The next day

* chirp * * chirp *

From outside the abandoned church, the singing of birds resounded, awakening the mind of the white-haired boy from the sleeping realm.

" Mmh...It's...five o' clock... " He said to himself, realising when the birds start singing.

* pyun-nyun *

" Hm? " Only after being lucid enough, did he notice the oddly mushy sensation pressing against his chest.

Looking at his chest slowly like a broken machine, he was greeted with the sight of the goddess laying upon him, deep asleep.

" Ee...Eeeek...! " He squealed, though as silent as possible to keep himself from waking up the deity.

He then ,very slowly, started to slip himself under Hestia, and after some time he managed to completely 'free' himself from the embrace of the goddess.

Putting a blanket over her, and putting on the rest of his gear, he's now finally ready to head to the dungeon for the day.

" ...I'm off... " he bid his goddess farewell, before gently closing the door.

" ...Muu...Bell-kun, you idiot... "

Walking down the street, Bell is currently thinking of the words Eina had said to him yesterday.

' Eina-san cheered me up like that yesterday, so I'll do my best from now on! '

And by his best, he meant killing as many monsters as possible in order to earn money as well as rank up his own abilities.

* Growl *

Suddenly, a loud rumble can be heard, surprising some of the passersby due to the suddenness of the noise.

" ...Come to think of it, I didn't have breakfast this morning... " he said to himself, cheeks slightly reddening.

Of course, the reason for that is because of the two huge distractions that was on his chest, but he will not voice it out loud. Out of sight, out of mind.

" I guess I'll have to buy someth- " he was thinking aloud, that is until a voice called out to him from behind.

" Um...excuse me... "

" ? "

" You dropped this, sir. "

Turning around, he was greeted to the sight of... actually, he has no idea what the girl was supposed to be.

She is a girl with bluish gray hair that was styled in a small ponytail, with her eyes sharing the same colour.

She wore a white blouse over a green-colored skirt that reaches just slightly above her knees. There was also a white apron tied around her waist. Overall, her attire gives her a homely appearance.

Anyways, Bell looked at the object on her hand which he apparently had dropped, and it turned out to be-

" Huh? A magic stone? "

-'But I'm pretty sure I already cashed in all of them yesterday', that was his initial thought, but he quickly denied it.

If such a cute girl is helping him, then she must be right. He must've dropped it.

And so, he promptly accepted it, thanking her as he did so.

" Th-thank you very much. "

Upon hearing the words of thanks, she casted a small smile towards Bell.

" No, please don't mention it. "

He felt his cheeks warming up a little.

" So, you're heading to the dungeon early in the morning? " The girl suddenly asked.

" A-ah, yes! I was just on my way there actually... " he answered somewhat flustered.

* GROWL *

" ! "

" ...? "

...

...

Bell can feel his cheeks warming up even more now, to the point where he can see steam coming out of them.

" Fufu...you must be pretty hungry... " The girl didn't seemed disturbed at all by this however, instead letting out a cute giggle.

" Yup... " was his reply while looking down onto the street floor.

" Hm... " The girl hummed to herself, before running into one of the nearby buildings.

" ? " Bell wondered whether or not he had deterred the girl away from him, but a while later he saw her rush out of the building, this time carring a basket with her.

" If you don't mind, please take this. Since the restaurant isn't open yet, it's not a regular meal, though... " She held out the basket to him.

" What?! Is it really okay? And isn't this supposed to be your breakfast...? " He said, surprised that the girl is willing to hand out her food to a stranger on the street.

She simply smiled at him at that.

" ...Mister. Let's consider this...a so-called coincidence of interests. I'll have a little lost, but you'll fill your tummy. And in exchange for that...could you perhaps stop by the pub where I work for dinner? "

" ... " Bell hesitated, should he really...?

" C'mon, take this. I'm sure it'll be a big payday for me tonight. "

" Geez...you're so mean. " He finally relented.

" Then...I'll stop by your place this evening. "

" Yes. I'll be looking forward to it. "

" Umm...I'm Bell Cranel. "

" Syr Flova, at your service, Bell-san. "

" Kami-sama, I'm home~ "

" Welcome back, Bell-kun! "

He braced himself as a petite girl tackled him.

" You're back early, today. So, how was it? " The girl inquired, to which the boy simply scratched his cheek.

" Um...I...got caught off-guard. " He was referring to the time he got sneaked upon by a werewolf monster.

" Eh?! Are you okay?! Does it hurt anywhere?! I'd be very shocked if you ever died! God only knows if I cry over it despite my looks...! " She patted him thoroughly, making sure that her child was okay.

" I'm fine. As the only member of the Hestia Familia, I'll never leave you alone and helpless in the world. "

" ...Okay, promise! I've had high hopes for you, so you better not let me down! " The goddess, Hestia decided to stop pursuing the matter.

Then, as if remembering something that was on the back of her mind, the goddess went back to grab something.

" Oh, right! I have a delicious present for you today! "

" Ta-da! " She showed him a bowl full of potato croquettes.

" Ooh...where'd you get all those fried potatoes... "

" Fufu...do you know how I started working at that food stand? It was a reward for all the customers I brought in! "

" That's amazing, goddess! "

" That's right, that's right! So tonight, we're throw ourselves a fancy-pants dinner party! I'm not gonna let you have any sleep tonight, Bell-kun! "

" By the way... " The goddess began.

" Hm? "

They were still currently in the middle of dinner.

" ...We haven't found anyone willing to join my Familia. Maybe that's to he expected, though. Since I'm a no-name goddess... "

" Hm...but all blessings are the same no matter which god you serve...Nom..." He replied before taking another bite out of his potato croquette.

" But...I hate having to force this burden on you, though, Bell-kun... "

" I don't mind...plus, you're working too, kami-sama. "

" ...Sorry that you struck a contract with a rookie goddess like me... "

' Oh dear... ' he noticed tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

" D-don't let it bother you, kami-sama! " He said in an attempt to cheer her up.

" Our familia just took off! You can call us a developing familia! We might have a hard time in the beginning, but I think as long as we work hard, a more comfortable life is waiting for us! Then, more people will join us! "

' I'm just saying what Eina-san said to me... ' he cringed internally.

" Bell-kun... " the goddess seemed to be moved by his words.

" ...Truly, I'm blessed to have a child like you in my familia... " Wiping away her tears, Hestia immediately sprang up to her feet.

" Well, then! Let's update your status in order to achieve that dream! "

" Yes, kami-sama! "

" ...My agility...it went up by a lot, this time. " Bell commented, looking at the status sheet in his hand given to him by his goddess.

" Yeah...probably because you had that minotaur chasing you around... "

" But my magical power is still zero, huh... " He then noticed something at the lower part of the sheet.

" Huh? Kami-sama, what's this on the skills section? Seems like it was erased... "

" Oh, that. My finger slipped. It's empty as usual, so don't worry about it. "

' Of course it is... ' he thought to himself, wondering why he even bothered getting his hopes up.

" Hah... " He sighed before saying.

" I wonder if there's a away for me to grow stronger fast... "

He then got up from the bed he had been sitting on.

Hestia simply looked at her blessed child in silence, a proud look on her face.

' Children in the lower-world sure grow up fast... ' she watched as the boy took with him a new set of clothes.

' We gods, on the other hand, are immutable. ' she then took the status sheet, gently brushing her finger over the seemingly empty skill section.

* fiss... *

Words revealed themselves.

[ Liaris Freese ]

' It accelerates his growth. The effects will last so long as his feelings remained unchanged. And the stronger his feeling is, the greater it's effects. '

" ... Congratulations, bell-kun. You finally have a skill... " She whispered to herself, happy that her child had gotten what he wished for.

' But... ' she looked at the white-haired boy who is currently changing.

' Grr...It bugs me why it was her of all people to cause him to change... '

" Hmph! "

" Is this the place...? " Bell now found himself standing before a rather impressive establishment, the sign above it reading "Hostess of Fertility".

" Okay...here we go..." Steeling himself, he opened the wooden door and entered the building.

" Whoa... " He let exclaimed, seeing the hustle and bustle that is inside.

Adventurers filled the many tables of the pub. One can see a party of four happily sharing a single mug of beer, while on another table are a group of adventurers surrounding two who were currently engaged in an arm wrestling match.

Though, more importantly...

' Everyone here is a waitress... ' Bell commented in his mind.

He even saw an elf serving a table of adventurers. An elf, who were known for their nobility is currently willingly serving food to humans. It's an uncommon sight, to be sure.

Still, this brought a worry to Bell.

' Isn't this too fancy for someone like me...? ' suddenly, the Valis inside his pocket seemed to held more weight than usual, though he decided to ignore it.

" Bell-kun! "

" Syr-san...! "

The silver-haired waitress welcomed him.

" I came like I promised. "

" Thank you so much for coming. "

She then hollered to the kitchen area.

" We've got a customer! "

The boy flinched slightly, his heart feeling an unpleasant premonition...

Afterwards, he was lead to a vacant table by the waitress.

" Are you Syr's customer? " A rather large woman(no, he wasn't saying that to be rude. The woman is literally a giant compared to him. ) asked him while putting a drink down in front of him.

" Haha, you've got a cute face for an adventurer. I heard that from Syr that you're a gluttonous one! Spend a lot of money yer money here, will ya? "

Upon being called a glutton, he whipped his head towards Syr, who in turn looked away.

" Wait! Since when have I become a glutton? "

" ...Teehee. " she stuck her tongue out cutely while making an "oopsie?" pose.

" Don't "Teehee" me! There's no way I caneat that much! "

' Because we're poor! ' he added in his mind.

" Fufu...I was just joking. Please enjoy the meal at your leisure. "

" Okay...geez. "

The big woman set down a plate of noodles in front Bell.

" Here ya go! Eat up! "

" Thank you. " He thanked the woman.

" That was Mama Mia. "

" Mama Mia? " Bell parroted with a mouth full of noodles.

" Yes. She's the owner of this pub, and she used to be an adventurer herself. All the employees here are women. And Mama Mia was even willing to hire those with "histories"... though, I'm mainly working here because the pay is good. " Syr explained to bell.

" I see... "

" There are all kinds of people gathered her. And where people gather, I can learn a lot of different things...Actually you can say getting to know strangers and hearing their story, has become a sort of hobby of mine. "

" ...I think I can understand how you feel. " Bell replied with a smile.

Suddenly, a group of people entered the pub, causing a commotion.

Naturally, both of them turned to see what the fuss was about, and then

" B-Bell-san? "

Syr noticed that Bell had became as red as a tomato.

The reason being his cr-saviour, Ais Wallenstein is here, together with her party.

The group of adventurers that entered consisted of a Pallum, two amazons, a werewolf, an elf, a dwarf, and many more following them. Of course, Bell naturally focused on the Sword Princess among their party.

He began panicking, his mind racing now that his idol is here. Naturally, there was no way he could've expected this...

" Ah, those are people from the Loki Familia. They're our loyal customers. Their goddess, Loki-sama loves this pub. " Syr explained.

Bell really wished she would've told him earlier.

' Ugh...what should I do?! My heart's racing...I've never felt this before... ' he was panicking deep inside.

" By the way, Ais! Tell us what happened to you the other day! " A loud voice suddenly rang out.

Looking to see who could be the owner of such a loud voice, it turned out to be the werewolf of the party.

" You know, about that tomato kid! "

" Speaking of minotaurs, are you talking about the ones who attacked us on the 17th floor, then fled after a crushing defeat. " One of the amazoness of the party asked.

" Yeah, exactly! They miraculously escaped to the Upper Floors, so we had to chase after them up there! And guess who they ran into? Some weak little rookie! "

" ...Ah. " Bell immediately knew who they were talking about.

" I was laughing my ass off! He was cornered like a scared rabbit! God! The way he trembled! What the hell was someone like that doing in a dungeon?! " The werewolf tried to stifle his laughter.

" So what happened to the adventurer? Ais killed the minotaur at the last second, right? "

" Ppfft...That, kid that was covered in cow blood...turned into a red tomato...Kuku...A-and then, you know what? That tomato brat screamed and ran away! "

" Puhaha! Our royal princess got dumped by the guy she just saved! Ahahahaha! Oh-oh my, that was fantastic! Ais-tan, who scares away even fellow adventurers! You're absolutely moe-! "

* Squeze... *

" Bell-san...? " Syr casted a worried look towards Bell, who clenched his hand tightly to the point she was worried he might break them.

" Still, it was so pathetic I couldn't help myself. He shouldn't've become an adventurer if he cries like that. Just thinking about it again pisses me off! "

" That's quite enough of you, Bete. " Another voice interjected. It was the elf.

" In the first place, it was careless of us to let those minotaurs escape. We have no right to mock him over food and drinks when we should be the one apologizing to him. " She reprimanded the werewolf.

" Yeah,yeah. As expected of of the proud elf-sama. But what's the point of defending that trash? Nothing wrong with calling trash "trash" is there? "

" Oi. Enough of that. You're ruining the night for everybody. " Even their red-haired goddess was starting to become uncomfortable.

She wished he would shut up by now, lest it will further fuel the ire of the rest of the party.

" What do you think, Ais? About that pathetic brat who was shaking right in front of your eyes? "

" ...I think he couldn't have helped it under those circumstances. "

" Playing the good girl? 'Kay then, let me rephrase the question. Who would you rather mate with, me or that kid? "

" Bete, are you drunk? " His captain stepped in, deciding that the werewolf was taking it too far.

" Shut up. " He pushed him back.

" Decide, Ais. " The werewolf keep insisting on the mater.

" I- " Ais was about to give her answer, until suddenly Bell ran out of the pub.

He ran. And ran. He ran as far as his legs could take him.

To where? He doesn't know. He has no particular destination in mind. All he wants to do now is to just get away from that place. Away from that werewolf. Away from the humiliating words. Away from. . .her.

All that can be heard in the silence of night was the sound of footsteps-

" *sob*...Hik... "

-as well as tears.

" HAAAH! "

With another swift lash of his knife, another Frog Shooter was felled by the white-haired boy.

Bell calmly watched as the one-eyed frog monster was drained of it's life on the dungeon floor.

" . . . "

Now that he had confirmed that the monster had died, he surveyed his surroundings.

' Where am I? The Fifth Floor...?...No. This is...The Sixth Floor. '

Ever since entering the dungeon, he had abandoned any and all self-restrain he had left and started brandishing his blade towards any monster he can find.

Thinking that it wouldn't do him any good if he were to stay here, he simply moved further into the floor just as he had done previously.

He continued in his stride, until he came across a large open room.

' Is this, a dead end? ' That was what he thought, that is until

* Cr-ack *

" ! "

Black ooze started coming out of the walls of the dungeon.

Dripping down from the ceiling and walls, they eventually took shape of a vaguely humanoid figure with one crimsone eye on a head with three points.

' War Shadows...?! ' he took a stance with his dagger.

* Cr-ack *

" Wha- "

' There's two of them! '

Another one spawned in right behind him.

A War Shadow is supposed to be the strongest monster an adventurer could encounter on the sixth floor.

' It's a two vs one... ' Bell realized that he's in a disadvantage here, since usually for someone like him even facing just one would mean death.

However...

The war shadow in front of him begun it's attack by extending it's long arms forward like a tendril.

" ! "

Bell dodged to the side in the nick of time, the arm of the shadowy monster grazing his clothes.

" ! "

Another attack came from the back, to which he parried to the side, this time too at the last second.

Deciding it would keep him at a disadvantage if he were to stay in his current position, he kicked the floor, leaping away from where the two shadows are and landing a few meters away where he previously was.

' War shadows should be on a completely different level... '

He dodged another attack, and another, and sometimes he would parry the ones which got too close, but he is keeping up with the onslaught.

' But somehow...I can see their attacks clearly. '

Every attack, just before it lands, his body was already moving to deploy some sort of countermeasure.

' How could an amateur with only half a month's of experience, be facing such deadly monsters? '

' Have I...gotten stronger? '

" ! "

He suddenly remembered the boost in status he got that day, where his agility improved by leaps and bounds compared to before.

' I see...! '

' If it's like that...then I can win! '

Just as the thought came to him, one of the attacks proved to be more powerful than he thought, too powerful to parry that it ended up sending his knife flying.

The blow ended up making him fall, to which the war shadow exploited by sending it's claw directly to his face.

" ! "

Thinking fast, he did the only thing he can do in that situation,

" HAA! "

which is to punch the wae shadow directly through it's red eye.

Using this chance, he hastily rushed towards where his knife was and retrieved it, before brandishing it towards the other war shadow.

The war shadow attempted to retaliate by swinging it's arm towards him, yet at the last second the boy sucked under it before whipping his own knife across the torso of the monster.

It was a clean slice that completely cleaved the monster's magic stone in two.

" Hah...hah...haa " The boy panted, the adrenaline wearing off his body as he took in what just happened.

* Splurt! *

" ...Ahh? "

" ...Ack..ghah... " He tried to say something, yet is unable to due to the long sharp claw coming out of his chest.

Only when he felt the taste of iron in his mouth, did he realized that he had let his guard down.

' There...was...a third one... '

Pulling out the claw from his chest, the war shadow kicked the boy on his back, sending him tumbling.

" Kihihihihihi...! " A high pitched laugh can be heard coming from the monster.

* Cr-ack *

* Cr-ack *

* Cr-ack *

* Cr-ack *

" Aa...aah... "

More and more war shadows spawned from the dungeon, as if to drive in the feeling of despair further into the young boy.

One by one, the war shadows approached him.

* Splurt *

" Ack...! Aghh..! "

One of the war shadows stabbed it's razor sharp fingers into Bell's hand, earning a whimper of pain from him.

" Kihihihihihihi...! "

" Kihihihihi...! "

" Kihihihi! "

He heard the war shadows laugh at him, at his whimpers.

Just like that werewolf in the pub.

" ...Agh...gh... " Bell moaned weakly, all the strength had all but left his body, which is now riddled with gaping holes that seeped crimson blood, warming up the cold dungeon floor.

They had all their fun torturing him, and now that they're bored they have no need to keep him alive anymore.

At the last moments of his life in this world, Bell watched as the war shadow sent it's claws down towards him like the blade of an executioner.

During that moment, a single thought came to his mind.

' Ahh...kami-sama is still waiting for me at home, isn't she? '

The world went dark.