I landed on the ground with a roll to minimize the impact of my fall before stopping with a crouch. I slowly stood back up and started making my way over to where the man is, thinking to myself about how nice it is to have a superhuman body. I'd go splat in an instant if I ever tried what I just did back on earth.

I stopped being stealthy and started moving briskly, hoping that the sound of my footsteps would alert him that someone is coming. That way, he won't be alarmed when I show up to help….. Or, it could have the opposite effect and make him think that someone is coming to finish him off.

Huh, didn't think of that before. Oh well, I'm already heading there so lets just see what happens.

Now that I'm closer to him, I could see his condition better than when I was on the rooftop. Aside from the missing limb and ear, he also had multiple small cuts all over his body, like he had been showered in a hail of glass. He's also incredibly pale but that's to be expected from the amount of blood he had lost.

"Wow." I let out in admiration, feeling very impressed at how he's still alive right now with all the wounds that he had sustained. "You look like shit, do you need a hand or something?" I asked him before realizing that I've just made a pun and facepalmed myself.

The man reacted violently upon hearing my voice. His head snapped towards me so quickly that I thought I heard something pop from his neck. His eyes bore into mine, looking bloodshot and crazed; he looked utterly terrified, as though he's looking at a ghost.

Realizing that this situation needed to be approached in a delicate manner, I clamp my mouth shut before I say anything that might set him off.

Jeez man, no need to look at me like that. From the way you're acting, it's almost like you didn't notice me- Oh right, [Stealth]. I forgot about that passive. I chided myself for forgetting about my skill. Even if I did make some noises on purpose or by accident, the skill would muffle it out for me by default so I could maintain my stealth. Unless I'm actively stomping my feet like a gorilla, my footsteps won't be heard at all.

"You! Are you with her!?" He spat out, showing extreme hostility as he forces himself to get up. He stood and lean his back against the wall, eyes filled with suspicion and fear that never left my form and his body was tensed like a bow being drawn.

I raise my hands slowly in a placating manner to show that I mean him no harm. "Er…no. Who is this 'her' that you're talking about?" I asked, wondering if he was referring to whoever did this to him or a reinforcement that he was expecting. Judging by the tone though, it's most likely the former.

His eyes narrowed and he let out a growl. "Don't play dumb with me! You wouldn't be here otherwise if you weren't working with that bitch! Why else would you be out here other than to finish off stragglers!" He shouted, his words almost came out in a slur like he's having trouble forming them; his eyes looked unfocused for a moment and his head started dipping a bit like he's losing consciousness. But before he could faint or something, he shook his head vigorously to regain himself before he return to staring at me with obvious hostility.

My guts tells me that he's not going to let me near him at all.

How on earth am I even going to help him if he won't let me? Then again, he did survive an attack from an unknown assailant so anyone is a potential danger in his eyes right now. Hmm, he's most likely delirious from the blood lost as well. I'm still very impressed that he hasn't kicked the bucket yet.

That won't hold true if he keeps delaying my aid though. By my estimation, he most likely have half an hour left if he didn't get himself treated right now. I'll have to start calming him down first before I could even do anything.

"Look, I don't really know who it is that attacked you or why. But I can tell you that I'm not with them nor am I here to hurt-" I tried to explain myself but was interrupted quite rudely.

"Fuck you! Don't lie to me you bastard! I won't let you take me as well!" He screamed at me hysterically, obviously not listening to me at all and I could only sag my shoulders in defeat.

Oh great. The cliché I'm not listening to you and coming with my own conclusion moment. So original, much wow. I thought to myself dryly as I roll my eyes.

That action prove to be a mistake on my part. As I was rolling my eyes, I failed to notice that the guy had pulled out some kind of whip with his only hand from under his shirt and started to attack me.

I saw what he was doing too late and he snap it forward with enough speed that his arm became a blur in my eyes and a resounding crack echoed in the air.

The whip tied itself onto my still raised hand and my combat trance immediately slam into place in preparation for combat. It prove to be just a bit too late for me to do anything however, as I found myself being slung from the ground and into the nearest wall with ease.

Holy shit, this guy is ridiculously strong! The thought hit me before I let my mind go empty of any stray thoughts, allowing my combat trance to work at it's full capacity.

As I flew, I kept my mouth shut to avoid biting my own tongue and my decades of combat experience took over.

Impact immanent, adjusting position for optimal impact absorption.

I spun in the air and align my feet to the rapidly approaching wall. I slam against the hard surface with my feet and crouched to spread impact across my body so my legs won't snap. I could feel the tremor of the collision travel from my feet all the way to the rest of my body. There was a loud crash when my body met the building and I'm pretty sure the building shook slightly. I'm fairly certain that the people inside are awake now if they weren't already.

I drop the to floor on one knee, unable to stand up yet because my legs aren't responsive and is shaking quite badly. No hindering injuries discovered, bones are fine and legs will recover to full functionality in a few minutes.

"Dude! I'm literally just passing by to check what happened here." I shouted out to him in annoyance while I reach my hand down to my right ankle and pull out my old dagger that I had hidden there.

Me, unarmed? Never.

I cut the whip off from my hand while simultaneously analyzing him to get a clearer picture on what I'm dealing with.

Level of strength and speed indicates that he's a High Class Adventurer, a Level 2 or above. Behavior suggests that he is very hostile. Protocol in effect, engagement against high level threats is to be avoided. Probability of escape is high due to his injuries. Escape now?

Proposition denied.

Opponent has seen my face. Will likely remember me if he were to survive and believes that I'm with those who were trying to kill him. If he were to survive and recover, he might start hunting me for revenge and he might not be alone. Risk to Miach and Naaza too high if he were to do so; need to make sure he knows that I'm not the enemy first.

The guy is kneeling on the ground right now, coughing blood out of his mouth. I scan him over with a keen eye and speculated that he's like this right now because he exerted himself too much just now. Most likely aggravated his wounds when he was tossing me. "Damn it! If only there were monsters around. Fuck!" I heard him swore and my eyes narrowed.

Mention of monsters, speaking as though they would be useful to him despite them attacking everyone on sight. A way to draw monster's attention to opponent? No, opponent utilizes a whip in combat, a common tool use for taming monsters. A tamer most likely. Uncommon skill but not that rare.

Ability to control monsters added into calculation. Orario is safe and clear of any monsters but unknown if they are any smuggled out stored within the building. Opponent's mental state is questionable, might let monsters go wild and cause damage to city. Move to defuse situation before it gets worse and monsters are called to fight.

"Hey! I'm not here to kill you for fucks sake! Just calm down a bit and listen to me!" I tried reasoning with him but my words seem to fall on deaf ears as he just screams and swing his whip at me again.

The whip flew at me in a blur but this time, I'm more prepared and dodged it barely by tilting my head away. It flew past my face and I shot my hands upward and grab onto the whip to stop him from using it.

"What part of calm down do you not understand!?" I shouted at him as I pull the whip with all my strength, hoping to either pull the whip away or make him lose his balance at the very least. Surprisingly, I managed to accomplish both as the guy fell onto the floor face first before letting go of his whip. I heard his body go smack before he simply went limp and cease moving.

I stare at him in bafflement, still unable to comprehend what just happen as I pull the whip away from him and discard it to the side.

Did I just killed him? I thought to myself perplexedly as I slowly got up despite my shaking legs and move towards the body to check. I approach the downed man while keeping my guard up and held my dagger in a reverse grip. Oh wait, he's still breathing. Good news I guess? I noted as I got closer.

Once I got within touching distance, I spoke gently to him. "Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I have no idea who you are or why you were attacked but trust me when I say I'm not part of any of this. I only want to hel-" My words were cut off short when the man suddenly sprung up like a spring with his only arm reaching towards my eyes.

My body moved on instinct and I immediately find myself swatting the arm away with one hand and dragging the blade of my dagger across his throat with the other. I could feel the resistance my blade was facing as it slit open the skin, muscles and blood vessels located that particular area and blood came gushing forth from the wound.

He fell to the ground again, this time with the gurgling of his dying breath reaching my ears. With the man dying by my feet, I quickly look around to check for any more threats that I need to deal with first. Finding none, I found the effect of combat trance dissipating and pointless chatter started to fill my mind again. I look down and saw that the man had already create a small blood puddle from his neck and is tenacious holding on to his life by pressing his hand against his wound.

Unless I have some high tier healing potion or magic on hand, saving him is just a pipe dream. The only thing I can do now is to end his life to save him from the slow death he's going through.

With how heavily injured he is, I'm not surprised to find myself the victor of this fight, if you can even call it one in the first place. High level or not, once you're near death, you're pretty much a push over.

Unless you're the main protagonist of course.

If you are one then you'll most likely start remembering about your past during your deathbed and some theme music starts playing. Then you'll slowly get up, feeling stronger than before despite being near death just moments ago and magically defeat your opponent with the power of friendship. Yeah, being the main protagonists is very bullshit.

"Great! Just great. Now I'm going to become a murder accomplice. Thanks a lot buddy." I complained as the guy I was trying to help gargled in his own blood. Knowing that he's just going to keep on suffering for a while if I don't do something, I didn't wait any further and jam my dagger into his temple.

His body went limp instantly and all signs of life left his eyes before I pull out my dagger. Then I slam it into his forehead again and twist the knife just to be sure he's dead.

Anime rule: Always make sure that the person you kill is really dead. If there's no body to be seen then he's not dead yet and if there is a body, do a double tap just to be sure. Don't want this guy to pop up years later looking for revenge just because I didn't finish the job properly.

If I had the time, I'd actually set the body on fire and watch it turn into ashes just for extra precaution. You can never be too careful after all.

But as it stands, I'm currently a bit busy and I want to be gone from this place before anyone arrives and sees me. I've just murdered a person after all.

I merely sighed as I pull the dagger out again and use his shirt to wipe away the blood before I sheath it back on the sheath on my ankle. All sympathy I had for him was already gone the moment he tried to gorge my eye out. I'm okay with him attacking me and all but going for the eyes is just a dick move.

I check myself over for any damages and was surprise to find that I didn't suffer any injuries aside from having my bones rattled. Must be my lucky day then. I thought I would've at least suffer some minor injuries from this encounter since he's higher level than me. Then again, he was basically dying already when we fought so I must've lucked out in that regard.

I glace at the man before looking towards the damaged building that he came out from, wondering if there are actually people still alive in there since this guy manage to survive. Should I go check? If there is then maybe I can still help out a bit and keep any survivors stable before people arrive on scene to investigate what happened. I thought to myself before a frown appeared on my face.

Nah, I should leave instead. I've tried being a good guy and I got attacked for it. I'm lucky enough to survive this time because my opponent was critically wounded and I'm not going to test my luck again by charging in blind into unknown territory. If there are any survivors, they might react the same way as the cat guy did.

I'll need to leave quickly since whoever attacked the Rudra Familia probably made a lot of noise when doing so. The people living here most likely have already heard the commotion and ran off to report it. Won't be long now before people from the Ganesha Familia got the news and come to investigate. I really don't want to deal with them if I can help it.

I was about to leave the area but something stopped me from doing so and I glace back to the dead guy again. I stared at the corpse for a brief moment before shrugging and crouch down beside him. Then I started rummaging through his body for anything valuable.

What? I was attacked. It's only fair that I get something out of this right?

After a bit of searching, the only thing of interest that I found on him was a book. A very ornamented book to be exact. It must be something for someone with aristocratic tastes because this thing has gold edge plating for Pete's sake. The cover on both sides of the book has images depicting a lot of weapons and armors but no title of any kind that I could see. A book about weapons and armors then?

I have absolutely no use for something like this at all. Too stylish looking for my taste and I have no doubt that the words are written in some patrician style where the words are all wavy and hard to make out. The contents are probably filled with flowery crap to boost one's ego as they read as well.

The dead guy doesn't look like much of a reader so this can't be his. It looks expensive so maybe he intents to sell it so he'll have some money to use. I guess I'll be doing to same later when I have the time.

My ears twitched slightly when I heard something. Multiple footsteps, rapidly approaching too. Not knowing who's coming, I decided that it's best that don't take any more risks and leave now. I tuck the book away under my arm and ran towards the opposite of where the footsteps are coming from and straight into an alley.

I managed to reach it just in time too as the moment my body went out of sight in the alley, a bunch of people burst into the scene.

I stopped moving just as they appeared and press my body against the wall to hide myself further. I may have a skill for stealth but I'm not confident enough that it'll hide me so completely that they won't notice me while I'm running away while out in the open.

I peek a side of my face out of the corner a bit to see who the new arrivals were and recognize them to be from the Ganesha Familia. They are easily recognizable by their emblem that they wore, a head of an elephant on a shield. They also wore a ridiculous elephant mask that basically screams out 'I'm an NPC, don't bother remembering me!'.

I counted about 20 right now. They're starting to establish a perimeter around the area while 2 of them went to investigate the guy I've just killed. They move in a way that spoke of experience and proficiency, not even needing orders or signals to be given on what to do.

Damn, they sure got here fast for someone stationed on the other side of the city. It can't be more then 10 minutes since I arrived here. Someone must've run off to them and told them what happened here before I even arrived.

I'm starting to feel a bit worried but I should be fine so long as I keep a low profile and sneak out of the way. I can't move rashly as well or they'll notice something moving in the shadows and come to investigate. At times like these, I'm really grateful for [Stealth] as it'll make this way easier for me. All I need to do now is move away slowly and put as much distance as I can without alerting anyone. I haven't left anything behind that could be traced back to me so once I'm far enough, I can just pretend that I was just passing by the area.

My eyes widen slightly when I saw an azure haired woman enter the area and started giving out orders to the members of the Ganesha Familia. She's the only one without a mask so I could see her face easily enough. I recognize that woman immediately, how could I not when she's one of the famous people around Orario.

Shakti Varma, the strongest member as well as the captain of the Ganesha Familia.

Oh great, it's the justice nut's sister. I thought to myself with a groan.

There are a lot of people that I generally don't like or know that I won't get along with so I tend to avoid them as much as possible.

Most male Gods are firmly placed on the former as they always come in either one of the three categories. A) Only talks about tits; B) Only talks about ass or C) only talks about which one of the two is better. I have absolutely no respect for those kind of Gods and tend to ignore their entire existence.

Shakti is on the latter category due to her serious, no nonsense personality. She is a Second Class Adventurer who's well known for being someone who's steadfast in her views of justice and hates all that is evil. She actively went around hunting down Evilus members during the Dark Age and did a lot in stopping their operations.

I deeply respect and is forever grateful for everything that Shakti had done for the city. But even so, I have no desire to meet with her at all.

Incompatible personalities you see. If it were the old me back on earth, we would have gotten along without a hitch since I had the all work and no play attitude going for me then. However, I've already left that person behind in order to enjoy life more here so there's no chance in hell of that happening with the way I am now.

Anyway, there are plenty of stories about her and I've heard that she can sniff out a criminal just by being near them. That's also a reason why I wanted to avoid her.

As someone who commits illegal acts on a semi regular basis, I made sure to stay far away from her if I ever saw her in the streets. I'm not going to test that theory about her being able to sniff criminals out by going near her.

Also, if she spots me here now, she won't stop hunting me down until she catches me. Then she'd probably put me in cuffs and toss me in a room to interrogate me. I can't let that happen for obvious reasons.

Welp, time to leave before I'm spotted. Just as I finished thinking that, I noticed something particular.

Shakti was looking at my direction.

Our eyes met.

Well shit.

-0-

Tonight just isn't my night. First, I got attacked for trying to be a good samaritan and now I'm being chased by a level 5 who's got a boner for justice. I let out a mental sigh as I reach an intersection in the alley.

I did an emergency break by sliding on the floor to bleed out my momentum. When I've slowed down enough, I immediately sprint and duck into the path to the right. As I did so, I felt a rush of wind flew pass my back, telling me that my pursuer had overshot herself and went straight ahead at the intersection. Then heard the sound of boots scrapping against the ground as Shakti attempts to grind herself to a halt so she could turn back and come after me.

I use this chance crouch behind a trashcan that was on the path that I've taken and waited. It wasn't even 1 whole seconds before I felt another burst of wind brush against me as Shakti rush past my hiding spot.

I quickly slip out and ran back the way I came from and took a random path at the intersection and started running away again.

I've been trying to escape Shakti for a solid 10 minutes now and so far, I've been failing in that regard. I just can't lose her completely no matter what I've tried.

As a level 5 Adventurer, she obviously outclass me in terms of speed and pretty much in every other area actually. The difference between us is so ridiculously large, it's like comparing the Schwerer Gustav to a potato gun. A limp, flimsy potato gun that gives up after firing once.

The only reason why she still hasn't caught me yet is a testament of my skill in evading the enemy. Both my experiences and body are being push to the limit just so I could avoid being captured. The environment is also a big help in that regard. The complex network of alleys is a good place to loose people chasing after you. I'm also eternally grateful that there's no moon out tonight. Because of that, the entire area is shrouded in shadows and it allowed me use [Stealth] to hide me as much as it can.

Shakti can't use the rooftops to locate me as I would be completely invisible if she tried looking from above. She noticed that very quickly too and chose to chase me on the ground where she could still something moving in the dark as long as she's close enough.

Even so, there was quite a few close calls where she almost caught up with me. Thankfully, I was able to evade her so far by either running through a building by entering through a window, or hiding to let her pass by me like just how. I know for sure that they will be a lot of unhappy residents because of the all windows that I've smashed through.

Every time I manage to give her the slip, she would have to stop for a few moments in order to figure out which way I went. That give me enough time to put in some distance between us before she comes after me again.

But still, I can't keep this up forever. My stamina is taking a huge hit from running at my full strength this whole time and my luck would undoubtedly run out eventually. I've used every trick I could in my situation but somehow she always manages to figure out where I went.

How does she do it? Experience? Gut feeling? Instincts? Woman intuition? Or is she really a bloodhound that can sniff out criminals?

My mad sprint came to a halt when I turn around a corner and found myself faced with a wall.

Shit! It's a cul-de-sac! I mentally screamed as I look around for any other path to take. Going back is a no go because I can hear Shakti coming in from there. There's also no windows that I could barge into and climbing to the roof would take too long, especially when Shakti could just reach there with just one leap.

Has my luck finally run out? I grimaced as I realize that there's no path left for me to go. I scan around once more, looking for any miracles that would magically appear to save my ass.

Are those cardboard boxes? I thought as I spotted a pile of them among the junk filled alley, just laying neatly against a building.A ridiculous idea came to mind when I saw them but I'm rather hesitant to try it because it's just plain dumb.

Then I heard the sound of Shakti's rapid footsteps and I changed my mind instantly.

Fuck it, I'm out of options! Metal Gear Solid don't fail me now! I prayed as I lift up a box that I could fit into and curl into a ball underneath it.

It wasn't a moment later when I finished stuffing myself under a cardboard box did I hear Shakti appeared at the dead end. "What the?" I heard her utter out in confusion as she came face to face with the wall like I did earlier.

I can't really see anything from inside the box but I could hear her just fine as her footsteps slowed down until there's nothing. Then I started hearing repeating tapping sounds coming from where she is and I'm guessing that she's tapping against the wall right now. I'm thinking that she's trying to find some kind of hidden passage or something.

I hope that she thinks that there is one and that I'm already gone so that she doesn't search the area. It would be extremely embarrassing if she just lift the box up and find me there.

I could hear her click her tongue in what sounds like annoyance before the footsteps resumed. I think she's starting to look around the place and a sense of dread started to make itself known.

Just give up and go already! I shouted mentally in hopes that it'll get her to leave faster.

"I know that you're here somewhere. Stop hiding and come on out." I heard her shout and I could feel myself shiver involuntarily as the sound of things being rummage through reach my ears. Thankfully, the area is filled with junks and trash so it might take a bit before she reaches where I am.

I was beginning to lose hope when the sound of things being flip around gets nearer to where I am. But then, almost as if fate herself had willed it, a miracle happened.

"Captain!" I heard a male's voice call out they approached the dead end that we're in and the sound of Shakti searching ceased.

"Ah, Momonga-san. Why did you come all the way here? Did something happened back at the crime scene?" Shakti asked, her voice serious and laced with a bit of concern.

"That's not my name Captain, It's Modaka." I heard the man replied in a tired voice, almost as if this isn't the first time someone got his name wrong. "Anyway, we have investigated the building and found something deeply concerning there. We figured that it would be best if you come see it for yourself so I came to find you."

There was a brief moment before Shakti let out a sigh and replied. "Alright then, let's go Momonga."

"My name is Modaka! Also, where's the person that you were after Captain? I don't see anyone here but you. Don't tell me….you didn't manage to catch them?" Momonga sounded very surprise for some reason.

Shakti let out an annoyed growl. "No, unfortunately." Judging by her tone, it's almost like she's frustrated at not being able to catch me.

"That's...shocking. I've never heard of someone escaping from you before Captain. Whoever it was, they must be incredible at escaping." Momonga seem to be in awe at my ability to escape Shakti's grasp. Aww, you're going to make me blush with your compliments buddy. But sadly, I'm still here and didn't escape at all. Not yet anyway.

"Well, I suppose that there's a first for everything. Whoever it was, he's a slippery bastard." I heard her grumble in displeasure. "He's also using some kind of magic to conceal himself too since I can't even see him properly." So she doesn't know what I look like at all, good. Also, she at least knows that I'm a male since she referred me to as a 'he'. Maybe she deduced it from my profile when she was chasing me?

I feeling oddly appreciative that I've grown enough to the point where someone actually thinks that I'm a dude just by looking at my body.

At last, all my effort at working out seem to have finally bear fruit. No more will there be people mistaking me as a chick when looking at me from behind. No longer will I have to deal with perverts slapping my ass when I'm serving people at the pub.

"Let's get going then Momonga. Just what it is that you guys found that's so important anyway?" Shakti asked they began moving away quickly.

I heard Momonga sighed before he replied. "It's unfortunate but everyone at the scene is dead. They're all from the Rudra Familia as well so the killer must be the same one that's been hunting them down. However, we may have discovered the motive as to why someone has been killing them. You see, after searching through the building-" The man's voice became too faint for me to hear after that and I was left alone in the alley with a sense of relief flooding through me.

Thank you Momonga or Mudoka or whatever you name is! You've saved my ass today and I'll never forget it!

I waited for about 2 minutes before I think that they have gone far enough and decided be okay for me to leave now.

But, just I was about to remove the box, my gut feeling suddenly warned me not to. I felt confused as to why. My gut feeling had never been wrong before so I trust it more than anything. But the question is, just what is it trying to warn me about? I frowned and started pondering about it.

Could this be the cliché where they pretend to leave but is actually still around, waiting for me to show myself? Damn, didn't thought of that. I should wait a bit more just to be on the safe side. I figured. I really don't want to take off the box only to be greeted with Shakti and that Momonga dude standing there with smug looks on their faces.

And so I waited, listening to my heart beat against my chest as the seconds tick by.

You know, this box here sure is comfy. It makes me feel calm and composed somehow. I feel like I've finally found my inner peace or something. Am I secretly a cat? Maybe I should give an empty box to Anya to see how she'd react to it. I'd probably find her hiding in one later on like all cats tend to do. I'd pay good money to see that. I thought to myself idly as I wait for time to pass.

Time passed by agonizingly slow and I could feel my body starting to ache from being in this position for so long. My internal clock told me that 20 minutes had already passed and I am starting to think that just I'm being paranoid.Maybe I was wrong and that they really did head back to the crime scene.

I about ready to leave again when Momonga's voice reached my ears and my entire body tensed. "Captain, we really should go now. Whoever it is that you were after most likely have already fled. Waiting here any longer isn't going make him pop up."

Above!? I thought to myself in panic as I pinpointed the origin of Momonga's voice. So they were waiting for me after all! Staking out on the roofs I see.

"But I'm absolutely certain that he went through here." I heard Shakti replied with a sigh. "Just where could he have gone? There's no hidden path that he could take and he never took to the roof for some reason." She sounded annoyed as she spoke and then I heard the sound of them leaping away.

Not knowing if they're really gone or if they're just staking out again, I resolve myself to keep on waiting for the time being.

In the end, it was an hour before I could finally feel safe enough to leave the safety and comfort of my box.

-0-

Orario- Near the Blue Pharmacy

-0-

With the threat of being caught gone, I began moving away from the area. To be on the safe side, I stuck to the shadows for a good while until I got far enough from the crime scene. Then I simply walk back home normally as though nothing had happened.

I lift my arms up to stretch my back and let out a pleased groan as I felt my spine pop. The soreness and aching of being in a position for a lengthy period of time is slowly being ease out of my body as I continued to move. "Man, that felt good." I muttered to myself as I let my arms down. "Still, to think that I managed to keep this on hand the entire time I was running away." I said as I stare at the book on my hand. After all the trouble I've went through, I'm sure as hell going to sell this crap and get my money's worth for all the trouble I went through to get it.

Still, with everything that happened in such a short notice, it almost felt like I've just stepped into some plot stuff. But that notion is just plain absurd. After all, it's not like I'm the main character of the show now am I? That's Bell's job.

"Hmm?" I let out when I got near my home and saw that there's still light coming from the window on the back of the shop. Someone's still awake? I wonder who could it be? I thought as I approach the back door.

I took out my own key to the building and opened it. With the door pushed open, I was greeted with the sight of Naaza sleeping on the kitchen table. The lamp was on so I could see her easily. She was laying her head against her arms on the table and breathing softly. There was a book next to her so I assume that she was reading it until she eventually fell asleep.

Just what's so interesting that she decided to stay up late to read? I wondered. Right now it's well pass midnight and she should be in bed long ago. Has she reached her rebellious age already?

Oh well, I can scold her in the morning for staying up past her bedtime, but right now I should put her to bed first before I hit the hay myself. God knows that I'm tired and sore already from what happened tonight.

I close the door behind me and locked it. I move to where Naaza is and pick up the book on the table check what she was reading. Hmm? 'Categorization of Development Abilities'? What's she doing reading this? And more importantly, where did she get it from? I don't recall that we ever own this book before. After examining it for a bit, I simply put it back on the table along with the book that I've picked up. I could ask her about it in the morning. I thought as I turn off the lamp.

With my hands freed, I proceed to pick her up in a princess carry and started to walk to her room, moving as steadily as I could. Once there, I place her on her bed gently before I pull her blanket over her. I brush a bit of her hair away from her face and smiled slightly at how peaceful she looked in her sleep.

I started walking back to my room but Naaza's groggy voice made me stop. "Nii...-san?" I look behind my shoulder to see that Naaza had woken up and is sitting up from her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly before she let out a yawn.

"Oops. Did I wake you Naaza-chan?" I asked with an apologetic expression on my face.

"Kinda." She replied with a droopy nod.

"Sorry about that. I'll leave real quickly so you can go back to sleep Naaza-chan." I said as I start moving again.

"Wait. Nii-san." Naaza call out to me and I pause in my steps again. I turn around to face her and saw that she had move herself to be sitting on the side of her bed. She reached out and turn on the table lamp by her bedside, illuminating her room a bit so we could see each other.

"Yes?" I asked her, noticing that she look rather hesitant about something and I started thinking about why she asked me to wait. So far, the worst thing my brain could conjure up is that she's going to tell me that she had gotten herself a boyfriend while I was away and want me to meet with him. If so then I'll be glad to met him and have a little chat with him in private. Preferably in some sound proof room.

No boy is going to date my little sister without me threatening them first! I have a sword at the ready and I'm not afraid to use it!

I kept my expression neutral while I began fantasizing about the many ways one could torture someone with a sword while Naaza work up the courage to say whatever it is that she wanted to say.

Then, my brain decided that it would be a good idea to supply me with another ridiculous reason why Naaza wanted to speak with me. No wait, rather than having a boyfriend, it could be something far worse. She could have just had her first period and wanted to ask what's happening to her! Oh lord, I'm not ready for that kind of conversation! Where's an adult when you need one!? Oh wait, I'm an adult. I need an adult who's better at adulting than me!

"I want to gain a Development Ability." She said eventually, her voice came out in a soft whisper.

I felt my mind come to a screeching halt just when I was considering tossing Miach to the fray. "What?"

"I want to gain a Development Ability." She repeat herself, this time more loudly. "I want to be able to do more to help get our Familia back onto it's feet. If I could at least get [Synthesize]then I will be able to make better potions even with low quality ingredients. With something better to sell, we'll be able to attract more customers like we used to do."

"But Naaza-chan, that would mean…" I trailed off as I thought about what getting a Development Ability entails.

"Yes, I know. I would need to rank up if I ever want to gain one. So Nii-san, as for what we'll do tomorrow, please help me get stronger so I can eventually rank up." She replied, her face was set in one of determination and I was left trying to figure out just why Naaza suddenly wanted to do this.

If I want to explain what a Development Ability is, I'd say that they're like passive bonuses in video games. For example, when you're making weapons, they'll come out way better and stronger then you'd normally be able to make if you have [Smiting] or [Blacksmith]as your Development ability.

There are many kinds of Development Ability out there like say, [Abnormal Resistance]. It's one that lets you resist status effects such as poison and other stuff, or [Mage] that literally just boosts your magic and gives your a very awesome looking magic circle. I don't know a lot aside from these because I just skimmed through the book explaining Development Abilities back when I was studying.

But the only way for someone to get one is to level up to 2, or rank up as they call it here and there's a chance to get more from every subsequent level up onward. There's also the chance of one not appearing when you rank up, or multiple appearing for you to choose from. It's all depends on luck and whether or not you're doing something for a while for that particular Development Ability to manifest itself.

If you keep making lots of weapons and armors then there's a higher chance for [Smiting] or [Blacksmith] to appear when you level up. [Synthesize] should be the same as well and judging from it's name, it involves making items.

But the main problem still remains, leveling up. Naturally, leveling up makes you a lot stronger than before but it's a feat that's very hard to achieve. It's so hard that most Adventurers never make it past their level 1 status. Only those who are talented or have the right resources to aid them could easily level up while the rest of us have to fight tooth and nail for it.

Remember the particular kid that I've mentioned before? The one who managed to level up in just one year? She's the most talented one out there. She even set the record for the shortest time required to level up. Normally, it would take years for someone to level up but the time needed could shorten with lots effort and determination.

I heard that there are some requirements that needed to be met first before one could level up but I don't know what they are. I only wanted to be able to fight monsters in the dungeon to earn money, so leveling up wasn't much of an interest to me back when I was studying about Adventurers and the Dungeon. The lack of interest is mainly because of the time it'll take to achieve it.

"Naaza-chan, I don't even know the first thing about ranking up. I'm not sure how I can even help at all." I told her truthfully. "I do know that having high stats is a must but that's about it." Coincidentally, it's something that Naaza already has.

That's right people, my little sister, just a year younger than me, is actually the stronger one. To be fair, she did have a 5 years head start of me at the age of 8. She went into the Dungeon with the rest of our Familia as a supporter when she first started out in order to gain some experience. Then, when she's got stronger and felt confident enough, she joined the fighting herself instead of staying away from the battle.

She's been steadily increasing her stats like this for 5 whole years so it goes without saying that her stats are plenty high right now. I'm just not sure if it's high enough.

Naaza's ears seem to drop a bit but they perked back up moments later. "Miach-sama would know. Our Familia had level two's before so Miach-sama should know the method for ranking up."

She's right. I realized. But still, why would she want to do this all of the sudden? I mused in concern before my mind reached a plausible explanation. "This is because I got hurt isn't it?" I look to Naaza for confirmation.

Naaza shook her head. "This idea has always been at the back of my mind. But what happened to you today made me want to put it into action instead of letting it be an idle thought. With the Development Ability, our shop can actually earn more so you don't have worried about not having enough money all the time."

So it's my fault after all. I thought as I ran my hand over my hair with a sigh. "Is there any chance I can dissuade you from doing so?"

"No." Came her instantly reply.

"Damn it, why do you have to be so stubborn." I muttered as I shook my head.

"I learned it from you Nii-san."

"Damn you past me. Why do you have to teach Naaza to be so stubborn? You're making this hard for me and future me you know?" I said dramatically to no one in particular with a deadpan, causing Naaza to crack out a small smile.

Knowing that this is going to be one hell of a conversation and I'm currently too tired to care, I decided to postpone it for now. "Alright, alright. Look, I can tell that this is going to take a while so we'll continue this conversation in the morning. So go back to sleep for now. I'll probably be able to handle this better if I get some shut eye first." I told her before I let out a yawn.

Naaza nodded and quickly move to turn off her lamp before she lay on her bed and cover herself with her blanket. "Good night Nii-san." She said to me.

"Yeah, good night to you too." I replied as I turn around and walk out of her room. I pause just as I was about to close her door and peak my head back into her room. I can still see Naaza's slightly from the light shinning pass the opened door. "By the way, where did you get that book about Development Abilities?"

"I borrowed it."

"From who exactly?"

She pull her blanket up to her nose. "...Amid-san."

Ah, that girl from Dian Cecht Familia.

It doesn't look like it now but Naaza didn't know how to make potions at all back then. She wanted to be an Adventurer at first but circumstances caused her to change her occupation. Because of that, she settled with being a doctor instead to help lighten Miach's load.

Sadly for her, she didn't have any experience on healing people nor the knowledge needed on making potions.

We had other Familia member whose main focus was making potions but they left before they passed down their knowledge of potion making to either of us. Miach took it upon himself to teach Naaza but only when he could find the time to. But since he's the only one manning the store back then and is making potions all on his own to replenish our stocks, he's quite a busy man.

He can't have Naaza learn when he's making them because we were already low on supplies and ingredients so everything needs to count. Using out already low supply of ingredients for practice is not the smartest thing to do, especially when the smallest mistake would result in a bad batch.

That's where Amid comes in.

She was there when Miach and I went to beg for Naaza's prosthetic arm. She heard of our plight and what Dian Cecht demanded of us in return for it. She knew that we simply do not have that kind of money her God demanded and is well aware of what will happen to us if we were to accept the deal.

It could be pity, or it could be guilt due to her God's greedy behavior that drove her to see if we were doing alright a few days after that event had transpired.

Naturally, she found out that we are not doing alright. I was not even in most of the time as I was elsewhere, getting ready to start my Adventurer career. Miach was being swarmed with things to do due to people leaving the Familia and Naaza was sitting behind the counter most of the time, feeling frustrated that she couldn't do more and trying to learn from watching Miach.

It was after seeing the state that we were in did Amid offered her aid.

The Dian Cecht Familia often stockpile a lot of potion ingredients, sometimes a bit too much. If they didn't use them in time, they will start to go bad so they toss them out just before they do just to be on the safe side. Amid thought she could bring the ingredients that were about to go bad and use them to teach either of us how to make potions when she could.

I'm legitly terribly at potion making despite being born in a Familia focusing on healing so I declined while Naaza begrudgingly accepted her guidance because she wants to be more useful.

I'm not sure why Amid wanted to help us since our Familias are rivals but I decided not to look at a gift horse in the mouth. In the end, it doesn't matter what her reason is to me so long as Naaza gets to learn from her so I'm all onboard with the idea.

Oh, they also developed some kind of rivalry after it was discovered that Naaza is a natural at potion making.

"I see." I nodded. "I'm glad to see that you two are getting along well." I said with a smile.

"We do not get along." Naaza replied with a small frown.

"So you say, but yet you two still met up frequently." I pointed out.

"Only because there's still things I want to learn from her. She came over to teach me and I tolerate her presence so I could learn something useful."

Weren't you the one who dropped everything you were doing and went to see her the moment you heard she had gotten hurt in an accident?I thought but decided not to voice it. "Well, not all friendships starts out great." I replied with a look that basically said 'you're not fooling anyone'.

Naaza pouted slightly at me and pulled her blanket over her head. "We're not friends." She denies stubbornly and I chuckled while shaking my head slightly in amusement.

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say. Goodnight Naaza-chan." I told her as I close her door.

"Night, Nii-san." Her voice came from the other side of the door and I walk back down to collect my bounty from tonight's escapade. I obviously can't leave it there because Miach or Naaza might see it in the morning and ask me about it. I best hide it in my room for the time being until I can find a way to sell it. Preferably without being found out by my Familia.

I can probably sell it for a few thousand Valis since it looks so expensive.

But how am I going to explain where the money came from though? Maybe I can slip it in my coin pouch and lie about the amount that I've earned from the Dungeon the next time I go farming? Yeah, that could work.

I reached the kitchen and pick up the book before heading back to my room.

-0-

My room is small and very spartan, void of any unnecessary things as I've only ever use my room for sleeping and nothing else. The only thing here is a bed to sleep in, an end table with a lamp next to it and a closet to keep my clothes.

I walk over to my bed and sat down on it's side. I wanted to put the book down on the end table before I went to sleep but a tiny voice of curiosity spoke up.

Dude, what's the book about anyway?

Go away curiosity, I tired and want to sleep. We can find out about it tomorrow.

But dudeeeeee, I wanna know. You can't expect me to keep quiet after everything we've been through to get it.

The book isn't going anywhere. We can read it tomorrow morning after the...conversation with Naaza. Ugh, I still don't know how I'm going to handle that. I don't want her to put herself in danger after what she'd been through.

You know I'm going to keep you awake at night until you read it right?

Realizing that the asshole curiosity is right and that I have no choice in that matter if I wanted a good night's sleep, I simply groaned and move to turn on the lamp instead.

With a tired sigh, I proceed to open to book to read the first few paragraphs before hitting the hay.

When my eyes landed on the pages of the book, I was expecting to read about some kind of cheesy story about knights in shining armor or about weapons and armors due to the illustrations on the covers.

I was not however, expecting the words of the passage that I was reading to start morphing around like a sea of centipedes to form a face, my face. Or rather, half of it. One side is the exact replica of my face while the other half is nothing more than a skull with a burning orb of an eye. I also noted that the face that I was shown had fractures all over it like a cracked glass.

I was also not expecting to hear a voice in my head that sounded like my own.

[Rejoice, for you have gaze upon a terrible mirror of truth. Here, there can be no lies, no deceit. Your demented soul will be laid bare for you to see so you may better understand yourself. Thus, I am thou and thou art I. Now, let's get started shall we? After all, there no rest for the wicked as you tend to say.]

After the voice finish speaking, something clicked in my mind and I began to scream inside of my head. Fuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkk! It's a grimoire! And I've just read it! God fucking damn it all!

Magic comes in two forms in this world: innate and acquired. Innate magic is like race magic that can only be used by the race that developed it. Acquired magic on the other hand, is one gained from Falna and it's extremely RNG based. It appears on it's own and with no restrictions. Because of that, acquired magic takes many forms and the it's effect depends heavily on the excelia you've earned. You might get it or you might not, who knows.

But, there exist a third way to acquire magic and that is via grimoires. A grimoire is a spellbook that enables one to learn any magic stored inside it instantly. It's an easy way to learn magic without having to spend years practicing it or praying to RNGesus to give it to you. Naturally, it's also the most expensive one. It goes without saying that even a single grimoire containing the weakest spell will costs a lot. The price range for that could go from 50 million to 100 million for weak spells.

Truly, it's the same as the pay to win system that's been plaguing the gaming world before WW3.

Oh, and the worse part is that grimoires are a one time use item. Meaning that it's immediately useless the moment someone opens it up to read it and learned it's spell. Something that I just did.

God fucking damn it! I could sell this for a fuck ton of money but I just had to open it up and read it like a fucking twat that I am!

[Erm...are you done screaming inside your head yet?] I heard the book ask me and I stopped ranting so I could focus my attention back on the book.

Why do you sound so British? I couldn't help but ask.

The face on the book showed an amused expression, which is kind of disconcerting because it's my own face and half of it is a skull. [I'm connected to the subconscious of your mind in order to have a voice to speak to you. If I'm British then that means you're British in your head.]

Ah, that makes sense. Okay, okay. So maybe it's not a complete lost. I mean, I get to learn magic so that's something right? But first things first, I need to ask it some questions.

Can you give me askill that would increase my growth? I asked, hoping for some broken growth skill like the one the main character has. It would certainly make my life easier.

The expression on the book turned neutral. [No. I'm a grimoire. I can only give the magic that I have stored inside of me.]

Damn. Ah well, at least I've tried. So, what now? You're just going to give me magic or something?

The face on the book showed a small smile. [Again, no. There are some questions that needs to be asked regarding your opinion on magic. It is only after you answer them will you be granted the spell stored within me.]

Can't you just give the magic to me without the questions because I really wanna crash right now. I asked it tiredly, not really in a mood to play 20 questions.

[No.] The book replied in the negative again.

Why not? I asked it in curiosity.

[Because that is how I am designed.] It answered with a roll of it's eyes. [Think of it as the spell is being stored in a computer file and that it's password protected. The answers you give will unlock the file so you can access the spell.]

Okay, that is a very disturbing analogy coming from a book. I don't think people in this world knows what a computer is.

[What part of 'I am thou and thou art I' do you not understand? We're connected and that there's nothing you can hide from me. Either way, shall we begin? You are tired and I do not want to stay connected to your mind any longer than I have to.]

Do not cite Persona to me, book. I was there when it was first released. But yeah, let's just start so we can get this over with already. I sat straight, eyes meeting with the one on the book as I mentally prepare myself for whatever questions it might throw my way.

[Very well, what is magic to me?]

A convenience. It's something that will let me get things done more quickly and easily. The more versatile it is the better.

[What is magic for me?]

It's a tool. Just another tool to add to my arsenal in order to increase my chances of victory. Nothing more, nothing less.

[What do I seek in magic?]

For the ability to survive, against any odds. I have promised her that I will return home alive and well. For that to happen, I need to survive whatever and whoever wants me dead.

[Is that all you want?]

.No.

There's more, so much more that I want.

I want my Familia to be happy and well, to have never experience that incident in the Dungeon that drove us to where we are now. They won't admit it but they do feel lonely now that it's only three of us left.

I want a peaceful life, void of any conflict. I tire of all the fighting, I'm sick of all the killing. I've stopped wondering if the screaming will ever stop.

I want the people living in this world to stop trying to screw each other over something trivial so we can actually get along properly. I have seen and lived through the aftermath of what will happen if they don't.

But we both know that it's not going to happen any time soon.

The world used to be a very dark place where evil used to ran rampant. But through the efforts of many, it became peaceful again and the evil that plague the world has been eradicated.

But that is a lie, a facade put in place to maintain order. I know that evil cannot be purged completely. So long as people still exist, it will return.That is the absolute truth.

Naturally, that meant that Evilus still exist. A resourceful group like that can't be purge so easily. They are like a cult, their fervent worship of their evil god is a good indicator as any. They can easily sway any like minded individual to replenish their ranks and gain support from rich and greedy people who wanted to use the chaos that they would bring for their own means.

I have dealt with groups like them before. I have hunted down remnants of those who had survived the purges like a hellhound. But, even with all my effort and the effort of many others, they still pop back out like an annoying zit that you just can't get rid off.

Evilus now lurks in shadows now that the light had beaten it away. I know this better than anyone from experience.

Like a roach infestation, they will grow with time, out of sight, out of mind. Having suffered defeat, they will be force to learn from it and grow smarter, to adapt their methods to be deadlier. And when they reemerge from the shadowy depths, they will be numerous and they will be stronger than ever before.

But... that's a problem I am more than happy to let others deal with. I will deal with them if I ever see them but so long as they don't touch my family and friends, I won't actively hunt them down.

I've already decided that I'll live my own life and do what I want. I've mentioned before that I want many things and most of it is impossible or impractical, that much is true. So for now, I'll stick to the most feasible one; keeping my family safe. No matter the cost.

Be it legions of monsters or Adventures, I will fight them all if they ever so try to harm my family.

They can send their hordes at me to put me down, they could pelted me with arrows and spells to break me, but I will endure as I always have. And in the end, I will be the last one standing among the settling dust and ashes.

The face in the book gave off a demented laugh and I find myself slowly losing my conscious.

[How very selfish of you. But that's who we are.] It said and I found myself drifting off into a dreamless slumber.

-0-

AN: If anyone is thinking that it's stupid that Shakti never noticed Cain in the box, the only answer I can give you is that plot needs to happen. So yeah, plot armor for Cain. XD

By the way, I have 2 questions to ask you guys. 1 question and a request for ideas to be exact. There are some things that I just can't quite figure out and it might slow my progress down with this story until I do. I'm hoping to ask it here and that someone might answer them for me.

1) The question.

What is Naaza's magic and what does it do?

The wiki says that it's Darbh Daol and I've asked around in Danmachi discord and reddit about it but got no definite answers from there. I'm hoping for some clearer answers here.

2) The request.

How is Cain going to help Naaza?

I'm assuming that Naaza is already a level 2 for a while in canon and managed to reach the middle floors before she got into her accident and lost her arm a bit before the story starts.

But that's obviously not the case here so she will need another way to reach level 2 and get her development ability.

What's more is that Nazza's trauma here is not as severe as her canon counter part. The Naaza from canon had been burn alive before chunks of her legs and arms were eaten. The Naaza here on the other hand, merely had her arm chomped off before she was rescued. You can imagine the vast differences between the two.

So, because of that, the Naaza here is afraid of monsters but just not as debilitating to the point where she'll froze solid as her canon counterpart.

Well, that's all folks. If you can answer my question and give me some ideas, I'll be extremely grateful.

Thank you for reading this story of mine and hope you enjoy your day/night.