As Silver was getting his footing with his magic, different things were happening down in the dungeon. The Zeus and Hera Familias had already crossed Floor 18 and left a group there. Now it was only two groups traveling through what remained of the Middle Floors and into the Deep Floors. Once they passed Floor 50, it was only the Executive's group with their supporters going down. They also had their fight with Balor on the way down. Alexander, Zald, Io and Europa had to team up to defeat it with Maxim on standby. The fight took quite a while, so Callisto took everyone else somewhere to wait. When they got back, the four were looking horrible. Their armor was broken in many places, but they had immense looks of satisfaction on their faces. Right now, they were resting and repairing their gear.
Callisto: So, we'll just wait until your armor is ready, then we move out.
Zald: Sounds good.
Io: I already remade some documents about Floor 58 and kept some drop items from the monsters there. We should be covered for the guild.
Europa: That just leaves our real business now. Floor 65 is going to take up most of our time.
Alexander: We don't have that much of it given how long it took us to get here.
Callisto: I don't think four days is that long. Besides, we stopped a few times anyway.
Io: Maybe we should set another camp on Floor 62 after all. If memory serves right, the next safe zone should be there.
Alexander: That should work. I'm told we'll be set the day after tomorrow.
Zald: Perfect.
On the surface...
Silver woke up feeling a little sore from yesterday, but ready to make real progress.
Silver: This is it. My time starts now. No longer will those Hera girls mock me for being weak! I'll be a respected adventurer and no one will be able to stop me!!!
???: [What are you doing?]
He suddenly heard a young man's voice in his mind.
Silver: I, uh... nothing.
???[Really? Because it looked like you were being your own hype man.]
Silver: Are you in my head?
???: [Yup.]
Silver: Who are you?
Jupiter: [I'm just a side effect from Argonaut. I guess you can call me Jupiter, but I'm not THAT Jupiter. We just happen to have the same name and I don't have any of his memories. By all accounts, I'm a fresh new spirit with no body. Don't worry though, I should fade away into your subconscious. Sooner or later, I think.]
Silver: Okay... so, now what?
Jupiter: [Well, for now, I think my powers should give you the edge you've been needing considering you never had magic up to this point.]
Silver: And?
Jupiter: [Well, let me put this in a way you'll understand. *Mocking voice* This is your time! No longer will those Hera girls mock you for being weak!! You'll be a respected adventurer and no one will stop you!!!]
Silver: *Blushing* SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!
Now being stuck with a partner for a while, Silver got ready and mentally conversed with him. They got to know each other for a bit and then he met the others at their usual spot.
Silver: Hey!!
The two turned towards him.
Brioche: Sweet, we're all here.
Meteria: Come on!! *Grabs his arm*
Jupiter: [Hey, she's a cute one.]
Silver blushed a little, but ignored the voice in his head for now. It was time to slay monsters. After a few hours, they reached some lower floors and Silver tested his magic on more powerful monsters. His attacks still didn't hit as hard as he'd like, but it worked wonders for his speed. Brioche had gotten an update the night before and was now around C rank. Once he reached B, he would look to try and level up somehow.
Brioche: So, I have a few ideas. Maybe a silverback or an infant dragon?
Meteria: You could probably take one of those in the future. We can try for Floor 9 in a few days.
Silver: I'm down for that.
Brioche: Same here.
After some more time, they finished their last room and made their way back up.
Brioche: Sweet, that makes 10,000 for each of us.
He handed each one of them a bag. Silver and Meteria were glad they had more than made up for their spending before.
Brioche: Oh, and I want to say in advance I'm not going to be here tomorrow.
Silver: Why's that?
Brioche: Well...
???: Brioche!!!
He never finished before they were surprised by a girl's voice.
???: Hah... there you are.
Brioche: H-Hi, Whitney. I thought I said I'd meet you, not the other way around?
Whitney: Well, I got tired of waiting, so I came here! *Smiling*
The girl, Whitney, was clearly not an adventurer. She wore just simple clothing that a normal girl would wear. Just a simple shirt and a skirt. Though, she looked a little dirty. Her hair was a light brown braided with eyes that matched it.
Meteria: This a friend of yours?
Brioche: Yeah, you could say that. Everyone, this is Whitney and she's around the same age as us. Whitney, this is my adventuring party.
Whitney: It's nice to meet all of you. I'm glad he has friends to look out for him while he's down there.
Silver: Well, he does the same for us too. *Looks to his friend* So, does she have something to do with you being out tomorrow?
Brioche: Yeah, she-
The girl hugged his arm and smiled brightly.
Whitney: He asked me on a date!
Silver and Meteria had blank faces for a moment to process that.
Silver: You did what?!
Meteria: Oh my gosh, congratulations!!
Brioche: *Blushing* Did you have to say that here?
Whitney: *Giggle* Whoopsie.
Meteria: How did you two even meet?
Whitney: Oh, we've known each other for a while.
Brioche: She's part of the Demeter Familia. I just visit the bakery she works at every now and then.
Whitney: We've been friends ever since and now he's made such a bold move! *Squeal*
Brioche: *Blushing* R-Right, so that's why I'm not going to be here.
Silver: Got it. Well, don't have too much fun.
Brioche: Thanks.
They went their separate ways and Silver walked home with Meteria now.
Meteria: So, how is training going?
Silver: He's helped me with my technique, but other than that, he just beats me up.
Meteria: Yeah, I get that. *Dead face* June would do nearly the same with me. She's tutoring and training me since my sister isn't here. She also helps her, but Alfia doesn't stay for long.
Silver: She would've mastered her lessons after the first day.
She nodded and the two left for their respective homes to get ready for evening training. Speaking of Alfia, the girl was doing her own thing in the dungeon. Although, this day would be a little different. She was currently being surrounded by a bunch of thug adventurers.
Adventurer A: Now now, Missy. No need to get aggressive with us. *Smiling*
Adventurer B: Yeah, this is just going to be a game.
Alfia: *Glare*
She didn't have any interest in their game. Plus, this also hit a sore spot in her some time back when they used to be sick. However, things were different. She was no longer sick, and she was more than capable of taking on inferior level 2s and 3s in her current state. After she recovered, she worked just as hard as her sister to improve herself. If not for herself, but to protect Meteria from any harm. Although, a the leader of their group appearing would make this more complicated. Having 2 level 3s would be trouble.
Adventurer B: Now, just be nice and-
Slash*
Adventurer B: GYAAAA!!!
Alfia had take her sword and chopped off a few of his fingers.
Leader: Agh, forget it, just kill her!!!
They were currently on the 19th Floor, so Alfia was going to be on her own. Little do they know, that's just how she prefers it. She drew her sword and was ready to engage the rest of them. The two grunts ran in and clashed their weapons. With her sword now pinned, the leader would flank around and attack her. She saw this coming, but couldn't afford to let up at the moment. As a result, she had to take a small cut on her shoulder before gaining distance for herself.
Alfia: Ngh!
She winced at her injury, but remained focused on the battle. The difficulty of the fight was fresh in her mind, but a realization made her smirk. Should she defeat them here, this could prove sufficient for a level up. This was further reinforced when the fourth adventurer finished bandaging his hand and grabbed his dagger.
Adventurer B: I'll make you regret that, you little punk!!
Alfia: *Smirks*
This ticked him off and made him recklessly charge at her. She lured him in, then knocked him off balance before slashing at his back. After that, she defended from attacks by the others there as well. This went on for a only a few minutes, but by then, she had memorized their patterns and was able to correctly predict their moves before they did them. As a result, she began to stop getting hurt and even landing blows of her own.
Adventurer A: Shit! How is she doing that?!
Leader: It doesn't matter! Remember, we're getting paid a lot by getting rid of her!
Adventurer C: We aren't going to have fun with her, though.
Leader: Not like she's old enough any way. You'd just torture her.
She grew more and more uninterested in them, so once the next one attacked, she side stepped his swing and cut his arm clean off.
Adventurer A: AAAAAAHHHH!!! MY ARM!!!
Adventurer C: Why you-
Going to avenge his friend for his arm, he tried to crush her head with his hammer, but he only hit the wall near him before the girl stabbed him in the back. These critical hits were important, because the battle was beginning to wear her out. Luckily, taking down one of the level 3s would make this easier.
Leader: Don't get cocky on us, girl.
Punch*
Is what she would like to think. Sadly, the leader caught her off guard again after she landed a strike on one of them. He cleanly backhanded her and Alfia fell to the ground with her head bleeding. She was disoriented and tried to grab her sword again. When she did, she saw the leader had given the other man a potion to heal his wound.
Alfia: *Glare* How annoying.
Her patience was nearly gone and after one of the down adventures went to attack her again, she just dodged out of the way before stabbing him in the chest. To be extra sure, she sliced his legs to make sure he stayed down. Not wanting to be surprised again, she remained on guard and was able to fend off the attacks from the remaining level 3s. The potion healed him, but he still looked to be hurting a lot. She just had to land smaller hits and wear them down until they had a good enough opening.
Leader: RAAGH!!
Alfia: HAAAA!!
Clang*
Shatter*
After lots of work, she finally was able to break his weapon. Afterwards, she kicked him away and then did the same to his partner. Being part of the Hera Familia had it's perks, such as being able to provide higher quality weapons for their members. Even if they were level 3, no random thug would be able to match her. All they had was a stat advantage, and that gap wouldn't be enough soon.
shatter*
After his weapon broke, she used that opening to trip his feet and knock him into the air. Then, she cleanly turned and swung sideways which resulted in her slicing his head off. Not paying him any more mind, she turn to the last person who could fight and saw him barely being able to get up. The injuries he accumulated had begun to take their toll and he remained on the ground. Alfia approached him, panting, and prepared to deliver the finishing blow. Of course, he wasn't going to go down like this, so he went to slash at her at the last second, only to realize his hand had been cut off.
Leader: AAAAAAH!!!
She did the same with his other arm before holding her sword to his neck and glaring at him.
Alfia: You said... you were getting paid. Who was the client?
Leader: Gh!! L-Like I'd tell you- GYAAAAAAH!!!
She thrusted her sword into his leg just a little bit, but that still hurt like hell to him. She would do this for a while until he finally came clean.
Leader: A-Alright!!! I'll talk!!! It was Evilus!! One of them came to us and requested us to kill you! He offered us griomoires, magic weapons and lots of money for your head! I see why they were willing to pay us this much!
As he finished, Alfia turned back to see a group of monsters approaching them.
Alfia: I have what I need now.
She got up and left them there. One was already dead, but there were also two more who were barely alive and unable to move. One was already screaming and begging for help as the monsters ate him alive.
Leader: Y-You can't just leave us here!!!
Alfia simply looked back at him and smirked before continuing back up. Their screams filling the halls of the dungeon until she arrived back on Floor 18. When she came back to where set her part of camp, she nearly collapsed. She quickly grabbed a potion and a stamina one to recover herself.
Alfia: I'll have to tell the others about this when we return.
The following day...
Silver wasn't sure why he was bothering to go to the meeting place since a third of their party wouldn't be there. Then again, he didn't have anything better to do, so if he had to, he could go solo. Fortunately, that wouldn't be the case as he saw Meteria waiting. The two locked eyes and greeted each other, nervously since it was just them.
Silver: Y-You came after all?
Meteria: *Giggle* I guess so. I didn't know what else to do on a day off, so I figured I'd go solo, but I guess that's not happening with you here.
It was am awkward moment of silence as the two looked away with a pink shade of pink on their cheeks.
Silver: So, should we go?
Meteria: Y-Yeah...
The trip was slightly tougher with only two of them, but their teamwork was nearly flawless. All the time they spent fighting together certainly paid off. They made it to Floor 7 in decent time considering it was only them right now. Silver kept his magic secret for now from everyone. Only his party and Zeus were aware of it. When the time came, he'd show everyone what he can do. As a result, he's even more motivated which was a delightful surprise to Chiron. He felt the boy's passion in every movement during training and couldn't remove the grin on his face.
Later that day...
Meteria could be seen in the training fields at the Hera side of Olympus. She was wielding another battle axe similar to the one she uses in the dungeon as she shouldn't use it for training too lest it break.
Clang* *Clang*
June: Alright, that will do for now.
Thud*
Meteria: Hah... hah... hah...
June: Excellent form, young lady. Your technique has improved greatly, as I expected. You're doing just fine. *Smiling*
The girl tried to flash the most genuine smile she could. She was quite winded, but the praise from her made her feel great despite how sore she was feeling. It was then that Hera came down with a towel for the girl.
Hera: I see you're working hard, my girl.
Meteria: *Rubbing her face* Mmph, yeah!! This is getting more and more easy!!
June: Good, because we will always make sure your form is good and polished. Your strength will always need work, and we will begin your magic training once you gain your first spell.
Hera: Whenever you're ready, of course.
Meteria: Hm, I might take your offer with the grimoire, but I want some more time to think about it.
Hera: Of course, dear. In any case, go wash up. Dinner is almost ready.
ZOOM*
Hera was met with nothing but dust after the mentioning of dinner.
June: Well, that certainly gave the girl her second wind.
Hera: *Coughing* Yes, it always does. Thank you again for helping her.
June: I wouldn't turn down a request from you, Goddess. *Smiling* Besides, she is a joy to have around.
Hera: That she is.
The two walked back inside as well.
With Silver...
He was currently sparring with Chiron once more. Well, sparring, more like the man is knocking the boy around.
Clang*
Chiron: Yes, just like that!
The two were locked in place and the boy was struggling not to buckle under the weight of his opponent. That would not be the case as Silver was knocked to the ground once more.
Jupiter: [Wow, he is really kicking your butt!]
Silver: [Oh, you're still here.]
Jupiter: [Yeah, I've been watching you get knocked around. I'm kinda bored around here. I wish I had something to do. Got any ideas?]
Silver: *Getting up* [I'm seriously in the middle of something!]
He and Chiron kept their training up and like Meteria, they would continue this trend for a long time. Every day his Familia is gone the boy burns with a desire to show them how different he is. Of course, the entire time Jupiter was a spectator enjoying the view he had.
Jupiter: [So, you think she's gonna be drop dead gorgeous when she's older? I'd say a nine at the very least and if I was being a jerk, but she's pretty much a guaranteed ten and that isn't even getting around the potential of her chest.]
Silver: [Can you not talk about this while we're here?!]
The boy was stuck listening to him go on about the girl fighting with him. Even Brioche was growing concerned for his friend since he would see Silver glare and grimace at nothing at random times. Meteria noticed it too, but Silver would brush it off. It hasn't been a hindrance to the yet, but it didn't stop them from worrying. There was still well over a month before they returned, and the boy would make each day count.
AN: So, I don't really use pictures for this story anyway, but there's something weird going on with wattpad and images. Not sure if it's just me, but I'll put it out there. Anyway, I really don't have a good excuse for this one. I've just been getting inspiration for this story only. I know many of you want Universes and Reactions and I do as well, I just don't want to risk burning myself out, so I'm slowing down a bit and writing for other stories to enjoy myself. As for this story, for what I have planned down the line, I'm trying to set up all the pieces I need now as well as keeping everything else in order (I still suck at that).
Thanks for reading this chapter. Let me know what you thought and I'll see you in the next one.