A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here and I've got the second chapter for y'all!
Have fun and Happy Reading ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by their respective authors. Support the official releases.
- The Brim of Conflict -
Hestia cannot believe her eyes after seeing the numbers. An improvement like this is not normal―rather, it's phenomenal. Something like this doesn't happen to any adventurer no matter how much they try to improve themselves or kill monsters inside the dungeon.
There's a certain limit to how a human can gain experience. At least that's how it is supposed to be. She heard that there are other exceptional people that managed to increase their abilities faster than others but this is just too much. Natsu is a different kind of person in terms of his dedication to gaining experience. He is extremely hard working and always thinks ahead of challenging stronger opponents than him. His reckless nature always gets him into that kind of environment but that isn't enough explanation for that enormous gain of experience.
What's even more shocking is that his abilities changed dramatically.
Furthermore, he gained a skill.
"What's wrong, Goddess?" Natsu asked confusingly at her shocked eyes which prompted her to snap out of her daze.
"I-Iyaa... Nothing's wrong. Just wait a minute, I'll be finished right away." She quickly hid her astonishment as she further examined his status.
...
Leaving aside the numbers, her eyes also took notice of the skill sector which before seen as empty now housed an unusual skill name.
'Flames of Emotion? What the hell does that even mean?'
She heard that some adventurers gain skill despite even before being blessed with Falna by the gods. They called it an inborn ability―something that was inherent to the person which probably came from their heritage and race.
By giving them the god's blessing, those abilities are surfaced as an additional set of skills that will prove to be advantageous for those at the lowest level.
She never heard of such skill before and it's certain that it's not part of the records that the Guild has listed down either.
Something like this is what she would call as an unknown or a rare type. Moreover, the appearance of his skill seemed uncanny. If Natsu was blessed with her Falna, the inborn skill should be able to appear at the moment of the ritual. However, his skill came in too late like it was delayed or some sort.
She never heard of something like a late skill development. Well at least, from what she heard from the other gods.
She then traced her eyes over to its effects.
'Flames connect through the user's feelings. The stronger his emotions are, the stronger the flames will become.' She thought in wonder as she read it.
Certainly, this type of skill is suited for a fire mage user like Natsu. But how does he have this kind of skill?
Hestia didn't know much about the pinkette except that he was traveling alone and searching for his father. She never asked further about his circumstance until now which made her wonder about his past. For all she knew, he might probably be the son of a famous magic-user from a faraway place.
Regardless, she could only speculate.
Lastly, her eyes narrowed at the other stats, specifically through his magic which undergone a sudden change as well. She grumbled upon seeing it.
"Fire... Dragon... huh?"
"What?"
"A-Ah, iyaa... It's nothing. Alright, I'm done." Finishing through the status check, Hestia pushed her hands down as the status faded away. She laid another paper down and copied the contents.
Natsu slowly sat straight beside her as he waited for her to give him the result.
"Here you go."
"Thanks, Goddess! Hmm?" He looked through the paper until his eyes suddenly popped out in shock.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"
The petite goddess sighed at his reaction as turned her eyes away nonchalantly.
Well, she expected him to react like that.
"Y-You kidding me? Over a hundred?! No, it's more than a few hundred! Goddess, this is real, right?!" He looked at her with an incredulous look. His eyes looking like he wasn't seeing it right so he turned over to her for confirmation.
"Yes. It's all true. Honestly, I was just as surprised as you. To think you would gain that much leap in just a day."
"R-Really?"
"Yep. Most adventurers take a lot of time and effort to get this kind of number and some of them don't even get that high enough before leveling up, you know. I'm surprised you haven't leveled up yet." She reminded.
"I-Is that so? I guess it's pretty amazing, huh?" He calmed down for a bit before looking back at the paper in awe. "But still, I didn't expect that to be high. I even gained a skill."
"That's right. And a rare one at that too. Something that is suitable for someone like you. I don't know what caused it but I suppose it's from the results of your experience."
"My experience, huh?" Natsu trailed off in profound thought as he traced his eyes back to the paper.
"Hey, can I ask you something, Natsu?"
"Hmm? Yeah?"
"Did something happen in the dungeon earlier? Something that you think was different from usual." She asked in curiosity.
The pinkette closed his eyes for a moment and tried to recall everything that transpired in his recent dungeon exploration. He placed a hand on his chin as he hummed in thought.
After a few seconds, he looked back at her.
"Well, there are a lot of things that happened honestly. I got a lot of hauls from the request paper you gave me last night." He paused.
"Ah, I see. So that explains it." Hestia thought in realization behind his huge growth. It pretty much sums up the experience he gained in getting all those increased stats from the monsters. Considering he single-handedly dealt those monsters, it's quite plausible to explain this phenomenon. But something was still yet missing.
"Oh, and I fought with this minotaur while saving another party by the way."
"I see, I see..." She bobbed her head in response. "Eh?"
Realizing it too late, she suddenly stopped moving as soon as she began to process his last statement.
"D-D-Did you just say, minotaur?!" Finally, the thought sank in as her bright face immediately turned into utter shock with her eyes blinking nonstop.
"Yeah. Did I say it wrong?"
Natsu, being oblivious to the gravity of the situation, tilted his head in confusion. The innocent look on his face was all that Hestia saw in him before her beaming expression tilted in full opposite force towards him.
"HHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" Then all of a sudden, she raised her voice in complete disarray as Natsu jolted in response, probably because of her sudden change in tone of voice.
His face was bewildered as soon as he looked back at his goddess in confusion.
"U-Uhhh... What's wrong, Goddess?"
"A MINOTAUR, YOU SAY?! JUST WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING INSIDE THE DUNGEON?!"
"C-Calm down for a moment. I can explain it." He tried to reason softly but he was cut off as the petite goddess threw out a series of scolding remarks towards him.
"LIKE HELL THERE IS! A MINOTAUR IS A MONSTER FROM THE MIDDLE FLOORS, YOU KNOW! JUST HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE MIDDLE FLOORS ALL BY YOURSELF?! ARE YOU INJURED?! DO YOU HAVE ANY WOUNDS?! IS YOUR BODY DOING ALRIGHT?! THERE'S NO POISON IN IT, RIGHT?!―"
Natsu could only put up a sweated gaze as the petite goddess continued to pour out countless questions about his recent adventure. Her statements rambled nonstop and it looked like it wouldn't give him enough time to answer all of them at the same time.
He made a complicated expression as he tried to calm her down.
"It's not what you think. There's been an accident."
Upon hearing that, Hestia halted her complaints as she looked at him in confusion.
"Accident?"
"I guess you could call it that." He placed a hand on the back of his head as he continued explaining. "Actually, there was another adventure familia who unknowingly drove the minotaurs to the upper floors and I just happen to stumble to one of them before it got taken out though."
"Another adventure familia." She trailed off in her words as Natsu nodded afterward.
"Yeah. Do you know them?"
"Well, somewhat. There are few familias that I'm familiar with aside from the ones we often visit though most of them aren't exactly friendly to me."
"You mean, you're on bad terms with them." He corrected.
"You could call it that."
"So there are familias like that, huh?" Natsu wondered in thought which caught her attention for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, it's nothing. It's just that there are such familias that aren't exactly on good terms with each other. I always thought that every one of them is friendly and helping each other. Like Miach and Takemikazuchi for example."
Hestia stared wide-eyed at his words for a moment before returning back to her usual expression. Her lips curled upward before speaking to him.
"You know, Natsu... you really are pure at heart." She gave a soft smile, prompting him to look at her with a puzzled look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, this is actually the first time someone had ever thought of such a thing. To tell you the truth, familias were supposed to be kind of like that. At least. that's what I imagined them to be."
"Is that so?" He pondered as his face showed a hint of interest and curiosity towards her words.
"Yup. I have only heard it only in stories from other gods. It's one of the reasons why I started coming down here to see what it's like but unfortunately, it's not as simple as that. More familias gain more influence and eventually decided to break off into different factions. They started working on their own and left the other little familias behind." She said.
Natsu, on the other hand, stayed vigorously intrigued. His eyes were sparkling as if like a child listening to a parent's tale.
"Heeeeeeh? So that's how it happened."
However, Hestia realized they were derailing off-topic and prompted her eyes back with suspicion once again.
"Anyway, that topic aside, what do you mean by stumbled to one of them?"
Natsu paused for a moment before speaking.
"Well, you see, I just happen to spot some adventurers being threatened by a minotaur so I had to jump in and help."
"And then?"
"I fought it."
"Alone?"
"Alone." He nodded.
Hestia placed a hand over her face.
She took a few moments to compose herself as she looked at the pinkette with a renewed gaze. Placing a pat onto his left shoulder, she began to speak.
"Listen Natsu. I know you're trying hard to become stronger but you have to be careful at all times. The dungeon is not meant entirely for an adventure. There will be times where the danger comes closer than you'd think and it will be too late for you to notice it which will endanger your life if you're careless." She paused. "I respect your desire and I will gladly support you along the way but you have to consider your own safety as well. I'm happy that you're helping others but you're still only one. Venturing alone in the dungeon especially on deeper floors is very risky no matter how you think of it."
"But I never visited the middle floors yet." Natsu sweatdropped.
"Yet... It doesn't change the fact that you're tempted to go in." She smartly replied, preventing him to explain any further after flinching at that.
Even a goddess can easily see through someone's feelings if they wanted to. For her, Natsu is just an easy person to see through his feelings. Just as he's kind at heart, his desires are easily read through without so much of an effort.
"G-Guh..."
Hestia sighed, seeing his stuttered response over her words just now. Looks like she hit the mark. Eventually, her lips traced a smile as she proceeded to hold both his hands and turned her gaze fully towards him.
"Natsu. I'm not saying that you should obey my words just because I'm your goddess. Humans are always changing no matter how much time passes. And because of that, many people tend to lose heart of their true goals and became blinded by worldly desires. Even your desire can blind you from all things around you."
"What do you mean?"
She said those words as if she saw it through experience. There's not even the need to look for similar ends. Almost all of the other familias, especially to their children have these similar circumstances that they lose everything they have in them and become succumbed to their selfish desires.
People who advance further to their goals quickly change into something different. Those who started with simple wishes in their lives but as they grew to the ranks of their familias, they forget what it is.
She could see through the others picking on the weak, stealing away from others, and sometimes even taking someone's life without remorse.
The people she saw in them are nothing like they once before. Blinded by fame and other material things, they can no longer remember themselves and simply move on, leaving everything they cared about.
The same thing could happen to him.
She knew that he was just trying to become stronger and also trying to help her as well. But even someone like him could be lured into his own trap and became blinded as a result.
She feared the day that he would eventually leave her familia in order to seek more. That's why she was worried about his goal.
"Humans can be selfish regardless of how good or bad it is to them. I wanted to let you know that you mustn't do things only for the prospect of becoming stronger. Think about what you wanted to do before coming here in this city."
Her advice is the same as that of Eina's. Her last statement suddenly got him to think about what he thought about coming into this city.
"What... I wanted to do." He muttered as if rephrasing her words clearly as he thought deeply.
"Hnn..." Hestia nodded. "That's why, no matter how far you've come and how strong you've become, always stay true to your feelings. Never lose your way and believe in yourself."
This was actually the first time they had this kind of talk with each other. Natsu always thought that Hestia was merely trying to remind him of his safety and the sorts but it looked like she was trying to remind him of a much deeper meaning from her words towards him.
He still couldn't grasp much of what she meant but it did make him wonder. Normally, he would've brushed it off for later and smile in reassurance but this conversation eventually got him pondered by a lot of things.
The goal he wanted to fulfill.
He could still remember it.
The dream to become strong in order to protect those around him and meeting other people with interesting lives. The thought resurfaced in his mind as he recalled his memories before entering this city.
He looked down at the floor for a moment before adopting a renewed gaze as soon as he came to fully understand all of it.
With a warm smile, he shifted his eyes towards his goddess in gratitude.
"Thank you, Goddess. I'll keep that in mind."
Hestia smiled with flushed cheeks as she suddenly hugged him by the neck in glee.
"You're welcome! I always have faith in you. After all, you're my strongest child!" She showered him with many praises in a silly manner as Natsu smiled in response, letting the sweet atmosphere linger for a while after finishing their discussion.
The rest of the night went on as the two eventually went to sleep. Hestia usually slept on the bed by herself while Natsu stayed awake on his couch with a small blanket placed above him.
As he watched his goddess doze off in her dreams, he continued to reminisce about his thoughts.
His memories also made him recall the time he had with his dad before he disappeared several years ago.
―The time where he had some of the happiest moments in his life.
'I wonder what you're doing right now, pops...'
He slowly held onto his scaly scarf, shifting it softly near beside his neck as he felt its warmth. It was a gift from him and the only thing that reminded of him. Even now, he still wondered why he left him or where he was right now.
He didn't even have the chance to say goodbye.
A slight wave of sadness overtook him but just then he heard his goddess mumbling something again in her sleep.
"NAshu... I waana guo... on a date~"
His eyes shifted to her already messy state as half of the blanket that used to cover her is now curled up due to her constant turning. He couldn't help but muster a warm smile.
Man, as a goddess, she can be sometimes a bit clumsy like this.
'Well, you don't have to worry about me here. I'm quite happy on my own as long as I'm with her. I hope to see you soon, pops.'
With him reassured, he eventually closed his eyes to sleep as they prepared for the new day ahead.
The next day
Just like before, Natsu woke up early to start his day. He prepared all his things as he stood outside the church with Hestia standing in front of her.
"I'll be heading out, Goddess!" He spoke in glee as the petite goddess responded with a smile.
"Travel safe! And also be careful on your way, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am!" He said. "So about the recruiting..."
"Don't worry, once you've finished your trip on the dungeon, we can start looking for some other people who might be interested to join us."
Natsu nodded in response.
"Alright. I'll see you later, Goddess!" And with that, he finally sprinted off to the dungeon as Hestia waved at the distance.
As soon as his figure disappeared from sight, she turned her attention back to the entrance she had something to do as well.
"Yosh, time to get to work as well."
Mumbling to herself, she prepared her stuff and exited the church. With the sun shining down on her, she set out as she walked from the other direction to start her day.
...
Natsu walked through the busy streets as the city slowly swarmed with lots of people, merchants, and adventurers alike.
It looks like things are about to get busier from now on.
Having to pass through a familiar path, he eventually sighted the Hostess of Fertility which prompted him to hasten his pace and approached the entrance. Since it was morning and most of the patrons are out adventuring, the place wasn't as lively as it was last night. It was usually during the night where the people come to visit by to crowd the place.
The pinkette turned to attention as he caught on a perky voice calling out to him. He looked further ahead and saw Syr coming over from the counter.
"Natsu!"
"Yo, Syr. Good morning. Nice meeting you here." He passed a wave as the girl stood near him with a beaming smile on her face.
"Orya? Is that the boy from last night, nya~?" Another voice cut through their conversation as another girl appeared behind Syr as if peering her eyes towards the pinkette.
"Anya." Syr muttered the other girl's name which prompted her to smile gleefully, showing her canines that Natsu was able to notice at first glance.
He also became aware of the protruding cat ears visible above her head which only brought him to a conclusion. However, most of her appearance still resembled that of a human as she had short brown hair and brown eyes. Her clothes consisted of the same outfit worn by the rest of the waitresses in the pub.
"Cat ears? Then you must be one of the Cat People, aren't you?" Said girl perked up as soon as she was being spoken to.
"Fufu~ That's right, nya~ If you ever need something, just call out to me, nya~" Anya made a short pose of herself, showing her cool composure until―
"Please refrain from bothering our customer, Anya. It's a sign of disrespect to show such an act to an acquaintance, you know that."
"Ahaha~ Sorry, nyan~"
A third person joined the group which didn't go unnoticed as Natsu turned to the far distance behind Syr and saw another girl approaching them.
Like Arnya, she looked to be non-human due to the sharp ears seen from both at her sides which made her a different kind of species of non-humans. And because there is no other race that bore such traits, he easily identified her as an elf. Natsu wasn't a stranger to meeting different races even before his arrival in Orario. Even still, he was always taken aback every time he got to meet them face to face.
She made her entrance as she stood next to Syr, seemingly holding some sort of a brown flask in her hands. Her short green hair added charm along with her light blue orbs that met his gaze as she stood next to her colleagues. A strong aura was sensed by him as he was overwhelmed by her presence.
It looks like this woman isn't just your regular sweet waitress when provoked.
At the same time, she seemed to notice his reaction towards her presence which prompted her to shook her head lightly in front of him.
"I apologize on behalf of my colleague's behavior. She didn't mean any trouble."
"It's alright. I'm not bothered by it." Natsu reassured.
"I suppose this is a late time to make introductions but... I'm Ryuu."
"Name's Anya... Anya Fromel. Just call if you need any help, alrighty-nya~?" The cat gave a slightly seductive gaze much to Natsu's confusion and Syr's reaction.
"A-Anya-san?"
"Just joking. I thought I'd tease you-nyan~"
But just as things about to continue for a while, a loud smack was heard as soon as a large tray crashed atop the cat woman's head. She sprawled down to the floor before getting pulled by the collar as Ryuu grabbed the slightly conscious woman with a blank look on her face.
"Please refrain from saying something that would affect Syr and Dragneel's relationship, understand?"
"Y-Yes." Arnya managed a weak reply as Ryuu looked at Natsu before bowing down in respect.
"I apologize for this girl's behavior. Then, I'll leave you two alone. Please continue to look after Syr, Dragneel-san." She said.
"S-Sure." Natsu, unsure of what to say, made a cold sweat after the whole scene as if it was their common habit. He didn't know if he should feel pity for the feline but it looked like even Anya didn't seem to be hurt at all. It looked like she was even more fearful at Ryuu's warning rather than the tray hitting on her head in the process.
Man, these waitresses sure aren't probably normal. Except for Syr that is.
From what he could tell, Syr seemed to be the only girl with no such strong presence like the rest. As if she could only display a sweet and warm feeling when being talked with her in the process.
As Ryuu returned to her work along with Arnya, the conversation eventually returned back to the two as Syr made a flushed look on her face, seemingly embarrassed.
"U-Uh, umm... she didn't mean that much so please don't mind it too much."
"Hmm? Well, I don't mind what she said. After all, we're friends, aren't we?"
Showing a radiant grin, Syr could not help but feel embarrassed in the process. Her eyes soon make their way down to her feet as if avoiding his gaze.
Natsu tilted his head in confusion but then realized he was already running out of time. "Ah, I should be going by now."
As he says that, Syr immediately returned her gaze.
"Oh, if that's the case, take these."
"You don't have to bring me anything. I won't be around in the dungeon that long today."
Hearing his refusal, her face adopted a puzzled look.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, it's not that really troubling if you think it like that. You see, Goddess and I are trying to recruit someone in our familia since it's not enough for just the two of us. We're using the event on Monster Feria as an opportunity to look for someone."
Apparently, he and Hestia are about to start recruiting for some new members in their familia just a few hours from now. And since they've already started fresh as a small yet stable familia, having to recruit someone would be beneficial for them. The goddess was constantly worrying about the pinkette's lone journey down to the dungeon floors so having someone to stand by his side would give some sort of relief to her.
The decision, however, is a different matter though.
For some reason, Hestia wanted to evaluate them when recruiting for the familia. She was strongly against recruiting women but it didn't stop her completely to deny any capable people to join them since he was willing to accept anyone.
At least, there was a chance for him to reconsider her decision when choosing a female companion for him.
In all honesty, he really doesn't mind that much but he needs to consider her opinion on the subject in order to assure things out.
"Oh, I see. I happen to attend there too once I'm finished here." She beamed in joy.
"Really? That's great! Are you watching the event by any chance?"
"Yes!"
"Cool! We can probably meet once we're done! I can introduce you to my goddess if you want to."
Just as the two were talking, a voice suddenly got the gray-haired waitress to jolt into attention.
"Syr! Your break is already over! What are you doing?"
Even Natsu was able to recognize that kind of authoritative tone as he, too looked over and saw Mama Mia coming into view, seemingly upset for some reason.
"A-Ah, Mia-san."
"How many times do I have to tell you to keep track of time? There are some customers who needed some drinks and... Hmm?" Her eyes shifted away from the female waitress as she recognized the pinkette right behind her.
"Hoh, you're the boy last night. Fancy meeting you here, huh?" Her way of speaking doesn't sound really lady-like. Even yet, she doesn't seem to act like one as she displays a rather masculine approach which puts other men to shame.
Realizing the reason behind Syr's behind schedule, Natsu gulped nervously as he soon faced a towering figure in front of him.
After a few moments, Mia began to calm down and eventually placed both her hands on his shoulders in relief.
"Ah, you should've told me that you needed time with her. Ah, youth these days..." She muttered something he doesn't understand but Syr seemed to be blushing for some reason.
"A-Ah, Mia-san. It's not what you think―"
"Oh, don't sweat it, Syr. If you could've told me sooner, I wouldn't have to shout all the way here to interrupt. Anyways, what business do you have here, boy?" She turned her attention to the pinkette who immediately answered in response.
"I-I just came by to say hello."
"Really? Is that all? I thought you would be here for some morning meals."
"Maybe later I guess, I have errands to do for my goddess, you see."
"Ah, I see. I guess even adventurers have it tough with their gods and goddesses, huh?" She spoke as if relating with experience which caught the pinkette attention.
"Did you become an adventurer, Mama Mia?"
"Of course. But that was already a long time ago. I don't have anything to do with the gods and goddesses anymore!" Her tone sounded annoyed by the looks of it which scared the shit out of him despite not being directed towards him.
Even so, he needed to get out of the line of fire.
"W-Well, anyhow. I should be going. I'm sorry to have taken too much of your time, Syr!" He apologized in which she flailed her arms in reassurance.
"I-It's fine. Then, I'll see you later in Monsterphilia."
"Sure thing!"
And with that, Natsu already sprinted down to the dungeon as Syr and Mia watched from the distance. As soon as his figure disappeared, the latter motioned her gaze back on the waitress beside her.
"Soooo... a date, huh?" Hearing this from her, Syr quickly turned back in embarrassment.
"I-I told you, it's not what you think!"
Mia sighed inwardly since she knew she would deny it to the very end of her breath. In response, she smiled as she led her back to the pub.
"Well, suit yourself... Be sure to not forget things when you go outside, alright?" Leaving her partway, the bulky woman went to the back of the counter as Syr merely looked at her fleeting figure in a flustered expression.
Inside the dungeon
Natsu easily waded his way down to the first floors of the dungeon as he began collecting magic stones from the monsters he defeated along the way. Since it was only a short while for him to wander down to the dungeon, he didn't bother to count his loot and just collected whatever magic stones he could carry for the day.
He could take it easy and practice using some of his spells in the meantime to try out his improvements. The monsters were perfect training dummies for him to try it out.
According to what he saw from his reading, his magic changed almost entirely from just flames magic into something unique―in which Hestia had described.
From what he remembered, it was something like Fire Dragon's Flames or some sort.
On the one hand, he was also advised not to reveal much of his new powers to others yet since she's yet to solve anything behind his improvement. If anything's possible, it could be some sort of a curse that might worry him in the future.
Still, he was dying to try it out instead of punching monsters all day.
Well, as long as no one's around, he can freely use it.
As if matching perfectly to his thoughts, the walls around him began spawning Killer Ants, surrounding the pinkette in mere seconds.
A smirk adopted on his lips as his hands blazed wildly around him.
"Alright! Bout time you all got here. I'm getting fired up!"
With a shout, he charged against the wave of ants as he balled his right fist, followed by a swirling flame around him as he thrust it down against one of the monsters. The power of the punch, however, is something he didn't expect afterward.
"Fire Dragon's Fist!"
As soon as his fist landed on the monster's head, a powerful force sent the monster crashing back to the wall, breaking it into pieces while also hitting several Killer Ants who happen to be in its way. The impact created a surge of flames around him as the formation of the monsters was easily broken apart.
Monsters who were near the vicinity were either blown away from the force, crashing into every corner in the process. Other stragglers remained standing in their bewildered movements, witnessing it for the first time.
Natsu as well looked a bit surprised by the power of his flames was able to emit. This was certainly different from the ones he used to fight against monsters. His magic has never been able to deal with this much damage as his punch literally obliterated the monsters in the process. Heck, he didn't even expect just how different the status of his improvement was compared from before.
'My body feels lighter than ever. I don't feel that much strain even after releasing that much magic as well.' He thought.
Not only that, his senses were sharper than before, enabling him to focus his attention more quickly as well as his reaction towards danger.
"Huh? Did this seem familiar?"
He said in such bewilderment that caused him to daze for a moment. For some reason, he knew what kind of spell he was able to invoke. As if he had done this before. However, there was no such thing in his memories that he was able to do something like this. Yet, the feeling was all too familiar to him.
What's going on?
This is entirely a different level even for a Level 1 adventurer like him.
The sound of crisscrossing mandibles caught his attention as numerous Killer Ants converged once again around him.
Natsu had to put aside his confusion and focused on the monsters right in front of him. He didn't want to return home severely injured. A wide smile traced down onto his face as he felt himself getting stronger.
With this, he will be able to help his goddess.
More monsters arrived from the other section of the dungeon, blocking the passage back to the upper floors. The attack must've attracted the other monsters due to the shockwave produced by the spell. It would seem like he had unintentionally drawn a lot of monsters into his area.
Gathering magic stones would be tedious due to the sheer number of Killer Ants approaching from every corner. He wouldn't have the time to collect everything since he ought to return to the surface, later on, to meet with Hestia.
Well, he can worry about all of that for later.
Right now, he needed to finish testing out his power and head back for lunch.
Turning his attention back to the horde of monsters, Natsu felt the release of flames from his body as it coated him, acting as some sort of a defense mechanism against those who come too close contact with him.
The heating temperature of the area rose due to the intensity of the flames as the pinkette focused his power back onto his right fist. He looked over to the monsters with determination as he swung down his fist towards the ground.
"BRING IT ON!"
...
The battle ended in a one-sided showdown as Natsu eventually eliminated all possible monsters within his vicinity, leaving a pile of magic stones lying on the ground. Smoking carcasses and burnt holes filled the walls which only displayed the aftermath of a brutal fight.
The pinkette wiped a small sweat from his head as he looked around as if admiring his work. The monsters literally had no match for him at this point which somehow left him a bit unsatisfied. As much as he wanted to go deep down to fight more powerful monsters, he would need to do that some other time.
Right now, he ought to be sitting back and enjoy his free time with Hestia.
"Phew... I better head back."
Realizing the time he spent on the dungeon floor, he collected several magic stones and began sprinting back to the surface thus, ending his trip to the dungeon for today.
He left all the other magic stones for the lucky adventurers who might've happened to stumble on that area.
There was still a question regarding his confusion about his newfound powers, though it seemed like he couldn't find an answer for it in the end.
Guess he would have to leave it at that for now.
...
It was high noon and the Tower of Babel continued to flood with adventurers going in and out of the dungeon.
Natsu trudged his way down on the West Main in order to exchange all the gathered magic stones. It didn't take long for him to reach to the main Guild as he spotted Eina working around in her usual place.
"Eina!"
He called out with his hand raised in which caught the elf's attention as she averted her eyes from her desk and looked at the approaching mage.
"Natsu? I thought you were going to work late in the dungeon."
"Ah, I'm taking the day off for today. Goddess wants me to attend to Monsterphilia later so I'm taking a half-day off." He explained, keeping the grin on his face as he placed a hand on the back of his head.
"I see. So, are you going out by then?"
"Pretty much. It's actually my first time seeing this event so I'd like to see it as well. I also heard there are some good stalls there so I want to try some of their food too."
"Oh, I guess you won't be staying that long in the dungeon. So why are you here by the way?"
"Came to exchange some magic stones. Also, I thought I'd say hi." He smiled.
"I-I see... I appreciate that." Eina appreciated his sincerity but it still made her fluster just as she heard him say that.
She managed to compose herself afterward. "Anyways, I also happen to go there soon. Guild workers are tasked to help with the event so I'm kind of needed there as well."
"I see. Want to come along? It's not that far off." He offered.
"Well, I was about to finish up here. Can you wait for a little while?"
"Sure thing. I'll wait by at the entrance once I'm done with the exchange."
Eventually, Eina went further back from the Guild counter while Natsu, on the other hand, went on his way to the exchange counter as he traded the magic stones he collected from the dungeon. He had a total amount of 4,000 valis in his hands which are quite enough to use it for the Monster Feria.
Since Hestia is coming along with him, he might as well treat her with some food and have fun while searching for recruits.
A few minutes went by and Eina was finished as she walked at the entrance where she saw Natsu leaning on the side of the wall, waiting for her.
The two smiled as they started on their way towards the event.
"So how are you doing right now?" Eina began asking, surprising him.
"Me? Oh, I'm doing fine, I guess. There's been a lot of things on my mind lately so I'm just gonna take it easy. You know, taking a break from all of it."
"That's good. And I thought you would be asking me about the deeper floors." She breathed a sigh of relief.
Her assumption, however, got the pinkette thinking about it as well.
"If I do have the chance, maybe I would ask right now." He joked but it didn't appease to the elf girl as she gave her a look of reproach.
"Natsu. The deeper floors is not a laughing matter." She reminded.
"I'm just kidding. I'm not planning to go in yet until I leveled up or joined in some party since you advised it to me several times." He smiled in reassurance which caught Eina off guard from his reply just now.
"W-What did you say?"
"Like I said, I'm not planning to go deeper yet unless I level up or have some party members with me. You always said that monsters are different from each floor and it's risky to go in alone without a party. Even though I'm wanted to go, I can't let myself be too careless, right?"
His choice of words further surprised her yet again since she noticed him looking more informed than what he usually does when he seeks advice from her. He spoke as if he was taking heed of everything that he's been taught about the dungeon. Even the system of partying which she thought he'd never care about in the first place was brought up.
Eina couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed by this new change as she widened her eyes, indicating a dumbfounded expression.
"Umm... Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Did something happen to you a few days back? You seem a bit proactive than before. I was wondering what made you change."
Natsu turned to stare in front of his view as he placed a hand on his chin, pondering.
"Hmm. Well, a lot of things happened so I thought I decided to step back for a bit and learn things more seriously."
"Heeeeeh." Eina leaned her head for closer inspection as her tone looked to be teasing him for some reason. Noticing this, Natsu responded with a serious look.
"What? I'm serious."
"I know that." She smiled.
"Then why are you looking at me like you're not convinced."
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that it's never fitted with your personality."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He replied grumpily, earning her a giggle afterward.
"Come on. At least, I'm trying here." He said.
"Of course, I know that. I don't need to confirm it myself since you always express your feelings straightforwardly no matter how things change."
Natsu didn't know if it was a compliment or not so he awkwardly replied with a slight blush on his face. "Gee, thanks, I guess..."
Eina kept her warm smile as she soon decided to change the topic for a bit since she was also a bit curious about his errand with his goddess. To be honest, she shouldn't have asked something like this but for some reason, a part of her wanted to know since she's his current advisor. Or that she was just curious to some extent that she didn't she had with the pinkette.
"So, what's this about going out with Goddess Hestia?"
"Ah, she wanted to invite me for a day off to watch Monsterphilia. We're also planning to look for recruits for our familia since we need more people to operate." He reasoned.
"Looking for recruits, huh? I think that would be hard in an event like Monsterphilia though. Even recruiting newcomers seemed pretty rare because most of them tend to join in a much more prestigious familia. That's why most small familias together with their children work extra hard before being recognized by other people." She explained.
"Well, that's certainly true but we're only doing a trial run though. It's not like we're desperate for more members at the moment so it's fine even we didn't succeed today."
"But if you think the other way around, you might be able to form a party, right?" She beamed in anticipation.
"Well, yeah."
"If you somehow managed to acquire at least one or two, I think it would be a new experience for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Because you were constantly fighting all by yourself, having a partner would surely bring out a new way of exploring the dungeon. Although it might not give you as much experience as you acquire alone, partying with other people will make your fighting easier and can even produce teamwork to bring down stronger monsters which only then would bring more valuable drop items and experience, you know."
"Hmm. I guess you're right." Natsu nodded along with her suggestion.
"When you become experienced with it, you'll be able to become stronger alongside with your companions."
There was a short pause between them as Eina continued in her statement. "Of course, that is when you eventually find someone who you can party with. It might be from the same familia as you are or any other familia you know about. Just remember that you should choose wisely on who to trust, okay?"
"Alright."
Eina smiled in relief as he nodded happily in response. To be honest, she was worried about the whole party thing with Natsu since there were a lot of issues where party members don't often get a good relationship with each other.
That's why in most cases of partying, people choose to stick with their own familia members rather than looking from other familias because strain relationships tend to rise from both their gods themselves which then creates a rift between children on both sides.
And because Natsu is the only child of the Hestia Familia, joining a party from other familias might not be such a good idea at the moment because it is risky. Recruiting, on the other hand, might be the most probable solution for further improvement of their familia.
She wanted to look out for him since he's a bit of a dunce at these kinds of things.
For all she knew, Natsu might get easily fooled by someone despite him being a capable person.
It's not that she's belittling him. She is just concerned with the fact that there are people who take advantage of other people's kindness such as him when lowering their guard.
If Natsu was thrown in that kind of situation, she wouldn't know what would happen.
As much as possible, she wanted to give him as much advice as she could for him not just as his advisor but as a friend who cared for his wellbeing.
...
Seeing how they discuss a lot of things during their journey, it didn't take long as they finally reached the festival.
Multiple people gathered around the place as the two saw a large colosseum located in the center. Multiple stalls and other shops surrounded the area as people wandered around in celebration of the event.
Shouts of the audience reverberated from the huge walls as Natsu stood in front of the entrance while watching Eina proceed further as she was needed in the event as well.
"Then, I'll be meeting with Misha. Make sure you arrive on time, alright? Oh, and also enjoy the show, okay?"
"Sure. See you later, Eina!" With a wave, the two parted ways as the elf walked inside while Natsu shifted his eyes back in the other direction to meet with Hestia in their meeting area.
He also needed to find Syr just so he could introduce her to Hestia as well. Considering that he didn't ask where she would be, he would just have to track her using his senses.
He walked away from the colosseum as he found himself within a sea of people walking towards the large structure.
There's about a column of stalls located around the colosseum. Brim laughter of people filled the atmosphere around him.
The pinkette managed to arrive at the designated location where he and Hestia were supposed to meet. It was a small grass plain along the stone pavement leading to the entrance of the colosseum. He sat down for a moment and decided to wait for his goddess.
"Nnnaaaaaatttttsssssssuuuuuuuuuuu!"
Soon afterward, a familiar voice echoed in the distance as Natsu turned his head over to the right and saw Hestia running towards him at full speed.
It looked like she was running late for their meeting.
"Goddess. You're late." He called her in response as the petite goddess wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him merrily while being spun around due to her speed.
Natsu didn't seem to bother the extravagant reunion since she's not that heavy, to begin with. Though he shouldn't blabber those thoughts around her since she might get mad once she heard it from him.
"You're early than usual. Did you miss me?"
"Well, sort of." He agreed along with her question.
"Mou... What are you going to do without me?" She cutely responded before pausing for a moment as she changed their subject. "Anyways, are you ready to go?"
"Hnn..." He nodded happily.
"Yosh! Let's have fun inside!" She pointed her gaze onto the colosseum, pulling the pinkette with her arm.
And in just like that, the two soon entered inside the colosseum to watch the Monsterphilia.
...
The audience inside was roaring with vigor as people and adventurers cheered for the members of the Ganesha Familia who were participating in the arena.
The event simply composed of a public showdown of monsters extracted from the dungeon and members acting as performers hosted by the Ganesha Familia.
There isn't anything more interesting about it other than that the monsters are being made to be tamed without killing them in the process. And because monsters are openly hostile against anyone, it is a dangerous act by which is only done by experienced adventurers stronger than the monster themselves.
However, in some extreme cases, the familia would often collect stronger monsters just for the thrill of it.
No one knew exactly who formulated this kind of festival except that it was merely regarded as some sort of hardcore entertainment for the children by Ganesha himself. However, few could think otherwise. For the normal folk, however, they only came to watch a spectacle.
Natsu and Hestia waded through the cramped space between columns as they find themselves a good seat where they can watch the whole show from afar.
The show was already halfway through its performance and the atmosphere was still filled with cheers and shouts for the performers down below.
And as the cheers grew wild around the colosseum, more monsters are being released into the arena as Ganesha Familia members skillfully displayed their dodging skills as well as their abilities in taming the maddened monsters.
"Aaaah... It's been a while since I last attended here. Ganesha sure loves these kinds of things." Hestia muttered as she observed the show.
"It doesn't look that much interesting to me. I want to eat at the stalls outside."
"Eeeeeeeeeeh? After all the work we've done to get this nice spot." She huffed peevishly.
"Okay, okay. I'll wait a bit longer."
Natsu wouldn't want to ruin their time together since it was supposed to be their day off although he wondered about Syr being around since he wanted to meet her with his goddess. However, leaving Hestia behind might just upset her mood since she was looking forward to it.
Guess he'll have to arrange it after the monster show.
His thoughts were soon caught back to the event as people cheered for the next performance of the show.
At the same time, Ganesha had stood up from his seat as he declared speech all across the colosseum.
"Thank you for your wonderful cheers to this festival, everyone! I am so happy that everyone is having fun at this event! And so, we shall present another performance as we introduce a menacing monster from the 11th floor! Today, we shall tame the famous Silverback! Also, I AM GANESHA!"
Natsu perked up in interest as his eyes looked over to one of the far entrances where the monsters are being released. He never trudged down to the 11th floor before since he was advised not to.
Seeing these kinds of monsters might give him some details on what to expect once he gets down further to the dungeon.
"So that's a monster from the 11th floor." He muttered.
"Well, yeah. But there are a lot more monsters aside from this one. I'm curious about how will they tame it though." Hestia pondered in thought as she narrowed her eyes closely towards the performance.
The Silverback was carried through a large cage before being placed in the middle of the arena.
People cheered once more as they began to release it by opening the lock
―However, just as one of the helpers was about to open the hatch, several eyes noticed a horde of monsters coming out from the four entrances where they were supposed to be contained inside.
"O-Oi, look!" One of the people in the audience pointed out which soon caught Natsu and Hestia's attention as they peered in the direction where the monsters are coming.
"Hoh! Are they gonna make it more difficult, huh? I'm wondering how they're going to tame them all at once. Now, this is the kind of entertainment I'd like to see!" Natsu commented in glee but Hestia's expression changed as soon as she noticed some panicked expressions coming from the performers down below.
Moreover, she observed to the far end as she saw Ganesha standing from his seat after being informed by his members behind him.
"Iya... I don't think that's meant to be that way."
"Huh?"
Natsu looked at his goddess in confusion but then the sound of the Silverback roaring from its cage brought his attention back to the arena.
People continuously cheered despite the unprecedented situation. At the same time, the monster horde began swarming the arena as they charged towards the two performers standing below. From their point of view, it looked like they tried containing them but just then a flash in the sky erupted, blinding everyone including Ganesha himself.
Because of the light, the roar of the crowd was silenced as confusion took over the entire stadium. It took a few moments for them to recompose themselves until they saw the arena finally out of control.
Monsters ran around on rampage, seemingly attacking any humans in sight. The performers were overwhelmed by the horde as they were forced to pull away.
"Monsters have escaped!"
"Run for it!"
And as people knew what was going on, everyone bolted out from their seats and began running to the exits. Members of the Ganesha familia took the situation and began guiding the citizens away from danger.
The whole situation had suddenly spiraled out of control.
"Goddess, we should probably go."
"Y-Yeah."
Natsu felt uneasy about the situation as he pulled Hestia along with him towards the exit. It looked like it was starting to get really dangerous around here.
―Then suddenly, a shout caused them to turn their heads into the air.
"Watch out!"
The pinkette glanced back as his eyes saw a huge cage thrown towards their way.
No―it was thrown deliberately towards the two of them.
"Goddess, WATCH OUT!"
Natsu was forced to tackle his goddess out of the way as the cage slammed into the seats, causing a commotion as people screamed in fear. Around the same time, he had to use his own body to shield Hestia from the impact of the stairs as he rolled down and eventually fell down to the arena along with her.
He released a grunt as he took the pain all to himself while making sure she was safe in his arms. Holding her tight with his arms, he suppressed the slight pain from his fall and looked over to his seemingly uninjured goddess.
"Natsu! Are you alright?!"
Hestia broke away immediately with a worried face as Natsu slowly got up from his feet.
"Yeah, it's nothing. What the hell was that just now?" He looked over to the direction where the cage was thrown and saw the Silverback looking at them for some reason.
"Oi! Somebody's down here!"
A voice cut their train of thought as a member of the Ganesha Familia noticed their fall, causing them to look up.
The pinkette soon realized just how far they've been dragged down as they both find themselves in the arena where the monsters are roaming around.
"This is bad. Let's get out of here." He tried climbing his way to the walls but...
―Just as he was about to touch the walls, a purplish glow appeared right in front of him as he felt through it, noticing it being erected as some sort of a barrier. At the same time, he felt a strong impulsive force as he was thrown back just as he could push himself out of it.
"What... the hell is this?!"
"Oi! Are you two alright down there?! We'll send help so just keep―" The member was cut off short as soon as a massive pillar appeared over the arena, preventing any sort of passage from both inside out.
The pillar rose as it formed into some sort of a dome-shaped structure as people gazed in terror from its purplish color.
Meanwhile, Natsu and Hestia remained trapped inside as the former tried banging the barrier with his own fist.
"Hey! What the hell is this joke?! Let us out!" He shouted but the barrier looks to prevent any sort of sound to be transmitted across both sides.
Not even a single noise could be heard from the outside as Natsu could only hear the growling noises of the monsters from the distance.
"Gaaaah, I'm getting tired of this!" He tried punching the barrier but it seemed like it didn't even flinch despite the impact of the blow.
"N-Natsu."
A voice called him back as soon as Hestia tugged him in his clothes, looking away from the side as she saw the monsters gathering around them.
Natsu eventually averted his gaze as he looked at the horde of monsters coming in his way. He widened his eyes as soon as he saw them approaching them.
In response, he lifted his hand in front of her as he stepped in front of them in caution.
"Goddess, get behind me."
The monsters growled as they slowly neared the two before stopping as if gathering altogether to pin the two of them from both sides. Bloodlust was imminent in their eyes, indicating their thirst for human flesh. And since there are no other humans trapped in this barrier, they were the ones being targeted as their source of food.
However, something's wrong.
He knew monsters don't exactly react in some sort of a unified way when confronting adventurers. Just from observing their gazes at them, he noticed how most of them were drawing attention to the other person.
He clenched his right fist as he gazed at them in realization.
They're targeting Hestia.
...
Somewhere from the high above the tower of Babel, two lone figures stood from the wide transparent window as one sat in a crimson chair while the other stood beside her as if acting as a bodyguard.
The woman sitting had her purple eyes staring right down to the city as if watching at a certain place.
Her lips adopted a wicked smile as she held a glass of wine from her hand.
"Now then, show me what you can do... child."
...
A/N: And there you have it, folks! Chapter 2 is done and some characters are slowly taking up their appearances until we can move to a bigger part of the story. As you can see, there's already the first act of Natsu being tested of his worth and it's obvious who's responsible for that little accident.
Speaking of which, I tweaked a bit of the Monsterphilia incident in order to fit through Natsu's capability as an adventurer. And so this is what I come up with by doing some kind of trap situation so I hope you like that.
Some characters are also being fleshed out through their character development such as Eina and Hestia for starters since it's just the beginning but it would take a long while for others to have their own spotlight so patience. In addition, the search for members of Natsu's party is already planned out for me so there's no need for any addition but you can suggest if you want.
Anyways, it's a long update so I apologize for the wait. Until then, I'll see you again in the next chapter. ^^
- The wiErDos send their regards...