A short 3.4K chapter.
This chapter will fit into the slot where another previous arc once stood. Let's see how it goes.
Peace!
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/Scribble…/
/Creak…/
"Oi, Finn! How long are ya going to stay there with those boring papers? Everyone had lunch already!" Loki exclaimed as she stepped inside his office
Finn raised his head, brushing his blond hair back as he sighed faintly.
After putting his pen aside and stretching his fingers, he smiled, "I'm just about finished here."
"You said that an hour ago." Loki bickered as she put her arms behind her back
She unceremoniously sat on the corner of his table and asked, "Anyhow, have you seen Ais? She was going to pay up her tab at Goibniu's place and I was thinking of going with her to plead a little with that old head for a discount."
Finn sighed again, "She's been having it rough. Most of us only have to do repairs, but she always ends up breaking her swords… what was her past tab again? Something on the dozen?"
"It doesn't matter how much she owes, my poor Ais has been worked to the bone to pay up. I can't stand and watch it any longer!"
She pouted, "I know she has to pay up today. She's been raising money for that. But when I went looking for her, I learned she left somewhere while I was dealing with that pipsqueak."
"… You must mean Goddess Hestia."
Loki rolled on the table, looking straight at Finn, "Look, Finn! You can be respectful to anybody, but in this abode, she gets no godly treatment!"
"Haha… well… I haven't paid much attention to what everyone's doing today. They're free to cool off and prepare on their own for the expedition after all."
"You're better off asking Gareth since he's working down there."
"And I already did! Old man said he doesn't know either."
"Could it be she already went to repay her debts?"
"Ais wouldn't betray me like that!… Would she?"
"Why are you asking me that?…"
/Knock knock…/
"Excuse me… hm?… Hello, Loki."
Loki jumped from the table, doing a dramatic spin as she reached out for the newcomer, "Oia? If it's not our beautiful Line~… GUAH?!"
But Line stepped aside before her goddess could grope her, causing the latter to slam face-first into the door.
"On the very first day of the year? Can you be proper for once?" She said with a sigh as she put another box near Finn's table
"Thank you for the help." Finn said as he opened the box and checked its contents
Piles upon piles of documents…
"It's nothing, these commissions just keep on coming. Dragging them here is the least I can do."
"Line!… How can you be so cruel?! I just wanted a little hug…"
"Last time I let you do that, you squeezed me all over. It's not happening again."
"Humph! You're no fun! What's the point of having them big if you don't let me squeeze them?"
"It's not for you to squeeze them!" She retorted as her face grew red
Loki pouted, "If not me, who else?!"
"W-Well…"
Line grew even redder…
Loki's expression darkened as her lips twisted, "HUHH? Line Arshe! You better clear things up right now… I want to know who dares put a hand on my girls!"
"I-It's, uhm… none of your business!!" She claimed before she ran away
"G-Get back here!" Loki exclaimed as she ran after her
"… Finally, some peace and quiet." Finn mumbled as he exhaled
"Not quite."
Someone stepped into the room. A tall woman with long emerald hair and long ears…
"You're back, Riveria. I thought as much."
She looked at the box beside his table, "I've put a close to our commissions on the Guild as you requested. So you can relax a little now knowing it's the last one."
"That said, I didn't intend to listen, but I heard a little of your conversation. How about you take a rest now and grab a meal before resuming your work?"
"I'd rather have it all finished so I can enjoy it with peace of mind."
"But its not like your work ever ends, does it? And you never really stop thinking about it either."
Finn scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Sigh… you damn workaholic." She added as she shook her head
"I'll leave you to it then. If you don't mind, I'll go eat a meal myself. I haven't had a chance to sit down and rest since this morning."
"Don't mind me, I'll really stop once I go over these, I promise… but say, I'm a bit curious now. Have you seen Ais?"
Riveria shook her head, "I was hoping you knew."
"And lying to her? I'm already swamped with work. I can't deal with her throwing a fit at me now, can I?" Finn exhaled with a thin smile as he looked down at his table
"But… you should go ask Lefiya. She probably knows where Ais went."
Riveria chuckled, "Is this your intuition?"
"Not at all… I heard her walking down the hallway while grumbling something… you know how she looks when she's upset."
"Right… I'll go ask her then… Also, here." She said as she put a small bag on his table
Finn raised an eyebrow in surprise, "And this is?…"
"Candy made with coffee beans. I was told it was quite good albeit bitter."
"So… you haven't taken one yet?"
"No." She said with a slight smirk as she turned around
"Great… I'll enjoy them… I think."
"As you should. Now, I'll leave you to it."
/Clack!/
Riveria closed the door behind her while Finn returned to his duties.
…
/Later…/
"What did you say?"
"Eek! Ais went to the School District!" Lefiya exclaimed as she looked at Riveria's dark expression
Riveria frowned as she took a deep breath, "… Don't tell me it's that boy…"
'This is too much for her to handle. If Ais meets Leon, she might return purple… If Loki sees her like that…'
"… I lost my hunger. Follow me, Lefiya, we're going to the School District."
"Yes? Yes!"
The Elven ladies went to save the lost doll…
…
/A few hours before…/
Ais arrived at Melen's port. She stared at the scenery as the dockworkers went on with their days, and for a moment, panic took over her.
'What do I do now?'
Being utterly alone in a completely unfamiliar environment, she didn't really know what to do…
"…"
'I guess I should get inside the ship?'
Unfortunately for her, even when she walked to it, she was denied entry. And unable to properly explain herself and her reasons for being there, Ais was left dejected on the corner as she looked at the massive ship in the distance.
She could jump into it if she put in the effort. It wasn't that far… but was that right?
Part of her said it was for a better cause, another screamed it was "un-lady-like" as she was taught… she didn't know who to listen to.
In the end, she stood there with a blank expression, thinking of numerous solutions of how to get inside… but none of her crafted scenarios could lead her to the true solution that was about to befall her…
"Hello there, young lady."
A gracious voice sounded beside her.
"Mn?"
'A goddess?'
"May I take a moment of your time?"
Standing beside her with a small smile, Idun's smile threw Ais off guard.
She felt she had seen this kind of smile before… but where?…
Only later would she remember her goddess' own sneaky smile…
…
/Later that day…/
As the sun dove into the horizon, Silver left the Dungeon and made his way to the Guild as he always did after a heavy day of work.
After clearing up three large bags worth of items and crossing out several quests, he walked out of the central plaza and made his way back in a wagon driver, resting a little on the way.
…
"... You look terrible. I mean, crappier than usual. Actually, by now this might be the standard. So you're fine."
Silver almost spat on Loiju's face, "... No, "Good job" or, "Welcome back"?"
Loiju cringed as he pushed his glasses back, a gaze full of disgust fell upon Silver, "What am I? Your wife? Go get one if you're feeling lonely."
He shook his head in dismay soon after, as if about to apologize…
"Who am I kidding… my bad. Which girl would fall for you? So let me rephrase that..."
"What am I? Your mom?"
"..."
/Crack/
Silver's face tensed so much Loiju heard something crack inside his helmet.
"Your face is scary, man... can you close that visor for me?"
"... Sigh… you… forget it, I'll spare you for today."
"Ahem… anyhow, I meant it. Your face says it all. Your eyes are gloomy and your expression is too sharp… Did you see a ghost or something?" He added as he gazed at his adventurer with a doubtful expression
'That said… I can't see what could scare this madman.'
'This is the same guy who consistently breaks the law while doing dangerous experiments… One time he tried forcefully feeding a goblin magic stones to see if it would strengthen… the same guy who went all the way to the Middle Floors before he received a blessing.'
'Thing is, he takes pride in all the nonsense he does... I can't even imagine what he doesn't have the heart to tell me… and I'd rather not know either.'
"It's nothing. The commissions just tired me out. Adventuring is tiring, but I enjoy doing it, while these… just seem to suck up my spirit and soul too."
'The worst part it knowing I'm not even close to paying all my debts.'
Loiju opened his eyes wide in surprise, "... You actually finished those? So fast?... Mark me surprised, I thought it would take a few days at least."
'Well, crap. You weren't supposed to finish those so fast… How am I going to prevent you from going onto the Middle floors now?'
Silver exhaled out loud, unwilling to comment on it all any further.
Loiju checked the papers, "My man… Silver, your progress really amazes me sometimes."
"To think I'd see you grow to hunt Infant Dragons for commissions… alone… in a month. There really is a first for everything."
He brushed his hair back, "In a sense, you are being faster than even the Sword Princess!"
Silver looked around with some concern, "Chiu! Speak in a lower tone, please. People already seem to dislike me because of those rumors, so don't go adding more fuel to the fire."
"I know you don't want to attract attention, but don't go putting the blame for that on me. It was you who cashed in the Goliath's Magic Stone, and it was you who claimed credit for the kill as well."
"Because it's the truth. I don't lie about such meaningless things." He said with a haughty face as he tried to act cool
"Yeah, yeah. But whatever it is, truth or lie, people don't care. They trust only three things…"
"Level, Fame, and Familia Rank. And if I'm not mistaken, you have none of the three!"
"I'm working on it…"
"You're like a homeless person claiming to have made a Divine Weapon after a god claimed the same thing at the same time… yet there is only one weapon."
"I don't think I need to tell who the people will choose. I've told you this fact many times before."
"Either way, this kind of thing will eventually be disclosed once you Rank Up and receive an Alias, anyway. Leave it to the Gods to decide on the veracity of your claims."
Silver, however, wasn't worried about how others perceived him… oh no, he never cared much about that.
What he feared on how that would dawn on those around him, and above all… how those pesky deities would abuse things to give him the most embarrassing alias!
"Now then, let's get these in order. You must be eager to claim everything. Have you sorted out your loot?"
"Mostly, yes."
"Uhum… everything's stamped, so all that's left is filing them up. Then let's start… commission number… Orc Hides…"
"I got a lot of those. Sold a few dozen just some time ago."
"I can imagine that. Well, that one nets you a well-deserved 40K bounty."
"Hurray…"
"Be a little more enthusiastic. Do you know how many parties out there died for less?"
"Do you?"
"Not at all… there are so many I've lost count."
No more words were necessary.
Silver and Loiju went over their commissions one at a time. Only around half an hour later did Silver bid him farewell and make his way home.
After nearly ten hours of continuous work, Silver completed well over fifty commissions! And with the raw remuneration from selling his excess loot, his total earnings for the day reached an outstanding three million!
It might not even be a third of even a single instalment of his weekly debt to the Dian Cecht Familia, but it was the equivalent of a hundred Level 1 parties!
It went to show just how efficient Silver was as an adventurer when all of his abilities could be employed without restrictions to fulfill a single goal.
Albeit less than he desired, the rewards for Upper Floor quests and loot were low. But for safety reasons, and due to his low rank, there wasn't much he could get aside from those.
The day would come when his rank would equate his abilities, but that day was still many months away from the present…
…
/Later that day…/
/CLANG!/
Back in the Church, Silver was hands deep in grime, hammering a scalding bar of metal with hypnotic rhythm.
/CLANG!/
/CRACK!/
However, with one strike, the ingot above the anvil cracked, crumbling into several pieces and ruining his entire effort.
"... Sigh… another failure."
Silver picked the hot ingot with some pincers and threw it into a water bucket as he picked up a towel to clean himself up.
Frustrated, he sat down on a nearby box to cool down, "This won't do, these materials are so strange!"
"Some can receive tempering while others can't, some can bend but are still somehow brittle. And all of that magical processing... this is a little too far beyond grandpa and father's field of expertize."
'Learning how to smith is one thing, but the whole economy surrounding it here in Orario was far more extensive than I originally expected.'
'I greatly underestimated the complexity of the techniques and how deeply interwoven the study of traditional smithing techniques and borderline magical abilities from Skills and Development Abilities are.'
"I'm overwhelmed with Magicraft studies alone. How am I supposed to get the time to study Alchemy and Smithing on top of it too?"
'I can put smithing aside, honestly. As long as I'm able to make my own equipment or at least understand the basics of more complex applications, then its fine if I outsource the work to more proficient individuals if not deities… but I can't do this for everything.'
'What's the point of just raising money and leaving everything for the Gods to do? Knowing them, they might not even entertain my ideas.'
Scratching his head, he snickered, "I'll have to finish these books of mine first. Speaking of them, I should pay a visit to the library to copy a few more of them today as well."
'It's been, what? Two weeks since the School District docked? They'll probably stay around for a few more weeks, but I've barely touched the tip of the academy's stored literature.'
'I have yet to figure out how Oricalchum is made through alchemy, and no matter how hidden a process it is, I can't leave such an interesting thing aside…'
"Learning under others is a possibility… but I don't think its that applicable under these circumstances. It's not like I'm stuck in a problem when I haven't even started studying things properly."
Silver checked the time, 'Hestia said she was going to visit a friend to get some tips on home decor… I have some time to sit down and study.'
"But after a hot and warm bath… and a meal perhaps."
'Should I stop by the bar after I take a shower? But then I won't have time to study… pretty girls and good food, or plain books… such a daunting thing to ponder.'
'Or maybe… I should go have a meal with my goddess? She'd certainly be quite happy…'
"… I'll just keep trying for a while longer." He said as he jumped out of the box and went to the forge
…
/Clang!/
/Clang!/
Silver continued his work on a red-hot blade.
/Tsss!.../
"... Hm… good."
'At least it didn't crumble this time. But this isn't the same thing.'
'Traditional steel never lets me down… unless we're facing anything from the Middle Floors down.'
Silver placed the mostly complete blade aside, so he'd work on it later. But meanwhile, he took his apron off, "Maybe next time I should toy around with Damascus from Sharm."
'Damascus metal is only mined in Sharm, but compared to other metals, it's the closest thing to ordinary steel in properties that I've worked with so far.'
'There are simply too many extraordinary ores on the surface and beneath the Dungeon. I just can't learn how to deal with them all and study their unique features for my own projects on short notice.'
"They're expensive too. Heroic Alloy costs an arm and a leg, and anything related to elves is a diplomatic sink to touch… I'm not studying those anytime soon."
'I should stick with what's available… something I can get quite easily…'
He looked and his notebook, "Should I try mining for Adamantite?"
'The Dungeon produces its own array of metals, gems, and even plants that are used in a variety of things. Blacksmithing and potion-making, to name a few.'
'The reason for that is unknown, but it may be because of the magic power concentration in the Dungeon. It could just be that extreme circumstances fueled by the mysterious arcane forces within over centuries led to the formation of these bizarre materials.'
'Another possibility is that these metals and plants are created by the Dungeon itself to add diversity into its ecosystem, each serving its own biological niche within a grander ecosystem we're only starting to understand or don't have the time to care.'
Silver stopped to think… "They may also result from the Dungeon inner workings, waste products is a way to describe them… Maybe one day we'll come to understand and even replicate their generation, but those do not matter right now anyway."
'Adamantite is among the most accessible metals. It can be found, albeit in extremely impure concentrations, all the way from the Upper Floors.'
'Others include materials such as Blood Onix in the Middle Floors, Nosteel, Valmart, and Under coral in the Lower Floors… together with many others.'
'I know little about the materials that come from the Deep Floors. Those are reserved for higher-ranked Familias and their commissions…'
"Which leads me to wonder what sort of metal will appear on the unexplored floors..."
'Super metals and mystical plants… I get excited just thinking about it. Just what I can do with them?… Would I even be able to make use of them?'
'What does it take for someone to be able to fully utilize a material? Is it pure skill? Technique? Knowledge? Experience?'
'Or must we transcend physical means… Development Abilities, Skills, Falna?'
'What kind of material or achievement in a field would justify an increase in a respective Development Ability from B to A? An increase far beyond others in a world where most can't even escape G Rank?'
As his expression dove into its own delusions, Silver shook his head and moved his body, "… Let's get this cleaned up."
A few minutes later, he was done and finally went to take a shower.
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Notes