This chapter serves as more of a breather for the second stage of the story, so it's exactly 1k shorter than usual. I promise to definitely give part two of the interlude sometime this year in repentance.

I'm quickly realizing that the information/knowledge based perks from the Celestial Grimoire are way more useful than I had given them credit for. With Moth, I've developed all the necessary abilities to infiltrate… well, anything as far as I can tell.

Stealth, disguises, acting, lock picking, hacking, interrogation, persuasion, even seduction. With a single roll I've straight up mastered every worthwhile Rogue skill on the market, and I've even gotten an ability to disguise my mana-levels!

Which isn't that useful, since I don't believe people can really sense magic as far as I'm aware of it. But if I ever go to another setting with sensors, it'd be fucking busted so I'm not complaining.

And while the increase in my ninja capabilities has made my Dex and Agi even more effective/easier to increase due to my Baseline increasing.

But this upgrade pales in comparison to what Traditional Practices has given me. To start… all the knowledge perks take form as pockets of information in the back of my head that guide me whenever it has information I need. Like a voice in my head that's just a more skilled/min-maxed version of myself telling me how to do shit.

With this analogue, you'll understand how it felt when I woke up this morning to find that Traditional Practices had essentially eaten Magister Lord whole and took all of its knowledge.

Sure, I'm still supernaturally inclined to being one of the top brass of magic organizations, but all the mad magic scientist know-how has become part of the mass.

I'm just going to cut the middle man and call it my Wizard Voice, because that's what it is. Now, considering my mass of knowledge from Traditional Practices has become usable, and applies to every spell I have…

I was very happy when I realized I could finally use Bombardment… which is why I'm currently acting extremely unhinged.

How unhinged, you ask?

"Eternally-!" I sang my fucking heart out as I rushed through the dungeon, two-fingered finger guns pointed at the nearest crowd of goblins/kobolds as I dumped a pinch of Mind into the glowing sphere forming at my fingertip.

"-Blue will spread its wings!" I fired, and the bullet almost teleported into their midst before detonating, but I had already ran off when I had fired, pointing at the next mass of kobolds forming after me as the Dungeon finally grew a pair and made an active attempt to kill me.

"Eternally!" Another bullet was formed, fired, and tore through the horde into an explosion of steaming gore. "Blue is flying free!"

I jumped up and over the ruined cadavers, infinitely more concerned with my exp and showing off than picking up the mana crystals- after all I still had a fair bit of valis to be made with the Infant Dragon's crystal.

"Soaring through all the prayers and all the pretty lies!" A smile spread on my face as my sword appeared in my hand, and I got the opportunity to carve through a surviving monster from the shoulder to the middle of the torso. I accidentally nicked the mana crystal inside, and the whole thing popped into dust.

"Reaching out my hand and never seem to find you!" I ran away from the rapidly growing horde, wordlessly firing Bombardments- shit name, they're Handcannons now- and using the homing features to kill them off as I hopped down another level. What level was I on again?

Spotting a War Shadow in front of me, I smiled. Six, apparently.

"Something like love in the dance down the cheeks!" My blade left my hand and found itself in the singular eye of the monster. I spotted something with more than four limbs out of the corner of my eye, and instinctively gunned it down with my magic. "The color of pain in the following of grief, what is this feeling?"

The Killer Ant exploded in a pile of ash, telling me I was missing out on a lot of cash, causing me to sigh as I finally landed from my jump in a roll. I then push myself back into the air with one hand, the other already aiming a Handcannon at the crowd of monsters that were following me in this enclosed space.

"The words that never seem to find you, they crawl up my throat in a hate anew!" My grin grew painful as I hit the crowd with a Mass Curse of Combustibility.

I fired, and learned exactly how effective a mana crystal is as an explosive with the right priming, as their blood ignited like red gasoline and their flesh burned to a crisp even before their remains faded to dust.

"Tell me is this really ending! You whisper in your loneliness!" I sang even as I was buffed back by the explosion, knocking me back into a stone wall with all the force of a truck, despite not feeling a lick of it. This time, I truly landed on my feet, humming the next part of the song as it lacked any lyrics.

Then I heard the unfamiliar scurry of insects throughout the halls, and realized that maybe my attack was less or more effective than I had realized.

I smiled, and mentally hit the rewind on the song as a living sea of Killer Ants rounded the corner and came my way.

I aimed my fingers.

"Eternally-!"

"I'm starting to wonder if letting you go back into the Dungeon after yesterday was a good idea." Were the first words I heard as I returned to Blessed Balms, by who else but Bast herself.

"In my defense, I had a really good song stuck in my head." The confused yet annoyed look Bast gave me was priceless and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Totally made up for the fact monster blood kept dripping into places they were never meant to venture towards.

"Could you have at least found a river to wash out all the blood, you're just begging the rats to come our way."

I frowned for two reasons. "First, considering everyone uses the river to clean everything, there's no way in hell I'm doing that with my everything. Second, are rats carnivores?"

"Rats will eat anything, it's why they're the scum of the earth." The catgirl spoke severely, and I nodded along.

Lore - Waltzing with the Reaper - Kara no Kyokai (100 points)

Roll Success! Purchased! 0 points banked.

[ Waltzing with the Reaper] To be a Magus is to walk with death. The very act of using what we call magic, of mixing the Mana of the air with the Od of your body to create Prana and circulate it into your Magic Circuits, is something that has inherent danger. To accept that knowledge and revel in it is to take on the air of something more than human. The petty concerns of human life fade somewhat, making it so much easier to retain the sophistication and grace expected of a refined member of the Association. It requires a will stronger than normal people to brush up against death and that same will, in a rather less dramatic application, is something that allows most Magi to withstand the long hours of study, research and constant requirement for creative thinking when it comes to learning magecraft. Exam hell doesn't even begin to describe it, when you're studying to make sure you don't incinerate yourself from the inside out!

… I- I went bankrupt because of this? A fucking…willpower/composure buff?

Bro, I may not recognize the name, but I know Nasuverse shit when I read it and I've just been fucked in the ass.

Not even a lick of magic- fuck what I was thinking, knowledge perks suck ass.

And I'm going to have to mop the entryway after this. Fuck today, man.

Name: Selah

Race: Human (Variant)

Level: 1*

Ability Scores:

STR: H - 140 - H - 175

END: H - 110 - H - 190

DEX: H - 145 - G - 205

AGI: H - 193 - G - 264

MAG: D - 511 - C - 647

Developmental Abilities:

Magic:

Skills:

Black Sheep - Increases the growth of stats in proportion to the risk being undertaken.

Mad Dog - Increases Mind regeneration in proportion to ill will and negative emotions.

"... Anubis where the fuck did the new skill come from?" I was going to ignore the buff to my Endurance, considering I was throwing out explosions without a care in the world all day today. I also wasn't going to comment on how my plan to grind exp has apparently been working, possibly due to the constant explosions more than delaying my Level Up, but still.

"Apparently being pampered was a significant part of the skill's formation from yesterday." Anubis stated, and despite the insinuation I felt no guilt whatsoever from whatever she was implying. "Cuddle slut."

"How the fuck- right, degenerates." My question was answered before I'd even arrived. Still… "Shut up, you love it." Comeback of the century.

"Doesn't make it not true."

"Alright, just for that, I'm going to the Hostess of Fertility." I rolled to my side, forcing Anubis off of my back, and put my shirt back on.

"Bring back a steak and some bread rolls." She demanded with all the authority of a dog barking at you for interrupting it's petting by needing to take a leak.

"I promise to only bring back half of what you asked for."

"Dick." She said passively with a twitch of her ear, which was her equivalent of screeching about how unfair I was.

"Love you too." I tossed over my shoulder as I left the room, the goddess oddly not responding to my words. Ignoring that as I closed the door behind me, I walked back to the bottom floor of the shop and saw a conversation pause the second I enter the room.

Immediately suspicious, I relaxed when I noticed exactly what was going on here, based on Bast talking to the carved statue she called her Familia Captain.

Draken was a clean six foot even, with muscles so defined even shirts twice his actually size threatened to be ripped to pieces when he put them on. His face was untouched by any scarring, something that made me feel the slightest bit self-conscious about the claw-mark on my face that I had received from the weakest monster in the 'verse. He constantly wore plating over key portions of his outfits, half because it was harder to flex of steel, even for Adventurers.

He also tended to look at me like I was the scum of the earth, but I think he's just got resting bitch face. Or is a bitch, either or.

"Ah, sorry, on my way out for dinner." I apologized absently, moving past the two as I headed out the door.

"Selah." Part of me twitched at him calling me by my name- it's not my legal first name, but the Falna only cares about the name your soul responds to or something- but I stopped and looked back at him. "I'll join you. We need to have a chat, Captain to Captain."

… I mean, considering I'm the only one in Anubis' Familia, I'm Captain by default, but eh.

"Alright, as long as you don't get in the way of anything. Oh, and I'm not paying for your food."

Walking at night like this reminded me that I was probably never going to finish Persona 3 Reload, which means I'll never get to experience every track the $60 Soundtrack (with extra gameplay) had.

Ignoring that depressing thought along with the man trying to silently intimidate me as we walked to a restaurant, I considered what I had learned from my reckless actions in the Dungeon. And… Handcannon was good. Really good.

Permanent crutch good, and I had just resolved not to sit around waiting for everything to come my way, but that had just happened. And I knew exactly what I needed to do to ensure that the worst didn't come to pass- a reason to backslide on my motherfucking development.

Cursed Mimicry: Binding Vow.

Roll failed. 100 points banked.

Oh thank god I've gotten over the burning feel of the roll starting, because fuck me would that have been an awful time to fuck up a spell.

Still, looking at my left wrist, I saw a pitch-black tattoo wrap around it like chains. Perfect, the spell worked.

The Binding Vow was a simple thing- In exchange for only being able to use Handcannon eight times a day, all the Mind I don't regenerate when the tank is full is instead placed in the tattoo for eventual 'Fuck you and everything on the continent you're standing on' level-attacks.

Part of it was because I was a filthy min-maxer who knew I could have more Mind but wasn't willing to use the thousands of curses I was now aware of to mutilate my soul because I was impatient.

Besides, deliberately crippling myself is optimal for Black Sheep. Also, breaking the Vow will just remove all the Mind stored inside the tattoo after a certain point so if I actually need to spam the shit I can do it.

Looking up from staring at my newest tattoo (Oh my God I have tattoos now), I realized I had arrived at my destination, given Bell's Maid Waifu was waiting at the entrance.

"Ah, Selah, welcome back! Will you and your guest be sitting at a table or the counter?" Gray-hair said with a smile, and I internally wondered how long it would take for me to remember what the fuck her name was.

"Ah, thanks… I'll take the counter, please." The maid smiled, before leaning closer and whispering.

"Good, Ryuu is working on the counter tonight. Tell her I said hi, and I'll be joining her when Bell returns tonight." I tried not to shiver at her soft voice in my ear, not because I'm into her- the Bro Code is extremely clear about pining after another man's crush- but because my hearing was already sensitive when I was a regular guy.

Now I'm on the verge of going Super Selah 2- Nope bad joke, instant regret, so glad no one will ever see that.

Either way, my hearing is even more sensitive, so whispering and shit makes me squirm like I was being tickled.

"Alright, got it, good luck diving for apples in Bell's ass." I crudely waved her off, causing the maid to sputter and blush bright red at the statement. Snickering to myself as I continued to ignore Draken's attempts to intimidate me with his presence alone, I sat over at the counter with the Level One at my heel. "Right, so while we're waiting for Ryuu-"

"I'm right here." I jolted in my seat as I was made aware of the green-haired elf's presence at my side, when my everything told me she was not there when I started speaking. What fucking Level is she, anyway?

"Oh sweet merciful Anubis…" I sighed out before turning to Ryuu. "I want you to know I mean this as politely as possible; fucking hell, someone needs to put a goddamn bell on you."

"Trust me, it wouldn't help." What the fuck does that mean- "Now, how can I help you?"

"Oh, two things of varying importance. First and foremost, what's the special for the day?" I asked the maid, as I hadn't eaten lunch today as well as every day since I've started going into the Dungeon, so I was particularly starving whenever I left that hellhole. "Also, can you read lips?"

"Mama Mia's making a pork roast with beans and mashed potatoes." … What time-period is this? Fuck it, sounds delicious. "And yes, I can. Why?"

"In reverse order," I started, before cupping my hands around my mouth so none of the Level Nth Adventurers in this place could hear the shit I was about to start.

'Do you know about the Infant Dragon that died yesterday?' She nodded stoically, expression not shifting in the slightest. 'I was the one who killed it with a spell.' She nodded again 'You believe me?'

'I'm used to deciphering truths and lies, and you're one of the most honest men I've ever met.' Aww… I'm totally going to tease her now.

'Thank you. Can you make sure that this rumor reaches the Loki Familia's ear, and that I'm willing to make a deal with them?'

A final nod, and I moved my hands down.

"And can I get that special, and that drink I had last time as well?"

"Yes sir." Ryuu turned and went back to doing maid shit, but momma didn't raise an ungrateful bitch.

"Thanks Ryuu, you're the most reliable person I've ever met." She walked away from my compliment even faster, but even with my terrible vision I could see a bit of redness on her ears.

Ah, right. This is a harem setting with Bell as the protagonist- all women are weak to earnest compliments and affection… wait, that's literally everyone.

"Are you done chatting with the elf?" Oh my fucking Anubis-

"Yeah, now let's get this 'chat' over with. What's your problem with me, and why the fuck did you drag me here?" I looked over at him, whatever good mood I'd gotten from chatting with an acquaintance fading as I spoke with shitlips over here.

"My issue with your irreverent ass and the conversation at hand are one and the same." My first instinct was to insult his excessive verbiage and proclaim it as a shallow defense mechanism to protect his tiny ego based upon his even more insignificant dick… but he was one of Bast's, so I'd save the insults for when he was finished making a point. "You are single handedly the most reckless and foolhardy Adventurer I've ever met, and I've only known you for less than an hour. Going as far as you have as fast as you have stinks of a desperation worth gambling your life on. Personally I don't particularly care whether you live or die, but if you keep on this path you will stay as far away from my goddess as possible if you know what's good for you-"

Enough.

Divination- Hyrule Map- Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (100 points)

Roll Success! Purchased! 0 points remaining.

[ Hyrule Map] Hyrule's not exactly a small country, you know. It can be a bit hard to find where you're supposed to go, especially with all the monsters wreaking havoc and Ganon's magic altering the environment. Good thing you have this, then! As you might guess, this is a map of Hyrule, giving you a lay of the land and helping you find your way. Not only that, but it also updates to reflect changes that have occurred, like showing you a region being consumed by the Dark World or trapped in eternal winter. No more getting confused or lost thanks to magic trickery! Post-Jump, it updates to map the country/land you're currently in.

The realization that I had the luxury of gaining a map for every point I fucking had, made the unsubtle usage of Villainous Aura sharper than usual- more specifically Draken flinched away from me as if I had run him through with my sword, a gasp of imagined pain escaping him.

"I'd make a whole evil villain speech about threats and their futility if you are incapable of backing them up, but. You've followed me to my last meal after a hard day's work, insulted me and the way I work, threatened my safety, and failed to intimidate me throughout. In short, shove your fucking tough guy act up your fucking ass, and give me something worth my attention."

I let my Aura fade out and watched as the six-foot giant slumped over against the counter, gasping for air as he suddenly remembered to breathe. I turned to Mama Mia with an apologetic grimace.

"Sorry about this guy, our Goddesses know each other and he wanted to talk Captain to Captain." The giant, beautiful woman scoffed and waved me off.

"Nah, it's fine. Familia politics and all that make for great shows for the customers, not the staff." And with that the silent room was forced back into motion by panicked maid girls. "I'd say not to make a habit, but the big lug seems like he's learned his lesson."

I turned my attention to Draken, who seemed to finally regain a semblance of decency, and lowered his head in my direction. "I… I apologize for my words and actions thus far. They weren't acceptable for two Captains of equal level, nevermind of two allied Familias."

Huh. He was talking like an actual person now. Who knew putting the fear of death in someone was all it took to beat the generic fodder villain speak out of them. "I'll consider accepting the apology when you tell me what's prompting all this."

The man grimaced, one far deeper and more painful than I had expected from the question- I thought this was about me trying to seduce Bast, and he had a crush on her or something.

"... The Bast Familia used to go on regular expeditions into the Dungeon." I straightened on the stool as I looked at Draken, and knew without a shadow of a doubt this story wasn't going to end well. "Originally, when the Familia first began to grow in size, the first Captain and her Lieutenants would all stay with Lady Bast in our base. Though our Familia isn't primarily an Exploration Familia, the Dungeon offered the resources and stat-growth necessary for policing Orario. The Captain and the Lieutenants were the first Bast had ever recruited, so they were naturally stronger and more experienced than the rest of us. Their job was to get the money for weapons and other resources that the rest needed."

I said nothing.

"Eventually, we got a lot more recruits at once than we were used to, and we needed much more money to keep everything afloat. So the originals had the choice of overworking everyone and risking the lives of their weakest, or go by themselves into deeper floors. They risked it all and went to the eleventh floor."

"Infant Dragon." There was no emotion in my voice, as we both knew exactly what I was speaking of and that I was correct.

"After that day… Bast moved into the shop and refused to move back into the base, and banned us all from venturing farther than the ninth floor. Many left at her command, and she let them go, but the rest of us couldn't leave her. But she became… distant, mistrustful. She still cared for us, but she looked at us like we were sick dogs that could drop dead at any time. She loves us all, but she refused to get attached again."

And then some guy who wasn't even part of her Familia wormed his way into her heart, and had already made his way into the fifth floor through pure luck and recklessness, and now the entire Familia is concerned I'm going to die and take what affection she has left with me.

I felt for the man, he was just doing what he could to defend someone he loves that was from someone accidentally doing exactly what broke her in the first place. I could even feel sympathy.

Could being the operative word, because every bit of brain power I had was now dedicated to getting onto the eleventh floor and fucking dragging an Infant Dragon's corpse up to the surface so she could get her closure.

Because she was a Warrior Goddess, and what better way to honor the dead that to set fire to the thing that killed them. Sounds like the closest thing to therapy this fucking place has.

The delicious roast was absently devoured as I set along the way.

Is it wrong to take a chance in the Dungeon? Absolutely, and I have proof of the consequences.

Will I just idle by while my friend is hurting? Fuck no.

Roll Failed. 100 points banked.

Again. This fucking day.

A/N: Welp, I said this chapter was shorter than usual because everything beyond this point would become it's own chapter. Hope you enjoyed what little there was, thanks for reading. Peace.

[Psychic Abilities- Precognition (Show Me the Cards)] In the World of Darkness, psychic abilities and mythic sorcery are, at first glance, completely different. However, both manipulate the same powers, albeit in very different ways, and are both considered forms of linear magic. While a sorcerer utilizes numerous tools and ceremonies to harness supernatural powers, a psychic makes do with lots, and lots, of willpower. Furthermore, the majority of psychic powers are innate, and can be improved, but not gained, without outside interference, in stark contrast to sorcery.

One of the rarer abilities in the psychic community, this one grants insights into events yet to come, but often leads its users to forget, in the World of Darkness, the future is never entirely certain...

[4] Show Me the Cards - The psychic has almost perfect view of the immediate future. The next fifteen or so seconds of history are known to the psychic before they ever happen, though knowledge of the future may change it. Fleeing from the assailant that would have killed you might result in them giving chase. But it could also result in them striking at your ally, who is still in reach.

(CG Note: Requires Psychic Abilities - Precognition (Danger Sense) - World of Darkness: Sorcerer first.)

SI: What- I- Fuck. Please. Give me a fucking Prereq. Or more points, I don't care. Stop making me broke.

[The Trees Have Ears] The greenery within the Jade College is more than simple topiary. Every climbing ivy, shrub, and tree inside the coiling structure is awake and aware of everything that passes by it. Any movement they find questionable is immediately reported to any Jade Magisters within the College building who ask. You have found yourself blessed with a bounty of similar foliage, which you may freely plant wherever you desire. When asked, these photosynthesizing gossips will gladly answer you any question about goings-on near them, from what sorts of birds have perched on them to which would-be thieves have used them as hiding spots. Should you plant any additional foliage, you may add it to this network at will.

SI: … On one hand, I really don't give a shit about the world's first vegan home security system. On the other, a magic garden for Bast would've gotten me major points… but not fucking 400 CP, so I'm fine.