AN: I found out that I weak at writing fight scenes during the writing of my Star Wars plot bunny. Since Danmachi is full of fighting, I wonder if I could actually do well in here. Welp, the only thing I could do now is give it all I've got and hope for the best.

Also, people are saying that Cain's too weak and won't amount to much against the foes in canon and you're absolutely right. He's going to die instantly if he ever goes against them like a fly being swatted, at least for now. He is only a level 1 after all so have some patience. Not every has some game breaking skill that's propel his stats to the max. He has 5 years before canon starts and I have a lot of things planned to happen to him during those years.

In fact, you could say that the things that are about to happen to him is going to be fate altering for others, if you know what I mean.

So have patience and pray that I don't lose my muse because it took a literal quarantine for me to actually get this chapter done because I have nothing to do. XD

-0-

I subtly shift my gaze to my right and took in the form of my little sister. There she stood, still as a rock with an impassive face as she stare on ahead. To anyone looking at her right now, she would look like she's simply lost in thought. Only the minute trembling of her hands that I saw told me of how she really felt.

In front of us is a set of stairs located in the center of the Tower of Babel that would lead us into the Dungeon. The path down is dark and foreboding, many had walk down this path before and failed to return.

Entering the Dungeon is a risk, often times fatal, but yet, people still willingly went down into it's depths despite that knowledge. They know full well what they're getting into but they just couldn't resist. After all, the rewards always outweigh the risks.

Of course, not everyone understands the full responsibilities you would take on when entering the Dungeon. Those people are always the new ones, eager and reckless fools. They are the ones whose heads are filled with stories of glory and excitement that could be found in the Dungeon's depths. But those people often wise up before long, if they manage to survive that long that is.

Coming into the Dungeon, one need to be prepared for when things go horribly wrong and knowing that you could die at any moment. I've had that experience a handful of times since I've first started out as an Adventurer and countless more times during my last life. It stands to reason that I'm quite intimate with the feeling of almost dying and isn't affected by it.

Naaza, on the other hand, had only experienced her first half a year ago and is still getting over it.

She's scared. That much is obvious. She's about to reenter the very place where she had lost two people who were close to her and almost lost her own life as well. For me, it has been some time since the incident but for Naaza, it may as well been yesterday.

But still, she didn't let her fears hold her back. She came here with the express purpose of conquering them. For that reason alone, she had proven herself to be braver and stronger than most who had given up the life of Adventuring after almost losing their lives once.

Today she had switched out from her casual wear in favor of her old Adventuring gear. She's currently donning a yellow coat with a basic leather armor over it, a pair of leather gloves, blue jeans and a pair of brown boots. Strapped on her back was her bow and a quiver filled with freshly sharpened arrows.

It should be noted that her armor has a large patch of dark brown stain on it's right side from when she had lost her arm. We'd replace it with a new one but we currently don't have the funds to purchase a new one. So for now, she decided to put up with her old one until we can get something new for her. It's better to have something to protect yourself with than nothing at all, even if that thing will bring up bad memories whenever you glace at it.

As for me, I'm decked out in my usual black themed outfit with a sword strapped to my waist. The only thing missing from my setup is my old backpack which I have left somewhere safe for now.

I heard a few mutterings coming from behind us so I turn my head around and check. There were a few Adventurers there looking at us perplexedly, silently wondering in confusion and annoyance at why we're standing in front of the stairs and blocking the way.

'Trauma.' I mouthed to them.

Most of them didn't understand what I'm trying to say but there's this one veteran looking guy in the midst who seem to realize what I was getting at and nodded understandingly. Then he went on and explain to the others and sure enough, we were left alone after that while they regard my little sister with looks of respect and silent encouragement before moving on to use the other stairs.

But still, seeing them made me realize that we've been standing at the entrance for a while now. Precisely 10 minutes to be exact if my internal clock is to be believed.

I look back to Naaza and found her still frozen solid, trying to work up her courage to enter the Dungeon. Part of me wanted her to back out, to not put her life at risk like this. Another part of me knew that it had to be this way, otherwise her fear will continue to fester and eat away at her heart.

Her nightmares aren't so frequent anymore but they still happen from time to time. It seem to have gotten worse just yesterday when she realize that she's would be returning here. It told me that what happened to her in the Dungeon still haunts her even if she claims that she's alright.

She'll need to overcome this if she ever wants to live without her fears holding her back and as he brother, I'd want her to live freely and unburdened by the past.

But unlike me, she doesn't have to do it alone.

I slowly reach my hand out and held onto hers. She flinched upon the contact before she realize that it's me and tighten her hand around mine, silently seeking comfort from the physical sensation of my hand wrapped around hers. She turn her head to look at me and is blushing slightly, most likely because she's feeling embarrassed of me holding her hand in public, something I haven't done since she was a child.

"Don't worry." I whispered, her canine ears easily picking up what I've said. "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." I offer her a small, reassuring smile. She believed my words instantly and took deep breaths to calm herself down. I can feel the shaking in her hand subsided somewhat and she nodded.

With her mind made up, I lead her gently into the gaping maw of the Dungeon and we began our descend unto it's depths.

-0-

Dungeon- 4th floor

-0-

I frowned slightly in concern as I glance over behind my back. There Naaza was, following behind me and sticking very close as she held onto my hand tightly like a lifeline. Her eyes were scanning the surroundings with obvious apprehension in them as she hold her bow closely to her with her other hand. I look around behind her to check if there are any monsters behind us or had been stalking us. Seeing none, I simply turn my head back in front and keep on walking with my other hand resting on the hilt of my weapon.

We are currently searching for monsters on this floor for Naaza to kill. I wanted to see how well she would react to fighting one and whether or not she could handle the stress. It the results are unsatisfactory, I will simply take her back to the surface where she could collect herself and try again another day. It's no good to keep forcing someone to keep going when they're barely able to keep it together.

The reason why I chose this floor is because the monsters are fairly weak here and less of a risk to engage. I could start her off on any of the previous floors but it's already filled with other Adventurers, especially greenhorns. The monster respawn rate isn't that fast and if we wipe them out too quickly, there wouldn't be any monsters left until the Dungeon spawn them again.

It wouldn't do for us to stay there and compete for the limited amount of monsters just for the sake of testing. Those newbies need the experience they could gain from those weak monsters more than we do and I'd rather not force them to go down deeper because all the spots were taken.

Still, we did encountered some monsters while we were making our way down here. We didn't engage them of course. We only saw them at a distance and they didn't notice us so we went around them easily. However, even though there's a large distance between us, Naaza's reaction after seeing them was to tense her entire body and looking like she's trying her best not to turn around and run. I foresee a tough time ahead for her once we actually get to the fighting part. And speaking of which….

My eyes snapped towards a moving shadow and I finally spotted our first monster on this floor. I stopped moving and crouched down, pulling Naaza along as she swivel her head towards me with wide eyes in surprise at suddenly being pull down into a crouch.

"Nii-" she began but I quickly cut her off.

"Naaza." I interrupted her, speaking softly yet sharply as I turn to look at her and let go of her hand. "Remember, speak softly or whispers only unless we're too far apart or when our position is compromised. Loud noises will alert monsters to our position and remove our element of surprise."

I can't tell what she's thinking as she stare at me with an unreadable expression but she eventually nodded. "Okay." She whispers. "Why did we stop?"

"We've got contact, front, bearing thirty, one fifty-five meters" I informed her as I turn my attention back to the monster that I've spotted. Good, it hasn't noticed us yet. That means Naaza can have all the time she needs to line up her shot and kill it.

"Wha? Contact? Bearing? What does it mean?" Naaza tilt her head slightly to the side as her expression morph into one of confusion.

Ah right. Naaza doesn't know military terminology and wouldn't understand some of the things I might say during the thick of things. It's going to cause some problems down the line since it's already ingrained into my psychic and I might revert back into using military terms once combat trance is activated. It should be an easy fix once I taught her some of the basics but now isn't really a time for military communication 101 for dummies. I'll do it after the day is over and when we're safely back home.

Now however, I just need to keep remembering that I'm not with well trained squad of soldiers and my way of communicating on the battlefield needs to change. Still, I'm going to need a way to quickly inform Naaza of enemy positions quickly and precisely. That way she doesn't waste a precious few seconds searching for it after I told her where it is. I know just how much of a hassle it is when someone called out targets but wasn't specific enough about their exact location other than the general direction. I'd like to save her the trouble at the very least.

"I'll try to it explain later. It' might take some time so I'd rather do it once we're safely back on the surface." I informed her and she nodded, accepting my words. "For now, have you ever seen a compass?"

Naaza shook her head.

I frowned, as I thought what else is there for me to use as reference. I hope I can figure this out soon because I rather not waste time trying to think of a reference when I could just- Wait. Time. That's it! I nodded to myself as an idea came to mind before speaking to Naaza again. "Right. How about this, you know what a clock looks like right?"

Naaza nodded, looking unsure at where this is going.

"Then we'll use the clock's as base for where the enemy is. Imagine that we're standing on the middle of the clock and the hours will be the direction of where the enemy will be. If I say monster at six o'clock, then there's one behind us. If I say, three o'clock then it's at our right. Simple yes?"

Naaza nodded again, this time more enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's do this again. There's a monster at one o'clock, one hundred forty meters. We're lucky too since it's just one goblin." I told her and she immediately look towards the direction I had indicated. "Do you see it?" I asked her.

"Yes." She confirmed, tightening her grip on her bow.

"Good. It's all yours." I told her.

"Eh?" She let out in surprise "Are you sure Nii-san? Shouldn't we be working together?" She said nervously as her eye dart between me and the goblin. Her hesitation was clear to see but even so, I know for certain that she can do this. She just needs a little encouragement.

"It would be overkill if the both of us went after a single goblin. Besides, we still need to get you use to dealing with monsters again so now is the perfect opportunity. Don't worry, I'll still be next to you so don't be afraid and take your time." I gave her a small encouraging smile as I gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

She took a deep breath and nodded again, her eyes filling with determination as she stood up and got into position. I move back to give her the space she needs and watch her work as well as keeping an eye on our surroundings.

She assumed the same pose she always does whenever she's using her bow and nock her arrow. She drew her bowstring back to it's full draw and line up her shot. With her bow in hand and ready to fire, the earlier hesitation was gone and her entire posture now ooze confidence as though she could never miss her shot. Once she got her target within her sights, she let her arrow loose.

With a barely audible twang, the arrow flew forth towards it's intended target like a bullet.

Her shot met it's mark. The arrow lodge itself deep inside it's skull, causing the goblin's head to jerk backwards violently and fall backwards. It was dead before it even hit the ground.

The entire process didn't even take 3 seconds.

I let out a small whistle in appreciation of how seamless it was. Naaza immediately snapped out of her focused state and turn to me, silently asking me how she did with those expectant eyes of hers. Her entire aura seem to be screaming praise me right now.

I let loose a chuckle and gave her head an affectionate ruffle and she broke out a small smile. "Good job Naaza. You sure showed me how deadly a bow could be. How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"I'm okay." She replied, tail wagging at the praise.

"I see." I nodded, believing her words completely. "Well, let's keep going on this floor for today. We'll start descending deeper starting tomorrow."

"Hm? Why? Shouldn't we keep on pressing onward? With our stats, we should be able to handle the monsters on the 9th floor."

"Naaza, you've killed one goblin. In a controlled environment where even if things went horrible wrong somehow, we'd be able to deal with it with ease. I'd rather we keep to somewhere safe for now and go deeper once you're completely settled in."

Naaza pouted slightly at being denied going deeper into the Dungeon.

"Now now, no need for that young lady. It's actually better to just stay on course for now instead of pushing ourselves." I told her as I cross my arms in front of me. "I learned long ago that it's best not to be overeager when you are in the Dungeon. The proper way to do things is to start off your trip by setting a goal. Once you reach your goal in the Dungeon, you head back. If for whatever reason you managed to achieve your goal way earlier and you can still carry on, you still go back and plan accordingly with that in mind for the next tip."

"Why?" She questioned, clearly confused by what I'm saying. "Shouldn't we keep going if we could just to make the most out of our time here? It seems like a waste to end the trip early."

"Ah, but that's the trap that most Adventurers fell for." I informed her with a knowing smirk.

"A trap?" Naaza sounded apprehensive.

"Yes. It's that mindset that keeps Adventurers going when they don't have to. They'll think it's a waste to end their tip early like you did and simply continue onward. If that keeps happening, they'll start to grow confident, thinking that their abilities are enough to get them that far. And one day, they might encounter a problem they didn't expect or become stranded on a floor, unable to leave simply because they didn't prepare for it. It's how the Dungeon gets usually gets them." I told her solemnly.

Naaza looked rather guilty at being told that. "Sorry, Nii-san." she mumbled with downcast eyes.

"It's fine. You didn't know since you're always with the more experienced member of our Familia. Guess they forgot to teach you some things while you were with them. It's actually a common occurrence for new Adventurers and those who had experienced it and survived never repeat the same mistake again. There's a book written about it that you can read called 'Greenhorn's hubris'."

"Oh.' Naaza perked up slightly at the mention of the book. "The one that Flott-san forced you to read and memorize by heart and wouldn't let you leave the Guild until you do?" She reminded me with a small smirk.

I let out a sigh and nodded. I know that Misha means well and all but that girl was just too...enthusiastic in getting me to read it. Kind of like a fan trying to push their favorite thing onto others. "The very same. Eina-san was the one who found it and thought it would be a great idea to get Adventurers to read it because it could help them in the long run. You should give it a read sometime when you're free." I told her.

Though the only complain I had about the book is that most of the stuff that happened to the main character can be avoided if he had a single brain cell in his head. Honestly, that guy keeps doing stupid stuffs for no reason which got him in trouble in the first place. The only reason why he kept surviving all those absurd situations he found himself in was due to plot armor. It's still a good book though.

"Anyway, we're getting off topic here." I wave my hand as if to brush off the conversation like it's actually a tangible thing. "You don't have to look at being stuck on this floor as a bad thing Naaza-chan. It's not like you can't gain any excelia here. Besides, we would be able to work on our teamwork without having to worry about getting injured as well."

"You're right." She accepted with a thoughtful look. "We still don't know how well we would work together in a fight yet."

I smiled slightly, glad that she's seeing reason. "Since our goal is to raise your stats as quickly as possible and help you level up, you would be the one to do the killing for that sweet excelia. I'll keep a look out and mark targets for you so you just focus on shooting whatever monsters we encounter. What do you say? Good plan?"

Naaza frowned a bit upon hearing what I had in mind. "But don't you need to raise your own stats as well Nii-san?" She asked.

I shook my head. "My stats are doing fine, Naaza. I'll be able to raise them in my own time. I'd rather focus on protecting you and killing any monsters that got close first. You just focus on raising your own stats and don't worry about me. After all, the sooner you get a D rank in your stats, the sooner we can work on the ranking up part."

Naaza stared and sighed slightly after a moment of consideration and nodded.

With her answer given, we both went to collect the magic stone and arrow from the dead goblin before continue on our way in search for more monsters to kill.

-0-

The Dungeon lizard was halted in it's mad charge towards us and fell off the wall as Naaza's arrow found purchase in it's body. The body hit the floor with a wet smack before it started to wriggle on the ground in pain. It didn't suffer for long as another arrow put an end to that swiftly as it bury it's tip into it's head and it's frantic movements ceases.

With the monster dead, I made my way towards the corpse in order to start processing it with Naaza following behind me. While I work on digging the magic stone out, my eyes glance away from the lizard to the 5 others carcasses that littered the way forward. They were the remains of the group of monsters that this lizard was once part of. Man, things are so much easier when you can just kill them from range.

Our progress was slow but at least Naaza is steadily racking up kills as we move deeper into the 4th floor. I, on the other hand, had been acting as a supporter the entire time. I did my best not to get in my little sister's way and made sure to inform her of any targets that I spotted while collecting magic stones from the ones she had killed. So far there isn't a need for me to step up and fight yet since Naaza is killing them before they could even reach us.

Aside from keeping an eye out of monsters, I've also been keeping an eye on Naaza and observed how she's holding up and to my pleasant surprise, she's doing much better than I originally thought she would. The overwhelming fear that she had when she first came here has subsided somewhat as she gradually get more used to the presence of monsters.

But that doesn't mean she's gotten completely over her fears yet. I noticed that she would start to panic whenever they start getting too close like that lizard did. Normally, she would've nailed it in the head without any issue on the first shot but her aim was off and she hit the body instead. She only regained her composure when the lizard was immobilized on the floor and finished it off easily. Then there's how her body would stiffen when more than two were approaching at the same time and it slowed her down. She could've mopped up the group just now before they even came close if she didn't froze for a moment.

I understand that having a bunch of bloodthirsty beasts charging at you can be quite intimidating for some so freezing at the sight of it can be forgiven. Still, I was honestly impressed and quite proud that Naaza didn't freak out and call for me to help when she's obviously scared out of wits during the encounter.

The monster turn to dust once the stone was removed from it's body and I pick up the arrows it left behind. I check on them and noticed that one of them has a broken tip. Looks like we're down an arrow again. It became apparent to us not long after Naaza killed her first goblin that using only cheap arrows comes with a large downside. They break too easily; some had their shafts snapped or had their tips broken off. Then again, they were meant to be disposable so it's not much of a concern.

We do have better arrows but they're currently being saved in reserve for when we encounter stronger monsters that won't go down easily.

I continue to collect magic stones from the monsters and when I got to the last one, I look up from what I was doing to give my surrounding a glace for any monsters. I saw that Naaza was keeping watch for me as well. "You doing okay there?" I ask her as I pocketed the magic stone into my pouch and pass the arrows that's still usable back to her. "Don't be afraid to tell me if you're feeling tired or if something's wrong. It's a bad idea to withhold something just because you don't want to feel like a burden you know."

Naaza nodded slightly as she took the arrow from me and put it into her quiver on her back. "I'm fine, I can keep on going." She told me resolutely.

"Glad to hear that, but we should start heading regardless." Naaza's eyes widen a bit and she looked like she wanted to protest my decision but I interrupted her before she could. "It's currently three-forty seven in the afternoon right now. With the pace we're going, it'll be five by the time we make it back to the surface." I informed her.

"Really?" Naaza let out in surprise before she search her pocket and pull out a small pocket watch to check herself. I smiled slightly at the sight of the little trinket. I had given that to her as a birthday gift long ago and I had no idea she still had it with her. You'd think it'd be broken or lost by now since she was a little child when she received it. It would seem that I have underestimated her ability to take care of her own things. "You're right. It's this late already?"

"Well, time does fly when you're not paying attention. Come on, I'd rather we make it back sooner so I would have more time to get ready for pub. We can still kill some monsters on our way back as well." I gesture for her to follow and started walking back the way we came.

Naaza quickly put her watch back and stuck close to my back like always. "Do you really need to keep working there Nii-san? You shouldn't tire yourself out with too much to do." Naaza said unhappily.

"Naaza-chan, we've talked about this. I am aware of my own limits so I know how to manage myself and besides, you're the one doing all the hard work so far so I still have plenty of energy left to spare." I reassured her.

"I still think you should stay home and rest." Naaza muttered, displeased at how I'd rather throw myself into work all the time.

Knowing that nothing I say will make her happy unless it's about me actually resting, I decide to change the topic. "Do you want to restock your arrows first before we continue any further Naaza?" I asked her, looking over my shoulder at her as we move down the rocky path.

She went to check on her quiver and I saw that it's almost empty. "Yes please. I could use a new batch." She told me and I slowed down to a halt, causing her to stop as well.

I simply raise my hand out and started imagining the item that I wanted in my mind and focusing on it. I saw the shape of a bundle of arrows materializing right above my open palm. Once the arrows fully materialized, they dropped onto my hand and I hand it over to my little sister. She stared at it for a brief moment before shaking her head and took them from my hand. She stuffed them into her quiver before we continue making our way back.

"I've seen you use your magic a few times already but it's still so weird to see it in action." Naaza commented in a mutter.

"I agree. But since I'm stuck with it, we'll just have to get used to it." I said with a slight chuckle, amused by the perplexed expression Naaza has when I make things appear without any warning. It's a trick that I learned quite recently too. As recent as last night to be exact. It's the spell that I got from the grimoire.

Turns out, I don't need to come up with an excuse for suddenly having a spell in my Falna. Miach took my silence as me being surprise of it's existence as well and told me that, while rare, they tend to appear randomly throughout an Adventurer's life so it's no cause for concern and thus, saving me from having to come up with an explanation.

The spell is aptly named 'Walking Armory'. It allows me to store weapons, armors and equipment in some magic space somewhere and I can call upon them any time I want. But that's not all. While it's a general rule for magic to require some form of chant to activate it, mine doesn't and only requires a mental prompt. According to Miach, it's something unheard of.

With a new trick up my sleeve I was elated and did what little experimenting I could with it before I went to sleep last night. Of course, I had no idea how to use it at first since there's no instruction on how to use it. It was by pure dumb luck that I discovered the method after trying everything I could think of from shouting commands to doing weird poses or hand gestures. Turns out, it works base on my thoughts and intent and experimenting with my spell went smoothly from there.

I learned that in order to store things, I need to hold the object and think of it being stored away, which is the easiest part of the spell. To do that, I just imagine tossing the stuff inside a box in my head and poof, it's gone. I also don't have to worry about forgetting what I have stored because there's something at the back of my mind reminding me of all the stuff I have in my storage. Best part is that it only reminds me when I want to know what I have stored so I don't have to deal with it always being at the back of my head.

As cool as the skill is, there's a limit on what I could store. The spell description specifically said I could only store weapons, armors and equipment so I can't store things like food, water, or other things that isn't related to what's on the small list. I was immensely disappointed at how limited my options are and that it's not like an inventory system a game has.

But, being the cunt that I am, I found a loophole immediately. Bags are considered as equipment and the spell doesn't care what's in the bag at all. That said, all I had to do is to stuff all the other stuff inside a bag and store it into the magic space which I tend to refer to as my storage. Weird, but who cares since I no longer have to drag things around anymore.

To get it back however, I need a clear image of what I want in my mind in order to make things appear. That process takes slightly more concentration and I have to stay still or it won't work. Which is one of the reasons why I won't be using it the middle of a fight.

Sure being able to summon any kind of weapon to fit the situation might sound good on paper, but to utilize it, I would be sacrificing a bit of time and concentration that could be better use to end the fight quicker.

I've counted how long it'll take to change the item in my hand too. It takes roughly 3 seconds total. A total of 1.5 second to disperse the one in hand and another 1.5 to summon a new one.

With the way my spell is, I'll be better off summoning what I need before a fight begins. But utility wise, I couldn't ask for a better spell. Sure it's not as flashy as other spells out there but at least it's useful for someone like me as I can bring everything I want and no longer need to worry about being over encumbered. I'm already carrying all our other stuffs that normally would've weight us down like bags, provisions, extra arrows and potions right now. It can also work as a safe place to store things too since the things inside WA won't get damaged.

And that's all I know about it. I only had the spell for one night after all so there's still so much to learn about it.

There's still so many questions that I have regarding it. Is there a limit on how much I could carry? What classifies as an equipment? If I store food inside a bag, will it spoil while inside WA? Can the items I summon be used while mid materialization? How much can I use before I suffer the consequences of overusing magic called mind down? I have a feeling that there could be more exploits to discover and I won't be satisfied until I find them all.

But the answer to those questions will have to come later once we're done with our little excursion. Who knows, with enough practice I might be able to get it down to the point where I can use it while moving around or shorten the time it takes to make things appear.

"Let's keep going. The sooner we get back the sooner we can see how much stats you've gained from today's excursion." I told her as I started walking again and she nodded with a glint of excitement in her eyes as she follows closely.

-0-

Orario-En Route To Guild

-0-

"I see that someone's happy." I commented with an amused smile as I observe Naaza walking beside me as we move along the busy street of Orario. I can tell that she's in high spirits right now because she actually have a noticeable wide smile on her lips ever since we stepped out of the Dungeon. I suppose being able to breath fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun's rays could do that to you once you've been underground for a whole day.

Seeing her being so excited when walking beside me, I can't help but compare it to when I'm walking my dog back on earth.

Our trip back to the surface was generally uneventful with Naaza doing most of the killing as always. However, there was a point where I needed to fight as well since the group we encountered was too big and Naaza couldn't pick them off fast enough before they reached us. Naaza killed what she could and I took care of the rest. Other than that, there's not much to note.

"Mn. We managed to kill a lot of monsters today and return safe and sound." Naaza replied, tail wagging slightly behind her back. "I just wish we could've gone deeper into the Dungeon though. The monsters on the 4th floor doesn't provide much. We could've gotten much more magic stones and better loot had we gone lower." She complained in her usual soft voice that held a hint of disappointment.

"I see. Well, after seeing your performance today, I have no reason to keep holding you back." I told her, causing her to snap her face towards me with a look of surprise on her face.

"Does that mean….?" she tailed off, the question left unsaid but I understood what she wanted to know anyway.

"Yes, we'll start making our way lower into the Dungeon starting tomorrow. But slowly." I quickly added before she could get too excited. "Don't expect us to just jump straight to the 9th floor all of the sudden when you're still getting over your fear of monsters Naaza-chan." I told her, causing her to pout slightly at me.

"I'm getting better." She muttered unhappily with a small whine, her tail hanging listlessly behind her.

Wanting to cheer her up, I place a hand on her head and started to slowly rub it, caressing her ears in a way that I know she loves. It worked immediately as her tail started to wag again. "Yes, yes you are. And I'm proud of you for being so brave and facing your fear head on like you did back there. I know for certain that if we keep this up, you'll be able to face monsters without any problem once you fully gotten over your trauma. You're plenty strong already. We're only going this slow because I'm a worrywart. You could be the highest level Adventurer out there and I'd still worry about you when you encounter goblins on the first floor." I told her.

Truth be told, with her skills in the field, we'd have no trouble traversing the 10th floor safely so long as we remained careful and alert. But one does not easily forget the moment where your little sister had her arm ripped off by an infant dragon in front of your very eyes. It tends to make one...very protective.

My words seem to have made Naaza feel better as she nodded with a proud look on her face which in turn made me feel better as she's no longer sulking about it.

"So, how's your old gear holding up? I noticed that you kept adjusting the strap for your cuirass. Did it break or something?" I asked her after letting go of her head.

Naaza's eyes widen slightly before she replied quickly. "It's fine." Did I imagine it or did her face get a bit red back there? Either way, her reply was very suspicious and it requires some investigating.

"Naaza-chan, have you forgotten what I've told you before? If there's something wrong, don't hide it. If it's something I can do to help then I'd rather we deal with it now than having it becoming a problem later down the line."

Naaza pouted a bit before she gained a contemplative look. She appears to be seriously considering on whether or not she wants tell me what's bothering her. "It's really nothing Nii-san. It's just a bit tight, particularly around the chest area. I might need to get a new one soon." Naaza murmured quietly, almost too quiet to be heard within a crowded street. She had her eyes set firmly downward, not meeting my gaze at all, blushing mildly at what she had just said.

Oh. I see. So that's the reason why she's so reluctant to tell me. "Did you get fat or something?" I replied with a straight face.

Naaza started fuming angrily and pounding me with her fists while I started backing away from her relentless assault while laughing lightly.

"I kid, I kid. Please forgive me." I said while raising both my hands in a gesture of surrender. "You're a growing girl after all so it's something we'll have to deal with eventually. Tell you what, once we muster enough funds, we'll go and find you a new set of armor to wear."

Naaza cross her arms together and look away with an angry huff. "Don't forget to get one for yourself." She said, still not looking at me.

"Of course." I replied with a smile. Oh Naaza, even when she's mad at me she stills look out for me.

We continue on our way to the Guild while talking about today's trip in the Dungeon, going over things that we could've done differently and what we should do to prepare for tomorrow.

-0-

Orario- Guild, Magic Stone Exchange

-0-

"What!? It's only worth 10 thousand valis!? Bullshit!" A hand slam itself down on the table as an Adventurer argues with the Guild staff about the price of his spoils he had brought in. From the look of things, he isn't happy at all with the price and looks determine to argue with the staff until he gets his way.

It appears that the Adventurer is in the middle of haggling with the staff, a skill of which he appears to be terrible at.

Normally, bartering with the staffs to get a better deal for what you have is normal and many Adventurers had tried it. But it rarely works in the Adventurer's favor as the Guild staffs who work at the exchange all have the necessary experience and a keen eye for details to properly gauge the price of your items. Adventurers tend to give up and go along with the price they were given after a try or two but this guy? This guy seem like he doesn't know the meaning of giving up.

Not to mention that he's also being very pushy and shouting a lot which in turn, made the staff he's shouting at annoyed at his behavior and their shouting match has been progressively getting louder as time goes on.

Everyone knows that you aren't suppose to insult the person you're trying to barter with but not this guy apparently. He had been saying shit about the staff, his coworkers, his family and even his dog in the last two minute.

Unless of course, he's using some new haggling technique that I've never heard about then in which case, I'd like to observe and learn some more to see if it's applicable for myself. That is, if I had time to waste.

Sadly, I don't because I still have to be at the Hostess of Fertility before nightfall. Thus, I should just go about my business and exchange what I have for money and leave. However, there is a problem that prevents me from doing just that. The Adventurer is currently using the counter that I frequent and my good old buddy looks like he's one insult away from throttling the Adventurer. Seeing that I actually know the guy, it's best if I help him out before he does and put himself at risk of losing his job. Or life.

He's a basically a civilian going against an Adventurer so the outcome is pretty much already set in stone. Since some asshat decided that you can't be in a Familia if you want to work in the Guild, all Guild employees are regular civilians and the people they will be dealing with on a daily basis are all super powered people.

I really wonder who thought it was a good idea for that? They'd be in deep shit if they have to deal with the volatile ones.

Then again, there is the issue regarding loyalty if they are in a Familia. If they are in one then they'll answer to their God or Goddess first and foremost before the Guild and they'd have to spill every little secret that they discover while working there if their deity ever asked. Hmm, maybe that asshat has the right idea after all….

"Maybe we should use another counter instead?" Naaza suggested after watching the two argue for a while. We are currently standing quite far off to the side, just observing and not really doing much.

"We could but this is the only guy I trust not to rip me off so…." I trailed off as I gesture at the staff.

"Then maybe we could come back later? It doesn't look like they're going to finish anytime soon."

"True enough. How about you go find Misha for now." I told her without taking my eyes off the two arguing men.

"What for?" Naaza asked curiously.

"I need you to inform her that we're partying up for me and ask if we're clear to go deeper into the Dungeon now that we're going into the Dungeon together."

Naaza nodded in reply before posing another question. "Since you're obviously trying to get me to leave, what will you be doing Nii-san?" She asked dryly.

"I'm going to save the staff before he does something he'd regret obviously." I replied nonchalantly

Naaza frowned upon hearing my answer. "You're going to get in trouble." She told me, a bit of worry lacing her tone.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure not to escalate anything. Besides, even if I somehow messed up and made the guy even more angry, he'll have no idea who I am so long as no one mentions my name. Nor will he be able to tell which Familia I'm in since this is the exact reason why I don't wear our Familia's emblem on me." I reassured her.

"I'll feel a lot better if you didn't try to be a hero and get your butt kicked but I know better than to argue with your bullheadedness." She said, earning an indignant 'hey!' from me which she ignored. "Will you at least be careful?"

"Of course I will. I'll even hide my face if that'll make you feel better." I offered.

"Hmm. It will make things harder for people looking for you if you messed up but what will you use? We don't have anything on hand right now that works as a disguise."

"That's a good point...no wait! I do have something." I replied with a grin as I recall having something in my inventory that would work well as a disguise.

I look around to see if anyone is looking at me and as luck would have it, everyone is too enthralled by the spectacle going on at the counter to really pay any attention to me. I took the chance to discreetly summon my bag and pull out a neatly folded black cloth.

Naaza look the cloth in my hand, clearly wondering just what I intent to do with it.

Without wasting any time, I quickly drape the cloth over my head wrap it around my body like a cloak. Then I fastened the ends around my neck together to keep my impromptu cloak together with a bobby pin that I always have on hand. I mostly have it for lock picking purposes but for this case, it'll serve as a clip to hold things together like it's originally intended for.

"How's this?" I asked as I showed her my new and admittedly lame disguise.

Naaza gave my disguise a good long look before she finally replied, sounding somewhat put off for some reason. "I can't see your face."

"Great!" I replied with a grin as I put my bag back into my storage. "It's just what I'm going for."

"No. I mean, I literally can't see your face at all. It's like a mass of shadow is blocking your face from view like a veil, like it's actually a tangible thing now. How is that even possible?" She told me with a confused and worried expression as her hands were gesturing at my face frantically.

"Seriously?" I uttered out in surprise as well as feeling quite impressed that something like that happened just because I put on a hood. I quickly move my hand to my face to check if I can actually touch the shadow that Naaza is talking about. The answer is no, much to my disappointment. "So you're saying that you can't see my face, like, at all?" I ask her as I let my hand down.

"That's what I've been saying. It's like a pitch black shadow in place of your face." Naaza took the chance to lean her face closer to mine and started peering at my face with narrowed eyes. Her eyes widen slightly as if she had just discovered something and peel her face back again. "I can see your face once I'm near enough though. Is it your skill's handiwork somehow? It's like how you tend to vanish from sight whenever you're standing in the shadows in the distance."

Seriously? My skill can work this way as well? Wow, stealth op, please don't nerf. I'm going to need to experiment with this once I have the time, preferably in front of a mirror so I could see for myself just how it works. But for now, there's a Guild staff that I need to save.

I simply offer Naaza a shrug. "Let's not look to deep into this for now. Just go find Misha while I do my thing, I'll meet up with you once I'm done." I told her while ushering her to leave.

"Okay, please be careful Nii-san and don't do anything stupid." Naaza told me before going her own way towards the receptionist area.

I watch her leave and disappear from sight before I made my move. With Naaza gone, I don't have to worry about her getting caught up in the mess if do I mess up and I start thinking on how to best defuse the situation as quickly and smoothly as possible.

I observe the Adventurer, taking in any details about him that I could as well as profiling his behavior so I could predict how he'd react if I were to do something. From what I can see, he has poor quality equipment on him and the loot on the table seem like they're from monsters on the sixth floor. Evidences before me points to him being a level one.

But unless I could take a glance at his Falna, I can't be completely certain. But logically speaking, it's very unlikely that he's a level 2 using piss poor equipment on purpose and hunting on beginner floors and then arguing about how little money he's getting for his troubles.

It also didn't take much to tell that he's a typical bully. But that's fine. Guys like him are just full of hot air. All you need to do is to look intimidating enough and they'll back off. It won't solve the issue about their behavior but at least they won't be bothering you anymore. Until they find some friends to back them up that is. Well, since no one can see my face right now I'm pretty sure he won't be able to find me even if he did find some friends.

However, since I don't really feel like talking to someone like him right now since it'll most likely take a lot of time so I'm going to go with plan B instead.

I walk up next to him and immediately deck him at the jaw. It worked flawlessly as always and the guy was out cold instantly and slump forward and crush his face into the counter before sliding down against it. Now his entire body is laying against it in an awkward angle. I imagine he'd have a severe case of back pain once he woke up so I decided to be nice to the people I knocked out for once and use my leg to adjust him so he would be laying more comfortably.

Now he just looks like he's doing a ballet move on the floor.

"Hey!" The Guild staff cried out after witnessing an assault in broad daylight.

"Hi." I replied. "You looked like you were in trouble so I figured I should help. No need to thank me, I'm just doing my good deed of the day."

"Sir, knocking someone unconscious just because he was being difficult doesn't count as a good deed." The staff explained with a tired sigh. "Even with good intentions, I'll have to report this assault and record it down on your profile since I witness it first hand. It'll be a permanent mark in your dossier."

I raised an incredulous eyebrow at the man even though he couldn't see it. Seriously? Well I can't have that. It'll make getting quests harder in the future because they'll think that I'm a violent person. I look at the unconscious man before look back at the staff. "He slipped and knocked himself out." I replied.

"Really? Even though I saw you knock him out right before my eyes?" The staff said with a deadpan.

"Yep, he totally slipped." I replied steadfastly.

The staff let out a snort before deciding to move on and not pursue the matter further. "Of course Sir, I must've been seeing things." He told me. Looks like there's no love lost between the two there. "So how may I help you today? Do you have any magic stones or monster drops you would like to exchange?"

"Yeeeep. By the way, why are you calling me Sir all of the sudden? Have you forgotten me already just because I didn't come by for a few days?" I said as I remove the hood of my cloak for a brief moment before putting it back on. I am still standing next to an unconscious dude after all, don't need people remembering my face if I could help it.

"Wait, Cain-kun!?" He exclaimed in surprise, most likely not expecting to see me at all.

"The one and only." I replied with a grin with my hands placed on my hips.

The staff narrowed his eyes as he examine the cloak that I'm wearing. "Is that a burial shroud?" He asked after a short moment, sounding skeptical. As expected of someone who works at the exchange counter, he noticed it easily. Other people would just think it's a regular black cloak just by looking at it.

"Yep. It's just a precaution to hide my face just in case that guy's friends are nearby."

"Erm, don't you feel weird wearing something that's used to cover the deceased?" He asked, looking at me in concern.

"Not really." I offered a simple shrug. It's not like I didn't have to bury myself in a pile of dead people just to hide from enemies before. "Before I forget, what's this guy's problem and do I have to worry about his friends coming after me for what I did to him?" I asked as I jerk my head towards the man on the floor.

"Nah, he's from the Soma Familia so you're safe." He informed me.

"I see." I nodded, feeling a wave of relief washing over me now that I know that there wouldn't be any retribution from this guy's Familia. It also explains just why he seems so desperate for money.

I don't know much about Soma's Familia other than what's already well known by the general public but it's enough to know how they operate. The members of Soma Familia are rather infamous nowadays for using any underhanded tricks just to get as much money as possible. They also have this habit of backstabbing each other just for a bit more coin. They're more likely rob the guy I knocked out blind first before they even offer a hand, and even then they would have ulterior motives for doing so.

They're not desperate enough to target other people outside of their Familia for fear of retribution yet so people generally left them alone to self-destruct.

In short, they're greedy as fuck and nothing but trouble. Not sure why they're so eager to get more coins but you're fine so long as you steer clear of them.

"Since he's no longer a problem, you think I can exchange my stuff now?" I asked.

"Sure, let's sure what you got." He gestured at the counter before him and I discreetly summon my bag full of loot underneath my cloak and lay everything out for him.

He examine the magic stones and monster drop that I have and place 15000 Valis on the table for me. I took it and put it into my coin pouch. "Thanks a lot...you." I said, preparing to leave to find Naaza.

"You?" He uttered out, looking at me like he wants an explanation.

"Look, I'll be frank with you here. I don't really know your name." I told him.

"What!? Cain-kun, you've been seeing me almost everyday for half a year! How could you not know my name?" The man exclaimed in shock before shooting me a hurtful look.

"No offense but you're not a pretty lady so I can't be bothered to." I replied with a deadpan.

"Huh. Fair enough." He nodded understandingly. "Well, since we're already at it, my name is-"

"Oh look at the time! Gotta go. See ya whoever you are." I interrupted him and quickly turn around and run away towards the receptionist area.

"Hey! Cain-kun! You could at least make an effort to remember me damn you!" His voice cried out but I ignore it with ease and went to find my little sister. "What am I going to do with this guy you knocked out!?"

-0-

I found Naaza in the middle of chatting with Misha at her counter as I made my way over to the receptionist area. Misha saw me and started waving like a madwoman as usual. She seemed more enthusiastic than before today and is beaming at me, slightly hopping on her spot like an excited puppy. I smiled slightly and gave her a small wave in return.

By now, I had already stored my cloak away so I'll be easier to spot. I also found out something new about my magic along the way by accident. Turns out, I don't have to hold onto the item for my spell to work on it, it just have to be in physical contact with me.

I just thought it would be nice to have the cloak stored away without having to take it off and poof, it's gone. It was just an idle thought actually, wasn't really expecting anything to happen but hey, at least I learned something new about WA which is always good.

Also, my spell is telling me that my impromptu cloak is now registered as an equipment, which is new. Does this mean I turn other things that normally don't classify as equipment into one? Does this hold true to weapons and armors as well?

Ah well, a question for another time I suppose.

"Hey Misha-san." I greeted the pink haired girl.

"Cain-san! It's good to see you again." She replied with a cheery smile. "Naaza-san has already inform me about the party you two are in. I'm happy that you finally decided not to be a loner anymore. I always get worried when you went on your trips into the Dungeon on your own without anyone watching your back. But now I can relax a bit more knowing that Naaza will be at your side and keeping you from getting into any trouble."

"Wait, me? Shouldn't it the other way around instead?"

"Psh, of course not. Everyone knows that Naaza here is the responsible one." Misha replied with a smirk, causing Naaza to smile smugly at me.

I roll my eyes at them before asking them a question. "So, what were you two talking about before I barged in?"

"Oh! I was about to tell Naaza what floors you two can go together but since you're here I might as well inform you as well."

"Neat. So which floors can we go to?" I asked in curiosity, wondering if it's the 12th or something.

"The 10th." Misha told me.

"Only the 10th?" I repeated in obvious disappointment. I was hoping that we could go lower than that since I've already been to that floor already. But I've read the requirements regarding the Dungeon floors already and I know for a fact that with both me and Naaza's stats, we should be allowed to enter much deeper than the 10th.

Misha decided to explained more on her answer after seeing the questioning look I had on my face. "Oh, it's not because you two aren't capable or anything, trust me. I know that with both your stats, you would be able to handle the monsters on the 13th just fine. I'm currently limiting you both to the 10th for now just to be on the safe side. It's been a while since Naaza actually did any fighting right? I'd rather give her some time to get use to the Dungeon first before letting you two go deeper."

"I see." I simply nodded in acceptance as her point is valid even though I'm already taking steps in getting Naaza accustomed to the Dungeon and it's inhabitants. I just remembered that Misha knew about Naaza's trauma. It would explain why she's not letting us venture deeper seeing that she's also looking out for Naaza in her own way. I guess it must've been a surprise for her when Naaza suddenly appeared and told her about the party that we're forming.

"By the way, Nii-san, how did it go? Did anything bad happened?" Naaza asked while tugging at my sleeve to get my attention.

"Nah. Everything went smoothly actually." I said as I gave her a reassuring grin.

"Oh? Did something happen?" Misha asked, looking clueless at what we're talking about and not even bothering to hide her interest.

"Nothing much. Just that someone from Soma's Familia was causing a racket at the exchange and I had to convince him to leave."

"Really?" Misha gained a worried look for a second there but it was gone after she gave me a once over and found that I'm completely fine. "Well I'm glad that you're okay but you should've just left it for the staffs to handle Cain-san. I've only ever heard bad things about them so I'm worried that they might do something to you because you made them mad."

"Aww, you don't have to worry about a single thing Misha. He didn't even see me at all." I told her with a confident smile.

Naaza tilt her head sightly in confusion. "Wait, how can you convince him to leave if he didn't see you?"

Oops. Realizing that I've just said something that I shouldn't have and that I'll get nag on if I ever told them what I did, I chose to pretend not to her Naaza's question and change the subject as quickly as I can. It was at that moment I noticed Eina coming over while carrying a stack of papers. Convenient escape found! "Oh look! It's Eina." I quickly pointed towards the half-elf, causing the pink haired Guild member to turn her attention towards where I am pointing as well as earning a suspicious stare from Naaza. Misha seem to go pale all of the sudden when she spotted the stack of papers that Eina is carrying and looked all resigned for some reason.

Eina, having seen us long before on her way over, merely showed a small smile and gave me a nod. "Hello Cain-san, it's good to see you again. And you as well Naaza-san." Eina greeted us with a smile once she reached us.

"Hi./Hello Tulle-san." We both replied and watch in amusement as Misha's look of despair grow when Eina place the stack of paper on her desk.

"W-wait a minute! Just why are you giving me so much work in one go Eina!?" Misha cried out with a whine, giving her friend her a teary eyed look as though she had just been told that her favorite snacks were all sold out.

"Well, since a certain someone hasn't been paying attention at all during work these past few days, she got most all of her documents wrong." Eina told her sternly, sounding very annoyed and causing Misha to wince with a bit before showing a sheepish expression. "Because of that, Rehmer-san told me to get everything over to you and tell you to redo them all before you can clock out."

Eina's words caused Misha to blench significantly as she slowly look down at the not so insignificant amount of paperwork on her desk. From the look of things, I wouldn't be wrong to say that it's a few days of work all piled up right before her eyes.

Instead of working on it right away, Misha opt to slump against her desk in despair with dark clouds hanging over her head, causing the stack of paper to sway dangerously in place but thankfully didn't topple over. "Uuu, it's not fair… There's so much to do that it's just impossible to finish before the day ends. It's impossible! Impossible I say! Just by looking at all it is already making me unmotivated. At this rate I'll be stuck here until the sun comes up." Misha complained with piteous tears running down her eyes.

"That doesn't sound like you Misha." I spoke up while looking at the pink haired girl with a confused quirk of my eyebrow. "You're usually very diligent in what you do and tackle your work with great enthusiasm. What changed?"

Misha sat back up after I spoke to her and starts to scratch the back of her head sheepishly with a small blush on her face. "Ehehe. It just…. one of those days I guess?" Misha replied rather hesitantly.

Something tells me that she isn't telling me the truth but since she didn't want to say anything about it, I guess I shouldn't pry too much. Still, Misha has done so much for me ever since I got put into her care so I should at least offer some support to show how much I appreciate her help. "Well, if there's anything I can help you with don't hesitate to call on me for help, alright? You've done so much for me already Misha-san, I wouldn't even be as I am now without you, so at very least let me do something for you in return." I told her seriously.

Misha seem to have brighten up immensely from my words and looks incredibly happy. "S-sure. I'll be sure to call you if I ever need your help on something." She replied somewhat bashfully, a wide smile gracing her face. "But not right now thought. This is my own problem so I have to solve it on my own. I'm sure that if I put my mind to it, I'll be able to defeat the mountainous stack!"

"You wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if you hadn't been spending these past few nights bingeing on that novel of yours." Eina remarked with a small smirk.

"E-Eina! Don't go and tell Cain-san that." Misha quietly hissed at the half-elf with a panicked and embarrassed look on her face.

"Seriously?" I gave the girl a disapproving frown that basically said you ought to know better than that.

Misha seem to shrink in her seat under my gaze. "It was a great story." Misha muttered quietly, looking sad and miserable while poking her index fingers together.

After seeing how sad Misha is, Eina decided to toss her the bone. "No one said you have to do everything on your own Misha. I'll be helping you do half of your assignments." Eina told the girl, causing her to snap her entire body towards her with a look of surprise on her face.

Then Misha just leap off her seat and envelope Eina into a tight hug, firing rapid 'thank you's in a row while crying tears of joy. Eina just gave the girl an amused roll of her eyes and pat her back for a bit.

Smiling at the scene, I decided that it's time for us to leave and not disturb them so they could finish their work faster. "Well, we gotta go so good luck on your task you two." I said while gesturing to Naaza that we should leave.

We both turn around and went straight back home, leaving the two to their tedious paperwork.

-0-

Three days later

-0-

Three days had passed since Naaza and I started going into the Dungeon together and things has been going smoothly thus far. We went a bit deeper each time as I had promised Naaza and she's been working hard to increase her stats, killing any monsters that we see.

Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, she still froze up more often than not when a monster got too close but that's where I step in and do my part. It's only been a few day so it's too soon for any drastic improvement on that part.

We quickly settled into a routine that's easy for both of us to follow. Breakfast at morning and pre-Dungeon diving checks and preparation. Then we spend as much time as we can in the Dungeon, gaining kills and collecting loot while taking breaks as needed. Then we head back when it starts to get late. I would go to the pub to work while Naaza returns to the shop to do what's needed of her which concludes our day together.

I also had a checklist to go through before I go to sleep. My time before bed would consist of spamming WA until I start to feel woozy just to just squeeze in a bit more to increase my Magic stat. Truth be told, it's kind of hard to gauge how much MP (It's apparently called Mind in this world but that sounds stupid so I'll refer it to MP in my head) I have at first and I sort of knock myself out during the first time.

It was a good thing I was already laying in bed while it happened but sadly, my hand was stretch outwards and the item I was summoning fell onto my face as I lost conscious. Thankfully, I wasn't summoning anything dangerous so I wasn't hurt that badly, just a sore nose when I woke up.

But after the first time of experiencing Mind down, the term people use when they ran out of MP, I got the hang of the feeling so I know when to quit while I still can.

Although we have a good rhythm going for us as we traverse the Dungeon daily to gain experience, something is bound to happen that would cause us to change our plans for the day. Which is why I'm not with Naaza today as I make my way towards the pub at some point in the afternoon.

As someone who helps make potions in the shop, Naaza isn't available to enter the Dungeon 24/7 like me and had to help out sometimes to replenish our potion stock once we're running out. Of course, Miach can do it himself but that would mean leaving the shop closed as you can't really stop in the middle of potion making just to deal with customers.

Of course, seeing that she can't go, she also made it a rule that I can't enter the Dungeon on my own because I need supervision. Miach being Miach, he agreed whole heartedly because he would feel a lot better knowing that Naaza will be watching my back if we go together.

Is kind of unfair in my opinion but it's two against one so I had to suck it up and sulk about it privately instead.

As for why I'm going to be pub right now, it's because I'm running an errand for Syr. She saw me wandering around with nothing to do and proceeded to ask me to help her with something. Me being bored, I agreed without hearing what she needed me to do but as luck would have it, it's nothing crazy like the previous few times I agreed to her requests without hearing about the specifics first.

Last time led to me chasing a bunch of chickens around the orphanage which according to Syr, appeared out of nowhere. I managed to round up a few of them but some managed to escape out into town, probably sowing confusion and leaving messes and feathers in their wake.

Strange case of randomly teleporting chickens aside, this errand is a whole lot simpler and merely consist of purchasing some hair dye which I have on hand right now. Apparently, it's for the elf.

I was told that the elf woke up three days ago but didn't bother to go and check on her seeing that she's already being looked after by Syr and Mama Mia. It's also because I don't want to be near her unless necessary seeing that she's scary and could easily kill me if she ever found out that I saw her naked. However, there's a chance that I could be wrong about the elf. She could actually be a nice person and might forgive me instead but I'm not going to take that chance if I don't have to.

With that in mind, I would try and put as much distance between us until I get to know her better and that the chances of me dying by her hand is close to null.

Hmm, now that I think about it, I never did ask how Syr managed to get the elf to agree to work at the pub. Ah well, I'll ask her when I get the chance.

"Hey Mama Mia." I greeted the pub's owner when I saw her after I step into the building.

"Oh, Cain. Back already I see. Syr is upstairs in Ryuu's room right now so go ahead and give it to her there." Mia told me. She's currently in the middle of arranging mugs behind the bar.

"Ryuu? Is that the elf's name?" I asked as my eyes automatically scan the surrounding area out of habit and saw that the pub is empty save for the two of us. It's not that weird seeing that it's in the middle of the afternoon right now so the pub is on it's break period.

The Hostess of Fertility actually doesn't open from morning until late at night. They close down after lunch hour to allow the employees some time to rest for their evening shift. But they do have days when they're open for a full day like during the weekend or when there's some kind of holiday or festival is going on. I don't see any other staffs around here right now so they must've gone out to relax or is taking a snooze in their own room. We still have an hour or so before the pub opens up again so I'll be seeing them trickle in shortly.

"Sure is." Mia confirmed my question as I walk towards the stairs, trying to think if I had heard that name before. Sadly, it doesn't ring any bells.

I continue to make my way towards the elf's room unhindered and stopped in front of her door. I put my hand on the knob and twist it open. I barely got the door open about an inch or so before my instincts blared at me to dodge.

It was a good thing that I did because a hole appeared at the door where my head would be and I saw something fly past my face and embedded itself into the wall behind me. There was a girlish 'eep' coming from inside the room right as the door gained the hole that sounded like Syr's.

I quickly spun around to see just what went by me and saw a small fruit knife embedded deep into the wall. I quirk an eyebrow at the sight, completely unperturbed by the fact that I've almost lost my head. I noticed that there's some wetness trailing down my cheek and use my thumb to wipe it.

Yep. That's blood alright. Something tells me that our resident elf was the one who did that. It wasn't that hard to guess really since it's only Syr and her in there. No idea why though. "Ryuu! You shouldn't be tossing around sharp objects like that!" I heard Syr scold unhappily, confirming my theory. "You could hurt someone."

After pulling out the knife and checking the damage the building had sustained, I simply open the door fully with an annoyed look on my face since Mama Mia would most likely tell me to patch it up and replace the door. "But-" whatever the elf was going to say was interrupted by me as I entered the room.

Once I'm inside, I immediately spotted the two occupants in the middle of the room and one of them is looking warily at me while the other had her back turned to me. It also didn't take long to figure out just why the knife was tossed because the elf hastily put on the pub's uniform properly and started buttoning it. She must've seen the door open while in the middle of changing.

I suppose that it's my bad then. I would've apologize but almost losing my head made me moody so I didn't. Instead, I merely shot her an annoyed look before turning to Syr. By the way, Mama Mia removed the elf's stitches for her so there's no need for Syr or me to do it. She healed perfectly too, not a single scar in sight from what I could see just now.

"Syr, here's the thing you wanted me to buy." I call out to the waitress and lift up the paper bag in my hand that contained the dye.

"Oh." Syr let out when she heard my voice, most likely realizing just why Ryuu toss a knife at the door as well. "Cain-san! You should've knocked first." Syr said as she turn around to face me. "Ryuu could've-" Then her eyes widen slightly when her eyes landed on me. "You're hurt." She said in a worriedly.

"It's just a scratch. It'll be gone after a day." I wave off her worry and move in to pass the bag into her hand, ignoring the elf who was looking at my presence here in confusion. She seems like she doesn't know what to do with me here and has settled with just observing me for now.

"If you say so..." Syr said uncertainly as she accept the bag. "Thanks a lot Cain-san. With this we'll be able to help our new friend." She said as she open it and took out the small cylinder container inside that holds the dye. "Oh, you chose green for her." Syr commented as she study the label on the container.

"Well, she already has a lot of green equipment so I thought why not?" I replied with a shrug. I originally thought about buying a bright pink one as a joke at first but thought better of it. While I might get a laugh out of it once she found out that it's pink, I might only get about two ha's out before my life expires. "So, what else are you going to use to aid in her disguise."

"This is it. This is all we'll be using." Syr told me as she wave the dye in her hand.

"Seriously? Her entire disguise is only going to be the changing her hair color?" I said incredulously.

"Yep." Syr nodded. "Oh, there's also a change of clothing too in case you've forgotten." She added as an afterthought. She seemed quite confident that it would work so who knows, it actually might.

You know, now that I think about it, according from the reports on Gale Wind's profile, no one has actually seen her face before on account of her always wearing a hood and a mask. There might be a few that did but what are the odds of them still remembering her looks after a period of time. So the only way people would actually recognize Gale Wind nowadays is by her equipment so getting rid of it and changing her hair color as an extra precaution might actually work. Bloody hell, you'll achieve the same effect by simply slapping a pair of spectacles on her and calling it a day. It's called the Clark Kent Effect.

"You know Syr, I think you might be on to something here." I said, causing the gray haired girl to beamed happily.

"I know right." Syr puff out her chest proudly.

"Syr," Ryuu spoke up, drawing our attention to her and I noticed that her eyes were filled with distrust as she stare at me, body tensed and ready to attack if necessary. I noticed that there's a bit of guilt there as well when she look at the small cut on my cheek so she isn't all that heartless. "Who is this?" She asked our resident busybody while I try to imagine her with green hair. Yep, it will work alright. So long as no one looks too closely of course.

"Oh, silly me. I forgot about the introductions. Ryuu-san, this is Cain-san. Full name Cain Musashi. He also works here from time to time so I hope you both get along well." Syr told the elf as she gesture at me with one hand.

"And Cain-san, this is Ryuu Lyon, our newest addition to the Waitress Coalition."

I gave the elf a polite nod and she return one of her own before I turn to Syr with a quirked eyebrow. "You're still calling yourselves that?" I asked with a bit of humor in my voice. I originally called them that as a joke but Syr took a liking to it and started referring the entire staff as that ever since. She doesn't even know what it means too.

"Yep. It sounds cool." Syr replied with sparkles in her eyes.

"Well, so long as you don't count me in it then it's all fine. Anyway, I doubt I'll be needed here anymore so have fun with the dyeing part. I'll be downstairs helping Mama Mia prepare the pub." I said as I turn to walk away.

"Alright. We'll be down when we're ready." Syr said before addressing Ryuu. "Ryuu-san, please take a seat so we can get started."

I walk to the door and stop when I saw the hole in it and remembered something that I forgot to say to the elf. I turn back around to find Ryuu sitting on a chair, looking uncertain and uncomfortable while Syr is behind her preparing the dye with a big smile on her face.

"Lyon-san." I call out to her, causing her to look at me. Our eyes met and I simply point at the hole at the door which coincidentally show the other hole outside. "You're paying for the holes that you've made." I deadpanned.

"Kuhh..." My words seem to physically hurt her as she recoiled slightly. Somehow, I have a feeling that I'll be hearing that pained sound lot in these coming days.