Bell saw one, two, three, four, five kids playing in the snow. Their hair was dark, very much the opposite of his white. They wore some weird clothes that Bell did not recognize but felt like he had heard the description before. He saw the oldest kid, a boy barely entering teenage wearing a green and black-checkered garb, helping the youngest one shape a snowball.
Ah, Bell remembered where he had heard the description of the clothes. It was the same clothing style that his Grandpa described to him when he was telling him about the story of a hero from the Far East. Somehow he was dreaming about the Far East even though he had never stepped foot there.
He continued seeing the children played around with a forlorn smile. 'Having siblings must be nice,' was the thing that passed through his mind. After all, he was a single child, living together with his dear Grandpa and no one else. No father, no mother, no sister, no brother. But it was not like he was unsatisfied with his life. He was content living with his grandfather and helped him on the farm every day.
But seeing the siblings here... Bell felt like his heart yearned for something he could not have.
Bell Cranel opened his eyes. The sight of the ceiling of his bedroom greeted him, and then he realized that what he saw was just a dream.
"Hey, Grandpa," Bell shook the still sleeping body of his grandfather. "Grandpa."
"Nggh, what is it, Bell?"
"Can you tell me another story of heroes from the Far East?"
"Mmm, I don't know much. But I still remember several heroes from the Far East."
And so, his grandfather's tales filled his mind with more clear imagery of the Far East. He used his imagination, the mind of eight years old, to reconstruct his grandfather's stories in his mind. He then remembered the vivid dream he had.
For some strange reason, Bell could never forget the dream about seeing five Far East children played in the snow.
Over the years, Bell kept having similar dreams. It was not all the same, but there was a similar theme about his dream. It all centered around the oldest of the five kids he saw on his first dream. All those dreams centered on the green-and-black-garbed boy who barely entered his teens.
He did not see him only playing. Bell also saw how, as the eldest, the boy bore much, much bigger responsibilities by helping his parents with the household. On another day, he also saw how a younger version of the boy protected his sibling from a boiled kettle, receiving a burnt mark on his forehead.
Bell did not understand why he kept having these dreams. But he enjoyed it nevertheless.
"Hey, Grandpa. Do you know any stories about a hero clad in a green and black-checkered outfit?" Bell, one day asked his grandfather about the boy he saw in his dream.
"Hmm? I don't think so. If it exists, this is the first time I heard about him. No one I've heard or read had green and black outfit as the main description."
A little disappointed by the answer, Bell replied with a quiet 'I see' and went back to continue on the farm. For sure, he thought the boy was some kind of hero, and he was witnessing the journey of the hero. But apparently, Grandpa, who had heard almost all of the heroes' heroic tales, never heard of him.
Ever since then, Bell had never seen the dream again. Was it because he felt disappointed by his discovery that the boy was not a hero? Bell did not know. He just wanted to see those dreams again, to feel the joy the boy felt when his parents told him he would have a new sibling. To feel the worry the boy felt whenever his siblings were careless. To feel the elation whenever he got to hold his latest sibling. To feel the exhaustion whenever he got to help his parents.
Yet those prayers went unanswered for years.
(Years later, Bell's grandfather died, and the loneliness was too much for him; he decided to become an Adventurer in Orario. He wanted to become like the heroes in his Grandpa's tales, and he felt being an Adventurer was the first step.
The little line his grandfather said to him about picking up girls in the Dungeon was there, but he kept trying to stuff it to the back of his mind.)
The first night Bell slept inside the abandoned church after getting Goddess Hestia's blessing, he again dreamed of the boy.
This time, he saw the boy selling charcoal in a small town, quite a little far from the mountain the boy's family was living. He saw how a nice old man told him to stay the night in his house for fear of man-eating demons. He felt the disbelief the boy had at the old man's statement. In the end, the boy still rested in the old man's house for the night because he did not want to disappoint the old man.
And then.
And then he saw how the boy's entire family was dead the next morning.
Bell woke up with a startled shout.
That dream... that dream was the same dream he had when he was little. Did he begin dreaming of it again? But how come the tone of the dream was so different than before? Whereas before his dream encompassed the warmth of the family, this time, it was mired in tragedy.
"Bell, are you okay?" Hestia, his new Goddess, asked him. It seemed that his shout woke her up. With sleepy eyes, she was looking at him with concern.
"Ah... nothing, Goddess. It was just a dream," Bell tried to explain it without making her worry more about him. It was just a simple dream, after all.
"I see, I see... Then, to make sure you do not have a bad dream again, I'll sleep with you!" Hestia jumped towards the worn sofa he used to and embraced him.
"Gah! Goddess!" But said goddess did not reply. Bell thought it was more that she would not respond. Because he could still feel her heartbeat, and it hadn't slowed down in the slightest, meaning she was faking her sleep. That put a smile on Bell's lips.
Familia. Family.
Slowly, Hestia filled the loneliness he felt after his grandfather left him. And so Bell fell asleep again.
(This time, he dreamt something else. He had a pleasant dream.)
Over the week, Bell kept having that dream. One day, he saw the continuation of the nightmare he had before. Bell saw the boy's surprised. But instead of wallowing in pity, he took the initiative to bring his sister to help. Then surprisingly, his sister awakened and attacked him, both fell down a cliff.
Another day he got the answer to why the boy's sister attacked him. According to a new guy in the dream, his sister had been turned into a man-eating demon. However, instead of fearing his sister, the boy determinedly tried to protect her. Was this how it felt to have an older sibling?
In another dream, he saw how the boy trained himself to hunt those responsible for turning her sister into a demon. Not in vengeance, but to turn her sister back into a human. That... honestly made him very happy. He had heard several tales of heroes whose motivation was revenge from his Grandpa, and none ended up in a happy ending. He hoped the boy's story would end up happy for him.
In yet another dream, he saw how the boy cut a big boulder into two pieces with the help of his senior's spirits. He saw how the boy's teacher reluctantly let him go into a selection exam to enter the Demon Slaying Corps. He then saw how the boy did in the exam, where he killed the demon who had eaten his seniors. And yet, once again, instead of a thought of avenging them, he sympathized with the demon.
Bell saw how he prayed for the demon to be reincarnated as something else instead of a man-eating demon. The boy in the green and black-checkered garb was indeed something else. Maybe his thought back when he was little was wrong. Perhaps even though his Grandpa had never heard of him, the Far East boy was a hero of his own story. Seeing the boy's compassion was genuinely inspiring.
Bell woke up.
For the past two weeks, Bell followed the routine he had set up every morning before going to the Dungeon. That was right. Today would mark two weeks since he became a proper Adventurer of Orario under the Hestia Familia banner. He said banner, but Hestia Familia still did not have any banner since they were a new Familia. Even the member was only him, not counting Goddess Hestia as the Familia's patron deity, of course.
Not long after, Goddess Hestia woke up, and both prepared themselves for another day in Orario. Bell went to the Dungeon, where monsters spawned daily, and it was the job of Adventurers to kill them for the magic stones those monsters possessed. Those magic stones could then be exchanged for money. That was how Adventurers of Orario operated.
To be honest, he was still new towards adventuring. In fact, he had only descended to the fourth floor at the most! The journey towards being a hero was still long.
(A small part of his heart thought that saving girls and meeting them there would require him to be strong first.)
Bell had no problem on the first three floors. With monsters such as kobolds and goblins, he slashed at them all with his trusty knife. The knife was not anything special. In fact, it was part of basic newbie Adventurers pack initiative from the Guild to help them integrate with the life of killing monsters. The Guild gave them armors and weapons, and in turn, they took parts of the Adventurer's profit to pay it back.
Bell chose a knife because it was the thing he was most familiar with. He used a knife back on the farm with his Grandpa. Not wanting to get over his head, Bell decided that knife was the better choice for him. He was currently on the fourth floor and was cutting the remains of a goblin he had just finished for the magic stones.
When he finished, his eyes laid on towards the entrance to the fifth floor. His trusty advisor from the Guild, Miss Eina, would not want him to enter the fifth floor before he was ready. But Bell thought he was ready. He had killed many kobolds and goblins, after all!
So without further thought, Bell descended towards the fifth floor.
It was not even five minutes later that Bell decided that his decision-making skills were terrible, and he should not have entered the fifth floor.
Why?
Because he was currently being chased by a Minotaur on the fifth floor!
How come a Minotaur is on the fifth floor!? Miss Eina clearly said that it was a monster that originated from the middle floor! Monsters roaming the floor it wasn't supposed to be was not a common sight in the Dungeon!
With all his might, Bell ran. He ran away from the Minotaur, but it was relentlessly chasing him into a dead end. Bell felt like his heart stopped beating when he saw the dead end. Turning back, he saw the massive figure of the Minotaur approaching him.
He thought this was the end for him. His mind went back towards the people he cared for—his deceased Grandpa, Goddess Hestia, and his advisor Miss Eina. But then, a stray thought passed his mind.
Breathe.
His lung sucked up a tremendous amount of air.
Breathe.
That was the basic being trained by the boy in his dream. Breathing. With a specific breathing technique, you can strengthen your body and unleash a powerful attack meant to kill demons.
Inside his mind, Bell recalled everything he remembered about the dream he had last night. About how the green and black-checkered garb boy breathed in a certain way and generated enough power to kill the Hand Demon.
It was not something logical. Really, Bell did not even know why he tried, but Bell began imitating how the boy in his dream breathed.
And then.
It clicked. For some strange reason he couldn't explain, that way of breathing felt comfortable to do. Recalling the stance the boy held, Bell imitated it and moved.
With the knife in his right hand, Bell ran towards the Minotaur and leaped. Positioning both his arm crisscrossed, Bell swung both at the Minotaur's neck to maximize the attack's momentum.
Echoing the boy in his dream, Bell shouted inside his mind.
Breath of Water First Style: Water Surface Slice!
It had been a perfect imitation. Indeed. The clarity of Bell's dream ensured that Bell could recall the form correctly.
But.
It was an imitation.
Therefore, he did not account for the difference in the weapon.
That boy had a long Far Eastern sword, while Bell only held a short knife.
Thus, Bell's fate was sealed.
He swung too early and missed the timing of the attack.
Ah.
Overcoming fate was only told in heroic tales. This was real life. This was the end for him.
But before the Minotaur swung its hoof to end Bell's life.
Suddenly a fountain of blood spurt from its chest as something slashed its torso in two and instantly killed it. The spurted blood rained on Bell's entire form, drenching him in sticky red awful-smelled liquid. The Minotaur's form fell towards the ground in two pieces, and the figure behind the attack on the Minotaur revealed itself to Bell.
The figure was a beautiful blonde girl that captivated him. With a thud, Bell fell to the ground and saw clearly the armored girl's golden eyes gazed towards him.
There was no mistaking it. His savior was Ais Wallenstein, the Sword Princess of Loki Familia.
Bell had heard of her, who wouldn't have heard of the record holder for the fastest Level Up in history? But he would never think that the figure revered by the mass was this captivating.
"Are you okay?"
No. His heart was beating faster than it should. His eyes could not tear themselves away from her perfect figure. His body could not move as if it was frozen in time.
In summary, he fell in love at first sight.
(After that, Bell ungracefully ran away and went towards the Guild, for Miss Eina. He wanted to know everything about the Sword Princess. Ais Wallenstein, his new idol.
The sight of blood-dripping Bell shocked Eina too much that he got scolded by the half-elf beauty.)
That night when Bell had his status updated by Hestia, he acquired a new skill. Elemental Respiration. Hestia did not understand what and how it manifested with him, but Bell understood.
It said upon his status sheet that Elemental Respiration manifested the element of his breath. He understood what it meant. In his dream last night, he saw no water, but Bell felt like water would be appropriate to be manifested there for some strange reason. It was Breath of Water, after all. He was very excited to try his new skill!
But...
He glanced towards his trusty knife. It was not a fitting weapon for his new skill. "Goddess, is it alright if I want to change weapon?"
Hestia blinked.
"Is there something wrong with the knife? Granted, being almost dead can change your perspective, but to suddenly change weapon... I understand. Bell, you can change your weapon. Leave the expense of our daily necessity to me!" Proudly pointing to herself, Hestia assured Bell that he could if he wanted to.
His Goddess was very understanding, Bell thought with a smile. It was indeed the thing that held him back from just doing it. After all, part of his earnings in the Dungeon also went towards their daily expenses. If he suddenly changed weapon, the Guild would charge more each time Bell exchanged the magic stones because he took another loan from the Guild. He did not want to waste too much money, so he planned to get the standard Far East sword from the Guild instead of buying it himself.
"Thank you, Goddess."
"Anyway, Bell. What kind of weapon are you going to try now?" Hestia inquired in curiosity.
"I'm trying a Far Eastern sword. What was it called again?"
"A katana. Takemikazuchi always told me that a katana is stronger than a normal blade. But I never put much stock on it since he is biased; what's with coming from the Far East and all. But if you're interested, maybe I can ask a favor from Takemikazuchi for one of his Familia members to teach you?"
Bell shook his head. "No need, Goddess. I'll just train myself on the first floor or outside the Dungeon. No need to put yourself in debt."
With the resolve of changing his weapon, Bell fell asleep and welcomed himself to another dream.
The next day, Bell found himself in the Pantheon to consult with Eina about changing weapons. The request itself was not something strange to Eina as many adventurers who felt their choice of weapon was wrong were the same as him, but Eina was curious why Bell thought it was necessary, so Bell told her the truth.
"Yesterday, when facing the Minotaur, I had no dream I can win against it. But... My weapon felt too short of reaching it. That's why I want to change my weapon. I want to try a katana. Does the Guild have it, Miss Eina?"
He omitted the fact that he felt his knife was too short because he imitated a swordsman's style.
"I see. We do have a standard katana. Then does that mean you are going to have another loan from the Guild, then?" Bell nodded at that. A short while later, Bell had gotten his new katana. As for his knife, Eina told him to keep it as a backup weapon, and Bell agreed.
On his way to the Dungeon, somebody called him. "Excuse me."
Bell stopped his stride and turned. "...Umm?"
It was a cute girl. Wearing a white apron over a green dress, the gray-haired girl was eye-catching. She raised her arm and showed her hand. "You dropped this."
It was a small magic stone. Bell immediately checked his back pocket. "Aah, thank you!" He took it with a smile.
"Are you heading towards the Dungeon?" the girl asked him cutely. Bell could only nod, seeing her cute act. Then, Bell's stomach roared, which made him blush in embarrassment and got a small laugh from her.
"Please wait here for a bit." Bell saw her entered a restaurant and came back out with a box in her hand. "This is my lunch. You can have it."
"Umm, I don't think I should take it," Bell decided with a scratch to his head. "It's yours, Miss. I wouldn't want to deprive you of lunch for my own sake."
"I insist," the girl; clearly, a waitress at the restaurant grabbed his arm and put the boxed lunch on his hand. "I don't like seeing people hungry, Mr. Adventurer. Please accept it for my own sake."
Seeing such a heartfelt confession from the gray-haired girl, Bell could not refuse.
However, before he could reply, the smile she had on her face turned a little mischievous as she continued. "Mr. Adventurer, I'm giving you this lunch I had for today. That's why..."
She leaned closer towards Bell. Far closer than he was comfortable. But Bell still could not tear his eyes away from her face.
"Tonight, you have to eat dinner at the restaurant I work at, okay?"
"...Well then, see you tonight, umm..."
"Syr. Syr Flova. A waitress at the Hostess of Fertility."
"Then, I'm Bell. Bell Cranel," Bell introduced himself.
"I'll be waiting, Bell."
The girl left with an extra spring in her step.
Today his objective was not to get more magic stones. No, today, his aim in the Dungeon was training himself to use his new blade, the Far Eastern sword called katana. Its name was a little foreign in his tongue, but he was sure this was similar to the sword he saw in his dream.
A goblin greeted him with its cry. Bell clumsily took the sword out of its sheathe and slashed at the incoming monster. Bell hurt it, but it was not enough to kill the little monster.
No, Bell thought to himself. He understood his skill. It wouldn't activate itself if his attack was random.
So he breathed and found his body moving in a familiar motion he saw in his dream.
Water Surface Slice!
Crisscrossing his arms, he then put all his powers into the swing of his arms.
Flowing water appeared from the blade as it cut the goblin's neck cleanly.
The water fell to the ground in a splash before being absorbed by the soil.
That sight put a smile on Bell's face, as he could not contain his joy. "Yes!" He shouted while catching his breath.
Huh? So using the breathing stance attack tired him more than usual, huh?
The rest of the day, Bell did not use the Breath of Water again for fear of tiring himself. However, he did familiarize himself with using a bladed weapon with a more extended reach than usual. He did not dare venture down to the third or fourth floor, limiting himself to the first two floors.
He felt satisfied with his progress and wanted to go back for today. He did not remember how long he had been inside the Dungeon.
Only one thing stood between him and the exit.
A group of three kobolds who growled at him.
Since this was the last exchange he had with the monsters in the Dungeon today, Bell felt it was appropriate to use his breathing style again.
But this time, facing three opponents at once, the first style was unsuited for the situation.
He recalled another style that the boy did to strike at more than one opponent at a time.
Breath of Water, Fourth Style: Striking Tide
Bell ran and slashed the first kobold, water drenching it. Then, he used the slash's momentum, with the weight of the water materializing on his sword to spin himself, and slashed at the second one before he turned again and cut the third one vertically from the bottom to the top.
It was akin to the flow of a harsh tide dragging someone into the water.
Water splashed the ground, the aftereffect of his skill, Elemental Respiration.
The three kobolds' corpse laid motionless on the ground. Bell used his knife to gouge the magic stones out of them and put it in his back pocket.
Overall, it was a productive day for him, even though the last move was very tiring.
"Hey, Bell. Did you activate your skill today? Will you tell me about it?" Hestia asked him as she was updating his Falna.
"Sure," Bell replied to his Goddess as he laid on his stomach. "When I swung my swords in a certain way, water will appear! Although I don't understand what is the benefit of the water. It is nice to have when you are thirsty inside the Dungeon! Or when your clothes are tainted with blood!"
"Water appearing out of nowhere, huh? That said, it's not magic, I think. Because your magic status is still at zero."
"Oh yeah, whenever I used the skill, it actually tires me a lot, so I used it only when I need to. I have to train my stamina and endurance as well!"
"Good," Hestia replied towards him. "Keep working hard, Bell. I'm sure you're getting stronger."
She then stood up from his back and handed him his updated status sheet. When Bell read it, he glanced at his Goddess in confusion. "Goddess, are you sure this is correct?"
Bell Cranel
Level 1
Strength: I82 - H121
Endurance: I13 - I38
Dexterity: I96 - H120
Agility: H172 - G212
Magic: I0
Magic:
Skill:
Elemental Respiration: Materialize elements when striking an enemy under certain conditions.
His status jumped higher than yesterday, even though all he was facing today was kobolds and goblins.
"I know it is correct! I'm the one copying the status to that sheet, after all!"
...Why was she suddenly angry at him?
"Goddess?"
She put on an overcoat and walked past him.
"Forget it! I have something to do for my part-time job!" She slammed the door and left him alone.
"Did I do something wrong?" He questioned himself.
He remembered his promise with the waitress Syr. He searched for a restaurant named the Hostess of Fertility and entered it. Immediately he was greeted by the sight of two cat people serving customers. He looked around and saw Syr.
"Bell?"
"Good Evening, Syr. I'm here."
"Welcome to our Hostess of Fertility!" She greeted him properly as she motioned him to follow her. Not knowing what to do, Bell followed him towards the bar counter. "Please have a seat here, Bell."
"Ooh, so you're the one Syr said she is waiting for. A new Adventurer? Because I've never seen your face before." A female dwarf greeted him from behind the counter. "Name's Mia Grand. I'm the owner of this place. I heard you're going all out tonight. So just give us a call."
Nobody said anything about 'going all out'... Bell looked towards Syr, who was looking at anything but him with an innocent smile. Ah... so that was her ploy. He grumbled under his breath about his own naivety.
Scanning the menu, Bell found something he wanted to try.
"Just a single pasta, please. Oh, and a glass of water too."
"Not ale?" Mia asked him, and Bell shook his head. So she left with his order without adding anything.
Fifteen minutes later, the pasta was placed in front of him, and he tasted it. It was great! Bell ate the meal with a smile. Indeed, it was worth the price, he thought.
When he was halfway finished, Syr took a seat beside him. "So how do you like this place? Are you enjoying yourself?"
After gulping down the pasta, Bell replied. "I'm a little overwhelmed, actually. I've never been inside a place like this before... but I like it. It's nice, I think."
"Thank you, Bell."
Suddenly a commotion could be heard from the entrance. A group of multi-racial people entered, and it was loud enough to gain Bell's attention. It was the Loki Familia. One of the two strongest Familia in the city. And with the realization of who was entering, Bell began looking for a certain someone.
His eyes landed on the silent blonde-haired girl. Yup, Ais was there. Bell felt his cheek darkened in red.
"Bell?" Syr called out to him, but he ignored her. His mind was preoccupied with something, and that something was the Sword Princess.
She truly was mesmerizing.
"Ah, Loki Familia, huh? They're regulars here," Syr gave an explanation.
Bell registered Syr's words, but honestly, his mind was just so full of thought about Ais Wallenstein that he did not pay attention to anything else.
Ahhh, she's so cool!
"Bell," Syr pinched his arm in irritation. Only then Bell got his thought in order and looked at Syr while rubbing his arm in pain. "Girls don't like it when you paid attention to other girls, you know."
"Uuh, isn't that about dating?" At least, his Grandpa said so.
Syr gasped. "Bell, you're so forward!"
"That was not my intention, though!" he retorted.
She just winked playfully. At that, Bell realized that Syr was just teasing him. He grumbled under her breath.
And then he heard someone raising their voice.
"Ais! Tell us about that one story!"
And Bell's good day turned upside down following that one statement.
(He shamefully ran away from the scene in tears, ignoring Syr, who called out to him in worry. He did not know where he was even going. All that he knew was that he should get away at all costs. He ended up inside the Dungeon, hacking and slashing the monsters, too overcome with emotion to think properly about what he was doing.
When he went home that night, Hestia was there to scold him, listened to him, and finally welcomed him back. Once more, Bell felt that they were becoming proper FamiliaFamily.)
Bell saw another dream. This time it was about the first 'mission' that the boy had to undertake as his journey to return her sister into a human again began. He saw the boy, with his keen sense of smell, detected the demon, and fought them. He shouted in worry when the boy in the green and black-checkered garb was being overwhelmed by multiple demons at the same time.
He almost let out his tears when the boy's demonized sister came out of the box and helped him fight the demon until they defeated it. Some bonds did transcend humanity, and this was one of them. When the Hestia Familia grew larger in the future, would he have this kind of bond with the other members?
The next morning, Bell updated his Falna because last night, he was too tired to care. His status jumped drastically again. That was two times in a row now. Even Hestia admitted that she did not understand why. Well, Bell thought, he shouldn't question it if it benefitted him. And his Goddess seemed to think so, so Bell was just glad it happened. He also made a promise to not leave his Goddess alone, and in turn, Hestia also made a promise to support him.
Before going to the Dungeon, Bell went towards the Hostess of Fertility's direction, intending to apologize for last night. Unfortunately, as he found out when he arrived and was greeted by an elf and a cat person, the restaurant hadn't opened for the day yet. Though, when he inquired for Syr and the owner, they were kind enough to call her and left the two of them for their privacy.
"Bell?"
Syr began running when she looked at the one waiting for her. A big smile was present on her face as she approached him. Mia Grand was walking with an annoyed expression behind her, probably because he ran away without paying for his meal last night. But it was why he was trying to apologize now.
"Syr... umm, sorry for last night!" Bell bowed towards the two women. "Here is the pay for last night. I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry too."
"No, no, I'm the one who's sorry for running away, especially to you, Miss Grand."
"No 'Miss Grand' for me. Just call me Mama Mia like everyone else," was her terse reply.
Syr suddenly looked like she had just remembered something as she excitedly told Bell to wait and ran inside.
"That girl chased you, you know? But she went back with a dejected face because she couldn't find you."
"Ah..." Hearing that made Bell felt a little guilty. "Please tell her I'm sorry for worrying her. If I said it to her directly, it would go just like before."
"I'll be sure to do it."
After that, Syr came back with another boxed lunch for him, which he reluctantly accepted again. He planned to eat there too today, anyway, because this morning Hestia told him that she wouldn't be home for the night and maybe several days because there was a party of Gods she would attend.
"Oi boy," Mia called out to him as he was about to head to the Dungeon.
"Yes?"
"Survive. That's the most important thing about being an Adventurer. If you survive, you win."
Bell was reminded by a particular scene he remembered seeing in his dream; specifically, it was the boy's exam to enter Demon Slayer's organization. The goal was not to kill as many demons as possible but to survive for one week. The Dungeon was the same. If you weren't careful, both could be overwhelming, and it could lead to an early death.
"Thank you, Mama Mia!" Bell replied with a bright smile. "I will never forget it!"
"You'd better not!" Mia replied with a laugh.
Bell left the Hostess of Fertility with a jovial mood, the guilt he had towards Syr and the Hostess of Fertility lifted from his mind.
Inside the Dungeon, Bell tore through the first, second, and third floor effortlessly with his breathing technique's help. Although he still had to be conservative with it because it was still tiring him.
Now on the fourth floor, Bell was facing three Dungeon Lizards and five Goblins. Eight monsters. This was a first for him. Calming himself, Bell took a breath.
Breath of Water, Third Style: Dance of the Swift Current!
Bell swung his blade and moved. Each step was accompanied by a swing of the sword to decapitate the goblins and lizards. If one were to look at him properly, it was as if he was dancing instead of killing the monsters. Moving to one side, then swung the blade and twist, moving to the other side. Water appeared in a beautiful arc, carving through the air before gravity took hold, and it fell to the ground at the end of Bell's dance.
Not even a minute later, Bell killed the eight monsters, although not without cost. The third style he saw in his dreams were short, but having to kill eight monsters made the dance longer than he had seen in the dream; thus, he was out of breath.
It wasn't that his body was tired, no. His muscles did not felt tired at all. He was gasping for breath because from what he understood from his dreams, the technique to breathe in a certain way that pumped energy to your body required your blood to be circulated quickly, and blood circulations needed air. He used the technique and powered himself up by taking so much air. Then he stopped the breathing technique, and suddenly his lungs tried to normalize again, leading to gasps for air he was experiencing now. After sufficient rest, Bell collected all the magic stones from the corpses laid on the ground.
After that, Bell tore through the fifth floor, now that there were no irregular monsters like the Minotaur there. He did not even need to use the technique because he killed them so quickly there had been no many vs. one situation.
Then, he took a step on the sixth floor for the first time.
His guard all raised up, Bell moved slowly. From the walls, new monsters were born, ready to kill Adventurers. But he was ready.
A War Shadow appeared, and Bell took a ready stance. It leaped towards him, but he was faster and slashed the humanoid monster in two.
"That was... too easy. From what Miss Eina said, the fifth to the seventh floor is way harder for a solo newbie Adventurer that they are advised to form a party for safety." Bell said to himself as more monsters appeared. This time, it looked like the Dungeon registered him as an emerging threat instead of the annoying bugs that he was before because suddenly, three War Shadows and two Frog Shooters surrounded him.
He jinxed himself, Bell thought inside his mind as he breathed.
He swung his swords at the oncoming War Shadow and cut its hand. Then he sensed something coming on his back, so he jumped and took a stance in the air.
Second Style: Water Wheel!
Bell did a somersault and slashed the thing behind him. It was the tongue of a Frog Shooter who hissed in pain. As a water wheel appeared, Bell wasted no time to strike at it and the other Frog Shooter using the fourth style, Striking Tide.
Then he turned and decapitated the one-armed War Shadow using the first style, Water Surface Slice, and when he was still in the air, he somersaulted again for another Water Wheel to cleave the other War Shadow, leaving only one War Shadow standing before him.
If he stopped his breathing technique here, he would be too tired to face it properly. So with all the power left, Bell thrust his katana towards the third War Shadow's head and moved it down vertically.
No monsters left in sight, Bell was still alert. Eina had hammered into his mind that the Dungeon was alive. So he looked around, trying to spot something wrong. Luckily for him, there was nothing. He gasped for breath as he released his breathing technique. After two minutes of catching his breath, Bell collected all the magic stones and decided that he had enough for the day.
(Going home, Bell saw many people bringing something inside a closed box out of the Dungeon. He didn't know what it was, as it was not his problem, but he heard something about Monsterphilia? He would ask Miss Eina later.)
Bell had another dream. The boy in the green and black-checkered garb was taking a rest somewhere in a city this time. Suddenly he smelled a demon that killed his entire family. He followed the scent only to see that the Demon was masquerading as a human. Then disaster came as he turned a bystander into a Demon to get away in the ruckus. Fortunately, the boy was helped by a good Demon who opposed the one who turned his sister into a demon.
Bell then saw how their sanctuary was invaded by two demons under orders from the progenitor of all demons. The boy used everything to defeat the two demons, even the consecutive Breath of Water stance he had never used before. It was similar to how he had used more than one Breath of Water style in succession. Bell suddenly felt glad that even the boy inside his dream was struggling to do it.
Bell woke up alone. For the past several days, his Goddess, Hestia, hadn't come home. He wasn't worried as she said that it might be possible that she would be gone for several days, but he had to admit that he felt lonely without her. It was like those days after his Grandpa left him alone in this world. The loneliness inside his heart ate him away.
But, Bell thought to himself. He had to be strong. He had to believe that Hestia would come back to him. He had to have faith in her. He had to trust her. Because that was what it meant to be a Family.
After eating a cold breakfast, Bell prepared himself for a foray into the Dungeon once more for the day.
On his way to the Dungeon though, he passed by the Hostess of Fertility and got called by the cat person who worked there. "Hey, white hair. Wait up!"
Bell looked around to see someone else with white hair but found none. That meant the girl was talking to him, right? "Me?" He pointed to himself.
"Yes, you, nya!" When she was right in front of him, she handed out something. It looked like a purse for a girl, Bell thought. No way it would be his. So why did this girl offered it to him? "Please give this to Syr, nya!"
Bell did not understand what she was trying to say. He only tilted his head in confusion. The waitress in front of him, though, suddenly clutched her heart and gasped.
"H-Hey, are you okay?"
He heard the cat person mumbling something under her breath. Something about 'not fair' and 'too cute'? But the cat person suddenly slapped herself in the cheek and focused again. "Never mind that, nya! Just give it to Syr; you're her friend, right?"
Suddenly someone came behind her. It was the elf that he saw yesterday. "Anya. If you say it like that, I'm sure that Mr. Cranel won't understand."
Bell nodded at the elf's statement. "Yes, I don't understand, Miss Anya!"
"Aah, Ryuu, don't embarrass me like that, nya!"
"Mr. Cranel. Please excuse us, but Anya and the rest of the staff at the Hostess of Fertility would like to ask for your help in giving Syr her purse. She took a day off for the opening of Monsterphilia and forgot her purse. I know we're asking much, but..."
"It's okay, it's okay!" Bell replied with a smile. "You're working hard. If you need help, I'm not inconsiderate enough to decline!"
"Too bright, nya!"
Syr bowed towards him, "Thank you so much, Mr. Cranel."
"A-Ah, no need to bow, Miss Elf!"
"Ryuu Lion," the elf, introducing herself as Ryuu Lion, nodded in thanks.
"Speaking of... what is Monsterphilia? I'm new in Orario, so this is my first time experiencing one," Bell scratched his cheek with a sheepish grin. What followed was a detailed explanation about it from Anya.
"Anyway, Thank you, white hair, see you later!" Anya said after finishing her explanation and left him and Ryuu alone.
"That girl..." Ryuu shook her head and bowed once again towards Bell. "We're very grateful, Mr. Cranel."
"A-Ah, Miss Lion?"
"Yes?"
This was just a feeling. There had been no basis on why he felt this way. He had no keen sense of smell like the boy in his dream. However, all his senses were telling him one thing. This elf in front of him... This greenish blonde-haired elf who showed no shred of emotion in her face...
She was in sorrow.
"Are you sad?"
The elf looked taken aback before she masked her surprise with a calm demeanor.
"I'm sorry! I had no right to ask you a personal question like that! Please forgive me! I'll see you later!"
Bell ran away. He had no courage to face her properly and apologize and could only do it as he ran without seeing her response. Aah, he couldn't believe that he ran away from that restaurant twice now!
But.
He had no regret asking that question, even if it ended up unsettling such a nice woman like Miss Lion. He truly looked up to the boy in his dream, and he wanted to emulate not just his technique, but also his compassion. But he approached his first attempt the wrong way and ended up embarrassing himself. To such a beautiful elf to boot! Embarrassing! Too embarrassing!
(Bell resolved himself to apologize properly later.)
On his way looking for Syr, Hestia was surprisingly there and took him on a date. Even if he insisted that he was tasked to find someone, Hestia took it in stride and brought him to a random stall selling foods and beverages. But in the end, Bell caved and let his Goddess took him. Maybe he could meet up with Syr that way instead of blindly searching all of Orario? They even met Miss Eina, who was working for the Guild today!
And then the peaceful day was broken by a scream.
A monster was wreaking havoc and landed its eyes on the two of them.
Eyes widened in shock, Bell was still aware of the danger they were in, so he hauled his Goddess and ran. He ran with all his might. It was not a monster he had encountered inside the Dungeon. Therefore, logically, it was stronger than him.
So he ran.
Words from the owner of the Hostess of Fertility echoed inside his mind.
Survive.
This was not the Dungeon, but the lesson stayed the same. He needed to survive, and to do so, he had to run.
Bell took everything on his sight, looking for a path that would not disturb everyone else. If he simply ran without any thought, no doubt more of the bystanders would be affected, and he did not want that. So he looked for a path with the least amount of possible casualty.
However, the monster, a Silverback, managed to catch up with him and threw a punch.
He had no way of knowing which of the two of them was its target, so he threw his Goddess gently to the left while he took a single step to the right.
His intuition was right. The monster changed the direction of the punch to target Hestia. Without any second thought, Bell bolted and dragged his Goddess away from the Silverback.
"Goddess, why is it after you!?"
"I don't know!" She replied after she was being carried by him properly again. Still being chased by the monster, Bell ran away and found himself in front of Daedalus Street. Asking for forgiveness towards the street resident inside his mind, Bell ran inside the maze-like structure. Even if people said that you couldn't leave Daedalus Street, it was the most ideal place for Bell to lose the monster.
However, he forgot one thing.
As Bell slipped into the alleys and came out somewhere the Silverback couldn't reach, the ape-like monster overcame it by using his physical ability to jump and took shortcuts.
Bell cursed inside his mind as he did not consider that fact. Now he had to confuse the Silverback by changing directions on an irregular basis, forcing it to not jump blindly. Though, Bell himself was a newbie Adventurer who should not face a Silverback alone in the first place, so while he could keep himself up for a while, trying to confuse the Silverback was a tiring effort.
In the end, he failed to lose the Silverback, and it managed to surprise him by landing on the place he was about to turn to.
The monster roared, and it sent a chill to Bell. His body was frozen in fear as Hestia also screamed in fear. While she was a Goddess, coming down to Gekai meant that she sealed all her power and lived like an average human. So, of course, she would experience fear.
Take control of yourself! Bell shouted inside his mind, and it shook him out of the fear. Enough time for him to throw his Goddess, albeit roughly, away from the giant hand coming towards them.
Then, Bell took a breath and swung his sword.
It met a resistance more incredible than anything he had experienced. The sword broke into pieces, leaving him gripping only the handle and a small part of the blade still attached. The rest was flying in the air after being broken.
A little shaken by his trusty weapon being broken, Bell thrust it into the Silverback's arm and drew his backup dagger. The result was the same. The monster kept ignoring his attempt to hurt it and focused everything on getting his Goddess. It swatted him aside, his body hitting the wall.
It hurt. It hurt a lot.
But he had to endure. For the sake of his dream. For the sake of his Goddess. For the sake of his own self. He could not crumble here. He had to endure!
His hand found a magic stone lamp that fell from the wall. Turning it up to maximum, he threw it towards the Silverback and closed his eyes for a second. Then, not wasting any time, he dragged Hestia away again.
Safe. Although only for a while.
With no weapon on his back, Bell had no choice.
He had to sacrifice himself for his Goddess. He could not and would not forgive himself if he lost someone dear to him ever again, not after his Grandpa's passing.
"Hey, Bell. What's with that look?" Hestia asked him with a frightened tone as he looked everywhere for a way to keep her safe. "Bell. Bell!"
"I'm sorry, Goddess. But I'll be a decoy. Please look for help in the meantime. I'll buy you enough time."
"No!" Hestia's grip on his body became even tighter than before. "Don't leave me, Bell! You made a promise!"
That stopped Bell on his track. Indeed. He made a promise to never leave her. That moment became a weakness for them as the monster was gaining upon them.
"Bell! Behind you!"
A single stray thought passed his mind.
He only used the breathing technique when he was attacking his enemy.
But.
But.
The breathing technique itself was not part of the Styles of the Breath of Water. It was a fundamental part of it, but in the sense of 'everything needs the breath as a foundation.' The breath was not a part of the Styles. It was the opposite.
The Styles were martial arts moves founded based on the breath.
So...
He breathed, and then he ran.
Continually trying to maintain his breathing technique while running really really took a strain. But he couldn't stop now. If he stopped, his body would catch up, and he wouldn't be able to do anything after that. So he had to keep his breathing technique steady as he ran from the monster chasing them.
"Bell? What is that weird sound?"
Huh? He never realized that the way he was breathing when using his breathing technique sounded weird. But trying to talk and run and maintain his breathing was hard; he opted to not reply to his Goddess' inquiry.
"Never mind. Speaking of, Bell. If you had a better weapon, can you kill it?" Hestia looked towards him without any hint of humor. She was serious.
He did not know the answer. Coupled with the fact that he could not speak, it painted a bad picture for Hestia's mind as she concluded that no, Bell thought he could not.
"I believe in you, Bell. That's why..."
Still running from the Silverback, Hestia opened the case which was covered in cloth that she was bringing along with her all day.
"Take it, Bell. It's my gift to you. I promised to help you become stronger, didn't I? Since you keep your promise of not leaving me alone, I shall also keep my promise and help you get stronger. Now, Bell. Slay that monster! Let the world know that this is the beginning of Bell Cranel!"
...
Bell stopped running.
He put his Goddess down and took the thing inside the case. It was a mesmerizing black katana. When Bell took it for a grip test and took the blade out of its sheathe, for some reason, it glowed a little, letting him know about the letters carved on the side of the katana.
"This is..."
Perfect.
The grip, the length, the sensation. Everything was perfect.
"Okay, to better increase your chance to win, let me update your status."
Chased by time, Hestia wasted no more seconds and forced Bell to open his shirt and worked on updating his Falna.
"W-What the!?"
"Hmm, what's wrong, Goddess?"
"I have no paper to copy your status, but everything except endurance and magic is in E!"
That honestly surprised Bell a little bit, even if he had braced for a higher status than what a normal Adventurers would get.
A single level one with E in most of his status.
Versus.
A Silverback.
It was still not a fair match up. In fact, it was too tilted in the monster's favor.
Still...
Gripping his new sword from its sheathe placed on his waist, Bell took a stance. He was still maintaining his breath, so he was ready whenever Hestia finished updating his status.
And then.
And then.
He moved.
Ais Wallenstein was running inside Daedalus Street. There was a report about a Silverback chasing a young Adventurer inside. Following the trails of destructions and the sounds of roars, she arrived at the scene only to see the young Adventurer facing the Silverback.
That white hair...
No doubt about it, he was the boy that she saved from the Minotaur sometime ago. He should not face it.
But.
She was an Adventurer, and they had unwritten rules that should not be broken.
One of them was not stealing prey from others unless they really needed help. One such case was the Minotaur. She realized it was chasing someone else, so she had no reservation to steal the kill. It was part of her responsibility, anyway.
This time it was different.
The boy was putting up a fight.
Running towards the Silverback, with a katana on both hands, poised to strike. That was what the white-haired Adventurer was doing. He did not scream in fear. He did not run.
He was having an Adventure.
The boy leaped and did a somersault. Suddenly, water appeared out of nowhere and formed a circle as he slashed the Silverback's arm. The severed arm of the Silverback flew through the air as it roared in pain. Not wasting any steps, he moved for the next attack. But she and the other people watching actually gasped when the boy was not attacking aggressively.
No.
He moved like he was dancing, and the Silverback was his dancing partner. Water appeared around them, flowing beautifully and splashing around. That dance unbalanced the Silverback as it fell to the ground, and the boy used the chance to close the distance and spin for momentum before he struck like a raging tide. The only arm left of the Silverback was severed.
With no arm left, the threat of the Silverback decreased severely, and the boy slowed down. It proved to be a mistake as the Silverback used the breathing time it was given to stand up and jump, trying to use its legs to smash the boy from above.
However.
It looked like it was what the boy aimed to do since the start, forcing the monster to jump to the air, as she and the others could see a big smile on the boy's face.
Then the boy jumped, following the Silverback, arms behind his head, ready to swing his katana.
At the peak of their jump, the boy swung down and hit the Silverback. Gravity took hold and both the monster and the Adventurer fell down on a rush of a waterfall that came out of nowhere.
When all the water fell down with a splash, it revealed the boy standing, clothes drenched in water with the Silverback cleaved in two below him, slowly turning into ash as the magic stone inside it was also cleaved in two.
All the other bystanders cheered and clapped as they saw the white-haired boy's first adventure, congratulating him for his victory.
But nothing like that passed Ais' mind.
"Strong..."
He was too strong for a boy who ran away screaming from the Minotaur less than a week ago.
"That water... magic?"
If... If she got the chance to meet with the boy, she'd like to apologize and ask him how he got stronger quickly.
After that, Loki found her, and both left the scene.
Consecutively using the Second Style, Third Style, Fourth Style, and then moving up to the Eight Style, coupled with the fact that he maintained his technique since he was running, the accumulation of how long he used his breathing technique truly taxed his lungs. Even after all his status leaped into E before this, he still gasped for breath in the most pathetic way possible.
He could not even help his Goddess as she went unconscious suddenly after his victory against the Silverback. She fell down to the ground hard; he worried that she got a bump on her head.
He truly wanted to ask someone else to help to get his Goddess somewhere she could rest adequately. And by rest properly, he did not mean the Abandoned Church's basement they were living in. But she was his Goddess; therefore, it was his responsibility to get her to safety.
Luckily, she met Syr somewhere inside Daedalus Street, and she recommended him to get Hestia to the Hostess of Fertility. Apparently, the second floor of the restaurant/bar served as an inn. After getting Hestia to a room and let her rest, Bell let out a sigh of relief.
"Well done, Bell. You really are heroic."
Bell scratched the back of his head. "Ahaha, is that so?"
"Truly!"
"Then... thank you!"
"That said, I'm sorry. If I hadn't forgotten my purse, you wouldn't get caught in today's madness," Syr bowed to him. But Bell was having none of that.
"It was an accident, you forgetting your purse, not the Silverback. No need to apologize. I have it on good authority that it seeks Goddess Hestia. So even if I didn't help to look for you, no doubt, I would still be involved."
Syr nodded at his admission.
"Aah, Syr. Is Miss Lion still here? I have something to say to her. It's urgent." Bell remembered his blunder this morning and how he still hadn't appropriately apologized. He thought this was the best time to apologize. He just hoped that Ryuu was free and could talk to him.
Hearing that, Syr's expression turned into a smirk. "What is this, Bell. Like I said, girls don't like it when you paid attention to other girls."
"No! It's nothing like that!" Bell frantically tried to reassure her. "I just need to apologize for something I said to her before..."
Syr's smirk morphed into a soft smile. "I see. As both of your friends, I wouldn't like it if the two of you are fighting. If she's free, I'll send her your way, Bell. See you later," she winked at him and went downstairs.
Suddenly Bell heard a thump from inside the room. Fearing the worst, Bell opened the door and found Hestia slumping on the ground while moaning in pain.
"Goddess!"
"Uhhh, Bell... everything is aching..."
"Don't force yourself, Goddess," Bell said as he helped Hestia stood up and let her sit on the bedside.
"Anyway, you are very heroic, Bell. Was that your skill? Elemental Respiration, was it?" Bell nodded. "It looked majestic! And it's not even magic."
"Yeah..." Bell's attention went towards his waist, where the new sword given by Hestia was sitting properly in its sheathe. "Goddess. You haven't really explained where do you get this sword. We... have no money to pay for it, don't we?"
"Don't worry about the money, Bell. It's taken care of."
"When you say it like that, I can't help but worry, Goddess..."
"I want to help you, Bell," Hestia said with a smile. "You are a precious member of my Familia, there is no way I won't help you. This is just a small part of it."
Bell felt tears flowing down his cheek. "Goddess..."
She moved to embrace him as he kept crying.
"It's okay, Bell. Let it all out."
Bell was happy. Bell was really happy. It felt like he was back with his grandfather again, showered with love. So he let it all out. All the pain when he was left alone by his Grandpa, all the loneliness he felt. He let it all out and cried in Hestia's embrace.
A while later, Bell stopped crying, and they laughed at each other.
Suddenly Bell heard the door being knocked. Opening the door, Bell found the stoic figure of the greenish-blonde elf, Ryuu Lion standing behind the door.
"Mr. Cranel. I heard you want to talk to me?"
"Miss Lion! I'm sorry! I had no right to ask you that kind of question. Once again, I am truly sorry!" Bell bowed towards the waitress.
"If I may ask, Mr. Cranel. Why did you ask that question?"
"I... it's illogical, but all my senses are telling me that your heart is filled with sorrow, with an undercurrent of anger there, even now. So... I blurted out something I shouldn't have. I'm sorry again!"
"Then you need to believe in your senses more, Mr. Cranel. Because it is true. I accept your apology," then Bell heard footsteps.
Bell raised his head from his bow. "Miss Lion?"
She was leaving him.
"One last thing, Mr. Cranel." She stopped and turned back.
Bell straightened up and listened. "Yes?"
"...Treasure the bond you have with your Goddess."
With those last words, the elf left Bell and went downstairs.
...
Was she listening to his crying and Hestia reassuring him?
Oh, Goddess, he wanted to die! That was too embarrassing!
Covering his red face using his palm, Bell fell down on his knees and groaned in embarrassment.
A/N: Damn, this site does not support Ruby Text/Furigana-style text. If it supports it, the skill Elemental Respiration's alternatively can be read as Breath Materialization and most of the Familia there will have Family as the alternate reading. Petition for FFN to support Ruby Text.
Anyway. I was one of the few who read Kimetsu before the anime aired, and really really grateful to Ufotable for delivering. But one thing I hate from the anime and the official license is how shitty the title and the translation is. So I use the /a/non translation which is infinitely better than Viz/Mangaplus ones. They did not even pick Kimetsu before the anime hyped it up, for fuck sake.
Anyway, what do you think? I was in the mood to write a danmachi fic, but felt stumped on what to write. Then I remember that Freya was mesmerized by the purity of Bell's soul. This got me thinking if Tanjirou is inserted into Danmachi-verse. But if I did that, no doubt Freya would also involve herself with him because of his soul. I was too lazy to think of original scene for Tanjirou in Orario so I made Bell as Tanjirou's reincarnation instead. This is the boy whose soul was so warm and full of kindness he made someone do a heel-face turn and stop his attempt to kill him, and instead wished him luck. If that isn't comparable to Bell's soul then I don't know what will.
Then I realize that if Bell is Tanjirou's reincarnation, he should be able to execute his moves perfectly. The good ol' reincarnation trope in Japanese fiction. The only limitation he has is the physical aspect, and that should be negated by falna. They are stronger than a normal human, after all. So Bell should have no difficulty in using the Breath of Water. And besides, writing this, my intention is not to show how Bell struggles to use the Breath of Water.
Regarding the perspective, I actually felt unsure about that one Ais' perspective. I feel like I couldn't capture her character yet. And as for the Ryuu part, it's in part my bias for my best girl and partially because of VA/Seiyuu jokes. The Japanese VA for Ryuu and Shinobu is Hayamin, who, like, have the most soothing voice ever, thus best girl. And that part is truly OOC and illogical, but my heart wants what my heart wants, and that is to mirror the 'are you angry' scene Tanjirou said to Shinobu in the Butterfly Estate.