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Is it Wrong for a Soldier to Take on Orario? Chapter 6
🕑 Added 2024-09-23 02:49:52 +0000 UTCIs it Wrong for a Soldier to Take on Orario?
A/N Hi everyone! Here is the third update for the month and the second side story that was voted on. I am not going to lie. I won’t be doing three updates a month like I just did. Casually doing a chapter on the side and posting it as a bonus, I can do. But pushing myself to reach deadlines like I did, even if I was the one that set my own deadline? It would wear me down. I don’t think any of us want that. Anyway, here you go!
…
Chapter 6 – Getting Magic
In a case of déjà vu, I sat down at the table in the kitchen with Tyche and Fels, at night, waiting on someone to speak.
Unlike last time though, there was no nervousness in Tyche’s bearing. Only calm expectation as she watched our visitor closely.
“You know,” I said easily, looking into the blank face of the necromancer in front of me, “when you said you were going to check things out and get back to us, I thought it would take longer than a single day.”
Fels tilted her head in acknowledgement. “With the topic at hand, I felt that it would be much better to verify your information sooner rather than later,” she replied. “And, without sounding like I am bragging, the monsters on the upper levels, and even the middle levels, don’t present much of a challenge for me even if I am alone.”
I nodded. After all, I remember from the anime that Fels was a level four. People who were level two were able to make it through the Middle Floors in groups without too much trouble. While I had no idea yet if power scaled evenly or exponentially, the fact remained that she was certainly strong enough to take on the Middle Floors by herself. “I take it that by you being here, you managed to prove that what I told you was correct already?” I asked.
Fels nodded. “It’s just as you said,” she concurred. “On the east wall of the Eighteenth Floor is a doorway that is hidden under an illusion spell. Thankfully, once I knew what I was looking for, such an illusion spell was rather noticeable to me. I was able to find it rather quickly.”
“Good to know,” I said. “I take it then that you are here to pass on what you agreed?”
Fels nodded and reached a hand into her robe, pulling out a hardbacked book. The cover was a dark green with silver embossed in it. There were no words, but the pattern was intricate. I took it with both hands, almost afraid to drop it. I opened the cover to see the title on the first inside page. I blinked as I read it, then looked back at Fels deadpanned.
“’I Couldn’t Get Magic On My Own So I Blackmailed My Way Into It’,” I read flatly, feeling distinctly unamused at her little joke. “’A Moron’s Guide To The Simplest Magic Possible’. I see someone likes to play jokes.”
Tyche snorted in amusement, before looking horrified at herself and putting her hands over her face. “I’m sorry!” she cried out.
I couldn’t see her face, but I could somehow tell that Fels was amused.
“That’s ok, Tyche,” I replied, not turning away from the robed figure in front of me. “In fact, I thought it was so hilarious that when I blackmail her for the sequel, she can title it ‘I Have Been An Adventurer For Years, But It Took A New Adventurer Who Hasn’t Even Been In Orario A Full Week To Tell Me How To Do My Job’.”
Fels sat up straighter, the amused feeling coming from her vanishing instantly. Her gloved hands clenched for a moment, before she let out a sighing sound and nodded. “I will have to concede the point,” the necromancer said. “But that does beg the question, how did you know about me? Enough to know that I am looking into the xenos?”
I gave her a small smile. “I thank you for delivery of the grimoire,” I said, ignoring her question. “Is there a way to contact you if I come across any more information?”
Fels ‘stared’ at me for a long moment, before tilting her head. She could have tried to force the issue, but probably let it go on the chance that I could actually contact her if I find out anything more.
“Just send a message through the Guild like you did before,” she replied. “But I do need to ask; are you willing to help with the xenos? To ensure their safety, beyond just passing on information?”
I shrugged. “Sure, but not right now,” I replied. “As I said, I have only been an adventurer for, what?” I looked at Tyche, “Two days now?” I turned back to Fels. “I already know you are going up against a familia where the captain is a higher level than you, and you are a level four. Not much I can do against that. I am stuck with the Upper Floors right now, and I know that the xenos won’t be stupid enough to go that high. There’s too much risk for them. What level is the highest they will appear?”
Fels seemed to consider that for a moment. “Floor Twenty,” she offered. “Though, they have been known to conduct small raids on the Eighteenth Floor during their night cycle.”
“Alright,” I nodded. “For now, all I can do is pass on information if I come across it. Once I am strong enough, then I might consider a more direct action, but I can’t guarantee on a time limit, or what form that action will take.”
Fels nodded. “That is understandable,” she said, standing up. “I hope that you receive more tips soon.” She turned to face Tyche and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Tyche.”
Tyche nodded in return and Fels left, closing the door behind her.
Once the necromancer was gone, Tyche turned to me, her face worried. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked. “Passing on information about the xenos is one thing, but helping them directly will set off a lot of adventurers in Orario. It could even lead to us being forcefully disbanded!”
I reached out a hand and waited until she reached her own hand out and grabbed it. She visibly relaxed once we were holding hands.
“Don’t worry,” I replied. “I am not going to do anything that risks our familia, and I definitely won’t be risking any fallout on you, Tyche. Just like I am not going anywhere, neither are you. We are stuck with each other.” I let out a little grin. “Or was that promise to make sure I was never alone again just a ploy?”
Her grip on my hand became like iron. “No!” she exclaimed vehemently. “That was a promise and I meant it.” She sighed. “But if I was found to be collaborating with monsters, I might not have the choice.”
“Then you will just have to go back to heaven and make sure that no one unsavoury makes a grab for my soul then, won’t you?” I teased.
Her full lips twisted into a shy smile. “Sure.” Her face firmed up with a determined expression. "But that is only the absolute last resort. I am not going to leave you alone here if I can help it."
I squeezed her hand once more then released it, picking up the grimoire. “Well,” I said, a nugget of excitement already forming in my chest as I fought off a happy grin. “It looks like I should go and get my first magic spell. What do you say?”
Her own face lit up, once again highlighting how beautiful she was. “Absolutely,” she declared. “Anything to help you get stronger, faster. I don’t want to lose you because of anyone else. So, you get stronger quickly, you hear me!” she ordered me with a mock serious glare.
I chuckled. “Sure. I guess I will head back to my place and get this done.” I stood up.
“Well,” Tyche spoke up, looking nervous. “You could always… stay here? Just in case?”
I looked back at her but she wasn’t meeting my eyes. Her hands were fidgeting a little and her cheeks were pink. I was not entirely sure if it was flirting or if it was embarrassment. Probably a mix of both. I wasn’t sure if I was interested in getting together with a goddess. I mean, sure, Tyche was stunningly beautiful but there were also downsides. I was a bit of a family man and down here the gods couldn’t have kids. Unless she was open for me to have them with someone else, then it meant either not having kids in the future here, or it meant stepping out on her and having them elsewhere.
Unless this was some weird harem ecchi world, that wasn’t likely to happen. I wasn’t the cheating type, though I wasn’t against playing the field a little before I settled down with someone. Not that I was the type to take any girl; I still had standards. No whores for one thing. That meant Ishtar’s mob was out. Plus, I wasn’t into pushing a girl further than she was ready for; that was a sleazy thing to do.
Not to mention, according to the anime at least, the girls in this world were generally far more conservative with relationships. Well, not the Amazons, but the humans, elves and pallums. I know that the gods tended to be more liberal than the mortal races…
Screw it. I was overthinking this. I was not committed to anyone and it isn’t like she was asking me to do anything other than sleep in the bed. But that didn’t mean that I wasn’t able to have a little fun.
I mock gasped. “How bold of you,” I whispered in a scandalised tone. “To so brazenly ask an unattached male to reside in your quarters after nightfall. What would people think?”
Sure enough, Tyche’s face went from slightly pink to bright red. “Albert!” she whined pitifully. “Don’t tease me!” she pouted. “Besides,” she continued with a determined expression, “I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me. You are the only one that has any opinion I care about. The rest of them, pah!” she spat off to the side. “They are nothing to me.”
I could understand that. Why waste time on sheep? But as a soldier, I knew not to discount potential allies in a war. War wasn’t just about fighting. There were so many other aspects to it.
“Maybe so,” I replied. “But surely there are at least a couple of people out here that we might be able to turn to in a tight spot, if needed?”
She frowned for a moment, before her expression cleared and she appeared to think it over. “There might be a couple,” she conceded. “But I would prefer if we looked out for ourselves. At least for a while.”
I nodded. At least she wasn’t closed off to the possibility. Having an allied medical familia, such as Miach, would be a wise course. If we couldn’t recruit a blacksmith then having an alliance with Hephaestus wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
“But seriously,” Tyche turned sheepish again. “I like having you in the house. It… it makes me think I am not alone,” she continued with a whisper. “That I am not imagining this.”
Wow. The poor girl was really damaged by her prior experiences. Not that I blame her. She was abandoned by everyone she called family, lost everything, and was about to effectively unalive her mortal form. That sort of thing would take a toll on anyone’s mental state.
I sighed. “Fine,” I conceded. “I will stay here for tonight. Though I do think that, for security, it will be good for us soon to start making the other houses around us look like someone lives there. I don’t want people to think that you are alone and try take advantage of you while I am in the dungeon or something.”
She beamed at me and nodded happily. “Ok!”
I shook my head in amusement at how quickly her personality would shift. It was almost like watching a yoyo.
With that all sorted, we set about getting ready for bed. Once showered, I said good night to Tyche and went to the second bedroom.
I sat on the bed for a long time, thinking about all of the magic and powers that I had ever heard of. To be fair, there was a lot. Human history, not to mention human literature from my former life was full of stories of superpowers. And I had the ability to get one and, thanks to my skill, I could choose it without leaving it to chance.
I could see myself throwing lightning around, but that might not work for a lot of the monsters, like a few of the rock monsters that lived on the lower dungeon. Through down fire might be good, but in a trapped section of the dungeon it might cause me to run out of air, or just risk burning me to death if it got out of control.
On the other hand, I remember lava monsters being in the anime on the lower levels, so ice powers were out. By the same token, throwing out wind blades might be a thing. Or shadow clones, like Naruto. That could be helpful… actually no. That is really only useful if you had access to chakra and all the chakra techniques. Its strength was that it let a clone study a ninjutsu while the original, in this case me, did the physical exercise. But I don’t have any chakra techniques here. I could get some use out of shadow clones without chakra, but not enough for it to do much more than throw bodies at someone. I might be wrong in that assumption, but for now, it wasn’t likely to be my first option.
Dragon Slayer Magic might work, especially once I was strong enough to go after the dragon that escaped the dungeon that was flying around the world somewhere. But there were other magics that could do the same job.
Should I get the powers of someone in the Marvel Universe? From the sounds of it, a spell was only a single thing, so I don’t think the abilities of Thor or Hela would be the way to go. Though, I guess I would never run out of a weapon if I went with Marvel Hela’s powers.
One Punch Man? Not a magic spell. Though, I suppose I could get Tatsumaki’s telekinesis. I wasn’t going to bother with Luffy’s power in One Piece. Ranma’s gender change ability was useless.
I stilled. Thinking about anime brought to mind one show that I had loved growing up. I had watched it as a kid and wished I could have been able to do what the heroes in that show could do. While not strictly a magic spell, it was a power that could almost count as one and should be available to me with a little tweaking from my Invictus skill.
I felt a grin come over my face as I reached out and picked up the book. Then I lay down on my bed, resting the book on my chest so that it wouldn’t fall on my face. Then, now that I had made my decision, I opened it and started to read.
“Magic is a tool to be used wisely,” I mumbled out loud. “It flows through the energies of the world. In plain view, but hidden in its depths.”
Something was happening. I could hear myself continue to read, but the noise was fading into the background. It was like there was mist or fog or something filling my room, until it all turned white. Then it cleared and I found myself standing on a white platform that was cleared of the mist directly, but still bordered by it.
“What does the word ‘magic’ mean to you?” a voice asked behind me.
I turned around and saw a mirror image of myself. It was something that looked exactly like me, but standing in a way that made me seem more, I don’t know, dignified? Arrogant? Not a posture that I would normally use.
I considered the question for a moment before I looked at the mirror image, raising a questioning eyebrow. “I already know what I want,” I said. “Do I really have to do this?”
The image smiled in a weirdly placid way. “It is true that your skill does mean that you are going to get what you want,” it replied, “there is still the matter of making it yours. It needs to match you. Otherwise, you leave it to chance.”
I stared at the mirror image flatly for a long moment, before it looked a little sheepish. “Or not,” it mumbled, looking a little embarrassed. “But the magic still goes through the forms. Could you just answer the question?”
I sighed. This was not how I envisioned this going. “Fine,” I grumbled. “Magic is energy, give form and controlled by willpower, not by words and certainly not by long chants. It is the energy inside us, working in synergy with our desires to be able to create or destroy. Those with the willpower to do so may direct the flow and alternate its shape and pattern. It is my mind and my body working in harmony to produce results that neither could do individually. And most of all, it is power. Power to protect myself and those I care about from the dangers that I will face. It will be my responsibility to grow that power within my body to be able to accomplish feats that no one else could hope to do so without an understanding of the energy and magic involved.”
“What does magic look like?” the image asked.
“It can change from person to person, or in the manner in which it is used,” I replied. “But usually it comes in a form of light. But that should be at the behest of the user. If the magic the use needs to be hidden, a dull light that is barely visible may be the way to go, otherwise a brighter light would be fine, but that is the personal preference of the user.” I hesitated for a moment. “It could be a short burst or a continuous stream of energy, depending again on the user’s needs. A light that draws attention, but moves quickly. No point in having a powerful spell that is too slow to hit its target.”
“And what is it you seek to become?” the image asked again.
“Stronger than anyone and anything else here,” I replied. “Strong enough to protect myself and those I care about from all enemies and even defeat the gods that would threaten me for petty reasons. I will face many challenges. I will face enemies that are stronger than me. My magic will be the bridge that closes the gap between me and them. Using it will make me stronger and fighting those who are stronger than me will also boost me up and make me stronger again.”
“Is that all?” the image aske, sounding amused.
I grinned. “I also want to have fun and have the powers and ability of my childhood heroes,” I admitted freely. Screw it, this was a dream. No one in the real world was going to learn what I said here. I turned serious. “I also want to be able to help those who can’t help themselves. Not to be a hero, but to be a good person. I have seen plenty of people suffer because of the cruel designs and machinations of evil doers. I want to have the strength to help out when I want to, to never be afraid that I am too weak to make a difference.”
It was one of the things that had haunted me on my missions. I would see dead civilians; women and children, all who had done nothing wrong than to be in the wrong place when some warlord was angry. I had seen sex-slaves and real slaves. I hated it all.
Unfortunately, I was only one person, one soldier in my last life. I had to follow orders and let them continue to suffer. I had almost shot my CO more than once when I had been ordered to leave an evil person alone when I could have saved innocent victims. All because they provided a tiny snippet of incomplete information that would let us run in circles while they made out like bandits.
I had already begun planning to help out Haruhime and have her freed from slavery, if she was still a slave in this world, that is. I wasn’t going to be able to change the whole world; certainly not all at once. But I could make a difference when I wanted to do so.
That said, I wasn’t like Bell, who wanted to be a hero. I wasn’t doing this to be anyone’s hero. I just didn’t want to have those faces on my conscience, telling me that I could have done something when I didn’t.
I didn’t need any more faces in my dreams.
The mirror image laughed at my response. “A child’s dream,” it commented. Not mockingly, but more of a statement.
I shrugged. “Maybe,” I agreed. “But who said I couldn’t hold on to some childish dreams in a world of magic?”
The image smiled, then burst into light that streamed into my body. The mists that had been bordering our meeting rushed in to cover me again and, with a soft jolt, I woke up.
The sun was already coming through the window, telling me that I had slept later than I had so far in this new world. I stretched and considered myself. Physically I felt fine, but I had some lingering tiredness. It almost felt like that feeling when a person has had a long workout late at night, and while they are not sore the next day, their body feels like it is a little drained, except it was in my mind. It was difficult to put properly into words, but I think I could assume that it was the magic I now had access to that I wasn’t used to yet.
The smell of food drifting from the kitchen caused my stomach to rumble, letting me know that it was time to get out of bed and begin the day. I got dressed and did my morning ablutions, before heading into the kitchen.
Tyche was humming to herself happily, wearing an apron as she fluttered about the kitchen. Honestly, the scene was so domestic I just watched it for a few seconds. It was like watching something out of an old Disney film.
“Good morning, Albert!” she grinned as she saw me in the doorway. “I’ve got some food for you. Come, sit!”
I did as she bid and took a seat at the table. “Thanks Tyche,” I replied. “I’m feeling pretty hungry this morning.”
“I should think so,” she said as she took her own seat. “You slept in nearly three hours later than usual.”
I blinked at her in surprise. That was out of the ordinary for me. “Well, I’m glad that you managed to guess when I would be up when you decided to make food.” I took a mouthful of what looked like a muesli-based cereal with some fruit mixed in. “It’s very nice, thank you. Do you think you could update my status this morning? I want to see what I got.”
She beamed at my compliment. “Sure thing,” she replied. “Knowing how you have gone so far, I am expecting to be very surprised at what spell you came up with.”
I couldn’t help the thrill of anticipation that made me scarf down my food. Badass soldier I might be, but today, I’m getting magic! If people think that soldiers act dignified all the time, they don’t know soldiers.
Sure enough, soon the food was finished and I was sitting shirtless, straddling the chair as I sat on it backwards and leaned on the backrest. Tyche applied the drop of blood, making the familiar warmth come over me as I waited as patiently as I could while she updated my falna.
“I’m so excited to see what you chose to get!” Tyche said, her voice full of energy as the room glowed from her use of power.
“Well, I just hope that it is going to come out the way I wanted it to,” I said. “The one I wanted wasn’t strictly magic on its own, but I admit, I was hoping that my Invictus skill would be able to alter it so that it would work.”
“That skill really is amazing,” Tyche agreed as the glow died down and she put a piece of paper on my back to get the ready out of my skill. “Now, let’s see what you… huh?” she cut herself off, sounding confused.
I sat up and turned around, to see her face scrunched up in confusion as she looked at my stat sheet. I reached out my hand and she passed it over without comment. I skimmed the top part and found what I was looking for.
Name: Albert Jacka
Level: 1
Strength: I66 – I68
Endurance: I65 – I67
Dexterity: I52 – I53
Agility: H109 – H111
Magic: I0 – I3
Skills
Invictus
Ki Manipulation
Zenkai
Magic
Ki attacks (n-verb) – Uses mind and life energy
I stared at the sheet for a long moment, before I burst out laughing. That laugh quickly turned into a loud cheer. I was so happy that I scooped up Tyche in a massive bearhug, spinning around with her in my arms. I gave her a big kiss on the cheek before I let her down and looked back on my new stats.
“This is amazing!” I exclaimed. “It looks like it is exactly what I was wanting! Oh, I love the Invictus skill so much!” I burst into laughter again.
I focussed on my new skills. Two new skills in one go? Skills that, if I am right, would let me get even stronger, faster? Oh yes please! And a magic spell that will make me the closest thing to a Saiyan that I could hope to be? Hell yes!
That said, this wasn’t the Dragon Ball world so the skill might need to be checked, just in case.
“Hey, Tyche,” I said still looking at my sheet. “I think we need to go to the Guild and have you look at the Book of Skills again to see what exactly the Zenkai skill does…” I trailed off as I looked over at the goddess.
Tyche was staring off into the distance, her cheeks completely red as she absently ran her fingertips over the cheek that I had kissed. I felt amused at her response to such an innocent kiss, done out of pure excitement on my part.
“You still here, Tyche?” I asked in amusement.
She blinked as she finally processed that I said her name. “What?” she asked, clearly having missed the last few seconds while she was stuck in her daydream.
“Oh, did I make a mistake in kissing your cheek?” I asked in mock sorrow.
“What?” she asked again. “Oh, no! No, it was fine! Great even.”
“Oh?” I replied, a look of sly amusement coming across my face. “Should I do it again?”
Her face went bright red as she ducked her head down. “Albert!” she cried. “Stop teasing me!”
I smirked at her. “Whose teasing?”
Her face went nearly glowing red as she stared into the distance again for a second, a slight smile twisting the corners of her lips before she got herself under control again.
“Fine,” I sighed as though very put out. “Since you want it so much.”
I leaned forward and gave her another kiss on the opposite cheek. That seemed to snap her out of her daydream and she pushed her cheek into it a little with a giggle.
“Thanks,” she said as she regained her composure, looking like her smile couldn’t be removed with anything short of a magic spell. “Though if you are going to spoil me with kisses, then I warn you that I can give as well as I get.”
“And I am looking forward to it,” I grinned back, happy to flirt while I was in such a good mood. “I’m no shy little boy who is going to blush at the first pretty smile I see.”
She looked down at my waist. “I can see that you aren’t a little boy,” she said, a pervy smile taking place on her beautiful face.
I gave her a lopsided smile, amused at her attempt but I didn’t reply.
She looked up at me for a long moment. “Really?” she asked, surprised. “Nothing? Huh, I guess you were telling the truth.”
“You’re a goddess,” I said. “You already knew I was telling the truth.”
“I could tell that you believed you were telling the truth,” she corrected me. “But it is possible to be truthful, but also wrong. It’s an important distinction.”
I tilted my head in concession. That was good to know. “Fair enough. Shall we head off to the Guild? We can trade in the magic stones and drops. You can use the money from them to buy the other townhouses back and I can check in with my advisor before I go to the dungeon.”
“About that,” she spoke up quickly, her face turning serious. “Do you feel off today? Like, a little unwell or out of breath or anything?”
I blinked. “I did this morning, hopping out of bed,” I replied, not sure where she was going with this.
She frowned. “It just as I thought,” she said, her tone completely serious now. “I think you need to take a day out of the dungeon and training. You gained too any skills too quickly and your soul needs to adjust to it.”
“Is that why I was feeling like my head had been exercising during my sleep?” I asked.
“I would say so,” she nodded. “I told you that gaining too many skills too quickly could push your soul further than it was ready for. You need to let your soul relax as it adjusts to you new skills. If you don’t have that same feeling in the morning then you can go tomorrow.”
I sighed. I just got an amazing new power and now I couldn’t even use it. It’s almost exactly like being back in the military with the whole ‘hurry up and wait’ mentality that goes there. Still, I didn’t want to hurt myself if I could cause long-term damage, especially not to my soul.
“I will bow to your greater experience when it comes to souls,” I said. “I’ll run around and sort some clothes out or something after I see my advisor. As I told you yesterday, now that I have another couple of skills, I am going to wait a while before I look for more. If I am right about what these skills are, they will be even more helpful in me getting physically stronger than Invictus.”
She nodded with a relieved smile and together we cleaned up the kitchen.
The smell as we walked to the Guild was the same as it was last time, but thankfully it wasn’t as strong. Or maybe I was just getting used to it? I hoped not. I liked my modern hygiene.
As we did last time, we got some odd looks from people as we went, particularly a few amazons that looked like the ones that had been from the Ishtar Familia that we saw last time. This time though, Tyche walked without paying any of them any heed. She outright ignored the ones that were sneering at her and laughing nastily as we passed. It was like she was a different person to who she was a couple of days ago.
We finally made it to the Guild and walked to join a cue. Rose was standing at a desk with a long line of male adventurers, and one amazon. From the looks of their stupid grins, they were looking to flirt with the attractive redheaded werewolf. For her part, Rose merely looked bored.
When she saw me, she blinked a couple of times, ignoring the chienthrope with dog ears in front of her and waved over a male elf to cover for her.
“Sorry,” she said out loud, clearly making sure that the line could hear her conversation with her co-worker. “I have to go to an appointment that I had planned for this morning with one of the adventurers I advise. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
There was a loud chorus of groans from the line of adventurers, some of whom began looking around, glaring at everyone else in the building to see who would dare take their eye candy away. A few of them looked my way, which I knew would lead to nothing good.
I wasn’t going to let Rose throw me under a bus here and have a whole load of adventurers stronger than me out for blood. Mama didn’t raise no fool.
I immediately turned away from her and quickly guided a slightly confused Tyche to the far side of the Guild counters towards Eina, who was not standing at a station, but a few metres back from an empty one doing some paperwork.
“Excuse me, Miss Tulle,” I called out to her.
The pretty half-elf blinked and looked up. “Yes?” she asked, before she frowned slightly. “Oh, yes, uh, Mister…,” she trailed off, clearly having forgotten my name. “Albe?”
“Albert Jacka,” I supplied helpfully. “I was hoping you could help me out quickly and take me to an empty room in the back. It seems that Rose has played a small prank on me and a fair few jealous adventurers are about to quickly find out that I took their precious redhead away.”
Eina blinked, then looked over my shoulder to where a group of adventurers were standing, looking around grumpily to see who Rose was going to see.
“Ah, I see,” she said with a sigh. “Of course, Mister Jacka, please come with me.”
Tyche and I walked through the small saloon door into the working area and followed Eina quickly towards the back rooms of the Guild, where private meetings were held.
“Thank you very much for that,” I said to Eina once we were safely hidden from view of the horny adventurers. “I didn’t want to deal with that level of jealousy in my first week. But I’m sure that a beautiful young woman like you would deal with your fair share of admirers all the time.”
Eina’s face blushed prettily for a moment before she looked away sheepishly. “I… get some comments,” she admitted. “Not like Rose does, of course. She is always popular whenever she stands at the counter.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” I said with an easy grin, drawing an amused look from Tyche. “You’re very beautiful. I’m sure that you are being modest at how much attention you get around the city.”
The pink on the busty half-elf’s face started darkening to red at the compliments. She didn’t have a chance to reply before the door opened and Rose walked in. or stalked in, rather. It wasn’t graceful, like the elf’s. it was more of a purposeful march, or like an animal stalking its prey.
“Ah, Miss Rose,” I greeted as she strode in. “Lovely to see you. Nice prank, by the way.”
Rose narrowed her eyes at me, before they flickered off to Tyche before settling her gaze on Eina. “Eina,” she acknowledged her coworker. “Thanks for bringing them here. I’ll take over my adventurer now.”
I narrowed my eyes at the werewolf. She seemed tense for some reason. I considered making an excuse for Eina to stay, before deciding not to. Eina’s tendency to shout out private information was still a sticking point for me so I didn’t want the pretty half-elf to blurt out something that might be sensitive information.
I sent her a lopsided smile. “Thanks again for the save, Miss Tulle,” I said, nodding at her. “I stand by what I said last time; you would have been a wonderful advisor for me had the coin flipped the other way.”
The blush had died down once Rose entered the room, but Eina gave me a professional smile. “You are welcome,” she replied with a shallow bow. “I am glad I could help. See you another time, Mister Jacka, Lady Tyche.”
“Actually,” Tyche spoke up, moving to follow the Guild Worker. “I will come with you. You can lead me to a room to talk to the property manager about buying my familia’s townhouses back.”
They disappeared through the door before I could remind the goddess that I was holding the pouch of magic stones and drops. Oh well. We can sort that out soon.
An eerie silence fell over the room as Rose continued to stare at me. I ignored her intense gaze and casually walked over to a chair and sat down.
“Nice little prank,” I said with a small smirk. “Trying to use your appeal to get me to quit being an adventurer out of fear of being beaten up for taking your precious time away from the unwashed masses. Very sneaky.”
Rose’s jaw clenched. “Why would I do something like that?” she bit out.
I shrugged, completely ignoring her annoyance at the gesture. “You tell me,” I said simply.
She muttered something under her breath and sat down in the closest chair to her angrily. “I expected to see you yesterday,” she growled.
“Did we have an appointment?” I asked, genuinely curious.
The redhead’s hands clenched for a second. “No.”
“Then why are you angry that I didn’t come by the Guild yesterday?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Because I would have thought that you would let me know you survived!” she shouted. “I thought, once you didn’t come back last night that I had lost another adventurer on their first time in the dungeon. I expected someone with any form of decency to come see me and let me know that they were safe. Not to wait until nearly lunch the next day!”
Ah. That’s right. She had lost a fair few adventurers under her care. Clearly, despite her attempts to stay unattached to any adventurers, she couldn’t help being worried about the adventurers she advised. Or, you know, me at least.
I nodded once I understood the meaning behind her words. If we were closer friends I would have given her a hug. As it was, I reached a hand over the table to grasp one of hers comfortingly. The simple motion seemed to startle her and some of the anger left.
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” I said with a gentle smile, used to using such a comforting tone to my ex-wife while I was in the military. “I didn’t get out of the dungeon until later than I expected. The sun was already setting and I thought that it would be better to get back home straight away and coming here today, instead of rushing over here without cleaning up before you closed. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Rose took a long breath in and let out a heavy sigh. “No,” she said, looking down at the table. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m… I’m sorry.”
I squeezed her hand, drawing another startled response, as if she had forgotten that I was still holding it. “You are allowed to be worried about me,” I said with a grin. “I am your adventurer, after all. You are my advisor. I would hope that meant you weren’t wishing for my death!”
The macabre joke merely drew a tiny scowl on her beautiful face for a moment before her expression smoothed out and she nodded. I squeezed her hand one last time and let go, sitting back in my chair.
“Tell me how it went,” she said, sitting back in her own chair.
I gave a report on my day in the dungeon, but not mentioning anything about how the dungeon seemed to be taking requests from me.
She stared at me, looking stumped. “You chased a Jack Bird around the entire First Floor and only got it when a rock fell off the roof and took it out for you?” she asked, sounding as incredulous as I expected.
I reached into the pouch hidden under my shirt and pulled out the golden egg in question. “Yep,” I confirmed with a smile. “It was another reason I didn’t want to get my drops exchanged last night. It was getting dark and I didn’t want to head home with that much money at night. Not as a level one, at least.”
She gave a reluctant nod. “That’s… not a bad idea,” she conceded. “There are some adventurers that won’t hesitate to rob another, weaker, adventurer blind if they thought they could get away with it.”
I nodded in agreement. “I’ve heard some unpleasant things about a certain wine god’s familia,” I said. “I don’t feel any particular desire to find out if the rumours are true.” Not that I needed to. I already knew they were.
Rose nodded. “So, Floor Three already?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
I nodded. “I told you before that I had been a soldier. The monsters on the first couple of Floors were not a challenge for me. I needed to go to level three to even start being tested. I am probably going to have to go to level four at least next time. Maybe level five.”
She glared at me. “Don’t get cocky,” she growled. “You think you’ve been in the dungeon once and that makes you experienced enough to go to the Fifth Floor on your second time? I didn’t realise you were so foolish. Should I just write out your death note now and save myself the time later?”
I looked at her flatly. I couldn’t be bothered dealing with that type of attitude. “I don’t think you realise two things,” I said, my tone hard. “First, I wasn’t joking or exaggerating at all when I said I didn’t have any challenge killing the monsters one the Third Floor. That is not a brag. It was a statement. In fact, the longer I went on, the easier it became. It was like my body was adjusting to using a sword as I went. Secondly, I am not an idiot. I wouldn’t go any further if I felt even the slightest bit overwhelmed. I just know where my limits are and push slightly to get a bit stronger.”
I stood up, startling her. “If you can’t believe that I will be able to succeed at this; if you can’t accept that I am going to try push myself a little to get strong as quick as I reasonably can, then just say it now and I will drop you right now and go back to Eina and ask her to be my advisor. I don’t need to have someone talking down to me like a simpleton. Certainly not someone so filled with fear that they take it out on me.”
The look of shock and hurt on her face was almost enough for me to stop and take it back, but I held firm. I know Rose had issues with adventurers getting killed. I get that, truly. But if it was that bad, don’t get a job at the Guild as an advisor where she will be guaranteed to work with adventurers if all you are going to do is hate on them.
I shook my head and started walking for the door. I had just opened it when she finally spoke up.
“Wait.” Her voice was strained and little more than a whisper.
I stopped and looked back at her over my shoulder, not replying as I waited for her to continued.
She stood up and bowed low to me. “I’m sorry,” she said, her tone going at least slightly repentant. “I let my emotions out on you. It wasn’t fair to attack you so. If you wish, I will ask for Eina to take over as your dungeon advisor.”
I let out a slow sigh. “No,” I replied. “I would prefer to keep you. I asked for you to be my advisor for a reason and it wasn’t because you are beautiful.” Her face tinged with the tiniest shade of pink for a second. “Eina would try to hold me back out of fear and her own inexperience. I told you last time that I am not unused to fighting and even killing. I can take care of myself alone on the Upper Floors. I am not going to go down to lower levels if I am too pushed by the monsters on whatever level I am on. I know myself enough to know if I am being pushed further than I am capable of beating.
“At the same time, I need to push myself at least a little if I want to get stronger faster. I only went down to the Third Floor because the First and Second Floors didn’t provide any challenge for me, probably because I have had previous experience fighting. I stayed on the Third Floor last time; I just wanted to give you a heads up that I was likely to go beyond that if I felt like I was able to do so. If I am finding myself getting overwhelmed, I will go back a Floor and build up further until I am able to go back down.”
Rose slowly straightened up and nodded. “I see,” she replied, her lips still pursed slightly. “I made assumptions of your behaviour based on what most other adventurers have done in the past, believing that you were getting overconfident. I apologise.” She let out a sigh of her own. “I will do better at not casting judgments against you.”
Her face hardened and her eyes sharpened, giving her a more wild look. “But don’t go thinking that I won’t come after you if you are unnecessarily reckless, or if you act foolishly. I am not going to let you kill yourself just to bump your stats a little.”
I gave her a lopsided smile. “Sure thing,” I replied. “As long as you listen to any reasonable explanations before you trying jumping down my throat, or sitting on me to stop me going back.”
She didn’t smile, but she did nod. “Very well,” she said. “Let’s find your goddess, then we can organise to cash in your drops and see how you did.”
I nodded and she started leading the way down the hall to another room when we found Tyche coming back towards us. I looked at the goddess for a moment. She was hiding it well, but I could tell that she was excited about something.
“Hi Albert!” she chirped when she saw me. “I’ve signed the contract for a the last of the buildings. Are you ready to go organise the payment?”
I nodded and this time, Rose led us to another room that had scales and a magnifying glass of some kind. She quickly sorts out the magic stones, and there were plenty of them. Unfortunately, they were all low-quality ones from weak monsters. Then she took a look at the drops. The nails and teeth anyway. Once done there, she pushed them all aside and looked at the egg through the magnifying glass.
“The magic stone, nails and teeth come to twenty-two thousand valis,” she said. “The egg is genuine and I can offer a million more valis for it.” She shook her head. “I think you set the record for best first day in the dungeon by a long shot.”
I looked at Tyche and she nodded. “Can you take out the money owed for the new contract I just signed?” she asked. “And just give us the rest split into four bags? Oh, and please don’t tell anyone that it was his first day in the dungeon? Not yet at least. We don’t want to attract attention.”
Rose nodded and disappeared to go get them. I looked back at Tyche. “What did you get?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you back at the house,” she whispered. “Too many ears here.”
I nodded and waited for Rose to come back. It was only a minute or so before she returned.
“Two hundred and ten thousand valis,” she reported, passing over the four bags. “Split as requested.”
“Thanks,” Tyche said, picking up two of the bags and hiding them under her coat. I took the other two and hid one under my shirt while keeping the last one in my pocket. “I think that’s all we need.”
Rose looked at me and I nodded.
“Very well,” she said. “The guild thanks you for your patronage.” She ended with a bow, aimed more towards Tyche than me.
“Thanks again, Rose,” I said. “I’ll see you next time. You stay beautiful, ok?”
I led Tyche out the door before Rose could do more than blink at me in surprise.
The goddess giggled once we were outside. “You are so bad, teasing her like that.”
I shrugged with a smile. “What can I say? I like teasing pretty women to make them blush.” I gave her a tiny smirk. “You should know, I tease you more than anyone.”
Her face went pink but she didn’t bother hiding her pleased smile.
We went home via the markets, stopping to get me some clothes made up in a store run by an older amazon without a familia emblem. There were a couple of things in my size, but I also had some stuff custom ordered. The older lady seemed to enjoy measuring me up.
Finally, after a long morning, we made it back to the townhouse and sat down at the kitchen table for lunch.
“So?” I asked over a mouth of food, looking at Tyche expectantly.
She beamed at me. “I bought the other two townhouses today with what you made from the dungeon yesterday. Now no one can try taking over our property!”
I smiled back. “That’s great news,” I cheered her on. “Now we can control our neighbours.”
She grinned back at me for a moment before her expression turned serious. “I also went back to the Book of Skills and took a look at the Zenkai skill,” she said. “It is a stat boosting skill. If you are hurt, you will grow faster. If you use more ki, your stats will grow faster, and if you fight against opponents that are than you, you will grow faster.”
I blinked at that last reveal. There had never been a level comparison aspect of that in Dragonball. It actually sounded really, really useful. Nearly more than Invictus for helping me grow quickly. Maybe.
If I got hurt, I would increase my power, just like in Dragonball. I wasn’t sure, but I was assuming that the same rule applied; the more injured I was, the greater the power boost would be. Using my ki blasts should help for the second thing. The last part was really only useful while I was still low-levelled, but it was still really useful and something I could exploit now. That was especially true if I could get a trainer while I was a level one or two and got beat up every day.
Something to think about.
I hoped that these power booster effects would stack. Then it would really be a broken skill for this world. And it was all mine!
“I can see that you like that idea,” Tyche’s amused voice cut into my thoughts.
I grinned at her. “What can I say?” I asked rhetorically. “It makes me really happy. I could give you another spin and a kiss, if you would prefer.”
Tyche’s blush was back in an instant as she spluttered out a halting response. “Albert!” she whined. “Don’t tease me!”
My grin widened and I grabbed her for another spin, drawing a squawk of protest out of her. Another kiss to the cheek and I put her back down.
She wasn’t stunned like she was last time, but she certainly had a blush. That and she was clearly trying to fight a smile.
“Stupid Albert,” she grumbled softly, but purposefully loud enough for me to hear every word. “Toying with a woman’s emotions like that.”
I couldn’t help chuckling. “I know,” I agreed. “I’m horrible, being drawn to attractive women. It’s truly a curse.”
Her blush deepened. “A-anyway,” she stuttered. “What is the next thing to do now?”
I considered her question. “I would have headed over to the abandoned zone and practiced my new magic,” I replied. “However, you recommended I take a couple of days to let my body adjust to the new skills. I might go source out a few resources. Maybe look to see if I can find a trainer or get to know where the good restaurants or something are.”
She nodded. “Good idea,” she agreed. “I’ll be spending the rest of the day dusting the other townhouses. We might not have anyone else to join the familia yet but I want us to be ready if it happens.”
I nodded in agreement, before turning to head back out to the markets.
Time to look for a trainer.
…
