I do not own Danmachi/Jujutsu Kaisen or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

{Thoughts}

"Speech"

Character Sheet / System Text

"Tvs, Radios, Texts, and newspapers…"

(Disclaimers)

*Onomatopoeia*

"Cursed Speech"


I cut through another Frog Shooter's eye, impaling it all the way through, destroying its magic stone as a result.

I don't care though. I continue moving forward to the next enemy. The next monster.

He was right. Everything he had said was right.

I really am nothing but a weakling. I did nothing but give adventurers a bad name and drag Mikey down.

I hate it. I hate it so much.

I scream as I slash at a War Shadow just as its sharp knife fingers scratch my torso, ignoring the stinging pain in my stomach in favor of digging my blade as deep as I can into its neck.

Tears continue flooding down my cheeks as I stumble back from the disintegrating War Shadow.

I hear something behind me and quickly jump to the side just before a newly appeared War Shadow stabs the air I was just in. I watch as it lets out a series of rumbling noises that sounds like a growl before I realize that it let out a single rumble and that there were multiple War Shadows behind it growling.

I raise my blade in front of me and shout with all of my might before charging forward.

A symphony of slashing, piercing, and shouting ensues as I fight with all I've got against these monsters that I should have no business standing against.

I parry one of the War Shadow's fingers before slashing it in half and turning to the next one, never stopping my charge no matter how bad my injuries bled, no matter how my muscles ached, no matter how much my body begged for rest.

I refuse it. I refuse it all.

I refuse to forever stand behind Mikey as he holds himself back for my sake. I refuse to watch him do everything for our familia as I reap the benefits and leech off of him.

If I ever want to stand next to him… If I ever want to stand next to HER…

I need to keep going.

So… I refuse to stop.

I shout at the top of my lungs and jump at the last War Shadow and plunge my blade deep into its chest as it screeches in my face.

But I do not flinch.

It eventually disintegrates into smoke as I take a step back and almost fall from the weakness in my legs.

But I don't.

And I won't.

I can't afford to fall here. I still need to live up to Mikey's expectations of me. To stand next to him.

To reach her.

I keep standing in place for minutes with tears flowing down my cheeks, unwilling to fall but unable to move. It feels agonizing.

"Are you done?" I hear the familiar words of Mikey echo in my ears as I grit my teeth and take a step forward, feeling the pain rampage through my entire body but ignoring it in favor of continuing to move.

"... No… I'm not done." I answer Mikey's ghost as I tighten my fist until it becomes pale and I take another step forward.

"... I am not an echo whispering in your ear. I am actually here." My eyes widen as I painfully turn around to see Mikey leaning on his spear while staring at me with his usual blank face.

[POV Swap]

I watch as Bell's face grows into a deep shade of red and I smirk.

"The right answer to that question was 'Yes', actually. You are in no condition to fight after foolishly rushing to the 6th floor alone with no armor and a single Tanto." He lowers his head with a deeper blush, but this time his expression is pained and sad.

I sigh.

"... You've grown so much ever since you started. I'm proud of you." I move to him slowly and hug him as he looks up at me with widened eyes before his eyes fill with tears and he hides his face in my cloak.

"... You have family and friends waiting for you at home. You are not allowed to die. Am I understood?" I feel him stiffen in my grasp before he sniffles and slowly nods.

We stand there for a minute as I keep an eye out on the surroundings and feel Edias change her attention to somewhere else.

Eventually, I feel Bell fully collapse in my arms as he falls asleep.

I silently pick him up and grimace at the image of me carrying a sleeping adventurer out of the dungeon.

People might ask questions… Thankfully not a lot of people enter the dungeon at this time so I should be able to sneak out somewhat effectively…?

I'm counting on Edias to not get gang-banged by monsters on my way up.

I take out a potion of healing and force it down the unconscious Bell's mouth as the injuries on him slowly close.

T'was an Elixir. Money well spent in my opinion.

I lift Bell up and begin my tread upwards as I pass by empty walls and corridors, dodging any monsters that were already spawned before I was here and hiding from the small number of adventurers still in the dungeon at this time.

Not because I'm doing anything wrong. It's just in case any of them try anything funny while I'm handicapped.

I eventually make my way out of the dungeon without anyone noticing me and begin heading home with Bell sleeping on my back. I pick up the bag of food I left at the dungeon's entrance and smile when I see that everything is still inside.

The moon shines above brightly as I make my way through the streets and districts silently with efficiency.

As I continue walking in silence, my thoughts begin drifting.

That one command I used on Bete took all of my Cursed Energy and put me on the verge of Mind Down.

ONE command.

If Bete made his way back fast enough I'd probably have died in a single hit from him from how tired I was.

Not that I'd survive a serious hit from him even if I was at full power, but my point still stands.

I've been focused on bringing Bell up so that he can fucking live against the shit that Freya is gonna throw at him, but now I realize…

What about the shit that's gonna be thrown at me?

My existence might be less attractive to Freya (to my knowledge), but it's leagues more enticing to literally every other god out there.

After all, Bell's main trait that would gain envy was fast growth, which I also have.

And it's not the only thing I have. I have Cursed Speech and Cursed Energy Manipulation too.

I don't know how Apollo was the only familia that went after Bell directly (not counting Ishtar), but with me here… There are probably going to be dozens more coming after me and Bell.

It seems I need to step up my efforts in the dungeon. I've been slacking and not even going further than the 8th floor despite having the capability to go down to the 12th floor easily.

Fucking hell, I have my lowest stat at B, which most people barely have more than 2 stats higher than.

I gotta step it up. Maybe even go down to the 17th floor some time to push myself.

I also have to start scouting out the Familias that I am very sure we'll be coming into conflict with. Those are Soma, Apollo, Ishtar, and Freya.

To my knowledge, those are the only familias that Bell has shit with in the story canon.

Soma had like 3 level 2s I think? Or it may just have been the Captain as the level 2. Something like that, I think.

Apollo had many level 2s with a single level 3 as the captain. The dude who was gay for Apollo and mad at Bell because Apollo was gay for Bell.

Though Bell is dangerously close to a femboy with his looks so I can understand. If he wore girl clothes I'd probably not find anything wrong if I spotted him in a crowd.

Huh. That'd be a good way to have him gather information. Operation Femboy Bell is a go! OFB!

No homo though.

Ishtar has like… a level 5? Or was it a level 4? It's the fat ugly frog bitch. I can probably check in the guild archives.

I also should start working on getting Haruhime the fuck outta that shit. No fox waifu will be harmed on my watch.

That's gonna be tough though since she's an important piece of Ishtar's plan or whatever. Not that I care though.

She's a bigger THOT than even Freya. Mostly because she's a jealous bitch.

Also, Freya at least has SOME standards. Mainly being unique souls.

I am not biased because of my boy Gilgamesh.

Last but not least, Freya. The big boy.

Level 5s, Level 6s, and Level 7s. She has it all.

I'll probably need to be level 6 at the least if I want a chance at beating the shit out of her Familia. Though that's extremely debatable because Ottar is a monster I believe.

Oh yeah, hasn't he been level 7 for years now? He must be close to 8. I'll probably need level 7 at least then.

I stop musing to myself as I finally reach the Hestia Manor and find Hestia herself sitting outside while holding her arms together and shivering.

She must have been waiting for us. Why is she sitting out in the cold? Stupid goddess…

"Being a goddess doesn't mean you're immune to colds, Hestia." I call out with narrowed eyes as her head snaps towards my voice and she launches out of her position to jump at me while sobbing.

"Y-you idiot! Where have you both been!? I was waiting for you…" She hugs me for a second before she feels Bell on my back and her eyes widen.

"What happened to my Bell?!" Her panicked voice makes me wince a little.

"Let's go inside. You're cold. That's non-negotiable. Bell needs to lay in a bed." I stare at her with narrowed eyes when she tries to argue and she reluctantly begins heading inside while looking away from me with embarrassment.

We enter the manor and I take Bell to Hestia's room, as it has a fireplace, and place him in the bed before lighting up the wood and throwing several blankets at Hestia's face.

She grumbles and wraps herself up in the blankets like a Burrito before glaring at me from her burrito throne.

"Now, explain what happened!" It's hard to take her seriously when only her face can be seen through the blankets. I try to hold my laughter back though and begin speaking.

"You remember the Minotaur incident?" She nods with a frown. "Bell was saved by a certain familia from the Minotaur back then. Today, we were invited to a tavern by one of the workers and were going to grab some food before coming back with something for you. While we were sitting, the familia that saved Bell entered and one of them began making fun of Bell and mocking him for needing help against the minotaur down in the dungeon." Her face becomes 'fierce' which makes me smile slightly.

"Bell eventually could not take it anymore and dashed out of the pub. I paid for our food and the door I broke and chased after him. The idiot decided that to stop being weak he should head into the 6th floor of the dungeon with no armor, no potions, a single Tanto, and without me." Hestia pales significantly and looks at Bell worriedly.

"Did he get all of those injuries while down there? How did he get so hurt before you saved him?" I sigh.

"Yes, he got all of those injuries down there. I allowed him to fight until he could no longer do so and did not interfere at all until he was finished." She looks at me in shock before her gaze turns into a glare.

"What in the world gave you the idea that what you did was in any way reasonable and not ridiculously idiotic!?" I wryly smile at the angry burrito goddess glaring at me.

"Bell looks up to me. A lot. If I held his hand forever… eventually, that admiration may turn into loathing, and instead of idolizing me, he'd begin to feel inferior to me." Hestia grows shocked at my words as I continue.

"He was having an adventure. Who was I to stop it? He wanted to give his everything into that adventure. To prove that he can one day stand next to me. Who was I to deny him? I watched over him. I made sure he was as safe as one can be during an adventure. But… other than that? Any interference from me would be limiting his growth." She looks slightly put off by my words and a frown remains plastered on her face.

"Hestia, worrying over Bell's life is completely reasonable." Hestia smiles slightly and nods. "But… Controlling his life is not." Her smile falls.

"What do you mean by that?" She narrows her eyes at me.

"You're a goddess, Hestia. You're immortal. Even if you die here in the mortal world, you'll simply just go back to your godly realm up there. Bell on the other hand has a limited lifespan just as any other mortal does. Trying to control his life will only breed resentment in him. Your job as a goddess is to guide and advise, not control and dictate. Coddling him forever like he's a toy is something I'd expect from a different goddess, not you." Her glare turns sharp but I don't back down with my stare.

It seems that Goddess Hestia has come out for once instead of just Hestia.

"Bell has a bright future ahead of him. I refuse to let anyone stop him from grasping his dreams, not even his and my own goddess." I narrow my own eyes at her as the room grows silent.

The atmosphere turns slightly cold as we stare at each other without saying anything, waiting for the other to back down first.

After a few tense moments, someone eventually does.

"Haah… You're right…" Hestia breathes out a tired sigh and snuggles deeper into her burrito blanket as a small triumphant smirk makes its way to my face.

Not that she can see it.

"Your view on the lives of Gods is concerning though, Mikey." She brings her face up from her blanket and stares at me with narrowed eyes as I smile.

"I have been blessed with wisdom and knowledge that no other mortal can compete with in this world." Her eyebrows twitch and she stares at me with confusion while tilting her head.

I was talking about my extensive media knowledge on Manga, Anime, Books, and Movies. Which is indeed something only I have in this world.

Maybe if these losers had culture, they'd actually stand a chance. Too bad, so sad.

"... I see." She sighs again. "I really am cursed with the most troublesome child in the world." I deadpan at her as she smirks at me.

"You're not wrong. Pretty sure we're gonna be obliterating the Soma, Apollo, Ishtar, and Freya familias eventually." She jumps out of her chair and trips on her blankets, face-planting into the ground as she screams.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?" She gets up like nothing happened and lunges at me with malicious intent.

I extend my foot to intercept her lunge as she lets out an 'oomph' at the impact of my foot on her face.

I follow the teachings of Lord Kazuma bitch. Don't try me.

"Are you delusional or do you not think that other familias are going to eventually try to take me and Bell away from you?" She squeals in rage at my blank expression as her face turns an unhealthy red.

Oh no~ She's angry.

"Great heavens… Can I just give you away and keep Bell? I'm sure they can agree to that trade." She facepalms while letting out another pained groan.

"Wow. That was too hurtful. Hit me right here." I poke my heart without changing my expression as Hestia lets out another groan.

"At least look hurt, I need at least one win today…" I chuckle at her face.

"I didn't know my goddess was a sadist. No wonder you're a virgin goddess. All the gods are too afraid of what you'd do to them if they approached you." Her head snaps to me as a scandalous expression encompasses her entire face alongside an explosive blush.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN SADIST YOU MENACE OF A CHILD!" She points at me with an embarrassed glare as I laugh.

"I am blessed with wisdom and knowledge rivaled by no other in this world. That's how." I smirk as she covers her temples with her hands and begins massaging them.

"... You say a single word to Bell and you're dead. I'll kill you as brutally as I can before killing myself and grabbing your soul to be eternally tortured." She glares at me as I chuckle at her wryly.

"How sadistic…" She facepalms again as I continue laughing.

"You are insufferable…" I watch her stand up and collect her blankets before wrapping herself in her blanket burrito again.

"There's a party hosted by Ganesha happening tomorrow night that I'll be attending, you'll have to take care of him tomorrow." She informs me as I tilt my head.

"Bell is not going to the dungeon tomorrow, I've already decided that. Could you take care of him until midday so that I can get some work done? You can go shopping after that. I'll even throw some extra budget into your spending money so you can look good." She perks up and smiles happily. "For once."

Her happiness fades into a glare as I smirk.

"Hmph. I look good in everything. You just have no taste or fashion sense you annoying child!" She crosses her arms (presumably, as it's hidden under the blankets) and pouts at me as I laugh lightly.

"Taste in fashion? Need I remind you of the white 'dress' you used to wear? The one that looked at least 2 sizes smaller than it should be and left absolutely nothing to the imagination? If it wasn't for how much of a sadist you are I'd not believe the fact that you're one of the virgin goddesses." She looks at me indignantly but doesn't say anything to disprove me.

We've had this conversation half a dozen times and I win every time.

Not like she wins any other argument anyway. Ehe~

I shake my head with amusement as I listen to her grumble something under her breath. Probably something something annoying child something something.

"Whatever. Now get out of my room! I'm gonna go sleep next to my Bell~" She smiles dreamily as I deadpan.

"You're the one that's actually 'insufferable' when it comes to 'your Bell'. I mean, really. Shouldn't you be a little embarrassed at how shameless you are?" She blushes in embarrassment but quickly pushes me out of the room before slamming it shut.

Oh well.


[The Next Day]

I take a deep breath as I take my first step into floor 12. The last floor before the middle floors. One that a person that hasn't even adventured for a month should have any business being in.

I feel Edias's confusion through our link as I've never gone too deep into the dungeon without clearing the earlier floors.

"Sorry Edias, I'm in a rush to gain strength right now. How about you send out everything you have at me here so that I can clear this floor as fast as I can?" I feel it vibrate in ecstasy as the entire floor begins shaking.

Oh… Haha, I'm in danger!

I stare incomprehensibly at the several dozen Imps and Orcs falling from the ceiling before I quickly begin running deeper into the dungeon floor away from the exits.

"Edias! Spawn the monsters on me once I am AWAY from the entrance to the floor." I feel Edias turn… embarrassed?

I run at a jogging pace as the Orcs and Imps that spawned run after me, away from the entrance.

There is a path from the entrance of the 12th floor to the entrance to the 13th that most adventurers adventure on, mostly because it's not usually changed much and paved in a way that ensures they don't get lost if they try to escape.

Then there is the rest of the floor that lives up to the whole murder dungeon thing Edias has going on. Maze-like walls, constantly shifting placement, monsters roaming and spawning in just about every inch of the damned place, and a cold atmosphere to welcome you to hell when you eventually die.

I, of course, venture into these outskirt areas when I'm alone as I am aware of a simple fact that protects me, unlike these other losers adventuring in the dungeon.

Edias is my bitch. At any time I can call a time-out and she'd obey just like that.

So… free unused space that is almost never explored by anyone else other than me? Sign me the fuck up.

I eventually find a nice clearing (that was totally not created by Edias for my sake) and let out a satisfied sigh while turning around to face the incoming Orcs and Imps.

"Alright, you fucks. Come at me. I'm sorry that I intruded on your discord admin meeting." I smirk as they become enraged at my taunt somehow and charge.

Readying my spear and tensing, I infuse my spear with my CE as a purple aura engulfs it before lunging forward to intercept the first group of imps that ran ahead of the orcs.

I swipe forward, cleanly bisecting a couple of them before kicking an imp into two others and spinning to slam my spear at an imp that jumped at me. The spear strikes its neck, decapitating it gruesomely. I then turn and lunge at the Imp I kicked and its friends while thrusting my spear, impaling all of them on my spear.

They got the Odin treatment.

I raise my spear and slash it at the incoming horde, throwing the three Imps at the vanguard. I jump after them at the incoming horde with a grin as I slaughter my way through the crowd.

An orc raises a wooden club it must've picked up while running and I jump at its face with my spear raised, impaling its skull as the edge of the spear pops out from the back of its head.

I do a 180, turning around, and let out a cry of determination as I lift my spear with all of my strength and lift the orc off the ground and above me before slamming it down over a dozen imps and then dragging it to slam into another orc.

I take my spear out of the impaled orc's skull and sidestep just as two other orcs punch my previous location.

I quickly turn and use my momentum to send one of their heads into the shadow realm before steadying myself and facing the other one.

"Get Twisted!" I call out as all of the residents of this clearing lose a head, a leg, an arm, or their torso.

I finish off the de-armed orc in front of me before feeling the dungeon shift behind me and turning around.

I am greeted with a few dozen Bad Bats, Hard Armored Armadillos, and 2 infant dragons standing between even more Imps and Orcs.

"... Whatever I did, I'm sorry, Edias. Please have mercy on my ass." I feel Edias shift in amusement as the two Infant Dragons open their mouths with fire gathering between their jaws.

Huh, didn't know that they had a fire breath…

Hm. Yes. That fire is aimed at me.

Fuck.

"... Die." I mutter tiredly as I impale my spear through the infant dragon's head, watching the spear pierce through its brain and out of its skull as it lets out one last growl before dying.

It's over.

I look around at the nearby terrain as I inspect my work.

It's destroyed. Fire is everywhere, the terrain is uneven and filled with cracks and craters. I crumbled and crushed the monsters at some points so the craters are everywhere.

I let out a sigh of relief as I step off the Infant Dragon and land on the ground, instantly collapsing on my back.

I'm not completely spent, physically at least, but that was a giant step up from all that I've had to fight so far, minus the Minotaurs. Also, the bad bats are a menace that needs to be exterminated.

"Ediasss~ Could you not spawn in any Bad Bats please~" I plead with a pout as I feel the dungeon shift under me with amusement.

"My poor eardrums… Why did you create such a monstrosity?" The dungeon shifts incomprehensibly as I deadpan.

The Bad Bats are bat-like monsters that let out a screech that ruptures your eardrums and sanity. They are a menace to society and should be exterminated immediately.

"I have no idea what that means but I disagree wholeheartedly." I feel something shift on the roof and see an imp breaking out of the roof and falling at me.

"Blast Away." It obeys, and I watch its body fly away and slam into a wall.

"That was rude. What if I got hurt because I was so spent from fighting that war you inflicted on me? What would you do then? Hmmmm?" The dungeon shifts in amusement again and I feel concentrations of Cursed Energy gather everywhere around me, ceiling, walls, and roof.

"... Let's not do anything we will regret, Edias… You know me, right? It's me, Mikey! No need to pull out the infant dragons…" My smile is strained as I feel Edias shift with more amusement, giving me a feeling of denial.

I suddenly hear a growl from under me and I look to the wall my feet are facing, watching an Infant Dragon break out of the wall and face me.

"Why are you the way you are?" The floor shakes once again and I curse my stupid mouth (haha, get it?).

I slowly make my way back up to the surface with a minor limp in my steps.

Round 2 with Edias was tough. She really sucked everything out of me until I couldn't take anything more, and then she kept going. She was so unrelenting, I almost lost consciousness.

Ehe~

Edias is currently producing waves of happiness and some sort of… contentment?

I did kill a ton of monsters so I guess she must be happy about losing all of that Cursed Energy on a lower floor. Good on her.

I continue walking from the 9th-floor to the 8th-floor entrance while looking around at the nearby adventurers.

The fog on the 12th floor is usually really annoying but my CE senses basically negate the lack of sight problems. Though, being able to actually see is comforting.

It's also kind of difficult to react to a Silverback dropping on my ass from above when it just spawned. Edias has no chill.

I break out of my musing as a group of adventurers step in my way and block the path up to the 8th floor while standing there 'threateningly'.

I narrow my eyes at the group. There are 6 of them there in average level 1 gear. The thing that grabs my attention though was the Soma familia insignia on all of their gear.

The adventurer at the front of the group swaggers towards me with a cocky smirk as the group chuckles at something.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I ask with no changes in my expression, already aware of what's about to happen.

"Hehe… Yes, actually. Me and my buddies here are going out drinking tonight and we noticed that we're lacking some drinking funds, and I noticed yesterday at the Hostess that you have one of those bags of holding for money, which means that you carry around quite a sum of money with you, no? How about lending me- us that bag for tonight? Help out a couple buddies?" The leader of the goons gets right in front of my face and reaches out for my pouch of money.

I sigh and grab his wrist before he can touch my money.

His eyes rise from my bag to my own eyes as we stare down. His goons behind him stop laughing slowly and begin reaching for their weapons.

"... Are you sure you want to do that to the person that sent a level 5 from the Loki Familia flying?" I slowly ask him while staring him in the eye, watching him chuckle.

"You're not fooling anyone, buddy. You were on the verge of mind down after that one spell or whatever it was you used. I'm a level 2 from the Soma Familia, are you sure you want to mess with me?" His other hand reaches out for the one on his wrist and grips it in a vice grip.

I think he's trying to crush my wrist. What a loser.

"I see… I was not aware you were a level 2." My words make him smirk before I continue. "That makes things easier…"

Before he could ask what that means, I speak.

"Stop Breathing." The entire group still for a moment before widening their eyes and reaching for their throats.

The one in front of me stares in horror as I let go of his wrist and take a step back, watching him fall to the ground and grip his throat.

"... I heard dying from lack of oxygen is extremely painful. Sadly, any other way of killing you might lead back to me. I can't have that now, can I?" The man stares at me with pleading eyes full of tears as his mouth opens, trying to get air.

"After all, your familia is destined to be destroyed by me eventually. I can't tip them off yet before I'm prepared." His eyes widen at my words before he looks back at his group, finding them to already be either dead or unconscious.

"... I see that a level 2 can last longer without oxygen than a level 1, hm?" I watch him stare at me in anger and try to grab his sword, only to fail at unsheathing it.

"Don't worry, I know what you must be thinking. They're going to find your body and investigate me before avenging you. Right?" His eyes light up in anger and a smirk makes its way to his face.

"I've got that one covered as well. Edias? Some Killer Ants, Kobolds, and Goblins, please. Dispose of their bodies and have the Kobolds and Goblins take their gear for themselves." The man watches in horror as the dungeon suddenly begins creating the monsters I requested.

I smile as I feel Edias's glee through the walls. She still hates adventurers other than me (and Bell, mostly because of me) so this probably appeases her.

"I'll leave you to get acquainted with your new friends. If you're lucky, they'll kill you first before beginning to eat. If not…" I begin walking past the group and to the entrance to the 8th floor.

"Oh well. Not my problem. See you in hell." With that dealt with, I continue on my way back up to the surface.

I guess the Soma familia DID have multiple level 2s. One less now, but still.


[Hestia Manor]

After dropping by the Hostess to make sure no problems happened because of my actions yesterday, I made my way back to the manor.

"I'm home." I call out when I walk through the front door, immediately freezing at the scene in front of me.

Bell is surrounded by blankets that are being held by Hestia like they're a leash, and Bell is currently trying his hardest to escape Hestia as she tries to hold him back.

They both stop and look at me for a second.

""MIKEY! HELP ME!"" They yell out at the same time.

"... What in the nine hells is going on?" I eventually ask after they continue their tug-of-war game.

"BELL IS TRYING TO GO BACK TO THE DUNGEON!" "The Goddess doesn't want to let me go!" Hestia easily outspoken Bell with how fucking loud she is.

"Bell. You are not allowed to go to the dungeon today, that was Captain's orders." Bell stares at me in betrayal as Hestia puffs her chest out in triumph.

"B-but… I'm fine, I promise!"

Bell cowers under the look both Hestia and I send him after that declaration.

"You're not fine, you're an idiot. Now, do I have to get some rope and tie you to your bed or will you obediently not leave the house?" His face pales significantly before he nods hesitantly and Hestia lets out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's dealt with! How was your dungeon dive today Mikey?" Hestia lets go of the blankets she was using to leash Bell and looks at me with a smile.

"It was alright. The 12th floor is unlike anything I've had to deal with so far." Hestia freezes in place as Bell's jaw drops.

"I-" Hestia starts loudly, but stops herself. "I have a party to prepare for. I'm not dealing with this." She grabs her shoes and bag and walks past me with a glare while grumbling.

"Did you get enough money for everything you're gonna buy or do you need more?" She waves me off and slams the door behind her.

I slowly turn to look at Bell as he turns away from me to look at the floor.

"I guess we're stuck together until Hestia comes back. Which is probably not gonna happen for a while. How are you feeling, Bell?"

"I'm alright… When am I gonna be able to go to the dungeon again?" He squirms impatiently while staring at me with puppy eyes, which I return with my dull unphased ones.

"When you've learned to not be an idiot and are fully healed." He lowers his head in embarrassment and I smirk.

"Now, what do you know about rock paper scissors?" He tilts his head at me in confusion as I prepare to teach him my boundless game knowledge.

[Hestia POV]

I hum contently as I make my way into the giant party hall.

I watch as many of the other gods look at me with awe because of the sheer beauty I'm exuding by simply walking.

It has nothing to do with the beautiful dark blue dress with white accents that gives it the illusion of a starry night that I'm currently wearing right now, alongside the many golden accessories and jewelry I wore.

I spot many groups of gods and goddesses gossiping while looking at me, and I puff my chest out slightly.

A month ago I'd be sneaking around this party everywhere, probably with a box to gather some food and sneak it out.

Now, thanks to my awesome children, I'm the focus of the party with my amazing good looks and beautiful jewelry and dress!

I walk through the tables while looking around, eventually spotting the person I am looking for.

"Hephaestus! It's so good to see you again!" I call out happily as Hephaestus freezes before sighing and turning around, only to freeze again once she spots me, eyes widening and jaw-dropping, how adorable!

Hehe~ I knew I'd surprise her.

"Hestia… I'm happy to see that you are… well?" She begins hesitantly with an awkward smile as I smirk.

She must be feeling awkward at seeing me for the first time since she kicked me out.

"Yes! I've got two amazing children that worked really hard to get me these things. I cannot be any prouder of them than I am." I puff my chest out again proudly as I think of my two children.

My bright Bell, the cutest most adorable child in existence!

… Michael. The most annoying and troublesome child in existence… But also one of the most competent and trustworthy one as well.

He's also shrouded with mystery that would entice any self-respecting god or goddess no matter what. We came down to the mortal world for entertainment, and with a mystery like him? He's practically an oasis and the gods are dehydrated men in a desert.

"... I'm glad to see that you were able to make your own familia and build it up so quickly. Tell me, what are they like?" She asks me with narrowed eyes.

She's such a softy. Probably worried that they may be taking advantage of me or something. Thankfully, neither of them is the type to do anything like that!

"Well-" Before I could begin talking about my amazing children, a melodious voice interrupts me.

"Oh my, what do we have here? It's been so long since I've seen you, Hestia, Hephaestus. I see you two are still the best of friends." The goddess of beauty, Freya, walks next to me and Hephaestus with an excessively sweet smile that made me want to vomit.

"Oh… It's you." I dryly comment as Hephaestus turns to me in shock and Freya puts a hand to her mouth and laughs lightly.

Stupid poser. The only thing you have on me is height!

… Bell doesn't care for height, right…?

"Oho~? Saying something like that… Am I bothering you, Hestia?" She asks with a hand covering her mouth as my eyebrows twitch.

"Not really, I just don't like you very much." Hephaestus facepalms next to me as I use my newly learned skill from Michael and look at Freya with a blank face.

Freya giggles. "That's what I like about you most, Hestia. You're quite honest."

My eyebrows twitch again.

I don't wanna associate with this bitch. A wise man once said, begone… THOT!

That wise man was Michael as he explained 'culture' to us because, and I quote, 'no Familia member or goddess of mine will be uncultured under my watch. Y'all better get those notebooks and pens out because you're about to be educated.'

Truly, a weird but cultured child I have.

"Heyyyyyyyyy~ Fei-Fei! Freya~! –ITTY BITTY!?" Loki comes barreling through the party like the barbarian that she is before stopping and staring at me, slack-jawed.

I proudly puff my chest out as I watch her stare at me in shock. That's what you get you annoying flat-chested trickster! Revel in my unparalleled beauty and grace! … Ignore Freya that's next to me…

"... You're a lot less annoying than some of the other goddesses around here." I turn to Freya, ignoring Loki's presence knowing that it will annoy her.

"Hey Hey Hey~ Don't ignore me! Is this how you greet me after not seeing each other for so long?!" Loki roughly worms her way in between all of us like the annoying bug that she is.

"Why hello there, Loki. It's good to see you again." Freya smiles at Loki as the latter snorts at her before turning to me.

"Hey… Itty-Bitty… Where did you steal that dress? It looks too expensive for someone like you to be wearing it. I promise I won't tell if you tell me what poor mortal you stole it from." She smirks at me and tries to poke my cheek but I swat her hand away.

"I did not steal anything! My dress and jewelry were bought with the Valis my amazing children worked for. How about you tell me which poor fashion designer you had to confuse when you were giving your dress measurements? They must've thought that you were just a guy that's a weirdo and likes to wear dresses!" She physically recoils at my words as Hephaestus facepalms again and Freya hides her mouth again while chuckling.

"Oiii! That's too rude, Itty-Bitty!" Loki attempts to grab my cheeks, but I learned Kung-Fu and easily deflect her attacks!

I am trained in making early 2000s pop cultural references, and am the top ogre in the entire far far away armed forces. You are nothing to me but another Drek. I will wipe you out with precision the likes of which have never been seen in Dreamworks, mark my fucking words!

I don't know what half of these words mean but Michael told me I'd look more intimidating if I chanted these words in my mind while fighting.

It must've worked because the three goddesses were looking at me weirdly, probably because they were intimidated!

"What are you even doing here, Loki? Not that I mind, mind you. I'm just curious." Hephaestus, who was quietly facepalming this entire time, finally speaks up for the first time since Freya came here.

"Well~ a little birdy told me that Itty-Bitty was coming to this party, so I thought I'd come here with a dress since I thought she'd be too poor to afford one herself. Turns out she's secretly a professional thief or something." An annoyed tick makes its way onto my face as I cross my arms.

"I told you! I did not steal anything. This is all because of the hard work of my dear Bell and Mikey!" I glare at the annoying trickster goddess but notice Freya shift slightly after my words.

"Right right~ I totally believe ya. I know that you only descended a couple of months ago, and only made a familia even more recently. How could I believe that you didn't just steal the dress when there's no possible way you bought it legitimately?" She crosses her arms while blowing a raspberry at me, and I respond by crossing my arms in a way that emphasizes my breasts, making Loki grit her teeth.

"Maybe my children are just built different?" I smirk at her as she glares while continuing to grit her teeth.

"Hmph. My Ais is leagues better than both of your children combined!" She lunges at me once again, attempting to pinch my cheeks, but to no avail!

I am proficient in Karate, Taekwondo, Jiu-Jutsu, Wing Chun, Muay Thai, and several hundred other Martial Arts!

I see Hephaestus push her face deeper into her palm while Freya continues giggling.

Loki capitalizes on my distraction by feinting an attack before switching it up and successfully pinching my right cheek.

OH NO! ABORT! SHE'S BREACHED THE VANGUARD!

"Take this you damned Itty-Bitty!" She begins pinching my cheeks as I quickly begin my counterattack, clawing at her face myself.

"You will regret this! I bet they mistook you for a flat table when you first entered the hall with how flat you are!" Loki recoils and I take the chance to continue my counterattack.

"If you stay still enough, a waiter may come and accidentally place food and drinks on you because they'll mistake you for a table 'cause of how flat you are!" She comes back with full force and angrily begins pinching my cheeks.

"You- YOU!- I'll get you for this you stupid Itty-Bitty!" I see tears begin to gather in Loki's eyes and smirk.

Wait, when did Freya get a glass of wine? Hephaestus too!?

Wait, there's a crowd surrounding us while cheering!

I push Loki away as we both glare at each other before turning to the chuckling Freya and wry Hephaestus.

"This isn't over, Itty-Bitty! I will have my revenge!" Loki looks back at me before storming off, tears leaking from her eyes as I smirk in victory.

Thank you, Shishou, for your guidance!

A mirage of Michael giving me a thumbs-up with a blank expression appears in my vision for a second before disappearing.

Weird.

The crowd around us begins dispersing after Loki leaves, all of them returning to their food, drinks, and conversations.

"Fufufu… Well isn't that interesting? Loki seems to have mellowed out significantly ever since she's come down to the mortal world." Freya comments with amusement as Hephaestus sighs and nods in agreement.

"Yeah, back then it was nothing but fighting to the death and threats of fighting to the death. She sure has changed since back then." Hephaestus comments wryly as I huff.

"She hasn't changed that much in my opinion..." They both stare at me with amusement and I pout.

"It's probably because she took a liking to her children. That's changed her." Hephaestus comments and I look at her wryly.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I've got that in common with her. My children have changed me quite a lot." Hephaestus raises her eyebrow(s) at me and smirks.

"Did you not tell me that you did not look at the children like that not long ago?" I blush and look away.

"I… didn't have any children back then. I wasn't aware that it would change me like that. I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world, though. My two children are the most precious thing in the world to me." My smile could not get any brighter as Hephaestus's face softens and Freya's smile widens.

"Oh? Are your two children really that great?" Freya asks me with interest and I feel that something is off.

"Well… My Bell is amazing! He's patient, understanding, and unbelievably kind. Michael… is the most irritating child there is. A true troublemaker, annoyingly snarky, and too perceptive for his own good! … Though he's extremely reliable, and his cautiousness and knowledge have probably saved Bell and maybe even myself quite a bit…" Freya looks at me with extreme interest which gives me an uncomfortable feeling in my gut.

I turn to look at Hephaestus who's just looking at me with raised eyebrows before turning back to Freya.

"I see… It seems you really love your children, Hestia." Freya closes her eyes and smiles making the feeling in my gut intensify.

"Ah, I heard about your children from… a source. Both of them have a lighter hair color with purple and red eyes, right?" Hephaestus asks me with slightly focused eyes.

Ehe~ She totally asked around the guild to make a background check on my children.

"Yep! The red eyes belong to my Bell. The purple ones are Michael." I comment while watching Freya at the edge of my vision.

"I see." Hephaestus says simply as Freya puts her glass down on a nearby table.

"It seems that it's about time I retire for the night. I've gotten the information I came here to get, there's no reason to waste any more time here." Hephaestus furrows her brows in confusion as I stare at Freya incomprehensibly.

"You didn't even ask anything since coming here though?" Hephaestus mutters in confusion as Freya ignores her in favor of looking at me.

"It was nice speaking to you again, Hestia. I will be taking my leave now, I've gotten bored of all of the men here." My eyebrows twitch as she turns around and slowly walks through the hall.

The twitching intensifies when I notice that some gods that were gathering around here and puffing their chests out to be noticed suddenly begin moving away.

"Wow…" I stare with half-lidded eyes as Hephaestus chuckles next to me before breathing out an amused sigh.

"She is a goddess of beauty after all. It's only natural." She comments with humor and I smile.

"That is true." I nod before remembering something important.

"Right! Hephy- Err…" I begin and then pause as Hephaestus turns to look at me with sharp eyes immediately.

"... You only use that nickname when you're about to ask for something." She states with sharply narrowed eyes as I smile sheepishly and squirm.

"I-I'm not asking for money or anything like that, promise!" I state quickly to placate her as she smiles wryly at me.

"I see… and what is it that you want?" She dryly asks and I wince.

"I need a little favor…" I start and she sighs making me wince again.

"Yes…?"

"I need you to make me a weapon for Bell!"

[The Next Day, Michael POV]

Hestia hasn't returned, which means she's probably begging for a weapon for Bell right now.

Which is kinda weird considering how the gear I've been getting us is quite good, but she probably feels that she has to help out somehow since I'm doing all of the heavy-lifting for the familia right now.

Actually, shouldn't I be the one to get the self-improving weapon? I'm the one working my ass off for this familia!

Though it's probably because Hestia feels like Bell needs a lot more help than I do. My talk about him staying in my shadow may have convinced her of that fact.

Speaking of which, it's about time we get prepared to go dungeon diving!

I slowly rise from the couch I was sleeping on and look at Bell who's drooling on the other couch in the living room while sleeping.

We had a mini sleepover yesterday as I told him stories of heroes from all types of anime, manga, and books. We also played a ton of games that I makeshifted like Monopoly, Uno, and even some chess.

He got rekt in chess though. L

Though chess is probably already a thing, it's just a country boy like Bell wouldn't know about it.

Oh well.

"Bell. Wake up." I walk next to him and try to shake him awake as he grumbles in his sleep.

"Do you not want to go to the dungeon today? Very well. I'll be going alone, then." With that declaration, Bell's eyes widened and he shot out of bed like a missile.

"I'M AWAKE!" He screams out while turning to stare at me pleadingly.

"Go gear up immediately. You have 5 minutes." I command and Bell blitzes his way to his room while I stand there in the living room.

It's around 7 in the morning right now. I'll go with Bell until 12 before telling him to return and grinding for a couple hours alone.

I should probably go prepare my things myself. Bell is gonna be prepared faster than I will at this point.

I tidy up the living room quickly before heading to my room to prepare for the day.

After a couple minutes, I meet up with Bell at the front door and we head out for the day after making sure he has everything.

I, of course, don't need to check if I have everything prepared or not. After all, I'm too smort to make mistakes.

We slowly walk through the different districts and plazas of Orario before eventually reaching a familiar pub and notice someone outside looking around at the walking pedestrians.

Bell's eyes widen at the familiar sight of Syr standing outside of the Hostess and looking around.

She seems to notice him as soon as he notices her as well as her face brightens up noticeably and she quickly makes her way towards us.

"Bell! Michael! It's so good to see you both again!" She happily exclaims as Bell blushes.

"It's good to see you again as well, Syr." I reply evenly as she nods happily.

"I-It's good to see you again, S-syr. Sorry about the um… o-other night…" Bell looks down shamefully as Syr shakes her head.

"It's alright, no harm was done anyway other than the broken door Michael destroyed when he attacked Mr. Loga from the Loki Familia." Bell's head snaps to me as I spare him a side-eyed glance before boring my half-lidded eyes at Syr, watching her shift uncomfortably.

"M-mikey? You attacked a member from the Loki Familia?" He whisper-shouted next to me as Syr giggles and I sigh.

"He would not shut up, so I shut him up myself." I answer simply as Bell groans and hides his face in his hands while Syr stares at me wryly.

"I believe that attacking a Loki Familia Executive member is not exactly the wisest thing when you're not exactly the biggest familia yourself, Michael." Syr comments with amusement as I huff and shake my head.

"The others at his table were already admonishing him and he was very clearly going too far. I doubt they'd retaliate as long as nothing major happens between us." Syr looks thoughtful for a second before shrugging and offering a nod.

"That may be so, but grudges are not easily forgotten, Mr. Michael." Ryuu comes out of nowhere and enters the conversation as I turn to look at her.

"I'm aware, Miss Lion. I will take responsibility for my actions in the future if need be. But I will not bow my head to anyone no matter what." I incline my head to her in greeting and she simply blinks.

"Is that arrogance, Mr. Michael?" She tilts her head as I smirk.

"No, it's simply my nature." I shake my head and she nods slightly.

"Syr, you're needed in the back for preparations. Mama Mia asked me to come fetch you." Ryuu turns to look at Syr who pouts in response.

"... Fineee. Wait here for a second, Bell and Michael!" We watch as Syr quickly runs into the pub.

"Should you not go back to help as well, Miss Lion?" I turn back to Ryuu and she quirks a ghost of a smile.

"We're almost done with preparations, Syr has just been standing outside for a while without doing anything so Mama Mia wants to make her do everything that's left as punishment."

My amusement must have bled through my usual blank face as Ryuu's eyebrows rose while Bell's face looked funny.

"I see." I respond while schooling my face.

"Say, Mr. Michael, would you mind telling me what the lowest floor you've visited so far is?" Ryuu looks at me with questioning eyes as I contemplate for a second.

I don't see a reason not to tell her. Not like Ryuu has connections to someone that might come and bite me in the ass, and she's supposedly a loyal person that doesn't backstab people. Plus, the magic stones I sometimes bring back would very clearly show what floor I'm exploring.

"I've visited the 12th floor for the first time yesterday. It's a lot more challenging than the upper floors due to the diversity in the monsters being created as well as the fog and terrain." I comment thoughtfully as Ryuu's eyebrows raise.

"You've been taking Mr. Cranel down to the 12th floor?" Her voice had a certain edge to it that made Bell gulp despite the words not being directed at him.

"No. Bell was resting yesterday after he stupidly ran alone into the 6th floor alone with only a single Tanto, no armor and no potions the other night." Her sharp gaze turns from me to Bell as he gulps and hides behind me.

Too bad we're about the same height so…

Wait, actually, I'm an inch or two taller than Bell somehow?

Wait… Does the falna promote physical growth the higher you grow in strength? Maybe I wanted to grow in height so badly it gave me a couple inches?

That means that I need like 3 more levels to get my old height! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"S-sorry… I wasn't thinking straight… M-michael caught up with me in time and took me to safety though…?" Bell mutters from behind me while glancing at Ryuu nervously.

"I see. I suggest that you begin thinking straight from now on, Mr. Cranel. You have people that care for you and would be devastated if something were to happen to you." Ryuu's voice loses some of its edge and Bell nervously gulps while nodding.

"M-michael told me that as well…" She turns to me with another very slight smile that's almost unnoticable before returning into a frown.

"Are you sure you should be heading down into the 12th floor already, Mr. Michael?" She narrows her eyes imperceptibly.

I shrug slightly before responding. "The only danger I encountered at the time were Infant Dragons, which were weaker than the Minotaurs I was forced to fight during the Loki Familia Minotaur outbreak incident that happened recently." Ryuu's eyebrows rose slightly before she looked at me in an almost resigned way.

"Is there anything that's even mildly normal when it comes to you, Mr. Michael?" She asks wryly as I smirk.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I asked the dungeon nicely to stop spawning Bad Bats and it decided that spawning an Infant Dragon on me was a proper response?" I ask with amusement as Bell looks at me wearily, something that was noted by Ryuu as her lips twitched.

"I'd be inclined to say, no. I do not believe you. Though from what I've seen so far, that's a very likely scenario for you."

She's totally smiling right now, I just don't have a good enough perception stat to see it.

Our conversation halts though as Syr finally returns.

"I'm back! Sorry for keeping you here for so long, Michael, Bell. Please take these." Syr offers us two lunchboxes like last time as Bell's eyes widen.

"O-oh, we can't accept these, Syr!" Bell immediately tries to deny her but is forced to grab the lunchboxes as they are shoved into his hands.

"I made these for you two. It'd be rude if you did not accept my kindness!" She pouts at Bell as he blushes and looks down before nodding.

"Bell, add 'Dispose of Simp Behavior' to your list of classes I will be teaching you." I order him as he immediately takes out a notepad and writes something down dutifully.

Syr and Ryuu look at me and Bell weirdly but we ignore them.

"Alright, I have to go and help the others now! Make sure to come visit again soon, okay?" Syr bows to Bell and I as he sputters and nods.

"We'll make sure to come by as soon as we can, right Michael?" He turns to me and I nod with closed eyes.

I'm so cool, ehe.

"Kay! See you soon you two!" Syr quickly runs back into the pub as I turn to Bell.

"When are you gonna tell her that we pack rations with us to eat in the dungeon?" I ask him with amusement as he blushes.

"I-It'd be rude to refuse her kindness." He defends and I watch Ryuu smirk at the edge of my vision.

"I will have to return now to ensure Syr isn't hiding somewhere to escape working. It was nice speaking to you again, Mr. Cranel, Mr. Michael." She bows to us slightly.

"O-Of course, Miss Lion." Bell bows back to her.

"Likewise." I say simply while inclining my head.

What a nice elf.

Ryuu turns around and begins heading back to the pub as Bell turns to me with a dry expression.

"That face? Are you asking for physical training, perhaps?" His eyes widen and he quickly shakes his head.

"N-no! I apologize sincerely! Let's start heading into the dungeon." Bell turns around and quickly begins moving towards the Tower of Babel as I smirk.

Too easy.


Hello everybody! Gonna keep this short and clear, my finals are tomorrow and after tomorrow and I need to travel in like an hour to the city it's going to be conducted in so I apologize deeply for any grammatical mistakes I may have missed while editing! Expect the next chapter to be a little late.

Oh and sorry but I cant do reviews this time for the above reason.

See you all later!