This chapter is sponsored by air, wouldn't be here without you!
I look at the sign outside the door.
"Hostess of Fertility," I mumble out loud to no one. I then look at the double wooden doors at the top of the steps, a sign also hanging on it from a string.
"Closed," I mumble again to myself, frowning slightly. I knew what closed meant when hung on a pub or the places people with money go to eat. I did hear noise coming from within and the muffled sound of people's voices but what was I meant to do. Walk up to the door, knock on it and say I'm here to meet with the most powerful Goddess in the city.
'Were the other people in the pub also in on the secret?' I questioned. I go back through my mind, replaying what the Goddess had said. She did want to meet here and not at the place where we made the agreement. I trust my memory and I also know not to undermine a promise with a deity. Penia was mad enough, I couldn't imagine what a Goddess like Freya would do or react like.
I had been so nervous about this encounter, that I'd put it above meeting with Brent or going to apologise with the Astrea Familia. So I built my courage, gulped the ball of saliva in my throat and walked up to the steps.
I hesitated as I hit the top but I then wrapped my hand into a fist and went to knock on the door. Before I hit the oak, I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on me. I quickly turned back and forth, searching for the person staring at me but I spotted no one. Those eyes felt strong and they didn't feel friendly either.
"Oh, you've come a bit earlier than I thought?"
I swing my head back round at the female voice. I look up at the young woman in the green uniform, white apron and white head piece on top of her grey hair. Grey eyes look down at me as I think about being so distracted by that stare I hadn't even noticed the door being opened.
"Are you alright?" The Goddess Freya asks as she tilts her head in confusion.
"Y-yeah," I splutter out. The Goddess disguised as a waitress holds the door open, gesturing me inside. I give a nervous look to the closed sign, not wanting to intrude.
"Oh don't worry about that. It's just that this place is still starting out and we haven't gotten enough business to open before afternoon lunch."
I digest the words and with a quick sigh, I enter the building. As soon as I enter, I observe my new environment. When I last visited, it smelt of alcohol and cooking and was rammed pack with people making a lot of noise. This time, it was desolate quiet, with only the shuffling of boots on wood adding to the ambience that was giving off a faint woody smell that had been overridden by the many customers.
"How about you take a seat overrrrr...,hmmm, over there," The Goddess in disguise pointed at a small booth on the east side of the establishment. I give a quick nod and start making my over. I didn't have any possessions on me, skipping the dungeon today in favour of making my rounds on checking up on people, this being my first stop.
"Oi, didn't ya read the sign, scamp!" A loud voice boomed at me, earning my immediate attention. My head swivels to the centre, where a large bar is nestled against the wall with an even larger woman standing behind it.
'She was the one who Reg talked to.'
"Oh, ain't ya the one that old geezer brought in a few nights ago?" The large woman booms out again, forcing me to wince slightly. Why did she have to be so loud? It wasn't like she was talking over anyone; the place was empty.
"Mama Mia!" The grey-haired waitress came over, quickly rushing to my defence. "He's here on my request, don't worry."
"On your request?" the established Mama Mia says before pausing for a second, which is quickly followed by a scowl. "This ain't your pub to be making requests."
I wince again, this time at the fact the woman was shouting at the most powerful deity in the world. If she's acting like that, she probably doesn't know that the waitress is Goddess Freya.
"Oi, lad. If I were you, I'd steer clear of this one, only trouble will follow."
"Mama," Freya murmured with a pout and a quick fold of her arms. I'm completely lost what to do now. On one hand, this is Mama Mia's pub and she doesn't seem like someone who I'd want to mess with. On the other hand... it is Goddess Freya standing a couple metres away from me.
"Besides, he already knows about me."
The room feel silent after that, the words hung in the room like poison. My brain completely short circuited and I could tell the proprietress wasn't doing much better. Meanwhile, the waitress in the middle, who had just dropped a bomb, was acting like nothing had happened.
"What are you two gawking at?" She asked in an almost innocent tone.
"Ya told him?" Mia asked, worry in her voice.
"Not really, he found out on his own," Freya explained, making my eyes go even wider in fright as the very large and very strong person in front of me was staring right at me.
"How?"
"How about you ask him yourself?" I looked at the waitress with an expression asking why, earning a giggle in response. I gulp nervously as she nods her head towards Mama Mia who has now walked out from behind the bar, showcasing her large stature in its full glory, arms folded as well just to make it worse.
"E-erm... I-I... accid-dently s-s-saw..." I stuttered out, Mia continuing to loom over me as I struggled to even speak. I look back over at the waitress who is looking at me with interest, almost as if she was expecting a show. She's no difference to Penia in that regard.
Just as I steel my resolve and get ready to tell a story that shouldn't be that hard to tell, Mia rubs the back of her head and sighs. The sound of wood scraping on wood breaks the silence as she drags a chair from underneath a table and sits down, lowering herself to my height.
"Grab one ya'self and don't worry, I don't bite... much," she said, finished with a grin. I comply, grabbing a nearby chair and clambering onto it, letting my legs dangle off the end.
"How 'bout we start again, from the beginning? How does that sound?"
I give a nod, feeling a lot more relaxed with new aura the Mia was giving off. It felt comforting and homely.
"My names Mia but in this place you will always refer to me as Mama Mia, understood?"
"Y-yes," I mutter with a nod.
"Yes what...?"
"Y-yes, Mama Mia!" I blurt out, earning another giggle from the one who had started this mess.
"Good, now tell us your name."
"Percy"
"Well, nice to meet ya properly Percy. Now, tell me how ya managed to find ya'self in this mess."
Feeling more relaxed, I re-tell the story from my perspective, with Freya filling in her side now and then when it mattered. Mia just sat back, lounging in her chair, as she took in all the information. She didn't ask a question and let me tell it from start to finish with little interruption.
After I finished, Mia gave a thoughtful nod before turning her head to face the waitress. In return, Freya gave a large smile that I interpreted as, I'm doing this anyway, might as well be here.
Mia gave a sigh before turning back to me.
"So... guess ya gonna be coming here often then?"
"I guess so," I mumble an agreement.
"Are ya gonna be coming this early each morning?"
I nod. "I normally go into the dungeon later on and sleep through the day, so I thought if I came here after my time in the dungeon before I went to sleep, I'd miss the busy times as well."
"Oh, you've thought this out a bit. Also, why are you going into the dungeon late at night?"
I gulp, knowing these questions would come up. Better to say it now rather than them figure it out later I suppose. "W-well, my Familia isn't really registered with the Guild, so..."
"So ya dungeon diving illegally," Mia bluntly stated.
"Y-yea," I mutter, hanging my head in shame. It's not like I had much choice in the matter but it was still wrong.
"What Familia are ya apart of?" Before I could answer, unsure if I should even mention Penia's name, the Goddess off to the side who had been, up till now, forgotten about jumped in.
"You are ruining the fun, stealing all the good questions."
Mia clicked her tongue but just shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, play ya lil game, as long as the tyke doesn't bring in any problems, I ain't gonna stop ya."
With that, the hostess stood back up, cracked her back and pushed the chair back to where it belonged.
"Oh lad, just two more questions, real quick." I look at her, waiting to continue. "How old are you?"
"F-five..."
"And what level are you?"
"T-two..."
"Hmm."
And with that, Mia back behind the bar and into the kitchen. I just follow her in shock and surprise. She didn't question it or shout at me for it. She just shrugged her shoulders and moved on without making any noise... I think I like her.
"Alright then," Freya begins, motioning me to the booth she had originally pointed at. "We've got about 2 hours before the pub properly opens."
I let her lead the way, quietly following after her. As we go to sit down I can't help but ask the question.
"How does she know?"
"Oh yeah, I suppose I didn't tell you," She says as she puts her finger to her chin, tapping it slightly. "She was my old captain, just recently retired. Level 6, Mia Grande."
Freya then went and said down, leaving me frozen at what I just heard.
'Captain. Retired. Level 6.'
Goddess Freya seemed to find my perplexion amusing as she smiled at it before asking me to take a seat opposite her. As I sat down, I couldn't help but think something horrible.
'She led the attack on my family's banishment...'
Freya sat across from the young boy whose head barely reached above the table. She had enjoyed the interaction between Percy and Mia. The way the boy scratched his raven hair whenever he got nervous was really cute.
She had to interrupt the conversation as Mia was ruining the fun. All that juicy information was for her to learn. It had only been just under a week since they last saw each other. Freya had made the conscious decision to not look at the boy when she was at the top of Babel. If she was going to have Percy be a part of Syr's life, then she couldn't cheat, even though it was really hard not to peak now and then.
His soul had not only stayed just as fascinating as before but it had even grown. In such a short amount of time, the boy's soul had become even more amazing. If the boy could do all this without being a part of her Familia, imagine how he would grow with all the help she could provide.
'No, no, no. I can't. Besides, if he joined my Familia, he wouldn't have had the experience that made him grow.'
"Uhm... w-what do we do?"
Freya raised her eyebrow at the boy who was shifting nervously under her stare.
"Pardon?"
"L-like what do we talk about?"
Freya paused for a moment before letting out a quick giggle. She had to refrain from just looking at the boy's soul and see him as the child he still is. He really was adorable.
"Well as I said before, I want to know about your adventures. Being level 2 at your age is amazing, you must have some interesting stories," Freya explained with a quant smile but she saw the boy was still slightly uncomfortable. She would forgive him for that, he still couldn't see her as the simple city girl yet, only a Goddess.
"How about this," Freya restarted the conversation, gaining the boy's attention. "I'll tell you about me first and then afterwards, you can tell me about you. That way, it's fair."
Perseus looked at the smiling waitress, slightly perplexed as he thought of what she said. It sounds reasonable and it would help break the ice. If he was to talk to this person every week, he would like to know about her as well. So Perseus nodded, giving the go ahead.
"Ok, Goddess Freya."
"Well, in this form, my name is Syr Flova. I would prefer if you referred to me as such."
"S-sorry, Goddess Syr."
Syr rolled her eyes before correcting the boy again, telling him if he referred to her as a Goddess, then other people would find out. That seemed to startle the boy and with a bit of convincing, Syr managed to get it down to Miss Syr. That was good enough.
Syr coughed into her hand, as if to restart the conversation for a third time. "Ok then. My name is Syr Flova. I only recently started working here a month ago. I work with Mama Mia, who you've met, and a cat-girl called Anya."
Syr leant across the table to whisper, as if she was telling a secret. "She is part of my- I mean Freya Familia, but like Mia, she is semi-retired. Oh also, she doesn't know about... this," Syr finished, motioning to her body. Perseus gave a curt nod before the girl continued.
Syr then sat back up and went back to start talking about her life but quickly stopped as she realised something. Syr hadn't really existed for that long, not like this. Her working here had really been all Freya had done so far. That meant she had nothing else to talk about.
Seeing that the girl was straining to think of something, Perseus quickly jumped in.
"Uhm, if it's alright, could I ask something?" The boy said, holding back his nerves. Seeing this as an escape, Syr jumped at the opportunity. "Of course you can, I encourage it."
Percy gave a confused look at the word encourage and how Syr used it but he didn't bother asking, knowing he'd learn it soon enough.
"Why do you do this?"
Freya didn't need to push the subject further understanding the question. It was a fair question, especially since mortal children are naturally curious. She sank back into her chair, wondering how she would answer the question.
Perseus saw the waitress think for a moment, worried he may have offended her. "I-I'm sorry, I sh-shouldn't have asked a st-tupid question," The boy backtracked, waving his arms out wildly.
Freya looked at the boy and couldn't help but smile. A 5-year-old, level 2 adventurer who can delve the dungeon with no fear but struggles to hold a simple conversation. She had her answer.
"As a Goddess, everything is perfect."
This stopped Percy's quick rambling as the way Freya spoke was soft and gentle, almost as if she was reminiscing.
"In Tenkai, I had everything. Lavish food, warm baths, beautiful, endless scenery. I can't really describe it for a mortal."
"It sounds nice," Percy mumbled in awe as he tried to picture. He wondered if his family was in Tenkai.
"It does but after being there for an eternity, it grows... boring. If everything is given to you, it holds little purpose. It's why us Gods were so fascinated in the world below. In the struggles and battles fought for things they valued important. How could we value things important if we had everything we could ever want. It felt... shallow. I could almost say I was jealous."
Percy could only sit now in silence and listen. In front of him was a Goddess about to give wisdom and information most mortals would never hear in the lives. Even Mia had slowed her work down to listen to her Goddess.
"That's why we came down, you know. We came down under the pretences of wanting to help the mortals fight back against the horde of monsters, and while that is somewhat true, most of us came for one thing. Entertainment."
Perseus knew that all too well with Penia. How she had given him her Blessing as a form of entertainment. It was why Hera abandoned him; he didn't entertain her.
"Simply put, we were bored. And I, along with many others, came down searching for something to quench that boredom. We all had something we wanted. And for a while it was fun. I explored the world, met amazing people with interesting lives and some with interesting deaths. And then I ended up in this city."
Freya looked out the window at the street that was beginning to buzz to life. "It really is the centre of the world. A melting pot of every single race, all having dreams and goals of their own. When I look at it all, it dazzles me. For a while, I was content to sit back and observe but then things grew stale again. Even though I love my children dearly, they almost brought me back to my previous state back in Tenkai. It was then I had the idea."
Freya turned back to look at Percy and the pub. "I wanted to experience that, the life of a mortal. Only a few of us gods can suppress our arcanum enough to pass off as mortals, I am among them. So I took an opportunity when I saw it," Freya gave a quick look over at Mia, with Percy following suit. The hostess gave them a quick look before a gruff huff and went back to cleaning. Freya giggled slightly.
"And that's why I'm here. To experience the struggles of the mortal world. To not have to be a Goddess every day, to live a simple life, to enjoy the company of those I would never have met before," Freya finished her explanation, looking at Percy.
For the boy, it was a lot to take in. As he thought about it, he realised that it was some sort of a game but unlike the make believe he had played with Carla and Jacob, this was real. Her game was real. It was real to all those that didn't know about her secret and because of that, it made it real to her.
"I think... I get it," Percy stated as he bit his lip softly. "You felt... lonely."
The conclusion the boy had come to made Freya's eyes widen slightly. She just looked at the boy in shock. A child who struggled with basic interactions had been able to see into a Goddess' madness, a conclusion she hadn't fully reached herself.
'A child's mind can be wonderful.'
Freya once again giggled. "Perhaps I was."
"So, Errm, what role do you want me to play?"
"-huh?"
"W-well, I'm just another part of your entertainment. S-so, w-what do you want me to do?"
Freya looked at the boy who so earnestly looked back at her. His eyes still showed innocence and Freya didn't really like the way he referred to himself as entertainment, but he didn't see it as a bad thing. He was offering to help her however he could. Freya had only realised how blessed she had been to not take him into her Familia.
"hmmm," Syr began tapping her chin, playing along with the boy's innocence. "Since this is an adventurer's pub, I should learn some things about the dungeon, like the type of monsters."
Freya knew about almost every monster up to the deep floors.
"I can do that, I've been dungeon diving for almost a year," the boy said with confidence as his spherical orb began to shine again with determination.
"I also get lonely sometimes when eating breakfast. Do you think you can help me with that?"
"O-of course."
"Since I'm still new here, I haven't got many friends. Would you like to be my friend?"
Percy looked at the waitress for a second, not really knowing how to answer it. He knew that he needed to view the person in front of him not as a Goddess but as a normal girl, as that was part of the game.
"I-if you d-don't mind..."
"Great! I look forward to our relationship. Now, since we are officially friends, we should tell each other about ourselves. Since I've already done that, I guess that makes it your turn."
Percy nodded at that, accepting the new terms to the arrangement. So, like he had done yesterday, he began telling the story of his recent dungeon dive.
Freya had thought the boy was punching a bit above his strength, a bit. But what she heard floored her. A monster party, falling 3 floors then an immediate first encounter with a Minotaur. Winning, only to fall asleep and then explore floor 16 on his own for over an hour. Another monster party, fighting with strangers, the strangers leaving him behind and then the climb. Freya didn't know which part was the most insane but she was a master at conversation and was able to ask questions when needed. As she heard the boy get to a close, finishing that impossible climb, Freya realised something.
It wasn't the ridiculous scenarios that on their own would constitute a level up or was it the perilous danger the boy had faced and pushed through. No, Freya saw one thing that she wanted to ask, even if it was a touchy subject.
"So... you've seen a person die?"
The question caught the boy off-guard. It had not been a question he had been asked, the Astrea Familia and Airmid had only asked about the main parts.
Freya saw it in the boy's eyes when he briefly mentioned the deaths of the adventurers in the Minotaur room and the second monster party. It almost seemed he wasn't fazed by it.
"Y-yeah?"
"How does that make you feel?"
"W-well, it wasn't the first time I'd seen someone die, hehe."
Percy tried to play it off with a giggle but it didn't work. He could also feel the stare from Mia behind him.
"Oh, when was the first time you saw someone die?"
This made Percy freeze for a bit, biting his lip anxiously. "I... I've watched adventurers die in the dungeon a lot of times."
"You watch adventurers die?"
"I don't just watch them die. When I was starting off, I had no one to teach me so I hid and watched others fight. Some won, some... didn't."
Syr wasn't sure how to take the boy almost shrugging off the concept of death. It was clear he had lost a part of innocence that most children still possessed but he wouldn't be an adventurer this young if he was like most children.
Percy continued to talk about his adventurers. He begrudgingly went through his first monster encounter and first monster kill, earning a chuckle from the Goddess. The memory of that encounter triggered another memory, the one of that wolf man and what he said.
Freya saw the boy's soul harden in determination as he re-told his adventurers. It amazed her that he was always trying to learn and get better from incidents that had happened many months ago.
"What about your level up? Considering what you've been through, it must've been an amazing thing to get you a level-up."
Freya got confused by the reaction at her question. It was simple enough and a question she had been dying to ask for a while. With all her questions, the boy either frowned slightly, as if he was embarrassed by it or he smiled as he fondly re-told his fun fights. However, this time he had frozen up.
Percy felt his mind go blank as the images of that day replayed in his mind "I... I fought an irregular ape," Percy's voice was quieter than usual, something Freya quickly picked up on.
"An Irregular?"
"That's what the people there called it. I ended up beating it but I was... too... late."
Freya understood. She had seen what guilt looked like and she also knew how it ate people from the inside.
"I'm sure you did everything you could've done," Freya tried to comfort the boy but it had the opposite effect, making him grit his teeth in frustration.
"That's what everyone else said but it's wrong. I could've been faster; I should've jumped in sooner. If I had then..." Percy cursed himself, reprimanding his selfish desire to not be spotted which cost good people their lives.
Percy was gripping his fists tightly as he only hated himself even more. He had done this a few times when he was alone and it never got easier. But a gentle touch on the back of his hand quickly reminded him he wasn't alone.
"Can you tell me everything that happened and I can decide for you, how about that?"
Percy looked at the grey eyes that held comfort and kindness he felt he didn't deserve but he craved it so much. Perseus gave a quick nod and began re-telling the story of the encounter with the ape.
The pass parade, the death of the dwarf and the golden-haired adventurer. His small fights before he made the two women run away and fought the black-furred monster, well he ran away from it.
Percy felt weird when talking about it. Usually he only felt guilt and regret when he thought about the day but the presence next to him had changed things. Instead of feeling guilt, the gentle touch gave him comfort. Where he felt regret, she reassured him that he did the best he could but this time he almost believed it.
Was it because he wanted to believe it and his mind was just tricking himself? Percy didn't know as he continued to tell the story.
After he finished, Syr had moved over and was now sitting next to him. She had held his hand as he stopped talking, waiting for the verdict. When no words came, Percy slowly looked up at the girl next to him. She wasn't even looking at him, instead over him.
'She can't even look at me, that's how awful I am.'
Before Percy could sink into a further depression, a strong odour filled his nostrils. It was sudden but by the gods did it smell good. Percy whipped his head around to try and detect where the smell was coming from.
It came from the same way that Syr was looking and the smell was quickly joined by large footsteps on the wooden floorboards.
Percy watched as the giant woman walked over to their table with a wooden bowl and a glass of... something.
The boy jumped slightly as the plate slammed into the wooden surface, the glass of liquid placed with a bit more care. A wooden spoon was placed next to the bowl as Mama Mia pulled up a chair and sat by the table.
"Listen kid, adventurers die every day in the dungeon. That's just life in this city and it seem ya already understand that."
Mia began stirring whatever was in the bowl, a thick sort of liquid as steam rose from the bowl.
"Let me give ya a piece of advice. A veteran to a youngin. I don't know what your goal is or what you want from this but what do you think is the most important thing an adventurer needs to do?
"G-get stronger?"
"Wrong!"
"Geh... m-make money?"
"Wrong again! No, the most important thing is getting back alive!" Mia said with a stern look. Perseus just looked at the large woman as he started to listen to her.
"It ain't about who's the strongest or the wealthiest. The winner at the end of the day is whoever comes back alive. Punch, kick, stab, runaway. It don't matter, as long as ya don't endanger others like those pissants that ya had to deal with."
"B-but... I could've stopped them from dying."
"Maybe... but ya did what they wanted."
"h-huh?"
"Listen, from what I 'eard, those adventurers that died fighting that irregular knew what was important. There are different ways to win. For some it is them getting back alive, for others, it don't matter as long as one of ya makes it back. Just one is enough for everyone to also live on."
"We will survive so their deaths ain't in vain."
Perseus remembered what the dwarf had said back on floor 16.
"As long as one person lives, it's a team victory. And let me tell ya, if it weren't for you, they'd have lost that day. You may not have saved all of them but they won because of you and don't you forget it!"
Seemingly finished, Mia pushed the bowl in front of the boy, the smell making the boy's stomach grumble.
"Since ya gonna be a regular, Imma use ya too. I'm hoping to open up in the mornings soon and I need a taste tester for my breakfast menu, understood?"
"B-but...?" Percy tried to argue back but was met by a stare. "Understood!" Percy squeaked out a quick "Yes, Mama Mia," before picking up the spoon and began digging into the porridge. The immediate relief of comfort and satisfaction spread on the 5-year-olds face as Syr looked at Mia, giving her smile.
"Goodbye and thank you for the food."
With a quick wave and a full stomach, the boy dashed out of the wooden doors and onto the street, ready to start his day. Both Syr and Mia watched the boy leave, both wearing a small smile.
"You're a big softie, you know that?" Syr said as she looked over at Mia, who just gave her a snort in return.
"Yeah well, a growing lad needs to eat. He's gonna get stronger and that means his wallet will get fatter, best snatch him up before another one does."
With that Mia turned around and headed for the kitchen but stopped just before she pushed the wooden gate open. She looked back at the waitress, the face that hid a Goddess. She wanted to ask a question but she thought better of it and walked into the kitchen.
Syr watched the patron leave and turned back to the wooden doors. She skipped over to the wooden broom, twirling as she began sweeping the floors. She was looking forward to her next meeting with the boy who was only growing more and more interesting by each encounter.
"Oi, wake up and get to work ya lazy cat!"
"Nya, sorry Mama!"
After I left the pub, I met up with Brant and re-told my story for the 4th time. I could tell I was getting good at telling it as less questions were asked, or maybe that's just Brant. He just shrugged his shoulders, gave a sigh and told me to be a bit more careful next time. That was as much as I expected.
Afterwards, the days began to go by again. I continued to dive into the dungeon. My next time on the 13th floor was with the Astrea Familia and it was a lot more controlled, which I didn't mind. Though after that, I was a lot more confident in tackling the middle floors on my own.
I regularly talked to Syr at the pub. I met Anya and while she was not very smart, I got along with her. I had not forgotten that people I was with held some responsibility to my families expulsion but I was able to look past it.
It didn't take long until I had conquered floor 13, my Galva-knuckles combined with my first line of magic being too much for any monster to deal with. It had taken me over a month and a half to map the floor though and I wasn't sure I covered everywhere. This was a lot longer than the usual 3 weeks or so it had previously taken.
If I wanted to get stronger faster, I couldn't hang around on floors that no longer gave me a big stats boost.
By the time I had started to grow comfortable on the 14th floor, an entire year had now passed since I got my blessing. I mumbled it to Penia, who just nodded at it and told me to keep up the good work. I had almost hit D in strength in just 3 months. Is that good?
"Oi lad, this is for you."
Penia handed me a letter as I put my top back on. I looked at it, back to front. It had my name on the back and it was a simple white envelope.
"Whose it from?" I ask but Penia doesn't look my way. "Just read it, would ya!"
I shrug and tear it open and pull out the content. It seems to be some sort of card and when I open it, my eyes go wide. I read the first line over and over again.
'Oh yeah, I forgot...'
Happy 6th Birthday, Percy
Name: Perseus
Age: 6
Lvl: 2
Warrior – I
Str: E418 – E442
Def: F362 – F388
Dex: F335 – F358
Agi – F305 – F330
Mag: G221 – G245
Skill:
Stealth – Allows the user to go undetected when out of eye-line. Passive
Pain tolerance – Dulls pain. Activates after a threshold of pain is reached.
Magic:
Chant:
- Bestow upon me the strength to beat my foes.
- Gift me the power to withstand their attacks.
- Absorb their strength and make it my own.
And all the major players for the story have been introduced in some form, about time. There will be other characters added and some cameos but until we get to first-class adventurer, the characters won't be changing too much now.
Our boy has also been adventuring for a whole year and have you seen how far he has grown already into level 2. He is so close to being able to level up again its ridiculous but that is what you get when you are in the dungeon every night and your updates aren't daily but weekly. Still, those numbers put most to shame.
Can everyone give my boy a happy birthday like the one he got on his card. The next chapter won't be to actiony as it centres around said card and I'm sure most of you can guess who it's from.
After that, the only logical arc will be the Evilus/dark ages arc and yeah, Imma make it so it earns that name, trust me.
Review time:
Brendan1479 - Hahaha, you fool. Percy is no longer 5, he is now 6. There is a massive difference.
DksExecuter - Maria and Percy's siblings needs to be handled with care, it ain't something I want to rush but this birthday card seems to be a good first step, don't you think. The boy still misses his mother dearly after all. As for Sword Oratorio, yeah it is a way off but when we hit it, Percy will be on that side of Danmachi more than the main canon story of the original Light novels, not that he won't be a part of those events either. And thanks for the kind words, always appreciated.
korakovroman9 - If he wants an education, he's gonna need to reveal himself. Maybe his new friends will help him but how far will that take him. What would a person who was only raised by the dungeon turn out to be, will Percy become that?
004 - Yeah, our boy didn't take being left alone well. As for his stats, whie I did want to give him a bit more, I want to keep it realistic in the logic of the canon world-building. Even with the stats I've given him as a level 2 is a lot compared to everyone else. Yes, his fights with the Minotaurs was massive, that was why that fight added a hundred to each stat alone, the rest was everything else because keep in mind, he didn't really fight that much up until those 40 mini bosses, it was all hiding and surviving... and falling. I want him to earn those stats and make it feel like to me and you guys that he has deserved what he got.
As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I'll see ya next time, Peace!