Chapter 3
As the storm approaches, Hermes seeks out shelter.

If there's one thing all adventurers dream of, it's Levelling Up–crossing the gap from one tier of adventurer to the next.

What does Levelling Up as an adventurer actually mean?

The textbook "The Art of Levelling Up"–yes, that was an actual book in this world, not just some clunky tutorial from some shill content gamer thinking he had found a way to cheat the system–provided a general consensus on the nature of a Level Up: One had to perform feats so seemingly impossible that even the gods would be impressed. They went on to cite ancient myths and legends that recalled the accomplishments of great heroes that would be worthy of Levelling Up, such as slaying the unkillable monster, tearing through an army of 100 men all by themselves, etc. etc. In other words, stock shounen fare–stuff about "surpassing your limit", "turning around an impossible situation", and "performing the unthinkable".

For example: Soloing a Level 2 monster as a Level 1. Normally, that would be downright suicidal. But there were people who had maxed their stats to S before doing so… and in doing so, winning and Levelling Up.

However, that wasn't the only way to do so. It was the most famous way, of course, but definitely not the only way.

There were a great deal of adventurers, me included, who chose to Level Up the other way–that is, putting ourselves in multiple situations which would give us the required experience to Level Up.

Instead of soloing a Level 2 monster as a Level 1, a party would be formed to take down multiple Level 2 monsters together as a group. With the experience evenly distributed to all of the members, eventually the experience would hit a threshold which allowed us to Level Up as well.

The experience system that operated in this world basically made grinding completely useless, since the experience gained in a situation was relative to one's own measure of character. If you were weak and you killed a stronger monster, your stats would either spike or you'd Level Up. If you were strong and you killed a stronger monster, your stats would increase a little, but no by more than a couple of points. If you were strong and you killed a weaker monster, you'd have to repeat that action so many times just for a few measly points of experience spread across all of your stats.

Actions that allowed for Level Ups weren't based on a numerical grinding system. There were several Level 2s in Orario who had Leveled Up from graduating from school early, just by itself, simply because the feat was so seemingly impossible relative to them, their intelligence, and their abilities that when they did it, they were able to Level Up. However, as a high school student from another world, had I chosen to enroll in an Orario school and graduate, my Intelligence stat wouldn't have gone up by more than 50 points. Not that Intelligence was actually a stat, of course.

Levelling Up meant doing something that should've been either impossible or much harder for you to do. The way that I went about it was killing monsters considered stronger relative to me through with the assistance of my party members, then rinsed and repeated until we Levelled Up.

In other words, the idea of Levelling Up equated to "calculated risk". A backup plan wasn't just welcome, it was almost necessary in the Dungeon. Through overcoming a gap in raw power with tactics, strategy, and preparation, even if you failed you could still make it out in one piece.

Adventuring never necessitated risk taking, and being careful was never going to hurt me.

~~This is a Line Break~~

When it came to forging, repairing, or dealing with weapons in general, there were two main familias that one could choose in Orario. There was the Hephaestus Familia, which was dominant enough to be considered one of the best familias in the city, right behind that of the Freya and Loki Familias. With a plethora of High Smiths under their command, as well as the "brand image" of Hephaestus on their products, they were internationally renowned.

However, in Orario, Hephaestus Familia had a business rival. While Goibniu Familia was much smaller than Hephaestus Familia, the quality of its products were equal to that of the Hephaestus Familia's High Smiths; furthermore, their focus on custom orders made them especially popular amongst higher-Leveled adventurers who chose to have unique weapons befitting their qualities.

My longsword, which had lasted with me throughout the years I had been an adventurer, had been crafted by the Goibniu Familia. As a result, for all equipment-related orders, that was my go-to supplier.

Hackard, on the other hand, who had bought her own claymore from one of the shops in Babel after using Guild stock weapons, was an avid supporter of Hephaestus Familia.

Located at the center of the sector between North and Northwest Main, that was where I headed towards as the morning slowly turned into early afternoon. Navigating through the confined passages of the district, I found myself in front of a stone building. From within, the clangs of metal on metal could be heard. The 3 Hammers Forge.

I opened the door and stepped in. Immediately, I was greeted by the sight of half a dozen smiths, congregated around a single anvil, repeatedly striking the same half-flattened and white-hot piece of metal with their hammers.

"UWOOHHHH, ROT IN HELL, YOU DAMN AMAZON!" I could see tears streak their way down the smiths' faces as they chanted the same warcry while smashing their hammers into the metal, sparks erupting into the air with each strike.

"Hahaha… Don't mind them..." The younger smith's face when he greeted me told me everything. "They're just trying to fill out… that Slasher's order… poor bastards…" He gave me a wan smile. "How can I help you?"

I passed over the sword. "I need it to be sharpened, and if it's damaged, to be repaired."

"Well… come along, then." Slowly shuffling to one of the many empty work stations, the smith lit a lamp and unsheathed the sword, running his hand along the edge of the blade. "Hm… it's still fairly sharp. You've got a few minor nicks here, here, and here," he pointed at several spots on the sword, where, now that I looked, there were miniscule breaks in the blade's blade. "Overall, it's not dull dull yet, but if you want it to be sharpened, this is that period of time where it's okay to do so without wasting it. It'd be a quick process; the thing is just that with the other repairs we're doing, it'll take a day to finish up since we're kinda backlogged. Apologies for the wait, but…" he drifted off.

"It's fine. I don't have the payment right now, either; I'll just pay you tomorrow once it's finished." The smith nodded in response to my words.

"Is there anything else you want?"

"No."

"Well, thank you for your patronage!" He waved me out the door, and as it closed, the air filled once again with the sounds of metal on metal.

~~This is a Line Break~~

As I returned to the Hostess, I found Hermes idling in the empty dining area. Next to him was Andromeda. "Hey, hey, if it isn't Hikigaya! What a coincidence, meeting you here!"

"What do you want, Hermes?"

"Wow, so cold! Is that how you treat the god of your familia?! I'm wounded!" He let out a small cry, collapsed to his knees and rolled on the ground in an overexaggerated display of pain. "It hurts so much! Where's my respect, Hikigaya?!"

"You wouldn't go out of your way to visit me for no reason. So what is it?" Hermes's playful demeanor dropped as he got up. So this time's visit was actually serious.

"Hey, Mama Mia, can we use one of your private dining rooms?" Hermes waved Mia over, and she sighed, but ultimately relented, passing over a silver key.

Once we entered the room and locked the door, Hermes took a seat at the rectangular table, with Andromeda sitting next to him. Of course, I took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"The monstrous plants that appeared at the Monster Feria. Tell me about them." Hermes's voice turned serious as he stared at me in the eyes. "I've heard rumors, but… I'd like to hear about it from someone who fought them. I've already asked Maris-chan."

"It took both me and Hackard to kill just one in a head-on fight, and the second one was able to fend off Hackard and 3 Level 2s by itself. Its vines were tough, fast, and strong, and it could bury itself beneath the ground. It dented Hackard's armor, cracked my ribs with a single strike, and tore up half the street by itself. I'd estimate that you'd need at least 5 Level 2s or 2 Level 3s to deal with it safely without anyone getting injured, so a high Level 3 monster." I rattled off everything I knew about the man-eating plant before reaching into my pocket and placing a single magic stone on the table.

Andromeda's eyes widened and Hermes let out a shallow gasp. His eyes narrowed into slits as he picked up the stone and held it to the light. "How…" the god's lips curled into a smile which sent a chill down my spine. "How interesting… Ahem! Anyways…" Hermes coughed into his hand. Since this was a side quest continuation, I knew where this was going. Here was the bit where he tells me to go investigate something in connection with this. "Hikigaya, I've got a task for you."

I knew it.

"Now, now–" Hermes laughed when he saw my expression. "It's nothing serious, I promise. Really, it isn't. Look, one of the children received a quest to pick up a package. It'd be really appreciated if you could head down there as backup for her."

"Denied."

"Aw, come on, don't be like that, Hikigaya!" Hermes tried his best to make a teary-eyed puppy's expression, and while it was somewhat admittedly convincing, I wasn't swayed. "It's an important task, you knowwww?"

"This conversation is over." I palmed the magic stone and got up from my chair, but the god's next words stopped me cold in my tracks.

"Ahaha~ I didn't really want to put this on the table, but I guess it's all I can do to get you, specifically, on this task. Call it my godly intuition, but if you do this, I think there might be a hint as for how you can solve your own problem, Hikigaya~" Leaning backwards, Hermes tipped down the brim of his hat, obscuring his eyes, but it was impossible to miss that conniving grin which flitted across his face. Next to him, Andromeda's stoic face didn't even flinch, but I could tell from her body language that she was uncomfortable.

I slowly sat back down in my chair.

"Lulune-chan's going to be picking up a package from someone, apparently. I just want you to ensure that the package doesn't get lost or damaged along the way. It'd be great if you could protect Lulune, but the package is what's important here. Just think about it; I've got investigations to run and alliances to make about the recent incidents. Clock's ticking, Hikigaya." Hermes left the room, Andromeda in tow, leaving me there, sitting alone at the table.

It had been a long time since I had seen that side of Hermes. And because of that, I had almost forgotten just what exactly the gods were like. They might laugh, they might cry, they might rage or cower… but in the end, everything "down here" was nothing but another game for them. No matter how much they were like us, in the end the gods were nothing other than bored omnipotent beings playing a game of human chess.

Even Hermes, who cared for his familia, was not above showing that he was that type of person. But Hermes wasn't a liar, at the very least. He didn't lie to his familia unless absolutely necessary. He would hide information or twist the meaning of his words, but never once did he lie in all my interactions with him. And his godly intuition so far had never been wrong.

In other words, this was something worth looking into.

I released a shallow breath. 5 years of nothing, and now this. Was it true? A lead on how to get home?

The Dungeon had always seemed like the go-to endgame goal, and even now, it was; at the bottom lay something even the gods didn't understand nor know. It was on what was down there that escaped even the eyes of the omnipotent beings that I staked my life on.

But if there was some other way to get home that was faster than pushing through level by level, monster by monster… if there was some other way to get home that didn't require anything else other than for me to do something… that was no doubt the way to go.

It wasn't fast enough at the pace I was now. 5 years, but not even halfway to the deepest level known to Orario. How long was it going to take? Until I was an old man and had wasted my life here without ever accomplishing the task I had set out to do?

No, I'd take whatever chances came my way.

Even if that meant giving up what I had now.

~~This is a Line Break~~

Spider's information arrived early the next morning as soon as I had woken up. I stepped out of the building to the greeting of "Spider sends his regards." From the corner of my right eye, a disk flew at my head, but my hand automatically snapped up and caught it midair.

A manila folder, with a thin sheaf of papers inside. As I headed back up to my room and sat down at my desk, I opened the folder and began reading.

–Hikigaya, there hasn't been anything about man-eating plants or strangely-colored Magic Stones at all… there are a multitude of reports about sentient monsters that exist in the Dungeon, so I left the notes below. Regardless, everything else that I could find is here.

Sentient monsters… I began skimming the page as quickly as I could.

Report: sentient lizardman who was found scavenging an adventurer's corpse. Highly aggressive towards its fellow monsters and had the ability to breathe fire. Was seen wearing adventurer armor. Treat with high caution.
Report: sentient harpy who was found trying to talk to adventurers. Possible new tactic to entice adventurers before killing them. Highly advised to fight at range.
Report: sentient…

The reports went on for quite a while. Arachne, Kobold, Goblin, Gargoyle… the list went on and on. I finished skimming the first 5 pages and moved on. The sources weren't close to being solid, had no secondary backing, and the characteristics described sounded either like the ravings of people who had gone off the deep end or hasty descriptions of Strengthened Species. I flipped to the next page.

It was a Quest Notice, but a hastily written copy of one. In the margin there was a hasty side note scribbled there: Written from memory; Quest Notice was taken a week before.

"Level 4 and above adventurers only. Head to… pantry... 30th Floor by yourself. Retrieve an ... object. Description of the object: crystal orb which contains an unidentified object within. Highly dangerous; do not handle or let it come into contact with bare flesh. Dangerous influx of monsters on the 30th Floor; extra caution required. Tell no one of this quest. Conceal your identity by any means possible.
Once the item has been retrieved, head to the Wanderer's Tavern in Rivira on the 18th Floor. Pass off the item to someone once they approach you…

I frowned. The 18th Floor… Hermes had mentioned that Lulune Louie was headed down there to pick up a certain package. What were the odds that they weren't talking about the same thing?

Curse you, isekai gods. I really did end up needing to head down there. Stuffing the sheaf of papers in my pack, I began moving towards the Guild.

This delivery package quest was starting to sound like something that might've ended up bankrupting a less-prepared character if they weren't expecting trouble. And since I was all about preparation, it made sense to prepare the money needed for my preparation.

~~This is a Line Break~~

Humans are unpredictable.

Over the years, I've found that a suitable analogy for human emotion: the weather. Even if you can predict the weather based on several factors, it's near-impossible to make a 100% forecast unless the weather is about to descend over your head.

Of course, it's not like humans haven't found a way to adapt to that. By taking into account a great deal of factors, such as air currents and the like, humans have become able to forecast the weather with increasing accuracy.

Like a weatherman, I've found my own way to navigate through the weather of everyday life. With this, of course, came an increased ability in handling social situations with (minimally) increasing ease, rather than uncomfortably squirming through them like I had in the past.

However, if the worst came down to it, there was always the option of staying out of an interaction entirely, which I actively employed to avoid wasting time in unnecessary conversations with coworkers about inane topics.

Like the weather, humans were unpredictable, but if you applied what you knew about the person, there was always a general direction that you could generally prepare for–a piece of knowledge I used to great effect in numerous situations in order to get what I wanted.

Unfortunately, the reverse applied, and as a result, Hermes had convinced me into fulfilling his request this time. The grin that was on his face as I opened the door to his office said it all.

"Hey, hey, it's Hikigaya! Did you come to visit me again? Aw, you're so kind to your god! I should treat you to something next time!" Hermes laughed as he sat back into his chair and tipped it backwards against the wall. "Anyways..." His smile died on his face as he switched into business mode. "Are you in or not?"

"You know the answer to that."

"Yeah, I do. But I'd like to hear it from you directly."

"... I'm in."

"Great!" Hermes's face split into a smile. "Hackard's going to be tagging along with you for extra manpower, if you don't mind."

"...That's fine." Hermes nodded as he looked at my face.

"Alright, Hikigaya. Lulune-chan left several hours ago; you should probably get going. "

The exchange with Hermes finished, I turned to the Hermes Familia captain. "Andromeda, I need something from you." Her glasses glinted as she looked at me in the eyes.

"Just what is this thing you need, exactly, Hikigaya-san?" Woah, scary. This is exactly why I try not to interact with these types of people at all! When someone asks you, "Do you know why I'm mad?", those are the words that seal your fate. But Andromeda had good reason to be hostile.

As one of the users of the Mystery Developmental Ability, which only 5 people in Orario held, Andromeda was able to create top-level magical items. If Hackard's rants about a helmet that could make you invisible, flying sandals, and other wonderful items were any indication, those items could go for tens–no, perhaps even hundreds–of millions if they were to be sold on an open market. Due to that, Andromeda stared me in the eye with an attitude that screamed to me plain and loud that if I were to even think about asking for one of her magical items, I would probably be destroyed.

I wasn't idiotic enough to not recognize that I should steer away from that conversation. I picked my next words carefully. "I'd like to trade for several of your explosives."

I watched as a mixture of emotions ranging from confusion to surprise flitted across Andromeda's face.

Trade: A transaction which required an exchange of products, goods, or commodities. By exchanging items of equal value that the other needed or wanted, both sides only looked to gain from the situation without losing in return. At least, that was the theory, and therefore that was the word I used.

With that word, I had blindsided Andromeda by forcing her to discard the original, planned response. The situation had turned from a request in which only one party would benefit, which Andromeda would've shot down, to one in which both parties could benefit from the situation, thus opening up the table for negotiation.

As Andromeda finally decided to settle for the usual–that is, a stoic indifference–she pushed up her glasses. Hm, 6/10. A tad better than Tulle's, at the very least. You pull off the 'cold beauty' act much better, but you don't fool me. I've seen what you're like when Hermes is missing(actually, huddled in my room) and you turn up half the sector trying to look for him.

"... And what do you want to trade in exchange?"

The table was open. As cheesy as it sounded, it was time to activate my trap card. It was a given that as the familia captain, Andromeda wouldn't just back down before a mere half-member of the familia and hand the item over.

Knowing that, I had come in prepared.

Hachiman 108: Haggling.

One of my greatest skills in this isekai world, this was a power which was even more highly prized than that of False Communication. Even if False Communication allowed me to blindside the god-like poker player Flova, Haggling had saved me millions of Valis while negotiating for supplies and selling off monster drops! Truly, it was the ultimate ability that an otherworldly person could have!

Allow me to demonstrate.

Withdrawing my hand from my pocket, I opened my palm, revealing my bargaining chip. "I'll hand this over if you give me 8 of your explosives." It was the oddly-colored Magic Stone which I had taken from the man-eating plant the other day; as Hermes had claimed to be running investigations into the matter, this was my bargaining chip. If he were able to acquire this, there was a possibility that his investigation might become easier should he gain the assistance of other familias.

In this instance, for example, set a high price which is in no way even comparable to being remotely fair. As the initiator of the trade, it's common sense that one needs to learn to put out a high price ceiling, but not so high as to drive away potential buyers.

"They're called Burst Oils." Andromeda adjusted her glasses again. What was this, your signature move in these scenes? What is this, a repeating animation? "And that stone isn't worth more than 1 of those in terms of production costs and effort."

Of course, Andromeda wasn't stupid. She probably had her own fair share of experience in haggling.

It was just too bad that I was better.

"You say that, but you don't know how much it takes to get one of these stones, you know? I had to suffer through broken bones and worse just for this one stone." I flipped the stone into the air as if I was flipping a coin before snatching it up with the same hand. "If these monsters show up next time, what would happen if I didn't have those Burst Oils, Andromeda? I could end up dead, and suddenly I can't fulfill Hermes's request." Using my other hand, I drew a finger across my neck, as if my head was going to be cut off.

"..." Andromeda narrowed her eyes at me. "I'll relent since it's for a quest Hermes-sama assigned to you. 2 Burst Oils for the stone."

"6."

Both of us stared at each other, and if this were an anime, I'm sure that there would've been lightning bolts colliding in between the two of us already. But I had to set a firm stance for negotiations.

"The stone itself isn't comparably worth that of what it takes–3."
"But it's a bargaining chip which can let Hermes further investigate into the matter and ally with other familias–5."

We both drew to the same conclusion, and as soon as Andromeda opened her mouth to say "4", I followed up with the immediate "I accept" and passed the Magic Stone over with an open palm. Andromeda sighed and shook her head as she plucked the stone from my hand and placed it inside one of her belt pouches. "Follow me, Hikigaya."

And that is how it is done. Truly, a marvelous skill, indeed.

I followed Andromeda out the door and into a room located at the opposite end of the hall to pick up my Burst Oils. Each of them were small glass spheres filled with liquid that fitted perfectly into my palm.

"Hikigaya. These are very hard to make, and they might be durable enough to survive you dropping them, but not if you land on them." Andromeda walked over to two vats in the corner, picking up a thin stirring stick as she did so. "These vials contain two liquids–once you throw them, that triggers an explosive reaction." She demonstrated this by first dripping a drop of the first vat, then a drop of the second, onto the stick, which began smoking. "Do not end up too close when this happens." With a flick of her hand, the stick flew away towards the doorway and there was a sharp SNAP as a miniature explosion occurred, blasting the stick apart into two pieces which clattered to the floor.

"Got it. And Andromeda, thanks." There was a quiet nod from the blue-haired girl.

Andromeda struggled to find the words to finish the conversation. "... Good luck on your quest, Hikigaya-san." I nodded and turned to leave, but her next words made my hands unconsciously clench tighter around the Burst Oils. "I also want to apologize for Hermes-sama's–"

"Don't." I felt a lump in my throat rise and then push out of my mouth in a single word. My voice echoed quietly through the room. Don't apologize for your god's actions. Don't feel sorry for me. Don't give me that look. "Just… don't, Andromeda. Forget it." The words sounded rough and jagged, and I knew why.

Hermes was a helpful god; there was no doubt about that. No matter what he did, it benefited me in some way, whether directly or indirectly. But the way he went about it wasn't something I could bring myself to label as "good", and I'm sure that Andromeda agreed with me on that. No matter what he did, it was to further his entertainment in a win-win scenario where he could watch with glee as I solved my problem.

Even if I disagreed, however, I could at least tolerate it. Everything was to find a way home, no matter what I had to go through.

But I didn't want someone's sympathy. I didn't want their pity. This was my problem to solve and my burden alone.

That's how it was, and that's how it was always going to be.

Author's Note: This is more of a transitional chapter than anything moving forward, really. I just wanted to churn this one out and get it over with, so I hope the quality hasn't dropped all that much. There'll be another chapter out by the end of the week, or so whereabouts. Something like that. Hopefully. Heh. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter.

Happy early Thanksgiving, peeps.

Oreo the Cookie