This is fine.
No, really, it is.
So what if he's trapped in a newly made dungeon in a sewer? So what if the only way to escape was to go to the very end and slay a boss monster who could very well be like one of those statues from the king's chamber? It's not like this is a problem, no siree. There's nothing wrong with being trapped by a mysterious entity trying to get him killed as much as it's trying to make him stronger.
It's fine, it's fine. It doesn't bother him-It bothers him! IT BOTHERS HIM A LOT!
"I seriously have to go and conquer an entire dungeon by myself!?" Bell sweat nervously as he stared down at the menacingゴゴゴゴゴ stairs leading down into a smokey, clouded trail. He couldn't even see that far down with how thick the darkness was; it made this whole situation even more imposing!
And yet, he can't exactly go back now, can he?
Steeling his resolve with a frustrated sigh, Bell pulled out his dagger from his sheath and held it firmly, eyes glaring down the darkness below.
"Okay... It's only D-rank. You can do this."
Giving himself this small reassurance, Bell started descending into the unknown.
As he did, he continued to rationalize his situation regarding the level of danger he'd be facing. The dungeon is only D-rank, the same ranking as his dagger and chest plate, both of which are the mere basics of equipment. So, theoretically, this dungeon should be on a similar basis, right?
He could only hope.
The aspiring hero moved down the stairs cautiously, following the spiraling path for about half a minute until arriving at Orario's sewer system.
It... wasn't what he had expected.
From what Bell had read about the sewers (Yes, he had looked them up to know the environment just as he does with the dungeon), they were constructed entirely out of stone into a six-meter wide tunnel, with footpaths lining the edges as water flowed in the center. But what was unique about them were the purple grates set up at each drain made entirely from magic stones. These grates would purify the sewer water of Orario as it was flowing out, filtering it to be no cleaner than spring water. This ensured that any lakes or rivers draining the sewage would never be contaminated.
It was all rather impressive to Bell, who had grown up in a small village not even on a map.
But what he found wasn't the clean tunnel full of clear flowing water; what Bell found instead was a channel tunnel that looked as if it had been abandoned for years. Weeds had grown between the hundreds of cracks in the surrounding stones, the water carried litter from chipped stones to more weeds, and a thin, mysterious haze covered the lower bottom of the area, including just over the water. The mist wasn't anything that obstructed Bell's vision in any way, but it still gave a faint coldness that brought a shiver down his spine.
"Did the system do this? Ruin an entire sewer just to set up a test for me?"
Bell frowned as his eyes trailed around the area. The magic lamps lighting the walls didn't help him see further ahead, only faintly lighting the otherwise dark place. Not wishing to be suddenly ambushed, he kept going at a slower, cautious pace, being vigilant for anything.
It was about five minutes in the channel that Bell sensed something.
Above!
Bell Quickly Jumped back and heard a crashing sound followed my other crashes!
BOOM!
As the dust cleared he made out multiple Shapes from behind it with red eyes.
A pop up with with orange headline was given by the system.
[GOBLIN]
But not just one but
MULTIPLE!
But there was something different about those Goblins from the Orarios Dungeon.
The were wearing armor and had weapons made out of steel compared to the Landform they possessed.
"What! when does Goblins wear armor and carry steel weapons!"
Bell Quickly shook his head.
Now was not the time.
No sooner he finished that thought a Goblin Lunged at him with a speed incomparable to the ones in Orarios Dungeon.
A shock came to bells face but he erased it as quickly as it came and activated his Skilll.
"Sprint!"
(!)Alarm
[Skill: Sprint] was activated.
-Movement speed increased by 30%.
-1 mana will be consumed every minute.
Bell Vanished from the goblins line of sight and a no sooner a red line appeared on the Goblins neck blood spurted from it and it fell over dead.
No sooner Bell had to block a second strike and brush it away from his side and gave a downward strike to another Goblins Head Killing it instantly.
Another Goblin came running towards him and Jumped aiming a strike to his head but bell easily caught and by it's neck and broke it.
CRACK!
With a thud the goblin fell to the floor.
Bell released a breath he was holding and relaxed but no sooner in his peripheral he heard rustling and clanging of metal.
Bell slowly turned around and saw not multiple but a horde of goblins coming from the darkness.
He swallowed his Saliva.
This was going to be tougher than he thought compared to the dungeon. Even dangerous if he gets surrounded.
Slowly doubt and fear crept up his spine.
Can he do it? Can he defeat a horde of Goblins alone.
No sooner he had that thought a memory soon resurfaced.
A face with a twisted smile watching him as he helplessly struggling for his life.
All alone cold on the floor hoping that all of it ends soon so that he can go to his Goddess.
Conviction soon rose from his heart.
"No"
"Not Again"
"I don't want to be weak and helpless anymore!"
"Not not like last time!"
"I am going to become stronger if it's the last thing I DO!"
A blue aura begins to surround bell as he walks towards the Goblin Horde.
"Sprint!"
(!)Alarm
[Skill: Sprint] was activated.
-Movement speed increased by 30%.
-1 mana will be consumed every minute.
What was left in the silence of the dungeon was the wails and agony of the Goblins with two red eyes like a ghost looking to reap their lives.
!!!Scene Change!!!
Bell was breathing heavily as he finished that horde of goblins that charged at him he was left a little bruised by near close calls from almost getting surrounded but he made sure to get out of the circle.
He was now seating by the wall taking his lunch and some health and stamins potion he had left over.
"Well it was not like I didn't get decent stats from it" Bell looked through his status and his Growth that left him baffled.
"Status."
{STR}: G-263 - E-466
{VIT}: G-248 -E-451
{DEX}: G-271 - E-475
{AGI}: D-591 - B-595
{MAG}: F-440
{SEN}: G-238 - E-440
Remaining Points: 0
If other adventures learned that soo many points could have been obtained from just beating Goblins they would tore their head out.
"Ha Ha hahahaha"
A strangle laugh came out of Bells mouth.
Well it was not Like it was easy.
"Now that Lunch is over let's finish this dungeon and get back Home"
No sooner he finished that sentence getting up with his bad he heard grown coming from far away in the darkness.
The boy immediately held his blade in a reverse grip as he braced himself for whatever was in the darkness ahead. It was moving in his direction, and his instincts told him it was strong and perhaps beast-like, considering the musky smell of an animal he was picking up.
His eyes widened when it finally stepped close enough for him to see.
Bell saw a large wolf-like monster with red fur and glowing red eyes. However, what truly shocked him was that in addition to a set of jagged, barred teeth, the wolf had its entire bottom mouth made of metal, with sharp fangs pointing up.
And like all the other monsters before, this one also had a name projected above its head.
[Steel Fang Raikan]
It wasn't a monster that Bell had ever heard of, so that meant it should be found even lower than the sixth floor of the dungeon, right?
However... why does this one have an orange name?
He had meant to figure out the colors at some point. First, there had been the giant centipedes with red names, and then there were all the monsters in the dungeon that only had white names, from the goblins to the new war shadows he'd recently been facing.
What did it mean?
"No time to think about it!" Bell rightfully thought, seeing as the growling wolf had gone from stalking forward to diving at him with its open jaw.
Bell jumped to the side, his light body making it so that he effortlessly leaped across the water and to the footpath on the other side.
"Thank you, system!" He preached, knowing that it was because of the daily quests that his body had become so nimble and flexible in a way different than just the speed of his agility stat.
Bell turned around but was aghast to see the wolf already leaping at him again, the canine also making it across the water with one jump with its jaw ready to clamp down on him. On reflex, the boy swerved his body and avoided the monster, who hit the wall where he had just stood. But rather than any sort of damage being done to it, the wolf clamped down its mouth and tore through the stone of the wall, pulling its head back before flinging the debris out of its mouth, eyes already on him again.
Suffice to say, Bell was a little intimidated.
But he didn't have any time to waver, for the raikan once more leaped at him, a pattern that he was starting to notice. This time, Bell jumped forward and flipped through the air, the monster soaring underneath him as he did.
He landed into a crouch, only to pause at what he had just done.
"Oh wow, that was actually kinda cool."
"Focus, you idiot!" His sense of self-preservation yelled.
Bell's eyes widened as his senses screamed to dodge, so he ducked and weaved his body to avoid yet another pounce from the monster. After it passed him, he stood up straight and finally got into a stance as it landed a few feet away, turning back to the boy with a growl.
"It's strong..."
He could tell that this 'steel fang raikan' was much stronger than any of the monsters he'd faced in the dungeon so far, including the war shadows and frog shooters he started fighting recently on the sixth floor. It may have simple attack patterns like an upper-floor monster, but it was fast and wasted no time in any of its attacks, not to mention how strong its bite must be to grind through thick stone as effortlessly as it had before. If Bell's senses were right, it could even be as strong as him through stats alone.
Yet, like all the other monsters he's faced so far, Bell could see that this one didn't have much intelligence, if any, hence its simple attack patterns. It didn't know how to fight efficiently, making it anything but his equal.
That means he can kill it.
The boy firmly clutched his dagger in his right hand, waiting as the wolf quickly ran at him for the fourth time.
The moment the monster was off its feet, Bell moved.
"Sprint!"
(!)Alarm
[Skill: Sprint] was activated.
-Movement speed increased by 30%.
-1 mana will be consumed every minute.
He moved as a blur, his dagger slashing through the wolf as he passed. A howl of pain erupted from the airborne monster as it was carved through, landing on its side with choked growls.
A breath of ease blew from Bell's mouth as he stopped his speed and turned around. His attack ended up slicing both of the wolf's right legs off, leaving it on the ground, unable to get up. It whimpered and whined as it struggled to move, flailing about with no results.
"Why do I suddenly feel guilty?" Bell grimaced at the pathetic image before him.
With a sigh, he crouched by the wolf, quickly sinking his dagger into its side. The creature instantly stopped all movement the moment he did so.
(!)ALARM
You have defeated the [Steel Fang Raikan].
"Phew... Thank Hestia that it wasn't-"
Bell's eyes snapped open as he sensed two fast figures moving in his direction, hearing splashing as they got close. He shot up to his feet and glanced further in the channel, finding two more orange-named raikans rushing forward. One ran alongside the footpath Bell was on, while the other followed closely from the shallow water of the channel.
"Damn it!" Knowing he needed the open space, Bell leaped off the side path just as the first raikan dived at him, avoiding it while heading for the second in the water. He raised his dagger above his head in both hands just as he reached the second wolf, who hadn't expected the human to leap directly at him.
"Hyah!"
Bell swung his dagger down and plunged it directly into the top of the running wolf's head, effectively slamming the creature into the water with a large splash. He didn't waste any time yanking his weapon back out and turning around just in time for the second wolf, who had already reached him in that short moment, to thrust its jaw for his face.
"Grk!" Bell knew his dagger wouldn't defend him from the large bite coming for him, so on instinct, his hands partially grabbed at the sides of the raikan's head, and he planted his right foot between its front legs while letting himself roll backward into the water, using the monster's own momentum against it to throw it overhead behind him.
Splashing echoed in the tunnels as Bell's head emerged from the water with a gasp for air, his body completely soaked. And yet, the cold and wetness were the last thing on his mind as he scrambled back to his feet and turned around with his dagger ready again.
The steel fang raikan flailed its body as it landed on its back but didn't take long to climb back to its feet with a snarl and barking jaws.
Bell glared at the wolf but didn't initiate an attack, waiting until he saw the monster run for him again.
"Sprint!"
Just as he had done for the first wolf, Bell sped by and slashed through the monster with his dagger, ending behind it with its head flying clean off. Hearing the splash of the monster's collapsing body, Bell released another breath of relief, finally done with the immediate danger.
However, he didn't relax, nor did he feel even close to happy about how he had taken care of the monsters.
"That was sloppy... Too sloppy."
That was the first time Bell had faced monsters that gave him trouble since gaining the system, but he hadn't handled them as effectively as he had wanted. Not to mention, he had let himself get distracted near the start over the improved state of his body.
He couldn't be stupid, not when the stakes involved his death.
"Sorry, Miss Eina. Despite what I said, I already got a little careless..." He sweatdropped, knowing that if his advisor somehow ever learned of this moment, she'd rant his ear off.
Resolving to never make that mistake again, Bell approached the closest raikan's body and crouched by it, the monster's weight in the shallow water keeping it in place.
"Even though they were created by the system, these are still monsters, so they should drop magic stones too, right?" Bell cut open the wolf where he knew the magic stone should be for all monsters: around their affiliated chest area.
However, he was shocked to find nothing.
"What?" He stood up with engrossed eyes, the implications of this bringing confusing thoughts. "A-Are they something completely different from normal monsters, then!?"
Bell didn't like that thought, not at all. It had already been bad enough that the system could create entire dungeons with monsters, but those monsters won't even be the same as those in Orario's dungeon? That means whatever he studies about monsters with Miss Eina won't help him with anything the system makes!
"Just another reason to take this as seriously as possible." He mumbled gravely.
"...Hm?"
While brooding at his revelation, Bell saw some sparkling coming from his left. Turning his head, he noticed that the decapitated head of a raikan had landed on the edge of the footpath, with a faint light coming from its mouth. Curious, Bell trudged through the water and looked into the open maw, finding the source of the sparkle coming from the monster's non-metallic fangs.
"What?" Bell reached forward and grabbed the fang, finding it effortless to pull out.
[Item: Raikan's Fang]
Item Class: None
Type: Junk
A large and sharp fang of a Raikan.
[You may keep this item in your inventory or sell it in the store.]
"A drop item!?" Bell gasped. Drop items were rare for monsters to leave behind, and he didn't think there would be any from these ones.
Except...
"Wait, junk?" His excitement died as he saw a lack of item class ranking the object and its type.
His face scrunched up.
"So it's not worth anything, then?" He turned his head at the other corpses nearby and saw the same sparkle coming from both of their mouths. "Their bodies aren't disappearing, and they both have drop items, too, so it might not even be rare... Is the only purpose of these drops to sell to the store?"
With that thought in mind, Bell looked down at the fang in his hand.
"Store."
The simple screen of two words popped up.
"Sell."
Would you like to sell [Item: Steel Raikan Fang]?
Quantity [1]?
"Yes."
The fang vanished, and Bell heard the jingle of coins as his 'gold' went up in the corner of the screen.
"Twenty gold... I think even one of the goblin stones had been worth more. So they really are worthless. I guess it only makes sense with this being an E-rank dungeon." He concluded.
"Grrrrrrr!"
"Grrrr!"
"Grar-!"
Bell didn't even flinch at the accumulating mass of growling behind him. He just turned to the darkness with narrowing eyes.
He saw rows and rows of glowing red eyes in return.
"Is... Is this like a Monster Party?" Bell noted just over a dozen of these monsters as they entered his visibility, all no different from each other and equally dangerous. It should've left him cowering, facing so many more when fighting three had felt like walking a tightrope.
"And yet..."
Bell bent his knees and held his dagger defensively in front of him.
"-I'm actually feeling excited to get stronger!" He smiled.
This time, he was the one to dash forward first.
"Theres... There's someone I need to catch up to!"
Lefiya stood in her magic circle with burning determination, clothes partly torn and blood leaking from her mouth. This was her moment, her time to save her teammates rather than be protected as she's always been.
In front of her were Ais, Tione, and Tiona, all distracting the large, plant-like monsters that had erupted around them when the group had been looking for that human boy, forcing them into the battle that was now. After taking an initially horrible blow, the elf was back up, ready to finish this battle and help her friends.
And she wouldn't be fighting as a burden, never again.
"Harbinger of the end, the white snow. Blow with the wind before the twilight. Closing light, the freezing land. Blizzard, the three severe winters - my name is Alf!"
Her three teammates landed in front of her, ready to move again at any moment.
"Wynn Fimbulvetr!"
Finishing her chant, Lefiya pointed forward and fired Riveria's powerful ice magic. Her friends simultaneously leaped upward at the same time the plant monsters rushed forward, all three creatures becoming completely engulfed in what was akin to a concentrated blizzard at point-blank range.
Icy mist obscured the area for a few seconds until it cleared up, revealing the three frozen forms of the monsters they had been fighting.
"Hyup!"
Leaping through the air, both Amazons and Ais flew at the icy statues of monsters and shattered all three with a blow each before landing simultaneously.
"Woohoo!" Tiona cheered with upward arms as she ran to the group's mage and tackled her into a hug. "Thanks, Lefiya! You really saved us there!"
"T-Tiona!?" Lefiya uttered, caught off guard by the embrace.
Tione and Ais walked over to them.
"I'll say. That was some impressive magic." The former praised with a smile.
"You were just like Riveria," Ais added with a small smile.
Lefiya's eyes lit up like the stars, even becoming a bit teary.
"Ais-sama..."
"Good job everyone!"
Their goddess walked over to them with a smile on her face and hands on her hips.
"Loki? You were still here?" Tiona asked in surprise.
"Oi, what's that supposed to mean!? Of course I'm gonna watch my kiddos kick ass!" The goddess snapped, her walking turning to angry stomping the rest of her approach.
"Sorry, sorry." Tiona chuckled.
"Goddess Loki!"
The group turned their heads and found several adventurers wearing elephant masks of the Ganesha Familia running over to them, with Eina following them from behind in evident panic.
"W-We got reports of monsters appearing!?" The half-elf stated as the adventurers scoured the area.
"My kiddos took care of them already!" Loki beamed.
"Oh, thank goodness..." Eina slumped, relief evident in her posture.
"By the way, how did these monsters get loose anyway? Wasn't the Ganesha Familia holding them?" Tiona asked.
Eina shook her head.
"No, the Ganesha Familia has all their monsters for the festival accounted for; it's one of the first things they checked when they heard of the sightings here."
"Seriously!? So these were just here for some reason!?" Tiona asked in shock.
"And they were of a species we've never seen before too..." Tione added in thought.
"Eh? They were a new species?" Eina asked in surprise.
"We'll give the details later." Loki cut in with a casual wave. "For now, let everyone know that all's good."
Eina gave them a nod before turning around and heading back the way she came, the Ganesha familia adventurers following behind her calmly since there was no danger.
After they left, Tiona turned to her friends.
"So... Are we gonna keep looking for that one guy again? The Almiraj boy?"
Reminding the group of what they had been doing before disaster struck, Loki sighed and scratched the back of her head.
"He's probably long gone by now... Ugh, just when I had finally found him too!"
Ais looked down in evident disappointment. She had really thought she'd finally be able to apologize to him.
"It can't be helped. Let's look around for a bit, but then we'll head back. I had enough of monsters for a day." Loki grumbled. "Also, we need to go get Lefiya healed up."
"Eh...? Ah..." The elf had almost forgotten that she had been bleeding to her side, although it was mostly healed thanks to a potion she had taken before her final attack.
"Don't worry, Lefiya! We'll get you healed in a jiffy!" Tiona cheered, taking her friend by the hand and pulling her away.
"T-Tiona?" Her friend uttered in surprise.
"Tiona! Don't handle her like that!" Tione admonished her sister as she marched forward after them.
That left Ais and Loki following a few steps away.
"...A lot of weird things have been happening lately."
Ais turned her head at her goddess's serious voice, finding her sharp eyes partly open into a frown.
"First, that new species you all found on the fiftieth floor, then what happened to Hestia's brat on the fifth floor, and now this? This is all rubbing me the wrong way."
It was odd to Ais, too, as it would be for anyone else who's lived in Orario for a while. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on, but she knew that Loki and the executives would be the ones to figure it out rather than herself.
"Not to mention, we lost itty-bitty's kid! The one time we find him without even looking and he gets away!" Loki whined.
That had Ais looking down in sad disappointment. The innocent boy from the dungeon had still been stuck in her mind for the last few days. Where she had been initially worried before due to the minotaur encounter, she had been horrified to learn of his dreadful experience in the dungeon becauseof her Familia's mistake.
It gnawed the Sword Princess from the inside to the point where she had started using the free time she usually reserved for the dungeon to instead go out and look for the boy, never successful each time.
And now, so soon after finally catching sight of him, he got away again...
She could only hope she found him again soon, then she'd finally get her chance to apologize.
Especially with what Riveria had suggested for doing so.
"Well, at least mama won't be on my ass this time."
Ais blinked and turned back to her goddess, whose gaze became a mischievous grin.
"After all, Lefiya scared him away, didn't she? She ain't gonna like that."
The Sword Princess internally gave the elf her condolences.
"Keep moving!"
A raikan's head went flying.
"Don't stop!"
Another was sent crashing into two more.
"Don't get hit!"
A burst of blood polluted the wall.
"If you can't dodge-"
The tearing of clothing echoed.
"-then mitigate the amount of damage done!"
A howl of pain was cut short.
"Just like the chamber!"
The air whistled as a blade swung through.
"If you stop, you'll get slaughtered!"
Three more slashes slice through flesh easily.
"Don't stop until they're all dead!"
Bell flew through the air before landing right on top of the last raikan, plunging his dagger into the top of its neck with so much force that even half of the handle sank in with it.
"GRAR-!" The wolf's cry was cut off by choking on its own blood, to which it fell limp into the water.
That left Bell's breathing and the flowing water as the only sounds left in the area.
And what an area it had become.
The bodies of countless raikans lay in the water or along the footpaths on the sides. The final raikan Bell was crouching on acted almost like a line splitting two zones, with the entire area in front of him free of red, while everything in the path behind him flowed with blood-stained water and severed raikans scattered about.
As for Bell himself, he was on his knees on top of the last raikan's corpse, soaked to the brim and head hanging with heavy breathing as his hair dripped with water. His hands were tightly wrapped around his dagger, and parts of his brown jacket and pants were torn, with even a few small but visible cuts that thankfully weren't excessively bleeding. There wasn't too much blood visible on him, partly thanks to having to dive and splash around in the water a lot while fighting the wolves, but his finishing blow had splattered a patch of red onto his cheek, one he hardly noticed.
I... I did it..." He panted.
*Ring!*
The adventurer almost didn't hear the system's notification with how tired he felt, but his head lazily lifted with hazy eyes at the message that appeared.
(!)ALARM
You have earned [Title: Wolf Slayer]
"Huh...? A title?"
Bell blinked a few times to regain his bearings just as another screen appeared.
[Title: Wolf Slayer]
A title given to a hunter proficient in slaying wolves.
All stats increased by 40% against beast-type monsters.
You may only have one title equipped at a time.
"What? Is this... Is this another skill!? A buff against beast-type monsters!?" He gasped. "Status!"
Name: Bell Cranel
Level [1]
Job: None
Title: Wolf Slayer
HP: 1089
MP: 150
{STR}: E-466-C-609
{VIT}: E-451-C-601
{DEX}: E-475-D-529
{AGI}: B-595-S-989
{MAG}: F-440-D-501
{SEN}: E-440-D-538
Remaining Points: 0
[Skills]
Longevity-All diseases, poisons, curses, and status effects are healed. Sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability.
Sprint-Mana Cost 5(+1/Minute). Activates to increase your movement speed by 30%. Costs 1 mana per minute to maintain. "Your running has strengthened your legs."
Unyielding Spirit-When below 30% HP, all damage received is reduced by 50%. "You have an unyielding spirit."
[Magic]
()
[Development Abilities]
()
Wow.
He wasn't surprised that he had gained a significant jump in stats again, but this much when it didn't even feel like he'd gotten halfway through this dungeon?
But more importantly, something else changed!
Name: Bell Cranel
Level [1]
Job: None
Title: Wolf Slayer
HP: 1089
MP: 150
He completely forgot that there was a title section in his status!
And that effect...
[Title: Wolf Slayer]
A title given to a hunter proficient in slaying wolves.
All stats increased by 40% against beast-type monsters.
"Amazing! So it is like like another skill! Only... it might be something I can change?"
He looked at the notification that had shown up with it.
You may only have one title equipped at a time.
It seemed to be the case. So he could change titles based on the situations he's in? The system really does have so many intricate functions!
"And speaking of functions... Now I can start picking up item drops." He smiled, glancing at several sparkling items among all the corpses.
By the end of his looting, Bell had picked up at least three dozen fangs, two rusty daggers, a cloak called 'adventurer's clothes,' and...
"A return stone?"
He eyed the item curiously. This was the stone that the system said would be needed if he wished to 'exit' the dungeon. More specifically, it was only for this specific dungeon and would disappear at the end if not used.
Bell finally had a way to escape the dungeon, yet he didn't even think about using it.
"Hm." He looked further into the sewer with a melancholy, reminiscent gaze.
"If it was the me from before, I would've run away without hesitation..."
More specifically, if he hadn't ended up in that chamber, he would still be the naive boy with such large dreams yet no idea what he was getting into... nor the resolve to face it all the way.
But now he has that resolve. Now he has that fire for his goals: to get stronger and never feel as pathetic as he had in that chamber, to be a hero and have the strength to be the best one!
And... to also have a harem of girls to love... but that's until later, after all the hero stuff! Otherwise, he probably won't even have a chance of having one in the first place...
Bell put the stone into his inventory and marched on.
He followed the main water channel further, ignoring the occasional openings in the walls on the footpaths. He had no doubt the system wanted him to keep going on the central path; it made the most sense.
Along the way, he discovered two more types of monsters he doubted were in Orario's dungeon: monkey-like monsters called Razor Claw Brigas that'd try to ambush him from openings in the ceiling, and panther-like beasts called Black Shadow Razans that'd try to also ambush him from openings in the walls. Slaying them was practically effortless for Bell thanks to his new title, but their item drops were claws of junk he sold to the system.
He didn't find another steel fang raikan for nearly an hour.
The lack of the wolves had Bell completely alert. He hasn't actually seen how the system spawns its monsters, as the raikans had been appearing from the darkness while the others came from openings already in the tunnel, but he doubts that it'd suddenly stop spawning a type of monster because he's learned how to kill them.
"There's something going on..."
Soon, Bell found himself at a dead-end, but not a natural one. Rather, the central tunnel in front of him was completely blocked off by rubble, having entirely collapsed on itself at some point. The entire path was covered by stones, with both water and weeds leaking between the openings.
"If I can't keep going, then the only path left is..."
He craned his head upward at the footpath to his right, finding a large, obvious iron double door under an arch of stone against the wall. Bell wasted no time climbing onto the footpath and standing before it. When he couldn't sense anything on the other side, he grabbed the handle and forcefully pulled it open.
Inside was yet another sewer system, evidently much older than the one he had just gone through. The surfaces were made of brick riddled with weeds and vines, while the wall-mounted magic-stone lamps lined up flickered.
Bell cautiously stepped down the steps in front of him as he found the entire floor flooded.
"Ugh, more water..." The boy sighed but kept going, stepping into the shin-deep wetness and walking ahead to an open path he could see across the room.
Only for him to freeze in place.
He saw a sea of darkness full of four times more crimson eyes than the previous wave he had faced. They all bore at him as snarls and growls filled the air, the leading wolf stalking forward in what almost seemed to be confidence. This was evidently where all the raikans had piled up, waiting for him.
And yet... Bell's main focus was on the color of the name on the leading raikan.
White, not orange.
In fact, all the raikans behind it were the same.
"It's just like all the names of the monsters I've faced so far in Orario's dungeon! But why!? What changed? The only thing I could think of that's the same between all the white-named monsters is-"
His pupils dilated.
"They weren't hard to kill." He whispered in realization.
It hit Bell like a punch from a minotaur. The names show how strong an opponent is compared to himself! Red means it's clearly stronger than him, just like the giant centipedes in the desert. Orange most likely means a monster is as strong as him, like these raikans. And finally, white must mean a monster is weaker than him, just like the monsters he's been facing on the upper floors.
And as of now, he has the Wolf Slayer title.
So if the raikans' names are white now...
They'll be easy to kill.
A change transpired in the atmosphere, with the raikans suddenly hesitating to approach the boy. Bell reached into his inventory and pulled out one of the two rusty daggers he'd acquired, brandishing both his weapons with a frankly unsettling grin, one made more intimidating with his excited, glowing red eyes and blood splattered on his face.
"Thank you for the meal!"
He sprinted towards them.
(!)ALARM
You have defeated the [Steel Fang Raikan].
(!)ALARM
You have defeated the [Steel Fang Raikan].
(!)ALARM
You have defeated the [Steel Fang Raikan].
The same message appeared over and over again from each raikan Bell killed. His daggers cut through the monsters like butter as he zig-zagged from one to another, moving like a bolt of lightning so fast that each wolf didn't know it was dead until their heads were already severed clean off. With one simple instance of Sprint and the 40% increase in his stats, the battle had become a slaughter.
His newly acquired rusty dagger shattered after not even killing one-fourth of the raikan's, but he hadn't expected much from it anyway. Bell hadn't even let it phase him as he practically flew through the sewer as a wheel, carving through raikans like they weren't even there.
It hadn't even been ten minutes before they all lay lifeless in the water around him.
"Phew... I might've gotten a little too into that." Bell gently breathed in and out with various feelings of satisfaction. That may have been the fastest he's ever moved, and he's still only level one.
His eyes shimmered as he smiled, proud of himself. However, that smile dampened when he saw the state of his guild dagger, duller with a few chips in its blade.
"Oh no..." He felt the edge with his finger and cringed. This was his primary weapon, and he had no others besides the second rusted dagger in his inventory. Killing with so much force in a short time must've taken a lot out of it, and frankly, Bell should be surprised that a simple guild dagger had lasted so long without wearing down earlier.
But this was still bad. Sure, Bell could probably still complete this dungeon with the dagger, but he isn't getting any magic stones here, meaning he won't have valis for his efforts to save up for another weapon. The best he could do was sell some of the junk items he picked up, but if these monsters really weren't from Orario's dungeon, then that'd bring all sorts of questions.
Bell sighed and scratched the back of his head. He'll figure this out once out of the dungeon; no point in worrying about it now.
"Status."
{STR}: C-609-C-629
{VIT}: C-601-C-630
{DEX}: D-529-D-530
{AGI}: S-989-S-995
{MAG}: D-501-D-507
{SEN}: D-538-D-542
Remaining Points: 0
Hardly any stats despite having killed so many more raikans... While a disappointment, it made sense to Bell because of how he had near-effortlessly killed the monsters because of Wolf Slayer.
Benefits of power, but at the cost of growth... He'll have to keep this in mind. He doesn't always want to choose the easier way, but he also shouldn't make things needlessly difficult for himself.
Bell continued his trek after looting what he could from over three dozen raikans. He's been in this dungeon for a few hours now, just like he would typically spend in Orario's dungeon, so it didn't really concern him too much time-wise.
What did concern him, though, was the growing pressure he felt as he went deeper into the ancient labyrinth-like sewers, not to mention the slightly denser mist covering the floor as he moved forward. A lack of monsters also became evident as Bell went through the twists and turns of the dungeon, finding every kind of doorway along the way blocked off by rubble, clearly coercing him on a specific path.
Something big was coming up.
Bell trudged through the flooded ground of another tunnel as he heard the sound of rushing water echoing farther ahead of him. The current was also gently pushing him back, letting him know that he was indeed walking to the direct source of the flooding.
Despite the growing pressure making the hairs on his neck stand up, Bell kept following the straight path until ended up in until he ended up at a T-shaped intersection, but with both the left and right routes entirely blocked off by debris similar to the others behind him. However... there was still one way to go.
A hole in the very center of the stone wall ahead of him.
It had a roughly circular shape, with water pouring out from the lower edge to fill the old sewer, and unlike the faintly lit path of lamps lighting the way here, there was only pure darkness inside the opening. Whisps of mist leaked out of the hole, and Bell could feel his senses warning him of the imposing pressure coming from inside.
Whatever is in the hole is strong.
Bell stopped right before the opening of pouring water, lips pursed in uneasiness.
"That's where the boss is, isn't it?"
His Sense stat told him precisely of the danger beyond, of the strength of a powerful opponent.
Taking a deep breath, Bell turned away from the hole and opened his inventory, pulling out a red potion and chugging it down. A gentle green glow covered his body as his minor wounds healed, leaving him in the best shape he could be, excluding his faint fatigue.
"Phew." He wiped his mouth as he examined his inventory. "Another two basic potions, the second rusty dagger, several fangs and claws, and the return stone... It feels like I can't do anything else to prepare."
He'd be fighting this boss, no matter what; he's come too far to stop now.
Thankfully, since the monsters in the dungeon hadn't been too devastating to fight, Bell really hadn't needed to use any health potions besides the one he had just used to prepare himself. So now he has his remaining two potions for what he knew would be a hard battle. They couldn't heal anything too extreme or fix blood loss, but it was better than nothing.
With that, Bell pulled out the other rusty dagger from his inventory before turning back to the large hole, expression determined but with cold sweat dripping down his head, which... could actually just be some sewer water. Still, he kept a hardened gaze as he trudged through the rushing ankle-deep water, not letting a single doubt plague his mind. He found himself going through many other holes in a straight path through several tunnels, all flooding with water as well.
Despite the lack of magic stone lamps, Bell was surprised to find that he could see decently well in this darkness. Not too far, but enough that he wasn't entirely walking blind. The holes eventually took him to a staircase leading up to another room. Finally free of the water, Bell went up the steps and through the doorless entrance.
He entered a large, rectangular chamber with rows of space-out columns, each several meters high, and more barely shining magic-stone lamps on the ceiling.
"What in Hestia's name is this?"
The white-haired boy could only walk forward in stunned silence as he saw a large body of black water covering the entire end of the room. Moss, native plants, roots, and even a few vines littered the moist area; it was almost as if the room had been turned into...
"...a swamp?"
All was silent.
And then it wasn't.
A splash to the right made Bell's instincts scream as he turned and raised his weapons just as a dark blue blur whipped at him.
"FAST-!"
While he successfully met the attack with his daggers, the force behind the strike still sent him flying, crashing through one of the columns in the room.
"UGH!" He tumbled until his back hit the wall, bouncing off and leaving him curled on the ground.
"Ngh..." Bell weakly lifted his head, ignoring the blood leaking down the side of it, and an expression of horrid disbelief formed with bulging eyes.
"This is a boss!?"
Reptilian glowing orange eyes pierced Bell from afar, belonging to a giant cobra monster of dark-blue scales and a slithering black tongue.
[Swamp's Ruler, Blue Poison-Fanged Rasaka]
"It's name is orange!?"
The snake coiled around itself, keeping its eyes on Bell before opening its giant maw of sharp fangs and teeth.
"HISSSSSSSSSSS!"
Its hiss might as well have been a roar by how it shook the whole room, even causing ripples in the surrounding water. Bell immediately shot up to his feet, feeling the incredible pressure from the monster.
"That's a bad sign."
He nervously brandished his daggers in front of him, only to see one blade instead of two. Blinking, Bell discovered that the rusted dagger in his left hand had broken apart from the snake's initial attack.
"Ah, that's a REALLY bad sign."
The giant cobra uncurled and lifted its head up high, its body becoming a dark silhouette with glowing eyes as it towered over the human in preparation for a strike.
For a moment, Bell froze.
He saw himself back in the chamber, standing before the lord as its giant figure bore down at him with its blazing orange eyes and sick grin. The feeling of pure terror returned to the boy, leaving his body shaking as the cobra opened its giant mouth to strike.
"What are you doing!? Move!"
"HISSSSSS!"
"MOVE!"
The cobra launched forward, and life-preserving instincts were all that had kept Bell from being devoured whole. He activated Sprint and dashed to the side, running away as the giant monster's mouth flew where he had just been.
"Damn it! I thought I was done being scared!" He thought as he ran, looking back to see the snake turning its body and quickly slithering after him. He was shocked to see it keeping up despite using his speed skill.
"So fast!"
Bell swerved in place just as the snake's maw neared him, letting its large body pass to the side while still being in range. Taking the opportunity, he slashed at the monster's body and let its own movement slide against his dagger, only to be met with sparks rather than blood.
He hissed in frustration. "Its scales are too thick! I can't cut it!"
Giving up his initial attack, Bell went around a pillar just as the giant snake circled back, hissing before taking another pounce at him. The monster crashed through the pillar but missed the boy yet again, who took another opportunity to slash at its body, only to be met with the same results as before.
"How am I supposed to even cut through these with a standard guild dagger!?"
Using Sprint, Bell ran circles around the giant snake, continuously slashing at its body as it lunged at him. However, it was evident that no matter how much he slashed at the monster, he wasn't doing any damage whatsoever.
"Should I have invested more stats into strength!? Or is his guild dagger just that bad!?"
Bell heard a woosh to his left, and dread pooled his gut.
"IT'S TAIL-!"
He was slammed straight in his side.
"GUH!" Bell was sent flying into the wall once more, sprawling out like a star on the surface while knocking his dagger out of his hand. Blood spewed from his mouth on impact before he fell to the floor in agony.
"N-No..."
He weakly raised his head and saw the snake circling back behind him, flicking its tongue in his direction.
Bell ground his teeth together.
"Am I really going to keep being weak? After I got the resolve to get stronger, am I not even going to be able to go through an E-rank dungeon!?"
He thought about his goddess, whom he had promised to always return to. He thought about Miss Eina, who he had done the same for. He thought about all the heroes his precious grandfather had told him about his entire life, whom he had promised to become a hero of his own!
He was not going to be a liar!
"I'm... gonna get..."
"HISSS!"
"-STRONGER!"
Bell jumped forward from the ground and used Sprint to avoid the giant cobra biting into the ground, the force of its impact sending stones flying about. He made a beeline for his dagger and snatched it off the ground as he passed before speedily running around the area again.
He panted as he swiped a potion from his inventory and downed it, nearly choking on it as he ran. Immediately, a gentle glow took to his body as he gasped in relief, tossing the bottle to the side.
"Think Bell, think! If this monster was out of my league, then its name should've at least been red!"
He used the snake's giant size against it, slipping around its vision and constantly slashing at it from different while keeping it continually guessing where he was, although that meant being mindful of its angrily slithering body flailing around.
"But it's not! It's orange like the wolves! That means it should be hard, but not overwhelming!"
He slashed in vain at the long body before ducking under a swinging tail.
"That means there should be an efficient way to kill it!"
It was optimistic thinking, but to Bell, it made sense.
He nimbly jumped to a pillar and leaped off it right as the cobra's head crashed into it.
"But how!?"
His dagger couldn't cut through the snake's scales, and one solid bite from the giant monster would kill him.
There had to be a weak spot.
Bell slid to a stop at the end of the room behind the snake, who searched for him on the opposite side before sharply turning around with an open-mouth hiss.
Amber spheres met ruby orbs, bringing a tense pressure of killing intent.
But it also brought about a realization.
"That's right!" Bell's eyes widened. "Its scales are tough, but its organs aren't, eyes included!"
While it was obvious to many that most living beings have some of the same vulnerable areas, such as the eyes, most adventurers wouldn't even think about getting so close to a giant monster to attack an area so high up. One of the biggest issues was ever getting the chance to get close enough to strike in the first place.
But Bell knew how to get close. After all, the monster kept giving him the chance.
Brandishing his dagger, he glared at the cobra.
"Compared to the fear I felt back then, compared to that thing-"
The lord's grin flashed by.
"-you're nothing!"
His defiant cry riled up the cobra, which opened its mouth with another room-shaking hiss. It didn't waste any time lowering its head to the ground and slithering quickly towards him.
"SPRINT!"
Bell returned the advance with his own, dashing towards the giant snake with a battle cry, both nearing the center of the large room.
But at the very last second, Bell leaped just as the snake opened its mouth. What resulted was the human vaulting over the mouth and latching onto the 'hood' of the cobra just on top of its head.
"Don't let go!"
Bell's hair flew back as he was dragged around, his free hand firmly gripping an indent in the giant creature's scales while his other limb tightly held his dagger as he lay on the speeding cobra.
"Don't let your chance slip!"
Quickly crawling over its left eye, Bell raised his dagger.
At that moment, the last thing reflected in the snake's iris was a black silhouette of glowing red eyes.
Bell screamed as he plunged his dagger into the orb as deep as he could, splashing his entire front with blood and bringing an ear-piercing screech of pain from the cobra.
"HISSSS! HISSSSSSS!"
The giant monster flailed all over the swamp as its hissing cries of anguish echoed eerily. It swung its head to throw the human off, then tried smashing it through stone pillars and even rammed itself into the room's surfaces in a desperate attempt to crush him.
"Ngh!" Bell felt the back of his head slam against a wall, but he didn't dare let go. Blood trailed down his forehead as his crimson eyes glowed in determined fury.
"Please-!"
He was smashed through three more pillars.
"Just-!"
The snake slammed its head onto the floor before lunging upward to slam into the ceiling.
"DIE ALREADYYYYYYYYY!"
With one final scream, Bell shoved the rest of his dagger all the way into the monster's head with a sickening squelch, blood engulfing him as he pierced through nerves and stabbed all the way into its brain.
The giant snake's hissing abruptly stopped, as did its body, freezing almost motionlessly in the air with its head upward and mouth open. Then, like a puppet with cut strings, it slowly swayed to the right as it fell limp, its massive body crashing to the ground with water and stone bouncing upward from the impact.
"*Huff* Puff*..."
Laying right on the monster's head with his arm still deep in its eye, Bell panted hard as he caught his breath, groggily chuckling with blurry thoughts.
"Look, Hestia... I'm getting stronger..." He tiredly smiled.
(!)ALARM
You have slain the [Swamp's Ruler, Blue Poison-Fanged Rasaka]
"Here you go, sir! Enjoy!"
Handing off the last potato treat for the day, Hestia waited until the customer turned around before hunching over with a tired sigh and taking off her apron.
Today has been hectic with the increased number of people traveling the streets because of the Monster Feria, but with the day reaching late afternoon, it was finally time to close up shop.
It had been hard for Hestia to focus on working, knowing that Bell was exploring some unknown dungeon alone. Not to mention, it was a dungeon created by an external force they still had no understanding of whatsoever.
She just wanted to clean up, run back home, and hold him in her arms as soon as possible.
"Hey, did you hear? Some monsters ended up on Main East Street!"
Hestia froze.
"Oh, I heard about that! Some of the Ganesha's Familia's monsters got loose, right?"
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"What? That's not what I heard. Some plant monsters suddenly showed up in one of the plazas near Daedalus Street. The Ganesha Familia didn't seem to have anything to do with it."
That relief turned to horror.
"Oh no."
Hestia stepped back from her stand, suddenly finding it harder to breathe.
Did monsters end up escaping the dungeon Bell made with the key!? That doesn't mean something terrible happened to him, right!?
...
Oh gods, she has to go find him.
"Go."
Hestia sharply turned her head and saw her boss, an old lady with some faint signs of brown hair, staring tiredly at her yet with understanding.
"I can already see what you're thinking." She said, having noticed Hestia listen in to the gossip. "Go make sure he's alright, we'll clean up here."
"Th-Thank you!"
Hestia gave the old woman a big bear hug before turning around and sprinting off for Daedalus Street.
After yanking out his arm and tiredly climbing off the dead Rasaka's head, Bell discovered two things:
One, his poor dagger had finally lost its life, made evident by how he had pulled out a shattered blade.
And two, he got he got something even better in return.
[Item: Rasaka's Fang]
Item Class: C
Type: Dagger
Attack: +25
A dagger made from Rasaka's fang. Able to paralyze due to leftover venom. Grants the bleed effect.
-'Paralyze': Attacked foes have a chance to become unable to move.
-Bleed': Attacked foes lose 1% of their health every second.
"W-Weapons can have effects like this!?"
Bell's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at what he was reading. His bloodied hand held the blade, a dagger sharper and broader than his previous one. Like the description said, it was evidently a fang from the monster he'd just slain, with a black color but silvery-white edging, finished with a brown, scale-designed handle.
"Holy Hestia, it has more than twice the attack power of my guild dagger! And with these effects? This is amazing!" He gushed, completely in awe at the item he was holding. "And it's only a C-rank weapon, too!?"
Bell then glanced at the reward in his other hand, a brown pouch full of some kind of liquid.
[Item: Rasaka's Venom Gland]
Item Class: A
Type: Potion
A pouch that contains Rasaka's purified venom. Obtained by defeating Rasaka. Drinking it will give you hardened skin but the venom will permanently weaken your strength.
-'Rasaka's Armored Scales': -20% Physical damage taken.
-'Weakened Muscles': -35% Strength
"An A-rank item!? That's absolutely-Eh?"
Actually reading the item's description, Bell's excitement died down to a look of confusion.
"Venom? A potion of venom? And I'd be permanently losing that much strength for some defense?"
Losing 35% strength compared to gaining 20% physical defense... To Bell, it seemed like he'd be losing more than he'd gain.
"Maybe I could sell it to someone? No... How would I even start to explain what it did and how I got it?"
It's his first A-rank item obtained, yet Bell had no idea what to do with it, so he just put it in his inventory.
(!)ALARM
The boss has been slain. The dungeon interior will revert to its original state.
"Huh? Its original state?"
The young adventurer gasped as blue lights formed and spread throughout the area. He watched as everything surrounding him turned blue and pixel-like before being engulfed in white light, turning the area into... the same place?
"Wait... No." Looking around, all the destroyed pillars in his battle against the boss had returned as if nothing had happened in the first place, and it wasn't just that. The boss's corpse vanished, all blood was gone, and any signs of there having been a swamp had disappeared entirely, leaving only a large room with a pool of water coming from the entrance where he had come from.
"Was I not in the sewers!? Was I actually in an entirely different world created by the system!?"
That was how Bell interpreted it, being in an entire area based on an existing one, only to end up in the middle of the original one once his job was done. That'd mean he wouldn't have to worry about monsters from these dungeons ever escaping to the public since they'll always disappear once he kills the boss. Not only that, but any signs of anything having happened, such as the bodies of the monsters he's slain, should also disappear as well.
Bell smiled in relief, knowing that Hestia would feel the same reassurance he was.
"Grrrrr..."
"Eh?"
Hearing growling behind him, being joined by the sounds of crumbling and slithering, Bell sharply turned around while brandishing his new weapon, wondering if this was another test from the system so soon.
Only for his eyes to widen in a mixture of shock and fear.
"E-Eh!?"
From the darkness ahead, the level one adventurer bore witness to three separate yellowish-greenish bodies resembling giant vines slithering around the ground and pillars near him, each holding heads resembling flower buds.
Backing up, Bell watched as these snake-like creatures wriggled towards him, only for all three to raise their heads and bloom. Their bud-like heads opened to reveal giant maws of carnivorous plants but with human-like teeth.
[Viola]
"GROAAAAAAAAAH!"
All three plant-like monsters roared at him, but what brought the overwhelming sense of icy dread in Bell's blood was what he saw appeared on top of each monster.
Dark Red Names.
"NOPE!"
Getting a flashback to the giant centipedes, Bell activated Sprint and ran.
He scrambled back to the room entrance, screeching in fear as all three heads of the monsters chased after him. He ran through the several large gaps in the walls where he had entered, feet splashing in the water as he made it out of the first opening and back into the older sewer system.
He landed back in the shin-deep water and kept running, arms rapidly swinging comedically as he focused all his might on getting the hell out of there.
"There's no way! There's no way!"
He didn't dare look back, not even when the sound of roaring died down to a mere echo. He kept sprinting until he reached the double-metal doors leading back to Orario's primary sewer system, bursting through them before slamming them shut, holding his hands against them tensely.
After listening for a few seconds and not hearing anything, he let out a breath of solace and let his head fall against the door.
"That was scary... I didn't expect to see any more red-named monsters for a while."
He thought back to what he had just seen, those 'Violas' snapping their teeth as they had attempted to devour them.
Bell grimaced.
"I... I wasn't supposed to kill them... was I?"
He would've received a quest otherwise, right? And even without those red names, his Sense stat was enough to tell him those monsters were way too strong for him. They had to be at least level three!
"This doesn't make sense." Bell groaned, turning his body to lean the back of his head against the door. "Didn't the system say that it changed everything back to-?"
His words abruptly stopped to a frozen look of realization, recalling the exact message given to him.
'The dungeon interior will revert to its original state.'
"It's original state... Does that mean that those monsters were already in here before the system even made the dungeon!?" He whispered in horror.
If the system didn't create them, then why are those plant monsters here in the first place!? Such strong ones, too!?
This wasn't good, not at all.
He didn't know if he was overthinking this or not, but either way, these monsters being in the sewers spelled bad news for Orario.
"I have to tell Hestia," Bell mouthed, pushing himself off the door and sprinting back through the sewers.
He only glanced briefly at how bright and clean the sewers were compared to the version the system had created for him, with crystal-clear water and no corpses of monsters littering the area. Not only that, but all the other paths that had been 'blocked' by the system earlier were also cleared for entry. However, Bell didn't know the layout of the sewers enough to find the closest exit himself, so he ran all the way back through the entire complex and to the original entry he had come from.
After only a few minutes of straight running, Bell finally returned to the outside world, exiting from the metal door he had first entered. He stepped outside with a breath of relief, only to pause and glance at the darkened sky of clouds.
"It's night time already? Had I really been in there for that long?"
He shivered as he felt the night air blow a chilly cold against him, being reminded that he was still soaked to the brim from fighting in the water for so long. At least he had washed all the blood off him; he doubts anyone would believe he had been in the 'dungeon' this far out.
All in all... Today was still outstanding for him in terms of progress. He lost his guild dagger, but he got a much better one while getting so much stronger.
Oh, speaking of which.
"Status."
{STR}: C-629-S-959
{VIT}: C-601-S-929
{DEX}: D-529-A-839
{AGI}: S-989-SSS-1155
{MAG}: D-501-B-705
{SEN}: D-538-B-701
Remaining Points: 0
Bell gasped at the numbers in front of him. His agility stat reached SSS-rank! Does that rank even exist! And he got over Thousand stat points from fighting the boss alone, even ignoring the sense stat! This one dungeon had given him a larger jump of stats in one dive than a few days' worth going into Orario's dungeon! But then again... that was probably because all the monsters he's faced so far in Orario's dungeon haven't been that strong to him because of his fast growth...
He has to go lower.
Ugh, he's definitely giving Eina gray hairs...
Sighing to himself at the intense studying he'd have to do to be allowed down, Bell started jogging through the street. He went back through the narrow alleyway and peeked out of it, finding many people walking through the road compared to earlier, signaling him that the Monster Feria must be over by now, or at least nearly done. The albino boy stepped out and tried to blend in casually within the crowd, not realizing that he actually looked the stiffest and most nervous of anyone there, like someone was out to get him.
"No one saw, right? I won't get in trouble for just being in that area, right?"
"Huh?"
Bell Sensed something coming towards him Quakes around the place as he slowly looked up.
There he saw in the sky a roar shook all of Dedalus Street.
"ROAR!!!!!"
It was a GIANT WHITE APE.
Bell out of instinct dodged the place where the Silverback which he now rembered in Miss Eina's Class.
"BOOOM!!!!"
Looking down the street, Bell saw numerous people shout and jump as the tried to move away from the rampaging monster.
Bell Gave a sigh and put his hand in the air blue sparks rising as a dagger that he got from the dungeon.
"Not even out of the alley I already have trouble coming in my way, well let's just end this quick"
The Silverback charged aiming to smash it's target but soon found it's target Infront of it vanish.
Before a strangle escaped the Silverback as it felt it's vision hitting backwards.
It saw itself falling or rather.
It's head was cleanly removed.
The last thing it saw was a red eyes boy with a dagger dripping in red floor staring at it with cold eyes.
But no sooner bell got ambushed again.
to the side as an oncoming cloud of rampaging dust headed through them all and, more importantly, aiming right for him.
"What the-MMPH!?"
He was shut up as two large, soft mounds landed right in his face, being kept there by arms and legs tightly wrapping around his torso and head.
"Bell! I'm so glad you're alive!" Hestia comedically cried as she held on to her child, even as he swayed back with a muffled voice. "Are you okay!? You're not hurt, are you!? Wait, why are you wet!?"
"Mmmph!? Mmm!" Bell reached up and grabbed his goddess from under her armpits, prying her off his face with a gasp of air. He held her outward like a cat as his face burned a flustered red.
"H-Hestia!? What are you doing here!?"
Dangling from his arms, the short goddess had a quivering lip and adorable watery eyes.
"I heard about monsters appearing near Daedalus Street and got worried about you! So many things have been happening to you, and I just thought... I-I didn't want to think about it, but I just had to make sure you were okay!"
Bell looked at her in surprise.
"Wait, monsters appeared near here?"
"They did! I thought you were... you know?" She hinted, mindful of the passing citizens who gave them weird looks.
Realizing that they were in too open of an area to talk about this, Bell frowned.
"Let's go back home." He declared, getting a frantic nod from the goddess.
Feeling a sense of urgency, Bell pulled Hestia close and held her in a bridal carry, earning a shocked cry from the goddess as he proceeded to run out of Daedalus Street and through the alleyways rather than the main road.
Hestia squealed with flushed cheeks, staring up at his handsome face with sparkling eyes.
"I'm sorry Bell, I know this is serious, but I can't help but feel so happy right now!"
"Weren't you worried to death just a moment ago!?"
Bell just focused on returning to the church without being seen, feeling paranoid after seeing those plant monsters in the sewers with also being ambushed by a silverback soon after.
And while he was right to do so, it almost cost him, for not long after he passed through these obscure alleyways, a god and his elf companion entered the same area in the direction he had just left.
And a shocked Goddess watching from above in Shock and Jealousy.