New chapter and the introduction of another important character in Perseus' journey. I will say that it is a bit expositiony, if you understand that but I like to explain stuff.

Please enjoy and remember, Oomori owns Danmachi but I own my OCs and one day we shall rise up and take over ownership, then free Jagamaru-kuns for everyone.

The first thing I feel is pain.

Even as the Sun threatens to force my eyes open, I don't need to see to know why I'm in pain. I'm almost surprised I managed to live through the night with the damage I took last night.

'The Falna probably saved me…'

As I carefully open my eyes, wincing at the pain and the midday sun that was at its highest point in the sky, I smell something… off.

Looking down to my side, I see a mix of clear liquid and crumbs of soggy biscuits. At some point in the night, I must have thrown up, but my memory of what happened after I slumped down is hazy. I look around, realising that I must not have been found throughout the night and into the morning.

I feel the weight of my pocket knife still in my grip as the faint smell of blood conjoins in with the smell of vomit and damp clothes. The increase in my senses only re-affirms the failure I experienced in the dungeon.

The faint sound of the city is somewhere off in the distance, or that's how it felt anyway.

I try to stand but my legs immediately wobble and give way. Another pain rises in my body. My shoulder seems to be fine now with the pain reduced to that of an itch, though I'm sure it wasn't helped by my sleeping position and location. I peer down at my destroyed top, seeing where the rip off the fabric would indicate the scratch from the Goblin.

I carefully dab my finger inside the rip, wincing at the immediate reception of pain. However, only dried blood stains my finger, telling me the wound had closed.

'The Falna really is amaz…'

*Gurgle*

The pain from before rises again, a pain I am all too familiar with. Just as I was praising the falna, I remember it isn't invincible as hunger racks my body.

I haven't eaten since I met Goddess Penia and now I'm suffering through one of the worst periods of hunger I can remember.

I instinctively clutch my stomach as another rumble ricochets around my internal organs, screaming at me to get something to eat.

I attempt to stand again, gritting my teeth through the pain. I manage to get on my feet, though taking heavy breaths to stay stable is necessary. Then, just to taunt me and my craving for food, a smell wafts down the alleyway.

At that moment in time, I had never smelt anything more heavenly. A scent of sweetness corresponding with an adjacent smell of freshly baked bread was almost enough to make me faint in dizziness.

Without thought, my legs start moving towards the smell. I'm barely able to conjure a thought that wasn't related to the smell as my stomach growled at me to walk faster. I comply.

After what felt like an eternity, the faint sound of people has become a booming quagmire of noise. I would have reflectively covered my ears if they weren't so busy clutching my stomach.

As I do my best to stay hidden, I feel a gentle gust of wind blow past me, only intensifying the aroma that I crave.

As I reach the end of the alleyway, the sun has broken away all the darkness that I want to occupy. A small moment of hesitation to take a step into the sunlight is pushed past by my hunger. My parched lips are no help either as I run my tongue along the cracks that have begun to form, signalling my want for not only food but also water.

As I take my small steps into the sun, I immediately see what has dragged me here.

Two food stands guard the exit of the alley. On the right, I see a line of people giving away bags of money for loaves of bread. On the left, a fruit shop is attracting just as many people. Apples, bananas, oranges, pears. All line the outside of the stall, I already know that there would be even more on the front of the stall.

Before I realise it, my hand has already begun to reach out. I'm sure that I could quickly grab an apple before anyone even realised. I'm small and with my falna, I'm now quicker than ordinary people so even if they were to see, I should be able to escape.

However, I flinch.

'no… I shouldn't. Marie said this is wrong. Stealing is bad.'

But before I could retract my hand and start to internally apologise for even thinking of theft, a wave of hunger spreads from my stomach and into my mind, alongside something even scarier.

'It's only one apple, they won't even know.'

Another voice is in my head, telling me to commit the crime.

'It's wrong.'

'Is it wrong if they don't even notice?'

My arm doesn't move, showing that the new voice is winning.

'I can't do it…'

The other voice is quiet for a while, almost as if it knows it doesn't need to continue. Before my body finally gives in to my moral side, the worst pang of pain that I have ever felt racks my body.

Before I even knew it, I'm running back down the alley, clutching an apple and a small roll of bread to my body. I hear no voice calling out "Thief!" or any indication that anyone spotted me.

Checking that I'm out of sight, I gorge on the bread roll, barely even chewing before swallowing. The immediate relief only lasts a second as my body craves more. I oblige.

10 seconds later, it was almost as if the apple had never existed, only the stalk producing any proof of its existence prior.

My hunger pangs slow down. They haven't been quenched but they have been satisfied for now. But now with my mind clear, I realise something that scares me.

'That other voice… it was me.'

I shiver at the realisation that I had such a horrible side, not realising that it was my instinct to survive that was calling out to me.

As I huddle down to rest and think, I look back at the way I ran down.

'I'll pay them back when I get enough money.' I think to myself as I quickly start formulating a plan for another assault on the dungeon.

Night has fallen once again and I slowly start making my way back to the tower of Babel. I had barely moved all day, trying to conserve as much energy as possible while also giving time for my wound to heal properly. While both my hunger and wound have not been fully dealt with, they are much more bearable than they were in the morning.

As I make my way through the town square, going the same route as before to stay undetected, I can clearly see something has changed from the previous night.

The guard has changed. Where the lazy, sleepy guy from last night stood is now an astute woman. Short cut brown hair, her eyes covered by a metal, golden mask while wearing an orange battle tunic. I immediately freeze at the sight. Even with my very little experience outside the lawless lands of Daedalus Street, I know of the ones that have tried to govern the law on the rest of Orario.

'Ganesha Familia.'

Mother Marie never slackened when it came to my lessons about the city I lived in. She only briefly mentioned Zeus and Hera Familia, instead focusing on the three main ones currently in power. And when I went out once shopping with her, she showed me a Ganesha Familia guard and their obvious uniforms, the exact same one as what the woman is wearing.

As I try to think of how to get past her without being spotted, I see something strange happen. The guard quickly turns around and I hear her voice, though I can't make out the words.

Then a group of adventurers come into view. Clearly coming back from a day in the dungeon, the guard is now giving them what seems to be a telling-off. It's the only thing I can relate to why she is speaking sternly. I begin to move a bit closer, seeing that she is turned away from me.

'… quite late.'

Those are the first words I pick out.

'Calm… done before.'

A different voice, I assume it's one of the adventurers.

'That's fine, go on then.'

I'm now in range to hear the conversation but it has already ended as the adventurers have already begun to walk off. I'm currently nestled in a bush near the stairs. They get within a few metres of me as the clanking of armour and murmurs of fatigue and grumpiness ring in my ears.

However, my approach has been halted as the woman is now facing my way again. She clearly is attentive and a lot more serious about her job than the guy from before. Though that is a bad thing for me.

But for once, it seems luck is on my side as another group of adventurers make their way to the guard. Once again she starts talking to them, asking them about what they did. It seems that she thinks her job includes getting all the information about what everyone was doing in the dungeon and why they are resurfacing now.

I don't hesitate. As the group of 3 starts sighing at the checklist they are answering, I take my chance and dart behind them. I hop down the steps, leaving the surface behind once again.

I make it to the entrance again and stop. An image of the goblin that had stared at me from the mouth was still fresh in my mind. But I couldn't stop. How could I face the Familia that abandoned me with any sense of pride if I ran away from a Goblin.

Before another group of adventurers interrupt me and stop me from entering, I close my eyes to wash away the disturbing image, grip my knife tightly and walk into the dungeon.

Unbeknownst to the boy, this was a major turning point in his life. The final chance to walk away from this life but he disregarded it and moved onwards into his future. One where he wished to beat the family that he felt had abandoned him. The family that was looking down on him from the heavens with sadness and fear, as the silent cry of a mother to turn back will never be heard by the boy that she gave her eyes to and life for.

This time, Perseus went down the right path at the fork. This time, he was fully aware of his surroundings. Waiting to hear the small pats of feet on the floor or the famous cracking that he had heard about in passing. While still not being sure what it actually was, he kept his senses heightened, anticipating it.

It wouldn't take long for Perseus' first lesson in monster birth as the cracking of stone resounded in his ears. It came from in front of him and he went down low. It felt right for him as he swivelled his knife around, his blade facing towards him but ready to swipe across any monster's body.

Perseus saw the red flesh of the dungeon between the cracks as it pushed out a green body. The same monster that had almost killed him last night.

As the goblin stood up and looked around, it spotted the young boy facing him. With a gurgle for a roar, it began its race towards the intruder. This time, the intruder was ready.

Perseus remembered his experience before. He was sure, like most things, he would not forget that experience. He remembered how the goblin threw its arms around wildly, going for his body. This goblin was no different.

Perseus sidestepped the swipe at his body and watched as the goblin tumbled forward, almost falling to the ground. Part of his mind wanted him to pounce at the unstable monster but the rational part of Perseus' mind was in control and told himself to not get cocky and not get overly confident.

The goblin faced the boy once again and snarled. As if not learning from before, the goblin once again charged at him, going for another swipe.

This time, Perseus not only dodged the attack but also swung his knife. The knife cleanly caught the goblin's arm. However, it barely cut into the monster's skin. Perseus had used his strength on that swing. Not even a scratch on the tough monster's hide.

'Just as that wolf said.'

Perseus had suspected this. He remembered what that guy called Bete said. How his knife wouldn't even work and only an idiot would use it.

Perseus showed no signs of agitation or fear at the fact his only weapon was useless. But he hadn't come completely unprepared again.

'It isn't my only weapon.'

The boy remembered a hero story. The one about the strongest of all time. Heracles. How he used his bare hands to fight a giant lion, whatever that was but it sounded strong, and win.

Perseus closed his pocket knife and put it back into his right pocket, his eyes never leaving his opponent. As the goblin once again recomposed itself, it saw its small opponent facing him. The boy's left arm narrowly in front of the right. Both fists clenched and a look of steel, determined to win.

The goblin, seemingly having learnt something, didn't rush the boy. This time it slowly started walking towards him. However, this time the boy didn't wait.

Perseus saw as the goblin got closer. Remembering how quickly he could go and how fast he could react, faster than before anyway, Perseus decided to go on the attack.

As the goblin got within 3 metres, Perseus pushed forward, taking the goblin by surprise. Unlike the monster, Perseus went straight for the head, thinking that the arms were closer to the body, meaning it would be easier to block.

He shoved his right arm forward, catching the monster square on the nose. The monster flung back, smacking onto the ground twice before crashing against the wall.

It gave out a gurgled cry but before it could even think of getting back up, Perseus was on it. He had read about how bad guys liked to give long speeches when they could just kill the hero or when the hero allowed the bad guy to live, only for the bad guy to hurt someone else. Perseus would not be so naïve or stupid. Not giving his opponent any chance of fighting back, the young boy pounced on the goblin and began pounding his fists into the monster's face.

Crushing the nose was the first thing to happen as he brought down his left fist. After another 3 punches, the goblin's eyes burst. All the monster could do was helplessly claw at the ground as Perseus stood on both of its arms as it wailed in pain. Its legs thrashed around in the air in desperation but the boy's height helped him as the monster couldn't reach the body that stood over him.

After another 10 punches, the monster stopped making any noise. The only sound was its broken flesh being pulverised. Perseus didn't stop.

After 15 punches, it stopped trying to escape, its legs going limp. Perseus didn't stop.

After 25 punches, Perseus was punching the floor. The smashed bits of brain and green blood scattered around the dungeon floor and wall but the boy continued to punch, almost as if to make absolutely sure.

After 30 punches, the boy finally released the monster from his clutches sitting back down. Gulping down breathes of air, Perseus could only look at his work. The headless monster lay limp, clearly dead. The green blood and bits of flesh on Perseus' hands were the only proof of who did it but it was very obvious what had occurred.

The more breaths the boy took, the calmer he got. He had lost control. Whether it was due to revenge or fear, Perseus didn't know but right now he didn't care. He had got his first kill in the dungeon. He had overcome the challenge that had brutally beaten him before.

Perseus stood up and walked over to the body. As he examined what he had done, then looking down at his fists he remembered another thing.

Yes, he came down here to get strong but there was also another reason. A condition he had to fulfil to be able to continue his goal.

'How do I make money from this?'

Just as the boy thought of this question he had yet to think of, he was stirred from his thoughts. The familiar sound of armour clanking made Perseus turn his head down the dark corridor.

Quickly he started looking for a place to hide. He remembered only a couple of metres behind him was an intersection. So as he gave one last look to his first kill, he dashed off, content in now running away.

'Wait, maybe I can see.'

Just as Perseus turned down the left road, he thought that he didn't know how to make money from monsters. Maybe the adventurers behind might perform it on the goblin.

"Yuck, what the hell 'appened 'ere?" Perseus heard one adventurer speak. A female voice with a thick accent.

"Seem's a bit brutal."

"Probably some high-rank adventurer who just came down here to increase their falna,"

"What makes ya say tha'?"

"Look, they haven't taken the magic stone out of the body, or else it would've turned to ash."

'Magic stone? Ash?' Perseus thought as he peered around. He saw a party of 4 all staring at the goblin he killed.

"Welp, if they don't want it, then no problem in us takin it."

Perseus' eyes widened as he saw a man dressed in very little armour take out a knife and stab it into the goblin's chest.

"Is there much point innit? They're barely worth anythin'"

"Money's money."

A tall woman with black hair looked down at her party member as he yanked out a purple, glowing stone from the monster's chest.

"Come on, ya got ya stone. Let's go back, I'm tired and starvin'"

"Fine!"

Perseus ran further down the corridor as the party walked to the intersection. He squeezed his body against the wall as he saw them walk past.

"We should think about getting a supporter."

"Why'd ya say that?"

"Come on, didn't you see Darkles face when getting that stone?"

"Huh! What you mean by that Gordon!"

"He's right, you looked like you wanted to throw up." A woman laughed.

"Didn't see any of you wanting to do it!"

"That's why I say we get a supporter."

Perseus left the bickering party behind as he dashed back to where he had killed the goblin. As the adventurer had said, there was no ash on the floor instead of the headless body. And there was no mistaking what he saw, even in the darkened lighting of the dungeon.

'That was a magic stone! So that is how I make money!'

As Perseus started making his way down into the dungeon once more, he clutched his knife, glad he still had it. He could use it to pry open the monster and get the stone as the man had just done.

His fists were his weapons, his knife his work tool.

3 hours later, Perseus was back at the dungeon entrance. His knife was back in his pocket alongside a small bag that was filled to the brim with stones.

He had gathered enough goblin stones in just under 2 hours to completely fill his pockets. At that point he thought it was best to start heading back, retracing his steps through the map he had continued to draw. But when he came along a lone adventurer.

As Perseus hid, he saw the adventurer drop something onto the ground. It fell off his belt as he fought a pack of Kobolds.

Perseus stayed clear of Kobolds, knowing that he didn't stand a chance against them at the moment and was purely focused on goblins. And this fight only reaffirmed his decision. This adventurer was clearly experienced as he struggled with the fight of taking on 5 of them. It was then the small bag fell off his belt and without his notice.

The adventurer was forced to retreat down the corridor after he killed one of the Kobolds. When Perseus saw that the close was clear and the monster on the ground was definitely dead, the boy made his way over.

As he began carefully walking up the dungeon stairs, he patted the small satchel in his pocket. He was sure it could hold even more but he was beginning to grow tired and the hunger was once again scratching at his stomach. He had stayed longer when he realised he could get more stones but he decided not to stay too long.

The sun wasn't visible but the night sky was clearly lighter, signalling to Perseus that it was early morning. Birds were chirping, even near the large tower.

Perseus heard no sound of adventurers and was now only worried about the female guard at the top of the stairs. However, it seemed he would not need to worry as she had eventually succumbed to the fate of every night shift guard.

Perseus gave a silent laugh and smile as he quickly zipped past the sleeping guard and back into the city.

As Perseus made his way back to the alleyway he had slept in before, he was pleased with the outcome of the night.

He had not only killed one monster but a whole lot of them, 28 to be exact. He had learnt how to extract the magic stone and now had a satchel almost full of them. There was only one thing left to do.

Perseus might have only been 5 and not known much about the world but there was one thing that he had learnt about pretty quickly. Money. He knew that these magic stones were not proper currency. So the final step to his first proper success and next step towards his goal was to figure out how to turn the magic stones into Valis.

He quickly decided on one decision. Just like he had done in the dungeon, he decided to learn from other adventurers. They had to make money too and they also collected magic stones. But unlike him, they knew how to do it.

So Perseus waited near the Tower entrance, ready to follow some adventurers. It didn't take long until he found the people he would pursue. A party of 6 quickly dwindled to a pair of cat boys as Perseus heard them being designated the ones to trade the stones in at a place called the guild.

'Marie has mentioned the guild a few times. I think they own the city or something like run it.'

As Perseus started tailing the two cat people through the city, he tried to be discreet. He had found a leaky pipe in his alleyway which he had used for some drinking water and to wash off the blood on his hands, though that did little to hide the awful state his clothes were in. Thankfully, Perseus gratefully found out that he could still stick with them while still staying in the shadows.

It was only 5 minutes in when they made it to a very big building. Luxurious patterns spiralled down the chalked white stone, with pillars holding up the arch that was the front door. Perseus had never seen anything like it. He had always been able to see the Tower of Babel, no matter where he was in Orario and he had seen some nice buildings when Marie had taken him out of Daedalus. But this, this was different.

"Woah"

Perseus couldn't contain a small gasp of surprise at the building.

'So this is the Guild?' The boy thought as he watched the two adventurers he had been tailing walk in. He could only wait though as he knew he could never just walk into that building without being spotted or seeming suspicious. So he waited.

After only a few minutes, the cat guys walked out, clearly storing a bag of Valis in one of their bags. Perseus caught something about queuing but he didn't care that much. He didn't need to follow the two adventurers anymore as he now knew where to bring his money but he didn't know how to do it.

I stare at the building a bit longer as I contemplate what to do. Obviously, I can't just walk in. They would instantly kick me out, or even worse catch me and send me back to the orphanage and confiscate my magic stones.

The place has begun to come alive and a steady stream of people have started making their way into the Guild. The crowd will only continue to get bigger so I am unsure what to do. I think it would be best to try and scout the area to see if there is anything at all before I leave.

So as I spot an opening in the street, I quickly dash from one back street to the other across from it. I'm not sure if anyone spotted me as I face the entrance between the two buildings, no one turned down to chase me or even look.

I take a small sigh of relief before starting to make my way to the back of the Guild. I want to check it out and see for myself what goes on. It doesn't take me long to get next to the Guild building but there are no windows near the floor for someone my size to look into and I don't want to risk jumping up in case I'm spotted. I start following the building round clockwise, knowing the other way leads to the main street.

The Guild is even bigger than I thought, taking me almost 30 seconds of crouch walking to reach the end before I turn. The backside of the white stone building is almost completely flat. The textures that decorated the front are nowhere to be seen. That is to be expected as the front is what everyone sees, while the back is barely seen.

I see a couple of people dressed in black and white uniforms standing around smoking. This must be where the staff come for a break.

'They most likely work for the guild.' I think as I see a Guild worker for the first time. They are the ones who probably know how to change the magic stones to money but it's not like I can walk up to them and just ask.

For over a minute, all I do is stare at them before a feel tap on my shoulder. Before I make any noise of surprise, a rough hand clutches over my mouth as I'm dragged away. I can't help but kick about, like the goblin I had killed earlier.

'What's going on? Am I being kidnapped? Why?'

The person who has grabbed me is stronger than me, showing that they also have a Falna. There is nothing I can do as I'm dragged further into the back alleys of Orario. I try to grab my knife from my pocket but almost as if they could read my mind, my attacker clasped my arms behind my back with only one hand, keeping the other firmly pressed over my mouth.

'What do I do?'

I repeat the same thought over and over again as I desperately try to escape but to no avail.

After what felt like ages, the kidnapper stops and drops me. They face me towards them and look me in the eye. A man with a scruffy brown beard, uncombed brown hair and hazel eyes stares back at me. He has a rough look about him but no distinguishable features, except for the large knife attached to his belt. He keeps my arms in a lock and doesn't remove his other hand either.

I can murmur and hum my annoyance and fear at being kidnapped but the man quickly shuts me up with a stare. Now I'm completely at his mercy. I don't know what he wants. Does he want to rob me? Why would he want to rob a child? Did he see me leave the dungeon and was following me as I followed the other adventurers? I would soon be given my answer.

"Oi, want to make a deal?"

'Huh? What did he say? A deal?'

I only look at him with confusion. As he holds the look for another few seconds, he gives off a sigh.

"Look, Imma remove ma hand from ya mouth, K! Don't make a noise or else I'll batter ya, got it?" His accent is thick, like the girl in the dungeon earlier but this time I can smell the scent of alcohol on the man's breath.

I give a small nod after a second of contemplation. His hand is suffocating me and the stench of alcohol overloads my nose but I don't want to disagree as a glance at his weapon is enough to make me comply.

"Alright then, but don't ya dare make a noise."

As the man slowly takes his hand away from my mouth, I am tempted to cry for help. But then I realise who would I cry for help to. If someone actually managed to come in time to rescue me, then they would find magic stones on me and that would lead me in trouble. I can do nothing but try and deal with this stranger and hopefully come out of it unharmed.

"As I said before, Ya wanna make a deal?"

I stare at him for a few seconds. I was never good at dealing with strangers, especially talking to them. If Marie didn't show that they could be trusted or easy to talk to, I could never talk to them. Internally, I was always looking for ways to avoid conversations but this time I had no choice.

"...what… deal?" I shyly ask.

The man responds with a sinister grin as if I have fallen for his trap.

"You want to make money, don'cha ya?"

My wides eyes are enough to make him laugh a little as if it was the answer he was expecting.

"How…?"

"I saw ya peakin' in the windows of the Guild and spyin on them Guild employees. You can't go in the Guild, can ya?"

He has seen straight through me. I've been caught. What can I do? Oh right the deal, why does he want to make a deal with me?

My lack of response forces the man to continue.

"I ain't one to pry but I'm 'ere to offer a generous deal. Ya see, I can go into that Guild and trade ya magic stones for ya."

I look at him with shock, my green eyes widening in surprise.

"…w-why?" I manage to squeeze out.

The man only looks down at me and grins, his slightly yellow teeth coming into view.

"Well, I'm actually in need of a bit of cash ma'self, ya see. So, if ya agree to this deal, we split wha'ever earnings you made let's say…. 50/50."

"-huh?"

"Ya see, I can't go into the dungeon anymore." He says as he begins lifting his right trouser leg. I can see a nasty scar running up it.

"Doc says I'll never fight properly again but that don't think ya can overpower me, I'm still Level 2!"

'Level…2!'

I almost freeze at the declaration of strength. A whole level ahead of me. He wasn't bluffing when he said he could still overpower me.

"Can't you… still, deal with… goblins?"

"Tch, why should I stoop so low to kill Goblins," He began with a look of disgust and annoyance as he scratched his unkept beard before slyly looking at me with his sinister grin. "when I can get youngins like you to do it for me."

He finished off with a cackle. I had never felt so uncomfortable. Goddess Penia made me feel obedient and tiny but this man gives off a feeling that I struggled to describe. I knew that he wanted to use me, it was obvious, and the man didn't even try to hide it.

"You don't… know about…me?"

"What's there to care about? You get to kill the monsters and get strong and we both get money."

"How… you…?"

"How'd I know you wanna get stronger, all ya youngins want is to get stronger, until reality hits ya like a floor boss."

Something about those words hurt me. It was as if he was saying I was just like everyone else, that I would just end up like those adventurers who grumble about having to keep dungeon diving, like him. I don't realise the experience in the man's words, as if he has dealt with it before.

But this was a lifeline, no matter how flimsy or unstable it might be.

"Look kid, ya look young and I'm tryin to be nice 'ere but to be frank, I couldn't give a shit. I'm sure there are others who would be more than willin' to accept ma kind services."

The man spoke as he turned around and started to walk away. I clenched my fists tightly. Again, I'm doing something illegal but this might be my only chance. Not all the steps I take toward my goal can be clean and unbroken. Some would be cracked and have dirt on them. This would have to be one of them.

"Wait."

The man had begun to walk away but he knew that the boy would accept his deal. He could see it in his eyes that he was alone. He was the perfect target for him. With his leg all busted up, he couldn't get into the dungeon, hell he could barely fight.

He had tried this with other adventurers before, some shady-looking people but even though he wasn't lying about his level, with his butchered leg he could barely take them on and they managed to overpower him, even though they were level 1.

This meant he had to be careful with who he picked. He had been coming this way for over a week. Then when he saw the young boy acting suspiciously, he knew this was his chance. His drunken mind never once thought about the moral implications of dragging one so young into the dirty world he lived in or how he should have been helping the kid out instead of egging him on.

The clinking of magic stones in his hand was all he needed to confirm his actions. He could tell the kid was a rookie, still green as grass. As he peered into the boy's satchel he had handed over, he saw more than he thought.

'For a rookie, he's done quite well.'

At first, the man thought he would just take the money all for himself and leave the boy, but after seeing how much he could earn at a beginner's level, he decided on a new plan. But he would need to test something.

After 5 minutes of queuing, he made it to the exchange counter.

"Familia?" the woman at the desk asked.

"Soma"

The woman gave him a raised eyebrow look but carried on her duty, as if she knew there was nothing she could do. Saying much wouldn't persuade him to do anything else.

As the man made his way back to the boy still hidden in the back alley, he recounted the money.

'Just over a thousand. Heh, that kid ain't too bad, not too bad at all.'

The man couldn't help but grin at his new finding.

"Oi kid, I'm back!"

The man saw the black-haired kid appear. He really did look young but the man didn't care. He had seen parents send in kids just as young to earn money before, he was just another one. Maybe he might last more than a month.

The man proceeded to take some coins out of the satchel and store them in another bag. He didn't think he could be this generous.

He chucked the boy the bag.

"This ones even bigger than your one so use that to gather more stones next time."

"Next…time?"

The man gave the boy a toothy grin.

"Yeah, next time. I think we might have established a partnership 'ere."

The boy gave no response and instead began looking into his own bag. The look of shock made the man grin.

'Yeah, he's dirt poor. Any money is enough money for him, I can get away with daylight robbery. This is a good investment.'

"How…much?"

The man looked at the boy before crouching down.

"Goblins don't go for much; they are the weakest in the dungeon after all. But you did manage to find almost 30 stones, which is really impressive."

The man was putting on his older voice, one he had previously used before to talk to rookies and kids. He patted the boy's head while trying to give off his best warm smile. It wasn't very convincing.

"You managed to just scrape 500 valis with all that. And I'm a man of me word, we split 50/50. So 250 each."

The boy looked at his bag of money again. After a few moments, he seemed satisfied. So the man stood back and then stuck out his hand with a drunken grin.

"The names Brant."

The boy looked at his hand before shakily putting his small hand in the clutches of the older man. Brant then gave a firm grip, almost shaking the boy's arm off.

"It's official. Ya know, it's polite to give ya name when someone else does."

Brant saw the hesitation on the boy's lips. This showed that he wasn't as naïve and stupid as Brant initially thought until the boy caved in.

"P-P-Percy."

"Nice doing business with ya Percy. I look forward to a healthy and good-natured partnership from 'ere on out."

After settling the finer details of meeting once every 3 days at the same spot, Brant walked off with a nasty grin. He counted the money he had 'earnt'. He knew exactly what he would spend it on.

'Gotta get me some more of that divine wine!'

I watch the man, Brant, walk off. I saw that his bag of money was bigger than mine. I could tell he was lying and trying to swindle me. I wanted to fight back. I wanted to make it to 50/50, maybe even argue how I'm doing more of the work so I deserve more. But then I realised that I could do nothing.

Brant was stronger than me and smarter. He had experience with this stuff and clearly had no quarrels with hurting a child. I have to be careful with him if I want to continue dealing with him.

'Of course, I have to deal with him. He's the only way I can pay Goddess Penia, the market owners… and Mother Marie.'

I look back at my bag of money once more before pushing it into my only working pocket.

'I need to go back if I want to meet Goddess Penia's tribute… I guess 250 is better than 0 anyway.'

That was the only comfort I could think of as I make my way back to the alley I was starting to get used to.

I wouldn't hang on to the money for long though as the smell of food forces me to open up my bag. Now that I have money, I will not steal again. Besides, these things are quite nice. I don't have a chance of pronouncing what they are called so I'll just call them Jagams.

I have already polished my Jagam by the time I get back to the alleyway. I settle down for a quick drink from the leaky pipe. It seems clean enough and tastes fine so I can't complain.

Then I realise I need to find a place to store my money, I can't afford to risk losing it in the dungeon and I need the bag it's stored in to collect magic stones.

After a bit of looking around, I see a small broken box near me. I quickly grab it and inspect it. It won't work to store money but it could be used as a good cover.

Finding a nice crack in one of the walls, I carefully place the little bit of Valis into the crack, tied in some cloth I ripped from my trousers, now shorts. I then place the box over the crack in the wall, thankful it is close enough to the ground and small enough for the box to cover it up. But all it would take is one person to kick it away or a strong gust of wind to expose my money. But for now, this is the best I can get.

With my bag now empty, I sit down and wait for the sun to set as I get every minute of sleep I need. I only have 5 more days before I need to pay Goddess Penia.

Brant has been introduced.

The main thing that has had me stumped with this story is how Perseus will get things done, such as exchange the magic stones or buy armour and battle clothes. I had to be creative but also realistic and grounded within the story. Then I remembered Lili's story and the Soma Familia.

However, just like how Penia is going to be so much more in this story, Brant will not just be a bully from the Soma Familia, don't you worry I have plans for him later on but for now, enjoy his dickish ways. He's going to be Perseus' introduction to the outer world and all its flaws and the dark side of Orario.

Like I said at the top, this chapter was used as a way to explain how things will be done, almost a set-up for upcoming chapters. I did it so I won't need to focus on it much in future chapters, so i'm getting it out of the way now. We haven't made much progress in terms of time but now we shall start making some progress starting next chapter, I can promise that.

Anyway, Review time:

Runelt99: You don't need detailed knowledge on the story to complain. If you think there is something you think would be better, by all means share it. Also, Perseus will have to stay unarmed until he can afford a weapon, well one that can actually hurt the monsters anyway.

alifasyraf050: So, with Perseus and Asfi's alias, I ahve thought of a pretty good reason for it. Asfi will still keep her Alias but I found a way to tie it in nicely to the story.

As for the connection with Perseus and Hermes in the mythos, Hermes helped Persesu defeat Medusa by gifting him the Hades helmet (turns him invis like in the anime) and also helped him in the way of the nymphs.

jank7457: I do have most of the story planned out. I feel like the dark ages aren't nearly explored enough, only ever used in flashbacks and old people remembering. I'm going to actually go through them. Cameos will be more frequent and stop being cameos and turn into important characters in the future. Look forward to it.

Since that's it, it's time for me to leave. Please leave your reviews if you wish to say your opinion on the story. With that, I'll see ya next time, Peace!