Bell and Elfy were lying next to each other on the broken roof of the church. One of their favorite activities to do together was watch the stars at night
Bell had his hands behind his head and one of his legs propped up. Elfy had her hands resting on her stomach with her legs dangling off the roof.
"So how was your expedition, ms big shot adventurer," Bell asked as he looked at Elfy.
Elfy turned her head to look at him and smiled. "It was, well, I wouldn't say it was fun, but I enjoyed myself. I went down all the way to floor 50. Sure, I was a supporter for most of it but 50 Bell. Can you believe it"
"50, really? Aren't you only a level 3" Bell asked as his head turned back to the stars.
Elfy did as well before speaking again. "I am. That's why I was in a supporter role. But being able to go that far down and see so much of the dungeon I didn't know about. It was exciting."
Bell shook his head as a smile appeared on his face. "Always the explorer type, weren't you."
A cool gust of wind blew past the two, causing Elfy to scoot closer to Bell. She got up right next to him, and Bell's right arm wrapped around her shoulder.
"Remind you of old times," Bell commented.
Elfy turned to her side and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yeah, when we were little and huddled together during winter by the fireplace."
"Yeah, lucky for us, it was built into this church. All we're missing now is the blanket," Bell joked.
Elfy laid her head on Bell's chest as Bell's other arm wrapped around her. The two laid there in silence, just enjoying each other's company. The two missed each other dearly and were happy to be with each other again.
The two had known each other for as long as they could remember. They had the same dream growing up, with the two wanting to become adventurers and dove into the dungeon together.
But sometimes dreams don't come true. While Elfy went on to join the Loki familia thanks to her magical aptitude. Bell wasn't some werewolf saying he was too weak.
But that didn't get him down. He'd just try again somewhere else. But again, he was rejected for looking too weak. So he tried again and again and was met with the same result. However, now he had something that would make him stronger and not bend to some god's will.
"Are you eating enough? Maria said you skipped out on another meal yesterday," Elfy asked.
"Kids need to eat so they don't go to bed hungry. Thomas and Light used to do the same thing for us before they got themselves killed," Bell explained.
Elfy let out a sigh as she snuggled into Bell more. "Bell, I know you feel as if you need to do everything for us. But you're not alone, and you can't provide if you pass out from hunger," Elfy told him, her voice serious.
"I know, Elfy. But if I can give those kids a full belly before they go to sleep. So they won't go to sleep hungry. I'll do it," Bell said, his voice full of determination and resolve.
Elfy just shook her head and closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk about this subject anymore. It's not that she hated all those who died in the dungeon to get them money. It was a selfless goal and quite admirable. She just didn't like to talk or think of the dead, as the memories were too painful.
"So you want to explain what familia did you join while I was away" Elfy cooed as she moved her head to rest on Bell's shoulder.
"Elfy, can you keep a secret," Bell asked, his voice serious.
"What type of secret? Like, don't tell the kids but Maria? Or don't tell anyone, including Maria?" Elfy asked, her voice serious as well.
"Don't tell anyone. This is like that time I had to deal with that guy that kept harassing Maria," Bell answered as his mind flashed back to that night.
Elfy knowing the seriousness of the situation, nodded her head. "Alright, my mouth's shut, and I'm all ears."
"I don't know what's going on with me. But I have a way to get stronger without a falna. I don't know why I have it and why it does what it does, but it's making me stronger at an alarming rate," Bell explained, his hold around Elfy tightening in nervousness.
Elfy held onto Bell tighter as well so she could provide comfort. "So you're getting stronger without a falna. Could it be a spirit that's helping you"
"I don't know, all I know is I have the strength of a level two, and I've only had it for two days. But the upside is I'm getting stronger and able to get money to provide for the orphanage," Bell said after taking a deep breath to calm himself.
Elfy put her hand on Bell's chest and let it rest there. "Well, it seems like it's done nothing but good so far. But once the gods find out what you can do without a falna, you'll be hounded by them."
Bell put his hand atop of Elfy's. "I know, but at that point, I'm hoping to move us into a house, get us out of Daedalus Street, and give the kids a better life."
"Always thinking of everyone but yourself. It's a wonder you don't have a girlfriend yet," Elfy teased.
Bell rolled his eyes as he chuckled. "Eh, I'd be a terrible boyfriend anyway. I'm too focused on giving these kids a better life that I wouldn't really have much focus on the girl."
Bell then had an idea as he wanted to avoid this topic. "Say, since you're back, wanna go to Monsterphelia with me in a few days? Considering you won't be doing anything with your familia for a while."
Elfy felt a teasing grin form on her face. "Oh, are you asking me on a date Bell"
Bell rolled his eyes. "No, I'm wanting to spend time with my best friend, who I haven't seen in a month because she's too busy protecting the city from the big bad monsters," Bell joked.
Elfy playfully slapped his chest. "That's right. I'm the big strong adventurer who keeps this city safe. But sure, I'd love to go with you. I feel like we barely spend time together anymore."
Bell smiled as he felt his eyes grow heavy. "We should probably get off the roof now. I'm tired and don't want to sleep on the roof."
Elfy also felt her eyes grow tired. "Yeah, we probably should. I'm guessing we're sleeping on the floor."
Bell quirked an eyebrow. "What, you're not gonna back to the Twilight Manor?" Bell asked.
Elfy shook her head. "Nope, while I'm here, we're going to be inseparable. Like old times."
Bell sighed as he knew Elfy wasn't gonna change her mind. Not that he would try and change her mind anyway. He really missed his friend.
"Alright, let's get off the roof and head inside. You get the privilege of sleeping on the cold hard floor tonight," Bell joked, letting go of Elfy and hopping off the roof.
"Please, it'll be the same as the dungeon," Elfy joked back, hopping off the roof as well. What she didn't expect was for Bell to catch her and set her down.
"My someone's Prince Charming," she nervously teased, hiding her blushing face.
Bell playfully shoved her head as they walked inside. "Yeah, yeah, just get inside."
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"No, please don't."
Bell watched as an orange-haired elf was holding the severed arm of someone inside a monster. It looked like a wyvern with grey scales and red eyes. It had a sadistic smile on its face as its mouth slowly started closing.
Bell was able to get a look inside the monsters mouth and only saw black hair before the mouth shut and killed whoever was inside.
The orange-haired elf collapsed to her knees in grief before a blinding white light flashed in his face.
His eyes shot open, and he was breathing heavily. What the hell was that? Was that a nightmare? But why did it feel so real?
It appears you've had a premonition
"Any ideas as to why," Bell asked as he looked over at Elfy's sleeping figure.
To prepare you to change certain events if you so choose
"Is this another reason why you chose me? To stop bad things from happening, or to at least try," Bell asked. He was curious as to why he saw something like that.
I chose you because I wanted a strong host, and you seemed like the best option. However, it appears as if you can see events that have yet to happen. It's up to you to do with that information what you will
Bell then opened his quest menu and saw the ongoing quest he had.
Quest ongoing: Do not confront Ishtar. As it stands, you are too weak right now and will not amount to anything if you confront her
Bell let out an angry sigh. Yes, he was angry at Ishtar, but he was more angry at himself. Thanks to what many would call a character flaw, he would always try to see the best in people. Unless they messed with the orphanage, Elfy or Syr.
He had heard the rumors of what Ishtar did in her district, yet he chose not to believe them. Call him stupid or naive he just didn't want to believe someone who treated him with kindness could do something so evil.
He felt like a fool, and it made him pissed.
Dungeon cooldown timer has completed new dungeon found
"I'll head to that later. Can't leave right now since Elfy's sleeping on me," Bell thought, looking over at the sleeping girl who was using his body as a pillow.
He brushed the hair out of her face and watched as she smiled in her sleep. He remained still and quiet so as to not wake her. Even when Maria walked in and had a teasing smile on her face.
Bell signaled Maria to be quiet as Elfy was still sleeping, to which Maria obliged. However, he knew he wouldn't hear the end of this from Maria once Elfy left.
After laying there for another hour, he felt Elfy stir next to him. He watched as her Hazel eyes fluttered open and stared into his red ones. A smile appearing on her cute face.
"Well, if anyone else didn't know the relationship between us, they might get the wrong idea," Elfy teased.
"You're right about that," Bell agreed.
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Bell waved goodbye to Elfy as she walked back to the Twilight manor. Once she was out of sight, Bell checked his surroundings, and once he was sure, no one could see him. He entered the new dungeon.
A bright white light surrounded him once again, and when Bell opened his eyes, he was in a city that was located in a desert. It was hot, but the heat wasn't unbearable.
Mercenary HQ Alpha
Dungeon Rank: D
Recommended level: 25
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 28
HP: 3,500
Strength: 34
Agility: 47
Intelligence: 45
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 50
Gunslinger (7/?)
Knives( 8/?)
Duel wield (4/?)
Rifleman (3/?)
"Well, I just barely passed the minimum requirements," Bell thought as he took out his Python and trench knife.
He decided to get higher ground so he could see the scale of this city. If it were anything like Orario, he would be here for a while, and he didn't know where the enemies were. It was almost like they were hiding.
Getting atop one of the large buildings, Bell's eyes widened at the sheer size of the city. It had to have stretched out for about 10 miles, and he had to go through the entire city, kill enemies, and a boss on top of that.
"Well, shit, looks like I have my work cut out for me," Bell thought as he got off the roof. He wandered the streets of the abandoned city, seeing signs of what life used to be like.
However, he still didn't find any enemies. It was like he was walking in a ghost town devoid of any life. But there had to be something here, or else the system wouldn't have taken him here.
The wind picked up, and right before Bell was about to ask the system for guidance. A bullet passed through his arm.
He yelled in pain as he took cover in an alleyway. "Ow fuck. Was that a bullet? Holy shit, that hurts. Is that what I've been doing to people"
Player health: (3,200/3,500)
Bell's eyes widened in shock. "That one bullet took 300 health away. I can't get hit like that again; otherwise, I'll be dead in a matter of seconds."
Bell gritted his teeth in pain as he looked at the back of his arm. He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing an exit wound meaning the bullet wasn't stuck inside his arm.
"Well, now's as good a time as any to open the shop. Here's hoping they have healing items," Bell thought as he opened the shop window.
He didn't have much time to look at anything else, but some of the options he saw were swords, guns, attachments, and magic.
He finally got to the health tab and opened it, seeing a variety of potions. Spending 500 gold on a cheaper one, he splashed the red liquid on his arm. Immediately feeling the healing effects.
He peeked his head out from the alley and quickly pulled back as he saw the bullet heading right for his head. The bullet impacted the concrete wall leaving a hole right where Bell's head was.
"Alright, this will be a pain in the ass. Can't see him, but he can see me," Bell thought as he was trapped. Looking down at the ground, he saw shards of glass from a broken window at his feet.
Reaching down and picking one up, he looked at his reflection in it before sticking it out the alleyway at where he thought the shooter was. He got eyes on the man right before the glass was shot out of his hand.
"Got you," Bell thought as he put his Python and Trench knife away. He pulled out his M4 and remembered where the shooter was. Psyching himself up, he peeked from his hiding place and pulled the trigger.
The bullet hit its mark, going through the man's eye and out the back of his head, killing him instantly. Bell let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and chuckled.
This was the second time he almost died in two days. Maria would kill him if she knew about this, which in his mind was counterintuitive, but what did he know?
Bell didn't feel bad about killing a man. It wasn't his first time doing it. Sure he had killed hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies but did those really count as people? They were already dead, yet still alive in a sense.
No, he had killed a man far before that. Two years ago, when Bell was at work, some drunk would swing by the orphanage and harass Maria and the kids. They went to the police and the man was arrested for a time. Yet after a few months, he was released and began harassing Maria again.
This time, however, he beat her and made the kids watch. That was the final straw for Bell, so one night, he hunted the man down, hit him in the head with a brick, and beat him to death with his bare hands.
He realized Elfy had the same plan when she pulled Bell off the guy long after he was dead. Bell just didn't stop hitting him until she stopped him. Both looked at each other and agreed never to tell Maria about what happened.
When Maria asked about Bell's bruised hands, he just told her someone had tried to rob him, and he fought back, which isn't far from the truth in Bell's mind. Someone tried to rob someone important from his life. So he fought back.
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Bell had his rifle at the ready as he walked through the city. He had to move carefully, as one wrong move could lead him to an ambush and possibly his death.
Hearing footsteps approaching him, Bell took cover in another alleyway and saw a patrol of six men dressed in all tan-colored uniforms walking past him.
He used observe on one of them.
Mercenary
Level: 26
Hint: Highly trained soldiers deployed to a combat zone to hunt insurgents. They are deadly and will kill you if not careful
"This tip would've been helpful before I took a bullet to the arm," Bell thought, annoyed at the system.
Well, now you know not to get hit
"That's fair" Bell had to agree the system got him there.
Peeking his head out from the alley, he saw the patrol had stopped to take a smoke break. This was his opportunity to strike since only two of them were keeping watch.
Raising his rifle up to one of their heads, he pulled the trigger and killed the first man on watch. Quickly dropping the second one before the other four knew what was going on.
When they did, it was already too late.
"Insur- one tried to yell before a bullet went through their neck.
Another raised their rifle to fire back but was quickly dealt with before they could fire a shot. The others could also only raise their rifles before Bell killed them mercilessly.
Seeing as he had killed all of them, he walked out of the alleyway and continued his journey, looting a canteen off one of the corpses for water. It would be easy to get dehydrated in this dungeon.
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Bell had already walked half of this dungeon already. It had been at least 3 hours by this point, and he leveled up a lot. His working theory right now was that this dungeon gave him a lot more XP than the other one on account of there being less enemies.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 35
HP: 4,000
Strength: 39
Agility: 53
Intelligence: 51
MP: 150
Luck: 251
Sense: 57
Gunslinger (7/?)
Knives( 8/?)
Duel wield (4/?)
Rifleman (7/?)
Bell kept walking as that was all he could do. However, his long walk had paid off when he came upon an armored stronghold. It looked to be an old two-story office building. Looking at the sign in front or read embassy. It had stone walls with barbed wire on top of it.
Boss area
Mercenary stronghold
Rank: C
Filled with specially trained close-quarters guards, this stronghold is the headquarters of the mercenaries in the region
"Rank C, huh? Can I do this? Am I strong enough" Bell wondered as he stood outside. Could he do this? It would be stronger than anything he's faced before.
You can do it. I believe in you
Bell deadpanned. "Can I really do it, or are you just mocking me?" he asked.
Do you believe you can do it?
Bell looked at the message and thought for a second. He had already killed dozens of them pretty easily. The only problem he really had was in the beginning when the first guy shot him in the arm. After that, he was careful. He moved slowly and made sure to stay hidden as not to be spotted as easily.
"Eh fuck it. Go big or go home, and I'm not going home," Bell thought as he kicked the gate open. He slowly moved inside the embassy
That's the spirit
Bell opened the front door to the embassy and moved inside. Seeing an assortment of tools and equipment, he had no clue what they did. He couldn't pay them any mind, however. He didn't know where they were hiding, but he could sense at least 30 people inside the building with him.
Hearing the tiniest of movements on the right, Bell spun on his heel and fired multiple bullets through a wall. Hearing a thud, Bell took that as a sign of the person dropping dead.
He kept moving slowly, checking every room before moving on to the next one.
Putting his hand on another doorknob, Bell heard the sound of a bullet being racked into the chamber. He dived away from the door right as the door exploded into shards.
"Yeah, that's right pussy hide. Cause when I find you, me and ol Betty are gonna fuck you up," a man said with a southern drawl.
Bell laid on his back and aimed his rifle at the door frame. When the man popped his head out, Bell dropped him with a single bullet to the brain.
Bell breathed a sigh of relief as he stood up. Make that three times he's nearly died in two days. He slinged his rifle on his shoulder and picked up the shotgun, and examined it.
M1014
Weapon rank: A
A 12 gauge shotgun primarily used for close-quarters combat
"Well, this will be useful," Bell thought, putting his M4 in his inventory. He put the buttstock of the M1014 and continued clearing the building.
Making his way to the second floor after killing eight more downstairs. Bell saw another hallway full of rooms with a stairwell that led to the roof at the end of it. Before he could take another step, all 20 doors opened at once. Bell quickly threw his body behind the door frame as a hail of bullets came flying toward him.
He pressed his body tightly against the frame hoping that no body part was sticking out as bullets hurt.
"CEASE FIRE" a man yelled, and the hail of bullets stopped. Bell had his gun at the ready and waited for when it started again.
He could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer to him. Moving quickly, he popped around the corner and pulled the trigger of his shotgun, taking down five men that were close to each other.
Taking cover on the other side of the doorframe as another hail of bullets flew past, Bell felt one hit him in the leg.
Player health: (3,700/4,000)
Bell grunted in pain as the gunfire once again stopped. He had to move as they wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Limping down the stairs, he aimed the shotgun at the top from the bottom.
He saw two pairs of boots touch the top step. Bell pulled the trigger, the pellets hitting them in the legs causing their feet to be blown off. The two fell down the stairs and landed at Bell's feet, who promptly killed the two.
Bell hid under the stairs after making it seem like he went back into the first floor as he heard more people running down the stairs to check on their two comrades.
"Fuck that bastard got them, Shmup and Sar."
"He couldn't have gotten far. Res got him in the leg. Bastards bleeding.
"Well, let's go get this fucker and make him pay."
Bell held his breath as he heard the cascade of footsteps running down the stairs and out the door. Dropping his M1014, he quickly brought out his M4 and switched it to full auto.
He limped as fast as he could and flung the door open. All the mercenaries had their back turned to him. Bell pulled the trigger and held it down as a storm of bullets flooded the hallway, at least one of them hitting a mercenary in the back of the head.
Bell let out a sigh of relief as the announcement popped up.
Dungeon cleared
70,000 XP
500,000 gold
Magic unlocked: Fire bending
Mana orb: A ball of mana that increases user's mana pool
Level up X 15
Bell's eyes widened in amazement. He was already a level three adventurer, and it's only been three days. Just how quickly could he grow with the system? Would it slow down at some point, and he'd have to take on harder dungeons to level up more?
A sharp pain in his leg reminded him he was shot and possibly had a bullet stuck in his leg. He really hoped he didn't, as that would suck.
Looking at the wound, he didn't see an exit which meant the bullet was stuck inside his leg.
"Shit, I have no idea how to get it out," Bell thought, feeling another jolt of pain.
Use callback on the bullet and pull it out
"Won't that hurt?" Bell asked.
Yes
Bell shook his head as he took a deep breath. Might as well get it over with. Holding his hand in front of the wound, he used callback and could feel the bullet moving around in his leg.
Gritting his teeth as he groaned in pain, Bell pulled the bullet out from his leg and started bleeding even more. Quickly opening the shop, he grabbed a potion and splashed it on his wound, healing it.
He then used callback on his M1014 and put that along with his M4 in his inventory. He saw the mana orb there as well and took that out, taking a look at the orb-like pill.
"So, do I just swallow it" Bell wondered?
Yes, take the mystery drug you know little about
"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds dangerous, eh screw it," Bell thought before swallowing the orb.
He felt a strange sense of calm wash over his body as a low blue glow shone inside his veins for a second, then disappearing.
Opening his stats again, he looked at his mana.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 50
HP: 10,000
Strength: 60
Agility: 69
Intelligence: 69
MP: 1,000
Luck: 252
Sense: 80
Gunslinger (7/?)
Knives( 8/?)
Duel wield (4/?)
Rifleman (7/?)
Callback
Unlimited ammo
Thick skin
Magic reload
Fire bending
"All in all, seems like a good day," Bell thought as a bright white light surrounded him before he was back in front of the church.
He looked up and saw that the sun was setting. He must've been inside that embassy longer than he thought he was. That didn't matter to him, however. No matter how long it took, he would get these kids and Maira out of here. No matter what.
Well, another day, another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as Bell reached level 3 pretty quickly and hung out with his friend, who he totally doesn't have feelings for, Elfy.
Well, that's all from me next story to be updated is Bell the white core, then Spectacular Bell, and then this.