4K Words!
.
.
.
—
Somewhere not really far from Babel, a blond-haired man was drinking some tea with a blue-haired woman.
(Image)
(Image)
The blond man suddenly stopped drinking his tea and looked out the window. The window led directly towards the Plaza around Babel.
"Hummm… I smell trouble."
His partner, however, wasn't impressed. She put down her tea, almost rolling her eyes, "What is it this time, Hermes-Sama?"
"I have this strange feeling, but I don't know how to express it…"
"Are you going to cause trouble again? Every time you say this, you cause trouble."
The man smiled awkwardly, "What?... Is that how you see me, Asfi~..."
"Sigh. It's just that every time you cause trouble, the one who has to clean everything up is me."
"Oh, come on, don't be like that~!"
He went to her side and placed his arm around her shoulder. The girl didn't seem embarrassed in the least; however, she looked rather annoyed.
'When he is like this, it means he wants me to do something…' She thought as her eyebrows lowered
"As-fi~! Do me a favor and go to the Dungeon today! Do some scout work for me will you?"
"... HUH?!"
'First, he brought me to this coffee shop out of nowhere, saying we came to relax, and now he wants me to go do some extra work?!'
"I am already filled with work…"
"Shhh…"
Like a boss, the blond man just placed his finger on her lips, stopping her in her tracks, "I am being serious this time." He added as his expression tensed
"..."
She slapped his hand away, "FINE! But I don't want any work for the rest of the week!"
"Granted! In fact, since it'll be close to the Winter Festival, let's extend the holiday to the New Year, shall we?"'
"You talk as if that wasn't the norm in the first place!"
And so, the blond deity left with a sly smile on his face as he covered his eyes with his hat.
Meanwhile, the blue-haired lady sat down deflated, "More work…"
Just when she was about to leave, she noticed the bill on the table.
"##!!"
'That accursed man! One of these days…'
After paying for the tea, Asfi made her way to the Dungeon. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she hoped that whatever it was, she would find it soon since she had a lot of things to do.
The sooner she ended it, the sooner she'd be able to rest and enjoy her short-lived vacation.
…
/Meanwhile…/
"Mmmmngh…"
After a good night of sleep, Hestia opened her eyes, only to end up disoriented. She didn't recognize the place she had woken up in, but it didn't take too long for her to realize where she was.
Rubbing her eyes and yawning loudly, she looked around as her black hair spread on the bed.
Left and right, she couldn't see him, "Is that a note?"
Hestia's attention was drawn to a piece of paper below a small pouch on the table at the center of the basement.
She opened it, being presented with dozens of shiny golden coins, but she quickly put it on the side as she shook her head in denial.
"I can not let this corrupt me!"
She turned to the note. As she finished it, her eyes relaxed faintly, "This guy… sigh."
"I just told him not to get in danger, and the first thing he does is go to the Dungeon…"
'I figured he'd be like that from the moment I met him, though.'
"I suppose I can get some groceries and clean the place? I've never cooked before though…"
'After that… I need to continue my studies. There's still too much I don't know.'
"Hephaestus should've finished part of her commissions by now. She probably would be interested in knowing how I'm doing… I think…"
…
/Later…/
"Urg… okay… I think its over."
Collapsed on the ground, Silver slowly pushed himself to his feet.
His body was covered in wounds, some quite severe. Deep cuts, bruises, and on his chest, a large horn almost punctured through his body.
'I overdid it… I should've run when I could, I should've put on some decent armor, I should've used a decent weapon… Now I have to deal with these injuries.'
'The potions will take care of most of them, but internal injuries will take a while longer.'
"But crying over these regrets… shit… isn't like me."
"Hupp… okay… for my first day as an adventurer, it wasn't half bad… urg…"
'Just speaking hurts… I avoided getting my lung punctured, but the rest won't be so easy to heal.'
"Cough!"
Silver spat some blood onto the ground before taking a deep breath.
"I need a shower. If I appear like this, I won't hear the end of it."
'Before something worse appears… and I end up with more injuries.'
'I need to get myself in shape for tomorrow, haven't I? This situation will probably remain in place for several days if not until the new year… It's prime time for me to train.'
"… Here's the problem though… who's going to collect all of this mess?" He asked out loud as he looked at the ground
Holding onto the wall, leaving behind a bloody imprint, he grimaced, "I'm too tired to collect them and too full to take more potions… fine then…"
'I made it this far, another push won't cost me much.' He thought as he quickly gathered all the dropped items with his Plasmids
"Urg!… This headache!"
'I'm dangerously close to Mind Zero. Deep breaths, I'm almost there…'
He plodded away, using the cavern's walls for support…
…
/A few minutes after Silver left.../
/Twist…/
From behind a boulder hidden in the mist, the air bent and turned as a woman slowly stepped out of the dark.
She wore a jet-black metal helmet with a strange engraving, her blue hair flowing from underneath it.
"... I've scoured the whole Upper Floors, and this was the only notable thing I've seen."
'Despite this adventurer's valiant stand and his unusual…. abilities… was this truly what he wanted me to scout? I'm aware of his interests, but I wonder if there's more to see out there.'
She looked back at the mayhem left behind by Silver's skirmish… "His methods are… unorthodox."
'I've never seen magic like this before. It actually makes me somewhat curious, although I can't really approach him like this. Something like this is better left off to that nosy guy.'
'Even if this wasn't what he wanted to see, this matter will surely get him busy for a few days… just enough time for me to rest and enjoy the New Year.'
She stretched her arms, "Might as well call it a day here… at least so I won't have much to do..."
'Let's take our time to return though. If I go back too soon, he's going to bicker again.'
Like that, she turned back and vanished into the mist.
…
/Later…/
"Phew… the surface, at last."
Silver returned from his first Dungeon expedition as a proper adventurer. He looked nothing like his previous self, his clothes and skin now devoid of injuries.
He wore his usual set of medium armor, mostly for appearance than anything. With his spear on his back beside his loaded backpack, he looked just like everyone else… almost as if he hadn't gone on a rampage on the 12th floor.
He stretched his body with a pained expression, 'Healing cuts and bruises is easy enough for me, might even say its effortless, but with my limited Mind, there's only so much I can do in so little time… broken bones, fractures, and severe bodily trauma that tears my body in uneven ways… that takes a bit longer to mend.'
'Previously I wouldn't bat an eye even if 90% of my body was gone, but now, it might take me months to recover even as much as a finger… if I even can, that is. I prefer to say its like being a doctor; suturing a cut is effortless compared to setting a ripped-off finger back in place.'
'I could say its due to me being rusty… so many years and the fact I'm in a new body contribute to this lack of efficiency… but it'd say it's mostly my negligence. I lived so many years relying on something instinctual that now that I need to put in the effort… I don't know what to do anymore.'
'I have to put so much focus and effort into such a slow process that midway through I just kind of doze off… This is an issue that will solve itself with time, but until then, I have to take it down a notch.'
"That's what power does to you… even if you try to get your act together, some things will end up being neglected." Silver muttered with a frown as he looked around
He noticed the Guild branch under Babel, and a few thoughts formed inside his mind:
"If I'm not mistaken, they have showers for rent, don't they?"
'Leaving the Dungeon as clean as me isn't normal… I might have to consider passing by the Guild to take a shower every once in a while. I could take this chance to take a walk around Babel, see what those stores and shops offer.'
This, however, wasn't the time for that. Silver walked down the plaza and spotted a small gathering of wagons and carriages at the edge of one of the major streets.
He approached one of the wagon drivers, "Excuse me, friend, are you available?"
The man was tall, with a slightly hunched back. His black hair was evidently once long and lush, but now… a horrible bald spot had pushed his hairline a bit too far to be salvageable.
Although his depressing hairline was gloomy, his personality was the polar opposite, "Just tell me where you want to go!"
"To the Guild, please. How much for that?"
"I don't usually carry single customers but… 600 Vallis and I will have you there in half an hour, even less if the road is clear."
Like always, Silver resorted to his trusty pouch on his waist. After getting inside the wagon, he made himself comfortable as he rested his tired body.
He put his loaded bag to the side, the magic stones inside ringing in response.
"Next stop… the Guild!"
"Yawwnn…"
'Man… I don't feel like doing anything today. My legs are killing me… even more than this splitting headache.'
'I have a faint premonition that this will be the norm from here on out…'
…
Not long after Silver left… a group of adventurers made their way into the Dungeon.
One of them, a young lady with tanned skin complained, "Guys… isn't it too late for us to be here? I want to crash out on bed and eat something sweet."
Her sister sighed, "Dont be like that Tiona, you're almost sounding like Loki."
"Can't we leave this for tomorrow?" Tiona as she put her hands behind her back
"If only… don't forget why we're here, Ais' debt for her sword has just expired, they'll start charging extra if she gets late."
"Mnnn…"
Just hearing about that made Ais' expression contort. She didn't even want to be reminded of the price of her weapon.
She had broken its edge again despite her ceaseless care. And for a weapon made of rare metals that were difficult to handle by even the most experienced of smiths, even a slight chip to its edge could mean a bill of tens of millions.
That was the cost for the highest quality, a first-class weapon like no other. Each was unique in its own form, even if dozens if not hundreds within its category existed out there.
For poor Ais, however, the cost of her mistakes was a few sleepless nights post a tiring and grueling expedition… still, she wasn't alone in this endeavor.
The Loki Familia was known for always being in a pinch following every expedition. Making sure all their members came back alive in one piece was costly, but one they were more than willing to pay… not that it made this any more bearable.
"Also, Tiona, you shouldn't be so carefree. Soon enough, your Urga will come back from the forge, and you'll have to fork out the bill for it too, else you'll end up like Ais."
"Uuurg… can we not talk about that? Hey Ais, say something…"
"…"
Ais, however, was looking elsewhere.
"Ais?"
"Show yourself." She proclaimed as she looked at a stone pillar
"Shhh! Don't make a fuss."
From behind the pillar, Asfi stepped out, putting her finger before her lips as she looked around warily.
"Asfi? What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in a while!" Tiona proclaimed as she walked to her
Asfi hurriedly put away her helmet as she took a deep breath.
"Just working as usual, just came out from scouting the Upper Floors. What about you all? A bit late to enter the Dungeon, no?"
"We have to pay the bills somehow…" Tione replied as she smiled awkwardly
"Good luck with that… the Dungeon's been quite erratic these days. You guys probably won't have difficulty finding something to kill time with down there, that's for sure."
Asfi checked the time on her wristwatch, "I'm sorry for leaving in a hurry, but I have to go. Good luck with your hunt!"
"Take care Asfi!"
"Try to get some rest."
"See ya, Asfi."
The girls bade each other farewell before turning to the Dungeon. Tiona stepped forward, her hands on the back of her head, "Well then, let's get this done with so we can enjoy the Winter Festival in peace."
Ais nodded, stepping forward.
The girls descended into the Abyss.
…
/NEIGHT!/
"Woah there, calm down, girl… hey, we've arrived."
"Yawwn… already?"
"You took a nice nap there, it has been around half an hour."
"Half an hour?" Silver asked as he looked around with one eye as he rubbed the other
'I don't even remember when I dozed off…'
"Thanks for the ride, I got a pleasant sleep on the way."
"That's good to hear! The roads are quite smooth but not as sharp as they once were… hum… that's an old story anyway. I just try to roll down the smoothest past, can't have this old cart beating down the rocks all the time."
"I see… here, for your trouble."
Silver picked a coin from his pouch and threw it at the man, "Thank you very much, sir!" He said as he took the coin, "Will you be needing another ride?"
Silver jumped down, "Hum… maybe... here, if I am not back in ten minutes you can leave and take that as your pay." Silver said as he gave the man another coin worth a thousand Valis
"You are very generous, mister."
"It's nothing."
'A single Minotaur is worth dozens of times that, anyway.'
…
/Clack…/
/Chattering…/
"There's more people than I expected."
The Guild wasn't full as other times, but it was still bustling with activity. Mostly Guild workers hustled around the place carrying boxes and piles of papers from one corner to the other.
It was hard to see even one table behind the counter unoccupied.
"Ahhhh! Just how many papers do I need to sign before you're satisfied?! It's been half an hour already!"
Silver slowly turned his head… "Hestia?"
"What is it? Is there anything more?! I won't sign it!!... S-Silver?!"
The moment she saw him, she went running to him, tears forming on her face, "Silver! S-Save me from these monsters! They have been keeping me here for the past half hour! I just want to go home!"
"Haha…"
The Guild employee looked at Silver with embarrassment as he picked a small stack of papers and pushed it aside.
"It's the final one Hestia-Sama. Please, just sign these and we will be done."
"… I thought these were all done?"
"The initial papers, yes… the full amount is processed over time… exactly for such situations…"
Silver understood him. He was no stranger to overly complicated bureaucracy, "… You heard him."
She didn't want to part ways with him. She put her right hand in front of him, exclaiming, "Look at my hand! It's already red from writing so many papers! A sensitive goddess such as me needs to take care of her skin and..."
She went on and on about unnecessary things, and Silver knew now wasn't the time to play around. He patted her head to calm her down, trying to change the subject.
"Let's do it like this… I'll go hand in my Magic Stones. By the time I finish, you should be done on your part, so we can leave and have dinner together on the way out."
She looked at him with welling tears in her eyes, but she brushed them off, strengthening her resolve.
"ALRIGHT! Just give me all of those!"
/Scribble.../
Hestia furiously signed the papers at immense speed… "At least try to give each document a look… better not."
'With her like this, I'll have to handle her side of the work in the future… It seems I'll have to add Orario's bureaucracy to my study list… although that was already on my mind.'
'No matter, I do prefer to be in the know of things anyway.'
He turned around, "... She will be alright."
Silver made his way to the counter… but as he did so, he raised an eyebrow.
After listening for a while, he smiled deviously, approaching a counter of his choice.
"Excuse me, are you open?"
"Of course, adventurer. How may I help you today… wait a minute…"
"I have a few magic stones and drop items to trade." Silver said as he put a few bags on the counter
It was silence for a few moments as Silver kept stuffing the counter with bags. Then it hit her, "It… it can't be. Not you again!"
"Did you miss me?"
"Adventurer… you should exchange such volumes at the specialized counter…"
"It's not that much though… here, I have a few more bags of goblin magic stones…"
/BANG!/
"… I-Is something wrong?"
"Not at all! Not at all, adventurer!!"
Silver went silent for a few seconds… before he smiled again, "… That's great! I still have a few dozen bags…"
"What's your name, adventurer?" The woman behind the counter asked coldly
Silver was deeply amused by this, "Mellios Silver."
"I'll remember that. You better watch out, adventurer."
"I'll be waiting." He replied with a smirk as he laid his back against the privacy wall of the counter, "So? You free on Sunday?" He asked as he crossed his arms
A momentary silence as the woman behind the counter was shocked frozen… "What?"
"You told me to watch out, should we meet one of these days then? I know a few good places."
"… Pfft… fine, I'll give it to you, that was creative. But no, thank you. I'm busy as it is."
"A shame… anyhow…"
"If you put one more bag on this counter, I'll really give you a reason to watch out."
"…"
Silver knew when to stop. He coughed awkwardly before looking away.
"If you want to exchange more items, then go to the specialized counter. These are for minor exchanges of a few dozen to a hundred stones at most. Not bags upon bags of magic stones and drop items."
"I'll praise you for being so tidy and organized, but that's no excuse! You're exchanging more magic stones than some Familias when they return from expeditions! Give me a break!"
Silver raised his hands in defeat, "Alright… my bad… next time I'll hold on to less of them."
"Just follow protocol next time, else I'll be forced to give you a fine."
"Fine by me."
After she was done counting the magic stones, she pushed a small bag of gold and the empty pouches through the basin, "There it is… the total amount is 112 thousand Valis for… a bunch of Upper Floor magic stones."
"Thanks a bunch. I'll stop by the other counter now."
"Just don't come again!"
"Now you're hurting me. Well, see you around, miss."
"Humph…"
…
Silver went to another counter at the end of the corridor to exchange his remaining magic stones… as soon as he stopped by, he was welcomed by a deep and charming feminine voice:
"HAHAHA! Look who it is, the very adventurer who was giving little Bi's a headache…"
"It's nothing serious…"
"It didn't sound like that to me… Now then, you're better looking than I thought. Far too many plain and rough-looking men around, and the cute ones are usually too small."
"…"
'I wondered this before, but how can these workers see us through the wall? Is there some mechanism to this wooden wall?'
"If you are here, it means you have some big things, no? Just put it by the door and we will count it for you!"
/Ploft/
Silver dropped his bag on the ground, causing a rather loud "ploft" sound.
"I like that sound!… Looks like you are loaded! You and your party did a good job this time!" She said eagerly as Silver could hear her getting up from her seat
"I've been accumulating these for a few days. It's nothing special."
"Some people do that… let's see…"
While Silver waited, the door opened and two muscular Guild employees pulled the bag inside the restricted area.
"Hum… you're quite neaty, good to see! I would give you a bonus if I could, but I can't. Bonus points for effort though."
"Thanks?"
'Points for what?'
After a few minutes…
"... HA! I am done! Phew, that was tough."
"Let's go over everything… 114 Kobolds, 16 Claws and 24 teeth, 80 War shadows, 15 finger bones, seven eyes..."
She listed a rather long list of monsters and their drop loot, "The final amount is… 700K Valis after removing the handling fee… Thank you for the fat bonus!"
"Thanks!"
'And this is only one bag worth of loot… I still have two more. Not counting the remaining magic stones from the surface I wasn't able to sell… I'll figure it out eventually once I start venturing into the Middle Floors.'
'Of my bags, I have one dedicated to everything I hunted between the 10th and 12th floors, and another for the monsters on the Middle Floors. I'll come back tomorrow to trade in the rest. It might be too much for me to pass by with multiple bags.'
'The more I experience what it feels to be an adventurer, the more I realize the power of my abilities… I could make a living just hauling things around and probably quite a lot… actually… I could make bank with it.'
"How would you like to receive the amount?"
"Just make it all into big coins. I already have enough change."
'With this alone I pretty much recouped everything I've spent… I understand now why my grandparents told me to be careful with greed. But it's not like I'm doing this for the money…'
Silver's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he felt a light tug on his shirt, "Are you done, Silverrrr..."
Hestia's voice was a little broken... 'She is so dramatic. You're not going to melt away from a little paperwork.'
"Are you done as well?"
"YES! I don't want to come to this place ever again!"
Silver rolled his eyes, "... Come on, don't be like that. It won't get worse than this… now, let me finish this and we'll go."
"Alright…"
/THUD!/
Silver's backpack was left outside the door together with a small bag strapped to it.
"That's all mister! All counted, seven hundred thousand Valis!"
"Thanks, I..."
"S-S-Seven hundred?! S-Silver?! Just how much…?"
Silver put his hand over her mouth, "Please don't talk so loud."
"How did you do that?... Did you do something dangerous again?"
"I was just exchanging the loot I had on me coupled with what I made today… let's go home. I'll explain it on the way."
She looked at him with suspicion, "Hum… we are going straight home! I want to check your Status."
She walked past him, pulling his hand.
"Sigh…"
'I'll be in for an earful tonight…'
But Silver couldn't wait either… he too was eager to go home and see how much he had improved.
Thankfully, the man in the wagon was patient as he waited a few more minutes for Silver.
With everything finished, the duo boarded the wagon, making way to the ruins southwest of the Guild.
…
.
.
.
Notes
So far, I think things have been progressing well. I have refined much of the content in these chapters and made them more readable, or so I think.
I have already written the overall layout of the story, but it's subject to change. Let's see how much of it I'll end up changing as we go by.
I already have a few major arcs planned. I think they'll fit pretty well.
Thanks for reading!