Orario, the strongest city or perhaps the most important?

At the very least, it had the most stories and recounted the most terrifying events that came from beneath it: the Dungeon.

Floors and caverns, so many different creatures; it truly was like a paradise, albeit hiding secrets that could freeze anyone's blood.

Strong monsters, powerful enemies, traps… Behind all those tales of defeating great foes like "Goliath," lay the gruesome and ruthless deaths of adventurers who, like so many others, sought only glory.

Yet for our hero, this was not something unknown; it only motivated him to aim higher, to dream in simple words.

In the distance, he could see the great Tower of Babel, an impressive construction worthy of the gods and deserving of being the center of that remarkable city.

The journey had been straightforward, but long and tiring; while traversing a forest, he encountered a cart that was being attacked by goblins. Without a second thought, he jumped in!

Although they were goblins, a small wound could be seen on his cheek. They were easy monsters, simple to kill even for someone without experience like Bell. He doubted even a child would have trouble defeating them, but due to his excitement and carelessness, he ended up injured.

Embarrassed, he allowed the man and woman who owned the cart to treat him… truly, how could a "hero" be so shameless?

As a token of gratitude, the couple gave him a "lift" to Orario. There, in front of the gate, he prepared to enter, excited.

"Stop." A gruff voice halted the daydream of the white-haired boy. His bright eyes turned toward the armored figure, who appeared to be a guard.

"Why are you coming to Orario?"

"Umh… to… become an adventurer?"

"Typical." The man said, pulling out a form.

"Name?"

"Bell Cranel."

"Race?"

"Lycan."

"Age?"

"13; I turn 14 in less than a month."

"Blood relatives?"

"I don't know them."

The guard only let out a sigh and looked Bell up and down, noting his worn and somewhat dirty sword, along with his clothes and a faint patch on his cheek. With a sigh, he simply nodded.

"Welcome to Orario, Bell Cranel. Stay out of trouble for me, okay? We don't want someone so young ending up in jail."

Bell, simply nodding—not once, nor twice, but three times—entered the city, excited; the streets were bustling!

The food stalls released the aroma of fresh meat; some even sold fish, while others sold Jagamarukun. The streets were noisy, filled with greetings everywhere, people working, and others enjoying the day.

Just as his grandfather used to tell him… "Streets full of life, powerful people walking alongside common folk. Gods enjoying the day with their beloved followers and children. A great city, one that you will soon visit."

And here he was, facing such immensity… everything in stark contrast to his small village.

He had to admit he felt overwhelmed, but there was no time to waste.

Approaching a stall selling skewers, he bought one to eat and hurried to ask for directions to the Adventurers' Guild. But the disappointment would be great…

"What do you mean I'm too young?" A voice echoed, quite gentle despite the shouting.

"It's not your age; you're still a pup, in mind and body," replied a red-haired girl, one of the same race as our dear Bell.

"But still… that's no reason…" With her ears pinned back against her hair, the redhead would sigh at the sight.

"Anyway… which Familia are you in?"

"Familia? Uh… none…"

"None?! Sigh… really, kids these days…" Placing a hand on her forehead to avoid stress, she pulled out a small—no, a LONG list, filled with names and addresses. "These are all the Familias that are recruiting people. The ones marked like this are the ones recruiting, and the others… only accept forms with your details and background."

"Uhh…" With his eyes wide as two porcelain plates, Bell stared at the long list, his tail betraying his surprise by fluffing up. Some adventurers would never think a Lycan could fit the description "cute," given that most were tall and terrifying.

That was not the case for Bell; while he was tall compared to the children his age, standing at 5'7", for his race he was a pup—cute, somewhat small in comparison, with features that resembled more a rabbit than a Lycan. Yet clearly; that did not negate the fact that he remained a werewolf; he had to be treated with care or… that's what others thought.

"Thank you very much, Miss Rose!" the Lycan said with a grin from ear to ear.

"Don't even think about coming back until you find a Familia! I don't have time to deal with lost puppies." She would say in a tone that seemed "angry," though for some reason, Bell didn't find it aggressive; rather… the opposite.

However, days would pass, and the first Familia would reject Bell…

Then the second, the third, the fourth… the fifth, the sixth!

Why was everyone rejecting him?!

Some told him "You're too young," while others simply slammed the door in his face.

"You look very docile…"

"You seem like a little puppy."

"Too innocent."

"Weak…" "Soft." Though the one that offended him the most was: "Huh? A rabbit wanting to be an adventurer?"

I don't look like a rabbit! I'm proudly a Lycan, damn it!

Yet the weeks would pass… two, to be exact; all the Familias had rejected him, at least all the low-rank ones.

Today was a special day; it was his birthday. Would the gods perhaps have mercy and allow him to join a Familia as a gift? In any case, his birthday coincided with an important event; the Monsterphilia, a major event that brought people from outside Orario to watch second and first-class adventurers fight powerful beasts pulled straight from the Dungeon.

But Bell was not there; he was standing in front of the door of the Twilight Manor, home of the Loki Familia—the goddess of trickery, one that Bell admired for the amusing stories and the pranks she played in the realm of the immortals.

But his hopes faded again with a kick to the stomach; it was Vanargand… The kick, though it didn't knock Bell over, left him kneeling on the ground in pain.

"Get lost, kid. If you can't even handle a single kick like that, do you think you can join our Familia?" he said with that typical tone, as if speaking to an inferior. Bell couldn't manage to say anything, as the gray-haired Lycan entered the mansion without another glance.

There was nothing left to do.

He was disappointed—with Orario, its people, and himself. He looked down at the money he had left and sighed; at least he could enjoy the day, right? Monsterphilia only comes once a year.

Oh, what a bad decision… or maybe a good one?

He had a bad feeling... the day had been good, the food was delicious, the common people and the vendors were warm, and the Ganesha family kept everything safe; it was a nice place.

"Aizuuu-tan...~~" said a very playful voice, with her hands moving back and forth in a rather sinister manner. It was a girl of average height, with vermilion hair and matching eyes, although... she wasn't a "girl," she was a goddess, teasing a blonde with an angelic appearance.

"Loki-sama, stop it or I'll cut off your hands." And at the imminent threat, the goddess pulled her hands back with a little "Eep-" in the background.

"Terrifying as always…"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"To spend the day! What else would it be for? You're always thinking about Dungeon this... Dungeon that... You should focus those thoughts on me, your glorious goddess!"

"Hm." That would be the dry response the goddess received. "Pervert." It was the cruel comeback that followed without any warning.

The goddess would clutch her chest, hurt. "So cruel! Fine! If you won't let me give you affection, I'll go find Lefiya-chan." She said, running into the crowd, escaping from the blonde, who couldn't chase her in time due to the people.

However, it was a bad moment to do that, as… due to a mistake in the management of the Ganesha family, a Silverback would escape.

6ft tall, fast, and strong, no adventurer was nearby to save the civilians, as everyone was at the grand coliseum.

The screams wouldn't be long in coming, alarms would soon appear, but tracking such a fast monster in a city this large was a titanic task for the family.

The goddess Loki, who was fleeing from Aiz, would encounter the monster as she turned a corner; it was as if the monster knew who it was going to meet, at just the right moment, in just the right place, at just the right time.

The attack wouldn't take long to reach an unprotected Loki, who, despite being a goddess, due to restrictions was just a human with arcane abilities.

But the blow wouldn't arrive in time, at least not in time for the goddess, but rather, to the shoulder of a white-haired boy who had intervened, shielding the goddess in the process.

Both were sent flying, and although the hit was strong, it wasn't fatal like the one that beast would have delivered to the goddess.

"¡Huh?!" could be heard from an incredulous Loki, who had barely processed what happened.

Without wasting time, Bell would take the goddess by the hand, not letting her protest, and would run down an alley, fleeing from the furious beast that roared loud enough to stun the poor Lycan's ears.

The Silverback charged into the narrow alley, smashing windows, fences, and knocking down everything in its path as it ran like the characteristic gorilla, a terrifying sight.

Bell wondered, with so many people, why was it going after this girl?

It seemed to have a tremendous hatred... until he finally analyzed carefully; red-haired, vermilion eyes, flat chest… No, that's not it! Slim figure, yes... slim figure.

Shaking his head, he focused again; this girl matched the descriptions of the goddess Loki. Was he holding the hand of his favorite goddess?! How shameful! It was all the grandfather's fault! That was what the boy thought as he ran.

Maybe he was trying to separate his thoughts from the fear he felt at that moment, he was running from a monster stronger than him, taller than him… faster, wait… faster?!

The beast was almost upon them, and Bell, seeing the imminent danger, would reach an open area.

"Goddess! Please, run away! I'll buy time." Said the white-haired boy, although it was an act of goodwill, he wanted to run at that moment, he wanted to regret the action he had taken… he was scared.

But without losing his composure, he would send the goddess down the alley behind him while he drew his sword to cover her.

It was a joke, right? He didn't even have Falna, he didn't know how to fight! It was ridiculous to fight right now.

More than a wolf, he looked like a newborn deer the way he trembled.

But without giving room to his thoughts, the Silverback attacked Bell like the beast it was, a blow, formless... without technique behind it, simply powerful, capable of killing a human.

Using his sword, he tried to block it, but the blade got caught in the skin and flesh of the beast, pushing Bell against a wall and slamming him.

Despite the pain in his back, he took his sword in hand as quickly as he could and prepared for a counterattack, attempting to slice the beast's arm in an inexperienced manner, which, of course, he didn't achieve in the slightest.

The sword struck the Silverback's arm, cutting through its fur and leaving a small, insignificant cut.

With force, the Silverback would use its shoulder to push Bell and destabilize him, then leap and deliver a kick directly to the boy's jaw, which he blocked with the hilt of his sword despite wobbling. The pain in his hand was great; he was sure the kick broke at least one bone in his finger.

However, the agility of those monsters was enough for Bell, who was still recovering, to receive a strong kick to the stomach, sending him flying into the alley, where he would rise... he would notice the narrow alley; it was the one he had sent Loki to run through, but... this thing had no exit!

Seeing the open metal door, he would run to close it and lock it before the Silverback arrived.

One second more, and he was sure he would be dead.

"What family are you from, boy? You're quite weak, you can't even handle that monster."

"No... I don't have a family..." he said, clutching the finger on his hand; it was broken, it hurt a lot.

Loki would remain thinking, this boy, was he trying to fight against a monster without Falna? Was he an idiot? In any case, it was her only chance to get out of here alive.

"Take off your clothes."

"Huh?!"

"What you heard."

"B-but… goddess… we're in the middle of an alley with a loose monster—"

"What the hell are you thinking? Take off your shirt, perverted wolf." Loki added, giving him a hard slap on the head. Bell, blushing and embarrassed, would start to lift his shirt, turning his back to Loki, who, biting her finger, would let a drop of blood fall.

There was no time to check his status, but something caught Loki's attention… what the hell was that ability?

Name: Bell Cranel.

Age: 14 Years.

Alias: None

Family: Loki Familia

Race: Werewolf

Level: 1

Strength: I0

Endurance: I0

Dexterity: I10

Agility: I20

Magic: I0

Skills:

[Vilja Einherjar]

"Oh, powerful warriors, immortals, rising from the dead once more. Indomitable spirit, unbreakable will, indestructible body, they shall not fall before fear nor despair, and with their last breath, they will free the world from perdition."

When faced with life-or-death situations, challenging fear and their own end, their statistics grow exponentially, accelerating their development. [Current Effectiveness: 17%]

No matter the injury, their body is a bastion; they will not fall until their last breath. [The bearer will not fall in battle as long as the skill and their consciousness remain intact.]

No matter the adversity, their spirit is indomitable. [Immunity to charms and tricks.]

No matter the fear, their will shall not be broken. [No matter how much fear the user feels, no matter how much their body trembles, they will not retreat.]

Race Skills:

Beastification: Under the light of the moon, his body changes to a primitive state, his fangs longer and his claws appearing. With a longer tail, pointed ears, and a taller body, his physical statistics double, at the cost of losing some of their reasoning and intelligence.

Enhanced Senses: As a werewolf, the user has better hearing and smell, allowing him to hear through walls or from a distance and detect scents that another person clearly could not.

"THIS STATUS IS RIDICULOUS! WHAT IS THAT ABILITY?!" the goddess thought to herself; maybe it was destiny, but she had definitely discovered a gem.

Bell felt a horrible burning in his back, but for some reason, he felt better... the wound from before didn't hurt as much, his eyes could see well, and his hearing improved... although it was already good for his race, now he could hear the Silverback's growls in the distance. He felt strong; he felt he could win. He turned to look at Loki, incredulous… she, had she given him Falna?

"It's just what ya think… now." She kicked him in a way that clearly wouldn't hurt the Lycan, smirking maliciously. "This is not for free, ya'll will kill the bad boy for me, right? Wolfy."

Heyyyy, how's it going? Did you like the chapter? If the answer is yes, I'm glad. And don't worry if there wasn't much action; the next chapter will be packed with it. By the way, it will be out tomorrow i think. In any case, I'll say goodbyeee now, and I hope you have a nice day ;)