~{Author's Pre-Notes}~
HAPPY NEW YEAAAAAR!
Holy shit this year has been a doozy for and I'm once again sorry for leaving to go get the milk for that long, but man, a lot has happened.
So first off, in case you haven't seen the latest notes on my Legend Of Zelda/Konosuba fanfic, I'VE OFFICIALLY GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, WOOOOO! Sociology degree with a Minor in Creative Writing baby, that's what it's about! Glad that's finally over! And yet... I didn't suddenly have so much free time to write more of all my fanfics like I thought I would...
Now that I've graduated, my dad has been practically military training me in teaching me how to become a bartender and work in catering since he'd said he'd take me under his wing when I finished school, an... holy SHIT he's been keeping me so fucking busy. Each day he's not working he makes me either drive everywhere for him for errands to make me practice my driving, or starts training me in everything he could in terms of bartending mannerisms and layouts. I'm talking about practicing how to pour the same bottle in the same glasses for hours a day with him watching me
And the days he's out working and I'm home? I still have to STUDY! Cause bartending isn't all 'just know the drinks and pour everything together,' not only do I gotta memorize the drinks, but I gotta read a whole book that HE MADE with so much technical knowledge with backstories on different liquers and liquors. Even when I've finished college I still gotta study!
*Ahem* I won't say much more in my business since that'd be an enormous rant, but man I wish I had more free time. I was barely able to get this chapter on time for New Years Day, and even then, it's only 9,000 words long (compared to my usual 10,000) and rushed in checking for edits because I wanted to post it before the day was over.
I really think my dad expects the most from me out of my siblings, cause while I finished school, my brother dropped out and my sister did to while ending up as kind of a neet... (I swear, my parents spoiled her like a princess in that she didn't need to do anything around the house, and now she doesn't nothing but play Minecraft all day with only a part-time job even though she stubbornly decided she won't do school again...) so yeah, pressure for me to better.
So yeah, with all that going on, I've had fuck all time to write, but I had wanted to post something by the end of the year, so I grabbed the easiest and fastest fic I could work on (this one) and really pushed through to write a full chapter. As I'm sure you'll all notice, this chapter is being posted during the nighttime of New Years Day. I was kinda cutting it close...
But enough of that! Enjoy this chapter for all it's rushed effort that I'm sure still came out fine! And once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Answered Comments (Oldest To Most Recent):
Da Lone Ranger: *Bete sweats nervously*
SkyChaser17: Thank you so much for the long comment and for understanding the struggles of life itself. Yes, Yoichi is a true man of culture, and I do agree that a rope-weapon style would be bad for the first few floors, but it's not like Izuku will get his main weapon/s during those floors; we'll see in the future. Thank you for your feedback, it helps a lot!
ProjectIceman: Agreed, Izuku x Infirmary Bed is the best ship and nothing else can be said otherwise, and something tells me it won't be his only time there, lol. And yeah, Zeus be giving a thumbs up to Izuku in spirit; he's spiritually proud.
I have indeed read the ending chapters of My Hero Academia! ... And I was completely disappointed in how it ended. Won't say anything about it cause spoilers, but man, I've never felt more heartbroken and disappointed at how it ends up for Izuku. It's actually keeping me from really feeling as passionate for my other mha fanfics, but this one's isekai element with a good character is keeping me pumped for it in the future. Thanks for commenting
Arkoss00 (TheBlackNightZero): Hey Zero, it's always good to see your comments and I'm always glad you enjoy the chapters! I appreciate your suggestions for his weapons and I didn't even know Hori made three pieces of art of medieval Izuku. Hope to hear from you in this chapter too!
Monkey D. Conan: Hey Monkey, good to see you again. Izuku's weapon is definitely gonna be a uniquely custom one later on, I'll say that, and I'm glad you're still enjoying these chapters despite the wait times. Hope to hear from you again!
The Hat Of The Hats: Thank you for understanding the struggles of learning to become a functional adult that can live on their own and can do taxes, investing, and other bs encouraged of me that I know I gotta do... Oof.
Sebas602: Yeah, Hestia is gonna be Hestia. And as for his current strength, he DID lose One For All's whole stockpile so he doesn't have any enhancements, he's just a level one like anyone else. However, he is much more physically capable for a human because of his training (and probably has evolved because of quirks, I refused to believe he would've been able to haul trucks like one shown at the end of his training montage.) not to mention he still has his other quirks, although not powered up. But yeah, he definitely has a whole lot more capabilities.
yogaratw607: I actually don't know if I'll be using Artemis or the movie in here.
SORRY TO THE OTHER COMMENTS I DIDN'T ANSWER! I'm rushing to write this right now before my brother sleeps because we share a room and he gets up at like four in the morning for work!
The entry point to the dungeon was within an underground floor of Babel.
It was apparently some prologue floor: a circular room made entirely of cobblestones, multiple columns spaced at equal intervals, and glowing blue lights providing sight. On the ceiling was a beautiful azure painting resembling the real sky, and in the center of the circling room of the spiraling path was a ten-meter-long hole that led directly into the official first floor of the dungeon.
Izuku followed the path down the enormous spiral in awe as the blue glow from the magic stone lamps lit his path. He had expected the dungeon entrance to be packed and bustling with activity. Instead, the area was wide, and only about two dozen people traversed up or down the path. Everyone had more than enough space to comfortably walk at their own pace without worrying about others.
Frankly, the lack of activity wasn't what he or the vestiges expected.
"I honestly thought the entrance would be flooding with people," En spoke their thoughts.
"If we consider how large the dungeon is and that a majority of adventurers are in Familias with enough members to form parties, I think it makes sense that there wouldn't be any traffic due to time discrepancies among groups traveling down a deeper average of floors. We may not even see many people on the first couple of floors since, at most, they'd just follow the most straightforward path to the next ones rather than other areas." Hikage theorized.
Yoichi gasped. "Well damn! I'm the isekai nerd here and I never thought about it like that. I wonder if that's why OP protagonists conveniently never get noticed in tutorial areas of stories? Ah, aside from one relevant character or another."
"You know," Daigoro spoke up before Yoichi could explore that thought further. "With Float, Izuku could just jump all the way down into the dungeon. It'd be faster, not to mention funner."
"Really?" Kudo sighed.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never had the urge to jump down a giant hole and into wonderland or something!?"
"No, because that's a stupid idea!"
"No, no, hold on. He's got a point." Yoichi cut in with an understanding nod.
"Oh for fucks sake."
"Quiet please," Nana commanded sternly, rubbing her temples.
Izuku was thankful for the silence as he followed the rest of the spiraling path down, only a couple minutes passing before he arrived at his destination.
The first floor.
He found it to be exactly as he had expected... cold.
It wasn't the same kind of cold in terms of temperature, but rather, a tense pressure of unwelcome hostility. It was hardly any significance on this floor, but it was still there, an unseen force waiting, watching him.
He suddenly thought back on Rose's claim that the dungeon was alive.
Izuku shivered as he stepped into the start of a broad, massive stone hallway of faint blue thanks to the illuminating blue crystals embedded in the walls.
"The Beginning Road... Encouraged for newbie level one adventurers."
He reached down to his hip and pulled out his brand-new shortsword, a relatively simple blade.
"Huh, it feels really light."
Curious, the boy casually spun the blade in his hand like he would for his daggers. He had honestly expected it to feel more weight in the weapon.
"Then again, it is just a simple beginner sword."
Holding the blade in his hand, Izuku took a deep breath before looking ahead at the large, imposing path forward.
"Here goes nothing..."
And so, he took the first step on a brand new battleground with a whole new set of rules.
The former hero traversed down the Beginning Road with many other adventurers, but when the branching paths started emerging, Izuku used his memory of the layout to set out on his own.
It was around fifteen minutes down when he encountered his first monster inside.
"No matter where I look, it all looks the same."
All around him was stone and faint blue glows, nothing else. The same images contributed to the already uncomfortable atmosphere the dungeon held, a faint paranoia of getting lost even when he was sure it wouldn't be that hard to just follow the right walls for the exit.
"And people come in here every day."
*Zing!*
Izuku jerked at the faintest ping of Danger Sense and sharply turned to face the... wall?
He stared at the spot where he was sensing malice and stepped back. He did so just in time to see the surface start cracking, an almost human-looking hand bursting out.
Izuku was astounded as he witnessed the dungeon birthing a monster for the first time. The process was quick, with a portion of the wall splitting open to allow a half-human, half-canine monster with clawed hands, human-looking feet, and a dog-like head with whiskers to climb out of it.
"So that's how it looks." The boy couldn't help but note in fascination. However, that didn't stop him from getting his sword ready as his first monster of the dungeon landed on his feet, growling at him with feral red eyes.
Izuku flipped through his internal encyclopedia of information just as the monster dove at him with arms outstretched.
"A kobold, a simply dog-headed monster that barely has any strength or speed. They attack simply by jumping at their opponent, whether to tackle them down or claw at them."
He jumped to the side and easily dodged the monster, its trajectory resulting in it crashing into the wall.
"I'm faster than it. Easily so."
The monster yelped as it fell onto its back, clutching its snout. The pain made it lose focus for a few seconds before it seemed to remember that Izuku existed, to which it quickly stumbled back to its feet before snarling and taking another shot at clawing him. Once more, Izuku simply jumped aside to let the kobold pass by him. This pattern repeated a few more times until En spoke up.
"I know we're supposed to be quiet, but... why aren't you killing it?"
"Monsters born from the dungeon are supposed to be significantly stronger than those outside of it. I wanted to see the difference in ability." Izuku answered, not taking his eyes off the kobold as he effortlessly dodged once more.
Fighting the goblins on his way to Orario almost seemed akin to him using Full Cowl against someone without any enhancement quirk, and the gap was made even more apparent by how those monsters lacked any technique or intelligence. As for this kobold? It was still nothing, but it would absolutely slaughter those surface goblins. Not only could he tell that its natural abilities were higher, but it had a better sense of movement.
To put it into perspective, the goblins had been like stumbling quirkless children, but this kobold was like an adult man with an enhancement quirk. Its lack of intelligence was really the only thing keeping it from anything even close to an actual threat.
"Don't overanalyze in the middle of a fight. It'll only get you killed," Kudo warned.
"Sorry, I just didn't want to assume the natural abilities of the monsters here by words alone."
With a good idea of how large the gap between the monsters outside and inside the dungeon was, Izuku dodged a final time by jumping back using Float, creating a considerable distance between himself and the kobold. He landed in a crouch and held his short sword in both hands, taking a deep, calming breath of preparation.
"Just like before... Don't think about it too much."
The kobold howled and hazardly dove at him one final time.
The opening was easy to take advantage of, and Izuku ended it with the swing of his blade.
He heard both halves of the monster fall behind him, followed by a poof. Izuku released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, hesitantly turning to the lone magic stone on the ground.
"Okay..." He whispered to himself as he approached the item with an unsure grimace. "They're not people. Th-They're just constructs of the dungeon with varying levels of poor intelligence, just like animals; no, even less than animals..."
"And you're right, so don't let killing them get to you," En cut in. "Not only is it either them or you in here, but every monster left alive leaves the chance of another person dying. With each one down you contribute to minimize the risk of an outbreak to the surface. Just... don't think about it too much."
"Right, sorry." Izuku sighed, picking the magic stone off the ground and examining it in his hand.
"It's twice as large as the stones from the surface goblins." He noted, pocketing the stone behind him.
"As a small reminder that I'm sure you're aware of, don't ever let your future fights drag on like that."
"I will," Izuku answered Bruce before continuing further.
He was still obviously uncomfortable with even the thought of needing to fight with the intent to kill, but he needed to get used to this, as morbid as that seemed.
At the very least, now that he knows how abysmally weak the monsters of this floor are, he could start practicing some things.
As he walked, Izuku reached to a holster on the side of his belt and pulled out two of his village daggers.
They were flat but sharp black blades. While using a slingshot had been efficient for patient, precise hunting, Bruce and Kudo had advised him that it'd be impractical in fast-paced combat due to all the preparation a single shot would need. That was when the suggestion of throwing knives in tandem with Gearshift came up. The daggers weren't exactly made to be thrown, but even with their lackluster materials, they'd be the best projectiles on him until he could afford throwing knives made from monster parts. Hopefully, they'll be enough for the upper-floor monsters for now.
Speaking of which, Izuku felt Danger Sense ping again and jumped back, feeling malice from two different spots on the walls right before they cracked open.
He aimed one of his daggers at the first signs of goblins crawling out of the walls, then hurled the weapon while activating Gearshift, making sure not to include any spin in his throw.
That stuff you only see in movies.
Despite Gearshift's weakened state, the quirk still worked with incredible efficiency. His dagger flew true, and speeding up its acceleration turned it into a blur right before it nailed one of the goblins right between the eyes. The monster hadn't even landed on its feet yet and fell limp as it fully came out of the wall, collapsing to the ground before vanishing in black ash.
"It worked!"
Izuku didn't hesitate to repeat the motion to the other goblin that was just standing up; the monster only just starting to take a step before its head jerked back from the blade striking it. It fell to the ground and disappeared as fast as it had emerged.
Once more, Izuku breathed out, the tension dropping from his body.
"So we know that your village daggers do work against the monsters here. But the new question is up to what point will they not? And for how long will they last?" Hikage questioned.
"Not long. One's already chipped..."
True to Bruce's words, Izuku picked up the first dagger and found its sharpest point already chipped off.
"What?" He whispered in surprise. "But it looked like it pierced through easily."
"Gearshift's acceleration will make it look that way, but even though my quirk makes it so that objects ignore inertia, it doesn't change the force needed to pierce through objects or surfaces of stronger composition. It still takes strain and effort to pierce through something, enough to where the items you're using Gearshift on will break first sometimes. And it looks like even the weakest monsters' skeletons are tougher than your daggers' materials." Kudo explained.
"So only use sparingly or in emergencies for now..." Izuku sighed, sliding the daggers back into their holsters. "I thought I could use them to keep killing monsters before they even fully come out of the walls."
"Huh, spawn killing would be kinda funny, but I also think it'd kinda defeat the purpose of getting accustomed to combat in the dungeon," Yoichi chuckled.
"Fair enough."
From there, Izuku surprisingly got into a... somewhat comfortable rhythm.
Aside from taking a break to eat some jerky and dry fruit he carried on him, he spent the day just wandering around killing monsters. It was frankly incredible to think that even the first floor of the dungeon was so spacious, only ever passing by other adventurers five times during the hours there. He sometimes found goblins or kobolds roaming around, already having been spawned at some point earlier, but more often than not, monsters just randomly spawned after long periods of time.
When he decided to stop, Izuku's bag was just below halfway full of magic stones.
"Is it always this difficult to actually find monsters?" He muttered in disappointment as he started following the path back.
"Remember that we're literally on the first floor, the floor with the absolute weakest influence of the dungeon. It doesn't have the capability to spawn more or stronger monsters than what we've seen. Not unless it forces itself with consequential backlash based on what your advisor indicated. We can only hope that what you earned so far is worth how much time you spent down here." En explained.
"It should be evening by now."
Daigoro raised an eyebrow at the Hikage.
"Really? How could you tell?"
"I counted."
"...I'm sorry, you what?"
Before any clarification could be given, Kudo spoke up.
"Nine, I think you should move down to another floor."
That made everyone pause, including Izuku.
"What? Already?"
"Whoa, hold on, isn't that a little sudden? His advisor said that he should spend a week or two on the first floor, didn't she?" Daigoro interjected.
"No, Tulle said those unfit or inexperienced in combat are encouraged to spend that time on the first floor. We know that Nine has already faced conflict to the extreme and has shown more than enough capability to easily handle this floor even without One For All's stockpile or our quirks."
"So you think he should move from the tutorial area to the first beginning quest?" Yoichi analogized.
"Wait, but I promised Eina I wouldn't go further without her say." Izuku frowned.
"I don't mean to immediately go down right now. Just that you should bring it up with Tulle to see where you should really be."
"You've already mentioned that you've gone to a school with one of it's focuses being combat, use that to convince her." Bruce added.
"Wait, are we sure Izuku should be going down after just one day?" Nana questioned hesitantly. "This seems like the type of rushing Tulle had warned against."
"Again, that's assuming Nine, or any of us, aren't aware of his current capabilities and limits. Nine, how do you feel physically after hours in here?" Kudo asked.
"It felt-" Izuku paused, wondering how to say it without seeming arrogant, but there wasn't another word for it. "Simple? They were monsters with sluggish movements and simple patterns with hardly the intelligence to worry about them changing tactics. My morning workouts felt more testing than this."
"You're physical body is at it's best thanks to your regimen, especially since you've been keeping it up at the village. And remember when you punched that one kobold?"
Izuku grimaced.
There had been a moment where three kobolds already wandering had rushed at him together. While he had been able to easily cut the first two, the third had jumped too close for him to properly swing his blade again, to which Izuku had simply punched the monster away to make some space.
However, he hadn't expected the kobold to fly at the wall and crash with a sickening snap.
It had been surprisingly effective...
"Unfortunately." He admitted as he started walking again, having pictured the same happening if he had ever punched a person too hard with One For All.
"One punch, especially a rushed one, had enough strength to easily kill that monster. That, in tandem with how little effort you've needed to put in, is a good indicator of when you should move to a lower floor. Or at least that's when you should consider it."
"Not to mention, you'll want to be taking advantage of your growth skill as much as possible, so fighting more and stronger monsters you can still handle is where you want to be. I'd suggest studying up on the next few floors and then slowly pushing down until you find your level." Bruce reminded them.
"Oh shit, I forgot about that OP skill already! Yeah, what's the point if we don't abuse it!?" Daigoro claimed.
"Look just... Izuku, just talk to your advisor about it, okay? But don't feel pressured to rush." Nana sighed in defeat.
"I'll keep that in mind," He nodded, entering the spiraling chamber back to the surface.
There was still light when Izuku left the dungeon, the sun just beginning to fall above Orario's walls. He jogged all the way back to the guild pantheon with a cheerful smile, entering the busy building proudly.
He looked around and caught sight of Rose just finishing business with someone. The woman's impassive gaze briefly followed the man as he left, only to stop on Izuku. Her eyes narrowed, and he suddenly had the feeling not to approach for idle chatter...
It actually made him feel kinda nostalgic. Todoroki had been just like that during their first weeks at U.A.
He gave her a shy wave... which she only returned with a slow nod.
Huh, she acknowledged him.
That was already better than ninety-nine percent of everyone's attempts to first talk to Todoroki.
He smiled happily at the thought before going over to Eina, who was at another counter doing paperwork.
She looked up as he approached, gasping and shooting up from her seat with large eyes.
"Izuku!? You're back!"
The boy paused, a question mark popping up on his head.
"Yes?"
She abruptly leaned over with her hands on the counter.
"Are you okay!? You're not hurt, are you!? I'm so sorry I didn't ask before if you had other members of a Familia to help you get accustomed to the dungeon! I would've tried to arrange a veteran to help you out if I had known you're the only member! I don't know much about combat, but I could find some sources to-!"
"Wait, wait! Eina, I'm fine!" Izuku hurriedly cut in with waving hands. "The first floor wasn't a problem for me!"
She stopped talking, but the concern was still evident in her gaze.
"Really?"
"Yes! The monsters' patterns were simple and they were just as weak as you said! A-And I made sure to be really careful! I didn't get hit once and I'm not tired at all; it was fine!"
Eina stared at him earnestly for a few seconds before slumping over with a sigh.
"That's a relief..."
"Awww, she was worried about you, how sweet." Nana cooed.
"I'm sorry," The half-elf shamefully looked down as she adjusted her glasses. "I just panicked when I learned that you're the only member of your Familia and started worrying. I didn't assume the worst, but that didn't stop me from getting nervous."
Izuku smiled softly at that, touched by her concern.
"That's okay, I'm actually happy that you worried about me. It makes me glad that you're my advisor, Eina."
The woman blinked a few times in surprise at the statement before coughing into her fist and pushing up her glasses with pinkened cheeks.
"R-Right! Like I told you before, I'll ensure you survive the dungeon no matter what! So, um, for now, you should trade in your earnings money before we have a post-discussion about your first day."
Izuku slid his bag off. "Do I do that here?"
He received a shake of her head. "No, the exchange counters are just behind you to the right. Then I'll take you to one of the back rooms."
He glanced back to a row of grid barriers and holes to do business through.
"Okay, be right back!" He scurried to the closest counter and opened his bag, carefully pouring his hard work into the open drawer. The dwarf behind the grid barrier pulled the drawer to himself and started counting the components. He placed a bag and pushed the drawer back to Izuku.
"That'll come to 3,604 valis."
Izuku took the bag that fit in his palm and gave it a curious stare.
"Not even enough to pay back the debt for my weapons, but it's close."
He thanked the man before following his half-elf advisor to one of the backrooms, where they took seats across from each other.
"So," Eina got a clipboard and pen in hand. "How was your first day? Any problems, doubts, considerations?"
"No problems. I meant it when I said that the first floor was simple. The monsters were easy to take down, but... I didn't really fight as many as I thought I would. I only managed to fill almost half of my bag with my time there."
Contrary to his expectations, Eina's eyes widened in surprise.
"Almost half? That's impressive."
Izuku mirrored the look.
"What? It is?"
"I mentioned it during our first lesson, but the first floor has the lowest spawn rate of any floor in the dungeon. Adventurers hardly even fill one-fourth of a bag down there during an entire day, so it's rather lucky that you managed to encounter enough monsters despite it."
"Hm..."
"Really? I... Even though you said that there'd be only a low number of monsters there, I guess I just expected more to appear." Izuku admitted.
"Why's that?"
"Maybe because I'm used to fighting against overwhelming numbers of monsters and villains trying to kill me?"
"Er, just a feeling?" He awkwardly smiled.
Eina looked curious but didn't ask, choosing to write a few things on her clipboard with a smile.
"Hey, talk to her about going deeper!" Yoichi urged.
Oh, right. He had to at least try asking about that.
"Um, Eina? May I ask something?"
Eina looked up with a curious gaze, sensing his hesitance.
"Of course," She smiled encouragingly.
Izuku knew better than to simply ask, 'Can I go down multiple floors of the dungeon if I think I can handle it?' and make it seem like he completely ignored her advice from before.
"You, um, said that inexperienced newbie adventurers should spend a week or two on the first floor, right?"
She nodded in affirmation.
"But what about someone who's already experienced in fighting monsters and people?" He asked, pointing at himself as he did.
Eina raised an eyebrow.
"...How far does that experience go, exactly?"
"W-When I mentioned that I went to an academy with combat classes, it was actually one of the biggest focuses." He started, not lying in any form so far.
"Combat training, survival scenarios, even rescue operations." He continued, getting less nervous as he listed what he remembered doing. "You can say that everything I learned was for the purpose of surviving places like the dungeon. It's why the first floor was so simple to me, because I've fought through-"
His memories flashed with Nomus and villains.
"...much more threatening things."
"Monsters of the dungeon are not the same as monsters outside it, Izuku." Eina sternly frowned.
"I know, I know! And I'm not trying to make it seem like I'm undermining them!" Izuku clarified with flailing hands. "I just-! I know I shouldn't be on the first floor. I just wanted to ask if I could study up on the next few floors and pace myself down them until I land where I think I should be?"
Eina tensed. She opened her mouth, seemingly ready to immediately reject the claim, before closing it with frowning pursed lips.
"...How far do you want to go exactly?"
Okay, not immediate disapproval. That's good.
"I don't exactly know yet. But I'm not just trying to go where I can find the strongest monsters or make the most money," Izuku stated earnestly. "I just want to go the floors that'd suit me the best to steadily grow... if that makes sense. So, um... could you help me with that?"
A near minute of silence went by as Eina stared at Izuku, searching his eyes for any arrogance or naive foolishness within them. Instead, she only saw a sincere boy completely confident in his abilities, yet didn't hold the arrogance or laziness of learning like her previous adventurers had been.
She was conflicted. While Izuku's genuine eagerness to learn was apparent, she didn't know enough of his abilities to confidently allow his request.
Not that she could actually stop him if he ever decided to go down without telling her...
Just why does he have to already ask about going deeper so soon!? It's literally the first day! She usually would've already been freaking out and getting on his case about underestimating the dungeon, but he just seemed... so genuine! Both about studying to be wholly prepared and considering his position despite wanting to go deeper.
He wasn't even making the vague, impulsive requests adventurers would usually make to go deeper for the sake of it, the type that'd just say they ' can handle it' or 'want to simply check it out.' Instead, Izuku clarified that he'd only be going down after studying those floors and concluded that his current abilities would suit them. A rash adventurer wouldn't do that. She'd know, seeing as the ones she's taught before hadn't ever been the sort to actually ask for her professional opinion.
Plus, Izuku did say he attended an academy, showing the mannerisms of a disciplined and passionate student, so... it should be okay, right?
"Do you promise that you won't go anywhere that you shouldn't be going? That you won't overestimate your own abilities nor go down to deeper floors without speaking to me about it first?" Eina asked, staring Izuku dead in the eye in complete seriousness.
He seemed to take a moment to process her question before his eyes brightened.
"Of course!" He answered assuredly with no hesitation.
Gods, please let this be okay.
"I suppose you might be able to make it down to the fourth floor if you're as experienced as you say..."
Izuku lit up in joy, but she made a halting motion with her hand.
"H-However, that's only if you're as capable as you're saying!" She quickly stammered. "You are not to head there immediately! You should spend at least one or two days on each preceding floor to measure yourself before writing an honest and detailed reflection on your experience and abilities every time! And don't even think about heading into the fifth floor if you make it to the fourth! Most of your stats must be at least H rank before you even consider it!"
She paused.
"A-And you'll have to pass each floor's quizzes with a perfect score before I give the okay for you to go!" She quickly added that last part.
"Understood." Izuku didn't hesitate, not put off by the conditions.
"Ngh! Why does he look so happy!? I thought he'd at least reconsider it, but he didn't even blink! Who gets happy about conditions like that!?" Eina groaned, confused yet content.
"Oh, can I borrow books about the dungeon from the guild and study up at home?"
Eina tiredly shook her head. "Unfortunately not. Our books are limited in number, so we don't allow people to buy or rent."
"Ah, okay..." Izuku was disappointed but understood. This world might not have the proper machinations to print multiple copies of books at a good pace.
"However, you can still read within the guild library itself as long as you don't leave the room. If you go to the left side of the pantheon, it's hard to miss." Eina added.
"Hm, you should check that out in your free time. Maybe even that bookstore Hestia gave you your falna in." Hikage whispered.
"Thank you! I'll make sure to make the most of it!"
"I'm glad you will. I'd be happy if you studied before our lessons to make them much simpler. Now then-!" Eina clapped her hands together. "If that's all for today, then I'll see you tomorrow morning so we can go over the second floor. I always show up to the guild around seven, so you can show up anytime after for a lesson. I'm not usually too busy... besides doing paperwork anyways." That last part made her eyes oddly blank.
"Will do! Oh, and... Eina?"
Izuku bowed.
"Thank you! I know that my request might've seemed too sudden, but you accommodated me anyway! I really appreciate it!"
Eina giggled at his sincerity.
"You're welcome. While I would typically be wary about adventurers wanting to go to deeper floors so soon, you've shown a good attitude so far and don't seem to be lying about your abilities, so I'm giving you this chance, okay? Just remember..."
She sternly wagged a finger in front of him.
"Adventurers shouldn't go on adventures, okay?"
If only she'd known how many adventures would go to him instead.
Izuku left the guild with his debt half-paid and about one thousand five hundred valis left. But more than that, he felt accomplished. The first floor had been easy, and now he had some freedom to pace himself until the fourth. Despite only knowing her for a day, Eina had already shown herself as a capable but thorough, serious but sympathetic teacher he'd be glad to work with.
Some of the vestiges thought differently, though...
"Ugh, just a day and I already know that woman is gonna be such a nag..." Daigoro groaned.
Nana smacked him on the back of the head.
"Don't say that! We literally knew what to expect when Izuku went to find the best teacher for him. She's gotta be strict and on his case for a job involved around risking his life. If anything, I think she's an angel for letting him pace himself down after just a day."
"From what we've seen of her first lesson with Izuku, I believe she will be a wonderful teacher." Hikage sagely nodded.
"Let's just hope she doesn't bar him too much. But as long as Nine meets the conditions required to move down a lower floor, it should be fine." Kudo said. "He'll barely gain anything if he spends whole days only killing goblins or kobolds, both in strength and money. He'll need to get a proper inventory sooner rather than later."
"Oh, like potions!" Yoichi chipped excitedly. "We got two of them from that Mian guy yesterday, remember?"
"Miach." En corrected.
"Close enough, but more importantly, didn't he say something about owning a pharmacy?"
"He mentioned it being somewhat near an abandoned church, most likely the one Nine's living in," Bruce recalled.
Izuku had almost forgotten about the two low-grade potions gifted by Miach.
"Right! I did say that I'd visit it. We should ask Hestia about it, she might know exactly where it is."
"We should also check out those stores that Fannett had noted on the map she gave you. If she pointed them out, then they can help."
"It's already turning dark, so let's do that another time."
Izuku nodded, and sure enough, the orange sky blended into dark twilight as he returned to his current home.
The church silently welcomed him with creaking as he opened the door to the basement and stepped downstairs with a smile.
"I'm back, Hest-"
He didn't even finish before someone flew right at him with outstretched arms.
"Welcome back, Izukuuuuuu!" Hestia squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around him while nuzzling her cheek on his chest.
Caught off guard, the hero's cheeks reddened as he awkwardly returned the hug lightly.
"Um... I'm home?"
"You are! I'm so glad you're back! I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire time I was working! Are you okay!? You didn't get hurt, did you!? Do you just want to stay here tomorrow!? I could make sure you-"
"Whoa, hold your horses there, Hestia!" Yoichi cut in.
The goddess flinched before loosening the hug and looking up at Izuku.
"Uwa, hearing them out of nowhere is weird..." She muttered.
"You get used to it." He chuckled, gently pulling Hestia out of his arms. She pouted but didn't push forward as the boy walked passed her and took off his bag.
"I'm fine, Hestia. The first floor wasn't much compared to villains who could take out buildings in a single attack." Izuku smiled.
"I don't know whether I should feel relieved or worried about hearing that." The goddess deadpanned.
"Yeah, we've seen some craaaaazy stuff back in our world." Yoichi chuckled. "But that's for another time. Hey, Hestia, do you know of a potion shop nearby run by a guy named Miach?"
Hestia perked up with a gasp.
"Of course I do; we're friends! He's a deity like me that's also going through some... money problems..." She finished with a grimace.
"So Miach was a deity too?" En muttered in surprise, making Hestia curiously look at Izuku since that's where their voices came from.
"Wait, did you meet him already?"
Izuku nodded. "When I first got to Orario. I asked him for directions to the guild. Then we talked for a bit before he told me about his shop." He reached into a pocket of his bag and pulled out both potions. "He even gave me these healing potions when he learned that I was going to be an adventurer."
Hestia fondly smiled upon hearing that.
"That Miach, always too nice for his own good..."
"You make it sound like he's always like that." You could hear the mirth in Nana's voice.
"He is! He's one of the nicest deities you could ever meet! It's one of the reasons why he has money problems right now!" Hestia fumed, only to then turn to Izuku with bright eyes. "You'll always go to his shop for potions, right? He only has himself and a single member in his Familia like me!"
"He won't overcharge anything to make up for his lacking expenses, will he?"
"Of course not! He's too honest for that, didn't you hear me!?" Hestia snapped at Kudo, not that she could see him.
"I'll visit his shop tomorrow." Izuku decided as he pulled out a folded parchment and pen. "Can you mark it on the map I have of the city?"
"Of course, I will!" Hestia shone as she took both items and circled the place on the map.
She then dove on top of the bed and started patting it like an excited puppy. "Now come here! Let's give your status it's first ever update!"
Izuku did so, albeit while shyly sliding off his vest in shirt with blushes that had Hestia's hearts doing backflips... only to instantly drop at the sight of his scars.
She opened her mouth, only to bite her lip in pained concern as the boy sat on the edge of the bed in front of her.
While Izuku and the vestiges had explained his general situation and a few key events, there had still been hints or slipped words of... other things that had happened to him in the past-
'Resistance to pain, explosions... Stronger bones...'
Izuku flinched.
'R-Right... Sorry...'
'Don't apologize, kiddo... it was never your fault.'
-but she didn't know how to breach the topic again. She's still technically only just met him, so would it be bad to ask about it so soon?
"Hestia? I'm ready."
She blinked out of her thoughts, seeing her child's back in front of her. Izuku slightly peered back at her over his shoulder, his bare yet riddled arms free at his sides.
He wasn't hiding them, and now that she thought about it, he had only really hidden them when she had pointed them out.
So... ignore it.
"Do you think you could lay on the bed? It'd be easier for me to update there."
"That's fine." Izuku pulled himself on top of the bed and scooted back, switching to a position where he simply laid flat on his stomach with his head on top of his folded arms.
"Okay, just give me a sec!" Hestia lifted her voice back as she turned and snatched a pin and parchment from the nightstand, then climbed on top of the part of Izuku's broad back.
She pricked her finger and let a single drop fall onto his back, glowing hieroglyphs appearing instantly.
"Oo, not bad! I can already see that growth skill of yours putting in work!" Hestia grinned. "Your magic didn't go up since you don't have any, and your dexterity only went up by six, but your other stats are already in the teens!"
"How good is that compared to other adventurers?" Kudo asked.
"Hm..." Hestia put on a thinking pose. "I don't really know about a casual trip to the dungeon, but Hephaestus once told me that veteran adventurers who come back from long expeditions usually have stat jumps starting from the teens depending on how much they went through, so I think it's amazing to get these stats from one day!" She finished with her arms up in cheer.
"And that was only on the first floor." Yoichi's smug voice declared.
"Can I see?" Izuku turned his head back.
"Of course!" Hestia used the parchment to copy the status from his back before climbing off and handing it to him.
Izuku Midoriya
Level 1
STR: I-0 - I-14
VIT: I-0 - I-11
DEX: I-0 - I-6
AGI: I-0 - I-19
MAG: I-0
"Each stat goes up usually by how much you perform different actions." Hestia started explaining as Izuku looked up from his status sheet. "It doesn't mean that punching a wall over and over again will increase your strength or that purposely letting a monster hit you over and over again will increase your dexterity; you won't gain excelia from stupid things like that."
"...Did your friend Hephaestus tell you that too?"
"She did but that's not the point," Hestia said without missing a beat. "The point is that the 'notable' actions you perform turn into excelia. That excelia is then distributed among your stats based on where the falna recognizes it should go, so don't go thinking you can force certain stats to go up with repeatable actions. Otherwise over-exercising all the time would steadily rise adventurers vitality... if that makes sense to you."
"I think it does? But a lot of it sounds vague in concept." Izuku frowned.
"Well, although we created it, the gods still don't really have a clear understanding of the falna," Hestia admitted with a chuckle.
"All I'm hearing is that Izuku should do everything as earnestly and honestly for himself as possible. So... nothing changes, really." Yoichi concluded.
"Sounds about right. You just focus on getting big and strong as much as you can, Izuku!" Hestia cooed before reaching over and hugging him tight.
Izuku smiled and put down the sheet, returning the hug softly.
"I'll make you proud."
"Heheh~ I already am~" Hestia drunkenly giggled as she nuzzled her face between Izuku's still bare chest.
"..."
"Um-"
"Shhhh..." En quietly shushed Daigoro.
"Now, come sleep with me Izuku!"
They all choked on their spit.
"Phrasing, Hestia! PHRASING!"
Izuku woke up an hour before dawn the following day and didn't waste time cleaning up and rushing to the guild.
Although, he had to take a few minutes to escape a sleeping Hestia's grip...
But aside from that inconvenience, Izuku returned to the pantheon completely invigorated. The sky behind him was still shadowed in faint darkness as he entered the building, finding it to hold only a few staff and near-barren of adventurers.
Which makes sense, seeing as Izuku was there before six in the morning. And as for why? For knowledge, of course!
"Okay, Eina said that the library was hard to miss."
He headed into the left archway, and at the same time, Rose came out of the back with three folders and paused at the sight of his notable green hair slipping away.
Following the vast, empty hall, it didn't take long for Izuku to catch sight of an unmistakable area of smooth wooden desks and bookshelves lined with different levels of books.
"The very left bookcase with all the cracked spines."
Izuku listened to Kudo and found several books in the dungeon. It made sense that the most used books would be the ones with their spines the most cracked.
From there, he simply pulled out papers and pens, sat down with the needed books, and started studying.
He smiled as he returned to old habits for the next hour, summarizing key information through bullet points as he read up on the following floors.
The second floor isn't that different from the first, just with the introduction of Dungeon Lizards, monsters that actually use their anatomy to climb walls and ambush people by jumping at them from above. They even spawn right on the roof of the tunnels before jumping down. However, they aren't relatively too hard to see with their reddish-brown skin, so as long as he makes sure to stay vigilant of the roof as he moves forward, he should be able to see them. Not only that, but Danger Sense would make it practically impossible for the lizards to get the drop on him, and even then, they aren't that naturally stronger than kobolds stat-wise, so they shouldn't be that hard to overpower-
Rose stepped passed the entryway and caught a glance of green hair, finding their newest greenhorn seated at a desk surrounded by papers, writing so fast his hand blurred as incoercible mumbles leaked from his mouth.
Once again, The third floor wasn't different from the preceding ones, just a slightly higher spawn rate for all the monsters and more diverging paths that were still too simple to quickly get lost in. The fourth had the same pattern of higher spawn rates and more paths but still had a simple layout that'll make it hard to get lost if you've studied it beforehand or have a good sense of direction. But aside from that, there wasn't really anything that stuck out about these floors.
She blinked in dumbfoundedness as she somehow saw his leaking words flood the room, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of her head. She took a glance at the librarian at the back desk. The elf was shaking from head to toe with a cold sweat as he stared at the human making him question his life decisions.
He caught sight of Rose and sent her a desperate plea with his eyes.
...
She wisely kept walking past and didn't look back.
More time was spent memorizing each floor's layout, putting the most emphasis on remembering the second floor to heart, as he wanted to go there today. From there, it was a repetition of studying the same data to ensure it stuck in his head. He didn't just absorb knowledge so easily as some of his classmates believed he did; he was just good at making a system to remember it easier. It wasn't too particularly hard, just tedious to look at the same words over and over-
"Izuku?"
Jumping in place with a frankly adorable squeak that he would deny ever making, he turned left to find Eina looking at him in surprise.
"M-Miss Eina! Good morning!" He stuttered.
Eina looked down at the desk, where two books and many papers were laid out. She then glanced blankly at the librarian, whose head was facedown on his desk, completely still.
"..."
Choosing to ignore that, she turned back to him in interest.
"You're studying up on the dungeon?"
"Um, I am. You said that I should come here and try studying before our lessons, so..." Izuku trailed off, a little embarrassed at being caught off guard.
"I didn't expect you to get up so early for that. Rose told me that you've been here for the last hour." Eina looked impressed, albeit still somewhat surprised at his work ethic.
Izuku glanced at the clock.
"It's been an hour?" He did a double-take at the half-elf's words. "Wait, Miss Fannett was here? I didn't see her."
"You must've missed her. She said that she passed by and that you were really studying." Eina smiled, brimming with light to see the apparent effort through his desk alone. "How much have you learned?"
"Oh! I read and made bullet points on everything from floors two to four, but I only really have the second floor's map and information memorized!" He happily admitted.
"Really? Although you read the book, I know many things about the dungeon that aren't there. Would you like to conduct our lesson now to hear them?" Eina asked in delighted anticipation.
"Yes please!"
Rose was working alongside a lazy Misha lying on the counter when they both saw Eina leading Izuku to the back rooms, the two talking rather actively, with Izuku even writing down his advisor's words as he walked.
Putting her head in her hand with narrowed eyes, Misha stared intensely at the duo as they left her sight.
"...Am I the only one who thought of a puppy following its owner just now?"
"Don't be stupid." Rose said as she went back to her paperwork.
She'd never admit that she had the exact same thought.
"You sure you want to check out that pharmacy right now instead of heading to the dungeon?"
Izuku nodded to Daigoro's question as he jogged down some of Orario's smaller streets.
"I finished my lesson with Eina early, so I might as well see if there's anything I could buy that'll help me."
"It'd be nice to show Miach you remember him too. Oh, and to thank him again for those potions." Nana said cheerily.
"It's only a little out-of-the-way. We're just going backward a bit, it's fine." En agreed.
Izuku stopped at an intersection and opened the map folded in his hand. It didn't tell him of every alleyway or tiny street, but it still gave him the correct information on the general direction to go.
He folded his map and took a left before taking another right into many backstreets. From there, it only took him a few minutes to reach his destination.
It was an obscurely hidden wooden building similar to a house. Its placement was in a dark, damp area, entirely out of place beside the backs of the taller, more well-kempt buildings near it.
Izuku stood in front of the structure with an unsure expression.
"Is... Is this actually the place?" Daigoro asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Well, there's an obvious emblem of a Familia above the door..."
Like Hikage said, an emblem of what appeared to be a healthy human body hung just above the entryway.
"When Hestia said they were having money problems, I didn't think it was that bad," En muttered. "You'd think a deity of medicine would have a reliable business. What happened?"
"I'm not sure, but even though he's in a rough spot, Miach was still kind enough to just give me two potions... which we know are one of the most money-draining commodities for adventurers to stock up on, especially for those just starting off."
He had learned that from Eina when mentioning he'd check out the pharmacy.
"Then let's support his business as much as we can," Nana encouraged. "Maybe also pay him back for those potions when you get the chance."
"I will," Izuku agreed wholeheartedly before stepping up to the wooden double doors. He prepared to knock on the door, only to see it cracked open. Cautiousness kicking in, he slightly pushed one side open and peeked inside silently.
He found a modest area with rows of empty shelves aside from the ones in the back behind an old wooden counter. His gaze went to someone behind it, a woman looking down at the wooden bowl she was carrying, crushing herbs with a muddle.
Izuku immediately analyzed her as a beastfolk, evident by the brown ears on top of her long brown hair. He noted their canine-like appearance and recalled the term chienthrope from Gramps, the jack-of-all-trades animal folk compared to speedy cat people or physically stronger werewolves.
The woman looked young but older than him, similar in age to Nejire of the Big Three, wearing a rather unique yellow and blue shirt with her left sleeve down to her elbow but her right all the way down to her wrist right next to a gloved leather hand. Below, she wore a dark blue skirt that went down to her ankles above her brown boots, but an opening of said skirt allowed a big, fluffy tail to freely stick out of it.
The most notable thing about her was her purple eyes, half-closed and with bags underneath them; Izuku recognized someone who was tired of a lot of things and usually didn't get enough sleep because of it.
"Eraserhead/Shinso, is that you?" Yoichi and Daigoro turned to each other, smirks growing on their faces.
"Um, excuse me, are you open?" Izuku nervously called from the door.
The woman's gaze shot up from her current task, and her tired eyes faintly widened in shock.
"Who...?" She blinked a few times before registering his question. "Er, yes, we are."
Smiling slightly, Izuku fully entered the dimly lit shop and approached the counter, watching as the girl's tired look returned, albeit with more curiosity.
"Good morning, I'm Izuku Midoriya. Um, I just joined the Hestia Familia recently and she told me that she's friends with lord Miach."
Her eyes held surprise in them again.
"You joined Lady Hestia's Familia?"
He nodded. "She asked me to come shop here for potions in the future. I actually don't have any valis right now since I've only just started..." He admitted, bringing a disappointed look into the woman's eyes. "B-But I'll definitely come here for potions when I do! Promise! For now, I just wanted to introduce myself and see what types of items I could get."
The woman softly smiled and solemnly looked down at her bowl of ingredients, speaking in a monotone voice. "Your business would be very appreciated. It's been hard for Lord Miach and I. Hardly anyone comes to this shop, so it's been hard to feed ourselves..."
Izuku felt a twist in his heart, feeling an immediate desire to try helping them out somehow.
"Careful Nine. She's a shrewd one." Bruce suddenly warned.
Confusion filled him about what he meant, only to pay closer attention and find the woman's somber eyes holding a calculative glint in them as if awaiting his reaction.
"What do you mean!? It certainly looks like they've been struggling!" Nana blurted in outrage.
"I didn't say she's lying, just to be careful. It's not the first time I've seen someone purposely try to use others' sympathy for themselves. While the deity Miach could be genuine... we don't know anything about her."
"I'll... I'll see if I can help in the future, but I'm also going to be trying to get through the days," Izuku said rather than address Bruce's claim.
The woman wasn't disappointed, looking a little more curious.
Footsteps brought their attention to a doorway on the back left side of the counter where a familiar, handsome man wearing a black robe entered.
"Naaza, where is-?" Miach's words paused as his eyes glanced onto Izuku, faint recognition reflecting from them. "Oh? You're... Izuku?" He said after another faint pause to remember.
"Mister Miach! Wait, u-um, I mean Lord Miach!" Izuku quickly corrected, remembering how the deities were addressed.
The kind deity chuckled and stepped beside the woman he noted as Naaza.
"Just Miach is fine, Izuku. But I'm glad to see you again so soon, and I see you've already met Naaza. Do you need new potions already?"
"Oh, no I don't. I just came to thank you again for before and tell you that I'll be buying potions from here in the future like I said I would." Izuku said, feeling light on his feet as the man's smile grew.
"Thank you, Izuku. But are you sure your deity wouldn't want you to shop at another pharmacy?"
Miach didn't notice the look of panic on Naaza's face.
"Actually, Hestia encouraged me to shop at your pharmacy since you're friends." Izuku shared.
"You joined up with Hestia? That's wonderful to hear!" The man beamed. "I remember her always lamenting about not having any members whenever she visits, I'm glad she finally has someone she can count on."
"I'll count on her just as much. I'm really grateful that she decided to take me in."
"She's a kind person who will treat you very well, so please take good care of my dear friend. In return, I promise to always assist you with my store to the best of my ability." Miach's smile practically glowed throughout the room.
"Thank you very much! I look forward to doing business with you!" Izuku bowed sharply before standing straight with a joyful, glowing grin matching Miach's light.
"ERK!" Naaza shielded her eyes with her arms at the combination. "T-Too bright!"
Izuku left the pharmacy shortly after, leaving Miach gently waving him goodbye while the chienthrope rubbed an eye as their newest soon-to-be patron left for the dungeon.
"Lord Miach?" The god turned to Naaza, who looked slightly concerned. "What did that boy, Izuku, mean when he thanked you for 'before?'"
Miach softly smiled.
"No need to worry, Naaza. I simply gifted Izuku two potions to start him off. I didn't want him going into the dungeon unprepared, after all."
Naaza tensed as she stared at her deity in disbelief.
"Y-You gave him two potions?" She whispered incredulously.
"Indeed. I'm sure he'll do wonderfully in the dungeon. It's been a while since I've seen an adventurer with that much passion and earnestness in their eyes alone." Miach chuckled before turning and leaving to the back.
Naaza stayed motionless in the exact spot even after Miach left, her gaze unmoving from where his eyes had been. She then slowly turned herself to the door Izuku just went through.
...
Her head fell on the counter in defeat.
~{Author's Post-Notes}~
Thank all of you for reading and I hope you keep posting comments to keep me feel alive and motivated!
Oh yeah, and as for the weapon situation, I've got some ideas now thanks to all the suggestions people have been giving, thank you for those! We should now be done with all that 'preparation/getting accustomed' phase that was causing the slow pace. I'm not just gonna write a lot of details of Izuku going down
Don't have much else to add here since I really need to go to bed, I'm sorry for any grammar or other mistakes you may see, I really rushed to post this today. Until next time!