Information obtained by the author:
Vengeful Ghost: Its mental maturity stops at the moment of its death. But this does not prevent them from obtaining or learning more knowledge as time goes by. They can become more serious and intelligent, more bitter or resentful especially with their murderers, but deep down they will always have the same personality or the way they act will be the one they had before they died. Many of them lose their innocence and ignorance of the world; others may get lost in their thirst for revenge and anger.
For example, if someone dies at the early age of 8, they may become more intelligent, more bitter, more cynical, or more regretful. But they will always remain a child for eternity.
Persephone thought she was shocked by what Mike's State was showing. But she has to admit that she is also a bit stunned by the state she was currently seeing.
As she recalls starting with abilities is extremely rare, especially in these times with Evilus around Orario. When there were the Familias of Zeus and Hera, there were many people blessed with abilities. But ever since the largest Familias were defeated by the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
The adventurers that existed with skills began to dwindle. Evilus has killed a large number of adventurers, especially in the dungeon. Many people have become much more cautious in the dungeon with Evilus around, so gaining skills has become more and more difficult for adventurers. Sure, Persephone knows that there are always exceptions. But finding those adventurers was difficult.
Due to Evilus, the adventurers were cautious. Thinking twice or thrice about the need to show off a skill to other people, never know who might be listening around you. She heard a rumor that an adventurer boasted an incredible ability that increased his status, and that he died in the dungeon along with his group of unknown causes.
Persephone doesn't know if this was true, but she will have to refrain from showing off certain abilities, even if she wanted to see other Gods' envious faces. She could be brutally honest many times to the point of arrogance, but she was also cautious and always thought things through before saying them.
Although these days, she doesn't have to think long to be able to say something to someone, because there are too many idiots and morons surrounding her. Many times Persephone wondered how mortals and even some gods can be so... Twit.
Persephone put those thoughts aside. And she concentrated on assessing the state in front of her.
Grim Determination: Exponentially increases the amount of exile gain. The effects of the increase will be based on strong negative feelings or the fulfillment of any goal of the user. The user becomes immune to mental effects and curse-based magic.
This was a terrifying ability, and it was also quite dark and sinister. Persephone can't be sure how much the Exilia will increase compared to other adventurers. But the fact that the new "son" of hers obtained a cheat ability like this sent shivers down her spine.
[The effects of the increase will be based on strong negative feelings]
That was somewhat disturbing. She doesn't know what kind of life Mike has had. But just by reading Mike's abilities, she can conclude that her life was not pretty and calm at all. Persephone thinks that for Mike to manifest his innate abilities with these kinds of feelings. He had to have been scarred deep in his soul.
Persephone didn't like the idea of strong negative feelings being a method to increase his status and help him get more exile than a normal adventurer can get. Fortunately, to her and her great relief. Mike can also increase his Exilia in another way.
[the fulfillment of any goal of the user]
From what she can understand is that if Mike has a goal that drives him, the Exilia will increase. But the Exilia gain will depend on how ambitious Mike is to meet that goal. In the last part of the ability, there is not much to say about it.
It can be explained by itself. Mike is immune to mental effects and any curses on him.
Cursed Body: Denies the soul leaving the user's container. When the container is damaged and enters a critical situation, the regeneration capacity increases, and its healing abilities will be affected by the amount of AGONY of the user. Damage caused by fire causes triple affliction to the user's container. The soul inside the user's container can be destroyed by excessively high temperatures.
Persephone doesn't know what to think about this ability. But she was able to admit that she was somewhat uncomfortable and anxious about both the pros and cons, especially the effects Mike might get from it.
The first paragraph was enough to leave her in shock.
[Denies the soul leaving the user's container.]
That's something that shouldn't be possible, but reiterating Mike's existence shouldn't be possible either. But even if she knows that. She couldn't help but be stunned. On the one hand, it brought her some relief that he couldn't die from any physical damage, but it brought her concern about how reckless Mike could be, not to mention that she doesn't want to imagine what would happen to the body if he finds himself in certain situations, critics.
And even if his healing abilities increase. That won't stop Mike from feeling the pain. In addition what he means by AGONIA? Persephone suspected that she wasn't referring to the kind of agony she knew. And about the last thing...she will keep her new member away from the fire.
She worries that even though Mike's soul can't leave the Gekai world by death. He can still be erased from existence, which is much worse than just dying.
Persephone looked at the last skill.
Gravitational Control: The user can control the center of gravity of the body. The amount of AGONIA increases the strength of the effect. Causes serious internal injuries from overuse.
This ability was more like a type of magic, but without using the mind. Just having this extremely rare ability would make Mike coveted by certain gods. But Mike didn't just get one or two abilities... he got three abilities early on so he was an absolute monster.
The last square did not like Persephone at all.
Remnant: The user can resurrect any living being. At the cost of a part of the user's soul. Resurrected users gain the effects of Cursed Body and the ability to use AGONIA momentarily.
"Your soul is mine. My soul is yours. Let the hate flow into your body, Let the sadness out of your body. Rise and cause grief to the people who tormented you"
His curse... Although this may be considered a miracle before mortals, many gods would not take it well and call him a heretic. She doesn't know what to think about this ability being herself from the underworld and considering death a natural cause of the world.
But she let herself not focus on that and worry about the cost.
[The user can resurrect any living thing. At the cost of a part of the user's soul]
Throwing away a part of your soul was too dangerous, too dangerous. Considering that your soul is your being, it defines who you are and records all your experiences, not to mention that the falna is linked to the soul and body of people.
She doesn't know what would happen to a person if it lose part of their soul, but she doesn't want to find out. So she will have to warn Mike about the consequences or implications. Not to mention that the chant to perform the curse has disturbing implications.
Though she couldn't help but be curious as to how he got this curse.
"Is everything alright Persephone?" Mike commented with concern since she was taking so long to tell him she was done "Did something go wrong with the blessing process?"
"Don't worry, everything went well. I just need to transfer your status so you can see it" she answered quickly not to worry him, but because she also wanted to verify one last thing.
Persephone tried to look at the story behind the curses.
It was the worst thing she could do. A sharp pain that you want has penetrated Persephone's skull. Blurry images flashed in her head, but she could make out a few of her.
A putrid creature spitting out what looked like metal. And three words remained engraved in her head and were repeated for a few seconds.
"YOU WON'T DIE"
Those three simple words brought terror to Persephone and she shuddered. She didn't know the context of those words, but something told her it wouldn't be very nice to find out.
Persephone's instinct told her that these words and their meaning had a lot to do with his, Vengeful ghost race. She has never seen anyone like him.
A vengeful ghost. It is said that it is a person who died a cruel and tragic death, who returned from Tenkai by forces unknown, some believe that it went by force of will or others because their soul was not satisfied. All to torment and take revenge on living beings, especially those who caused their death.
Persephone looked at Mike not knowing how to react to this mortal who was giving her too many surprises and anxiety the first day. But even then she didn't regret having him in her Familia.
Now, Persephone was more sure than ever that Mike will be one of the most important people in the dark events that are coming. Although she couldn't help but worry about how Mike would handle all these events.
She could only be there for him to help him.
I was starting to get nervous about Persephone being late. Was the process of giving blessings quite complicated and time-consuming? Or was it just my goddess who was rather clumsy and slow? I didn't know, but I didn't have time to think about it in detail because Persephone just groaned in pain.
"Huh? What happened?" I asked worriedly looking over my shoulder. My eyes began to appraise her subconsciously "is you, alright goddess?" I couldn't help but find this suspicious for some reason. What was she doing anyway?
Persephone shook her head. "Don't worry, I just have a little headache" she commented, holding her head with one hand before she passed me a piece of paper "You know... I had a feeling that you were interesting and impressive, but this..." she stopped touching her forehead and with the same hand hit the paper. "This is beyond my expectations" she shook her head in disbelief.
I grabbed the paper she gave me before starting to read it.
Michael Afton
Raza: Vengeful Ghost.
Family: Persephone.
Level 1.
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
AGONIA: S
My lips pursed into a thin line and my face began to look grim. I was sure my eyes started to glow unnaturally and creepily. The first thing I noticed was my real name, I wouldn't say I liked it. But there was little I could do, the second thing I noticed was my race.
Vengeful ghost. I couldn't help but let out a sour, somber laugh at how right that was. I had to admit that I was impressed by these blessings. My State reminded me of video games. I could only thank that this thing didn't give a summary of my life or worse my state of mind.
Although if you looked and carefully analyze the skills, they summed up parts of my life. Grim Determination, Remnant, Cursed Body, Gravitational Control. I came to assume that it is the specific order to understand my damn life.
I have already had each of these "skills" before my blessing. Although I didn't use some of them. The grim determination must be ever since I was at Circus Baby Entertainment and Rental (even though I could die, I kept coming back every night to save my sister). Remnant since the Scooper injected me and then Circus Baby activated it. I was trapped in a cursed body, so it's not surprising and I obtained Gravitational Control in a fit of blind rage (when I found out about my father's actions)
Despite having an idea about this state, I wanted to make sure, "So this is my state? Isn't it supposed to do something? Besides, because you are so impressed, isn't it normal for people to start with skills?"
Persephone just looked at me in disbelief for making light of my Status, though I could also tell that she was worried. "A blessed person is stronger than a civilian. You may not notice it now, but when you get into another battle again you will start to notice it. Also, almost all newly blessed people start with no abilities. It's rare to find someone who can start with and depending on the race you can get magic. For example, elves are known to learn magic even before they are blessed." Persephone explained before giving me a proud smile, "So to find someone who has three abilities to start with would be very unusual to the point that I think you're the only one to do it, not to mention your strange curse." She commented thoughtfully placing a hand on her chin.
"I see... so I'm special in a way?" I asked with some hesitation. If what she said was true. So finding someone who has three skills to start with would be impossible. Even though she was telling me that I was special… I couldn't help but sneer, I certainly didn't feel anything special to me.
I was just a walking corpse waiting for someone to destroy my soul or a god to judge me for my sins. I didn't think the gods in Gekai would be able to do it though. Not at least how I think it is a trial.
"Special? That's an understatement. You are unique Mike…you won't find anyone as special as you…I don't even think the incarnation of talent had as much potential as you do."
I rolled my eyes, I certainly was unique…I mean, I don't think anyone was a walking corpse in Gekai. Of course, I have the potential to be a vengeful ghost, I know that since I got control of gravity.
Old Man Consequences was very clear when it contacted me. That despite having great potential to help, it could also be a great unstoppable destructive being. I never liked having so much power. Of course, if it was my old self, then I'd be delighted. But now I knew better.
All this potential would be wasted on someone like me. A useless man who couldn't save anyone and murdered his brother. Maybe if I wasn't been such a jerk then my whole family would still be alive. Maybe I would never have died. I could have a wife and child, nephews, and maybe even grandchildren.
I could only click my tongue in frustration. No matter what has happened in the past, right now the only thing that matters is stopping this organization called Evilus at all costs. No matter what sacrifices I have to make.
And as much as I wanted to be with someone and live a normal life, I couldn't do it… I was damned, everyone around me was dying. Elizabeth, Evan, Mother, Charlie, Jeremy, and Henry. My father can die again as far as I'm concerned.
Look at Persephone, she was different. She's a goddess, so I wasn't worried about her dying. Of course, she can still go to heaven again. But that didn't mean she would die so it was a relief to know.
With her, I think... if I can let my guard down and be calm.
But there is something else that caught my attention "Incarnation of talent?" I asked curiously.
Persephone looked at me appraisingly for a few moments before she sighed, "I guess you're not aware... 7 years ago before Evilus arrived, there were the two strongest Familias in Orario. Being the strongest Familia they maintained the power and order in all of Orario. Zeus and Hera Familia. They had the strongest adventurers, having adventurers of levels 7 and 8" she explained.
I nodded in amazement. They must have been super strong. I still didn't quite understand this state thing. But if a level 3 was so strong that it seems like a blur to my senses. I don't want to imagine what kind of strength a level 8 adventurer will have. I shuddered just thinking about it.
But the million-dollar question was… if these Families were so strong then what happened to them? From the way the Goddess spoke in the subjective past, it meant that they either perished or withdrew which was unlikely.
"What happened to them?" I asked anxiously, fear running through my guts.
"Zeus and Hera Familia, worked together to attempt to complete the three great quests. The subjugation of the three calamities of the world. Behemoth, Leviathan, and the One-Eyed Black Dragon. They were able to complete the first two quests, but were slaughtered by the One-Eyed Black Dragon" She commented clinically and formally, as she watched my reactions.
I could only run my tongue around my lips due to my nervousness. Although I don't know what to think about what I just found out. But I shook my head, the One-Eyed Black Dragon was not my problem. So I don't have to worry about it.
"No one knows what happened to the One-Eyed Black Dragon after it massacred Zeus and Hera Familia. But rumor has it that it is waiting for the right moment to kill all mortals and gods." Persephone shrugged. "Others say it's still out there slaughtering everything in its path."
I didn't comment on anything, I just kept quiet, thinking about what it could mean to me in this world.
Persephone shook her head before continuing. "It doesn't matter. Right now there is more to fear from Evilus than the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Don't tell anyone about your status, Mike. If the gods find out about your status then you will be coveted by everyone and they will try to force you to join their Familias. Not to mention that there is no telling what Evilus will do if they find out about your Status. Especially because of this curse called Remnant"
I snorted, finding it appropriate to call it a curse. Many people may believe that it could be a miracle to "revive" people. But Michael knows that better than anyone. That was no blessing or luck. It was more of a punishment or curse placed on you.
I know that the Remnant is a part of the soul secreted in liquid. But I couldn't help feeling that this curse in my State worked differently than it does in my world.
The Remnant was a part of the soul, but the soul that this Remnant secretes does not remove that part of the soul. It's more like it split. Like a puzzle in that you separate the pieces, but then you can put them back together.
The description of this makes it sound like it removed part of my soul. Like when you cut a cake into slices and then eat that slice. Once you eat a piece of the cake, you can't get it back by any means.
I won't know for sure until I use it.
"What if someone sees me using one of the abilities?" I asked her.
Persephone was thoughtful for a few minutes "It doesn't matter. Even if someone does see you use your abilities, you don't explain how they work, just you tell them something short and sharp or be brutally honest and you tell them they don't care." Persephone shrugged shoulders "Also don't use Remnant unless it's absolutely important to you. I'm still not too sure about the consequences you'll have using this curse on other people. But I can assure you that it won't be pleasant."
I laughed humorlessly, nothing was nice in my life. But I was already used to suffering, so I just accepted my fate, resigning myself to the lifestyle.
"Don't worry I don't think I have to use it." I told her my thoughts, not accepting or rejecting her proposal "Anyway, are you hungry Persephone, I can cook dinner for us if you want" I asked curiously, but mostly I hoped she would accept.
"Oh. So you know how to cook?" Persephone gave me a cute smile.
I smiled at him with fake arrogance and winked at her "I don't want to sound arrogant. But the food I prepare is some of the most delicious worldwide. Or at least that's what people who have tried it have told me."
Persephone smiled seductively as she raised an intrigued eyebrow "I guess fortunate to find such a lovely man then" then she walked to the kitchen. I stared at her ass before looking away from her in embarrassment "Very good, I hope you don't let me down. And you can put on a shirt. I already hid your Falna anyway"
Despite having hot cheeks from embarrassment. I did not regret having looked at that part of her body. Although a question came to my mind. Are hormones going to be a problem again? I hoped not. But I was not the one who controlled the lust of my body. So I could only pray.
Look at the goddess Persephone. I was going to leave her wanting more when she tastes... my food. If anything I was proud of the food I prepared. And that was after a large number of people queued up to eat it.
I quickly put on the light blue long-sleeved shirt I used in Pizzeria Simulator. Before quickly walking to the kitchen. I immediately went to the refrigerator where the food was kept and opened it. Once I saw what was inside the food keeper, I looked at the bag of food Kaguya bought me before looking again at the food inside the fridge.
I smiled when an idea occurred to me, so as not to waste food. I started rolling up my sleeves while taking a knife out of a drawer.
It was time to get to work.
=========== Time Skip ===========
After finishing the food for both of us, I put it on the table. The dining room table was quite spacious, so 5-6 people could eat if seated correctly.
Persephone licked her lips hungrily, smelling the delicious now of food. "This certainly looks very delicious. I think something tells me this meal will be an absolute delicacy." Persephone commented grabbing the spoon before grabbing some food and putting it in her mouth, when she was chewing her eyes widened before letting out a groan at how delicious the food was "This is exquisite. I have never tasted such amazing food in the mortal realm" she praised me with a smile before looking at her food with a predatory eye.
I gave her a smirk "I'm glad you liked it. Persephone, that's something I'm proud of" I sat in front of Persephone watching her entertained and amused as she ate with absolute joy and pleasure. She looked like a child receiving treats. With her eyes illuminated by childishness.
For a few seconds. My vision was replaced by my family eating quietly while each one had a conversation. The nostalgia hit me hard and I felt my eyes water for a few seconds before I forcefully stopped them with a blink.
This is not the time to get sentimental, Michael, don't be stupid. I couldn't help but mentally scold myself. A tired sigh left my lips before I focused on my food.
I spent a minute debating whether I should eat it. My stomach was not hungry, I am not even thirsty even though I have not eaten or taken anything. I wondered if I needed to eat. Obviously,y I wasn't going to starve. Cursed Body wouldn't let me. But I don't know if my new body can function without eating.
I was pleased to feel alive again. It was a relief and a euphoria that I couldn't describe. So I don't want to risk my body not working properly if I didn't eat. Especially since I have to be 100% if I want to go to the dungeon.
Before Persephone who was distracted eating noticed my hesitation in eating. I grabbed the spoon and reluctantly grabbed a bit of food before taking it to my mouth and chewing.
I chewed it carefully, before taking a deep breath and swallowing. Nothing happened for a few moments before a wave of nausea hit me hard. A phantom pain worked its way up my throat and stomach. I did my best not to react, but my eyes filled with tears so I squeezed them shut and began to blink several times.
Y Persephone immediately noticed my pathetic sight.
"Mike... are you okay?" Persephone stopped eating and looked at me with concern.
I didn't answer him for a few minutes and forced my AGONIA to repair my affliction. A few seconds later the urge to vomit and the phantom pain disappeared. "I… I'll be fine" I evaded hoarsely. "I haven't eaten in a long time, so I'm not used to eating food" I admitted. There was no point in hiding this. She was going to find out sooner or later.
"Oh...is it because of...you know your situation?" Persephone asked with concern, clearly referring to my death or at least that's what I thought she was referring to.
I shrugged wearily "In a way... don't worry though I just have to get used to it again. To be honest I missed eating" I gave him a shaky smile.
"I see..." Persephone, seeing that she did not want to say anything about the subject, did not insist anymore and began to eat again, although the enthusiasm from before was gone and she was more thoughtful.
I cursed myself internally. Because I had to prepare food for myself. I should have eaten after she left. But no!... Excellent Michael, your great intelligence acts again, why don't you show a more pathetic state so that she worries more? I couldn't help but belittle myself. I gritted my teeth at the unnecessary drama it had generated. Now I got him to care about some silly drama in my stupid mind.
All from wanting to try to eat again, if there were no food at all then this shitty drama wouldn't have happened in the first place. I glared at the food, these edibles were the culprits for the unnecessary drama.
I wasn't going to act so pathetically again in front of the goddess. I let my AGONIA run through my body expelling all my negative feelings before I started devouring my food again with casual contempt.
Although nausea and pain returned, they went away quickly. Thanks to the fact that AGONIA immediately took away my afflictions. It's like an emotional tranquilizer. Which I was thankful for because the problem wasn't my new body it was my broken mind that was fucking with my body. My mind thinks that the food I eat is Ennard that is trying to enter my body, for that reason he seeks to expel what I ingested by force.
Fortunately,y the trauma was no longer as great as it was 40 years ago when I was screwed mentally. As if Evan's death and my mother's suicide weren't enough to haunt me at night. Then I had to deal with the trauma of my death.
I often wondered how I hadn't gone fucking crazy.
Once I finished my meal, I breathed a sigh of satisfaction at my completed goal without vomiting anything I ingested. Now that I thought about it, a strange burning started in my back as I set myself the goal of finishing eating these foods without going back to doing a shitty drama.
Reflect on what it could be, but I set it aside for now. Maybe it wasn't important or it was just my imagination.
I smiled at Persephone "you see goddess, nothing to worry about. It was just a momentary annoyance, nothing more" and it was true, compared to the agony I experienced in my death, this was just a mosquito bite. Somewhat annoying and uncomfortable, but no more than that.
"If you say so..." Persephone commented insecurely "if something bothers you or you have a problem or some kind of doubt, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll help as much as I can, you're part of my Familia. So it's natural to help us mutually."
I nodded "Okay. Persephone I'll keep that in mind." Then I gave her a warm and friendly smile "Really, thank you"
"Oh and don't worry about the dishes. Since you made the food, then I'll clean them," she commented
I didn't have many people who cared about my health, so having someone else watching over me brought me some relief. Maybe when I fully trust her I can comment on all my afflictions. But for now,w was not the time.
I just nodded before starting to speak "Well..." I got up from my seat, stretching my back. "…If I want to go to the Guild tomorrow morning, then I'll go straight to bed. This day has been long so I'm tired... Have a good night. Persephone" I said goodbye to her, giving her a last thankful smile.
Persephone smiled back at me "Good night. Mike"
I go to my room, but before I leave I look briefly over my shoulder. Persephone was looking at the window that was in the dining room with a fixed and thoughtful gaze. I was curious as to what she was thinking, but I decided not to say anything, so I started to walk away and go straight to my room.
My body wasn't exhausted, despite all the long walking and fighting with that criminal bastard. But mentally I was exhausted, since Pizzeria Simulator I haven't been able to rest mentally well, so sleeping a little early will help me regain mental strength for tomorrow.
Now that I thought about it, I needed to buy new clothes and wash the ones I currently have. But since I had no other clothes, I couldn't wash them because otherwise I would be left naked. Fortunately, it didn't smell bad. I could only smell a little bit of dust, but I was kind of sure I could hold out for now before I inevitably get Valis.
When I entered my room I closed the door and took off my boots before he threw me face down on the soft bed. It didn't take long before mental exhaustion took over my mind. I could only have one last thought.
Tomorrow I was going to take out all my anger in the dungeon. So I pitied myself the poor monsters that came across me.
The dungeon would know why I was the vengeful ghost with the most potential and the most feared in my old world.
Michael tried to exert force on his restraints in an unsuccessful attempt to escape. He couldn't do anything, he couldn't do anything. He didn't even try to beg his sister not to kill him with the metal spoon in front of him.
"The scooper only hurts for a moment"
He could hear the sirens in the room going off for a few seconds. Before he felt the cold, rough metal spoon sink as deep as it could go, piercing his organs before the spoon began to rise breaking the entire sternum that held his blades together, then the spoon violently jerked back, taking most of their visors.
He tried to scream in absolute AGONY, but his scream of pain only lasted a few seconds before he began to choke on his blood. The pain was unbearable. The blood from his body splashed all over the floor and kept coming out of his body.
He felt the restraints slip away before he fell back into an awkward position. He could see his organs and fragments of his tickles broken across the floor and the metal spoon for a few seconds.
He tries to think of something coherent, anything. But all he could focus on was the pain. He felt like she had been doused with gasoline and set on fire or smashed into a million pieces.
God, he wanted to scream in pain or call for help, but he could only let out a pathetic groan. He could only lie still feeling numb, with tears in his eyes that he couldn't wipe away. He couldn't ask for help and no matter how much he begged any merciful being for someone to help him.
But, no one came for him.
He was completely alone. Suffering in AGONY.
I woke up with a start, gasping hard as I felt a phantom pain all over my stomach. I gritted my teeth as I gripped my abdomen tightly with both hands and made sure my entire body was in order.
Tears began to accumulate in my eyes although they never came out of them. I could only burn myself in this state for a few minutes before the pain vanished as suddenly as it came.
I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart which was pounding to the point where I thought it was going to pop out. Once I was able to successfully calm down, I wiped away the tears in my eyes that were beginning to bother me.
Damn, I was tired. But I was sure that I couldn't go back to sleep even if I tried. It's been a long time since I had a nightmare about my death. I didn't even have one when I ran into Molten Freddy or Scrap Baby again when Henry and I captured them so we could lead them into a death trap that was made entirely for them.
I got up from my bed and put my bare feet on the floor. The cold of the marble floor made me shiver briefly. I quickly head to the bathroom to take a shower. I started to undress and then let the water run over my hair.
I sighed in satisfaction as I felt the warm water relax my shoulders. I spent a good couple of minutes, not thinking about anything, just letting the water flow all over my body and listening to the relaxing drops of water.
Once I finished showering properly, I dried myself and then dressed in my uniform, leaving me last to put on my boots. The good thing about this uniform is that it was kind of flexible, so it wouldn't tear easily. Henry designed it specifically for me and the case that I had to face the robots in a simulator pizzeria.
I didn't even look in the mirror to fix my hair. Accustomed, I just ran my hands through my hair until I felt it fixed, then I tied my hair with the tail that he brought, to leave the tail of my hair, I did it at the same time that I went to the kitchen.
I looked for a piece of paper and a pencil, and then wrote a note to the goddess Persephone about going to the Guild and telling her about the Valis that she lent me (I stressed in the note that I was going to return it since I did not feel comfortable taking money borrowed)
With a weary sigh, I looked at the note I had written.
"I went to the Guild very early to get information, about many things in Orario. So I'll spend a lot of time reading and then buy luggage with the Valis you lent me so I can go to the dungeon equipped. I'll return it to you I promise. One another thing. I'll be late so don't worry too much. If it can calm you down, I have experience in survival...
... Sincerely: Mike"
I could probably write a better note, but I figured there was no need to be so formal with the goddess, so I nodded in satisfaction with myself, then stuck the note on the fridge. Before heading to the exit of the house, I grabbed the white bear mask and immediately put it on my face, then left the house.
Once I was outside I looked up at the sky, which was still dark because I had woken up too early from the nightmare. But I was used to walking in the dark, when you work as a night watchman and fight against killer robots for survival, you have to learn how to handle yourself in the dark.
I was walking for quite a while before I reached the Guild. I didn't meet many people, maybe two or three. But for everything else, the streets were empty, to the point that the silence was quite eerie. The only thing I could hear was my breathing.
I don't know if this was a good thing for me or a bad thing. But I didn't give it much thought, luckily the Guild was open even before dawn so I wouldn't have to wait in case it was closed.
I entered the Guiland d, and it was almost empty, I could see some people who wear medieval armor as clothing and I could notice that they also carry different types of weapons, such as a sword, Warhammer, a spear. The row where the employees were serving the adventurers was mostly empty.
I can feel the gaze of several people when they saw me enter, but I ignored them. Instead,d I approached one of the employees. She was a girl who seemed to be my age (that of the body), she has silver hair and soft violet eyes, she was quite beautiful and I could tell that she was also an elf.
Now that I thought about it, almost all the women I've come across seem like supermodels. But although I was curious about this aspect of this world, I didn't take much importance to it, just a fact that seemed curious to me.
When I got close enough to the girl, she looked at me with a wary expression, narrowing her eyes suspiciously before she commented "Good evening...can I do something for you, sir...?"
I nodded, understanding what she wanted, and raised my mask, for a few moments showing her my face briefly, before putting my mask back on for comfort "Mike Schmidt. And if I come to register as an adventurer and also look for information about Orario because I'm new to these places" I said softly, but enough for her to hear me.
She looked me up and down with a frown. "Are you sure you want to be an adventurer Mr. Schmidt? The death rate of adventurers has increased with Evilus around. So, you don't just have to worry about the monsters in the dungeons. "If not also from Evilus's ambushes. No offense, but you'll most likely die" the silver-haired girl was brutally honest with her opinion. "But that's just my honest opinion"
I frowned at the brutal warning. Persephone already told me about this. Adventurers regularly die in the dungeon for different reasons, whether it's going recklessly, or being hastily a horde of monsters. And the death rate increased much more after Zeus and Hera Familia were defeated, and many adventurers were killed in the dungeon by Evilus.
That is why it was recommended to travel to a group party. Because if you were alone and Evilus ambushed you, then your lifetime only ended there. The only thing that would save it is being a high-class adventurer. But that was just another concern for ordinary people and those who were alive.
I wasn't alive, so I wouldn't have to worry about dying. Even if someone from Evilus has a fire-breathing ability, I would have to be hot enough to destroy me, otherwise, so I would just regenerate myself with my AGONY.
"Yes, I'm sure," I replied without hesitation, I needed to get stronger if I wanted to stop this organization called Evilus, not to mention the Tower of Babel, specifically in the dungeon. I feel the same feeling of unnaturalness. The same feeling that I felt with the pizzerias or abandoned places that I visit. "I am also the first member of my Familia, so I would like to register my Familia, as a Scouting Familia."
The elf girl just sighed in disappointment before she spoke, "I see... so we have a lot of things to do, starting with adding your Familia to the Guild's Familia registration system, then we have to get all the personal information. Once your Familia is registered, your goddess will have to come to the Guild to confirm your legitimacy within 1 month. If your goddess does not show up, your adventurer application will be considered invalid and you will be added to the adventurer blacklist." Elf girl explained the process to me while warning me of the dire consequences of lying.
I just nodded agreeing with the information "I understand and I don't think you have to worry about my goddess not showing up, I will inform my goddess so that she can come when she is free"
The silver-haired elf girl nodded professionally "Very well... Come, we will go to one of the meeting rooms so that we can fill in all your information and add your Familia to the system" The girl began to walk to the back. from the reception and took me to one of the rooms that were in the side corner.
The door was open and as we entered another Guild girl took the place of the silver-haired elf girl. The room was empty and I could only see more Guild people at the reception which was in the corner of the room where there was a pile of documents.
The room was furnished with green sofas and a table between them. Very similar to how they furnish fast food restaurants. With several pairs of sofas and a table in between them.
The elf girl told me to wait a few moments before walking to the reception room and looking through the documents there. When she took the documents that we would need, I went back to where I was waiting for her.
God, that was a lot of paperwork. Not that I can complain, if I wanted to be an adventurer I had to complete all those documents. Fortunately, I was used to doing paperwork when I was running the simulator pizzeria with Henry.
"You can have a seat if you like" The elf girl nodded to one of the sofas that were in front of the sofa that she just sat on, at the same time she put the papers on the large table that was in front of the two sofas so that we can correctly fill out the documentation. Paying attention, I took a seat on the sofa that was in front of her. "My name is Sophie... As you Mr. Schmidt are the first member of his Familia, you will be entitled to the services of the Guild advisor at no cost, although there has to pay the guild tax on time." She commented passing me the documents.
"I see... so that means someone will be advising me. Do they only advise on the dungeon or also on other things? This for how long?" I asked her.
"You can obtain any information that is not private. The counseling time is until you no longer want to be counseled or in case you die in the dungeon" she explained to me before pointing with her hand, to the marks that I found on the document. "All you have to do is fill in the requested information and also sign the dotted lines with an X next to it. Everything else is up to me, unfortunately. And be sure to tell what kind of Guild Advisor you want. Don't do anything stupid to write. whatever or anything" She explained the procedure to me and warned me not to be smart or stupid.
I raised my hands in surrender while smiling funny under my mask "I don't plan to do something like that" I commented as I took the papers and put them on the table before me. I also took the pencil that the Guild lent me. The mask didn't prevent me from reading so I kept it on.
Do not delay in filling in my information. In name as Mike Schmidt. Race as Human. My age is like 18 years. The adventurer level, the name of my Familia. And my old job as a restaurant employee. There were also other data such as blood family in case I die, or my family status, but those were not mandatory to fill out, so I left those blank.
I began to sign quickly in the places where it was necessary and finally I added the description of the person that I want to advise me.
"I want to get a person who is very well informed about Orario, its situation, its shop,s and its restaurants. Also, who is informed about all the dangers that the dungeon offers? I want him/her to have a completely professional relationship with me and to be serious with its work."
I was still missing a page that was there, so I quickly went to this one to finish the documentation and what was on the page surprised me "A math test?" I said confused and curious, breaking the silence in which we had both been a few moments ago.
"If it is to verify if people can do mathematical exercises since 35% of the population does not know how to read, write, much less do mathematics, if one of the people does not know how to do mathematical exercises, a report will be given to their adviser so that there can teach it, we do it so that the adventurer in question is not cheated or deceived. Since advisors receive a bonus if the Families entrusted to them meet certain goals." Sophie explained.
"That makes sense." And the truth is that the Guild depends entirely on the adventurers, so having more adventurers registered in the Guild makes more profit. And it also serves so that the advisers do not take advantage of the illiteracy of the people. Look at the fundamental exercises.
It didn't take me three minutes to complete the exercises. This was too easy, not for nothing I was studying mechanics and robotics all the years that I spend isolated. I made Helpy my assistant ithe n simulator pizzeria. I was proud to have built that robot.
Now that I thought about my "son" I could tell I was beginning to miss him. Maybe you can get the materials to build it again. Since I have the plan in my head perfectly memorized.
"I guess this is it" I commented handing her all the documents "I'm not sure the address where I'm residing at the moment. But my goddess will complete that part of the information when she comes to the guild"
Sophie grabbed mynow-completedd documents reviewing them. She then put them in a strange-looking box strange-looking (toaster and printer of some kind) that she brought over while she was filling me the document forms and putting the pages in different slots in the box (except the math test), then she pushed the button. The box started glowing like a light show and then y ejected an Identification card with all my details on it.
Sophie then took out the documents and put them back in order, she grabbed the identification card and began to speak "All the paperwork is done and it seems that everything is in order Mr. Schmidt" then she handed me the identification card "This is the Guild identification card that you must present so that you can deliver all your Monster Drops. Also, it gives you access to obtain public information from the other Families" Sophie explained to me.
"How long will the process take to get my adviser?" I asked, although my hopes weren't very high, I still hoped it wouldn't take too long. I needed to get money as soon as possible to buy all the necessities that I lacked.
"In these times there is no need to wait too long. At least a few hours minimum or a day maximum. The number of adventurers joining has dropped drastically over time. As far as the Guild can afford, an adviser of the Guild gets an adventurer in charge much faster than in the times before"
That was a relief, but the way she brought it up made me a little uneasy. She didn't say it deliberately, but she hinted that the reason fewer people have become adventurers is because of the increased mortality of adventurers. Therefore, by lowering the number of adventurers, the guild can afford it much faster than its adviser manages an adventurer much easier. Since the advisors have many fewer adventurers under their charge due to the increase in deaths.
Don't comment, because I didn't know what to say, instead deliberately changed the topic "While I'm waiting for my advisor, can I get information from the guild library?" I asked.
Sophie blinked. "What kind of information are you looking for?" She looked at some of her coworkers and they had a chat just by looking at each other, each of them nodded. "At the moment the Guild is quite unoccupied and many advisors are free. So I could help you find the information you need. You would only have to leave your documents for processing"
"Ah. Well... I need a map of Orario that has important locations, you know where the shops are, things like that. Also, it may seem strange, but I'm not familiar with Orario's pricing so I could easily get scammed by anyone."
"I see. So I can help you with that, please wait a few moments while I leave your documents and look for the information you need" She got up from the sofa before handing my documents to another of the employees who were in the room, they talked for a few moments before the employee and Sophie went their separate ways.
I gave a tired sigh before relaxing on the comfortable sofa while I waited. I put my arms outstretched on the head of the sofa and crossed my legs while my head faced the ceiling. To distract myself, I began to drum my fingers on the head of the sofa and closed my eyes as I thought about my next action.
Although I can wait for an advisor to report back on what I might find in the dungeon that would mean I needed to be patient. Something I can't afford with my lack of money, I also didn't want the goddess to spend more than necessary on me. Since I didn't like it, I couldn't contribute anything. Especially since I've been on my own since I was 16 years old. I still remembered the day my father abandoned me only to send me a message two years later. In he said that I could find out what had happened to my sister Elizabeth.
I snapped my teeth in frustration. No matter how much I tried to focus on what was happening in the present, my mind always drifted back to the past. I felt that the chains of the past refused to go and every time I pulled with all my might to try to break them, the chains only got that much tighter and more suffocating.
I couldn't help but laugh at how fucked up my mind was. I found it ironic.
I could already see it, this day was going to be long and tiring. Full of adrenaline and terror.
Just another normal day for Mike Schmidt.
==============Time Skip================
I don't remember how long I was getting information about things in Orario since I needed to catch up with all the knowledge people here in Gekai got. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult, as Sophie was one of the people who explained things correctly and in an easy-to-understand way.
It only took me a while to learn things because there was a lot of information that I had to learn from. Now I can say that I am much more familiar with the world in which I find myself.
The Guild is an organization that manages Families within Orario and provides services to adventurers. But their main goal was to manage the threat of the monsters created in the dungeon. The God Ouranos is the one in charge of preventing the monsters from leaving the dungeon, to achieve this Ouranos uses his "divinity" to keep it at bay. And by doing so Ouranos becomes a "neutral" god who watches over the safety of the world or at least that's how I understood it.
The Familias is a group of adventurers and helpers who were blessed by a god. And adventurers can become stronger thanks to Falna, the Grace of the gods. To improve an adventurer's Status, you have to get Excelia which was XP. There are two types of Excelia that one can get. The normal Excelia and the high-quality Excelia. High-Quality Excelia is obtained by accomplishing great feats, such as defeating stronger opponents.
The level of an adventurer was basically how strong and dangerous an adventurer could be. And they are classified into two different classes. The Low-Class adventurers and the High-Class adventurers. At the same time...
High-Class Adventurers are classified into Third-Class Adventurers, basically those at Level 2. Second-Class Adventurers, those at Levels 3 and 4. And lastly, First-Class Adventurers, these It has to be level 5 or higher.
Oh. And apparently, here the gods entertain themselves by giving nicknames or Aliases to the adventurers who become High Class. Every three months they have a meeting called Denatus, where they talk about many things and manage to give the adventurers nicknames. Although due to Evilus, emergency Denatus occur frequently.
Sophie gave me a map of Orario and showed me where I can buy mundane and everyday accessories, she showed me the shopping district, where I can buy all kinds of food, health, and mind potions (if that was a thing). Apparently to use magic you needed a mind that was like mana or something.
She also pointed out where I can buy the armor (she promoted me, that the Guild lends Armor and Blades for only 5000, 3600 respectively. Which I accepted because I didn't want to waste time looking for weapons elsewhere)
Luckily, the Valis that Persephone lent me was enough for me to buy armor to fit me and two blades in case one broke. I also wanted to learn to drive two at the same time. Y Buy three bags to store the Valis.
Mike Schmidt was going to start grinding resources, so I expect the dungeon to prepare up to the night guard's grand entrance.
But before going to the dungeon and hunting the monsters, Michael has a very important question to ask about one of Orario's districts, specifically district number 4.
"I have an idea of what might be in the entertainment district, but I want to be sure to avoid any misunderstandings," I said to Sophie. "Could you tell me exactly what's in that area?"
Sophie gave a look of disgust that made me feel uncomfortable "Although I consider it an inappropriate place and I don't like that place very much. It is a district in Orario that is owned by Ishtar Familia in charge of several brothels, although you can find one or another food establishment. If you want to go to that district I would recommend not doing it until you are strong enough. People with higher levels can hurt those with lower levels because of their different strengths. Not to mention that it may attract the attention of amazons In the area"
"So it's a place that allows prostitution?" I guess that makes sense considering the death rate of adventurers. Some of them would have some needs I guess...and are Amazons really that dangerous?" I exclaimed out loud curious.
"if it is allowed, and for the second. Not really," Sophie was honest. "But the Amazons are known for looking for strong men and not passing up opportunities. So some of them can end up too…sticky," she said with a hint of disgust.
"I see," I said thoughtfully.
That was something I have to get used to in Orario. Not only did the races of humans exist but there were other races as well. Like the Demi-human race of dark-skinned women. Amazon calls. There were only women and most of them come from an Amazonian country called Telskyura. Michael doesn't know much about that country, besides that man is enslaved and used like cattle.
I didn't like that fact. But I can't do anything, besides I already had problems to deal with.
There are other races besides the Amazons. Like the Chienthrope, they are a breed of Demi-Human that have a dog-like tail and ears. This race has a sense of smell and hearing just like werewolves, they also have the tail and ears of a wolf (which was obvious).
The bulls (cow people with a tail and ears), and the Renard (fox people with a tail and ears) this race is extremely rare and it is said that they can possess strange and unknown magic. Cat people (like the cares that surprised me), Sheep people. The Pallums were people, they were little people, who did not grow up and look like children, but they are not (like the strange girl named Lyra). At least now I know why they are small.
Dwarves also existed in Gekai. It was good to know that, it is said that they may have a talent for blacksmithing, plus they have much greater strength than other races. The elves who have a very long life and a very strict culture almost reminded me of one of the cultures of the Arabian continent. There were other breeds, but if I looked at them all, then I was going to be around all day so I settled for the ones I have.
I tried to find out if my race existed, but apparently, there is no race called Vengeful ghost. The closest were the spirits, but they are very different from the ghosts in this world. The spirits are natural beings that the gods loved the most, they were known for their great magical prowess that was much greater than the elves. And they cannot have children just like the gods.
Yep... It seems that in this world the gods can't have children. This means that what little knowledge I have about them won't be useful since these gods were born differently. Another curious fact is that different races cannot have children with another beast race. For example, a Renard cannot have children with a werewolf. Beast Races can only have children between the same race, humans or Amazons (although if they have a child with an Amazon, they will be born as an Amazon and may or may not acquire their father's traits such as eye or hair color). Fortunately for humans, they can mate with any race.
I shook my head to push away any thoughts. "The levels are like the layers of an onion, right? The higher the levels, the more layers they have. And for each new layer, the state will be reset. Am I correct?" I commented wanting to be sure of the evaluation. For that reason, it was dangerous for a high-level and a low-level to have relationships. Because the high level can't control the strength of it in a moment of excitement.
Sophie looked at me strangely for my comparison. "I suppose that's a good analogy. But you're right. Levels are like new skin on the body. The higher your level, the more layers of skin you have on your body. And even if the state resets once you level up doesn't mean you lose them. It just adds to your base state." Sophie nodded, satisfied with her explanation, and seemed pleased that she quickly understood.
For someone to level up, they must have at least one of the basic skills in rank D as a requirement.
We all start from 0 no matter how strong or how much experience one has had. Although if you have more experience, it may mean that they can gain more skills. As it was in my case. Although I was someone strong even without Falna. That doesn't mean that everything I did before my blessing was added as an Excelia. Everything I did before my blessing can't be added as an Excelia because I wasn't blessed, but that doesn't mean I can't have abilities due to life experiences.
The Status is displayed as a range and number. The higher the number, the higher the range, although apparently, the maximum Excelia one can have is 999. So the classification would be as follows. 0-99 is the I range, 100-199 is the H range, 200-299 is the G range. 300-399 is the F range, 400-499 is the E range, 500-599 is the D range, 600-699 is the C range, 700 -799 is the B rank, 800-899 is the A rank. 900-999 is the S rank.
The higher you got, the higher your rank would go in the states. Stronger was your base state. For example, if there were two level 2 fights with the same status on that level. The one with the highest rank at their base level would win. Let's say one leveled up by the time he brought all his stats to level 500, but the other leveled up when he brought them all up to S rank. Even though the level 2s were in the same range. The one who raised all of his stats to the S level would be much stronger than the one who raised all of his stats to the D level.
I gave a tired sigh. Now have a set goal. I have to get all my stats to S. I'm not going to settle for just reaching D rank. With the help of Grim Determination, I was sure I could get there much faster than all the adventurers.
But there was a problem, a big one. If he leveled up too fast, then he was going to draw attention. Not only from the gods but from Evilus as well. A current record holder is a person named Alfia (her nickname for her was Silence). The Incarnation of Talent, who belonged to Hera Familia and rose to level two in 1 year and 3 months. Which was a very difficult achievement to do, if you didn't have growth-accelerating abilities.
Most adventurers don't level up to level 2. Approximately 60% of adventurers stay at level 1. 30% get to level 2 and stop. Only the other 10% can go up to level 3 or higher.
I have the option to hide my level, but if someone questions then they might fine me, but I guess it all depends on how fast I can level up. If I go up too fast, then it would be better not to hide the level. Because if I went to level 3 too fast too, people would get suspicious. But if it takes at least 6 or 7 months then it will be better to hide it and wait for time to pass and when it exceeds the record time then I can allow announcing the level increase.
I looked at Sophie and nodded gratefully "I guess that's it. Thank you for helping me Miss Sophie, this chat with you has been very enlightening."
Sophie shook her head, giving me an approving smile. "I'm impressed with you, Mr. Schmidt. Most people who come to Orario to become adventurers don't look for the necessary information and let arrogance blind them. Not to mention that You understood things quite quickly so it made my job much easier"
Ah, right... I understood what she was referring to when I worked in a simulator pizzeria. As a day guard. I was able to find several people who could easily drive you crazy. And there was no shortage of the idiot who wanted to be clever.
Ugh, how pissed off those people are.
With what I needed to learn of this world out of the way. I could start heading to the dungeon.
I got up from my seat while looking at Sophie ordering the information that she had brought me to help me. I thought of helping her before dismissing me knowing that she was an elf. How the idiot I was probably accidentally touched her.
"Very good. The goddess will come to give credibility to my Familia. With her whatever it takes," I said, waving Sophie goodbye. I just hoped that the goddess wouldn't get mad that I'm going to use the Guild's showers (because you had to pay to use them), although I don't think she'd be mad about something like that.
Also, using the Guild showers is too doable to ignore. I don't want to be covered in blood when I'm walking back home. Since the walk from the Guild to Persephone's apartment was quite long.
I sighed. If only cars existed.
Sophie looked at me before nodding. "Okay...Yes, you need other information. Feel free to go to the Guild. As long as it's public information."
I didn't answer instead I gave her a thumbs up before leaving the room that was for meetings, then while I was walking near the Guild reception, a bulletin board where several sheets were stuck together caught my attention. I also noticed a few adventurers looking at the advertisements that were on the sheets.
My curiosity took my limit and I approached. They said that curiosity killed the cat, but at least the cat died knowing. This a saying that could be applied to me, literally (And it was like the cat, only instead of 9 lives. I got to have 1.5: since I lost a life, but I was left between life and death)
When I was in front of the poster, one, in particular, caught my attention among all.
Wanted: Highest Priority. Arachnia. Tentative level: 5. Dead or alive. Reward 100 million Valis.
The poster also had the face of the person. The drawing was very well-detailed.
The reasons why I was blacklisted left me disturbed. The murder of more than 3000 people, and destruction of private property among other crimes. And that was not the most disturbing thing, but it brought a warning.
"In case you find her, run away immediately and inform the Guild as soon as possible. DO NOT FACE HER ALONE FOR ANY REASON"
She wasn't the only one either, but that girl was on the top list as a top priority.
Look at the other wanted poster.
Wanted. Vendetta. Tentative level: (2-3). Alive or dead. Reward 25 million Valis.
The reasons are more of the same as the previous one, only with fewer deaths... much fewer.
God, that was…terrible. I can't imagine the horror that there is a person who has that kind of strength and the worst thing is that they use it for sadistic killing pleasure.
A chill ran through me as I looked into the yellow eyes of Arachnia that was on the wanted poster. That girl doesn't give me a good thorn. I only hoped I would never meet her.
"So these are the people who have wreaked havoc on all of Orario," said a male voice who was nearby looking at the posters.
"Did you not know who they were?" exclaimed another in disbelief.
"Hey. I knew those psychotic bastards were active, but I never came to the billboards to check who they are" the first voice said defensively.
"Silly. That's the first thing you should do with how difficult the situation is in Orario. I just hope Loki and Freya Familia do something about it." The second male voice said with a dismissive tone.
"What about the Astrea or Ganesha Familia?" asks first.
The second sneered with a snort "As if they could do anything. Besides they're not strong enough to do anything. The only good thing about them is that they can save a few lives but beyond that"
"I guess, even if the Lion girl just leveled up... Agh too bad I wish I could level up as fast as these girls do." The first complaint.
"Ha. You wish you... as cowardly as you are, you will never be able to level up."
The two walked away with one of the posters in hand to speak with one of the Guild receptionists.
What you said made me curious, so I looked on the Families or level ups bulletin board. There it was, even had a photo. With mask and everything.
Ryuu Lion: Gale. Astrea family. Raised to level 3.
The announcement date was about three weeks ago. It went up to level 3 in 2 years within a few months. Pretty impressive. Although she didn't break the record, she came pretty close to it.
I frowned. This was information that should be kept especially in such a dark age. You are telling your strength level to the enemy.
I sighed and rubbed my forearm at the sudden discomfort I got.
This was going to be more troublesome than I thought... besides, I wonder how the girls are doing. I didn't know much about them, just our brief meeting and the little information I got. It is not enough to make a complete analysis of them.
Set those thoughts aside for future evaluation. I needed to go to the dungeon already wasted too much time. If I wanted to come back early I would have to go early.
Before leaving the Guild I looked at the clock that was hanging near the entrance.
5:46 AM.
I figured I can spend quite a while in the dungeon, collecting as many Excelia and resources as I can.
With that in mind, I head toward the dungeon.
.
The walk to the babel tower was long and tedious. Fortunately for me, the sun was just beginning to rise when I left the Guild. So I could easily guide myself through the city.
I stopped looking at the great tower of babel. I was used to tall buildings. But still, I had to give credit to the people who built this tower. It was well done. I was not an expert in architecture. But I could say that this tower could withstand strong earthquakes easily. Despite its strange shape and structure.
I couldn't help but make a face, for having imagined an inverted ice cream cone as a referential image... I hated ice cream, especially ice cream scoops.
I shook my head to avoid the depressing thoughts.
As I entered the Tower of Babel, I was accompanied by an incredible sight. I was able to observe a large amount of space where a large number of people could fit. In the middle of it, was a hole which I assumed led into the dungeon. There were three entrances that you could access to enter the lower floor of babel. In the corners, I could see that there were stairs to access the first floor of babel.
I quickly started walking towards the accessible entrance for the lower floor.
I didn't know what was waiting for me down there besides the monsters. But honestly, I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. I've only been to three subways. At Circus Baby Rental and Entertainment. Pizza Simulator and the Poppy Playtime factory.
Once I was on the lower floor of babel, I walked towards the entrance of the dungeon. The ominous feeling that I felt from the entrance was getting stronger and stronger. When I got to the hole I could see stairs and they descended in a spiral.
I could feel large amounts of AGONY coming from the bottom. Although I couldn't detect the signature of AGONY and there was a large number of signatures. It boggled my mind a bit, but it made sense. Many people died tragically in the dungeon, so AGONY in this place would be easy to find.
I clenched my fist and frowned as I prepared to descend to the first floor of the dungeon. With the goal in mind, I quickly went through all my luggage. Seeing that I have everything ready, I began the descent.
Once I went down and was on the 1st floor. The walls of this floor were light blue and were quite large and several people could fit in this place. Then I was able to see a corridor with a wide space, much larger than the beginning of the floor, I began to navigate straight ahead until I reached a crossroads where it was divided into two areas. One for the left side and one for the right side. Typical of a maze.
Before I could decide which way to go. A shadow came out of the left tunnel and another shadow came out of the right tunnel blocking both paths, at the same time the sound of something breaking was heard. When I looked in the direction of the sound I could see the walls cracking and forming a kind of body.
In a few seconds, I am surrounded by ten bodies in total. I was ambushed at the very beginning. How lucky I am, I thought sarcastically as I clucked my tongue in frustration.
My eyes glowed an eerie purple through the white bear mask. My eyes darted over each enemy around me, making the muscles in my body tense in preparation.
The little shits around me were creepy. They were plump humanoid monsters with green skin and large crimson eyes that glowed with a mischievous tone that included unbridled rage and a great deal of bloodlust. I could easily recognize it as a goblin.
I flinched subconsciously as I looked at its elongated, sharp nails and teeth that could probably rip your frontal lobe off your head.
I took out my blade and moved my right foot in front of my left while leaning my spine forward. The goblins growled, I squeezed the handle of the blade in response.
Four of the ten goblins lunged forward, and at the same time, I lunged toward the one in front and approached. The goblin, seeing that the distance decreased, threw its claws forward intending to disembowel or cut me into slices. But my survival instinct kicked in instantly. I leaned in and dodged the attack easily as I ran my blade across its throat.
Blood splattered onto my arm and blade, but I ignored it. Before the Goblin crashed to the ground, I grabbed its forearm and immediately took all the weight off it with gravity control. Once the weight was removed from it, I picked it up like a sack of potatoes and tossed it toward another goblin.
The dead goblin crashed into another and they went rolling on the ground. Immediately upon throwing the hurt, I turned 90 degrees and kicked with all my might into another goblin's head and increased the weight of my leg to add force.
The goblin's head couldn't take the blow. Blood spurted out as the goblin's head was severed from the body. The body with nothing to control fell to the ground with a thud.
Once I finished putting my leg on the ground, my arm immediately went up instinctively to block the wooden club of one of the goblins. My eyes shone a violet tone with more force, my gaze on the goblin that tried to attack me, but failed.
Increase the weight of the goblin until it won't hold. The goblin immediately exploded into ash. After that, I dodged an attack from the remaining attacking goblin. Before I easily slit its throat.
The other six goblins now began to look at me warily (including the goblin that had rolled on the ground, now among them).
I looked at the blood on my arm with a frown. I didn't like the sticky feel of this one. Not wanting to drag out the battle any longer, I stretched my ghostly senses to the point that I could feel their gravity bodies. Then nonchalantly increase your weight to the point that it won't hold. The goblins couldn't defend against my gravity and exploded into ash leaving only the magic stone as evidence.
I don't know how many minutes I stared at the ground pensively, but I can assume that it was a few minutes. Nobody attack me while I was thinking.
In my mind, I could notice two things. The first was that I couldn't feel anything for the death of these creatures. I felt no sorrow, no anger, no sadness, no joy. Just the feeling of tiredness, not physically but mentally. The second is that I could tell that he was much stronger and faster compared to before he was blessed.
The Falna is something, I thought with a sigh as I looked at the goblin corpses. The disgust came to me when I learned that I had to remove the magic stone from their corpses.
I got closer as slowly as possible, and after a brief hesitation, I took out the stone that I could feel inside their bodies. Once I took out the magic stone from the goblin's body, the body turned to ashes without leaving any trace except the blood spilled on the ground.
Once I put the magic stones away, go through the entrance on the left, without worrying about any ambushes that might happen to me. I was continuing to kill goblins for several minutes.
I frowned at the abnormal amount of monsters the dungeon was throwing at me, I got the feeling that it was being too hostile against me. I didn't know what the normal amount of spam monsters the dungeon would throw at you was, but my intuition told me that this wasn't normal at all.
Something annoying that I came to notice is that my survival instinct took over by itself and many times instead of attacking, I became defensive and distanced myself. My gut was getting to me too much, but I figured it must be normal, and sooner or later my gut would adjust.
I never fought any Vengeful ghost head-on, I always ran away and lured them into ambushes or traps to free their souls. Even with the abnormal strength of a ghost, I couldn't do much against possessed items. My old rotting body prevented me.
Even though goblins are easy opponents to kill. My instinct that was focused on defense and survival was holding me back and preventing me from killing the goblins in less time. But it wasn't all bad, when a goblin got too close to me and I couldn't dodge it in time, my gravity skill acted in defense and brutally killed the unfortunate goblin that was able to reach my personal space.
I killed 57 goblins before I reached an area where some stairs went down many more underground. As a video game, I assumed that the more I descended the stronger the monsters were.
Without further hesitation, I descended to the 2nd floor. The walls and structures did not change much. The only difference that I could notice is that the apartment was much bigger than the previous one, but that was all.
While walking on the 2nd floor I was able to find two other types of different monsters. One was a humanoid body with the head of a dog that made my hair stand on end and the other was a large bipedal lizard. These creatures were quite tall, but even with their size. I was much taller than these monsters.
These bloodthirsty creatures were nothing compared to Ennard or Experiment 1006. As far as height was concerned they were absolute monsters.
I dodged a blow while I was reflecting before my arm crossed the chest of the bipedal lizard, with a great force I raised my arm that was holding the dagger handle to the left side, breaking the entire body of the poor monster in its path.
Blood splattered on my suit, but I ignored it in favor of looking at the dagger to see how much it had left before it broke. Luckily I could still keep cutting for quite a while. I continued exploring the 2nd floor. I reached many areas where there was a wall and I couldn't continue, generally the dungeon would send me a monster when I found those dead-end paths.
After some of what seemed like a long walk and kill, I reached the stairs leading down to the 3rd floor. I explored and killed several monsters on the 3rd floor, then reached the stairs leading down to the 4th floor and repeated. For each floor that went down, the monsters were stronger and more monsters began to emerge from the walls.
The spam was so much that they hurt me multiple times and I was forced to kill them all with my Gravitational Control skill. One of my daggers broke and the other was half worn.
I spent several hours on the 4th floor, mainly because I got lost and didn't know where to go, I could swear I was going through the same corridor for the third time, but since all the walls were the same, then I couldn't be very sure. Something I noticed is that the AGONY was much higher on the fourth floor than on the first. Although the difference was not much, I could easily notice it.
Two of the three bags I bought to fill Valis were full and the third was just short of full. Not to mention that some monsters dropped some items, For example, the dog-headed monster dropped what looked like a nail, the Goblin dropped a fang and the lizard was a stingy monster that didn't drop anything.
After a few minutes and a miracle, I was able to find the floor that descended towards the 5th floor. And as much as I wanted to keep going down because the many were too weak for me. I thought better of it and made a tactical withdrawal for another day.
I was satisfied with what I had achieved. I could go down, but my dagger was about to break and I would be forced to fight with just my gravity ability and bare fist. So I decided it was better to go back.
Plus I had a lot of things to do other than just farm loot from monsters. With my dungeon work done, I started my way up to the safety of Orario.
I spent about 30 minutes looking for the 4th-floor exit and every time I was starting to get more frustrated. The damn creatures don't stop appearing, even a fucking goblin surprised me when he jumped on top of my head, managing to hurt my shoulder.
Fortunately, thanks to Cursed Body I was able to recover from all the injuries the monsters managed to inflict on me. And since negative feelings abound inside me, it was not a problem for my recovery. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about the suit he was wearing. And the armor I bought for 5000 Valis was broken and deformed, now it was useless.
One 5000 armor and two 3600 daggers went to waste, great I thought sarcastically. They didn't even last more than a day. I didn't know how to feel about it.
After a great challenge and stress from Michael. I was able to find the stairs to the 3rd floor. While exploring the 3rd floor, I found a group of adventurers, they walked past each other, and I only nodded in brief acknowledgments.
They just looked at me warily and tensely. I didn't blame them because I had my mask on and with it, I could be quite intimidating, especially with my height. I went the same way the adventurers came, then I went the way I more or less remembered for the return. After a while, I got to the stairs that went up to the 2nd floor. Once I was on the 2nd floor my way up was much easier and it didn't take long for me to leave the dungeon.
When I left babel I could see a large number of adventurers and civilians. I looked up at the sky and apparently, it was going to start getting dark soon. So I spent a long time in the dungeon. I went directly to the Guild.
The first thing I did when I got to the Guild was head to the showers and wash off all the grime and blood.
"Remember. Michael uses cold water to remove the blood"
The memory of my father's words came to my mind. I could only cluck my tongue in frustration before he started washing the blood off with cold water.
Once I finished cleaning myself. Walk towards a trading desk being careful not to catch Sophie's attention. Fortunately, she was not at the reception so she must be busy. I could only notice a rather beautiful red-haired werewolf girl. With a sigh, I shook my head to put those thoughts away.
I handed over my bags full of magic stones and Drop Item. To the counter and the receptionist was surprised by the amount.
"A lot of monsters ambushed me in the dungeon" I explained before the receptionist started to speak.
"Ah" The receptionist nodded in understanding "Strangely, the dungeon ambushes an adventurer several times, but it's not abnormal. Although I see that you handled yourself well... Let's see... If all these items are in good condition 45,000 Valis per the Drop Items and 67,000 Valis for the magic stones, a total of 112,000 Valis." Then the receptionist handed me two bags of 50,000 Valis and another bag that had 12,000 Valis.
I was surprised by the amount of money I got, with that amount of Valis I could return all the Valis that Persephone gave me. Also, from what I understood a party of 5 level 1 adventurer was collecting at least 25,000 Valis a day.
So what I got in a single day brought me some satisfaction and pride. Even though I was wandering around like a fool in the dungeon several times, due to getting lost. It was not entirely in vain. Since I earned enough money for my first time diving into the dungeon.
Once I finished my business in the guild, I started to head back toward Persephone's apartment.
Author Note:
A bit about Michael Afton's state of mind and what he thinks about Orario's situation when Zeus and Hera Familia were around.
A little explanation of Danmachi for those who have never seen the anime and the dungeon.
The bug mentioned by AvgustSk was fixed and thanks for telling me, friend.
And I send a greeting to the people who commented, take care.
I hope you like the chapter and I'm sorry for the delay. I had some problems with how to write this chapter.
The next chapter will be from various perspectives.