"Within the defeated, a victor awaits to emerge. Cry out your desire. Let your longings burn. Scream out your wishes."

The Familia Chronicles

Prologue

Orario was engulfed in a sea of flames and its streets were flooded with blood. Babel had fallen. The Dungeon had finally bared its fangs to the outside world, and no Familia was prepared for it. Six years ago, the conflicts between Familias had distracted Orario's residents from what was occurring within the Dungeon and outside the walls of the city. At the center of all this was a young man constantly caught up in trouble. Bell Cranel.

At first, there were rumors of monsters lurking outside of Orario's walls. That wasn't entirely uncommon, but it was said that these monsters were far too strong to have originated on the surface. Eyes turned towards Bell, who championed the cause of Xenos ever since his first encounter with one, but when concrete evidence was finally gathered of what exactly was outside the city, it became very clear that they were not Xenos. No, these had only been seen on incredibly rare occasions within the Dungeon whenever substantial damage was done to the interior of the Dungeon itself.

Juggernauts.

They varied in size and shape, but their origin was the same. Whenever the Dungeon had cried out in pain, a Juggernaut was born and dispatched to eliminate the cause. Only two Adventurers had ever fought one and lived to tell the tale.

However, these were different. They were stronger, faster, and there were more of them. When the Guild had organized a subjugation party to take down the Juggernauts one at a time, the Dungeon closed shut the jaws of the trap it had laid. With every high-level Adventurer outside the city, there wasn't any soul powerful enough to defend against what came out of now lightly-guarded Dungeon.

A single Juggernaut. That's all it took. It slaughtered its way through the city while the only ones strong enough to face it were outside hunting its kin. Hundreds had been ripped to pieces before the alarm was sounded. Then, as if it were anticipating the alarm, the Juggernaut inside the city changed its prey. Instead of mortals, it started targeting the deities who inhabited the city. One by one, pillars of light appeared within the dark city, signaling a God or Goddess's return to Tenkai.

Panic gave way to despair. The subjugation party eventually made it back to the city, but it was too late. Thousands. Thousands had been killed, God and mortal alike. Dozens of Adventurers had lost their entire Familia. Among the lost was nearly half of the Hestia Familia. Liliruka Arde. Yamato Mikoto. Hestia herself. Bell Cranel, favored Hero of the Gods, fell to despair.

But Bell wasn't the only one who had lost someone. Nearly every Familia had lost at least one member, and several had been wiped out completely, including the Miach Familia. This event came to be known as 'The beginning of the End'

Orario didn't have time to heal from this loss. Days later, the Dungeon's children once more descended upon the city. This time, there was no need for trickery. An explosion rocked the city, the tower of Babel fell, and Monsters invaded Orario. Some gave in to despair and allowed for the end of come. Bell Cranel was almost one of those people.

Almost.

Instead, no longer having his Goddess around to update his Status, he went to the one person he knew would accept him no matter what. Freya. In the years since his first excursion into the Dungeon, he had come to learn quite a lot about the Goddess of Beauty and her obsession with him. After all, he had faced something similar once before, resulting in a war game with the Apollo Familia, but the feeling he got from Freya was different. Apollo was obsessed with all children, while Freya had a singular obsession. Him.

Yet, when he approached the Goddess, she was nothing like he had seen before. She, too, had lost members of her Familia. She was nearly catatonic at the loss and the fact that the second assault had begun. In a strange way, this made Bell feel better about approaching her for help. It proved to him that she, too, could feel such emotions. She didn't even attempt to take advantage of him in that moment like he was expecting her to.

There, in the ruins of Babel, Bell Cranel became the first Level 10 Adventurer, surpassing both Ottar and Aiz, who previously stood at the top at Level 9.

The Juggernauts didn't stand a chance. He ran faster and hit harder than ever before. A five-second charge Firebolt could put a single enhanced Juggernaut halfway in the grave. Yet, he alone wasn't enough to save the city. More than just Juggernauts, the Dungeon, now uncapped, spewed forth hundreds of monsters varied in strength and size. He couldn't save the city by himself, so he did what only he could do. He killed the strongest monsters he could find, including the Juggernauts.

When the night gave way to the morning sunlight, the city could be seen clearly for what it now was. A mass grave. When Bell went looking for his friends, what he found nearly sent him over the edge. Welf's body was found in his shop, the forge still hot from whatever he was trying to make. Ryuu's body was found at the remains of the Hostess of Fertility, curled protectively around the body of Syr. Eina's body was found at the remains of the Guild, clutching the bracelet Bell had given her for her birthday close to her chest. Aiz was alive, but from the look in her eyes he could tell her soul was gone. The Loki Familia had been almost entirely wiped out.

Bell was one step away from madness. Nearly everyone he knew and cared about was dead. His body trembled like never before. He was the strongest Adventurer in the city, finally having surpassed his idol, but he couldn't do a thing to save the people he cared about. Those childish dreams of being a hero were wiped away in a single night.

Yet, there was still hope. Welf had spent his last moments not in the arms of the woman and Goddess that he loved, but in his forge attempting to make something. So when Hephaestus found Welf's body, though she trembled to see such a thing, she also saw he was clutching something to his chest. After gently moving his body, she saw that it was still unfinished, and his hands and body where the item had been pressed against were burned extremely badly. She reasoned he must have sensed the end was near and moved to protect the item. Once she saw the item, she realized that there was a small glimmer of hope.

After hours of trying to track him down, Hephaestus finally found Bell where his story began. The basement of a ruined church. It was empty now, but even the walls themselves held great meaning to him. There, she told him what Welf had done in his last moments. She told him there was still a way to save everyone. There was no doubt in her mind that Bell was the key to it all. He had to be.

She would unseal her divine power to complete the item Welf had created. It would be a race to finish it before she would be forcefully returned to Tenkai, but none of her Familia remained for her to entrust the work to. Rather, she wanted to complete it herself even if some had survived. They'd promised, after all, to create something together. That could never be a child, so it had to be this.

She explained it to him as they looked for a suitable workshop that wasn't in ruins. While she couldn't understand the inner workings of the item without unsealing her divine power, she had a solid understanding of what Welf was attempting to make. There was even a hint in its design. A pocket watch.

It wasn't necessarily time travel. That kind of magic was more or less impossible, and all magic mistaken for it behaved differently than what normal time travel magic was assumed to be capable of. No, Hephaestus was fairly certain that this item had the power to 'reset the clock' for any one person. They could send a single person back to prevent what had happened. Hephaestus was sure that person had to be Bell. However, there was no guarantee how that would turn out. Would there be two of him? Would he stay at his current age? Would he remember anything? Would he become powerless like he once was?

One thing was sure, though. Hephaestus could tell that this item required a substantial amount of power to work, and she would barely have enough time to finish it. There's no way she could become the catalyst to making it work. No, there was another she had in mind, so after finding a place to work, she sent Bell to find them. Haruhime. She would undoubtedly be mentally scarred for life, but if it was Bell asking for her help, she might have the strength to do what was necessary.

She didn't tell him, of course, that it would likely require Haruhime to sacrifice everything she had -that is, her own life as well as her power- to make the item work. Bell would likely not agree with that and try to find some other way. Maybe he'd attempt to get a God or Goddess to do it, but she was in the city that first night. Gods and Godesses had tried to help. They'd unsealed their divine power and attempted to fight the monsters, but were immediately returned to Tenkai upon attacking. Hestia herself had, instead of attacking, become a shield for her Familia for a few short moments before being returned to Tenkai. It seemed that interacting at all with creatures of the Dungeon would result in being forced to return immediately.

She wasn't planning on doing that. She was just going to finish crafting an item that a Child had started. Even if there was justification enough, she'd never go willingly without finishing it. Those in Tenkai were more than complicit in allowing this to happen. When she did get up there, before finding Welf, she'd most definitely raise some hell. She wondered if it was the work of the Evils, but that didn't really matter. What mattered was getting the job done.

So, when Bell returned with Haruhime in tow, after quietly informing the girl of what she had to do, she set to work in finishing Welf's creation. After unsealing her divine power, she laughed to herself after analyzing the item. It was most definitely something Welf had come up with. Everything about it seemed to scream out his name. She'd just barely had enough time to finish before the pillar of light descended and ripped her away from the mortal plane.

This was it. The moment of truth. How exactly would Welf's item work? As Haruhime set to work, he realized that as she powered the item, her skin became more and more pale by the second. Haruhime, who was the last living member of the Hestia Familia besides himself, was dying. She was sacrificing herself to create this opportunity. Bell reached out to stop her, but a look and a smile told him that she knew exactly what she was doing.

Magic circles of various hues and designs appeared and the world around them went silent. Rather, it had stopped completely. No wind blew and no sound was heard other than Haruhime's chants and the hum of the magic energy. Then, ever so quietly, the magical pocket watch in Bell's hand began to tick. He looked down at Welf's final creation and was blinded by a flash of light emanating from the item in his hand.

Suddenly, Bell felt himself being pushed onto the ground and he heard a voice: "We don't need a wimp like you. Come back when you're stronger." Then, he heard a door being shut. Why did he feel like he'd heard that line before?

He leaned forward, trying to gather his thoughts of what had happened, his recent memory a blur. Hephaestus had completed Welf's item, and Haruhime had powered it. Then...? A flash of light? Where was he? Was he teleported? Who was it that called him a wimp? Just before he was about to look around to get his bearings, he heard another voice. One that nearly made him break down in tears.

"Hey, boy. Are you looking to join a Familia?"

Bell looked up and saw that Welf, Hephaestus, and Haruhime had succeeded. There, standing before him, was his Goddess. Hestia. She laughed at the dumb expression that must have been on his face before offering her hand to him.

Without any hesitation, he reached out and took it.

It had been a week since Bell was sent back, and getting his Falna from Hestia was quite the experience. Of course, he was just as surprised as she was. While he was once again down to level 1 and his status had reverted back to 0, it appeared that Welf's item hadn't completely rewound time. In fact, quite a bit more than his own memories remained with him.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Bell Cranel – Level 1

Strength: 0 (I)

Endurance: 0 (I)

Dexterity: 0 (I)

Agility: 0 (I)

Magic: 0 (I)

Luck (I)

Escape (I)

Abnormal Resistance (I)

*Skills*

-Liaris Freese-

Dramatically increases growth rate. Effects are determined by the will and feelings of the user.

-Argonaut-

Allows the user to charge an active action. Power increases with length of charge.

-Ox Slayer-

Heavily increases all abilities when fighting bull-type monsters.

-Rabbit Rush-

Increases agility and dexterity the longer a fight lasts. Effect increases in strength the more damage that has been taken.

*Magic*

-Firebolt-

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Four skills, three developmental abilities, and magic. All at level 1. Hestia had been floored and it hadn't been easy to placate her. He couldn't directly lie to her since she'd immediately know he was lying, not that he wanted to in the first place, but he could easily omit the truth. Something he'd learned dealing with Freya years ago.

He had debated telling his Goddess about everything. About the horrors that lurked in the Dungeon, about the dangerous dealings between certain Gods and Goddesses, about everything. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure she would believe him even if she could tell he wasn't lying. After all, it's not a lie if you believe it to be true, which is how many Children end up misleading their Gods and Goddesses, whether they knew it or not.

It would be up to him to figure things out. To start out, he had to get stronger. Even at Level 10, he couldn't save the people he wanted to save. Yet, even if he was back at Level 1, his body and his mind could still recall what it was like to fight like a Level 10, and he retained his memories of the Dungeon. Floor layouts, monster spawning locations, rare material locations, and even attack patterns. He was still, in mind, a veteran adventurer. So, he set out to do the one thing he could do at Level 1.

He trained.

The upper floors of the Dungeon, even at Level 1, were nothing more than a stepping stone for him. Even with a basic iron dagger and a discarded rusty sword he'd found, he could carve through the monsters on the upper floors like a hot knife through butter. He knew where to place his attacks for maximum damage, after all. That alone could make life infinitely easier for even a basic Level 1. However, he was not a basic Level 1. It might have been his imagination, but he certainly felt stronger than he did all those years ago when he was at Level 1 for the first time. Perhaps it was just his experience and confidence, but he wasn't so sure that was the case.

Though his own power would only carry him so far, to reach out to the others, to be able to grasp their hands and pull them from their circumstances, he'd need a certain amount of strength first. He'd need to be able to confidently take on at least one higher-ranked Adventurer. Welf would be fine, but Lili was in a dangerous situation, as was Haruhime. Ryuu would be fine and Mikoto had her own Familia to watch out for her. If things went well, there might not even be a reason for her to convert to the Hestia Familia in the first place. That wouldn't be the worst thing, but he would definitely miss having her around if that became the case.

Ais.. She'd be fine. In the end, he was unable to help free her from her own hatred. While she had accepted that Xenos were not monsters that needed to be killed on sight, she still marched on her path to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon and take back her mother, if she was even still alive. While he understood her desire to defeat a great foe, much like how he had felt about Asterius, he didn't hate his rival. He was simply that, a rival. They'd even fought as allies for a short time.

He wondered if Asterius, or for that matter, if Wiene would be born. There was so much that could go differently. One thing was sure, though. Freya was watching him. He could feel her gaze on him from time to time. Obsession. Desire. Curiosity. He wondered if she could tell he wasn't exactly.. normal. If she could, she could either become a great ally or a terrible enemy. It largely depended on when their first meeting would take place. If he could get a private meeting with her, though that was dangerous in its own right, she might be the singular person he could tell the whole truth to.

Of course, there was always a risk involved while dealing with Freya. Not of death, or being charmed thanks to his unique skill. She didn't need to use her charming abilities. Even now, long after he was introduced to such things, Freya had a unique effect on him. She never did get his first time like she had stated to desire, but she did get him for a time. Perhaps that was why he was apprehensive about meeting her?

The reason Freya might be the one person he could speak completely honestly and frankly to is because of certain things she'd told him that nobody else would know. Secrets she'd shared knowing full well that he would keep them regardless of what they were. That's just the kind of man Bell Cranel was. If he could reveal such things to her, she'd have a way of knowing that he was speaking truthfully.

I looked down at the weapons in my hand. A familiar, weak iron knife and a discarded rusty sword. Both of which had barely been able to stand up to the monsters on the 7th floor. Their edges were already worn when I got them, and all the fighting I'd done since hadn't helped matters. Both weapons had chips and cracks along the blade. It was time for an upgrade.

They might've lasted a bit longer if I had used my Magic, but I didn't want to give away anything too early. After all, there was no telling if I was going to get a second opportunity to learn Magic due to Freya's whims. Then, bringing me out of my thoughts, I heard it. The telltale sound of a Minotaur's heavy footsteps and faint shouting from various Adventurers. Minotaurs weren't supposed to be on this floor.

Would I be able to face a Minotaur at this point? With these weapons? Or would I be saved again by her?

…

No. If I just let things play out how they went previously, I'd never become strong enough to do what needed to be done. I wouldn't be able to change anything for the better. Gripping my weapons tightly, I shot off towards the sounds I was hearing. Even if I couldn't beat the Minotaur, I would at least be able to get it to focus on me instead of some other Adventurer who might be around. Rounding a corner, I saw the broad back of the Minotaur, its weapon raised as if to strike whatever it was looking at.

I couldn't hesitate for a second. Now wasn't the time to play at being weaker than I was in hopes of someone else providing me strength. Everything I needed, all the strength I was capable of obtaining and bringing to bare was within me. Waiting.

It had to be done. Not stopping my advance towards the Minotaur, I extended my hand.

"Firebolt!"

The electric fire shot from my palm and impacted the muscled back of the Minotaur. It howled out in pain despite its natural resistance to fire and turned towards me, ignoring its former prey. I was the bigger priority.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

It howled at me, either out of pain or anger I didn't know. What I did know was that I still hadn't stopped moving towards it. There was precious little distance between us. It raised its weapon again, preparing to strike me down in a single blow. If it connected, it very well might be capable of doing so.

So slow.

I was faster than it by a wide margin. The weapon was still being raised as I leaped and plunged my knife into the tough hide of the Minotaur, sticking deep into its shoulder, limiting the movement of the weapon until the knife was removed. Not stopping at that, I pushed the sword into the other shoulder, going deeper than the knife on account of its length. Again, it opened its mouth and howled in pain.

That's what I was waiting for. Releasing my grip on the knife, I thrust my arm into the mouth of the Minotaur and down a ways into its throat. I had no time to be squeamish. This was how you killed Minotaurs when they were strong against the magic you could use.

"Firebolt"

Fire exploded out from the sides of its mouth and engulfed my arm. It hurt me a bit, but it hurt the Minotaur a lot more. Still, it held on to life. Its jaws clamped weakly onto my arm. If I hadn't injured it as much as I clearly did, it might've been able to bite my arm clean off. I could feel it trying to manipulate its arms to grab me.

"Firebolt!"

The second shot of electric fire did the job. Its eyes filled with blood and exploded outwards with fire following it along with the fire that raced out of its mouth. The Minotaur exploded into black smoke and the sound of a large magic stone hitting the floor echoed in the dead-end corner of the dungeon.

For the first time, I saw the person the Minotaur was about to attack and was glad I had made it in time. Not an Adventurer, but a Supporter. Liliruka Arde. I could feel myself smile despite the overwhelming pain I was in. I didn't even think about her being in the Dungeon at this point. She was alone, so either the Adventurers she was with left her behind, or she left them behind and was cornered by the Minotaur. I was just glad to see her alive.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Then the ground and darkness swallowed me up.

"Please … Saved me ... I.."

"What … Blood ... Minotaur? How.."

"Magic? But … Level 1.."

Bell could hear bits and pieces of a conversation taking place, but didn't really understand the context. He wasn't awake, but he also wasn't quite asleep. This was a feeling he had felt several times before. The first time was on the 18th Floor. He heard his Grandfather's words, and then..

Bell opened his eyes suddenly, his fight-or-flight response kicking him awake. Above him were another set of eyes, golden in color, flanked by equally gold hair. Ais Wallenstein. He recognized that curious gaze of hers. Suddenly, he was conscious of the fact that he was once again receiving a lap pillow from his idol. Despite his older and more experienced mindset, his face took on a red hue.

Ais's head tilted slightly.

"Rabbit?" She asked, absentmindedly.

'Ais-san.. You really are a bit of an airhead, aren't you?' Bell thought. Still, he was glad that cold, distant look in her eyes wasn't permanently affixed to her like when he saw her after.. that.

Still, being this close to the airheaded idol of his, especially while she was like this, was a bit too much for him to take in. Almost moment for moment, it played out exactly like before. He yelled and somersaulted away as fast as possible.

Followed by a trail of the blood of a Minotaur that covered him nearly from head to toe.

Eina had scolded him pretty harshly after he told her what had happened. At first, she didn't believe a Level 1 Adventurer could kill a Minotaur by themselves, but fortunately Misha, Eina's friend and colleague, had dropped into the consultation room to relay a message of thanks from the Supporter that Bell had rescued, as well as Bell's weapons, which had clearly been cleaned and sharpened. That was all it took to convince Eina. Still, she had lectured him for nearly an hour afterwards about how dangerous it was for him to fight a Minotaur himself. Despite being lectured, Bell couldn't help but feel happy. She was alive. Everyone was still alive. He had beaten a Minotaur at Level 1 without the Hestia Knife. That was proof he was, at the very least, on the right path.

After the lecture, Bell had realized that it was only a matter of time until he was once again 'Tomato Boy' or something similar, having run through the street bathed in blood like that. Bete's nickname for him hadn't stuck for long, but it was a reminder of how powerless he had been previously, and how different things were now. Though he didn't appreciate the nickname, after getting to know him a bit better, Bell could say for certain that he didn't hate Bete. The Werewolf was brash, loud, and constantly itching for a fight. Yet he also protected the weak and was honest about pretty much anything he said or felt. In addition, he was an excellent fighter and dependable ally. When things got rough, it became very clear why he was one of the best within the Loki Familia.

A day later, Bell found himself in a very familiar position. At the Hostess of Fertility after falling victim to Syr's antics. Luckily for him, he could afford the food this time. And he wouldn't be unintentionally dining-and-dashing. Even when he was a Level 9, Mama Mia was scary when angry.

Bell could feel all manner of eyes on him within the Pub. He hadn't yet leveled up, but for some reason people kept glancing at him. 'Oh, right. It was just yesterday that I ran through the street covered in blood. News moves fast in Orario, after all.'

One pair of eyes was more significant than the rest, though. A certain Elf kept staring at him every few minutes. He wondered if Ryuu was trying to figure out if he would end up making any trouble for Syr, as she was so protective of the other girl. A small smile met his face.

Bell had a unique relationship with Ryuu. Though he loved his Goddess and idolized Ais, it was Ryuu who he first had truly romantic feelings for beyond passing admiration. Though she was obviously outwardly beautiful, it was her strong, yet compassionate personality that had captivated him so. After they had defeated that first Juggernaut together and escaped from the deep floors of the Dungeon, their relationship had significantly changed. There were no more secrets between the two. No ulterior motives. No difference in station or rank. They had revealed everything to the other in the Dungeon.

Even though that hadn't happened yet, and even if it never did happen, Bell still retained all the feelings he did before. For the everyone, including Ryuu. Even that cold exterior of hers held a certain warmth to it in his eyes.

Words roused him from his thoughts. Without even realizing it, the Loki Familia had been seated at their usual table.

"Hey Ais, tell them about that thing. The Tomato Dork." Bete said drunkenly. Questions about Bete's level of drunkenness and what he was talking about followed. He was quick to answer.

"Apparently that Level 1 kid who tracked blood all the way from the Dungeon to the Guild was the one Ais saved from that Minotaur. He got so scared he ran away from our Sword Princess!" He yelled, laughing in a genuine manner.

".. That's wrong." A quiet voice said. The table and even some onlookers turned towards the one who spoke next. "I didn't kill that Minotaur. He did."

Confused looks followed her claim. "Ehh? How did some Level 1 brat kill a Minotaur? You lying to stick up for him, Ais? No way a Level 1 could do that." Bete exclaimed.

"He did it to save someone else in the Dungeon. I would've been too late if he hadn't stopped the Minotaur." She said, not looking up from her plate of food that hadn't been touched.

From the far end of the bar, Bell felt conflicted. Previously, he would've thought there was no way something as simple as a Minotaur could escape Ais long enough to kill someone else. She was just that good. However, he knew better now. Everyone had their limits. Everyone made mistakes. As perfect as he viewed her to be, and still did to some extent, she couldn't save everyone. He knew that now. Like him, he knew it also burned her up inside to admit that to herself. Maybe they were similar in that respect. They became strong from the desire to save someone.

Then, Riveria cut in. "The Supporter girl he saved would disagree with you, Bete."

Bell didn't see it, but there was a change to Bete's demeanor. Though he had stopped listening to the conversation, Bete's words would have struck a chord with him if he had heard them. ".. Oh, is that it? I guess the kid was just being a man, then." Laughter followed Bete's suddenly serious words.

Leaving his payment by his plate, Bell got up and left. He was losing valuable time. He had to get stronger. He could feel the eyes on him as he left, but he ignored them.

"Hey, isn't that-"

"No way. He was here the whole time?"

Exiting the pub, he turned the corner and immediately came face-to-face with Ryuu. He hadn't even noticed she had left the pub before him. Her sky blue eyes stared at him with mild curiosity for a moment before she bowed her head slightly.

"Cranel-san, please ignore them and continue coming to the Hostess of Fertility. Syr would hate to lose a valuable customer like yourself."

A little shocked, Bell put his hands up. "No, no. Their words don't bother me that much. I'll be sure to come back."

He might have imagined it, but he thought he saw a small smile appear on the Elf's face before reverting to her signature neutral look. She nodded and re-entered the building, leaving him there standing in the street.

As he resumed his journey home, he wondered if Ryuu's words and actions were truly for the sake of Syr or not. She was a bit difficult to read when she was like that. The image of her mutilated body curled protectively around Syr's own flashed in his mind. Anger and grief welled up inside him and he changed his destination. Though his knife and sword were at home, he still had his Magic, and he had already used it once to great effect.

He vaguely remembered doing something similar before and entering a state of Mind Down. He'd have to be careful not to overuse his Magic. Though, he still had his limbs to fight with, and after training with Ais, Bete, Tiona and Tione, he could do so fairly effectively. Especially when facing weak, upper-level monsters.

Bell stumbled back home, exhausted mentally and physically. He had come dangerously close to passing out in the Dungeon. He'd managed to make it to the 8th floor without any proper weapons, relying solely on the strength of his Magic and his body. That took its toll, however. His body began to protest every additional movement he made once he was out of the Dungeon.

He was weak.

He hadn't felt that way for a long, long time. His body could no longer do the things it previously could. His mind outpaced his body by leaps and bounds, and whenever he tried to force his body to reach that speed, painful consequences usually followed. Not just his body, but also his little remaining equipment at home was also on its last legs. The straps felt like they would snap and break at any moment and though his weapons had been cleaned and sharpened, they, too, were barely holding together.

Slowly, achingly, he made his way to the familiar couch that was his bed, trying to be quiet as to not wake his Goddess. Become succumbing to sleep, his last thoughts were of a better future than what he had seen.

"LEVEL TWO?!" Eina exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the Guild, bringing all other conversations happening within to a screeching halt.

Though he hadn't been in the city for long, and was an Adventurer for an even shorter amount of time, nobody could mistake him for anyone else. So when people looked to see who had leveled up, they were floored. Bell Cranel, an Adventurer for less than a month, had reached Level 2. This blew away the previous record, held by the Sword Princess, by an unbelievably wide margin.

Instantly, Eina and Bell were both aware of the amount of eyes on them. Bell's Advisor quickly ushered him into a consultation room and barraged him with questions, but they all came down to the one question that was on everyone's mind out in the Guild. How did he get to Level 2 so quickly?

Bell didn't want to lie. He wasn't good at it. However, he couldn't yet reveal the reason for his incredible rate of growth. So, he told her as honestly as he could. "I think having a goal to get as strong as possible to protect the people I care about has something to do with it."

After a bit of time passed and Eina had accepted this to be the truth, she finally asked him if he was planning on going down to the Middle Floors. Bell inwardly grimaced at the memory of the first time he and his party had attempted that journey. They'd been nearly killed due to the Pass Parade. It seemed like that might not come to pass this time around at his current rate of growth.

"Maybe not right away. My equipment is a little.." He trailed off as he thought about how he needed to get into contact with Welf as soon as possible. No other smith's equipment would do. Not for him.

Eina agreed with him right away, likely already having thought of that. "Say, are you free tomorrow?"

He already knew what he was about to get into.

Bell and Eina walked around the small armor shop as he browsed for what he was looking for. He made sure to check the corners, since his first meeting with Welf began as the Blacksmith was complaining about the shopkeep doing such a thing. Eina pointed out a few items to him, and while they were indeed decent pieces, they paled in comparison to what he was looking for. Yet, it couldn't be found anywhere. Had Welf not made that set quite yet? He approached the counter to ask about light armor that was easy to move in, but saw a familiar head of red hair clearly in a discussion with the shopkeeper.

"Listen old man, I'll put my stuff on sale here so long as you don't put it in the corners where nobody will look." Bell heard the man say. The shopkeeper had other ideas.

"Look at how many sets of armor are in this tiny place. I can't promise it will get a good spot until your work starts selling well."

Before the younger man could explode in anger, Bell took the opportunity to interrupt. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a good set of light armor. Something metal but easy to move in."

The shopkeeper blinked before looking back to the man with red hair, who then turned to face Bell with a huge grin on his face. "That's quite a request you got there. Most light armor is leather to make things lighter and more flexible."

Bell smiled. "I'm confident in my speed and agility, so I prefer something a bit more sturdy at the cost of a little more weight. This shop doesn't seem to have what I'm looking for, though."

The man laughed. "No, but I do. The name is Welf."

He turned the box that was on the counter towards Bell. Bell's smile widened ever so slightly. Indeed, that was certainly what he was looking for. After leaving the shop to find a place to talk and haggle, Bell, Eina, and Welf sat down on a nearby bench.

This time around, Bell was aware of all the envious eyes upon them. Though his announcement of reaching Level 2 hadn't been officially made yet, word quickly got around after what had happened in the Guild the day before. Smiths of all types looked on as Bell and Eina sat with Welf.

"So, you're after a pretty specific set of armor. I'm proud to say that my latest piece should be exactly what you're looking for." Welf said loudly, discouraging other Smiths from approaching Bell, who was examining what Welf was offering. Indeed, this was what he was looking for. The Pyonkichi Mk-II armor. Though it was a far cry from what he would be later capable of making, it was the best available armor at that time. Bell's thumb traced Welf's signature on the armor.

"That's my name. Welf Crozzo." He said, less proud than a regular Smith might be of their name after making such a great set of armor.

"Wait.. Crozzo? Of the Hephaestus Familia? The one who could make Magic Swords but refused?" Eina asked. Bell silently thanked her for being as knowledgeable as she was. He'd never get away with randomly knowing that kind of thing and then accidentally encountering him.

Welf's wide smile fell into a neutral expression. "Yeah.. Listen, I don't really like being shackled to my last name. You could even say I hate it and even Magic Swords."

Eina, ever the blessing for Bell, continued her line of questioning. "But why? Surely you could become a famous Smith on that alone. You'd be able to sell your works in the high end shops down below."

"Magic Swords.. break. They break and leave their wielder behind. They're a crutch that can't be truly relied upon since there's no telling when a Magic Sword might break. It's an incredible amount of power for a short amount of time. That's not the kind of thing I want to make. I want what I make to stand the test of time and always be there when its needed."

Bingo. That's what Bell was waiting for. "If that's the case, why not make one that won't break?"

Welf blinked, almost confused. "The very nature of Magic Swords is what causes them to break. They're just a catalyst for the magic inside, and that magic is too strong for the catalyst to survive for very long."

"Is it impossible to tone down the power in favor of increasing the lifespan or use better materials to craft the weapon?" Bell asked. He couldn't tell him the answer outright. Not only should he not know that kind of thing, but he also didn't fully understand it. He wasn't a Blacksmith. All he knew was that Welf was capable of making Magic Swords that wouldn't ever break due to being used. Sure, if they came up against a superior weapon in the wrong way they'd break like any other kind of weapon, but just using it wouldn't cause it to break.

"Well.. I'm not sure. That's something to ask my Goddess about." Welf said, a puzzled look on his face. Bell could almost see the gears turning in Welf's mind as he thought about it, but Welf quickly got back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, if this is the kind of armor you're looking for, I'll give it to you. Free."

"Free?!" Eina exclaimed.

Welf nodded. "Yeah. Otherwise it'll just go into some corner in a shop and never be seen. In exchange.. I want you to let me join you in the Dungeon. It would be best if we could form an exclusive contract in the future once you get a feel for what I can make, but there's no rush for that."

That was what Bell wanted to hear.

After Bell had agreed to meet Welf by the Dungeon entrance the following day, he decided to make his next move as soon as possible. He needed to find Lili, but that was easier said than done. He couldn't just go to the shop she stayed in and ask for her. However, all kinds of luck was befalling Bell Cranel that day.

"Brave Adventurer-sama, would you happen to be the one I'm looking for?" Bell turned around and saw Lili standing before him, a pensive look on her face. She must have seen the recognition in his eyes, as a smile appeared on his face. Though, he couldn't tell if this was a genuine smile or one of the ones she'd used while trying to dupe him.

"Brave Adventurer-sama! This one was saved by Adventurer-sama days ago. Lili would like to return this to you." She said, pulling out a large Magic Stone from her heavy pack. The one from the Minotaur. Bell thought she must have taken it after running off, but didn't expect her to return it to him. He reached out and accepted it from her.

"Lili? I'm glad you're okay. I didn't see you when I woke up." He said. A bit of emotion from seeing her alive and well as opposed to a cold, lifeless body that he had seen before leaked into his words, but he did his best to cut that back.

Lili nodded. "Lili was escorted out of the Dungeon by another Adventurer after Brave Adventuer-sama saved Lili."

"Er.. My name is Bell. Being called 'Brave Adventurer-sama' is kind of embarrassing." Bell said, scratching his cheek absentmindedly.

"Bell-sama, then." Lili said. Bell inwardly groaned. It took months to break that habit of hers before.

"Just Bell is fine. So Lili, I'm glad we met today. Tomorrow I'm going into the Dungeon and I was wondering if you'd like to form a party with me. I heard Supporters are good to have around." Instantly, he saw the distrust in her eyes. Yet, he couldn't do anything to assuage that distrust right away.

"... Really? Even after Bell-sama suffered to save Lili before?"

Bell nodded, handing the Minotaur's Magic Stone back to her. "Since I was technically stealing your kill, this Magic Stone belongs to you." Lili put her hands up, trying to refuse the item, but he smiled at her gently. "Just think of it as a down-payment on your services for tomorrow."

Hearing that, she allowed him to place the item in her hands. "... Bell-sama is weird." Lili murmured. He had the feeling he had heard that from her before. A Minotaur's Magic Stone was worth a pretty penny, but he didn't mind. Lili was worth infinitely more than that in his eyes.

In the back of his mind, he knew that protecting Lili required multiple obstacles to overcome. First was Lili's distrust of Adventurers. Second was Hestia's distrust of all things female that were around Bell. Third was Zanis of the Soma Familia.

The third would be tricky to deal with. He could try paying for her release from the Soma Familia, but Zanis was as intelligent as he was sinister and even bringing up the suggestion could have undesired consequences. He could try talking to Soma himself, but getting an audience was almost as difficult as getting the God's attention in the first place. No, there was only one surefire way to get Zanis out of the picture.

He didn't like the idea, but he also knew of all the dark things he was involved in. The capture and torture of Monsters and Xenos and partnership with the Ikelos Familia, which were another troublesome group he needed to deal with sooner rather than later, along with Knossos itself. If he wanted Zanis gone, a duel with his exile on the line was the only way to do it without outright killing him.

Denatus. The time when every God and Goddess in Orario met to decide on the nicknames and aliases of the Adventurers who leveled up. It was mostly just an excuse to torment others with ridiculous nicknames. Though several Adventurers from various familias had leveled up, all eyes were on the Goddess who had just recently formed her familia.

Hestia sat next to two of her longtime friends, Hephaestus and Takemikazuchi. Yet, their presence alone didn't have enough reassuring strength to beat out the overwhelming stars and glares she was receiving. After all, her only Child had completely shattered the previous record of obtaining Level 2, which had been about a year for the Sword Princess.

Hephaestus had assured her that nobody would pry too deeply into how that had happened, as demanding another God or Goddess reveal the inner-workings of their Familia was quite taboo. Still, Hestia could tell even Hephaestus and Take wanted to know how such a thing had come to pass. Even if they were friends, she couldn't tell them. There was no telling what was going to happen once that cat was out of the bag, and if they didn't know people wouldn't bother them about it.

Bell's status in itself was completely insane. Not just his Liaris Freese, but all of it. She'd never once heard of any new Adventurer having more than one minor skill they might've acquired fighting the weaker monsters out in the world. Yet, Bell had four skills, three developmental abilities, and Magic. 'Insane' was the only possible way to describe it.

"Now.. Bell Cranel. The one who destroyed Loki's favorite's record." One Goddess spoke up.

"Destroyed is putting it lightly. From a year to less than a month.. That's just cheating, isn't it?"

"But every Blessing is the same. How could Loli Big-boobs be cheating?"

"Well, she's a Goddess of the hearth, right? Could it be.. Hestia, do you, too, cross that line with your Child?"

"Hestia? Cross the line? No way. She's one of the few virgins left. Other than Athena and Artemis I don't think there's any others."

Hestia's face became a comical shade of red. Not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. 'Loli Big-boobs' and 'Virgin Goddess' were nicknames she did not appreciate.

"Still.. less than a month. That's something incredible. Does anyone have any good suggestions?"

"How about Rabid Rabbit? I heard he took down a Minotaur and fought pretty savagely."

"No, he's too cute to be referred to as 'Rabid'. How about Al-Mimirin?"

"You're all just stuck on his looks. How about Roizarasu?" Loki said, a glare and mischievous smile sent Hestia's way. Before Hestia could retort, however, an unexpected voice cut in.

"Now, now. We mustn't let our jealousy paint our suggestions, Loki. Instead, how about.. Vanadis Odr?" Freya said, a small smile on her face.

"Never!" Hestia yelled, immediately vetoing the possible alias. Still, Freya's smile did not falter. It was bad enough that she had anything at all to say about her Bell. She didn't want him becoming victim to her whims.

"Alright, you've all had your fun. Let's hear some realistic ones." Hephaestus said, putting an end to the rite of passage everyone else at the table eventually went through themselves.

"Hmm, there's not a whole lot to go on other than his looks, but that would be too.."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. Wait, how about.."

Monsterphilia. Bell had only had the chance to experience the event once before the Ganesha Famlilia called it off due to the break-out of monsters. He knew now how that had come to be and hoped that Freya would hold off if only for a short time so he could experience the event with his new, yet old friends. Lili and Welf. Their meeting had gone about as well as he remembered. Welf's idea of ingratiating himself with a new group was to be obnoxious until you grew to be comfortable with him. Lili was easy to provoke, especially on account of her still being wary of Bell's motives.

Yet, the three of them were aligned in their distaste for the amount of eyes upon them wherever they went. The voices that accompanied those eyes all had the same things to say.

"Hey, isn't that..?"

"That's him? The one who-"

"Nah. I bet he cheated. No weak-looking twerp could beat the Sword Princess's record. Especially not so fast."

"Why didn't they go with a nickname like Al-Miraj or White Rabbit? Little Rookie? What kind of name is that supposed to be? It's so.. normal."

Bell fought the urge to grind his teeth. That nickname managed to find him again. It made him question what else would be the same. As they passed a familiar looking building, a voice called out to Bell.

"Hey, wait a minute, white-hair!"

Bell, being the only one with white hair around, and his party turned toward the voice. It was Anya, one of the waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility. She jogged towards them, a small wallet clutched in her hands. She took the wallet and pushed it into his hands.

"Give that to her, will you?"

Bell blinked. That was even less helpful than last time. Luckily, he had Welf there to help out. "Give it to who?"

"The one who owns the wallet, of course!" Anya said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

There was a moment of silence before another voice could be heard. "Anya, that's not an adequate explanation. Cranel-san and his party are confused." Bell turned to see Ryuu rounding the corner, a basket of laundry in her arms.

"What do you mean, Ryuu? They understand that I want them to take the wallet to Syr, who skipped out on work today to enjoy Monsterphilia."

Ryuu turned to Bell, her signature neutral expression still on her face. "That's the situation. Obviously Syr didn't skip out on work. She scheduled the day off with Mama Mia days ago. She's probably in trouble without her wallet."

Bell smiled. "Alright. I'll take care of it."

Hephaestus looked down at the weapon on her table, carefully studying it for any imperfections. However, it was flawless in every way. "It's done." She said, looking up at the guest in her forge.

Her guest's eyes lit up like fireworks.

"Now Hestia, I won't be making a weapon like this again. Something like this doesn't really fit into the philosophy of blacksmithing. I could charge you ten times what I'm going to and it still wouldn't be enough to pay for what that weapon really is."

Still bright-eyed, a determined look crossed Hestia's face. "I promise I'll pay back every valis, Hephaestus. Even if it takes a thousand years. Bell needs this."

Surprisingly, Hephaestus nodded in agreement. "With growth like his, for once I agree with you. It's a miracle he killed a Minotaur with what he had. I'm still not sure if I can fully believe it."

Hestia fell silent for a moment before choosing her words carefully. "Once.. Once Bell has gotten stronger, you'll be one of the first and only people I tell about how that happened. I promise."

Hephaestus flicked Hesita in the forehead, causing the shorter goddess to reel back in exaggerated pain. "Don't go making promises you might not be able to keep. Just make sure to pay me back and that'll be enough for now. I'm sure sooner or later his status will get revealed by someone. Until then, I'll just have to accept that he's the new record-holder."

She was watching me. I could feel her eyes on me as Welf, Lili and I enjoyed the offerings of Monsterphilia. We were only supposed to look around a big before finding Syr and then heading into the dungeon since it would be nearly empty today on account of the activities. Yet, like before I found myself constantly distracted by the new things all around us. New kinds of food, new kinds of games, new kinds of things for sale. Luckily, I wasn't alone in this. Both Welf and Lili were equally distracted. Welf with the offerings of blacksmiths who had traveled to Orario for this occasion and Lili with the various kinds of food on display.

I knew this wouldn't last very long, so I enjoyed every possible moment. Freya would be making her move soon, though I wasn't sure what she had in store for me or my party. Would it be the Silverback again? The three of us were fully equipped for the Dungeon. I had my new armor, and Welf had given me new weapons to use. A new sword and dagger. Not his best work, but still far and above what I could afford at the time. They hadn't sold, like much of his work, though I was still unsure why.

The Silverback would pose no threat to a party like ours. Even without the truth, Freya would know our party could take down a Silverback without too much difficulty, and that wasn't something she was interested in. No, she wanted to see me struggle. Lili and Welf were inconsequential either way, but if they made things easier for me, she'd likely send something.. else.

Thankfully, Ganesha's Familia hadn't brought up many monsters stronger than the Silverback. They needed monsters that looked powerful to non-adventurers, but were easy enough to subdue if things got out of hand.

The crowd around us thinned out and the Colosseum came into view. I hadn't seen it very many times before, and each time I was similarly astounded by the majestic construction. It was one of the largest buildings in Orario, excluding Babel, and was always a sight to behold. Yet, each time I had seen it, chaos almost immediately followed.

Yelling. Shouting. Screaming. Outside the Colosseum. People running away, fleeing. It seemed this would be no different.

"What's going on? Wait, is that-?" Welf said, his hand on the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back.

Then, we saw it. Monsters pouring out of the Colosseum. Kobolds, Goblins, and even a couple Imps. Those would be the most difficult to track and deal with. Still, no sign of the Silverback. Did it get out on the other side?

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Came a howl. I looked towards the familiar sound and saw what had become of the Silverback. It was being hacked to death by a group of six Minotaurs. Yet, one of these Minotaurs stood out among the rest. A red and black Minotaur, holding not one, but two giant axes. And it was looking straight at me.

"Minotaurs?! And a red one? An enhanced species?" Lili shouted, both in fear and surprise. I grit my teeth. One Minotaur, even the red one, would be no issue. Our party could handle it. Six? Even if I was back to Level 2, it would be impossible to protect Lili and Welf, and they could only realistically handle one on their own if they were lucky.

This was the struggle Freya had concocted for me to face. It was no longer a trial of just strength and wits. It wasn't just me in danger. It was my party, and it was the city itself. A single blow from a Minotaur could kill any citizen and even most Level 1s with ease.

"OOOOOOOOOOO" The red Minotaur howled. The others, done dealing with the Silverback, turned their heads towards me as well. The red one, clearly the leader of the group, pointed one of its axes at me.

They charged.

A/N: Hello! This was something I started writing back in May 2018 after blitzing through all 13 volumes of the Light Novel, and I've drawn a good bit of inspiration from At War with Nature by SackDantOur, which I fully recommend to any of my readers if you're looking for a high-quality Danmachi fanfic. I've been on a bit of a 'travel back in time and try to fix things' fix for a while, if you couldn't tell from my other submissions. So much about the world of Danmachi is still unknown, which makes it both easy and difficult to write a story like this, as there are so many unexplained things happening in the background of the original Light Novels. But that's also what makes it fun to write as a Fanfiction. I've yet to read volume 14, but I fully intend to within the next few days, which I hope to use to draw more inspiration from.

As always, thank you for reading & reviewing. If you like my writing, my other submissions might be worth giving a read.