to join with me on the same familia?" Sonya asked curiously. She twiddled her arms as she spoke with her head lowered to hide her embarrassment.

She felt that she was probably asking too much of the knight who she had just met during the journey.

However, her warranted worries were put to rest when Riana reached her hands to hers and smiled.

"Sure thing, Sonya-dono! Let's join a familia together! I'm sure we'll be able to fulfill our goals together!"

Sonya looked at the smiling knight in wonder. At that moment, a warm feeling welled up inside her as she happily accepted her hands in the same fashion.

"Hnn..." She nodded. "Let's become adventurers, Riana-san!"

---

Orario (Dungeon 12th Floor)

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"More are coming, Wendy!" A shout came from her left as Wendy scrambled on her feet to prepare her crossbow from her arm. She placed several bolts inside the casing and aimed it straight on the approaching monsters. Imps closed in on her position. Their razor-sharp teeth and claws poised to mow down the petite supporter. The girl mustered her courage as she let a small inhalation of air and holding it for a moment. Her eyes focused on them.

She could not let her fear overwhelm her this time.

In just a fraction of a second, several bolts came flying with successive quick sounds as the crossbow shot out its registered projectiles towards the monsters. The bolts hit squarely on the heads of the three Imps, causing them to fall quickly to the ground before vanishing into thin air and left their magic stones. None of them reached close to her before her eyes shifted to another group of monsters.

She reloaded another set of bolts as she saw them heading her way. She stretched her weapon towards their direction and let loose without hesitation. Three silver blurs flew across the air and managed to hit two Imps while the other one was merely deflected by a Hard Armored.

From its namesake, the monster's upper body was mostly covered with hard scales which made it hard to hit its weakness. Its ability to coil up its soft body from the inside while exposing its scaly hide as a means of an attack made them a tricky opponent for rookie adventurers.

It was considered as one of the tough opponents encountered on this floor along with the Silverback.

The Hard Armored unfazed by the attack, continued its direction towards her as rolled towards her without stopping. No amount of bolts would be able to pierce its scaly hide unless it had been a stronger one or an enchanted form of projectile that specialized on piercing power.

Wendy didn't have that kind of weapon on her but that didn't stop her from fleeing on the spot.

Instead of cowering at the approaching monster, she stood her ground and calmly assessed her situation without panicking completely. Her old self would've crumbled under pressure but the days of learning about the dungeon and its monsters gave her the chance to be more confident and more courageous.

Furthermore, it's not like she's alone in the supporting role of the party anymore.

As if synchronizing with her thoughts, she shouted in the air as a red figure arrived at the scene.

"Welf-san!"

"Leave it to me!" Welf shouted, hurling his massive sword at hand to greet the monster.

He moved past the supporter in a blur, stopping just a few meters in front of her. A loud clanging sound echoed around their surroundings as the red-haired smith swung his greatsword against the hardened scales of the Hard Armored in defiance. He gritted his teeth as he tightened his grip to overpower the monster.

In terms of weapons, their value often came in its capability to endure long term use and its ability to cut through anything. Welf didn't consider himself a smith worthy of crafting such masterpieces but he dreamed for a long time to be able to craft one that would etch his name and surpass the weapons that the gods had built since time immemorial.

It was the goal of his familia, as well as every other blacksmith's goal when crafting their works of art.

It was to surpass the weapons created by the gods. It was not just a simple task of creating weapons for the daring adventurers.

The gods believed that through human hands, mortals could create weapons far greater and stronger than the ones they created.

Every technique they put into creating their weapons is a step closer to crafting the same works as theirs. It's like advancing human knowledge.

The Hephaestus familia had a long history of crafting weapons. Each and every member had their own styles of craftsmanship. Welf was no different. But apart from crafting weapons, he had a secret.

For him, it was a complicated one. A secret that he had long been trying to bury in the past ever since he departed from Rakia and went to Orario for a fresh start.

It had such a big deal for many ― for the people of Rakia, his family, and the elves in general.

It was not a good backstory. Heck, he would even call it a shameful part of his name which was why he resented disclosing his heritage to anyone.

After all, it was not easy being part of the reason that carried the resentment of many elves because of their doings in the past. Every time he looked at his other potential, it felt more like a liability by just remembering the faces of people that held a grudge to his family name. However, it was only half of the reason why he kept it a secret and never bothered giving it a second glance.

If anything, he felt like it wasn't his own skill whenever he tried crafting those 'things'.

That's why he never used it.

It held no pride of a blacksmith who spent countless hours in the forge.

Hours upon hours of trial and error, experimenting, and heating in the forge. That is the way of the blacksmith. That is his way of the blacksmith.

For him, the very existence of those things sullied the honor of their techniques. Which was why he hated them. He despised them even to the point that he wouldn't create them even at the expense of his own life.

The huge sword in his hand was one of the many crafts he built through the teachings of his goddess and probably from other blacksmiths that he took inspiration to. Today's battle proved its validity and his skill as a blacksmith.

It cut through the hard scaly hide as he swung past his massive sword with such force that it also cut the shard in half. The sharp edges of his crafted weapon overpowered the monster's natural hard scales.

It was a fine and clear cut in which from the perspective of an experienced blacksmith, could be considered to be a passable work of art.

After all, a weapon is not just a tool to be used by an adventurer. It symbolizes the efforts of the smiths that created them. The blood, sweat, time, and technique that they pour into crafting them are converted into this piece of object. A passion to surpass the godly works. Every weapon created is for that purpose.

In the eyes of an average person, it may mean nothing but a tool to slay monsters but for them, it is called a smith's pride and handiwork.

Welf inserted his greatsword onto the ground as soon as the monster vanished in front of him. His eyes looked back at Wendy with a face of inquiry after what seemed to be their biggest encounter yet.

"Leave the stragglers to me, Lil Wendy." He shouted as he proceeded to lift the giant sword and rested it on his back. A confident smile went across his face to which the supported nodded in response.

"Yes! Welf-san! There might be more coming from the back." She said.

"Alright! Let's deal with them shortly. Back me up with some support and I'll take the stronger ones!"

"Yes!"

The two then faced their next threat as groups of monsters began running towards them from behind.

Wendy readied her recently reloaded crossbow in preparation for the next wave of monsters, at the same time Welf entered into his stance. He brought his gain sword in front of him as we watched his companion shoot several bolts once again at the Imps in order to prevent them from encircling the duo. Aside from the Imps, two Hard Armored and a Silverback came to meet them in battle. Their instinct to charge towards them without care was reinforced by their lack of reason.

"I'll stall the Silverback! Please take care of the other two!" Wendy shouted as she shot two bolts on the Silverback's eyes with such accuracy, causing it to stumble back after having its vision taken out. As a result, only the two Hard Armored continued their advance.

"Nice shot, Lil Wendy!" Welf praised before running off to meet his two opponents. His feet kicked up to move forward as he positioned his blade right next to his waist.

Adjusting his eyes to the nearest monster to him, Welf planted his foot and poured strength on both his arms as he delivered another deathly left swing towards the monsters. The length of the sword managed to reach the one Hard Armored, effectively cutting its whole body clean as if they were butter. His eyes didn't have the time to observe its demise and focused on the other Hard Armored with his weapon at hand.

"Uuuraaaaaaaaaaagh!" He screamed to finish off the other monster but was suddenly ground to a halt as he found himself unable to move.

A moment of confusion drew across his face, followed by frustration as he found himself caught off guard by another monster which he failed to notice during the fight. A Bad Bat was hovering above him, sending out sound waves that disrupted his concentration. It resulted in him unable to complete his attack and was now at the mercy of the Hard Armored that was rolling its way towards him.

"Kugh―" He gritted his teeth in frustration, wanting to break free from the trap but saw that he couldn't make it in time.

"Welf-san!" A shout from Wendy rang in his ears as he braced to take the hit squarely.

This is going to hurt.

The rolling wheel of death approached the stunned adventurer without mercy, smashing him without any form of resistance. A normal human body without training would break a few bones against its hard skin. Pain aside, it would incapacitate an adventurer in just a single hit. However, Welf had some training to improve his physical body. Additionally, his entire body seemed to have embodied some kind of protective magic that appeared just in time as the monster hit him. It glowed red for a brief moment across his whole body which reduced the impact of the monster's attack. Furthermore, it seemed to have reduced the pain as well.

Surprise could be seen on his face because of the result of the glow, it didn't stay for long however as his instincts forced his concentration to go back to the battle. Getting up as fast as his body allowed it, he faced the Hard Armored.

Without giving it time to recompose itself, he swung his blade vertically and cleaved the monster in two before vanishing afterward.

He stood unmoving for a moment. His focus relaxed after witnessing the last few seconds of fighting. His pause wandered around the protective spell that protected him from the monster.

"Welf-san!"

The voice of the blue-haired supporter managed to call him back to battle as Wendy shouted from afar, seemingly calling attention to him. At first, Welf was confused but the next few seconds answered his confusion. Another Hard Armored was sighted out of nowhere and spun its way towards him.

Welf inwardly cursed his carelessness and released a desperate grunt in his voice. He lifted his blade and placed it in front of him, hoping to block it.

But just as he was about to brace hitk\, a silver blur went across his vision for a moment as he watched the approaching monster getting smacked away from him, seemingly collided with something. It was only for a short second but he was able to spot what was thrown towards him. A Silverback.

It was also at that time Wendy managed to take out the Bad Bat in the process.

Welf took the time to recollect himself as he wondered about where that flying Silverback came from. To his surprise, his eyes darted over to the distance where he could see a lone adventurer with his right fist stretched in his direction.

After a few seconds of discerning and he could only answer with his face agape.

Did he just punch the monster to use as a way to save him?

Welf never witnessed such a tactic though he set aside his befuddlement, knowing that he was saved yet again.

"Eyes up front! There are still some stragglers left, Welf, Wendy!" Natsu shouted from the distance. His battle was different from their own as indicated by the field of smoldering embers around him. It was a one-sided fight on his end while he and Wendy fairly struggled to take down a couple of them at the same time.

Nevertheless, Welf decided to save his gratitude for later and quickly made work in slaying the rest of the monsters on their end. Wendy joined in to provide support throughout the fight.

It took another few minutes for the battle to end as the two finally finished their last enemy. They panted in exhaustion after a string of battles. Seeing that there were no more fresh spawns of monsters coming their way, they signaled the end of their engagement and finally took the chance to take a breather.

Wendy collapsed on her back but quickly sat up to get a small recovery potion from her large backpack while passing an extra for the smith who took it with gratitude.

"Finally! That's all of them for now." Welf huffed in exhaustion after downing the potion in one gulp. The effects of the potion worked wonders on his body but he could still feel the strain of his muscles from moving around too much probably due to the constant wielding of the huge sword throughout the venture.

Wendy, on the other hand, was less affected since she didn't do much of the heavy work.

"This is the longest one yet, isn't it?" Wendy replied.

"Tell me about it. But this is fine, I guess. I never thought of getting this far alone, although I should've expected this to be this hard. No wonder why people had to party up to get through this floor." Welf expressed his sentiment after settling down on a small slab of rock to use as a sitting platform. His sword planted right next to it as he rested.

"It does look like it. Unfortunately, I think I cannot say the same for Natsu-san." Wendy added with a soft smile, noticing the familiar figure approaching them while carrying the magic stones, and the loot drops from the monsters they killed so far.

"What's this about me?" Natsu asked as he casually threw them to the ground before sitting down like the rest of them. The adventurer looked like he wasn't every bit of tired compared to his companions.

Unlike the other two, he looked like he hadn't been expending much energy as they did during the fight. If anything, he was actually saving most of his strength during the fight and didn't expend too much magic unless necessary.

It's not that the two were weak, it's just that the difference of improvement is so vast between Levels.

Added to his case, his rank up probably boosted him way more than expected which would translate his capability as a Level 2 as above average. Even though he just started getting accustomed to his rank up, he was already performing spectacularly like some veteran adventurer of the same level.

Welf would even oftentimes mistake him for being a Level 3 at this point.

Of course, that much was absurd to think about. After all, there was never a record in history that an adventurer managed to advance two levels in the span of three months. The last fastest record of a rank up was half a year. It would be inconceivable to even think about ranking up twice in a single day since it would require a whole load of excelia. While the Falna system worked in complexity, it never mistook the experience gathered by adventurers. It recognized the abilities and potentials to be larger than what excelia could provide to rank up. Thus, every level experience was exponentially bigger than the previous one.

Moreover, the prerequisite for a rank up still requires a display worthy of a true adventurer. Advancing two levels at the same time would be to go against that rule unless it was tampered with by an outside force like a god's Arcanum.

Natsu felt the enormous changes in his powers compared to when he was still Level 1. Ever since returning to the dungeon, his magic was more potent and stronger than before to the point that he could barely feel tired despite his numerous use of the spells that usually exhausted him. His body was tougher and his senses became more focused as well.

It was as if the limits of his body suddenly came off after the rank up.

Then again, it was probably due to the fact that he still had been fighting monsters on the Upper Floors.

The Middle Floors is where the action is at. New and stronger monsters, as well as, the rate of their spawn time is different and offers a more brutal environment according to Eina and Ryuu.

Unfortunately, he was refrained from proceeding any further until they could gather up more experience as a party. Every day, he had a chance to go to the Middle Floors but he held himself from moving in recklessly, fearing his party wouldn't be able to handle it. He had to take into account of his party's overall ability to perform well in situations similar to the Middle Floors. Which was why they were practicing on the 12th floor. It was the last floor of the Upper Floors section of the dungeon. It provided an almost similar spawn rate and monster difficulty but it was still not a perfect condition for the experience.

Natsu had to expect a worst-case scenario in his head when engaging in this floor to condition his level of caution. With lessons and tips he got from Eina about the nature of the Middle Floors and the monsters residing in it, he was able to create an environment for him and Wendy to work on until they get used to it eventually.

However, this was yet not possible if they were still a party of two. Fortunately for them, Welf was a fine addition to the party. Just a few days after their return to the dungeon, the red-haired smith came up to them about considering their invitation to join the party the other day. After much deliberation, he finally agreed to join him with a set of conditions from him when forming a party with them.

The timing could not get any better for the two since they were mulling about adding another member to their ranks. It saved them a lot of time and honestly felt much more assured to have someone they knew rather than some strange people.

"Nothing. We're just discussing how strong you are now compared to us." Natsu heard Welf speaking as they continued.

"Is that so?" He pondered and paused before looking at the two. "Well, you two are pretty strong too. You fought well enough to keep our backs safe, Welf. I almost forgot you're a blacksmith earlier. You were awesome too, Wendy. Your magic worked wonders. It's the first time I saw it in action!"

The girl in question jolted in response. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. Now I don't have to worry about taking some serious blows."

"True that. I'm surprised that it held up against a Hard Armored. I thought I was done for sure." Welf added.

"I-I see. I'm glad it helped you out." Wendy smiled. "However, this magic only lasts for a short time. I was worried that the magic might've worn out during the fight but it looked like it didn't."

"Yeah. Not many mages out there have any spells that protect their comrades. Plus, you're still filling up our supporter role. Must be tough having two jobs at the same time." Welf smiled amusingly.

"I try to learn from the two. I still have my skills as a supporter while also expanding my abilities as a mage." She said. "But Natsu-san is way cooler."

"I agree with the little one. You fight like a one-man army. It's terrifying enough when you took down that Irregular on your own. It's quite difficult to imagine what you can do when you rank up. You don't even look tired at all after all that fight." Welf complained.

"That's because I train almost every day. Plus, I knew how to fight long before I came to Orario, you know." Natsu explained.

"Well, that's one way to get started. I can only imagine the place you used to live and what kind of life you had before coming here. You sure you're not on some battle-torn country or something?" He eyed him with a curious brow.

"I don't know what you mean but my dad and I were always traveling."

"Ah, so you two were nomads?"

"What's a nomad?" Natsu asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"You don't know? They're like people who don't have a permanent settlement. They usually travel a lot without staying in one place." Welf explained.

"Is that so? If you put it like that, I guess me and pops were just like that. We always sleep in the forest and sometimes train there. He is sometimes a bit strict though, telling me to train hard or something like that every day. I mean, he even told me to destroy a big boulder without using magic one day and I sucked at it." Natsu groaned, recalling a piece of his past.

"Seriously?! What kind of training was that?" Welf sweatdropped.

"Dunno. He was training me with all kinds of stuff. It was scary now that I think back on it." He muttered with a shuddered look on his face.

"W-Were you alright, Natsu-san?" Wendy asked, her face looking a bit worried about the pinkette after hearing the gruesome training he had gone through.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about me, Wendy. Igneel might be hard on me but he only does it if he knows that I can do it. Plus, it did leave some helpful tips for me along the way and I learned to fight because of it." He reassured her as he gently patted her head, causing her face to flush in embarrassment.

"Sounds like a good man despite all that upbringing." Welf complimented. "I mean, I get that most parents tell their kids to work hard and be successful but not on the same level as you are. I guess there must be a reason why he wanted to do that. From what I can tell, he could be soft on the inside too."

"Yeah! He may be harsh but he is really kind-hearted. He wanted me to be strong enough to be able to protect those close to me." Natsu smiled as he spoke.

"And it looks like it paid off pretty damn well. Though I'd say well is an understatement now that I see you up close. I mean, what's your body made out of? You look a little too tall for a dwarf to be having that much endurance. Is that part of your old man's training too? I mean, heck even seasoned adventurers would have a hard time tanking hit after hit without equipment." Welf pointed out comically.

"Hey, even I do get injured sometimes. I just recover a bit faster than normal. And I'm quick to avoid some of them. With a little bit of training, you could get the same results as me." Natsu explained. "And for the record, there is someone who is a dwarf but is also tall, you know."

His mind suddenly recalled a certain head owner of a certain pub.

"I'm not sure if your definition of training is the same for everyone." Welf deadpanned.

"Is it? I thought it's the same for everyone. You should try it once. Want me to teach you?"

"I'm a smith. Fighting is not the only thing I'm focusing on. Though I could use some tips now and then. Just not from you. You're too reckless."

"I agree. Natsu-san is always reckless." Wendy said. Her head nodding in agreement.

"You too, Wendy? Come on, it's not that bad. I get like once or twice of overdoing things but I'm trying to keep it as small as I can." He assured, however the eyes of his party members seemed to suggest otherwise.

"You sure have it hard, Lil Wendy." Welf looked at the supporter who smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, but it's not all that bad. Natsu-san could be reckless at times but he helped me through tough things all the time. I feel like I could depend on him when he's acting like that." Wendy shared her thoughts.

Her statements were proof of her experience with him after being saved countless times as well as helping her improve. In turn, she was able to support him through their battles. Because of that, she was also starting to change. She could see her timid self slowly fading and felt a bit more courageous as a result.

Wendy wanted to thank him for teaching her all sorts of things. The new things that she learned from her supporter role and the encouragement that she got from him made her change as a whole.

"I see. You trust him that much." Welf commented, pointing out the bond that the two shared. Despite them being from different familias, he could see the trust they have for each other throughout their adventures.

For a moment, he felt a little jealous of their relationship. He wasn't liked by his familia members due to his stubbornness to not make those things. Perhaps it was also fueled by the fact that his blood enabled him to craft them so easily and proficiently which was why he was scorned by many. Only a handful of few people, including his goddess were able to look past his selfishness to reject his talent and didn't bother to judge him because of it. Still, it did hurt him to see that he couldn't experience the joy of partying.

It was only at this time when he was asked to join a party by a strange adventurer who decided to invite him without care or caution at all.

He was relieved that Natsu didn't ask about his ability or his history and simply treated him like a fellow party member without prejudice. It was as if he wasn't aware of his background or anything. But then again, he was usually the type that didn't care about that kind of stuff so he probably didn't bother to ask at all.

Still, it didn't stop him from referring to him by his name as if they were friends for that matter.

Maybe Natsu didn't have that much room for etiquette. Welf could probably imagine something like that, judging from his reckless character and thirst for fighting.

It didn't suit his character but that was fine for him. Yes, he was a strange person but for some reason, he felt like he could trust him more than anything. He just had that aura in him that makes him likable until you get punched in the face.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Thanks again for making this." Natsu spoke as he grabbed a shortsword strapped at his back where its hilt was located. It was his primary weapon of choice when he's not fighting with his fists. It helped save his magic against weaker enemies that didn't require his magic. It made him fight more efficiently and last longer during a long battle as well.

All in all, it was a good alternative. Although he still preferred fighting with his fists.

"That knife you gave me last time saved me during that encounter with the Irregular back then. I couldn't have made it out if it wasn't for that. And they're pretty strong enough to pierce through that skin too. I'd say this is some of your fine work so far." He said with a toothy grin.

"Really? Glad I could help. It's the least I can do during that time. Maybe if I was there, I could've helped more."

"Don't sweat it. You're with us now. Let's continue partying with each other from now on, alright?"

"Well, I can't say no to that." Welf smiled.

"Yosh, now I'm getting more fired up than ever!" Natsu clasped both his hands in confidence as he stood up. "Should we get going? I'm still not done with the monsters we defeated so far."

"I'm just about done. Plus, it's about time they come at us again." Welf readied his sword, eyeing several patches of ground cracking around them. Monsters emerged once again and quickly circled themselves around the three in the process.

"Ready when you are, Natsu-san!" Wendy answered as she finished packing up and readied her crossbow.

They all nodded at each other as they began their next battle. Natsu briefly adjusted his scaly scarf behind his neck as he looked in his direction where the monsters were looking at him with bloodlust. Flames jutted out around his body as he positioned his one arm over to his shortsword while releasing a fair amount of flames on the other to gather his magic once again.

"Alright! Let's do some monster slaying. I'm all fired up!"

---

...

---

The sun was already setting and the majority of the adventurers had returned from the dungeon. The group divided their shares as usual after exchanging their loot from the Guild. Wendy was first to part from the group as she headed back to her familia with Welf departing afterward. Natsu still had some business with the Guild, specifically to Eina since he wanted to ask more about the Middle Floors in general.

He could really get some nice tips about leveling up faster too.

He returned back to the Guild main building to meet up with his advisor though it seemed like she's not there at the moment.

Perhaps she still had something to do at this time?

This was the first time he didn't get to see Eina near the counter. Usually, she was there to accompany the adventurers assigned to her. He wondered about what's going on that made her unable to accommodate him today. She was just here this morning.

There's even no sign of Misha, another Guild member that he came to know personally by name because of her close relationship with Eina.

Come to think of it, the Guild seemed to be short on people today.

Did something happen in the Guild?

He hoped it's not something serious. He thought about the case of the Irregular incident but that was over a week ago so it couldn't be the cause of this short of manpower. Perhaps it could be something else.

Still, he needed to see Eina today.

After a few minutes, there was still no sign of the half-elf to greet him this time.

'Guess I'll wait for a bit just in case.' He thought inwardly as he stood by at the empty lounge.

Another hour had passed, and then another and there was still no sign of Eina. Natsu considered giving up for today as he noticed the light outside already looking dark. The night was already upon him at this point as flickering lights from the buildings outside captured his eyes.

'Guess, I'll just come back tomorrow.'

He sighed and was about to turn towards the exit when a voice called him back.

"You there. What are you standing here for? Do you need anything?" Natsu glanced back to meet the voice face to face. And when he did, he caught the appearance of the one calling out to him.

It was a woman, roughly the same height as him. She had long red hair that stretched down to her waist ― most of it was unkempt from the top of her head which flowed in a smooth and wavy pattern all the way down. On her head was a pair of animal ears roughly similar to a wolf though the pinkette had a difficulty discerning which race it belonged to since they looked pretty much the same in his eyes. Though upon closer inspection, it did somehow remind him of that irritating werewolf he met the other night.

His face soured a bit upon remembering that particular scene, however, it seemed like the woman noticed his disgruntled look and visibly misunderstood his expression.

"Do you have a problem with me?!" The girl snapped which got him to jolt into attention and immediately raised his hands in response.

"A-Ah, no. You're wrong. Sorry about that. I was thinking of something else. I didn't mean it on you or anything." He explained, flailing his raised arms in denial.

While it cleared the slight misunderstanding, the girl's mood was already turning for the worse. Her golden eyes looked feral accompanied by an expression that would look at someone as if they were a piece of trash. Added that it was directed at him while also being greeted with an unwelcoming look from her, it made him slightly irritated for some reason.

'What's wrong with this woman? I already apologized, didn't I?' Natsu thought.

She wore the same outfit as Eina so she was probably a Guild employee as well. Her appearance did look a bit beautiful, perhaps more so than Eina if he was being honest but her attitude needed some tweaking because it was looking a lot worse with every second passed between them. He didn't know what was happening but she just had to let out that nasty attitude towards him even though he apologized for it.

This woman might just have some problems of her own.

"Tch, whatever. What do you want, newbie?" The woman clicked her tongue and asked him with an imposing tone.

Natsu ignored her remarks and decided to let it go for now. Since it wouldn't do him any good to butter up to someone who disliked him for the wrong reasons. Hell, he'd probably just smacked this woman if he was permitted to but that would mean big trouble for him and his goddess if he tried to do it.

"I'm looking for Eina. I noticed she's not here for some reason so I was wondering..." He asked.

"She's on an emergency transfer at the moment. Our Guild branch from the south was looking for temporary members to manage the place. She was one of the chosen ones to handle the branch until they could find a way to sustain it." The woman explained without pause.

"I-Is that so? Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I dunno. Weeks? Months? I don't give a crap to find out."

Alright, that does it.

The pinkette felt his head about to burst just like that time he had a brawl with someone a few days back for mocking him for his hair color. This girl was getting on his nerves. He dropped his valis as he slammed his hands in front of the counter. His face not looking friendly right now. He was just pissed. To his surprise, the woman looked a bit shocked at his outburst but that didn't stop his mood from souring because of her nasty attitude towards him for some reason.

"Alright. What's your problem, woman? Did someone ruin your day or something? I don't know what happened to you but don't you go venting it out on me because I'm trying to be nice here." He growled.

At the back of his mind, he expected her to change her attitude after seeing that she was angering an adventurer. According to the Guild, adventurers were considered customers in their eyes so they had to accommodate them nicely and properly. This girl had a tough look on her face when he first met her but he disregarded it until he had enough.

However, what happened was the opposite.

In response, the woman's face contorted that of disgust and anger as well as she spat back at him.

"Haaaaaaaaah?! I don't know who you are and I don't care about ruining your day. You have a problem with my attitude? Well, do pray to your god and cry because I'm not planning to change it. This is who I am. If you have a problem with my personality, go find someone cutesy and talk to them, you dunce!"

"You're the one who started it! Can you like read the goddamn mood, you sicko! I thought Guild members are supposed to be kind to everyone! And holy shit, you're so aggressive. Are you on your period or something?!" He answered back which seemed to garner quite a reaction from the woman for letting out that tasteless insult.

"Wha―!" The woman turned a bit flustered and wasn't able to muster her own response as her face flushed red at that remark. Even worse, some adventurers heard their conversations that forced the woman to lower her tone of voice but still kept her angered look towards him.

"You... you're a fucking pervert!" She hissed.

"I'm not a pervert but you sure as hell need some therapy right now. Your attitude is so insufferable." He mocked.

"And you need to get a reality check! You think you're living in a fantasy? Get your mind out of the gutter. This is the real world, dumbass! Not everyone gets to be friendly with you all the time." She mocked right back at him.

"And you need to eat some food right now! All that pissed off look doesn't look too good on your beautiful face. It's a waste, you know that."

"Spare me your compliments! I've seen many people do that to woo me in. I ain't falling for the same trick! Screw that, you're not suited for giving compliments, you monkey!"

"Oh really? Then I guess I'll just shower you with insults then. Hey, you're so beautiful it makes me wanna pluck my eyes out and jump on a pool of monster acid. Damn, you're a sight for sore eyes literally."

"Beast!"

"Monkey!"

"Pink-haired shitstain!"

"Psycho! And for the record, it's salmon not pink, moron!"

"What the hell does it matter?! Dumbass!"

The two hurled insults one after another that their words slowly degraded into horrible insulting remarks yet both of them didn't back down against each other and just continued for like a straight thirty minutes. People who happened to hear their conversation could only look away in horror at the number of insults and profanities they tossed at each other.

Eventually, the two grew tired of insulting each other and it was at that time, Natsu wasted a lot of time and decided to end it once and for all.

"Whatever! I'm out! I'm tired of seeing your ugly face. It makes me wanna puke for days. Actually, scratch that. It's like I'm looking at shit." He walked back to the exit while leaving short insults here and there that seriously fumed the red-haired employee towards him.

"You take that back, you perverted monkey!" The woman screamed back. It was loud that it even reached outside where he was standing.

He felt he needed to answer back but he lost interest and simply stuck his tongue out in front of the girl. After that childish gesture, he turned around and continued on his path leading to his home. He wasted another good amount of time in that building. Hestia would be throwing fits at him for not informing his late comings.

He sighed tiredly.

Today just got a little bit unpleasant. Who was that woman anyway?

Whatever. He said it already and he's not obliged to take his words back.

Meanwhile, the red-haired woman, on the other hand, was still fuming after getting heated with the adventurer.

She swore this was the first time she saw someone with enough energy to talk back to her. She had encountered many adventurers assigned to her but not someone like this. Most of them were just there to propose to her in which she rejected all of them of course.

That's why she always wore this nasty attitude towards anyone to make them dislike her and not associate with her.

This man hated her guts at first glance just because she wore a nasty look against him. To be fair, she was the one who started it but it seemed like her behavior rubbed him the wrong way that made him snap back at her. But that was just her usual attitude. Did he expect her to act kind because he was being kind to her?

Moreover, just who was that annoying adventurer anyway?

Just thinking about him grinds her head for some reason.

"Rose. You should really tone down the attitude a bit. That was kinda far." A fellow female employee approached her, seeing her seething silently for a whole two minutes after the exchange.

"Hmph..." The red-haired demi-human crossed her arms. "After meeting that punk, no way I'm getting involved with him anymore. I never met someone so unruly. I hope he's the last one with that kind of attitude. Damn it, I wouldn't be so pissed if I didn't have to deal more with other people's assigned adventurers. I got a lot of on my plate already. Just what the Guild is doing pushing all this work on me?"

"He's a bit of a special case but are you really sure about that?"

"About what?"

"Showing that attitude towards him."

"Why would I need to change my attitude towards him? Anyways, I still have to stand here waiting for that elf's last assigned adventurer who hasn't come back from the dungeon."

"Umm, Rose."

"I would've gone home already but I couldn't because of that one idiot. He could've put a notice beforehand that he wasn't coming either because I didn't have to deal with the stuff informing his temporary shift of advisers. Seriously, this is why adventurers are such a pain in the head. All they could think about is greed and thinking about going down the dungeon without any care in the world." She planted her hands over her head in exasperation. An exhausted look was evident on her face as she kept ranting to her colleague.

"Rose."

"WHAT?" Rose snapped her head, her temper was still going off.

"That adventurer that you talked with just now. That's Eina's assigned adventurer. The one you're looking for."

At her colleague's last statement, Rose's face suddenly changed from that to irritation to plain confusion with a little hint of realization afterward.

"Huh?"

---

...

---

Hestia was visibly confused. She was currently looking at the pinkette who was sitting on the table, eating his dinner with a grumpy look.

Now that's a first.

She didn't know that the boy would be capable of holding such a face for too long. Normally, he would complain to her about it before forgetting about the whole thing completely. To say that his attention span to be quite short was true to an extent. He wasn't the type of child who would keep an expression for too long, especially when he's eating.

However, his mood was probably much worse than any of his bad days that even with his favorite meat and Jagamarukun couldn't get his attention.

"Something wrong on your way back, Natsu? Did you get another fight?" She asked, feeling like she needed to know regardless since he had a habit of not telling her about it unless she asked him to.

"No, it's not like that. It's just that I met someone I didn't like."

"Well, that's... normal, I guess. Glad you didn't start a fight though. But still, what did that person do to make you dislike him that much?"

"Nothing. She's just rude. That's all."

"She?" Oh, it was a girl then. Hestia's eyes began to narrow in the process. "Can you enlighten me more of this?"

"It's nothing really, Goddess. She's just another guild employee. Don't worry about it."

"Her being a guild employee is what worries me. Listen Natsu, you shouldn't pick a fight with the Guild, understand? I told you this already but you gotta be careful around them. They may not be a familia but they pretty much run the whole city." Hestia warned.

"I know. That's why I held myself back earlier." He said.

"So you were thinking about punching her anyway?!" Hestia gaped in shock.

"Well, yeah."

"Listen here, young man. You need to control your emotions. It's not always good to be angry over a small thing. Otherwise, you won't be able to resolve things with those people and they are going to resent you for it if you kept on that approach. Now can you tell me exactly what happened with you and that employee?" The twin-tailed goddess explained.

Natsu sighed for a moment before finally relenting to her request. "Fine."

After explaining the events that transpired back at the Guild building, Hestia got an inkling of what started their feud as she listened to his side of the story. She sighed once again after realizing how silly it was.

"Okay. I think I got the gist of it. So basically, this employee got on your nerves because she was talking unpleasantly at you for the wrong reason."

She saw him nodding at her inquiry.

"I understand that you're angry but you could have at least restrained yourself a bit more just because they have a tough personality. Maybe she was just having a bad day and mistakenly dragged you in it. You could've at least ask her if something's wrong and clear up the misunderstanding, right? Whatever happened at that time could've been resolved with just a simple conversation and patience. It didn't have to end that way." She reasoned.

"Yes." Natsu meekly replied, realizing the points that she was making in that situation.

Hestia simply watched her child reflect his action in his seat. His head lowered and his mood evidently down during her talk. She mentally sighed in the process. She was never the type to scold her children and this was probably the first time she had seriously done so to him.

She then softly smiled as she placed her hand onto his shoulder.

"Okay, that's enough moping from you. I just want to tell you these things because I don't want you to be always at odds with people, especially with your close friends. There are people out there who are not as bad as you think once you get to know them. The same goes for that employee."

"Yes. Sorry, goddess."

"It's fine now. Just make sure to apologize to her tomorrow, okay? I'm sure you didn't mean the words that you said to her too, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, that's enough from my lessons and finish your food, alright? You still have your dungeon exploring early in the morning and we need to update your status as well."

"Yes, goddess!"

After their talk, it was time for their usual status update. Hestia peered her eyes at the glowing light as she saw the changing numbers once again.

---

...

---

...

Natsu Dragneel

Level 2

Strength: I40 - I88

Endurance: I22 - I58

Dexterity: I17 - I33

Agility: I15 - I40

Magic: I59 - H100

- Magic -

[Fire Dragon's Flames]

- Skill -

[Flames of Emotions]

[Draconic Aspect]

[Dragon Force]

...

---

...

---

"Hmm..." Hestia squinted at the new addition that popped up in the skill section. She had mentally prepared herself, expecting a lot of changes in his status check but this one still baffled her.

Isn't this a bit too much?

'Assumes the power of the dragon. Power of unimaginable magnitude unleashed in the form of a transformation.' She read the descriptions but it was vague for some reason.

'What the... What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

Unlike the two skills, this skill barely gave any explanation to its effect other than its short description. How does he activate it? Is it a passive or an active skill? What power of the dragon does it even mean? Why is she overthinking too much on this?

Her Falna should be able to provide more to this. Yet it didn't show anything clear to explain it.

For now, it was another mystery added to Natsu's lineage. Whoever his parents were, she assumed that they must be related to dragons in general or in some form after looking at the uncanny descriptions of the pinkette's abilities and magic. However, there were no records of dragons existing on the surface nor was there any concrete information about dragons in the past.

She suddenly had the urge to ask him about it but she refrained for now as she focused on his status check.

Ignoring her questions, she looked at the status further, particularly at the developmental abilities that she failed to check up on a few days back. She was so excited about his rank up that she didn't bother to write down the other changes in the process. Her eyes slightly widened as soon as she saw the skill tree popped up on the screen.

"Hey, Natsu. I forgot to tell you this on our last update but it looks like you gained a developmental ability." She leaned to her side to speak, prompting him to look back in confusion.

"What's a developmental ability, goddess?"

"You didn't hear anything from your advisor?"

"Well, I never knew much about it from Eina but she did tell me a little bit about it when I told her I leveled up the other day. Though I don't really know how it worked." He confessed.

"I see. Well basically, a development ability is something that you gain when you level up. It's a characteristic that is sometimes close to your abilities. For example, a warrior who is attuned to using swords would develop abilities like Swordsman while a magic user would develop Mage or Magic Resistance ability, and so on." She explained.

"Is that so?"

"You leveled up a few days ago so you should be able to acquire development abilities close to your fighting style. There is also a chance that you may not get at all despite leveling up."

"Did I get some development-something something?"

"Development Ability." She corrected.

"Yeah, right. That one."

"Fortunately for you, you have three abilities to choose from." She revealed.

"Eh, really? That's cool! I get to choose all of them." Natsu said in excitement.

"Did I forget that you only get to choose one?"

"Aww... That sucks. Why can't I get them all at the same time?" Natsu's spirit went down in an instant.

"It's the Falna system at work. Oh, but don't worry. You get to choose the ones you didn't choose before as you level up again. These abilities just happened to become available to you at an early time. Perhaps it might be from your performance that made them unlockable in the first place." She explained.

"Really? Well, I guess that's fine for me. What are my choices?" He asked.

Hestia peered over to the development ability section closely as she read out the abilities presented before her. "Let's see here..."

"Well, there's Abnormal Resistance. Basically, it negates abnormalities in your body like poison. It's a straightforward skill and lets you become immune to pretty much almost anything the higher the rank it becomes." She spoke.

"Hnn... hnn... Neat." Natsu nodded.

"Next is Hunter." Hestia paused as soon as she saw this skill. "Natsu, this ability is one of the most difficult abilities to get from. It improves your abilities against monsters you have fought before, therefore making them easy to defeat and gain more excelia from it. You need a great amount of monster-killing on your belt to get this ability. In addition, this only appears on Level 2 so it's bound not to appear again on your next rank up if you don't choose this."

"Heeeeeh... Is that so? Guess I'll think more about it. So what's the last one?"

"Your last ability is..." Her eyes soon followed the same squinting pattern ever since learning new changes in this status. Although this one seemed rather more serious than the last one, judging from the lack of enthusiasm she had when speaking to him. "Natsu, I think you need to consult more about this to your advisor."

"Why? What did you see, goddess?"

"Slayer."

"Huh?"

"This is a new ability, Natsu. I think I never read anyone having this ability before. At least, there are no records of it as far as I know." She muttered seriously.

"What does it do?" He asked curiously to which the goddess complied as she began to read its effects.

"It enhances the user's fighting capabilities against its opponents the longer the fight becomes. Improves battle sense through experience and adapts accordingly, granting better proficiency in battle. It also performs best against dragon-type enemies." Hestia finished.

"That's awesome! Does it say anything else?"

"No. However, this ability is one of a kind. It's similar to the Hunter ability but this one is not limited to monsters. Though it does not grant you more excelia compared to the former. In practicality, this one suits you better at least in my opinion, but you're going to need some more insight to decide for yourself. I don't know if it will appear on your next rank up so you should consult your advisor about this first thing in the morning, okay?" She advised.

"Sure thing."

"Okay. I'll leave this for now. We will decide on this tomorrow evening. Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

After discussing their matters, Hestia proceeded to copy the progress and handed it over to him. They continued to talk about other things before calling it a night as Natsu slept on the couch. They bought a new bed for them to sleep but it seemed like the pinkette got used to the same place ever since joining the familia which resulted in Hestia protesting all the time on getting him to sleep on the bed together with her since it was much more spacious and comfortable.

In the end, it was Hestia who slept next to him without even using the bed once again. It was already a normal thing for the two at this point and Natsu didn't seem bothered by it at all. As for the other people, well, let's just say that they hadn't seen the whole picture yet but it would certainly get them the wrong idea if that happened.

Another normal day passed by as usual.

---

Somewhere on the East Main

---

A group of adventurers gathered together in a small pub as they discussed their matters after today's dungeon exploration. They sat on a large table where they settled their things and valis while surrounded by an array of food and drinks. Some of their faces looked flushed after dunking several mugs to stave off the tension built up during their expedition in the dungeon.

"Alright! That's another toast for good hauls!"

"Cheers!"

"Damn straight! Those monsters are so weak. I feel like I'm leveling up soon."

"Don't kid yourself! Hahaha, I might be the one who's going to level up. Then once I rank up, I'll get more valis and then―"

"That's enough, Grigor. You'll get your chance to buy that liquor but now, we have more pressing matters."

"Hoh? Is it about time we find our next target, Canoe?"

The raccoon demi-human placed down his mug as he looked at his fellow adventurers with anticipation.

"That's right. And we're aiming big this time." Hearing his declaration, the rest of his members tuned in to listen as they stopped their drinks for a moment.

"Is that so? Well, hope that this one's got the goods worth for that liquor price." One laughed in his drunken stupor.

"Oh, he is but it's not going to be easy. That's why we're all going for this one. But before that, we need someone to gain their trust." Canoe smirked, turning his eyes at his left and lowered a bit, seeing a sprawling Pallum on the floor. Her clothes full of dirt and her body suffered some scratches that were not treated right away, giving way for more painful wounds in the process.

"You hear that, Arde?" Canoe answered which prompted the crawling Pallum to nod due to her unable to speak for the lack of food she had for days.

"Hey, Canoe. You should take care of your pet properly. Looks like she couldn't even speak. Not that I'm complaining but it's better to hear her from time to time, don't you think?" Another adventurer from the group spoke out.

"Oh, don't remind me. Her stash was worth more than I expected. Of course, she deserves a reward for it." Canoe assured as he proceeded to grab a small plate, containing some sort of mixture of leftovers from the food they ate. He grabbed a handful from their finished meals and mixed them together with water.

He laid them next to her. The whiff of mixed food scents assaulted the girl's nose, sending a strong instinct to follow it. And in just like that, she sprung into action as her hunger got the best of her and swiftly dug her mouth to the plate without reservation.

A stifle of laughs roared around her as Canoe and the rest watched in amusement. However, it seemed it didn't matter for the girl as her body was more focused on replenishing its essential energy to keep working. It had been desperate for over two days and she couldn't care to watch her distasteful actions in front of them.

The food was unbearable but it was better than nothing so she didn't mind. Her desperate body forced itself to ignore the repulsive smell and proceeded to eat down to satisfy itself even if it was barely enough for another day.

"Cheer up, Arde. I'm not as heartless as you think I am. Here." Canoe spoke as he placed another plate down beside her. It had a decent meal, much more delectable compared to the last one.

Arde didn't waste time to choose and with her appetite partially filled, she was able to eat at least normally than before. Her attention still focused on the food in front of her. She didn't even question the demi-human's sudden act of goodwill towards her. Her mind was just screaming to survive and the food in front of her was the only way to do that.

"Can't have you looking too weak in front of our new targets. So at least get some energy for tomorrow. We'll have you pretend to be helpless to get their guard down then pretend to have some sad backstory and earn their sympathy. Do it steady and make your move little by little. Take whatever you can from them and when you're all done, you know what to do, right?" Canoe ordered.

"Yes."

"That's a good dog. Now run along. You'll meet us on the same spot tomorrow morning and give you our orders."

With that statement, the Pallum simply nodded as soon as she managed to finish her food and stumbled away outside the pub and out of sight. As soon as she was out of sight, the group turned their heads towards the raccoon demi-human with their brows quirked.

"So who's the target?"

Canoe pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slammed it on the table for everyone to see. The paper had a sketch of a person that revealed his characteristics.

"Natsu Dragneel. The rumored adventurer that took down the Irregular."

"Oi oi oi. Aren't you a bit too bold to take on this guy? It's that rumored guy, you know."

"Like I believe in some rumor. I had someone to take a look at this guy. Brash, stupid, and probably looks weak on the inside. There are even some rumors that he just got the credit because the Sword Princess was there or something. The reports about his success look flimsy at best." Canoe paused. "And this is good for us. He might've gotten the reward from the quest and probably had some pocket to steal."

"Now that you think about it, it does look kinda suspicious."

"But he's a Level 2, you know. He broke the record even the Kenki's"

"So what? It's not like we never targetted some Level 2s before. This punk's no different.

"That makes it easier for us if things go south. He won't be able to stand against a party of five, that's for sure."

"Oh yeah. Or we can just lure him deep in the dungeon and leave him to the monsters and claim the loot afterward."

"We have lots of choices to go on this one. It's a bit risky because he's partied with other people. However, I'll have Arde and Ged deal with it and isolate him as much as possible. And then―"

"That's where we'll strike, right?"

"Bingo."

"All right. I'm in."

"Seems like the cut this time will be big."

"You'll get your share once that's done."

"And what of Arde and Ged?"

"I have some plans for them. For now, let's toast for tomorrow!" Canoe raised his cup as the rest of his party celebrated into the night. Tomorrow is the big day and they will get that loot no matter what.

Unknown to them, outside one of the windows of the pub, a slim figure was eavesdropping from the conversation. As soon as it found nothing worth of value in listening to the drunken party, it quickly slithered back to the shadows and disappeared into the night.

---

...

---

It was early in the morning and Natsu already found himself standing in front of the Guild building. After discussing the matters with his goddess last night, he made sure to arrive here first thing to apologize. He wondered if that woman is somewhat still in the same counter. It wouldn't be strange to assume that she asked for a change in position because of their unpleasant exchange yesterday.

Nevertheless, the pinkette was still determined to make up. He was out of line during that time so he had to correct himself this instant. Even if it ended with him asking the other Guild employees for her. He briefly inhaled and released it as he readied himself to enter inside.

Since there are few people coming in and out of the building, he won't have to worry about the attention.

He steeled himself and finally walked inside.

Just like yesterday, few guild employees seemed to occupy the counter. Probably from the temporary relocation of some of its members that he heard from the red-haired woman.

Speaking of the red-haired woman, he quickly spotted her from one of the front counters, dealing with all kinds of transactions with people waiting in line. He decided not to call her right away and simply fell in line with the group of people. It seemed like she didn't even notice him, judging from the type of work she's doing right now. Still, it was fine for him. He wanted to deal with this issue as privately as possible.

It took a couple of minutes until it was his turn to the counter. When the last person left the area, he stepped in front to meet her face to face.

"Okay, next! What's your inquiry? Are you here for an exchange of valis? Just put your loot in front and I'll exchange it for you." The woman spoke without looking at him. She seemed to be focusing her attention on a pile of papers beside her. It's because of the lack of employees that she was forced to deal with more paperwork than usual.

"Umm, that's not it."

"Huh? None of those? Do you want information? Just refer to the next counter." She continued speaking without looking. Her eyes still glued on the paper she was writing on.

"No."

"No? So you have a problem with valis exchange? You can check on our board on the value of every monster drop item on each floor."

"Ah, I'm not looking for anything" Natsu explained.

"Then what do you want―" It was at that moment, she decided to leave her eyes from the paper for a moment and turned towards the person who was holding her back. However, her statement fell short as soon as she recognized the person right in front of her. Her face gaped in shock in response as Natsu passed a wave towards her.

"Yo."

"You―"

"Sup. Fancy meeting you here."

"You're that guy from yesterday."

"Hello. Name's Natsu Dragneel by the way."

The female urged to answer back but quickly realized that the person she got into a heated exchange with was the same guy she was supposed to inform about the temporary replacement for advisors yesterday. At that moment, she was left standing awkwardly wordless in front of him who seemed to be the opposite of her right now. However, it looked like he wasn't here to continue their argument yesterday after noticing his rather softened and friendly look towards her.

"Just to let you know that I came here about yesterday. I think I got a little overboard about the things I said to you..." He started as he took advantage of the silence to explain himself in front of her. "And I swear I didn't mean to call you a bitch, old hag, a useless twig, ugly employee, a literal piece of sh―"

"WAIT! STOP! STOP!" The woman almost choked out her words as soon as she heard him enumerating the things that happened in their exchange right in front of the counter where some of her colleagues and the people behind were able to hear their conversation.

Natsu stopped after noticing the sudden shriek from the woman, as well as, a hand gesturing to stop him from speaking. He was looking at his own hands, counting the insults he said about her without realizing how he was surrounded by a lot of people that would otherwise embarrass both of them should he decided to go any further.

When he looked back at the woman, he saw her face blushing for some reason. He noticed her looking at him as she tried to recollect herself. After a good few seconds, he finally heard her speak to him with her still avoiding his gaze for some reason.

"Let's talk about it in private."

The two then availed a seat for two people on a wide lounging area just on the left side of the building located near the entrance. The woman got permission to take a short break and followed him to the lounge. Natsu sat on one side while the woman occupied the other side of the seat. A short awkward silence went between them until she decided to break the atmosphere.

"So what did you come here for again?" She asked, seemingly wanting to start from the top.

Natsu took a small breath before slightly bowing his head in front of her. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you yesterday."

"W-What?" She blurted out, seemingly surprised.

"Perhaps I went a bit too far about insulting you. I shouldn't lose my cool over something like that. I let my emotions get the better of me so it was out of line on my part. So I'm sorry for everything I said yesterday. I hope I didn't ruin your day or something." He said without lifting his head.

Rose still visibly shocked at his apology, sat there while slowly taking in the whole thing until she finally managed to regain her cool. She noticed the sincerity of the boy's voice. To be honest, she was still mulling about how to confront him after realizing him to be the same adventurer assigned to Eina. The very person she was tasked to in the meantime during her absence. Today seemed like he wanted to clear up their misunderstandings from yesterday.

"Please raise your head, Dragneel."

He lifted his head in response. The woman relaxed her face and decided to look at him with the same conviction.

"It looks like I also owe you an apology. It is also partly my fault that we got on the wrong foot. So I apologize for inconveniencing your time yesterday. I too seem to have gotten way off the line." She lightly bowed her head in return.

"I-Is that so? I guess it's just wrong timing, huh?" Natsu scratched his head in response.

"Truly." She agreed.

"So that does that mean we're good now. No hard feelings, okay?"

"I guess so."

"I see. Well, glad that's settled then! Thanks for listening to me." Natsu grinned toothily.

"Same here. I'm glad the misunderstanding's been cleared. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to come up to me looking for an apology." She confessed.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I pegged you for a guy who looked too stubborn to admit his mistakes. You're brash and emotionally-driven than being the type to listen to reason." She pointed.

"Hey!" A small tick of irritation appeared on his forehead.

"See? You should know already that I'm just messing with you."

"And here I thought you'd look nicer with that attitude. Turns out I'm wrong after all." He huffed, crossing his arms in disappointment.

"Well do forgive me for having a tough personality but that's just who I am. I'm not the type to sweeten my words. I just say things straight and directly. I don't mince my words to convince someone, that's all." She replied without an ounce of hesitation.

"I see. I'll take that in mind." Natsu nodded.

It seems like she's the kind of person who doesn't like to wait around.

"Which also reminds me, I also have something to inform you about since yesterday." She continued.

"What about?"

"It's about your temporary change of advisors. I'm sure you heard from me that some of our guild employees were assigned to one of our branches outside Orario, right?" She clarified. After getting a nod from him, she continued. "Well, Eina happened to be chosen on the job so she won't be coming back for a week. With that said, I was assigned to take over her assigned adventurers which includes you for that matter."

"I see."

"So I'll be your personal advisor starting today until she comes back, you get all that flame-boy?"

"What did you just call me?"

"You don't want that? How about Pinky then." She quirked her brow.

"Eh, sounds dumb."

"Should be a perfect name for you then."

"You... You're not nice, you know that?"

"I get that a lot. And I'm not stopping now."

"Fine then, miss puppy." He retorted.

"I'm not a puppy. Don't you see I'm a werewolf?" She pointed her wolf-like ears as it moved upon her gesture.

"They're all look pretty the same to me."

"They're not! Know the difference, you dunce!"

"Make me, little puppy."

"Can you stop calling me that? I have a name."

"How the hell would I know? You never even told me yours in the first place." He retorted.

"If I tell you, will you stop?"

"Depends on the situation." He quipped.

She growled at the pinkette, crossing her arms in a fit as she turned her sights away from him. A short pause ensued between them until she opened her mouth to speak.

"It's Rose."

"Rose... That's it?"

"What? Do I have to give my surname as well?"

"Well, yeah. Because I gave you mine too so you should too."

"Was there any rule about something like that?" She asked.

"Well... no?"

"Then I don't need to." She smirked.

"Y-You... You really are not nice." Natsu hissed in irritation.

"Listen, I'm only here as your temporary advisor. I only provide you information about the dungeon and help with the valis exchange. There's no need for you and me to talk more other than that. We're not here to make friends. We're just an adventurer and an advisor. I don't care what you think of me. It's a simple give-and-take relationship." She clarified.

It's just like she said, she didn't leave any sugarcoating in her statements towards him. She made it clear of their positions between each other.

She noticed him taken aback by that reply which sent a sense of relief on her end. She wanted to make it clear that she wasn't here to spark a friendship, further yet, a bond with the adventurer. She had grown tired of it. It was better to cut it all off than to wait for it to form. She didn't have anything against the man, it was just her way of protecting herself from getting attached.

After all, she was taught not to put her personal feelings during work.

Her line of work wasn't just a good match to have an emotional attachment towards adventurers. It would be very difficult for her to take it once they develop those kinds of relationships. That's why she shut herself from those people wanting to get close to her. More than that, she didn't want to be the reason for their deaths. She would refrain from telling them in engaging risky quests or advise them on something that would endanger them.

Some may call it counterproductive but that's just how being a guild employee is supposed to handle as they guide the adventurers. They're burdened with the weight of their adventurers' lives. Every word they say to them can be a precedent for their impending death.

Rose just found it by not telling them what they wanted to hear when it came to these types of discussions. She would refuse to tell them anything that could lead them to their deaths or just cut her connections from them before it could even start. If nothing else, she would just endure all of it.

This adventurer is no different.

"Do you understand now?" She said, hoping to end this idle conversation once and for all.

"No." He bluntly replied.

"W-What?"

"I don't get any of what you said."

"Are you... seriously an idiot?" She gaped her eyes in shock.

"Maybe."

"Why did I even bother?" She turned away with a sigh of exasperation.

It was a waste of time dealing with this person.

"But you know, that kind of thinking is kinda sad." He spoke, catching her attention.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it's just that you're afraid of choosing. So you keep them at a distance. Never losing it but also never getting it as well. Like when you're told to choose but you prefer not to choose at all." He said.

"Haaaa. For a slowpoke, you're pretty sharp but yes, I'm aware of my own choosing."

"But wouldn't that mean that you're always alone from the start?" He asked.

"I don't care if I'm alone or not. Or that if I'm hated by everyone else. It's our line of work. We have to live with it or we'll regret it. I know. I've been there." She said sternly.

However, a tinge of sadness welled up in her eyes as she averted her gaze from the adventurer. Something about him made her remind countless faces that she came to know from the past. She saw and heard it all the same but none of them ever returned after saying those words. That's why she refrained from getting too attached.

"I guess you may be right on that." Natsu muttered which prompted her to sigh in response after what it seemed to be the end of their talk. "However, you can never lie to your own sadness. No matter how much you try to conceal it, it's there. I don't know what's the cause of it but I can see that you always felt that kind of feeling every time you look at someone. That's why I thought it was kinda sad."

This caught Rose off guard, her eyes widening in surprise at his words. As if his very statement struck at something in her that made her tense all of a sudden.

"W-What are you implying?

"Who knows. I'm just saying my thoughts here. I mean, we're just an adventurer and advisor after all." He quipped.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him.

"You cheeky little―"

"Well leaving that aside, I did not just call you here to apologize. I wanted to ask something. It's dungeon related just so you know." He changed topics but Rose was still hung about his last statement. Though she decided to keep it in for now and proceeded to shift back to her usual tough personality with a little flair of annoyance due to the fact that she was talking to him.

"What do you want?"

"I want to ask about my choice of development ability."

Rose's eyes widened for a moment. "You didn't discuss this with Eina before?"

"I did but Goddess just told me about my choices last night. And Eina's not here so..." He explained.

"I see. I understand your circumstances. Usually, under normal procedures, I'm not allowed to have you share your status with me except your personal advisor. But since she's not here at the moment, I'll make an exception in disclosing just for this instance."

"Uh, okay?" Natsu replied, failing to follow her conversation.

"It means you can discuss to me the abilities so I can also give my opinion about it to help you choose the right one. And it looks like you got multiple choices to choose from, am I right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Can you tell me the abilities that you got from your rank up? I'll share what I think about them."

"Alright. Here goes..."

The pinkette then proceeded to explain the different development abilities that he got from Hestia last night. He made sure to memorize the words that she said to him about each of the abilities. Although it seemed like he couldn't get to explain carefully since he sucked in remembering complicated lessons which added a few painful head-shaking from Rose in the process.

Fortunately, she was able to grasp some of his explanation due to the fact that his abilities were written in the records. There was no need for her to speculate since she knew most of them on her mind. However, the last ability was what got her somewhat disturbed because just like Hestia had told him last night, it was a new type of ability.

"I see. If I'm getting this right, this Slayer ability is likely similar to the Hunter ability. And you say that it's not limited to monsters but to anything that the user sees as an opponent."

"Pretty much."

"Well, this is quite interesting. If I were to choose, I might want to choose the new ability."

"Yeah. Goddess did also say that because it was rare."

"While I'm still debating about the Hunter ability, it can't be helped if you decided to choose the Slayer over it. Two rare abilities are almost as good as a miracle for any adventurer to have in their first rank up. Well, that still depends on the person. Don't take my word for it, you're free to choose whatever ability you think is the best to your fighting capabilities." Rose said.

"Nah, it's alright. I think I decided what to choose now."

"You sure? You won't be able to revert your choice once your goddess updates your status." She questioned.

"Yeah."

Rose merely sighed. "Alright, if that's your decision then it's decided. Slayer ability it is. I'll make sure to write it on paper as well. It's a new ability so I'm gonna need to record it. Anything else, you need?"

"I guess that's all, I think."

"Understood. Drop by the building once you're done with the dungeon exploring. I'll exchange your drops as you did with Eina."

"Sure thing." He paused before remembering something. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What is it?"

At that moment, Natsu reached a hand towards her. Rose simply looked at it with a confusing look as she then turned her eyes back on the pinkette.

"What is this?"

"Uh, a handshake. At the very least, we can do this, right? I mean, you're my personal advisor."

"Temporary personal advisor." She corrected.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "So? We gonna do this or what?"

"Fine." She relented, raising her hand to meet with his.

"Please take care of me, Rose." He smiled wide, earning only a scoff from her in response.

---

...

---

After resolving his beef with Rose, Natsu then proceeded on his way to the dungeon to meet up with Wendy and Welf. He didn't bother to bring some of his stuff since they were only taking it easy for today with the dungeon exploration. They decided on training Wendy's magic and see how it would work in their party in the process. He and Welf would be only acting as her bodyguard while at the same time, defeating monsters to boost their experience.

Because he had experience, he didn't need to go that far down. Plus, he wanted Wendy and Welf to accumulate some experience on their own until they could try exploring the Middle Floors. Once they gathered enough to ensure their preparedness, they would be on their way to challenging it eventually.

He paced at the main street leading to the central tower of Babel as adventurers traversed alongside the same path.

"Hmm?" He hummed in thought as he felt his tummy grumble. "I'm starving."

Oh, that's right. He forgot to get breakfast since he went out early. He even missed going to the pub to fetch Syr's lunch. She would always make him every time he went into the dungeon. He made a mental note to apologize to her for missing out on her cooking today. She had been a great help to him whenever he went out with an empty stomach. Going to the Hostess of Fertility was pretty much a routine for him at this point.

There's not a day where he would miss visiting the place.

Turning to a nearby stall, he ordered five Jagamarukuns for himself. Yes, he was that hungry.

After receiving them, he went back to his previous venture as he ate one along the way.

But as he was walking, his eyes wandered off towards a small corner to his left. He stopped just in time as his eyes caught an unexpected sight.

A guy with a sword on his back and a petite girl carrying a huge backpack over her back, perhaps a supporter. It looked like they were talking about something but to be in that kind of place made him a little bit curious. With the jagamarukuns from his hands, he diverted direction and went into the small alleyway. He quietly took cover on a pile of stuff concealing himself from their eyesight. He was still a bit far from normal hearing range but his senses were sharper so he didn't cover much distance any and simply relied on his sensitive ears.

"Alright, let's cut to the chase. I know you hated that raccoon bastard so I'm here to offer you a deal." The man spoke.

"Deal?"

"First off, I can help you. I have some friends that could take care of that stupid demi-human. You continue doing whatever it is they're planning but in exchange, I get all the shares. So how about it? You'll let me take the spoils of your next target and I'll take care of that Canoe bastard. Perhaps I can take over him and at least treat you better than he does." He offered.

'What is this? Some kind of shady business?' Natsu thought.

Judging from the looks of things, the whole thing about this situation seemed suspicious. Still, it was somehow getting him curious about it too. Hestia warned him that there were all kinds of nasty stuff happening in this city where most residents wouldn't be able to see. He was advised not to get involved at all times should he happen to come across.

However, he was interested to see this development. Would care for a little eavesdrop.

"And what if I don't?" He heard the petite supporter ask the man with a different question.

However, what happened afterward got him agitated.

Out of nowhere, the man began using his big sword and visibly let it seen in his hand as a sign of threat. The supporter instinctively recoiled as she stepped back after realizing what the man was resorting to.

"I guess I should've expected this since you're from the Soma familia. I didn't come a long way here to be exposed. That's why I picked this place. Should anything go wrong in this meeting, there will be little attention brought here. Of course, that goes for what I'm about to do if you got me in the wrong mood." He smirked.

The girl yelped in fear at his words. Though as the man was about to continue, a flash of pink went across and sent the man flying a few distances away from her.

A loud boom startled her as she was now staring at an unfamiliar figure right in front of her. She couldn't make out his appearance due to the direction of the sun pointing straight at her eyes which caused her to shield them while still looking flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events.

A few minutes later, the man who was supposed to be talking to her was grunting at the blow, his sword thrown back out of his reach which led him completely unarmed towards this unknown assailant.

"W-What do you think you're doing, you bastard!"

"Ah, sorry. I thought I heard something suspicious so I had to step in for a little bit." The man answered, fairly calm and a bit carefree despite the situation.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

The man ignored his threat and simply turned around. His attention now focused on her who stumbled on her back after being overwhelmed by the whole thing. A hand was seen reaching out to her, perhaps to help her get back up in the process. But it was not just the hand helping her, it was a face of genuine smile that she never saw before in the countless adventurers she'd been working with.

And then, a soothing voice called out to her.

"Are you hurt?"

---

...

---

A/N: Alright. That's a wrap for this chapter for now. A few things I wanted to clarify here. Notice that I added some non-canon characters from the two universes. I will be adding some other characters as the story progresses so until then, that'll do. Of course, the other main characters on FT will be included. Just not in this current progress.

For those who didn't know these characters, they're from the Dragon Cry Movie Fairy Tail. Watch it if you want to know more. I want to give them more screentime in this story though, especially the latter.

- Riana

- Sonya

You will be seeing them sometime in the future chapters though, at the current progress of the story, it's still not the time to reveal them. I'm still focusing on establishing the core members of the Hestia Familia in this AU which they will be a part of soon.

Note that the characters introduced in this AU are different from their canon ones. So any changes to their magic, etc. will have elements that may or may not follow, deviate, or add in this story.

Anyway, that's it for now. Don't forget to leave a review and as always, see you in the next chap! Peace!

- The wiErDos send their regards...