And it's me again, with Chapter 7.

Gotta say, this Chapter was a b*tch to correct, lots of mistakes to be found. But it's done now, so there's that.

Not a lot more to say at this point.

I'd say my long-ass AN's will return once we reach Chapter 30 again.

Just like before, if any of you are new to the fic and you have questions or something of the sort, just PM me or leave a review, I always make sure to respond to everything that comes my way.

That's about it.

Kay bye.

XXX

"[And this is it, roughly six centimetres in.]" The boy said, pointing inside the Orc's chest he had cut open. [The Magic Stone. If the reason you Dungeon dwell is for income alone, then you must make sure to not attack this part of most humanoid-shaped Monsters, as their Magic stone is located within the chest.]"

At the moment, Fuzen was on the eleventh Floor accompanied by the Familia of the girl he had met a while ago, Mikoto. The Takemikazuchi Familia consisted of six members only: the Captain, Kashima Ouka, his new acquaintance, Mikoto, a shy girl called Hitachi Chigusa, a less shy girl called Asuka, the main supporter Kotaro and the supporter-archer, Ichirou.

After Fuzen met Mikoto four days ago, on his first day of punishment, he had helped the girl reach the inn she and her Familia were staying at. The girl's God, Takemikazuchi, had been very approachable and he even invited Fuzen over for dinner, as thanks to helping his child find her way home.

Naturally, he wanted to refuse, but just like so many other Deities the God was very persistent, and so Fuzen agreed to the offer in the end. He met the other five members of the small Familia, and during dinner, learned about their history: they were all orphans from the Far East, a common enough background in their home country.

Even Fuzen himself wasn't much different from them in that regard.

They were all raised by Takemikazuchi and another God, Tsukuyomi, at the latter's shrine. Now, they had come to Orario to earn money and to support the shrine, while getting stronger in the process.

Their conviction was very strong, and Fuzen had respected them greatly for it. Learning that the Familia was still just getting started having come to Orario just three days ago at that time, Fuzen offered his help in the form of sharing his knowledge on the Dungeon with them. He had explained the punishment he had in effect, and how he could only help them in a couple of days.

While Ouka, the Captain of the Familia, had refused, his God persuaded him otherwise.

We are not in a position where we can decline such an offer of help, Ouka. If Fuzen-kun hadn't offered it himself, I would have asked myself. Because he is Level 2, and because his knowledge can help my Children stay alive.

The wise, if somehow goofy God told his children, and so the Captain agreed to Fuzen's help after a long moment of silence. Until he could join them, the six would take it slow in the Dungeon, like every other beginner party.

And now, with his punishment behind him, Fuzen had joined them and guided them through the Upper Floors of the Dungeon. In the couple of days without him, the Takemikazuchi Familia had reached the 8th Floor alone. With him as their guide, they now braved the 11th Floor.

"[I...see. Fuzen-dono, you are quite knowledgeable. However...]" Mikoto nodded, then looked down at the Monster Fuzen stood upon of, an Orc. The group of seven had just fought a mid-sized group of Orcs numbering twelve. Fuzen had cut down seven, and left four of the Monsters for the Level 1's of Takemikazuchi Familia. The last Monster, Fuzen kept alive, cutting off only it's legs and arms as he needed a live one to show the location of the Magic Stone. The pig-like Monsters howled in pain as Fuzen began cutting open it's chest with a precise, slow cut. To avoid having the live specimen call others to them, the boy simply kept it's mouth shut by pushing it's lower jaw up with the sole of his foot. Overall, the six easterners besides Fuzen were quite...shocked at his actions. "[Is there any reason...to keep this Monsters suffering like that?]"

"[What are you talking about, Mikoto-sama? It's a Monster. If I hadn't cut off it's arms and legs it would simply keep attacking us until either we are dead, or it is dead. Besides, I wanted to show you the exact location of it's Magic Stone. I guess you will be spending quite some time on these Floors until you reach higher strengths, so the more you know the better.]"

"[Well...that's not false.]" Ouka nodded. He too was slightly disturbed by the display of...violence, cruelty? Whatever it was before him, but nonetheless listened carefully to what Fuzen had to say. It was his duty as the Captain to learn when he could and use the gained knowledge to strengthen his Familia.

"[Now, back to the matter at hand: as you may already know, if you chip the Magic Stone of a Monster while still inside of it, it will shatter and you will not gain any sort of exchangeable item for Money. However, there is another thing about those Magic Stones.]"

"[And what is that, Fuzen-dono?]"

"[Drops Items.]" He replied.

"[What about them?]" Asuka asked.

"[Usually, Drop Items only drop by chance. You could kill the same enemies one hundred times over and you won't get any Drop Items, or you could kill three Monsters and two of the three will drop an Item. However, that only applies when you leave kill the Monster while leaving it's Magic Stone intact.]"

"[You are saying there is a way to increase the rate at which Drop Items can be gained?]" Ouka asked with a raised eyebrow, interested in this information.

"[Indeed. Now, this is also up to your individual luck, however this trick can help you gain Drop Items much faster: you destroy the Magic Stone."] With that explanation behind him, Fuzen reverse-gripped his sword, and plunged it into the Magic Stone of the Orc, and both the stone and the Monsters turned into ash. A moment later, the Drop Item of the Monster, Orc Hide, could be seen above the pile of ash. "[I got lucky this time, the Drop Item took form.]"

"[Whoa, that's impressive!]"

"[As you may already know, the Magic Stone is the Monster's heart, so to speak. However, it is also the Monster's essence. You could also say that the Magic Stone is the extension of the Dungeon, while the Monster's body is the shell created by the otherwise immobile brain, the Magic Stone, in order for it to perform the duty it was given by the Dungeon: killing all Adventurers. This stone has incredible power, thus why the technology in Orario runs on Magic Stones. My guess is that when you destroy the stone while inside the Monsters, the energy it releases somehow fuses with the Monster's ash and it somehow makes Drop Items appear much more often than when the Magic Stone is not destroyed. Mayhaps some sort of last-ditch effort to remain alive, in some form or shape?]"

"[...That's...quite the explanation. The Guild did not have this sort of info on Drop Items…]"

"[Ahh...well, I had a lot of time to read during my punishment. And there's also the lady blacksmith who tends to my swords. She sometimes asks me to bring her Drop Items from the Floors within my grasp, so I had a few months time to privately observe and investigate the rate at which Drop Items appear and so on.]" Fuzen added after grabbing the Magic Stone and Orc Hide and handing them over to the supporter, Kotaro. With a hand gesture, he had the group follow him further into the Floor.

They were still on the 11th Floor and Fuzen wished to reach at least the 15th Floor today, in order for his kinsmen to have as much knowledge prepared in advance for when they would reach these Floors on their own. "[The mist here on the 11th Floor becomes thicker towards the way into the 12th Floor. That is something you should always keep in mind. It's also a good way to tell if you are on the right way to the lower Floors.]"

"[That's useful. Keeping a tight formation would also be more practical if our surroundings are harder to see, as well.]" The Captain nodded.

"[I suppose that would be true. I only came in the Dungeon a few times with a party, so I don't exactly know if that is the best idea. Mayhaps the Guild could offer better advice on this matter.]"

"[I understand. But, how come you have not come here often with parties? The Loki Familia member count almost reaches one hundred, if I am not mistaken…]"

"[That is true. Our Familia is quite large, though not on the scale of the Ganesha Familia. However, I have a promise with my Goddess in which I can use my time freely without consulting the Familia about it, and in return, Loki-sama can call upon me whenever she so wishes regarding whatever matter she decides to task me with.]" He explained, seeing no harm in informing them about his special case, if one could even call it that.

"[Oh, that's...unusual, Fuzen-dono.]" Mikoto stated, as surprised as her Familia to hear of such an unusual pact between a child and a Goddess. "[Then, you only come here on your own?]"

"[Well...I guess so. When I first joined Loki Familia I was added to a party of Third and Second Class Adventurers from our Familia who instructed me with knowledge on the Dungeon, but after the first month, I only came here alone to train my Sword Style against the Monsters. Ahh, there are times when I am added to a party to complete a Quest given directly by the Guild or another allied Familia, though.]"

"[That's actually really impressive.]" Ouka nodded in acknowledgment. "[You are this young but you can already come here alone...What's the highest Floor you ever reached on your own, if I may ask?]"

Fuzen had to actively remember himself of what Captain Finn told him, about keeping his victory over the Amphisbaena a secret. He needed more training, he almost said the 26th Floor on impulse. "[...The 17th Floor, if you exclude the safe zone which is the 18th Floor.]"

"[W-Whoa, Level 2's are something else…]" Fuzen heard the girl, Asuka, mutter to her other Familia members. He didn't think he was anything special, truth be told. The Executives in his Familia were all strong. Granted, none could possible win against him in a one-on-one fight, but while they were weaker than him they were also stronger than him, in many other areas except for combat.

"[...My original thought was to show you all the Floors until the 15th Floor, but...Would you wish for us to make it to Floor 18? Rivira is a common enough place where Quests happen and it's also a safe Floor, so if you ever find yourself in trouble and can't go up, it might help to know the fastest way to the 18th Floor.]" Fuzen suggested, and he wasn't exactly wrong. Knowing the best way to reach a safe zone would be helpful once the Takemikazuchi Familia were strong enough to make journeys into these Floors without Fuzen.

"[...It's not exactly what we prepared for, but…]" Ouka looked around at his comrades, and one by one he noticed the desire to explore further in their eyes. "[Very well. Then, we will be in your care, Fuzen-dono.]"

"[Mhm. Then let's get to the 12th Floor, we'll take a small break and then move on. At the current pace, we'll reach it in five hours or so, depending on the enemy on the way.]"

"[Sounds good. Everyone, let's get going.]" A unified response later the group moved on.

My shoulder is pretty much killing me with every movement I make with my right arm...The boy thought as he looked down at his right arm, now in a state which made it useless for at least another couple of days.

Unknown to the golden swordswoman and the Amazon who kept pestering him with duels and spars and spars and duels, the power he could tap into at only Level 2 came with great repercussions. His arm which executed the Technique he used to defeat Ais two days earlier would be out of commission for a while yet. Alone on the night after the duel, he couldn't sleep at all thanks to the cold-sweat and pain caused by the injury he received from performing that devastating Technique. And now, on the day he promised the Takemikazuchi Familia to help them understand the Dungeon, he had to fight only with his left arm, as his right was useless and he had to put it inside his pocket.

Am I being irresponsible? Relying only on half of my power while I have a party of Level 1's under my care…? He shook his head a moment later, finding the determination he never lacked in the first place. No, I'll keep them safe no matter what, one arm or no arms. I can only ever fight with what I have, but I'll use what I have to the fullest. That never changed, after all.

XXX

She still could not forget that morning from two days prior. Her idol, Ais, losing to that boy...it was infuriating! He was still part of the Familia, and she shouldn't be doing it, but…

Sigh...It was between Ais and the boy, anyway...Why do I feel so attacked by this, myself…?

The Elven maiden, Lefiya, sighed as she returned from the Deeper Floors. Her eyes fell on the back of her idol, Ais, walking in front of the group consisting of herself, Ais, the twin sisters and Aki. The group of five had been fighting in the Deeper Floors both for Magic Stones and Excelia. They had left the surface two days ago, at noon after Ais's duel with the easterner boy, and were now on the way back to the surface.

Her mind had been constantly plagued by the duel she had secretly witnessed and it was by pure sheer will of mind that she had not been a liability to the party. The strong, unyielding Ais, the Sword Princess, losing to a boy who only trained and never, ever fought against the kind of strong Monsters slew by the dozens. How this could be, she still had not been able to understand…

"Yo, Lefiya." The younger Amazon twin's call managed to get through the Elven girl. "Why the long face?"

Is it that easy to notice my lack of focus…? "Ah, nothing. Just...thinking. That's all."

"Hmmm…" Though not completely convinced, the Amazon decided to let the matter rest. "Anyway, those Lambtons on the 37th Floor were quite something this time around, weren't they? Thanks for the quick save back then."

Lambtons, or better said, Worm Wells as that was the official Guild designation for these Monsters, were giant snakes roughly ten meters long and two meters wide. Their mouths could open wide enough to swallow an Orc whole, and what Tiona was referring to was the moment where she rushed on ahead of the group and got surrounded by six Lambtons which shot out of the ground. It was through Lefiya's quick use of Riveria's ice magic that the Amazon managed to avoid getting swallowed whole. "A-Ah, that's my role as a mage, after all. I'm just glad to have been helpful to all of you."

"Don't sell yourself short, Lefiya." Aki, the Cat girl, addressed from the rear of the group. "Your Magic is always helpful, so learn to have some more confidence."

"Yeah!" Tiona agreed, one finger pointing to the Cat Girl behind her. "Aki was so scared of those Lambtons her tail was like, all puffy and stuff! You did great keeping them away from her."

"H-Hey, I wasn't scared! I just don't like crawling things like that very much!"

...Her tail actually did get all puffed up...Better not mention it myself...Lefiya thought with a chuckle, and then looked back at Ais. Ever since that duel, she had been lost in her own thoughts and barely talked on the way to the Deep Floors or back. The Elf wished she could have heard what she and Fuzen talked about after their duel, but alas, she had been too far away. Did that boy...say something rude to Ais? If so...as Ais's friend, I have to talk to him!

Her mind was set: once she returned, she would talk to the boy and make him apologize. After all, Ais was an Executive of the Familia, so naturally he had to seek her out an apologize. Whatever they talked about, it must have been his fault Ais was like this.

"...I'll make him apologize…"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"A-Ah, no...Look, there's Rivira up ahead!" Lefiya pointed in the distance at the shack town, standing as asymmetrical as ever.

"Hmm, I say we take a short break there and have some food before going up." Tione suggested, and the others except Ais nodded in agreement. "Then, let's go."

Wasting no time, the group of five made their way into the town and stopped at the only half-decent food stall, paying with a Magic Stone from the Deep Floor. Usually one such Magic Stone was worth at least a few tens of thousands of Valis, but alas, such were the prices in Rivira. Even food was over the top expensive, for outsiders that is.

Some twenty minutes later, they were on their way back towards the surface, just about to leave the town when Lefiya who was now at the front of the group with Ais grabbed the Sword Princess and pulled her back on the street they just left, stopping the other three in their tracks, as well.

"Lefiya, what is it?"

"Shh..! There." Lefiya then proceeded to peak over the corner of the building, and Ais did the same. Ahead, on the road they were just going to use, was Fuzen, also accompanied by a party of six people. It appeared like they just arrived on the 18th Floor and were about to come into the shack town. "It's him."

"It...is."

"So then…" Tiona spoke next, by now also peaking together with the other two. "Why are we hiding over here?"

"Don't you find it strange?" Lefiya asked, for once dead serious. "That boy is always keeping to himself, and now he's coming into the town with a group of people that are not part of our Familia."

"Uh, actually…" Tione spoke next, drawing the attention of the group to her. "I heard from the Captain yesterday that Fuzen asked for permission to go into the Dungeon with another Familia today. Apparently, they are a small Familia from the Far East, and just arrived into town. Take...something something Familia."

"Ehhh? But he's never coming into the Dungeon with us." The younger twin huffed, slightly annoyed at the new information. "But he's coming here with another Familia? That pisses me off for some reason."

"Well, as long as he got permission from the Captain...I don't see any problem with it." Aki voiced next, but was somehow totally ignored by the other four.

"...Let's tail him." Lefiya suggested, shocking her comrades at the sudden words one would not normally expect from her. "I mean...he is part of our Familia. Should we not make sure that he does not bring shame on our Familia by doing something which can be used against us?"

"Lefiya, you should have more trust in your own comrades." The older twin stated with a sigh, crossing her arms. "Still, I can't say I'm not interested in how good our little swordsman is as a guide…"

"Let's do it, it sounds fun!" Tiona agreed.

"...I'm just going to say now I don't approve of this." A certain Cat Girl voiced, yet once again got ignored.

"What about you, Ais?"

Upon being asked about her own opinion, the Sword Princess took a second to ponder. She had lost to Fuzen over fifteen times already. She was...interested in knowing more about him.

About his mysterious strength.

About his Sword Style.

She was no stranger to observing the boy while he trained.

She often did so, though mostly hidden as she only observed him a couple of times with his knowledge of this. However, she never managed to find out anything: his training offered no insight into his strength, besides the fact that it was a very arduous training, which he nonetheless completed day after day. So then, could she possibly learn anything new by observing him from a new angle…? "...I...want to know...the secret of his strength…"

"Then it's decided!" Tiona exclaimed louder than she should have, one fist raised high in the air. "We're going to tail him!"

"...This is sooo going to blow up in our faces…" The Cat girl muttered under her breath, once again totally ignored by the other four females.

XXX

"I must say, though…" Tione voiced as she and the others hid behind bushes and trees alike, stalking their young Familia member from a good distance just like they have done for a while now. "He is really thorough with his guide tour."

"Yeah, he hadn't missed a single important thing. He truly did point out the best resting places, the areas where some expensive fruits and the likes can be gathered, which shops to buy from Rivira and which to avoid...I must say, I wasn't expecting that aloof boy to know this much." Anakitty agreed with a nod.

B y now, Fuzen and his group of easterners had done a complete tour of the shack town and at the moment he guided them through the 18th Floor and all it's secrets as well as most important places which they should memorize. He had also shown them where the stairs to the 19th Floor was located as well as the shortest route from the last Floor to the to the next, if they ever needed to rush through the safe zone.

With that said, he pointed towards the ceiling, and he and the Takemikazuchi Familia headed back up, towards the surface. As it so turned out, the Ganesha Familia had slayed the Monster Rex Goliath a couple of days ago, even before Ais and the others went down into the Deep Floors, and as such the passage back up was moderately free and safe. From a distance the group of girls noticed some fights happening, mostly against Lygerfangs and Minotaurs.

Fuzen always took care of the greater part of the enemy groups, and let only one or two for the group of six Level 1's to take care of. Even then, he stayed close to the group in case he needed to jump in and lend his help. It was almost like a whole new side of Fuzen the girls who interacted with him more often than others, meaning Ais and the twins, never saw before. Aki however had experienced this complete focused Fuzen before, and how he always put the well-being of the party as the top priority. As for Lefiya, she simply watched in awe as the boy three years younger than her dispatched great numbers of strong Monsters on his own.

He's...so strong. Could I?...no, I can't defeat that many Minotaurs and Lygerfangs on my own. Not without someone protecting me while I chant...She mentally cursed her own weakness and lack of reliability. It was frustrating that a boy the same Level as her could ever be that far from her, and that much closer to her idol than she could ever hope to be currently.

The group of seven continued on, encountering some Monsters on the way back but not to the point where it took too much time off their trip, thanks in no small part to the boy who cut down most enemies popping up.

Once they reached the 10th Floor, the group stopped just at the stairs to the 9th Floor. Fuzen talked with the Captain of the other Familia, however it was in the language of the Far East and none of the girls with their enhanced hearing could make heads or tails of what exactly was said. Then, after they were done talking, Fuzen bowed his head to the group, the six doing the same in return, even lower than he himself bowed.

The group of six made their way back up while Fuzen turned around and went back the way he just used with the group.

"Ohh, he's going back into the Lower Floors?"

"Could be. Maybe for training?" The two twins exchanged opinions, all the while Ais observed Fuzen with an intense gaze.

"...I want to...watch him…" She muttered, gaining the attention of her party. It was rare for the Sword Princess to vocalize her desires, and even rarer for her to have said desire in the first place. With a unified nod the other four decided to stick with the plan of tailing their absurdly powerful swordsman.

They followed from a good distance, always hiding themselves by means of their surroundings. Fuzen simply walked on and cut down any enemy in his path with either one or two slashes of his sword. Apparently, he did not bring his prized sword with him this time around and only had one plain looking katana and his trusty chisa katana with him.

Then, he simply stopped walking and with a nod drew his longer sword. With a reverse grip, he plunged his sword more than two thirds into the ground, and drew the sword until he had cut a round circle around him. With his sword sheathed again, Fuzen took a knee on the inside of the zone he just cut, and raised his left arm above him. He muttered something to himself, too quiet for the five girls to hear exactly what. Some twenty seconds later, he hit the ground with a palm strike, and a small, barely noticeable quake happened around him. A couple of moments later, the ground began to sink in and Fuzen disappeared from sight, plunging towards the next Floor, in this case the 11th Floor.

"You gotta be shitting me…" Tiona let the curse slip as she watched with wide eyes what had just transpired, similar to the other girls. Each Floor of the Dungeon had a floor at least a couple of meters thick, otherwise the large constructs known as Floors would not be able to maintain their own weight and would fall apart. And still, somehow, Fuzen managed to cut through it and was now on his way to the next Floor, shaving off a lot of time getting to his destination in the process. "How?! This floor is at least a half a dozen or so meters thick! How?!"

"Well...damn…" Tione replied, just as confused about this as her twin.

Deciding to investigate further, the five girls decided to investigate further, and rushed to the spot Fuzen had cut off. It was cleanly cut off, not the slightest ridge in the perfect circular area. Looking down through the hole, the girls saw Fuzen fighting on the Floor below, though only as a silhouette inside the mist which was so common of the 11th Floor. It appeared he had cut down some Monsters which tried to ambush him and was now heading somewhere else.

"...This jump...is roughly thirty to forty meters deep...right?" Lefiya asked.

"Yeah, gotta be." The Cat Girl nodded.

"...Are normal Level 2's supposed to survive falls of this magnitude?"

"...Hmm. Not usually, no."

"We'll wait until he's further away, then jump in and follow him." Tiona voiced and Ais and Tione agreed to the suggestion.

"You girls want to continue this…?"

"Of course, Aki. Not like we're going to find out more about him otherwise."

Though the only rational person in the group disagreed of their actions, her voice mattered little on the three eccentric Executives of the Familia. She could only hope that this would not bite them in the behind as she believed it would.

Her worries aside, the group of five jumped down roughly half a minute later.

Tione had grabbed Lefiya while Tiona grabbed Aki. She was a Level 4, but a fall of that height would have hurt her. As for Lefiya, falling that height as only Level 2 would outright kill her, especially since she was a mage and her Vitality was rather low.

Ais had remembered which way Fuzen walked on and within the next ten minutes they had found yet another hole in the ground, leading to the Floor below. One after another, they used the way he cut down and within the next thirty minutes, they had reached the 25th Floor, the one which usually took three to four hours to reach.

"He's really shaving off a lot of time with this neat trick…" Tiona muttered as she and the group were watching Fuzen just starting a fight with a group of Harpies. They were attacking from range with their feathers used as arrows, but somehow most of them were redirected back at the Harpies.

He's using the sword's side to allow the feathers to slide on it, while at the same time moving the sword at an angle just right enough to hit the Harpies when he swipes it back...Ais, as the most experienced sword fighter of the group, carefully observed the Technique Fuzen was using.

It was a wonderful Technique, and highly useful against any sort of physical projectiles, like arrows or daggers. However...It's slightly rigid...or better said, out of practice? And…

In the distance, Fuzen had failed to time his sword correctly and one dagger-sharp feather found it's way into his right forearm, which was still held within his pocket. He's not as good with his left as with his right...So, why is he not using his right?…

It was unknown to the golden haired Sword Princess that she was the very reason Fuzen was getting hurt at the moment, for it was the duel against her that took away the boy's ability to use his right arm, his sword arm, for a good couple of days.

"Hey, Tione." The younger twin called.

"Hm?"

"Do you think...he's going through that phase?" Tiona asked.

"What phase?"

"You know...that phase. He's fighting with one hand inside his pocket, not unlike Bete does. So, maybe that phase? Where boys try to act all cool and stuff?"

"Ohhh...You know, it could be."

...For some reason I doubt that is the true reason here...Ais thought, but decided to not say anything on the matter. She felt it was more for training purposes herself, but the twins decided on the reason already and there was no changing their minds, not without great effort that is. Instead of wasting effort on that Ais decided that directing all her focus on trying to discover the secret behind Fuzen's strength was more important.

"Ah, he's done. He killed all thirteen of them with their own attacks." Lefiya pointed out as the fight ended, not more than twenty seconds after it started. During this short fight, Fuzen had been hit twice, in the right forearm and left thigh. Sheathing his sword, the boy pulled both feathers out, unknown to the girls cursing his own weakness, and then drank a low-tier health potion. That sort of potion would not be enough to fully heal those wounds, but it would stop the bleeding.

That's all he needed.

"Seems like he's going further in. Let's go."

...I do know it's wrong to do this...but I want it. I want the secret of his power. And so...I'll do it. "Yeah...let's continue." The Sword Princess agreed and took point ahead of her group. She had somehow mostly ignored Fuzen in the time since he joined, and only sometimes challenged him to a fight. This was because she focused a lot on Monster slaying so that her Stats and Level both would go up. However, she understood now that no matter if she would have another Level-Up or not, Fuzen could probably still win.

And so, she would focus less on Monsters and more on trying to figure out Fuzen's secret.

She wanted to, and she needed to.

XXX

"Hm~ Hmm~ Hm~" She hummed lightly as she watched the city from her balcony located one of the Twilight Manor's many towers. It was starting to get dark, and the city's lights began sprouting one after another in the distance. It was a nice view, even more so thanks to the empty bottle of alcohol on her table and the current, half finished one. There was no reason why Loki was humming, though.

She just felt like doing so.

Luckily, her balcony also overlooked the main gates of her property, and so she noticed when a certain little swordsman made his way inside. From the gates, he had noticed her in the distance and looking towards her, he bowed his head in true easterner fashion. She decided now was a good time as any, and she gestured for him to make his way towards her.

With that done, Loki finished the remaining alcohol in her glass and went inside her room, putting a chair at the end of her bed and getting her needle ready. Within two minutes, he had arrived at her room.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"You don't need to knock, you know? Just enter." Loki voiced and the door opened. Fuzen stepped inside, once again bowing his head.

"Do you require something from me, Loki-sama?"

"Nothing of the sort. I just thought this was a good a time as any to update your Status, dont'cha think?" She then pointed at the chair in the room. "Take a seat, it won't take long."

"...Very well." Fuzen himself saw little point in doing this. Most of his power did not come from Status updates and Level-Ups, after all, but if it was a request directly from his Goddess, he had little say in the matter.

He took a seat on the chair, his Goddess already sitting on the bed behind him. He drew his left arm out of his keikogi shirt, and then pulled down the right side as well. Loki's eyes widened in surprise at his right shoulder and shoulder-plate: it was a deep purple in colour. "What the-? Fuzen, what happened to your shoulder?"

"Hmm? Ah, it's just a wound. Don't worry about it." He shrugged the question off.

"You do know that our Familia has enough potions, right?"

"I do." He nodded. "This is not a wound which can be treated by healing potions. It's roots are much more...internal. Don't worry about it, Loki-sama. I am constantly sending energy towards it to speed up the healing process, so it won't be long before it's gone."

"Wait what?"

"…Lightning Sword Style secrets. Unfortunately, I cannot tell, even if it's you who inquires."

"...Just make sure to tell me or Finn if problems arise, okay?" She asked, her tipsiness gone at the sight of the wound. Fuzen nodded and they proceeded, Loki piercing her finger with the needle and drawing a straight, downwards line on his back to open up the Status she had locked on her swordsman. She proceeded to draw out the Status, and saw the numbers changing.

Fuzen Katsumi

LV 2

STR F 335 → 337

VIT G 213 → 215

DEX D 550 → 554

AGI D 550 → 554

MAG I 0 →

Magic:

Skill: Inazuma no Michi

Tenmashin

Development Ability: H → G Sword Disciple

He half-killed a Monster Rex on his own and this is all the increase in Basic Stats? I don't understand this so called secret of his at all...Just what could be getting in the way of Excelia making his stronger at his core…? Loki shook her head, perplexed at the Status before her. If a Level 2 half-killed a Monster Rex on their own, then usually they should see a boost of dozens if not hundreds of points in Basic Stats, but Fuzen's total was just 12 points.

Something is soooo wrong here-...Wait what?!

"Fuzen, you have a new skill!"

"Is that so?" He asked, nonchalantly, almost as if not interested.

"Yeah! Tenmashin: translating as Sky Scourge. Heavily increases the user's attack power against draconic and flying-type Monsters. Nice going, Fuzen! You can become a Dragon Slayer now!"

"Not interested. I will simply cut through anything standing in my path, Skills or no Skills." He replied.

"Hmm...You know, most people jump up and down from joy upon receiving a new Skill." She informed.

"Most people are not grasping for the Heavens." Fuzen said, almost with a sigh. "Are we done yet, Loki-sama?"

"Nope! Your Sword Disciple Development Ability has gained one rank. It went from H to G."

"Good." This time he nodded, unlike with his new Skill reveal. Loki guessed it was because the Ability was much more useful for someone as obsessed with sword fighting as he was.

"Now lemme just copy this Status…." She grabbed the nearby piece of paper and held it onto his back, pulling the Status from within him onto the paper. "There, done."

"Thank you very much, Loki-sama." Fuzen put back his shirt, damaged, dirty and bloodied, and bowed his head, making for the door. Loki would not have it, however, and put her arms around his neck, holding him back.

"Now wait just a moment, where do you think you're going?" She asked with a smirk, her plan already formed inside her mind.

"...Meditation, dinner then bed. That is what I am planning to do."

"Not so fast, my little swordsman. You just got a new Skill, and you know what that means?"

"...That I need to use my Lightning Sword Style and dash out of here before you have time to come with some sort of plan that will hinder me in some sort or way?"

"We're going to have a party, of course!" Loki exclaimed, tightening her grip on Fuzen so he could not escape. "Not with everyone, of course, I know you don't like big groups of people. We'll grab Finn and the other Executives and the Second Class Adventurers, that should be enough."

"I don't want to party anything, Loki-sama. I simply wish to meditate, eat my dinner and go to bed. I'm tired-...I'm in need of time to reflect on the actions and training which made up my day until now."

"Now, now, no grumpy old man aptitude out of you today. We're going to party, and that's final. I've decided."

"...God damn it…"

Seeing how he had no chance of escape anymore, Fuzen accepted his fate and accompanied his Goddess as she choose the members for the so called party. In the end they were mostly the Executives, Finn, Gareth, Ais, the twins, Bete and then the other high Level members, meaning Aki, Raul, Alicia, Narvi and Cruz, as well as some other Level 2's the Goddess decided to bring along just for the heck of it. With Fuzen and Loki, they were nineteen in numbers. Apparently, Riveria was training Lefiya and some of the Familia's other mages and she could not afford to come this time around.

"Okay, everyone's gathered so here's the deal: Lil' Fuzen over here just obtained a new, powerful Skill so we're going to party and celebrate!" The Goddess informed as they were all gathered in the Manor's entrance hall.

"Ohh, what kind of Skill?" Some of the back members asked.

"Hehe~ Tenmashin, aka Sky Scourge. Our little Fuzen can now take down dragons and other winged and flying Monsters with ease. It's even a passive Skill, so always active!"

"That's incredible, Fuzen." Finn said with an acknowledging nod. "I'll make sure to put that new Skill of yours to good use, if the need ever arises."

"I see. Then, I will leave that to you, Captain."

"So anyway!" Loki intervened between the two, one fist raised in the air. "Let's go party! My treat!"

And so, the group of nineteen made their way out of the Manor, towards some pub Loki liked a lot or so Fuzen heard.

XXX

The black-haired Cat girl sighed as she stared outside and saw the day turning into night. The pub she worked at served both civilians and Adventurers, however separately: civilians during the day, Adventurers during the night. It was her time again for the third shift so naturally, she lacked any sort of motivation.

Being a waitress was not easy, after all, and least so when serving Adventurers: they always tried to grab her butt, or dropped something on the ground so she would need to pick it up, with the hope of getting a peak at her breast, those things were a daily struggle. Then, there were the drunk Adventurers: they got loud and cocky with the waitresses simply because they were Level 2 or 3. Oh, how the girls at the pub needed to restrain themselves, otherwise they might kill the cocky weakling with one punch.

Sigh...If only there were some cute boys Adventurers, all the ones we get here are big and muscly and old-

"Good mewning!" She heard her colleague, Anya, address a new group of Adventurers. "Tables for-"

"We're nineteen!" She knew that voice, it was the Goddess Loki. "And we're here to party! Tell Mama Mia to bring out the good booze!"

"Understood, meow! Then please, follow mew!"

Chloe looked at the large group of Adventurers behind Loki. They were mostly the big shots of her Familia: the Captain, the Sword Princess, the twin sisters, a cute young boy, the Werewolf Bete-

"Wait, a boy?!" Chloe did a re-count and spotted the short boy among the group of nineteen. He was young, maybe ten or eleven, and had long, beautiful black hair just like her, and that meant just one thing: he was a treasure.

And today, she would be a treasure hunter.

With new-found motivation for work, Chloe dusted her uniform and with wide steps went over to her colleague and grabbed her shoulder. "I'm taking over this group, go and rest or something." Chloe informed with a smile, one which Anya knew was not her usual one.

"Ehh, but why-?" The hand on her shoulder squeezed even harder, to the point where it began to hurt like hell. "Auch! What's the big idea-?!"

"Go. And. Rest." Chloe repeated, her smile unchanging. At this point Anya was too scared to even ask what was up anymore, and so she simply nodded and ran away, leaving the Loki Familia to her fellow waitress.

Finally, that pest is gone. The black haired Cat girl thought, her eyes going back to the boy sitting one table away from her. Now, time for some treasure hunting, meow!

XXX

It was weird, and uncomfortable.

Not only how loud said pub was, but also the people around him. Fuzen noticed that too many people were focusing on him: the Captain was talking to Loki two tables away, looking over in his direction every now and then. They were plotting something, but it was too loud for him to make up anything they talked about.

Then, there was Ais and the twins.

He knew well enough that they had stalked him in the Dungeon a while ago, for whatever reasons however he could not tell. Anakitty, sitting to his left, had also been part of the group who stalked him, but she at least did not look over to him, instead talking with Raul who was sitting at their table about some Monsters on the Deep Floors. However, Ais was not the same, as she looked over her shoulder at him quite intensely, and he only hoped she did not wish another duel.

These people need to understand that my full power is not something I can just tap into without repercussions…Sigh...Not like I can actually tell them that, however...

His shoulder was a good example of this.

His Technique, Ninety-Eight Lightning Arcs, had been the cause for the injury which was still quite painful even now, two days later. It's not like you can do a thrusting movement ninety-eight times in under fifteen seconds without something like this happening, even with the Lighting Sword Style'sbreathing...Sigh…

Naturally, the younger of the twins was also staring at him with a focused expression.

While he wasn't sure about Ais, he knew for sure the Amazon wanted to fight, and she just so happened to want to fight him. And then, lastly, there was-

"Here is your order, sir!" The black haired waitress exclaimed as she made her way towards him, placing his order of rice and grilled fish in front of him. "Please, enjoy your meal!"

"You have my gratitude." He bowed his head and grabbed his cutlery. He wasn't very used to forks and spoons, but he knew how to use them well enough without embarrassing himself in the process. His spoon in the right hand and fork in the left, he used the fork only to push the rice into the spoon. He knew westerners did this, and seeing how the pub most likely did not have chopsticks, Fuzen decided on this technique.

Once his spoon was full, he brought it to his face, mouth open, and then...stopped. "...Uhh?" he looked to his right at the black haired waitress standing there, simply watching him with sparkly eyes and flustered cheeks. He had noticed her staring at him ever since he sat down and ordered his food, some fifteen minutes ago. Even while taking the orders of other customers, her eyes only ever fell upon him.

...What is up with all these people focusing on me? It's almost like someone is writing those things up for fun or something…

He could not really understand why the waitress was only ever looking at him. He was nothing special, appearance wise. Or maybe, because he was from the Far East, and she had never seen one of his kinsmen? True enough, there were few easterners in Orario, even Fuzen noticed this.

He traced her eyes, and noticed she was looking at his spoon of rice.

Is she...hungry? Mayhaps the owner here keeps her employees hungry…? If that was the case, he could not simply ignore this. If one had food and another was starving nearby, there was only one thing the person with food could do. "Uhh...are you...mayhaps hungry? You have been watching my spoon for a while now. Uhh...would you like half of my rice and fish?"

At his question, the black haired woman simply smiled even more, her cheeks even redder than before.

Fuzen also noticed that she was...drooling?

Ohh, she must be really hungry, then...Drooling from hunger while working in a place which serves food...Poor woman… "Uhh, I haven't taken any bites yet, so here you go." He pushed his rice and fish towards the empty place on his right and got off his chair, pushing it in front of the food. "Please, sit down. I'll eat after you are done." At the sound of this, the woman began to hold herself tight with both arms, for whatever reasons, Fuzen could not tell.

She looks...conflicted? She's not sitting down...Is it because she's still working? That won't do.

Shaking his head, Fuzen grabbed the woman's hand and pushed her in the chair, then walked up towards the counter. "Excuse me, are you mayhaps the owner of this establishment?" Fuzen asked the tall and wide and big woman on the other side of the counter. She was almost as tall as Bete, so he needed to look way up to meet her eyes.

"Huh? Yeah, what do you want?" The woman asked.

"Are you mistreating your workers here, by any chance?" He asked without hesitation, and this managed to bring the owner's full attention upon him.

She...is strong. I can feel it. But...I won't lose, if it comes to a fight.

"What the hell are you on about, runt?" The woman asked in return.

"Your black haired employee over there, the Cat Person, was drooling while watching me try to eat. Keeping your employees hungry while having them work with food…" He shook his head, keeping eye contact with the large woman. "Are you inhuman or something?"

At this, the woman looked surprised for a moment before bursting out into laughter as did the nearby waitresses who listened on their conversation. "Buhahaha! Oh, and what if I were? What'cha going to do then?" The woman asked with a smirk, as if trying to provoke him. Her taunts did her no good, however.

"If you were to be persistent about keeping your current ways, I would defeat you in a duel and take over your establishment."

"Ohoho! You have balls, runt, I'll give you that!" The woman replied. "No necessary mistreatment going on here, however. Chloe was drooling, all right, but not because of the reasons you think she did."

"Hmm?"

"Well, if all boys were like this young man…" The brown haired waitress to his left said. "Then I could understand why Chloe is the way she is."

What do they even mean…?

As he pondered on their words he felt a presence appear behind him. It was a dangerous presence, and he knew instinctively he should not do any rash movements. He did not have his sword with him, and the nearest weapon to him was a stool, but even that was too far away for his short arms to reach.

The presence behind him felt dangerous but not in the sense the Monsters in the Dungeon felt like. It felt more like something desiring to...capture him.

Whatever is behind me, it gives off the vibe of a predator, and it's seeing me as it's prey. I need to stay calm, as I am without a weapon. I cannot attack first-

"Oh, I'm hungry, all right, young boy~" A sickening sweet voice whispered to him from behind, and he froze in place like a statue.

...This feels dangerous. Way too-

"But it's not food I desire, you see~? Instead, I want to eat…" He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, and hazel met green. However, these green eyes did not look normal, far from it. These were the eyes of a true predator, experienced in it's hunts.

Slowly, the woman's face got closer to his own and he noticed how unnaturally red her cheeks were, as well as the line of drool falling down her face from the right corner of her mouth. She was near now, enough so that he could feel her breath on his neck.

Then, he felt a hand...touching his butt, and Fuzen froze even more as he pushed his hips forward, his eyes widened in surprise at the sudden touch, a loud gulp coming out his throat.

"You~"

...Ohh...Ohhhhhh….No. Nonononono. Nope.

Without further hesitation Fuzen dropped to his knees and jumped through the woman's legs behind her. He crawled on all four under the first table in his path, where some of his Familia members were, and then through the second table, which was were Ais and the twins plus Alicia were sitting. He then got up and ran, having already calculated the nearest path to the exit.

Bete's table was in the way, and the Werewolf had his back to him.

Fuzen jumped, used Bete's head as a stepping stone, jumped even higher, did a front flip, and landed on his legs in front of the opened double doors. He looked over his shoulder, past all the customers inside looking at him like they would at a madman, at the black haired woman. She was still smiling, and then, she licked her lips. Fuzen felt a shiver down his back and he knew he needed to escape, as fast as possible.

"Lightning Drive! Go, go, go!"

This would mark the first day Fuzen had used a Technique originally created for taking out foes faster than they can react for fleeing for his life.

Granted, he used the same Technique to escape the barrage of attacks by the Harpies, but there was a great difference between the two situations: back then he wanted to fight the Harpies again after tending to his wounds, but there was no way in hell anyone could somehow persuade him to ever again step foot in that pub, ever again.

She touched my butt...She touched...my butt...She actually...touched my butt…

Using the full extend of his Lightning Drive and beyond, Fuzen had already reached the Twilight Manor no more than one minute after rushing out of the pub. He stopped at the gates, and walked unusually fast towards the entrance.

It was already night, and the sun disappeared from the sky, so after a bath he decided to simply go to sleep and forget everything that ever happened in the last ten minutes.

"Yes, that sounds excellent." he nodded, walking down a hallways, no other people around him. "I'll simply take a bath, and then head to bed, and then forget what happened-"

A hand grabbed his left shoulder, and he froze in a cold sweat.

It can't be! No way that creepy woman is fast enough to keep up with me! It's just my imagination. I will turn around, and no one is going to be there-!

For the second time today, hazel met green, however not the same green eyes as before.

These eyes...were cold.

"Fuzen." Riveria said, her tone just slightly too cheerful and not matching her cold expression at all. "I've been trying to find you for a few days now, but you always somehow manage to be away when I'm looking for you."

"...Uhh...uhh...uhhh…"

Her grip strengthened on his shoulder, and despite her being a mage, Fuzen knew he could not escape her iron, Level 6 grip without having to rip his flesh off. Then, she smiled, though her smile was a very empty one and then she closed her eyes. "Say, why don't you show me some more of those...tricks, of yours?"

...Screw my life…

XXX

Some people might question themselves:

"How the hell do you cut through a Dungeon Floor's floor (heh) with a stupidly short sword?"

And I'd agree.

It is a stupid idea.

But this is Fuzen we are talking about, and making stupid impossible things possible is kinda his gig.

Jokes aside tho, even back when I first released the fic I actually planned to link those "comic relief" moments with important stuff which will happen later down the line.

So yeah.

Don't worry, everything he does will get it's somehow realistic explanation at some point.

Now that that's out of the way….

Kay bye.