" Hmm... " The rabbit-like boy hummed as he continued his gait through the streets of Orario.
As usual, adventurers and common folks-alike crowded the streets.
" ...If memory were to serve...the dungeon should be there... " He said to himself while looking at a certain direction.
" ...Hmm... "
Something is amiss, he thought to himself.
Recalling his old routine had proven to be quite the challenge that hit him as his first roadblock, and he hasn't even underwent the ordeals that the dungeon has to offer, yet.
" Hm? "
He suddenly stopped walking, now standing still while staring at a rather large establishment.
The sign overhead, read
" Mistress of Fertility... "
There's that feeling again, the feeling of something missing that he just can't remember no matter what.
" ... "
* steps *
...Whatever it is, it's probably not as important as the task at hand. And so, Bell continued in his journey(?).
" ...Ah. "
That's right.
As if something suddenly clicked inside his mind, he immediately turned his head another way.
" ...The guild. "
Maybe he ought to visit the guild first before heading to the dungeon, he thought.
* Opens *
Opening the wooden doors of the guild, Bell looked inside to the usual(?) sight of adventurers going about their business in the guild.
" ... "
Somehow, this place gave him a nostalgic feeling.
He then stepped inside the guild, no one even batting an eye to him as he walked up to the receptionist counter.
" ...Oh, dear. "
Now that he is at the counter, he realized that he actually have no idea what to do.
" ...Perhaps, I should've just went to the dunge- "
" Bell-kun? "
" Hm? "
Turning his attention to the voice that called upon his name, it turned out to belong to a lady with short brown hair, emerald green eyes...and long ears.
" ... "
" ...Bell-kun? " Eina is starting to get confused, and slightly embarrassed, the way the boy just silently stared at her.
Meanwhile, inside Bell's mind
...So the time had come.
He knew, that this would happen eventually. His past, past life and now current life would finally catch up to him. And it did, in the form of his previous connections.
Of course, he had anticipated it, and naturally he had came up with a plan in the case he encountered someone who knew something of him.
And that would be...
" ...Good morning there, Miss. "
If he can't remember the names of his previous connections, then he simply had to use honorifics.
A brilliant plan, if he were to say so himself.
" ...It's already afternoon. " Eina corrected the boy who seemed...out of it, today.
" ... "
Of course, it would already be afternoon...
He forgot that he had went out after his goddess had left for work, which is usually later than the time he usually goes to the dungeon.
" ... "
" ...Anyway, " she took the silence as embarrassment on Bell's side, and so she decided to move on in the conversation, if it can be called that.
" How can I help you today? " She said with the professionalism of a seasoned receptionist.
" ...I came to know more about the dungeon. "
" Oh? "
She felt herself smiling inside. Looks like the boy had finally taken her advice to heart and is readying himself as much as he could before going to the dungeon.
' Good. That's good, Bell-kun. '
...All of this is just a misunderstanding on Eina's side, though. Bell had actually came to her to know more about the dungeon just because he had completely forgotten about all there was to it.
" So then, what would you like to know? " Eina replied, eager to answer all there is that the boy is about to throw at her.
" ...Everything. "
" ...Pardon? "
" ...I want to know all there is about the...dungeon. "
" ... "
" ...Alright, I've obtained all there is to know about the dungeon...for now. Still, that took...longer than it should've been... " He muttered to himself while walking down the street.
The sun is now about to lay it's rest in the sky in front of him, a testament of how much time had passed since his "lecture".
" ... "
His goddess is not coming home tonight, he thought to himself.
That means it should be okay if he spent the night in the dungeon then. It means he can use all this time in order to hunt as many monsters there are in order to obtain their magic stones...to exchange them for money.
" ...Miss...Eina, had been helpful, hadn't she? "
She was the one who had re-informed him about the methods to make money in the dungeon. Other than taking out a monster's magic stones from their bodies, there exists various methods available in order to make money such as selling monster parts, obtaining drops from stronger monsters known as monster..."rexes"(?) If he remember it correctly. Anyway, he would have to thank her later.
Just as he was lost in thought however-
* THUD-CRASH...! *
" aaa...aaaAaAAA... "
" Syr...?! What's wrong...?! "
Bell turned around to see what the commotion is about.
What greeted him was the sight of a silver-haired human girl on her bottom looking fearfully towards his direction with tears on the corners of her bloodshot eyes, and another...what is it, again...elven, girl with green hair trying to calm the other girl down...which didn't seem to be working as she still shrieked in fear while looking at...him?
He also noticed a basket that fell near her foot, out of which is spilling out various foodstuffs.
...What a waste, thought Bell as he looked at the food on the street floor.
" ...It's getting rather late... "
He then turned around to continue his trip to the dungeon, not caring about the girl whimpering behind him.
It probably has nothing to do with him, anyway.
" Hm...So this is the first floor... " Bell said as he took in his surroundings.
The cave-like room was just as he had remembered when he had woke up, with many mysterious sources of light illuminating the hallways of the dungeon.
" Hm? "
He noticed several dog-like humanoids coming towards him from within the deeper parts of the floor.
" ... "
* shink *
He took out his dagger.
* ding *
As well as his talisman.
" ... " Steeling his eyes, he readied himself against the coming onslaught of the cobolds.
Meanwhile, on Hestia's side
" ...Is this the place...? "
The sun had long since set in the sky, Hestia found herself standing in front of a building that looks more like a statue, with the building in question modeled after what seems to be a man with an elephant's head, his arms crossed in front of him.
She saw other gods walking towards the door, which was oddly located at what would be the nether regions of the statue had it been a living being.
She then looked back at herself who, despite coming here with her best outfit(which is just her regular dress, just one with the least holes in them), she still felt a sense of inadequacy when comparing herself to the other gods.
" ...Ganesha could've placed the door literally anywhere butthere, though... " She muttered.
Ignoring the implications, Hestia decided to enter the building, lest tears of envy will threaten to spill out.
" Thank you for coming, everyone! I am Ganesha! Host of the banquet of the gods! I, Ganesha, am super moved by the number of guests every year! Anyway! This year's familia festival is only three days away! All of your familia will be- ! "
Hestia saw Ganesha giving a speech in his usual grandiose manner atop a stage.
From the looks of it, no other gods seems to be paying him any mind despite him being the host of the party...
Anyways, Hestia isn't planning on staying for long. She would only be here to talk to her friend, Hephaestus and immediately go home.
* Grrowl... *
...Maybe she'll grab something to eat first.
She headed towards the buffet table and started putting the foods on it into a container that she had brought from home, while also stuffing as many as she can inside her as well.
' I'll save some for Bell too. ' she thought to herself.
' The poor child must've been starving... '
" Ack-choo...! " Bell let out a loud sneeze.
" ...Maybe I should've brought a cloa-Hmph. " He was suddenly cut off as a great club was brought down towards him.
* clang *
He parried aside the attack with his dagger, before shoving the entire blade into the orc's throat.
* STAB! *
" * oink! * * oink! * "
Kicking the orc off from his dagger, he watched as the body fell onto the dungeon floor, producing a loud thud.
* Thud! *
" ...That was the last of them... "
He then crouched down in order to dig out the magic stone of the orc-
* clang! *
-until he narrowly deflected a rock that was heading towards his head.
Turning to where the rock had originated from, he saw several small demon-like monsters the size of a human child with wings on their backs, as well as a single horn protuding from their head. If he remembers correctly, these were called...
" ...Imps, huh... "
" Kikikiki... "
" ...kikikikiki... "
" ...kikiki... "
He heard laughter coming from behind him.
As he looked around, it would seem that he had been surrounded by the demon-like monsters.
" ... "
* ding *
Back at the banquet of the gods
* whispers *
" ...Look at that, the loli boobs is here... "
" ...What, she's still alive...? "
" ...Speaking of which, I saw her working part-time at a food stand... "
" ...Heard she got patted by a guest on the head... "
" ...As expected of the loli goddess... "
She heard the sneers of her fellow deities around her.
" ...hng. " All she can do is suck it up as she stuffed another piece of food into her mouth.
" It's been a while, Hestia. " A familiar voice was heard from behind her.
Turning around, she was greeted with the sight of a red-headed goddess. She wore a dress that matched the color of her hair, an ornament the shape of a rose decorated her right shoulder. Most importantly, was the all-too-familiar eyepatch covering her right eye that Hestia immediately recognized.
" Hephaestus! " Her mood had instantly improved upon seeing her friend.
" Glad to see you're doing well. " Hephaestus said courtly to Hestia, who stuffed the last few pieces of a pie into her mouth before making a beeline for her.
' You're eating way too much. ' Hephaestus added inside her head.
" I knew you'd be here! So, I made the right choice by coming here! "
" Let me make it clear: I'm not going to lend you even a single Valis. "
" H-how rude of you! What kind of goddess do you think I am?! "
" You've been leeching from me ever since you came to Orario. "
" It's a thing of the past! I'm no longer willing to swallow my friend's purse! "
" You did swallow a lot of free food there, it seems. "
" Ugh...! Um...you see, t-that was-I was just keeping those as leftovers! " Hestia said, somewhat flustered.
Hephaestus stifled a giggle within her, maybe she'll stop teasing the poor goddess for now.
" Oii~! " Another voice was heard from the distance, this one on the other hand earned the opposite reaction from Hestia.
" ...Of course, she would be here as well. " Emphasis on the "she" , that goddess is probably the last person she wanted to meet right now.
' Ugh...here she comes... ' Hestia thought to herself as a goddess dressed in black dashed towards the two of them.
" Yo, phae-tan, chibi. " The red-headed goddess greeted them.
" ...Why are you here, Loki...? " Hestia said in an exasperated tone of voice.
" What? I can't come without some sort of reason? Isn't it senseless of you to ask me that? You's a true party pooper, y'know. "
* pachi *
" Quite a scary look you're making there. " Hephaestus commented on Hestia's expression.
" Still, it's been a while, hasn't it, Loki? I seem to hear a lot about your familia's reputation these days. Seems you're doing quite well for yourself. "
" Ehehe... That's flattering coming from someone like you, Phae-tan...But, I'm certainly proud of my children. " Loki said somewhat abashedly.
" ... " Hestia simply stared at the goddess of mischief.
" ...Hestia? " Hephaestus asked, noticing her gaze.
" ...It's nothing. " She simply replied before continuing to stuff foods into her container.
Now this is unusual. Usually upon hearing of anything regarding Loki it would normally be followed by a snide remark or two. But, today she seemed oddly...distant?
Loki seemed to have noticed this as well, as she shot a look towards Hephaestus as if asking "What's wrong with her? "
Hephaestus simply shrugged her shoulders.
" ...Oh yeah, I've been snooping around but...have you guys seen Freya? " Loki said, changing the topic.
" ...Now that you mention it, it's odd that we haven't heard of her ever since coming here. Usually, she would be the center of attention in the room... especially among the male gods. " Hestia replied, finding it odd that no gods had mentioned anything regarding Freya at all.
" I've heard that she had chosen not to attend the banquet this year, as she wasn't feeling well. " Hephaestus gave her answer to the two.
" ...Wait, for real? That girl is? " Loki said expressing slight surprise at the statement.
Nevermind the fact that it's Freya, who's notorious for always attending these kinds of events, one can count on one hand the number of parties held in Orario that she didn't come to.
" ...Freya wasn't feeling well? " Hestia said in shock as well.
Considering her role as a virgin goddess, one would assume that the relationship between her and the goddess of love wouldn't be so amicable...and they would be right. Something about Freya seemed to make her uncomfortable.
However, even she knew that Freya isn't the type to shy away from parties held by fellow deities just because she wasn't feeling well.
" ...* Sigh * That so, huh? Well, that's a bummer. I was actually supposed to talk to her about something. Oh well, guess there's nothing for me to do here. I'm going home to bankrupt some other gods' familias who's been talking smack behind my back during the party. Bye bye~ . " Loki said before taking her leave.
" There she goes... " Hephaestus said to Hestia on Loki's leave.
" ... " Hestia simply stared as Loki went further and further away, eventually going out of her sight.
" So, what about you? If you're staying, why don't we drink together like old times? " Hephaestus said to Hestia, who suddenly remembered her reason for coming here tonight.
' Here it goes... ' she mentally steeled herself.
" Y-yeah...about that, um...actually, I want you to do me a favor...Hephaestus. " Hestia can feel her eyes swimming around, avoiding eye contact with the forge goddess.
* glare *
Hestia swore that she can feel the temperature of the room dropping.
* gulp * she swallowed her saliva, fearfully looking at Hephaestus who glared at her with her eye.
" You still have the nerve to ask me for something like that? You just said you wouldn't swallow my purse...didn't you? " Despite her tone being that of her usual one, the underlying intent behind it tells a different story.
' S-she's definitely going to hate me forever for this... '
Hestia is aware of how shameless it was of her to ask this from her friend. But she can't yield here. In order to help her blessed child achieve his dreams, she's willing to stoop as low as it takes.
' ...I came to the banquet of the gods just for this...! Bell-kun, please grant me courage! '
* ROAAR *
A massive ape-like monster with silver fur roared, the bestial sound reverberating throughout the entire floor.
Normally, one would think that whoever was on the receiving end of the roar would be shrinking in fear. In this case though, there is no one currently facing the Silverback crawling on the ground.
The reason being, it was trying to get away from something by dragging itself with it's large arms, as everything below it's knees were bent in all sorts of horrible ways.
* BOOM!-Splat! * A loud tremor can be felt throughout the whole dungeon, followed by the sound of crunching bones and splattered flesh.
It's efforts were proven to be futile as a large wooden club reduced it's existence to a mere smear on the dungeon floor.
" ...I hope that didn't damage the magic stone... "
Maybe he should've hit with less force, Bell reprimanded himself internally. Looking back at the state of the large club he had obtained from one of the Orcs, the only parts that remained after his attack was the handle.
Throwing away the great club, he dug around the pile of flesh that was the silverback, before pulling out his arm to reveal a large magic stone.
" ...So the stone remained undamaged...thank goodness... " He said in gladness apparent in his tone. He was worried that the attack with the great club might have cracked or even shattered the magic stone.
Opening his bag, which from the outside looked like it's about to burst like an overfilled water balloon, the inside is stuffed with countless magic stones of various shapes and sizes.
" ...Let's stop here for today... " He commented upon seeing the state of the bag, while stuffing in the magic stone from the silverback.
" Hm? " Bell then noticed that something was approaching him.
The tall figure revealed itself to be a large, bipedal lizard-like monster. It sports several shell-like scales on it's back, covering from atop it's head all the way down to it's tail.
* Rrroooo! *
The Hard Armored roared at Bell, who seemed unperturbed by it's appearance.
Bell then looked back into his bagpack.
" ...I suppose...there is room for one more. "
* Rrroooo! *
He heard a roar coming from behind him, from a second Hard Armored.
Turning around, he simply stared at the second hard armored.
* RROOOA-! *
It roared at Bell as it prepared it's charge.
" ...There is no more room...for you. "
Before it can even begin it's attack, the hard armored was covered by a blinding white light. The light covered it's entire body, and was bright enough that it illuminated even the deepest, most darkest parts of the 12th floor.
The light eventually receded, before converging into a singular discus of light that flew into Bell's outstretched hand that held his precious talisman.
Nothing can be seen at the spot where the second hard armored was, not even dust nor any remains left of the monster, for it had been completely disintegrated by Bell's manifold coronas.
* Rrroa?! *
The first hard armored let out a noise of utter confusion, as well as fear at the sight of the utter slaughter of it's brethren.
It then attempted to get away from Bell, and that was the last thing it did as it got diced into chunks by multiple discuses of light.
" ...I hope I missed the magic stone...lest I'd have killed the other lizard for nothing... "
Walking over to the spot where the hard armored's chest section was, he dug around with his fingers before pulling out a large magic stone.
" ...Alright...these should suffice, for now. I ought to make haste for the surface. " He stuffed the magic stone into his overloaded bagpack.
He couldn't help but feel elated with the spoils of his hunt today. The thought of exchanging all of the gems for money, money that he can use to feed his goddess, greatly excited him. And so, he quickened his pace in order to get out of the dungeon.
" ...I wonder if kami-sama is home... "
She did mention that she won't be coming back home for the night. Although Bell wasn't exactly sure how long he had been inside the dungeon, he was sure that a full day had passed since his expedition.
" ...If she hasn't yet returned...Alright. Let's prepare a meal for her. "
He would have to visit the market later. And after that, he would have to ask Miss Eina regarding knowledge about cooking. Or should he visit the library instead...? Whatever it was, all of it can be done only when he had reached the surface.
He can feel a smile creeping it's way onto his face.
" ...He..hehehe...kami-sama will surely be pleased...I'll make sure of it... "
Orcish Great Club
Weapon type: Great hammer
" Large wooden club wielded by the pigmen of Orario's dungeon. Requires considerable strength to wield effectively.
The brutish Orcs wielded this club, it's weight crushing to those but the strongest of humans. This great weight allows it to more easily break the guards of shields.
Skill: Warcry
Let out a spirited warcry that temporarily boosts attack, and enables a special consecutive strong attack. "
Author notes: Hey ppl. Sorry for the delay of this chapter. The files of this chapter apparently got corrupt as well as previous saves, so i gotta write the whole thing back from scratch. What took so long was the fact that i was malding as i was writing this chapter, which led me to procrastinating in getting it done. Still, its here, and i present to you the latest chapter. Ciao!