Hot Spring Paradise Part 5


As Hit faced this veritable wall of monsters, Bell sprinted down the underground canyon, with Goddess Hestia resting softly in his grasp. The boy gritted his teeth, pushing down his worry for Hit, and ignored two incredibly soft objects that bounced against his chest with every stride. 'No, I can't get distracted! I need to protect her!' Bell's eyes shone with hope as he approached the end to the ravine. 'Almost there; almost there!'

"Oof!" Unfortunately, Bell's escape was interrupted by a long tendril, which caused the boy to trip and fall onto the orange-tinged riverbed below. Shaking, Bell forced himself up slightly, and looked around himself. His heart sank as a previously hidden anglerfish was now gliding towards his location.

"Mph… B-Bell?"

A feminine voice squeaked beneath Bell, forcing the boy to shoot his gaze towards its source, worry clear on his young face. "Goddess! Are you hurt? … H-HUH!?" Concern was quickly replaced by stupefaction as Hestia's intricate blue-green bikini was eaten away before his very eyes, setting free even more of her alabaster skin. Bell and Hestia's faces blushed crimson and the two quickly sat up, facing opposite directions.

"I-I didn't see anything!" Bell completely forgot about their impending doom and kept his eyes firmly closed, pushing down his excitement.

"Bell!" Goddess Hestia ignored the detection of a lie and screeched as an immense maw descended from the heavens.

Time froze for Bell as he whirred around to face his precious Goddess, seconds from death; the instinctive boy could see no way to save them both, and so leapt towards her, shielding the petite girl within a loving embrace. He prepared himself for a painful demise.

*BAM*

*BOOM*

Suddenly, the fish was catapulted into a faraway wall, cratering it. With a pitiful groan, the crafty enemy fell to earth and burst into smoke.

"What a pain… Have you learned nothing, boy?" An incredibly grumpy man sighed above the pair, causing Bell to look up at the familiar voice.

Bell held back tears as he hugged his Goddess even more tightly, overflowing with relief the precious woman was still with him. "M-Mr Hit! Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!"

"I did no such thing; that was my opponent. Next time, you will have to save yourself." Hit spoke harshly yet extended a hand to the prone pair. Bell gladly took the offering, and was hauled up, rather forcefully. Hestia continued to cling to Bell, blushing fiercely at their proximity.

*Patter* *Patter* *Patter*

Not a moment later, and their colleagues arrived on the scene, sprinting to join them. Ryuu was at the lead and called out first. "Are you all alright, Mr Cranel?!"

Asfi had witnessed the end to the brief battle and followed behind her. "That was a close one… good thing you got here first, Mr Hit."

"We're okay! It's all thanks to…" Bell was about to sing Hit's praises when a squeaky voice barrelled into the conversation.

"GODDESS HESTIA! Get your naked body away from master Bell!" Lili ignored the tense atmosphere and began yet another argument.

Thankfully, Asfi removed her white cloak and ran to wrap it around the nude deity. "Here, Hestia, you may use my cloak."

Now that the enemies had been vanquished, the band of adventurers began to relax and recuperate in the now-silent corridor. Hit approached Bell, soundlessly, and spoke in a curious tone. "You activated your skill?"

"Huh?" Bell turned around to face his mentor, confusion evident, but his eyes soon followed Hit's crimson gaze. Bell now saw that blue and white sparkles zipped around his right hand, emitting a high-pitched ringing sound. "I-I guess I did it instinctively…"

*BOOM*

*CRASH*

*SHOOM*

The warriors jumped as yet another tremor erupted across the earth, emanating from the dark cavern behind them, which glowed even more fiercely now. Vermillion water spewed from fractures in the walls as the uppermost level of the laboratory fractured and gave way under a tremendous weight. Boulders toppled down, sending billows of dust rocketing in all directions, briefly blinding everyone.

Once the smog cleared, the perpetrator was now visible: a gigantic angler fish, towering at over six metres in height. Ten yellow lures flailed around on its apical side, extending from thin, fibrous antennae; whilst the previously inert globular object was held atop a trunk-like appendage, over twelve metres in length. The orb glowed a scarlet red from its purple petals, matching the monster's ten murderous eyes, which dilated and homed in on its diminutive prey.

"Holy mackerel! Look at the size of the thing!" Welf stepped back slightly, recognising that he was of little help here.

Ryuu's ears twitched as she gazed at the unknown enemy, surprised that such a creature could remain undiscovered for hundreds of years. "This must be the master of this place. I do not recognise it…"

The monster catfish rose its largest antenna skywards and sent it crashing down, red orb twinkling in the twilight. The adventurers gasped and fled in two directions, allowing the long appendage to crash down, unabated. Unfortunately, Bell and Hit remained in place and took the full brunt of the attack.

"NOO!" Hestia cried out in terror, and would have raced to her child, had she not been held back by an equally worried Ryuu.

As the dust cloud rolled away, an immense trench could be seen carved into the dungeon's floor: the tentacle had been flung with such strength, that it had become embedded into the ground, apart from its very tip.

Hit grinded his teeth as he held the bulbous end, body nearly breaking as he resisted the full brunt of the attack with sheer strength alone.

The reckless teen flicked his eyes behind him, resting them on an equally brave white-haired boy. "Not running away?"

Bell's determined gaze hardened as he entered his usual battle stance, right hand blazing white. "Never again! I'm going to protect everyone!"

Hit smirked at the boy's quick evolution and tensed his grip, veins bulging across his entire body. "HRAAAAA!" Powerful arms pulled and twisted, forcing the unwilling monster to be pulled unceremoniously across the ground. Another trench was carved as the globular creature was spun around, faster and faster. The spectators gasped in awe as the behemoth left the ground and began rotating through the air, as if it were weightless. Up and up it went, as Hit's revolutions increased exponentially.

The fish's glowing antenna formed a helical whizzing disc as the spinning reached its maximum. Hit then raised his arms upwards, causing the fish's rotations to follow suit. A soothing white glow also reached its maximum behind Hit; however, this time, Hit did not become distracted and released the antenna at the perfect moment. "NOW!"

*****BOOOOOOM*****

*****SHRRRRRIIIIIIIII*****

The gargantuan foe careened ahead, cratering catastrophically with the dungeon wall above. The creature roared in pain, opening its jaw to a terrifying degree, allowing hundreds of daggers to gleam in the dim light. Blood and saliva drenched downwards from the crater as the monster's innards ruptured due to its meteoric crash and sudden stop.

Bell nodded and began to sprint towards the monster, palm incandescent with the love he felt for his goddess and hope he had for the future; however, it seems that Hit had other ideas.

"Too slow!" The older boy grasped Bell by his collar and threw him bodily, directly towards the open jaws of their enemy.

"W-WHAAAAAAT!?" Bell screamed as he arced through the air, eyes watering at the powerful winds. Terror forced the petrified boy into action, who struggled to extend his right palm forwards, holding the arm steady with his other hand.

«F-Firebolt!» Scorching orange dragon-fire spewed from Bell's palm, directly into the angler fish's open maw. As Bell's courage shined through, the inferno increased in diameter and ferocity, filling the entire fish's jaw. The monster's already globular body inflated and grew immense pustules; red eyes bulged and popped under the pressure.

***BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM***

Ultimately, the inflated monster detonated, in a deafening mushroom cloud of billowing firestorms and superheated air. Tonnes of earth and gallons of water rocketed into the air as they were upturned under the force of the 'thermobaric' fish.

These aftershocks, and Bell's rocketing flames, had the secondary function of halting the flying rabbit in his tracks, and flinging him backwards out of the blast zone. The boy landed into a series of rolls and came to a shaky stop, shuddering slightly at the sudden traumatic events he had suffered.

"Bell! You did it!" Goddess Hestia quickly ran up to her child and hugged the precious boy with all her strength.

Bell recovered from his shock and smiled at the deity clinging to him. "Y-Yeah! I'm glad everyone was here to keep you safe, Goddess." The boy then pouted, a rare expression for him, and turned to Hit, who was standing behind a boulder, hiding most of his body. "T-That was really mean though, Mr Hit!"

Hit shrugged, hiding a minute smirk. "It worked, did it not? That is all that matters in a fight."

Bell sighed, slumping down at Hit's never-ending bluntness. "Huff… I-I guess. Everything worked out in the end…" He then beamed with joy and cast his usual radiant smile at his colleagues. "Thanks everyone! That could have gone way worse if you weren't here!"

Oddly, his other friends were not acting like their usual selves at all. Welf was snickering to himself and Asfi was blushing and looking to the side. Chigusa and Mikoto were holding hands, briefly looking towards him; and Ryuu held her hands over her eyes, yet splayed her fingers apart. Finally, Lili's entire face was crimson, matched by a stream of blood that dripped from her nose as she leered at Bell's body.

Asfi pushed her glasses up, gulping slightly as her eyes darted down. "Well…um… you can thank us later… A-after you have had the chance to c-cover yourself."

Bell cocked his head to the side and looked down at himself. "Oh, my God!" The boy squeaked in mortification as his yellow shorts fell from his body, forcing him to pull his white shirt down. Despite the quick rescue, Bell's voyeurs received another shocking eyeful and blushed a deeper crimson; Lili wailed in bliss and fell over, unconscious.

"P-Please don't look down, Goddess!"

Hestia ignored him and wrapped herself around Bell's front, using her cloak to cover the boy's modesty. "There's no need for you to be embarrassed, Bell! We're closer than that!" The girl giggled as Bell blushed and fidgeted in mortification. 'You like that Wallen-whatsher-butt? You'll never get ta do something like this! EVER!'


*AAACHHEWWWW!*

The Loki familia baths echoed as a ridiculously noisy sneeze erupted from Ais, making it the loudest sound the girl had ever produced.

"Aww! Is my lovely Ais getting a wittle cold? Let me massage ya until you feel better!" Goddess Loki peeked from around a corner, fingers flexing lustfully. "AAAHHH!" However, the God screamed and fell to the ground as a bar of soap flew into her face, whisking her into unconsciousness.

*Achew* Ais sneezed, yet again, eyes scrunching up in an adorable expression. "I-I am fine". 'Have I been cursed? I will need to speak with Riveria…'


Back to the hot spring aftermath, Hit cracked his neck, releasing any stored stress, and marched back towards the mouth of the canyon. However, his path was blocked by a line of blushing girls, who honestly were making little effort to impede their leering gazes. "Are you going to stand there like bumbling fools or are you going to get out of my way?"

The women startled and turned to Hit, robotically. Their blushing cheeks heated, and extended to their entire bodies as they focused on Hit, or more precisely, on his body. Hit glared down at them, usual scowl on display; however, the purple trunks that should have shielded his lower body were no more. The muscular teen's entire body was on full display, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

*Cough* *Cough*

"B-By the gods…"

"H-How would that even…?"

A series of splashes echoed through the canyon as Asfi; Mikoto; and Chigusa fainted and collapsed onto a heap, with Lili at its base. Hit rolled his eyes at the women's overreaction and walked around the pile of girls, aiming for his stored belongings. Ryuu somehow managed to maintain her composure, yet her reddened ears twitched rather violently as steam erupted from them.

Welf grinded his teeth and kicked at a pebble, causing it to skip over the shallow waters. "Some guys get all the luck…"


Up above, a silver haired goddess panted on her seat, waving her hands around as she faced her divine mirror. 'Rewind! Rewind! Come on!' The mirror shimmered and gleamed until it reflected Hit, right before he stepped out from behind his boulder.

Satisfied, Freya coughed into her fist and regained her regal air. "O-Ottar? W-would you mind leaving me here for a few… actually, several hours…?"

"A-As you wish, my goddess" Ottar trudged away, and out of the room, closing the ornate doors behind him. Only a faint red hue on his ears betrayed any change in his emotions.

Once the coast was clear, Freya positioned the mirror over her bed and began today's… recreational activity.


After some time, our group of adventurers finally managed to calm themselves down and regrouped. They were now fully dressed and had packed their belongings, ready for travel. The slightly awkward individuals stood in front of a pool of water: the first one they had come across in this hellhole.

Welf Crozzo was perhaps the most depressed person here and huffed in disappointment. "I can't believe this whole place was just a giant monster trap waiting to eat us…"

"A-All of the previous adventurers must have died: eaten by those angler fish." Asfi summarised her hypothesis, making sure not to gaze towards Bell or Hit.

"We should report it to the guild when we reach the surface." Lili approached the mature woman, not understanding why everyone was quite so uncomfortable.

Mikoto kneeled directly on the ground in a dogeza position and spoke in an incredibly regretful voice. "Please accept my deepest apologies! I was overwhelmed by the lure of a nice hot springs bath…"

Hermes smiled at the girl, thankful for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. "Don't sweat it! We all needed a chance to relax. I know I had fun! Heh, heh…"

*Bam*

"OW!" The God rubbed his head as Asfi's fist knocked against it.

Ouka shook from side to side, face red, as he stumbled in delirium. "Exactly! I'm glad you're all safe and soounnnndd…" In the commotion, the man had been left to soak in the steaming waters and could now barely stand.

Chigusa quickly halted the larger man's fall and held him close. "Hang in there! I-I've got you!"

Ryuu was beginning to get impatient and began to distance herself from the treacherous waters. "We should head back. Although, I still don't understand how those monsters could remain undiscovered here for so long… Or how the dungeon could generate hot springs in the first place…" The elf halted as she came level with Hit, who rested against the dungeon wall, eyes closed. "Do you have any idea, Mr Hit?"

Hit peeked an eye open and straightened himself. "No. And I don't care. It would be best to obliterate this place."

Ryuu narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Be incredibly careful about damaging the dungeon, Mr Hit. Lest you awaken something unfathomably dangerous."

Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect on the battle maniac, who was now devising means of spreading the most devastation possible. Behind them, Hermes smirked at Hit's lie, yet decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

Hestia skipped ahead of her child, jumping up and down at the tunnel's entrance. "Let's go Bell! To our happy home!"

"Right!" Bell smiled and ran after her. No matter what, he would always keep her safe.

And so, ends this curious tale, one of explorers, past and present, as they delved into this hot spring paradise. This stands as the final mortal trespass into this elusive region, which would later go on to inexplicably disappear, for all time. Welf's gorgeous carving of Goddess Hephaestus remains the last remnant of human activity here, again showing how love transcends all.


Author's Notes

Hope you liked this bonus!

2.5 seconds might be too long for Hit to time skip, especially considering any future level ups… He can punch around six to eight times at level 1 (nerfed him).

Muhammad Ali once threw 12 punches in 2.8 seconds and Hit is many times faster than him here… Maybe I should put it back to 2 seconds… Either way, I don't think he'll be getting a buff to time skip ever again (seconds elapsed not technique itself), as his speed will increase with level ups. Upgrading both would be far too powerful. He could potentially send out hundreds of full power punches at first class, which is way too much! Imagine him strolling up to the OEBD, activating time skip, bam bam bam, then the dragon goes poof. Poor Ais would die of disappointment…

Also, has everyone seen the new DB sparking zero showcase? Loved seeing Hit again, and his time skip looks amazing! Absolute legend fighting two legendary super saiyans at once. I hope he has some what-if stories. Going on a mission with mercenary Tao would be funny.

Bye-Bye!