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—
/Clack…/
As they reached the edge of the ruins, Silver and Hestia stepped down from the wagon.
"Ouch… my bun..." Hestia exclaimed as she stepped down
"Thanks for the ride."
"It's nothing! Have a nice night you two! Heya!"
/NEIGHT!/
As he left, Silver turned to look at the now repaired church.
"Fufu… Isn't it a beautiful place?!" Hestia exclaimed proudly as she stood before the church
While Silver could notice some details missing, such as the glass windows missing, the old church looked thoroughly new. So much so that he could smell the pain and wood in the air.
Silver also noticed a large building at the back. It was most likely the workshop he asked for.
"I knew they were fast, but this…"
"Isn't that right? They were truly efficient, those guys from the Vish… Vishca… Vishvakra..."
"Vishvakarman."
"Yeah! Those guys… they finished most of the repairs in less than six hours! They came in and had everything done in no time!"
"After they repaired it, I went to buy some groceries and…" Her face paled, "AHH! I forgot the groceries at the Guild!!"
Silver didn't know what to say. He did remember the bags next to her, but it was on him for not noticing something was wrong sooner, so he kept quiet.
"W-What do I do?..."
"It's just some groceries; I can go get them later, don't worry."
"But there isn't any food at the church, and I am not so keen on going back to the city after that ride... I wanted to try the new kitchen too…"
"It's okay, I can cook some food; I always carry extra ingredients and supplies with me."
"Silver! You are my hero!"
Hestia hugged Silver and then pulled him into the church.
…
/Later…/
"Ahhh… Silver, you're going to spoil me with such good food..."
Hestia and Silver were now sitting on the couch after a hearty meal.
After eating so much, Hestia rested her head on Silver's lap after 'requesting' it from him. He didn't know what was so comfortable about his muscular legs, but whatever to prevent her from bickering.
"I'm happy you liked it. I'm not that good at it, but its good enough to pass by."
"Dont depreciate yourself like that! I know good food when I taste it!"
He smiled, "I'll work hard to keep up with your expectations then…"
"Say, how were the people sent by the Vishvakarman Familia?"
"Those guys? Well…"
…
After over half an hour of Hestia blabbering about her day, Silver managed to divert the topic…
"How about we check my status now? I am quite excited."
'And tired… I want to sleep…'
"Right!"
Hestia jumped off the couch while Silver turned his back to her.
She pricked her finger with the nail and let a single drop of blood fall on his back…
/Fling!/
Magical light filled Hestia's face as a series of numbers suddenly sprang to life and filled the air behind Silver's back like holograms.
One by one, she read the changes within his Falna…
H-100… H-110… H-180...
The numbers jumped upwards like rockets with such speed Hestia almost fell onto the ground from shock.
When they settled, she couldn't believe her eyes as she forced all of those numbers to return inside Silver's back.
"Is it done? I must have at least made a few points in each category, right?" He asked as he turned his head to look at her
'With so much Excelia, I should've raked in at least a hundred points spread around my Status… a few with Skill. Any less than that and… I'd have to rethink my plans.'
But Hestia didn't answer. She looked at his back with a blank face.
Unable to hold his curiosity, he pressed her, "Come on… show me, show me…. You can't keep it for yourself."
/Silence…/
Finally… she exploded, "… What… WHAT IS THIS?!"
She began "assaulting" his body, punching and tugging at his back as she moved around like a kid on too much caffeine.
"W-What happened? Did something… ouch! Hestia! Don't knock on my shoulders!… Actually… do it a little lower…"
"This isn't a massage!! I'm being serious here!"
"Me too… arg! Don't pinch me!"
"Then take this seriously! What did you do down there?! Why are your stats so high?!"
Silver smiled awkwardly, "I faced a lot of monsters. Maybe all that Excelia just piled up… don't pinch me!"
"I'm not stupid! There's no way Excelia can pile this excessively!"
"I'm not lying! I faced a lot of monsters, and it was quite… hazardous…"
"Mumumu…"
Silver knew that sound, she was about to explode… "Hestia… let's talk about this…"
"I told you to stay put!"
But it was too late; she jumped on him and began nagging.
It took him well over half an hour to calm her down…
…
Only after that much time did she stop to show him his stats. She let go of him as Silver sat beside her, taking a piece of parchment with his Status written on it.
—
Mellios Silver
Level 1
Strength H 100 -> F 368
Vitality H 100 -> E 453
Dexterity H 100 -> F 329
Agility H 100 -> F 356
Magic H 100 -> D 518
Magic:
>Magnum Opus Ambrosia
Skill:
>Vit Alhjin
>Oculus Davidis
—
Silver's eyes were full of surprise, "This… interesting."
'It's far more than I expected… actually, wouldn't I be able to Rank Up already? I think the minimum was something around D in one basic ability and some high-rank Excelia that can overflow the vessel?'
'I don't feel that different though. But I can't deny it… I need to be careful. With such a considerable increase, I might end up hurting her or breaking something without knowing.'
Seeing his expression, she grit her teeth, "... You didn't listen to me!"
Hestia started banging her fists on Silver's chest, "Just how could you do this?! Do you have no care for your safety?!"
"I told you before, there were just more monsters than normal…"
"Then you should've just left while you still could!"
"… You're right…"
""…""
Smiling awkwardly, Silver tried to change the topic, "How about we talk about that tomorrow over breakfast? And also, why is that I don't feel any different?"
"Trying to be sleek... You'll figure things out with practice."
"Practice? That easy… I'll do it tomorrow though, my headache's still going strong."
"Humph!"
"Haha…"
'I was going to ask her not to update my Status next time, but if I mention my reason for that, she might kill me…'
Silver knew from his grandparents that deities could refrain from adding all the Excelia a dependent has gathered in a single update for whatever reason they may have, preventing the raise of basic abilities or developing new abilities such as Magic or Skills.
This might seem counterintuitive, but it was essentially what Silver wanted. By limiting his physical growth, the current challenges would remain as such, challenging. If he grew too quickly, they soon went from something he'd struggle against to something he could solve easily.
There are certain benefits to that, but no good would come from being forced onto lower floors ahead of time.
With his plans for tomorrow already closed, Silver turned to her with an inquisitive glance, "But how does this work?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, where does this energy come from? Why do monsters have it? How come you guys can use it, and why this energy? Why not something else?"
"Ehhhh…"
"I have more questions too. Such as why does Falna takes a certain shape and why a blessing works the way it does… what are the symbols associated with a god and why each one has one?"
"Erm…"
Silver looked away, not noticing her expression, "I mean, Gods have been around for a long time. But if a God's symbol is a sword, would that mean that deity created the concept of swords or did they draw inspiration from the mortal world?"
"Which came first, the deity's vision or mortal creativity?"
"S-Silver…"
"On that note, I have wondered about this too. Adventurers can also generate Excelia for others. If I were to fight someone stronger than me, I would be given Excelia, so what is it? How come…"
"Enough! My head's spinning…"
"… I apologize. I never had the chance to answer those questions, so they kind of came out." He replied with a faint smile as he looked at her
"I can understand that, but answering it… is another issue… I can't even properly put it in words… I'm sorry."
Silver smiled, "That's fine. They're not important questions at the end of the day… though if Falna is what gives us power, can't a God just create a Level 9 on a whim?"
"... Yes? But its against the rules. Using Arcanum in the mortal world for that purpose…"
"Who decided that?"
"It's a collective agreement…" She added as she looked away
Silver was suspicious, "But who told you that? Hephaestus?"
"Kind of… c-can we move on?"
Silver exhaled, "Alright… allow me to ask a final question."
"Fine..."
"Two, in fact."
"…"
"I know the strongest monster on the surface is the one-eyed black dragon. But what is the strongest normal animal?"
Hestia's expression twisted, "... Just why… why would you want to know that?!"
"Research purposes."
She scoffed at him as she crossed her arms, "I don't know the answer to that! In the first place, I never paid the lower world that much attention…"
"But… I did once hear of creatures resembling dragons living in the extreme north. Those creatures should be quite strong… Level 3+ strong."
"Satisfied?"
"Not at all! Can you give Falna to an animal? I mean, humans are animals, right? So why not?"
Hestia felt a headache coming, "Where are these questions coming from?... I think I can? Hephaestus never told me anything of the kind..."
Silver's gaze grew stern, "... What if… I tame one of these dragons..."
"No."
"Doesn't it sound cool though? Having your own dragon mount? People can tame monsters, so why not an animal?"
"..."
'It is cool, but that's not the point!' She thought as she tried to stop imagining the scene
"Silver, lets..."
But he wasn't paying attention to her anymore, "Could you give Falna to an ant? From a certain perspective, humans are ants compared to certain monsters… would an ant be able to hold a person?"
"…"
Hestia was speechless. She stopped responding and decided to do something else, ignoring Silver.
Soon enough, he too stopped thinking about useless things, and went to take a shower.
It was time to move on to the next day.
…
"... And that was all."
"... What a surprise. To think someone like that would appear in these times… Is this the coming of yet another monster?"
Hermes smiled, "I feel like things are about to get heated."
"It's quite cold though…" Asfi replied as she covered herself in her cloak
"You get my meaning…"
…
/The next day…/
"ZZZzzz…"
Silver slept soundly. He had a strange dream of hammering metal into something. He didn't know what he was hammering, but he knew it was going to be incredible.
"Umn…"
Like he had been conditioned to from an early age, Silver woke up just moments before sunrise. Still a little tired, Silver got up from the couch and got ready for yet another day of hard work.
While he switched his clothes, he couldn't help but think of his stats, 'This was unexpected… I didn't think the increase would be this large.'
'Although I can attribute the increase to the considerable number of monsters I took out, as Hestia pointed out, that alone isn't enough to explain it… even when considering how my other Skill affects my Status.'
'It's a shame that I can't tell with precision just how my actions affect Excelia gain. Although if there was a way to explain it, someone would've likely abused the system already.'
/Snore…/
"…"
'She sure sleeps well for someone who was bickering with me for almost an hour last night…'
"Sleep tight… I'll be back soon."
'Just don't sleep too long… the construction workers will probably pass by to continue their work soon.'
Silver left another leather behind, and this time, he promised to return sooner so they had the time to do something at night.
…
/Meanwhile…/
In a lake hidden in the Beol Mountains… a mystical scene took hold.
Like a painting, a green-haired elf could be seen fishing at the edge of a small waterfall, looking at the distance as his hair fluttered in the wind.
/Swush.../
"... Are you here?"
From behind him, a cloaked man approached him. Seeing this, the elf smiled gently.
"… Such a nice day, isn't it?"
"…"
He sighed faintly, "Silent as always… let's get this over with then."
"Sir, the captain has successfully Ranked Up and returned from his journey to the extreme south."
The elf looked at the distance with emotion, "So he did it… he traversed the entire Kaois Desert on foot and succeeded in slaying that ancient beast… I thought it would be impossible for him to progress, but I was wrong."
"He sure is stubborn! To think he'd find something like that based on those old stories…"
He smiled, turning to the cloaked man, "Can you believe him? He once came to me and said that if he failed in ranking up, he would raid Telskyura on his own if it meant doing so… I told him to be careful, one wrong move and he'd end up with half of that nation infatuated with him if he were to succeed… HAHAHA!"
"Haa… I'm glad he returned… We're one step closer to making our dream a reality… this must've caused quite the waves back in the village, no?"
"The others are now on a training streak to catch up with him."
He smiled, "Of course they are." He muttered as he put his bamboo rod aside.
He closed his eyes, thinking about the past.
"It's been almost half a century since then, about four decades to be precise… since our Familia was shattered into a million pieces. I did my best to put it together, to bring hope… it's almost time then."
'For our grand return… there isn't much time left, with the little time we have… we'll prepare as much as we can.'
"The only way for us to grow further is by challenging the source of it all." He said as he got up from the ground
'I'm curious… just how much did the city change? How much have they prepared since the catastrophe twelve years ago? Have new heroes risen to take their place? No matter how inferior, they now carry the heavy burden they left behind.'
'The heroes of this generation. I hope they can amaze me, I've heard so little about them… it's almost like a surprise.'
"… Are we ready?"
"Preparations have long been completed. Security around the city isn't exactly lax, but its nothing impressive either. Getting inside was easy enough with the right pay."
"… Those people again." He said out loud as his expression twisted, "We'll cleanse the city of such rot in due time as well. But until then… they're a necessary evil."
'We can't get this wrong. Too much, and the old one won't give us another chance. Too little and no one will take us seriously… after a decade since I witnessed their fall… The plan has changed drastically since then… but the essence remains.'
'We'll announce our return with a bang.'
…
/Step!/
/Step!/
/Step!/
"Huff… haff…"
/Step!/
/Step!/
Somewhere in the caverns of the Dungeon, a young man in his mid to late twenty's ran with all of his might.
"Huff… a-arg?!"
He ran and ran until he collapsed inside a small hole somewhere inside a cavern. And for the first time in a while, he took a deep breath…
"... Harf… harf… t-this can't go on!"
He slammed his fist against the wall, leaving a red mark behind.
His hands were red, covered in blood, but it was certainly not monster blood…
"Huff…"
'That bastard. He wasn't satisfied with just ruining my life, so he had to take it too?!'
He closed his eyes, remembring how his life used to be… but he soon shook his head.
'It's been almost a month since that day… my marriage came to an end and I was essentially robbed of all my possessions… I thought that I had chosen a good person to spend my life with…'
'I should have listened to my mother… that girl wasn't worth it… and that man… that bloody elf!!'
"COUGH!"
The man spat some blood onto the ground as he pushed himself up.
/Cling…/
He took out a small vial from his belt, but it was already empty. So he threw it aside in anger…
"Urg... why?... Dionysus-Sama..."
'Why did such a caring and loving deity abandon me like this? What did I do to deserve this?!'
'I can't even get a job, and even if I can, I'm kicked out soon enough… I don't understand; I'm not that skilled in anything, but that's not enough of a reason!'
'But at least… not all hope is lost. That gentle deity spared me some potions... this gave me enough strength to continue. With my old gear, I barely managed to Rank Up after risking my life in the Dungeon… even then, nothing's changed.'
'My basic abilities haven't budged since then… it hasn't been that long, just a few days, but I can understand now… maybe that's why I've been abandoned.'
"Is this the limit of my talent?"
'It doesn't help that I'm being pursued so intently… I've barely had the time to rest. It's insane to even consider, but I'm starting to think Lord Dionysus is somehow involved in this.'
'I can't begin to fathom why he would do so and what he could gain from it all, but it doesn't make sense that they would find me so quickly whenever I go to him.'
"Also… can't they leave me be?! It's been almost a month! Cough!…"
He put his back against the wall, his expression grim as he bled slowly…
'I am sorry, Bibi... I was a fool… all of this for a love that was never truly there. My foolishness led me to lose the only person who actually cared about me aside from my mother.'
He looked around, his stomach growling, "I wonder which floor I am on right now? I stopped counting when I fell on that slope on the 22nd floor… I might be at the 23rd or even deeper, most likely somewhere in the Lower Floors…"
"D-dammit!"
'I should've been more careful. Used the mist on the Upper Floors to evade them… monsters at these depths can kill me easily! If it wasnt for that Skill I awakened, I would have been some monster's lunch by now...'
'Tartarus Superstes… not even Lord Dionysus could tell me what it did...'
"Urg… there's only one hope left… the Guild. Even if they can't do much, if I give myself to the Guild, they might be able to protect me."
'These aren't the lawless dark times! They can be punished by law!… If I survive this, I swear… I swear on my soul that I will give you all the punishment you deserve.'
'The girl who betrayed me.'
'The man who destroyed my life.'
'The god that abandoned me.'
"… And that monster… the man that tortured me, killed my friend and took my left arm." He mumbled as he held his bleeding shoulder
He trembled faintly, "Arg! The pain is coming up again!"
'The side effects of using all of those potions are finally biting at me…'
/Step step.../
At that moment, a monster slowly approached him from the darkness… seeing this, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Huff… haha… it isn't that cold… nor is it hot…"
'So this is the end, huh… what a terrible life... and I have so much left to do.'
"I can't believe I'll leave those bastards free…"
His vision slowly darkened as he lost strength in his body as his motivation dispersed.
"No… not yet… I'll at least bring the ones after me with me… that seems fair enough."
'If you're so intent on pursuing me… then let's go to hell together!'
His legs trembling, he slowly stepped out of the hole, facing the creature standing before him…
"W-What is that?"
But what he saw broke him.
"How fun… Will you play with me?~"
"Wh… what are you?!"
Breathing quickly as he tried to keep himself calm, his desperation got the best of him.
He held onto his dagger with his remaining arm, pointing it at the… creature…
"YAY! Let's play, let's play!"
And she suddenly disappeared…
"…"
The next moment, the young man felt some pressure on his chest. It was a large root-like spear piercing his chest.
'Gods... I am so pathetic...'
And he fell to the ground as darkness covered his vision.
"Hum? No, no, no… you can not fall yet! We had just started to play!"
The strange humanoid creature walked to him like a puppet, taking a small magic stone and shoving it on his chest.
/Splurge! Crack!/
Immediately after, the man's body started to tremble and crack. His muscles tore apart as roots formed under his skin and replaced his broken muscles and bones.
"Ahhh~… boring."
While the monster waited for the transformation to end, it went around the cavern, killing everything in sight.
After ten minutes of carnage, the transformation stopped. Did it succeed?
"Hm~ yay! Let's play!"
/Twitch…/
At that moment, Frederic's hand moved.
…
/Meanwhile…/
"I'm here… the 12th floor." Silver said out loud as he looked around'
'Let's do the same thing as yesterday. Hunt all day long and deposit my loot at the Guild… although this time, I think I'll pass by the branch underneath Babel.'
/Crunch…/
"Speak of the devil…"
A group of Orcs approached him from the fog…
...
/Meanwhile…/
Within an ornate castle, a beautiful blond-haired girl woke up from her nightmare. She dreamed of her parents dying and leaving her behind once again.
With tears in her eyes, she slowly dried them before looking at the sunlight coming through her window.
She squinted her eyes as she pulled the curtain, "Mnn…"
'I only see them through nightmares now…'
She washed her face and picked out her clothes… of which she didn't have many, before making way to the showers like any other day.
After kicking out her goddess from sneaking glances at her and the others like any other morning, she met with Tiona and easily convinced her to follow her into the Dungeon again.
They ended up returning early yesterday after losing motivation, so it was imperative they started early today!
After gathering a small group of five, the girls made their way into the Dungeon…
...
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Notes
This chapter was mostly exposition for the future and setting up things for future small arcs.
Aside from that, Silver's growth is quite ridiculous, but I think it's proper. Silver hunted far more monsters in one day than Bell did in multiple days if not weeks, and the challenge he went through is in no way lesser than what he experienced.
I'd say he made as many stats as Bell did in a week. The only reason his stats look even more ridiculous is due to the fact they start higher than others.
That's what I think, thanks for reading.
Peace!