Paced panting joined the sounds of the morning breeze as Bell ran faster than ever across the walls, the accumulating sweat on his chiseled frame reflecting the light of dawn over his body. With a large smile, Bell dashed enthusiastically toward his starting point, hearing the system's ping as he neared his destination. Feeling daring, he jumped high and flipped several times in the air before sticking the landing right by his belongings, landing in a perfect T-pose.
"Amazing!" He gushed as he looked down at his perfect body. "I really don't feel tired now!"
His exercises no longer felt like a challenge, so much so that Bell had just finished them in record time. And to top it off, he didn't feel the slightest bit sore or exhausted, which means...
"Now I can definitely hold the Status Recovery in the dungeon," he grinned. I'm going to save so much on potions!"
The thought had him pause from a realization.
"I haven't visited Naaza or Miach-sama in a while..."
Ever since gaining the system, going through the upper floors of Orario's dungeon was practically a breeze, primarily because of his body's faster growth and increasing fitness. As a result, he really hadn't needed to use potions lately besides that time in the instant dungeon, and even then, he just got one back from the random item box the previous day.
Checking his inventory, Bell could see still two basic potions left.
"I guess I could go visit, but it'd be rude if I didn't buy something while there. Maybe another basic potion and a magic potion? It should refill my mana since it counts as mind. But it's already kinda late because of how much time Hestia spent... hugging me."
Bell sweatdropped as he recalled the chaotic morning he had.
'Hestia, I have to go get started on the daily quest! Let go of me!'
'Mmnoooooo! Five more minutes!' His goddess muffled, arms wrapped around him as tight as an anaconda as she shoved her face in his abs.
'That's the fourth time you've said that!'
Bell would've never guessed that the toughest challenge of his life would've been physically separating himself from his own goddess.
Having initially panicked over Hestia passing out, Bell had stuffed her bloody nose with tissues before waiting for her to wake up on the couch, which luckily didn't take too long. However, the moment she got back up, Hestia had practically glued herself to his midriff, acting like a drunk, leery old man trying to shove themself into a bountiful paradise.
Bell's desperate pleas to let him go had only made things worse, as besides the obvious changes to his body, his voice had become huskier. While it wasn't anything close to hoarse or gruff like an old man, it was still a big step from his child-like, high-pitched voice, now slightly deeper but still holding that soft and earnest manner it had before. Apparently, Hestia had found this change to be as attractive as his physical ones, so every attempt to beg her to stop shoving her face into his new muscles didn't dissuade her from holding onto him.
He had to threaten to sleep somewhere else to finally get her off him.
"Haha... That certainly was something," he tiredly chuckled. "But I should be heading to the dungeon already, so I'll visit Miach-sama tomorrow morning."
With his plan in mind, Bell grabbed a prepared wet towel from his inventory and started wiping down his sweating body.
Only to freeze yet again at a familiar feeling.
"Okay, I'm definitely being watched!"
This time, he was absolutely sure of it; the intensity of the sensation was too obvious not to notice. Bell sharply turned his head, but the feeling had left as fast as it had arrived, so he could only vaguely tell that it came from the direction of Babel Tower.
"Scary!" He shivered. He hadn't addressed the lingering gazes the system had reported, but someone really was taking the time to watch him! But who!? He can't think of anyone that would be that interested in him unless...
"The system owner?" Bell whispered, looking outward at the city with wide eyes.
It'd make the most sense. After all, he hadn't started feeling these gazes until after getting the system. Could it be the creator, Kandiaru, occasionally checking on his progress? But then why would the system warn him that someone's watching him? Is it acting as an automatic force that even warned against its creator? It seemed like the best theory for now.
After all, there shouldn't be any other reason someone would be so interested in him in the first place.
~{Tower Of Babel}~
Through testing small glimpses and cautious staring, Freya realized that as long as she didn't attempt to peer too closely into Bell's soul, she wouldn't provoke whatever dangerous being was held within, letting her indulge in the sight of him to her pleasure.
And yet, she had already nearly tested that limit.
"Oh! Oh my!"
Freya pressed her hands against the glass of her newly acquired Divine Mirror, her flushing face so close to the surface that her heavy breathing fogged up the sight before her. It had only been two days ago when the goddess had finally found the unique child she had been searching for, but he had certainly not looked the way he did now.
He had looked absolutely precious before, but now? He looked absolutely ravishing.
"What has happened to you?" Freya's wide eyes were utterly smitten by Bell's new athletic form, her loins quivering at the sight of such perfection. While she wasn't a stranger to such muscled frames, his is so muchmore to her.
It had been a wholly unexpected but welcome change that she had no explanation for. She had been so shocked that she had almost used her divine sight to peer too deep into her Odr's soul once more, only barely able to pull back just as the boy had turned around sharply.
She wants him. She wants him so badly that it hurts.
"I can't... I mustn't! Mmmm~!" Frya panted as the feeling between her legs worsened. "N-No good, I was planning to only watch him for a while, but I must do something to satisfy my curiosity!"
She watched with crimson cheeks and shaking pupils as Bell quickly picked up his stuff before rushing down the stairs and out of her sight, leaving the goddess with a disappointed pang of longing for another view of his dense frame.
"I..." She gasped at a particular twitch below. "I must know more!"
Smiling ear-to-ear, Freya turned away from her mirror and shakily stumbled to a wall lined with books, grabbing a specific white one of decent size. She held the item in her hands, giggling like a schoolgirl as she thought about passing it as a proper 'apology' for before.
"Show me a glimpse of the power that sleeps inside you~."
Bell felt relieved that he didn't feel any more gazes when he reached the bottom of the walls. He felt too uncomfortable being watched by something he didn't completely understand, as anyone should be.
"I should wait to accept my rewards from now on." He decided, planning to ensure he wasn't on the walls when doing anything with the system.
Speaking of which, time to accept his rewards now that he's alone again.
"Accept stat points."
{STR}: SS-1012
{VIT}: SS-1039
{DEX}: S-980
{AGI}: SSS-1240
{MAG}: A-900
{SEN}: B-890
Remaining Points: 50
Something Bell had decided to do since the instant dungeon was save a certain amount of his stat points at all times for emergencies. While sorting them out evenly right away was okay, he realized after fighting the giant snake Rasaka that there might be times when he'll need a higher boost in a particular stat rather than equal ones.
"Keeping a hundred to use at once should be enough to make a difference in battle." He nodded to himself.
"Fifty to magic.
{MAG}: A-900-A-950
...
Maybe it's still not the best use of his stats, but he's gonna keep hoping for magic, damn it!
Moving on, Bell realized the daily growth he got from Orario's dungeon paled in comparison to what he received in the instant dungeon in a single day. Sure, his growth in Orario's dungeon is still far beyond what any average adventurer makes in a trip, but... he'd actually prefer going through more instant dungeons if it meant growing through such large jumps.
The sudden bursts of growth did make things somewhat awkward for him, as growing so much in the instant dungeon meant that he needed to go even lower in Orario's dungeon to find monsters more suited for him, something Eina would no doubt have a heart attack over... But Bell isn't even sure the seventh floor would be anything close to that instant dungeon for him in terms of difficulty, even if he didn't have the armor he bought with Eina.
Oh! Speaking of which!
"Reveal."
Bell looked down as his new set of armor, including the arm brace Eina had gotten him, materialized on his body. And since he was wearing each piece of Welf Crozzo's armor, the set effect revealed itself to him.
Set Effect 1: +2% Dexterity
Dexterity helps the most with 'control' and proficiency in actions, such as accuracy, controlling attacks or speed, and learning to evade attacks.
A decent effect to have overall.
"Random item box." Bell wasted no time opening the box as it appeared in his hand, only to freeze at what he received.
[Item: Dungeon Key]
Item Class: C
Type: Key
A key that allows you to create an instant dungeon. You may use this at the center of the fifth floor of Orario's dungeon.
"Another key!?" Bell gasped, almost dropping the item in shock.
He hadn't expected another one so soon, especially since he had just conquered the first instant dungeon about two days ago! And this one is D-rank!? So the instant dungeon is going to be D-rank, too?
"Ugh..." Bell wasn't sure how to interpret the ranks of these keys in terms of the difficulty of the created dungeons. Are the ranks meant to show the difficulty of the dungeons based on his current strength? Or is it just comparing it to overall strength by levels?
Bell didn't know, but either way, he didn't feel good about getting this key so soon. Sure, he had just been thinking how his growth in the instant dungeon was terrific, but a D-rank dungeon so soon after an E-rank one? Maybe it would be best to hold off-
[A quest has arrived.]
(!)QUEST DIRECTIONS
[Normal quest: Conquer the dungeon.]
Use the dungeon key and conquer the instant dungeon to further increase your power.
Quest Completion Requirement:
-Complete the C-rank dungeon.
Reward(s):
-The 'buy' function of the shop.
Okay, well that changes things.
"I can unlock the shop!?" Bell giddily wondered what sorts of things such a mysterious entity would sell. If the system gave him Rasaka's fang, then the shop had to have other amazing and unique weapons just like it, right?
But would he even be ready for this next dungeon?
...
"If... If the system is giving me this quest now, then it must think I'm ready, right?"
It isn't like he's planning to use that as an excuse to convince Hestia to let him go into another instant dungeon so soon, and it's definitely not just so he could shop from a mysterious face they don't understand.
Definitely not.
~{Babel Plaza-Morning}~
He was being watched again.
But funny enough, it felt completely different from the intense gazes he's been experiencing ever since gaining the system. Rather, it felt like he was being watched in every direction, and while he had assumed the feeling would disappear on his way to the dungeon, for some reason, it had only grown even more!
Standing in the large, circular plaza surrounding Babel, Bell nervously looked around, trying to figure out why so many pairs of eyes were on him. First, he noticed that the stares aimed at him were primarily female and awestruck, with any male gazes simply looking... jealous?
Bell turned his head and met the gaze of a girl for the fourth time, only for her to abruptly turn away with a blush as she walked away.
He doesn't have anything on his face, does he!? He made sure to clean it pretty well earlier! Why does every girl seem to blush or already be blushing when he looks at them!?
...
Wait a damn second.
The realization struck like a bolt of lightning, and Bell sharply turned to the gaze of a catgirl passing by. Her face flushed at being caught, making Bell blush at realizing she wasn't staring at something on him, but at him.
"Oh gods..." He whispered as the girl quickly retreated towards the dungeon. He raised his arm before him and saw his new muscles being hugged by his smaller shirt. "I-Is this what Gramps told me about 'turning heads!?' Am I popular now!?"
Bell felt as happy as he did distraught at the thought, because despite desiring so many people to love in the future, he still has no idea how to actually go about girls and their attention! And-Wait, is someone approaching him right now? He's not mistaking it, right? Oh gods, he isn't! There's someone walking up behind him! Did one of the staring girls actually decide to talk to him!? What is he supposed to say if she invites him on a date!? Wait, no, isn't it supposed to be the guy that asks them-?
"Mister, mister! You with the white hair!"
Bell's frantic thoughts abruptly cut off at the sound of a much younger voice than he expected. He hesitantly turned around, only to be puzzled by the sight of a large backpack.
"A talking backpack? Wait, no, that's stupid."
He wisely looked down and saw the form of a small girl.
Bell quickly noted her appearance: barely half his height, with chestnut-colored eyes, she was wearing a cream-colored robe with its hood over another torn red hood that covered most of her chestnut-colored hair. He faintly recognized it from the girl he had encountered just the previous day. But this time, she had small straps over her shoulders connecting to a backpack at least three times her size.
Despite calling out to him, the girl had become still and silent, her cheeks pinkening as she stared at him in astonishment, like she had just seen something completely unexpected. But Bell wasn't focused on that; instead, he was more centered on the familiarity of the girl's hair.
"You're... the pallum from yesterday?"
His words seemed to snap the girl out of whatever shock she was in, as she shook her head before putting on an earnest smile.
"Pallum? You must be mistaken, mister." The girl reached up and pulled her hood back, revealing a set of animal ears. "Lili is a chienthrope!"
Bell leaned down and stared closely at the ears that flopped up, seeing them move like an actual set of animal ears. He even reached forward and felt them with his hand, earning a squeak from the girl.
"They're real... Is she someone different after all?" He wondered as he absentmindedly rubbed them.
"M-Mister, you can't just touch them like that!" Lili whined with a slight blush, snapping Bell to his senses.
"Ah!" He jumped back. "Sorry!"
He shyly turned away with a blush.
"Um..." He started, trying to move on from that awkward moment. "So... why did you call out to me?"
Holding her ears, the girl looked up at him energetically.
"Are you in need of a supporter?"
"A supporter?" Bell asked in surprise.
The girl nodded. "Yup! Lili noticed that you're carrying a backpack like solo adventurers do, so she came to offer her services as a supporter!"
"...Is there a reason why you're talking in the third person?"
"Hm?" Lili cutely tilted her head. "What do you mean? Lili has always talked this way."
"...I see." Not knowing what to make of that, Bell addressed her request. "So you want to be my supporter?"
Lili nodded eagerly.
Thinking back, Bell remembered Eina suggesting he hire a supporter, given his progress in the dungeon. Not only would having another person be more reassuring, but he'd be able to focus on slaying monsters and picking up their magic stones twice as fast, meaning bigger profits with saved time.
And yet... he wondered if he actually needed one.
With the inventory function of the system, Bell doesn't actually need a supporter to carry anything for him, and while having another person to help pick up magic stones would be convenient, is it worth the risk of them finding out anything about the system?
Bell wasn't sure, but it wouldn't hurt talking to the girl about it.
So a minute later, he and the girl, introducing herself as Liliruca Arde, were seated by a fountain near the end of the large plaza,
"Why did you talk to me specifically, Miss Liliruca?" Bell asked first.
"Like Lili said, she saw you alone and equipped with your own backpack, so she thought it would be a good chance for some work." She slightly leaned forward and looked up at him in anticipation. "So how about it, mister? Do you need a supporter?"
"Well..." Bell put a hand to his chin as he looked down in thought. The benefits of having a supporter will definitely outweigh his concerns if he's careful not to reveal the system. Not only would having a supporter help with the dungeon overall, but it would also justify the large amounts of magic stones he's been gaining recently thanks to his body's higher performance... which has been getting him weird looks from the guild staff lately.
Bell could only guess the only reason the guild staff hadn't confronted him yet was because the amount of stones he constantly exchanges from his backpack wasn't considered significant enough to warrant a confrontation, considering it pales in comparison to the insane wealth that higher-level adventurers obtain.
So having Lili will help him a lot. Worst-case scenario: she sees him use his inventory function, but he could just play it off as a skill, and as long as he pretends to reach into his backpack for whatever he needs, it won't even reach that point.
Nodding to himself, Bell looked back down at the girl with a smile.
"You know what? I think I would appreciate a supporter."
Lili's smile grew.
"Then would you take me, mister!?"
Bell opened his mouth to answer, only for a ring to cut him off.
[A pallum has requested to accompany you.]
[Will you allow it?]
He froze.
A request to accompany him? As in Lili? What does that mean!? And... wait, a pallum? But that doesn't make sense; Lili clearly has the ears of a chienthrope! So why...?
"Mister? Lili cutely called out, taking his silence as hesitation. "I'm really poor. I don't know if I've got enough to get by right now. Not to mention..."
She shyly turned away with her hands going over her ears.
"Having a boy touch something so important to me... You need to take responsibility, don't you?"
Bell felt several things at that moment: embarrassment that he had basically manhandled Lili's ears, the lingering confusion from the message he had just received from the system, and last... another weird feeling.
It felt nearly the same as when he had met that human girl, Syr, the previous day. But why? It almost feels like he shouldn't just agree straight away to her request, but he knows that already! It's just common sense to at least ask some questions to a stranger asking to work with him.
So why the feeling?
Is... Is it because Lili looks so much like the girl from yesterday? But he didn't actually see her face, and she clearly has the ears of a chienthrope, so he should be giving her the benefit of the doubt. And yet, the system is clearly telling him that she's a pallum, so what if it really is her?
But then why would she hide that they've met already? And where did those ears come from?
"Um... Mister?" Lili hesitantly turned back since he hadn't answered her yet. "You wouldn't let Lili starve, would you?"
Bell tensed, noticing that Lili did look skinny even with the robe on. She really did look like she needed the funds.
He didn't have it in him to turn her away.
He nodded with an earnest smile, "Okay Lili, I'd love to have you."
[A pallum has joined your party.]
Bell blinked several times as Lili cheered happily.
"Thank you very much! Let's do our best!" She promised bubbly.
"Y-Yeah!" Bell stammered, a little dismayed that the system had accepted the invite when he hadn't even read the entirety of the first message yet. He finally did so as he and Lili started making their way to the dungeon, a new sense of bafflement filling him from the provided information.
[Party members can access the movement magic circles, and depending on the contribution, share excelia.]
[The PLAYER will have the ability to see the status pages of those in their party.]
Again, there are so many things for Bell to address right now. It feels like he's been doing that a lot today...
First, movement magic circles? What even are those? Are they the portals that took him to the desert and instant dungeon? If so, doesn't that mean he can take Lili and others into the instant dungeons as long as they're considered part of his party?
Second, he shares excelia with party members!? If it depends on contribution, then doesn't that mean that if he hypothetically sits back and lets Lili kill the monsters, she'd grow as fast as he is now!? That's basically like a growth skill for others!
Bell pictured Hestia screaming and shaking him that if anyone learned of this, Orario might actually be destroyed over him.
"Scary..." He shivered, much to Lili's confusion at his side.
And lastly, he can see the status of those in his party!? Not only is that dangerous, but it's a massive invasion of privacy that completely violates the norms of secrecy in Orario!
Gods, what is he even supposed to do with this!? There's no way he'll just look at another person's status like that. Would he even be able to read it since it's runes on a person's back? Or would the system translate it like it's been showing for his own status the entire time?
"Bell-sama, are you alright?" Lili asked, noticing something akin to paranoia on her employer's face for the last minute as they entered the first floor.
"Eh? Oh, yes! I just... I'm a little nervous because this is gonna be my first time on the seventh floor!"
Lili looked at him oddly but said nothing as they moved on. However, there was a brief flash of confusion as she glanced at his sheath holding the new guild dagger he had recently bought.
Bell ignored the weird feeling returning as he got his head in the game.
~{Daedelus Street}~
"Tch! I can't believe I'm wasting my time out here..." Came the irritated voice of Bete Loga, who trudged past several wooden inns in an otherwise poor district.
"Aw come on, Bete! You weren't doing anything anyway since everyone left your poor lonely tail for the dungeon! Aren't you glad to be going out on a date with your smoking hot goddess?"
"Like hell I am!"
Loki cackled as she led the werewolf through the impoverished road of Daedalus Street, practically skipping as they headed for their intended destination. While Finn and most of the other executives were out in the dungeon earning money to pay off recent debts resulting from their most recent expedition, the goddess and Bete were out to investigate something they had received recently.
A letter.
The werewolf had nearly gone ballistic when the item had randomly stabbed his head the other day. But before tearing apart what he had assumed was yet another piece of sick fanmail asking to see his feet, he had caught a scent from the letter itself, making him hesitate just enough not to completely decimate it. The smell had been weak yet vaguely familiar, inciting Bete to tear it open and see what the hell it was about.
Imagine his surprise to read someone claiming to know about some plant monsters in the sewers.
"Loki," Bete called to the call in pure seriousness, making her smile freeze. "You sure we can trust that note? This seems suspicious as fuck."
Loki's smile grew as she fully turned back to him.
"That's why you're here, Bete! If there's anything fishy, then you'll sniff 'em out!"
"Cat's sniff fish!"
Bete scowled as he followed the goddess through streets nearly barren of people. "And what if this is all some kind of trap?"
Loki didn't even look back at him. "Don't worry, I got other kiddos waiting for us nearby!"
Sure enough, Loki and Bete arrived at an alleyway and found four people waiting.
"Oi, Gareth! Sorry about whisking you up on your drinking day!" Loki waved as she approached.
"If ya feel bad, then buy me a drink after this is over." The level six dwarf huffed with crossed arms, though with no real annoyance.
"Same for the rest of you; sorry about calling you up on short notice, but I figured this is all we need." Loki addressed the level fours present.
"If what you told us is true, then it's only natural we act on it." Alicia Forestlight, an orangish-gold-haired elf, nodded.
"It's no problem, Loki." Anakitty Autumn, a black hair catgirl just past her shoulders, smiled understandably.
"Er... Are you sure I should be here, though?" Raul Nord, a human with shorter black hair, hesitantly pointed at himself.
"Don't go doubting yourself, lad. There's a reason Finn has you captain of the second string." Gareth chuckled, yet Raul still looked unsure.
"Is this all of us that's going?" Anakitty asked curiously.
"Yup! Whatever those 'violas' are, they should only be level three at most, so if anything, this is overkill. But you never know!" Loki grinned with a thumbs-up. "Now let's go! I want to be back in time to give Ais a big ol' kiss when she returns from the dungeon!"
The group sweat-dropped but complied, with the armored Gareth leading the way while the others remained around Loki as they entered an empty square between multiple buildings with a metal door at the end.
As they approached the door, Bete growled as he angrily sniffed the air.
"What's up, Bete? You catch scent of Alicia's panties?" Loki cheekily grinned.
"LIKE HELL!" Bete shouted while the mentioned elf blushed at Loki's question. "I'm picking up the same smell from the letter!"
"Oho? That's a promising start. It at least proves our little messenger was actually here." Loki smirked.
"I'm surprised you actually took some mysterious letter so seriously, Loki." Gareth admitted as he grabbed the iron door and effortlessly opened it, leading into a stairwell.
"Bete said the scent on it was familiar, and we all know that's gotta mean something coming from the lonely pup who only hangs out with the 'strong kids.'" Loki chuckled, earning a glare from the werewolf. "So at most, it's probably from someone we know rather than some nobody."
The group entered the spiraling stairway leading into the sewers, with Anakitty and Alicia holding lanterns to light the area while Loki provided noises in the air.
"I've been doing a little poking around ever since that new species of monsters popped up and attacked the girls at the Monster Feria." The goddess put a hand to her face, slightly obscuring her gaze. "It went and hurt little Lefiya and tried to hurt my Ais-tan... "
An evil grin full of teeth formed as Loki opened devious eyes.
"I'm gonna drag out whoever made them bloom and make em' pay for it!"
Raul shivered at the look on his goddess; while she may seem foolish most of the time, she never makes idle threats.
"I hear that." Gareth nodded in support as his grip on his axe tightened.
No one hurts their Familia and gets away with it.
"I was already looking near this area the other day, but then lo and behold, we get some info literally thrown at our doorstep."
"You did mention a letter. How much did it tell you?" Anakitty asked as the group finally reached the bottom of the stairs, ending up in some rather clean-looking sewers.
Loki's expression returned to its natural cheer as she reached into her shorts and pulled out a folded paper.
"Quite a bit. How to get here, the monsters being at least level three, and they even called them 'violas.'"
"The sender gave them a name?" Raul pointed out, holding his sword at his side as they made their way along the pathways.
"That, or they had already known it." Alicia frowned, scanning the area with her own blade out.
"Like they know a lot more than they let on." Loki finished with a smirk.
"Well, they were definitely here." Bete clicked his tongue, remembering the letter interrupting his nap. "It's faint, but their scent is still around."
"Great! Lead the way, Bete!" Loki beamed with a thumbs up. "Just follow your nose!"
What followed was about thirty minutes of trekking through a labyrinth of paths that Bete led them through, following the scent he picked up while the others followed. But despite how deep they traveled, the only monsters the group encountered were a few Raider Fish foolishly trying to ambush them from the water, resulting in them quite literally being slapped away without effort.
"There's been a whole lot of nothing so far," Anakitty remarked quietly in the echoing tunnels. "You sure the letter was telling the truth?"
Loki shrugged. "The only way to find out is to see where it ends."
Conveniently enough, it wasn't even a minute later when the group came upon an obvious set of double-iron doors.
"Looks like someone's been here," Gareth noted, pointing at markings on the dusty floor showing the doors had been recently dragged open. His statement was only confirmed as Bete walked to the doors and opened them up to reveal yet another sewer system lit up by magic lamps; this one was not only older but with the whole floor flooded.
"Well, isn't this fishy?" Loki hummed, peering down at the faint lights ahead. "Magic lamps perfectly working in a place that shouldn't be in use."
"Is there supposed to be water here?" Raul asked, uneasily looking down at the flooded ground.
"Doubt it." Anakitty frowned.
Gareth sighed as he looked down at the steps leading to the water.
"Ain't nothing worse than the feeling of wet shoes..." He muttered, yet stepped down into the shin-deep water.
"We're going to keep going?" Alicia frowned.
"Tsk, it's just some water." Bete scoffed as he stepped down into the water after Gareth.
On the other hand, Loki turned to one of the girls with puckered lips.
"Kitty, carry me!" She cutely begged while making grabby hands at Anakitty.
"No. I'd rather not get groped." The catgirl deadpanned as she stepped into the water.
"An immediate denial!? How mean! Alicia, you carry me!"
The elf was already following her female companion, completely ignoring her goddess as she held her lantern forward.
"..." Loki slowly turned to Raul, giving him a set of puppy dog eyes.
The young man sighed in defeat, putting his sword away and kneeling down.
"Yay! I knew I could count on you, Raul!" she cheered as she climbed onto his back, leaned her head close to his ear with a smirk, and whispered, "As a reward, I'll sneak some of Anakitty's panties to you."
The man's face burst with red.
"I don't need them!"
Loki cackled while the others glanced back at her with tired expressions.
The group moved on to the distant sound of rushing water, following Bete as he sniffed the air.
"You think the guild ever checked down here, or just our messenger?" Loki asked out loud.
"I can still smell traces of multiple people in the air, but the water's muckin' things up, so I can't tell much more than that," Bete answered.
"Oho? Now the question; where does our messenger stands with them?" Loki hummed.
After another few minutes, the Loki Familia reached a large opening in the wall that was the source of all the rushing water.
Bete's eyes became sharper as his wolf ears shot up.
"You hear something ahead?" Gareth asked, noticing Bete's change in composure as he stepped in front of him.
"Can smell em' too. Faint scent of people, but something definitely not."
"Looks like we found the jackpot." Loki hummed. "Anything serious?"
"Doubt it." Bete said as they all moved forward again.
The group entered a large room faintly lit by magic stone lamps, hearing distant signs of growling on the darker end.
"This is..." Alicia started while looking around.
"We're in a reservoir." Anakitty realized.
"Look alive, kiddos! This is where they said they'd be!" Loki said right before the growling got louder.
"Heads up, lads!" Gareth shouted, pointing his axe forward as rapid slithering sounds headed towards them. Raul put Loki down just as the monsters reached them, revealing several heads of the same plant monster the goddess remembered seeing at the Monster Feria.
"That's them! Take 'em down, kiddos!" Loki pointed with a cheeky grin as the monsters roared and sped forward.
What followed was what could hardly be called a battle at all. Sure, Bete had some trouble actually dealing lasting damage to the plants since they're resistant to blunt attacks, but between him using a magic sword into his mithril boots to power up his kicks and Gareth's overwhelming brute strength behind his own attacks, the level fours didn't even need to contribute as all the plant monsters were decimated.
Gareth sighed as he heaved his large axe over his shoulder, looking around at the crushed or burnt heads of the violas.
"That was anticlimactic... I hoped this'd be a bit more exciting."
"That just means our little messenger was telling the truth after all," Loki said, crossing her arms with a frown. "But nothin' we found points out who's pulling the strings behind these new species."
"Their magic stone colors are the same as the one Tione pulled from the new species on the fiftieth floor. They're most likely made by the same source." Alicia pointed out, holding one of the ominous yellow magic stones.
"Hm, that's kinda what we already assumed..." Loki rubbed her chin. "Take a look around and see if you can find anything else."
Following her instructions, the group split up to different corners of the room, with Bete lazily kicking one of the violas' heads away.
Loki scratched her head as she went over what they knew so far. Someone was creating new species of monsters and had sent them to cause terror to the general public. Not only that, it's possible the person or group involved has power backing them up if they were somehow able to make or send them past the fiftieth floor of the dungeon. And then there's their little messenger, who knows the names of these violas and where they were, even showing signs that they must've been in here themselves. But what did that mean?
"You don't just randomly head into a sewer for fun unless you're some stupid kid," Loki sighed.
"*Sniff*"
The goddess turned to Bete, who was sniffing the air again in the center of the room, expression serious. He then crouched down and looked at something, prompting Loki to skip over and look over his shoulder.
On the ground lay a small spot of dried blood.
"Oho? Looks like someone didn't make it out unscathed."
Taking a clear sniff of the substance, Bete's pupils shrunk.
"No shit!" He seethed. "That's why it's familiar!"
Loki raised an eyebrow, waiting for the level five to elaborate as he turned to her with a glare.
"The scent on the letter. It's him. The rabbit kid we found on the fifth floor."
Loki's eyes shot wide open.
"You sure?"
Bete nodded, bringing a sinister grin on the redhead.
"Now. Ain't. That. Interesting?"
~{Orario's Dungeon-Seventh Floor}~
[Effect: Paralysis has activated]
[Effect: Bleed has activated.]
[Your foe will lose 1% of health each second.]
[Effect: Paralysis has activated]
Bell slashed through the armored skin of Killer Ants like they were butter, severing heads and other limbs as he flew across the azul-lit dungeon floor. Duel-wielding Rasaka's Fang and his new guild dagger, he effortlessly carved through the monsters at blurring speed for a level one adventurer, with any ants surviving the first slash either getting paralyzed or erupting blood from several parts of their body.
Slashing through three more Killer Ants in quick succession, Bell slid to a stop and deactivated Sprint, releasing a small sigh of disappointment.
"This is too easy."
With his improved body condition, recent growth, and Rasaka's Fang, killing monsters was practically child's play for him. So much so that the seventh floor didn't feel much different from previous ones besides the monsters. Having Lili with him only further made things simple by moving dead monsters out of the way, leaving less clutter to get in the way of his fighting.
It didn't feel like where he should be at all.
"B-Bell-sama!?"
Bell turned back to the stack of monsters Lili had piled up, the small girl staring at him in shock.
"Was that magic!? But I didn't even hear a chant!"
"Eh?" The boy raised an eyebrow. "Magic?"
Lili looked at him like he had grown a second head. "The electricity and excessive bleeding I saw happen to the monsters!?"
"Oh, that?" Bell chuckled as he held up Rasaka's Fang. "It's my dagger doing that."
Lili's eyes dilated. "That came from your weapon!?"
Bell tried to ignore how her gaze zoned in on his blade with something other than awe.
"Yeah? It's not that surprising, is it? Weapons can have special effects, can't they?"
Lili looked at him in blank disbelief.
"Bell-sama, Lili has never heard of a weapon having magical special effects like that! The closest thing to it would be a Magic Sword, but those are weapons meant to fire bursts of magic and break instead of as actual blades!"
"...What?"
Bell stared dumbly at the girl.
"What!?" He repeated. "But aren't there enchantments and other things you can put on a weapon!? Isn't that common!?"
Lili nodded. "Yes, for the highest-quality first-class weapons. And even then, they're always granted common features such as the unbreakable Durandal attribute or high magic conductivity, not anything your weapon can do!"
"Oh Hestia, that means I said something I shouldn't have."
"Er, um... Wow." Bell panicked internally. Sure, he had a feeling of Rasaka's Fang's high quality, but he didn't know just how unique its existence was. He gave an awkward shrug and smiled at Lili. "The more you know?"
The girl was dumbstruck by his attitude. He's carrying such an incredible weapon and isn't even aware of how unique it is!?
"A-Anyway!" Bell tried to move along the conversation. "Let's start picking up the magic stones!"
Blinking out of her dumbfounded state, Lili realized that she had broken character.
"Ah, sorry Bell-sama! Allow me."
With that, the two proceeded to carve out all the monster stones from the surrounding corpses, with Bell attempting to make conversation as they did so.
"So what Familia are you in, Lili? Are you sure they'll be alright with you working with someone not part of it?"
Pulling out a stone from a Killer Ant, Lili's expression grew solemn.
"Lili is part of the Soma Familia... And you don't have to worry, they and God Soma don't really care for her much. They see her as small and weak, a burden. Even if Lili asks them to form a party, they wouldn't say yes."
Bell paused in his collecting, briefly glancing at the girl in sad sympathy. He could see forlorn defeat in her eyes, the gaze of a girl shunned within her own Familia.
He can understand how it feels to be shunned away.
He remembered how he had been shunned from every Familia he had tried to enter, thinking of him as a useless kid more than anything.
"Lili feels so uneasy at home that she moves from one inn to another, but she's nearly out of money now, so she's really in Bell-sama's debt for hiring her!" She said, turning back to Bell with a happy smile.
The boy returned the smile with his own.
"Think nothing of it, Lili. And you don't have to address me with 'sama,' you can just call me Bell-"
"Bell-sama."
Lili's insistent tone caused his smile to drop, replaced by confusion as the girl turned to him with a tired look.
"That won't do. It goes the professionalism of my contract with you."
"What?" Bell frowned. "By why is that professionalism so important?"
Lili sighed as she got back to collecting.
"Lili has the label of a supporter, someone who only carries the bags while brave adventurers fight monsters in the front lines. In the eyes of adventurers, we supporters are nothing but parasites, so it would be arrogant for Lili and other supporters to ask to be addressed in equal recognition as adventurers. If I ever tried it with others, then no adventurers would ever employ Lili."
Bell's eyes widened in horror.
"What!? That's-!"
"The way it is." Lili finished for him, giving him a sad smile. "Lili knows that Bell-sama is a kind man, but what must be done must be done. So Lili knows it might be selfish to ask this of you, but please accept it for me, okay?"
Bitter.
That was how Bell felt about everything he just heard.
He knew Orario wasn't kind to the weak; he learned this when first arriving in the city. Trying to join a Familia, only to get rejected time and time again for his young appearance, Bell had learned firsthand that Orario wasn't the utopia that he had assumed it would be. But to think adventurers would be so selfish and arrogant as to act prejudiced against the supporters making their lives easier in the dungeon...
It wasn't fair.
"I'm sorry, Lili. You don't deserve how they treat you." Bell said truthfully, bringing a look of surprise to the girl. "But if it makes you feel better... I'll always be glad to work with you, no matter what."
Lili stared at him as he said these words, only to sadly smile.
"Thank you, Bell-sama."
There was... something in her gaze Bell couldn't quite place. It was a defeated look of acceptance, as if she didn't expect them to work together again or just didn't believe him at all.
Why was that uncomfortably weird feeling returning again?
"By the way, Bell-sama." Lili lifted her voice to hold some cheer, perhaps to ease him. "Are you really a rookie? Even with your unique weapon, you killed all those monsters quite easily."
"Hm? Oh, yeah, I am. I guess my weapon does help me a lot, but I really am still a rookie." Bell answered honestly, trying to mimic that cheer.
"It really is an amazing weapon, though! Where did you get it from?"
For a second, Bell saw a flash of something in Lili's eyes, which only worsened the discomfort in his gut.
And yet, he weakly smiled as he ignored it once again.
"I got it from killing a monster."
But he also found himself not answering as earnestly as before.
Lili was feeling as confused as she was frustrated.
When she approached the rookie adventurer in the morning, she had expected things to go as they usually did, maybe even easier. To sweet-talk the boy who had no clue how the world really worked, who would no doubt end up just like the others the moment the arrogance of an adventurer took hold of him like everyone else. She'd stick with him as he took down monsters, wearing him out while lowering his guard with her petite appearance and venomously sweet words until she could steal the dagger that had easily chipped through her previous employer's sword. It should've been simple, waiting back and pulling dead monsters to the side until she found her opening.
And yet... she had watched Bell slash at least four different groups of Killer Ants with his daggers, treating the rookie-killing monsters like they were just a chore for him to get through.
So many things didn't add up about the white-haired adventurer she was accompanying, the first one being... she didn't remember him looking so handsome!
It ashamed Lili that she had been so caught off guard by Bell's looks. He looked like a natural playboy but... better? Compared to how obviously scummy previous good-looking men she'd known were, there was an air of innocence and youth around Bell that seemed dangerously appealing. But it had contributed to Lili thinking this would be another easy mark for her, for she had expected this boy to be a fool who would turn arrogant and self-centered as other good-looking ones before him had.
She thought she could use his naivety in her favor and act all cutesy to snatch the dagger when he tired himself out, but that brought up the second thing that confused her; how high his abilities seemed to be! The two of them had already been in the dungeon for at least two hours, but Bell didn't show a single sign of slowing down! Not only that, but his weapon made killing monsters look practically effortless, especially with that terrifying paralysis and bleeding effects done to any enemies surviving a first slash!
It left Lili's mind in tatters. What kind of weapon even is that!? And this only leads to the third thing she can't understand... Where in Gekai does he keep storing it!?
She'd been trying to figure that out so she could swipe it later, but whenever Bell put away his weapon, it was always out of sight where she couldn't see! She hadn't seen any kind of sheath for it, so she had assumed that he stupidly put it into his backpack at first, but then he suddenly had it in his hand again without even opening his backpack up!?
What's going on!?
"Lili? Is that all you're eating?"
The disguised pallum blinked as she realized she had been deep in her thoughts. She and Bell were seated next to each other on a picnic blanket eating their lunches, which only consisted of jerky and bread for her. And as for Bell... wait, how did he carry all those jagamarukuns on him!?
She's only been getting more confused the longer she's around him!
Seeing her staring at the bowl of potato treats on his lap, Bell smiled, grabbing one of them and handing it to her.
"Eh?" She blinked several times at the offered food. "No, Bell-sama, Lili doesn't need-!"
*Growwwwwwl!*
"..."
Her face turned red to her ears in mortification while Bell's expression turned... smug!? How dare he! And yet, she didn't say anything as the boy put two jagamarukuns in her hands, his smile softening as he did so.
Fuming, Lili angrily turned away and bit into one of the treats.
...Why does it taste so fresh!? Why is it so warm and delicious even though they've been in his backpack for two hours!? How does Bell even store them in his small pack!? Why is he so handsome!? Why is he so nice!? Why is everything about him so weird!?
With her escalating questions only making her feel frustrated, Lili needed all her willpower to calm down and enjoy the treats in her hands. She couldn't be thrown off right now; she had to save any questions she asked to learn more about Bell's dagger. Speaking of which, it should be a good time to ask more about it while her employer was in a happy mood.
Swallowing the warm, steaming potato treat, Lili innocently tilted her head as she turned back to him.
"Bell-sama? Isn't it dangerous for you not to carry your dagger in a sheath? Where do you even keep it?"
She watched Bell pause just as he was about to bite into one of his potato treats, a slight frown forming on his face. For a second, Lili worried that she might've come off as too obvious, but the boy chuckled before turning to her with amusement.
He then playfully put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion.
"That's a secret."
Lili wanted to tear her hair out.
~{Guid Pantheon-Afternoon}~
Returning from their dungeon dive, Bell and Lili went to the guild pantheon to trade in their rather impressive collection of magic stones, which included even a few monster drops.
Lili opted to wait outside while Bell entered the guild building, trying so hard to disregard the looks he was getting from the few female adventurers and guild employees.
"Huh? Is that... Bell!?"
He ignored the whispered scream of one of Eina's coworkers, the pink-haired Misha, who gawked at him as he went to an exchange booth with a male operator.
"Please split the earnings equally into two bags," Bell requested politely, earning a nod from the tired-looking human who received the magic stones and started calculating them.
As he waited for their loot to be exchanged, Bell thought back to Lili, wondering why she had kept her head down and put her hood tighter around it when they left the dungeon...
Like she didn't want to be noticed.
Bell felt conflicted about the girl. He'd been ignoring many things he'd been feeling about her in the dungeon: the way she had repeatedly glanced at his dagger, recalling each question or mention she made about it, and how similar she was to the pallum from the other day.
But Bell didn't want to think badly of her, especially when it's clear she's only working as a supporter out of desperation to make some sort of living. Sure, call him naive, but he believed Lili when she said that her Familia didn't treat her well, that supporters are treated like parasites. He couldn't just turn her away after a slight bad feeling; he'd tried to help her at the very least by showing her that she'd always have someone to turn to for work.
Because what kind of hero would he be to not help someone in trouble?
A few minutes later, Bell was outside, seated across Lili with two bags of valis between them. Both were staring at the gold with wide eyes.
"F-Fourty thousand valis!?" They uttered at the same time.
"Thats incredible, Bell-sama! You made more than a five-man party of level-one adventurers would make in a day!" Lili squealed.
"And this is only our first day working together, too," Bell grinned. To think that when he first started as an adventurer, he would've been lucky to make even two thousand valis in a day. And he had earned nearly twice as much valis than he'd recently been making by himself.
"Okay, Bell-sama... Let's split the loot."
Bell looked at Lili again, finding her posture and expression suddenly wary. Does she think he'll take all their earnings for himself or something?
The thought gave an implication Bell didn't like.
He grabbed one of the bags holding half of their vais and happily handed it to Lili.
"Here you go! Thank you for your hard work!"
"Huh?" the girl confusedly received the bag while Bell innocently smiled at her. "Bell-sama? Why are we splitting it evenly? Aren't you gonna try and take it all for yourself?"
Bell's eyes widened in dismay.
Oh gods, he was right?
"Lili... is that what everyone you've worked with before did?" He asked softly, making the girl tense with wide eyes.
"Th-That's-!" Lili lowered her head, hiding both her shame and anger.
"Why is he acting like he cares?"
Her hands tightened around her bag.
"...Thank you for today, Bell-sama." She stood up and turned to leave, only for a hand to reach out and grab her wrist, making her flinch.
This is it, isn't it? This is where the adventurer finally realized what he could get away with, to let his greed fuel him to take back the bag he had given her?
But instead, she heard his soft-spoken, mature voice.
"Lili, I'm giving you half because that's just how important you were today."
The pallum sharply turned around, looking at Bell like he was stupid, but the boy took it in stride.
"The amount of valis I'm holding is more than what I'd normally make by myself, even after only keeping half of it. And the reason I was able to make this much is thanks to you."
Lili's eyes widened, and Bell took a calm breath with a serious expression.
"Lili, I can only assume that the people you've previously worked with must've not been very... nice."
The girl would've snorted at his understatement had she not been entranced by his earnestly glowing ruby eyes.
"But I meant what I said in the dungeon." Bell got to one knee and took one of Lili's hands into both of his, making the girl's face flush as he gave her a luminous smile. "I would love to work with you again, and I promise to always treat you right. You don't have a reason to believe me, but... I hope you'll at least give me the chance to prove that I'm telling the truth."
Lili's heart rampaged in her chest as she internally screamed at Bell's incredibly handsome face.
He can't just say something that sounds like a marriage proposal while holding her hand on one knee! He's playing with her; he's absolutely playing with her! She can't believe this innocent-looking boy is actually such a degenerate man! Playboy! Manwhore! Enemy of women! She should slap that sincere smile right off his face!
And yet...
Lili lowered her head with her face red up to her hidden ears.
"...you're weird, Bell-sama."
She received an awkward chuckle.
"My goddess tells me that I'm a little special. So... will I see you tomorrow?" Bell returned with a hopeful voice.
...
Lili weakly nodded.
The girl ended up leaving with her arms cradling the bag of valis Bell had given her.
So she'll be seeing him tomorrow...
...
W-Well, she hadn't figured out how to take his weapon yet, and he still seemed to have no idea what she had been trying to do. So it only makes sense for her to stick around until she finds the opportunity to steal it!
And the higher income didn't hurt, too, so...
It only makes sense.
[A pallum has left the party.]
"Interesting..." Bell watched Lili leave as the system message appeared. "So it's automatic? It must have to do with a person's intent on accompanying me. But I can I be the one to invite others instead?"
Bell was incredibly curious about what other features the party mechanic had, but nothing else had popped up during his time with Lili. A part of him had been nervous about a screen appearing in front of her face, but nothing had occurred.
He softly smiled as he watched Lili disappear, feeling both glad and relieved that she had agreed to work with him again. In truth, he had a bit of an inkling of what she wanted based on what he noticed, but... he didn't mind.
It's not like he'll make it easy for her anyway.
If anything, it'll probably keep Lili coming back, that and the amount of money they made together in just one day. So, hopefully, he could get to know her better while showing that he genuinely wants to help her.
"See you tomorrow, Lili," Bell muttered as he turned around and entered the guild pantheon again. He headed for the receptionist's desk, where he saw Eina and her coworker Misha whispering to each other.
"I'm telling you, Eina! Your favorite adventurer turned smoking hot! You can even see the muscles under his shirt!"
"Misha! Can you stop saying stupid things like that!? I-It's inappropriate! Besides, people don't just transform like that!"
"Wait, so you're denying that but not that he's your favorite?"
"Cease!"
"Hi, Miss Eina!" Bell cut in as he showed up at the front counter.
Hearing his voice, Eina squeaked with a light blush before turning to him with a composed smile.
"Oh, good evening Bell-" Her words died the moment her gaze settled on the boy, where her mouth turned dry as it dropped open with her eyes dilating.
"B-B-B-B-BELL!?" The beautiful half-elf turned red all the way to her pointy ears, something akin to a strangled cry emitting from her as both hands slapped over her mouth. Various muffled squeals and other noises were quelled under her hands as she stared at how Bell's long-sleeve black shirt hugged his defined, muscled frame, even with his new armor somewhat in the way.
"See! I told you!" Misha declared with a grin of victory before putting an arm on the counter and leaning forward, wiggling her eyebrows at a surprised Bell. "So what's cookin' good lookin'?"
"Huh!?" Bell was caught off guard by the blatant flirting from the pink-haired woman, nervously gulping down saliva. "W-Well, um, I wanted to talk with Miss Eina-"
He jumped as Misha slammed her fist on the counter, head hanging and already crying.
"Damn it all! Right when you became my type of hunk, too! Can I at least get a squeeze in!?"
"Misha!" Eina's hands dropped from her mouth as she shouted in outrage. "Stop that! T-That's harassment! I'll report your misconduct to Royman!"
Misha pouted as she lifted herself from the counter and sulkily turned around, an arm wiping her teary eyes.
"Fine... I'll be happy for you Eina, but I hope you'll at least give me the juicy details later!"
"MISHA!" Eina screamed as the pink-haired girl left to drown her sorrows away, leaving Bell and the half-elf alone. The former felt flustered and confused, while the latter felt mortified and embarrassed.
"That was... something."
"Y-Yeah..." Eina looked down with a deep blush" "Bell, um..."
She forced herself to look up at his mature, handsome face, struggling to form words as her eyes took in all his changes. The two had been at the same height, but now Bell had two inches over her in addition to his sharper face and the outline muscles under his black shirt. His eyes even had a new calmness and maturity in them despite the same bright, optimistic light they always held.
Rather than a young, attractive boy, he now looked like a young, attractive man.
"Oh, gods." Eina quivered. The boy she had thought of as a cute, innocent ball of youth had suddenly become so much more, and it left her feeling... complicated.
"Wh-What happened to you?" She finally managed to ask.
Already understanding what she was asking, Bell gave a sheepish shrug.
"I um, woke up like this in the morning. It just sort of... happened?"
Eina looked at him incredulously.
"Just happened!?"
"I really can't explain it! Even I was shocked when I woke up and looked at myself in the mirror!"
"I-! You-!" Eina held her head in her hands, struggling to understand how such a transformation could happen and trying to cope with just how stunning Bell looked now.
Seeing her steaming head and spiraling eyes, Bell quickly steered the conversation to another topic.
"Oh! I managed to get a supporter today! Her name is Liliruca, and she's part of the Soma Familia!"
"Th-The Soma Familia?" Eina repeated, the tidbit of information calming her but making her suddenly look much more concerned.
"Er, is there a problem with them?" Bell asked, noting her unease.
"They're a Familia focused on dungeon exploring, and they also sell alcohol. That much is normal, but they all seem to be so... desperate, like they're always pushing themselves to the limit."
Bell frowned, recalling how greatly Lili needed work. Is the rest of her Familia the same as her, facing money issues? But that wouldn't make sense with what Lili had told him about being shunned by them. Wouldn't a Familia suffering financially be more opted to work together?
"And then there's their god, Soma." Eina reached under the counter and pulled out a file, opening it up and reading its contents. "His Familia has quite the large member base, so it seems like he's highly worshiped, yet no one knows much about him, good or bad at all. He's famous for having no communication with the other gods and has never even shown up at a god's banquet."
Bell didn't know what to think of that, but he noted it for later.
"What did you think about this 'Liliruca' Bell?" Eina asked, looking back up at Bell, only to blush and look away as she saw his handsome face again.
As for Bell, he frowned as he recalled the odd behaviors he had noticed from Lili so far, but he put those aside for the more concerning things.
"She's an amazing supporter and helped me make over twice the valis than what I usually make in the dungeon alone. But..."
He looked down, recalling the defeated look on the girl.
"I think she's struggling. She doesn't seem to think fondly of adventurers, and she made it sound like she's been treated unfairly just for being a supporter... Is it true, Miss Eina? Are supporters really scorned by adventurers?"
"Oh Bell..." Eina sighed sympathetically. "I'm sorry you have to learn this, but yes, full-time supporters are deemed lower in status than adventurers. It's usually the weakest people who become them. Not everyone can become strong, even with a blessing. To be honest, failed adventurers are likely to change to full-time supporters and easily become targets of contempt."
Bell's hands balled into fists.
"Called failures, even by their own Familias, who are supposed to be their families..."
He couldn't leave Lili alone, not after hearing that.
For now, giving her fair share of valis and treating her right was the best he could do until she opened up to him.
"Thank you, Miss Eina. I learned a lot." Bell smiled softly at the woman, making her heart skip a beat from the alluring expression. "I'll make sure to treat Lili fairly."
"R-Right! You do that!" The half-elf stammered, looking everywhere else but at him.
"Oh, by the way, about the dungeon..."
All embarrassment ceased into a pool of dread.
"Bell," Eina robotically turned a dead gaze at the now nervous boy. "Please don't ask me what I think you're gonna ask."
"...Can I take the test for the eighth floor?"
The woman groaned and put her face in her hands.
"You've been on the seventh floor for one day, Bell!"
"It felt too easy! And I mean really easy! I didn't even sweat after killing a Monster Party! I promise that after I pass the test, I'll just try out the eighth floor, and if it's anything even close to tough, I'll stay in the seventh!"
"Beeeeeell..." Eina lamented as she tiredly looked up a the boy, only to freeze at what she saw.
Puppy-dog eyes.
"Please?"
"GUH!" Unknown to Bell, his new looks made the face potent, dealing twice the damage to Eina as she flew back and collapsed to the ground with her hands over her heart.
"Miss Eina!?"
"D-Dangerous..."
Eina would never be able to deny Bell anything after this day.