Bell jogged down the street, heading to the pleasure district. He had a delivery to make to Ishtar herself as she liked to order food from Mia all the time.
What Bell didn't know was she also ordered it so she could see him. Ever since Ishtar met Bell for the first time, she felt more calm around him, as if his very presence had that calming effect.
She didn't think about her jealousy of Freya or the killing stone ritual. All she thought about was talking to Bell to feel that calming presence, if only for a little bit.
"Morning, Bell," one of the gate guards said as he arrived.
"Morning Samira, you having a good day so far," Bell asked as he slowed his jog to a walk.
Samira nodded her head. "I am. I had one of my best nights last night and made lots of money. You here for another delivery" The Amazon asked.
"Yup, Lady Ishtar must like Mia's food if she keeps ordering from us," Bell confirmed.
Samira smiled as she waved him in. "Yeah, it's the food she likes. Head on in, Bell; she'll be waiting for ya."
Bell waved to Samira as he headed deeper inside the pleasure district. It was daytime, so not a lot was going on, but there were still amazons and other prostitutes wandering around who either knew Bell or knew of him because of how much he delivered here.
Samira watched as Bell walked further away and got closer to Belit Babel.
"Yeah, it's totally the food she likes. But why did Bell feel stronger? He didn't get a falna, did he?" Samira wondered.
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"Morning, lady Ishtar," Bell greeted as he walked inside her lavish bedroom atop Belit Babel. From the bed to the curtains, it was worth more than Bell had ever seen in his life.
But when you run the most profitable district in Orario, lavish things like these were cheap to Ishtar. From her bed to her curtains was more money than Bell would ever see.
Well, at least before he got the system.
Ishtar was sitting on her purple couch filling out some paperwork which she absolutely hated. She wore her normal clothes consisting of a single red-orange piece of cloth around her neck that barely covered her breasts and a matching pareo around her waist that reached down to her ankles. Like most amazons, she didn't wear shoes which perplexed Bell. What if she stepped on broken glass or something?
Ishtar set her pencil down and stretched as Bell set her breakfast in front of her. It was pancakes, eggs, and bacon which she enjoyed.
Bell grabbed the utensils from the bag and handed them to her, to which she thanked him before taking a bite of her eggs.
"Mmm, I always love the taste of these. You got here fast today. Excited to see me, Bell," she teased as she gestured for Bell to take a seat.
Bell let out a small chuckle as he did so. "I just feel like my luck is finally turning around, lady Ishtar."
Ishtar took another bite of her breakfast before staring at Bell, perplexed. "Bell, did you happen to receive a falna? I feel you're stronger than when I last saw you."
Bell shook his head. "No, lady Ishtar still falnaless."
Ishtar tilted her head. "Oh? A god still hasn't accepted you yet."
"Nope, keep saying I'm too weak or that I'll die on my first day" Bell waved his hand, signaling the words didn't bother him.
Ishtar looked at Bell again, perplexed. "Doesn't that make you jealous and angry"
Bell shrugged his shoulders. "I mean a little, but why waste my time being jealous? It won't solve anything if I sit around being angry at people who have stuff I don't. I just see things like that as a waste of time and energy. So I decided to let it go."
Ishtar looked at Bell. Her eyes widened slightly as his words resonated with her. She thought about her jealousy and hatred of Freya, and she came to a conclusion.
Why? Why did she have to be at the top? Why should she be at the top? What would she do then? Wouldn't someone else just target her instead, and the cycle would repeat again?
Ishtar set her utensil's down before wiping her mouth with a napkin. "You seem very mature for your age Bell. How old are you again?"
"16, lady Ishtar," Bell answered.
"For one so young to be so mature is nice to see," Ishtar complimented.
Bell rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, uh, thank you, lady Ishtar."
Ishtar giggled a little at the sight. No matter how much Bell went through, he was still a child.
"Well, I best not keep you any longer, Bell," Ishtar said as Bell stood up.
"Bye, lady Ishtar. I'll see you again next time I deliver," Bell said, bidding his goodbyes.
He walked to her door but stopped before he opened it. Turning back around, he faced Ishtar, who had thrown her trash away.
Feeling Bell's eyes on her, she looked up and looked at him, confused. "Yes, Bell?" She asked.
"Take care of yourself, lady Ishtar. I enjoy our conversations. I'd hate for something to happen to you," Bell told her.
Ishtar looked at Bell in shock. Did he know what she planned to do? He couldn't. She never told him or would tell him. Yet he spoke to her as if he knew something about her she wanted to keep hidden from him. Or was it just him actually caring for her?
When was the last time someone expressed concern and not mockery over her?
Clearing her throat, she spoke. "Thank you for your concern Bell. But I'll be fine, so you don't need to worry over me."
Bell let out a sigh as he put his hand on the doorknob. "I do. I enjoy our conversations together. See you later, lady Ishtar."
Bell then walked out of the room and started heading back to the hostess of fertility. Leaving Ishtar confused after his departure as she sensed no lie.
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Quest completed:
Plant seeds of doubt in Ishtar's mind about her plans
Rewards given:
4,500 XP
5,000 gold
Level up
Level up
Bell sighed as he continued his walk back to the hostess. He had no clue what Ishtar planned, but he hoped that he was able to persuade her away from it.
Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he continued down the street. His head held high. As he walked back, however, his mind once again drifted to Elfy. He wondered if she was ok and doing well on her expedition. He wished he could be down there with her to make sure she was safe.
But he didn't have a falna, so he couldn't, at least before he got the system. Bell opened his stats window and arranged his points accordingly.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 14
HP: 2,450
Strength: 24
Agility: 32
Intelligence: 27
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 34
Gunslinger (1/?)
Knives( 5/?)
He was happy with his stats for now, but he knew he had to get stronger. Which reminded him he could still go back to the great undead labyrinth since he didn't defeat the boss.
Time will not freeze if you go back. That was a one-time thing
Bell rolled his eyes. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Bell still had more deliveries to make, so he would go after he finished work. Although he doesn't know how many deliveries he had left today.
Walking into the Hostess of Fertility again, he saw Syr working the front as the hostess was about to open for its lunch hour soon.
"Hey, hey Bell, how was it at Ishtar's? Did ya do it" Syr playfully elbowed him.
Bell rolled his eyes, used to Syr's teasing as he elbowed her back but made sure to be gentle. He had newfound strength, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Syr, who was also important to him.
She volunteered at the orphanage and was the one that convinced Mia to let Bell make deliveries in the first place so he could get some money. He owed a lot to Syr, and he didn't know if he could ever repay it.
"No, Syr, we didn't do it," Bell said in air quotes.
Syr then wrapped her arms around Bell's neck and got her face close to his. "Then maybe we could do it, huh."
Bell pushed Syr off him before chopping her on the head. "No horny Syr," Bell chided.
Syr pouted. "Hmm, you're no fun. I'll just have to try again next time."
Bell shook his head, smiling. "Whatever you say, Syr. Say, when is this year's monsterphila happening."
Syr crossed her arms. "In a few days, Bell," a teasing smirk appeared on her face. "Why are you hoping little Elfy comes back so you can take her."
"Ima smack you," Bell playfully threatened as Syr hid behind her hands.
"Ah, scary, Bell," Syr played along before Bell patted her on the head. She blissfully giggled before Bell removed his hand.
"Anyone bothering you as of late" Bell asked.
Syr shook her head. "Nope, no rowdy customer has been bothering me. But if they were would you be my knight in shining armor" Syr cooed.
"Why yes, I'm here to save the not-so-fair maiden," Bell joked.
Syr giggled before Mia called out to the two of them. "Oi Bell, stop flirting with Syr and go home. I don't have any more deliveries for you today as I need to get ready for a big reservation."
"I'm not flirting with Syr, and I'll see you tomorrow, Mia," Bell complained as he waved goodbye. Well, now he had some time to go back into the labyrinth.
Heading into an alley and making sure he was out of sight, he entered the great undead labyrinth.
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Bell opened his eyes and saw the familiar foggy suburb again. He didn't know where the dungeon boss was or how many undead were left, but he'd kill them all. Opening his inventory, he was about to reach for his Colt Python but stopped when he saw the Trench knife.
Wondering what it was, he took it out of his inventory and looked at it. Its blade was black stainless steel with a bronze grip. On the grip was brass knuckles attached to it.
Bell summarized he was meant to use these to punch if something got too close. To him, it seemed like a good close-combat weapon because if he couldn't stab, he could use the brass knuckles and cave a face in.
He used observation to gauge its stats.
Trench knife
Weapon grade: B
Used in the trenches during the First World War, these knives were used in brutal close, quarters combat
"First world war. The hell is that, and how destructive was it?" Bell wondered.
A war in a world different from yours. No need for you to worry, as it ended 100 years ago
"Huh, well, if I don't get any more information than that, guess I won't worry about it," Bell thought as he walked down the street, trench knife in hand.
As he walked, he noticed he could see farther than normal. Was this because of his sense stat? He kept walking until he saw two zombies aimlessly wandering in front of him.
He walked up to the two, kicking one in the knee and causing it to fall on the ground before driving his knife into the second's head.
He then pulled out his Colt Python and put a bullet in the first one's head. After he did that, he looked at both his hands and decided to duel wield since the Python didn't have much kickback to it anymore. That was probably thanks to his strength stat being higher.
New Skill unlocked: Duel wield (1/?)
"Did I just Will this into existence with an idea I had" Bell wondered
Getting no answer from the system, he kept moving forward. That was all he could do right now until he encountered the dungeon boss. He had to keep moving forward.
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Bell stood at the end of the street, a yellow gate in front of him that led into a military camp. He looked at the blue screen above the entrance and read it. He had been walking for four hours at this point. He wanted to finish this quickly to be home in time for dinner.
Boss area
"Well, I found it. Now all I have to do is defeat the boss," Bell thought. Before he went in, however, he opened his stat window.
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 16
HP: 2,650
Strength: 27
Agility: 35
Intelligence: 30
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 37
Gunslinger (5/?)
Knives( 7/?)
Duel wield (3/?)
"I wonder if they're any monsters left that I missed. Bell wondered as he looked around him, yet all he saw was fog.
Player has killed every monster except for the dungeon boss.
"Well, that's helpful. Thanks, system" Bell then pushed the gate open and walked into the military camp.
What he saw were ripped tents and dead bodies everywhere. Military personnel and civilians alike all either torn limb from limb or disemboweled.
But what he heard sent a chill up his spine. Groaning and lots of it. He didn't know how many zombies there were gathered here, but he knew in the back of his mind it was a lot.
Then he saw them. Hundreds of zombies coming out of the fog, all shuffling towards him. He was surrounded, and they were getting closer.
Bell started shooting his gun as he used observe on the zombies.
Zombie herd
Level: 25
While each individual zombie is weak, if they make a big enough group, they can become a bigger threat
Bell's gun reloaded itself as a quest appeared.
Defeat the zombie horde: 8/250
"Well, shit, this'll take a while," Bell thought as he fired off four more bullets then reloaded.
He dodged a swipe before shoulder-tackling the zombie into another one, causing a domino-like effect to happen.
Having a path cleared for him, Bell kept moving so he didn't get bogged down in one area and ripped apart.
A zombie grabbed onto him and leaned forward, trying to bite him. Bell could smell its rotten breath before shoving his gun in the zombie's mouth and pulling the trigger.
His left ear started to ring as the gun had gone off right next to his ear, but he had to keep moving. If he didn't keep moving, he was dead.
He tripped over a corpse falling on his face. He tried to push himself up, but the corpse grabbed onto his leg. Bell had dropped his weapons and started kicking the zombie in the face to get it to let go of him.
It didn't, and before Bell went to grab his boot knife, he noticed another gun attached to the zombie. Grabbing it, Bell pulled it towards him and shot the zombie in the head, its blood getting all over him.
He didn't have time to use observe on the weapon, but it was bigger than his handgun. Yet he already knew how to use this gun. Almost as if he had done it before.
Was this the system helping him out?
Putting the gun's buttstock against his shoulder, he started firing into the herd of zombies. One after another, they fell to the hail of bullets as this gun wasn't a six-shooter and was able to hold more ammunition.
Zombies killed (50/250)
Zombies killed (100/250)
Zombies killed (200/250)
Zombies killed (249/250)
Seeing the last zombie shamble toward him, Bell decided to stab it so as to not let his knife skill fall behind. Picking up his trench knife off the ground, Bell walked forward and plunged it through its brain, killing the last zombie and defeating the horde.
Bell let out a sigh of relief as he caught his breath. He thought he was dead for a second. He then let out a chuckle as he had done it. He defeated the dungeon boss.
Quest completed: defeat the zombie herd
Rewards granted:
M4 Rifle
250,000 gold
30,000 XP
Callback
Thick skin
Skill acquired: Callback
Allows player to callback their weapons if knocked away from their hands
Skill acquired: Thick skin
Damage to player is reduced by 20%
Level up
Level up
Level up
Level up
Level up
Level up
Level up
Level up
Level up
Showing stats
Bell Cranel
Level 25
HP: 3,300
Strength: 32
Agility: 45
Intelligence: 42
MP: 100
Luck: 250
Sense: 47
Gunslinger (7/?)
Knives( 8/?)
Duel wield (4/?)
Rifleman (3/?)
Bell's eyes widened in shock. He had leveled up nine times in one battle. If he remembered correctly, he would be a level two right now if he had a falna. He was a level two already, and he didn't even have the system for a day. Just how strong could he get with the system?
Looking down at the gun in his hand, he used observe on it.
M4 Rifle:
Weapon rank: A
Used by armed forces, this rifle has served them through thick and thin. Chambered in 5.56, these bullets are made to explode in a person's body, sending shrapnel everywhere inside them.
"Holy shit, that is brutal," Bell thought as he looked at the rifle. He put it in his inventory before using callback to get his Colt Python back. After putting all his weapons in his inventory, a message appeared in front of him.
Would player like to convert gold into valis?
By Bell's calculations, he had about 305,000 gold right now as he still had 50,000 left over from the first time he was here and the 5,000 he got from Ishtar's quest.
He once again converted 50,000 gold into Valis, giving him another sack of 200,000 valis. After he did that, another message popped up.
Player has cleared the dungeon. Cleaning player and taking them out now
A bright light surrounded Bell once again, and like before, after it went away, he was back in Orario. He blinked a few times to get used to the changes, and once his sight was back, he headed home.
The sun was setting, and Bell guessed it had been about six hours since he entered the dungeon. Which meant he spent two hours fighting that horde.
Bell let out a nervous chuckle as he had nearly died multiple times during that fight.
Pushing the door to the run-down church open, Bell didn't see anyone in the lobby, which meant they were in the kitchen eating dinner.
Walking through the lobby, he could sense multiple people inside the kitchen. He could sense Maria, Rye, Roux, and Fena all sitting at the broken-down table.
He made a mental note to pick up some new furniture tomorrow as well as a bed for him so he didn't have to sleep on the floor anymore.
Entering the kitchen, he took his seat next to Maria as she and the kids greeted him.
"You were almost late for dinner. Everything ok?" Maria asked.
Bell sat at the table and didn't eat anything yet as he wanted to make sure the kids ate first.
"Just had some business to take care of," Bell replied.
Maria leaned close to his ear and whispered. "That thing you talked about this morning?" She asked.
Bell said nothing and nodded his head.
"Hey, Bell, what's it like making deliveries all around the city," Rye asked, eating his soup.
"It's nice. I get to see the sights every day and have a good layout of the city," Bell replied.
"Big sis Syr says you make a lot of deliveries to Ishtar. Are you friends with her" Fena curiously asked, tilting her head a little.
Maria's head slowly turned to Bell with a smile that said he was in trouble.
"I wouldn't say we're friends, but I do enjoy her company, in a platonic way, Maria," Bell clarified.
Maria let out a hum as she went back to eating. Bell looked to Roux, who was eating quietly at the end of the table.
"Anything you want to ask Roux" Bell inquired.
Roux looked up at Bell after finishing his dinner. "When is Elfy coming to visit."
Bell shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She's on an expedition right now. Hopefully, she'll be back soon."
Roux nodded his head as he excused himself from the table. He wanted to go read a book Syr brought for him the last time she visited.
After the other two finished dinner Bell tucked them into bed and told Roux not to stay up all night reading. Looks like Bell wouldn't be eating tonight.
He then went back into the lobby where he slept and saw Maria waiting for him.
"Are you having sex with Ishtar for money?" Maria asked.
"The hell type of question is that no," Bell responded, completely caught off guard.
Maria crossed her arms and gave Bell her mama stare. "Are you lying to me"
Bell shook his head. "No, I'm not having sex with Ishtar. Why did you even ask that."
Maria gave Bell a deadpan look. "Because you came in the kitchen this morning and gave me 200,000 valis, so I was a little suspicious."
Bell took a deep breath as he shook his head. "Ok, I realize how bad that looks, but no, I'm not having sex with Ishtar."
"Then where did you get the money," Maria asked, her arms crossed.
"Let's just say my luck is turning around, and I'm able to provide more for us," Bell told her.
"Are you not telling me what it is because it's dangerous?" Maria asked, worry in her voice.
Bell looked her in the eyes and answered. "No, I just don't fully understand what's going on with me, but once I do, I'll tell you, ok."
Maria started at Bell in silence before she spoke again.
"Then you will come back alive from whatever it is you're doing, am I understood," Maria told him, her voice stern.
Bell nodded his head. "Yes, Maria, I promise to come back alive."
Maira had a triumphant smile on her face. "Good, now go to bed. You have work tomorrow, and if you have sex with Ishtar, wrap your tool."
Bell blushed a little. "But the gods can't have children in the lower world."
Maria wagged her finger in front of Bell. "But they can have diseases, so wrap it."
Bell blushed even more as Maria walked to her room. Once she was gone, Bell sat down and leaned his back against the wall, and closed his eyes.
"That woman, I swear," he said before falling asleep.