Is It Wrong To Crawl My Way Back Home, One Dungeon Floor At A Time?

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No sooner had Syr all but thrown herself at me did I realise how devious this little girl really was.

She probably knew I would deny knowing her. I wonder if this is revenge for all those times I refused something to eat?

Or it could be the whole water fiasco? Actually, it probably was.

"Syr, Get off me. You're making a scene," I grumble out, uncaring about the stares that I got from this girl acting all emotional. Keyword being acting, of course.

I would push her off, but I don't think I could without braining her with my mace or shield. As annoying as Syr can get, I don't want to hurt the poor girl.

Bell's head swishes between the two of us, a look of complete confusion on his face and the scowl on my face burns as I glance down at him. Other people are starting to look now, but I don't take any notice of them.

"John, how could you be so heartless?!" Syr suddenly shouts out as I contemplate using my shield to pry her off of me and I meet her puffed up glare with a blank, bored look of my own.

"You just left without warning! No one knew where you went! Ryu was really upset, you know!"

"I'm more surprised you could tell she was feeling anything at all, honestly. And the whole point of me leaving was so no one knew where I went," I tell Syr, but the pout on her face only grows in strength and I think she's forcing tears to appear now. Taking a better look at her, I see that she has a basket on her arm, bread and cheese sticking out from the top.

Letting out a sigh, I look over to the very confused Bell and nod towards the waitress, "Bell, this is Syr Flova. She's a waitress at the pub I used to sleep in."

"So cold, John! Without me, you would've been sleeping in the streets!"

"At least it would've been quieter."

My lips twitch up as Syr glares cutely up at me before she swiftly turns to Bell and like a switch, she's all smiles and sunshine, making Bell blink owlishly at her before a slight blush creeps on his face.

Oh. Oh dear.

"My condolences for dealing with John here," Syr says smoothly while I just snort out a huff of air, "He can be quite rude, most of the time."

Most of the time?

"I-It's fine," Bell says with a stammer and a blush while I stare at the two of them with a cocked brow, "And John isn't that rude. A-At least to me and our Goddess."

"...Our Goddess?" Syr says with a strange tone in her voice and her argent eyes peer up at me with a keen interest that I found disquieting if anything.

Just as I was about to clear my throat, another sound is heard from the depths of something dark and deep. It almost makes the earth rumble with the noise that was unleashed.

Syr lets out a small giggle and I just look down at the furiously blushing Bell, his hands clasped around his stomach as if that would stop the noise that came within.

"S-Sorry! I didn't eat any breakfast this morning! I-I was kinda in a hurry and I just didn't have the time for it!"

"Idiot," I say without any real heat in my voice, shaking my head at a shameful looking Bell, "Did you plan to go into the Dungeon with an empty stomach or something?"

I ignore the surprisingly pointed, poignant stare of Syr and I frowned down at Bell, though the look of embarrassment on his face told me he knew how badly he screwed up.

The Dungeon isn't a joke and I'm sure Bell knows that. The thing with Hestia must've scared him more than I thought.

Idiot. He should've told me. If he did, I would've taken the rest of the ham with us so he can eat that instead.

Well, at least Hestia will have a nice breakfast when she wakes up. I'll have to see what budget we're going to be working with for food though. We have running water and a wood stove, but that's hardly a kitchen. I could probably make basic meals though.

"Dungeon? Then you're an Adventurer, Mr Bell?" Syr asks innocently and Bell gives her a flustered nod, his cheeks blazing at his name being spoken.

I don't say anything, but...Mr? Really?

"I am, b-but you don't have to call me Mr. Just B-Bell is fine, really," Bell stammers out, making Syr smile brightly at the kid.

"Then you can call me Syr! Nice to meet you, Bell!"

"Smooth," I say under my breath so Bell wouldn't hear me but the quick glance that Syr gave me, her silver eyes almost glinting makes me smirk, at least.

"N-Nice to meet you, Syr."

So, Bell is weak to a pretty face.

Syr isn't gonna have any mercy on the poor kid.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know John, Bell?" Syr asks innocently enough and just like that, Bell's eyes light up and a goofy smile graces his blushing face. I look down at Syr with a dubious look and she simply gives me an innocent-looking smile.

"We're part of the same Familia! John joined just last night and we're going to the Dungeon together," Bell says it so proudly and so happily, I can only sigh as I rub the bridge of my nose, watching as Bell sealed our fates.

"Hmmm...and you didn't eat any breakfast, right?" Syr asks Bell who shakes his head, embarrassedly.

"In that case, here. Take these," Syr says with a bright smile, holding out her basket to Bell who blinked owlishly at the offered honey trap before his blush burned bright again.

"Eh? I-I can't do that!"

"So...you don't want it?" Syr says, lightly biting her bottom lip and Bell's red face turns crimson as he snaps his head to look at me with a pleading look. I could practically see the begging in his wide round red eyes.

I shrug my shoulders at him, but I couldn't resist the twitch of my lips as Bell stammers to Syr and me.

"Please, Bell. I wouldn't want you to go hungry in the Dungeon. It would make me sad," Syr says with a soft worried voice and I could see the fight in Bell's eyes die at those words. Meekly, he accepted the basket and I let out a snort, grinning.

It's coming soon now and Bell isn't going to be able to say no. Poor kid, this is exactly the type of thing I tried to warn him about.

Oh well. Being 'scammed' by paying for a meal is hardly a sordid affair and what he does with his money is his own choice.

"T-Thank you, Syr," Bell says with a bow of his head, holding the basket in his hands. A quick glance told me that there is enough for two people if it was rationed. Bread, cheese and fruits, mostly. Not bad.

"You know, Bell, if you would like to make it up to me…" Syr says with a smooth voice, a smile that combines devious and cheeriness in equal measure, "Would you and John like to eat dinner at my workplace tonight? The Hostess of Fertility?"

Took her longer with Bell than it did with me. Maybe she's just waiting for me to speak up or something.

Bell's expression of shame, giddiness and hunger all merge into a brief look of shock and as he glances down at the basket in hand, he lets out a sigh of resignation, smiling slightly.

"You...don't really play fair, do you?"

Syr just giggles cutely and the two of them look at me for my answer, Syr's smile turning eager while Bell just seems more or less resigned to what just happened. He doesn't seem that upset by it though, which doesn't shock me.

"I'll think about it," I say simply to Syr whose smile simply widens a little at my words, "Now, if you're done guilt-tripping Bell?"

"I'll see you two tonight~ I'll tell Mama Mia to prepare a big meal, John!"

"Why did you single me out?" I ask Syr who just waves us goodbye as Bell does the same, a somewhat happy yet ashamed look on his face. I gave Syr a single wave and before we knew it, she disappeared into the crowd of people.

Bell and I walk silently side by side, the Tower of Babel looming over us with each step taken. Like a constant river, people of all races, types and builds filter in and out of the towering monument.

I glanced down at Bell who couldn't meet my eye, his gaze fixed solidly on the cobblestone pavement and his cheeks flushed.

I let out an amused snort, a cheeky grin on my face as I shook my head, "She had you wrapped around her little finger."

Bell mumbled something out that made me crack a grin before looking up at me, "You two seemed close. Are you friends?"

"I wouldn't go that far. She helped me out when I was homeless and I stayed at her workplace, renting out a room but that's about it. Beyond that, we're just acquaintances, nothing more."

Bell gives me a little frown and he glances down at the basket of food on his hand, his eyes eating the foods held within.

"Make sure to eat before we go in," I remind Bell gently, "And don't feel too bad about what Syr did. From what I heard, the food in the Hostess is delicious and there are more cute girls working there. I'm sure you'll have a good time."

"John, please," Bell's voice almost shakes from embarrassment as he picks up a slice of cheese, nibbling on it meekly as his cheeks flare up, "I-I couldn't just say no to her!"

"You so could, but as I've discovered, you're weak against a cute face," I say without a hint of irony or malice, but Bell just looks like a kicked puppy as I spoke.

Unbidden, a chuckle escapes my lips and I give a slight nudge on Bell's shoulder with my shield, making him swallow.

"Think of this as a lesson in trusting strangers, Bell; More of than not, they'll always have ulterior motives."

Bell gives me a strange look, but doesn't say anything. Reaching into the basket, he wordlessly holds out an apple to me, an innocent smile on his face.

"You have it, I've already eaten my breakfast," I lie to Bell smoothly and he frowns at me, "Overeating can just be as bad as undereating, you know? Plus, we're gonna wanna ration what we have for the Dungeon."

"...Alright, if you say so," Bell says uncertainly, but he puts the apple back and takes some bread instead, eagerly biting into that.

And so it was, with Bell stuffing his face because he missed breakfast, that I went back into the Dungeon, not by myself but with a small, albino child who is the senior of my Familia.

Funny how life works out sometimes.

.

.

A skull of a Goblin is cracked wide open as my mace, caked and dripping with blood, drops down upon it and the light in its bulging red eyes fade as it falls back, dead.

Something with fur flashes in the corner of my eye and I bring up my shield. Not a moment sooner, I let out a grunt as a Kobold smacks itself against my kite shield, its claws making an awful screeching sound, but I don't budge. With a swing of my shield, a fleshy impact could be felt and it lets out a pathetic yelp.

A flash of sharp steel glints for a brief instance and its neck bursts in a river of sticky crimson. With that taken care of, a word escapes my lips as I last out again with my mace, droplets of scarlet blood splaying out as a Kobold's head snaps sharply in a way it wasn't supposed to, a terrible cracking noise echoing out. It slumps on the floor, dead with its body facing forward and its head snapped back.

Four sharp rocks rip themselves from the Dungeon wall and they shoot towards two Goblins and a Kobold trying to gang up on Bell, just out of my reach. The kid dodges the swipes of the Goblins and he crosses his arms as the sharp claws of the fur fiend swipe out, a grimace on his face. Two Earth Spikes pin the Goblins to the walls in a bloody splatter. The Kobold manages to dodge the third, but the fourth and final Earth Spike catches him in the leg.

It lets out a howl of agony, silenced as Bell's knife slashes it open and kills it instantly.

Despite the carnage and our current situation, my breath is steady and calm. My limbs, full of energy and strength. My mace is hefty but not heavy and my shield has barely a scratch on it. A quick glance at my HUD would've made me smirk if any other situation.

HP: 60

MP: 115

I honestly would have whooped with joy if I was alone, but alas, that's not the case. Maybe in private, later.

For now, we have to deal with this mess.

In the lower levels of the Upper Floors, the halls are wide enough to let a party of 10 people at least, shoulder to shoulder. You could have a whole caravan carted through if you wanted. It made for somewhat wild fighting, however, as you could easily get surrounded.

Like me and Bell, right now.

It was going well at first if a little slow. He and I noticed it pretty much straight away, but we fought more monsters together than we did alone. Where we might've fought one or two become four or five. It wasn't that big of a deal, especially with my spells, but it was a noticeable increase.

I thought it was a stroke of good luck. More monsters equal more Magic Stones which equals more Valis. If we could hit our 14,000 mark today early, we might have some left over Valis.

You can never have too much money, after all.

I suppose we got a bit cocky.

Almost like a string of bad luck and as if to punish me for my greedy thoughts, we found ourselves surrounded by eighteen monsters, a mix of Goblins and Kobolds. Well, twelve now but even so, twelve is more than twice what I ever had to fight alone.

It started small. A couple of them would pop out the walls behind us while others charged at us in front. As we pushed further down, more and more came until we found ourselves the centre of attention for these slavering beasts.

God, I hate how smart this place can be sometimes.

I move to Bell and he goes near me, his bloody dagger held in a reverse grip. His long coat has some scratches in it and his laboured breathing could be heard over the snarls and growls of the monsters that prowl around us like a juicy bit of meat.

"We need a plan. Otherwise, they'll swarm us at this rate. Any ideas, kid?" I say to Bell as I keep my shield up, our backs practically touching as the monsters circle us, their maws dripping with spittle and their claws sharp and ready.

Bell goes silent at my question and I wonder if he was relying on me for an idea. I had one, but it wasn't pretty. It could work, but that means leaving Bell alone and that isn't something I'm going to risk just yet.

"We should run away?" Bell tells me, but it comes out like a question. Regardless, I take a second to think it over, my eyes scanning over the monsters as they inch closer to us.

If we run deeper into the Dungeon, we're fucked, simple as. We'll just run into more trouble that we don't need now.

But running back to where we come from...That could work. At the very least, it'll put us in a better position than now.

"We came from over there," Bell jerks his head down a hallway that looks the same as the rest of the floor, "But…"

Bell trails off and I can see why. As if sensing it, more and more monsters start to close in and cluster against where we came from, preventing us from barging through.

Not bad. But not good enough.

"Bell, on my signal. Run."

I feel rather than see Bell's nod and with that, a moment of silence hung over the blood ridden atmosphere. The stench of it is overwhelming, that coppery scent that wafts up in droves as the bodies of monsters lay dead and broken around us. The prowling monsters circle around us, the heavy seconds passing with each droplet of blood that falls from my mace.

Another second passes. They get closer, slowly. Despite everything, Bell remained silent by my side, though I could feel his wide eyes dart to me as I stare at the enclosing beasts.

Just a bit more. Just a bit more…

Another second passes and the circle gets even tighter. The group of monsters that are blocking our path are touching shoulder to shoulder now, a wall of coarse fur, dripping maws and sharp.

Pointing my mace towards the full of monsters, their haunches going tense as they prepare to charge, I say a single word:

"Fireball."

My MP drops from 117 to 57 and an orb of scorching fire shoots out of the tip of my bloody mace. It flies through the air, smelling of brimstone and smoke before it lands on an unlucky Goblin's face. It bursts into a wildfire and makes the other monsters stumble back from the explosive force.

No words passed between me or Bell as we both sprinted through the opening, running through the thick cloud of smoke. Bell jumps over the flaming corpse of the Goblin while I give it a vicious kick, punting it out of my way before running ahead.

I feel something claw against the back of my legs, flailing around for a hit and I notice my HP dip from 60 to 57, but I carry on running.

Good. But not good enough.

Running out of the smoke, both Bell and I are sprinting down from where we came, the beast-man and Goblins nipping at our heels almost. The roars and chittering sounds that came from behind us told me as much.

And as I expected, Bell is soon running ahead of me, leaving me behind in the dust. First thing I noticed about Bell when we're fighting is that the kid is fast. Way faster than me.

I was never going to beat him in a race. That's fine though, I knew as soon as the words 'run away' left his mouth, I was going to be left behind.

"John!" He shouts with worry, looking behind him as he starts to suddenly slow down.

"Don't stop, you idiot! Keep running!" I yell back, my feet thumping hard against the cold stone floor and Bell's face twists into a grimace. Whatever he was going to do, I don't know because I pointed my mace in front of him.

He turns his head back forward, noticing the two passageways that split off to the left and right side, just like the ones we came down.

Bell looks back at me, his red eyes wide but I merely jerk my head forward and with seeming reluctance, he forces himself forward and goes round to the left, a small tuft of white hair that peeks out of the corner tells me all I want to know.

I look back behind me and I count 10 monsters chasing after me, 4 Kobolds and 6 Goblins. The Kobolds are catching up to me faster, running on all fours like a pack of rabid mutts. If I carry on like this, they'll catch up to me sooner rather than later.

Well. Time for a Plan B.

When I reached the end of the hallway, I skidded to a stop and turned around. I see Bell staring at me as I stand in clear view of the chasing, slavering monsters.

I glanced at him and minutely shook my head. Without a word, I turn my gaze to the monsters and speak:

"Earth Spike."

My MP drops from 59 to 54 and four of the Goblins fall victim to a stoney impalement, falling to the ground in a bloody heap. The other monsters don't even notice their fallen comrades, charging forward.

Unable to resist, I bang my mace on my shield. The loud clanging sound is accompanied by the sight of blood dripping down my shield and mace both now.

I felt the urge to say something bubbled up within me, but I pushed it down at the last minute. I braced my shield in front of me, waiting. My hand tightened around the handle of my mace and Bell grimaced as he waited, readying himself.

The first to hit me was a Kobold with singed fur.

It tries to clamber over my shield, trying to claw open my face with talons and teeth for a brief moment, I feel my feet give way.

But with gritted teeth, I lift my shield up and send the Kobold up high behind me, throwing it into the wall. I hear a sicking crunch behind me, but I ignore it. In motion, I lash out with my mace, catching another Kobold in the shoulder.

I can feel something crack under the blow and it reels back in pain, letting out a howl which is cut short as Bell springs forward, stabbing it in the throat. Without skipping a beat, Bell swings his foot high and hits the other Kobold in the cheek, twisting it in a way that spelt death.

The last Kobold, finally noticing Bell, tries to cut him down widely, but it was too little too late. The rather obvious ambush was a success and Bell weaves in close, shoving his bloody under the chin of the monster, killing it instantly.

The Goblins both jump at Bell, their claws ready and poised to rip him apart.

I take a single step and swing my mace down on one of them, splitting open its skull like a ripe fruit. Bell twirls his knife around in a split second and stabs the second Goblin in the throat, dousing him in blood.

Both Goblins fall dead and now, it's just me and Bell, drenched in blood and surrounded by the bodies of monsters.

A moment of silence passes, only punctured by the laboured breathing of Bell. I looked over the corpses of the monsters one last time before looking towards Bell.

"Well, that was fun," I say rather calmly and Bell, despite himself, lets out a little laugh at my words.

As I give him a smile, he lets out a slight wince and absentmindedly, his free hand goes to his side, clutching it.

"Are you hurt?" I ask as my smile dips into a frown and though Bell feebly shakes his head, his hand doesn't move from clutching at his side.

"I think one of the Goblins got me when we ran, but it's nothing to worry about," Bell says to me rather weakly and I simply shake my head. Putting my mace down for a bit, I walk over to the sheepish looking Bell and motion him to remove his hand.

"Top tip, Bell," I say to him as I kneel down and look at him at eye level for once, though he averts his gaze from me and he slowly removes his hand, tinged with blood. I noticed that the claws seemed to have ripped through his leather coat but it didn't seem too deep.

"When you have a healer on hand and you're hurt, you don't keep your mouth shut."

"Soothing Waters."

The look on Bell's face was one I wore myself many times when I had to drench myself in this spell. It was a cringing grimace of gritted teeth and dread-filled realisation. I felt sympathy for the lad, truly, I did.

It was still funny to look at though.

Letting out a shuddering sigh, Bell's cringe turns into an endearing look of childish wonder as he gently pats down the now smooth cut, the blood slowly disappearing into the magical water. In a matter of moments, it was dry.

"Wow…" Bell says to me, looking down at his wound before looking back up at me, eyes full of wonder which made me...kinda uncomfortable, for some reason.

"Don't act so impressed. Compared to most mages, this is probably just grunt level stuff," I say to the wide-eyed kid with an uncaring shrug, but he simply shook his head.

"No, it really is impressive! Having a spell like that is amazing!"

I found myself resisting the urge to say something again, my lips twitching down into a frown. Instead, I gave Bell a shrug, "Well, let's hope this is all the healing I have to do. If either of us ends up with a missing limb or a hole in our guts, I doubt any type of water is going to make that better."

That, and it's expensive MP wise to actually use. Considering I had only three spells to use though, it's not like I have a lot of options available to me.

"Ehehehe...You can say some scary jokes sometimes, John."

"Who said I was joking?" I didn't have to force the small cocked smirk, but Bell just meekly laughed some more as I stood up, "Come on, kid. Time for the fun part of this job."

It's strange, but I wasn't really joking either.

This kinda was a job when you get down to it. Ignore all the fantasy stuff, all the Elves, all the animal people and all the magic that I was flinging around, but when you really get down to it, me and Bell were co-workers doing a job for a paycheck.

Of course, there is a world of difference between Bell and other co-workers I've worked with in the past, mostly due to the nature of dungeon crawling itself, but the key difference is that I actually like Bell as a person instead of someone I just tolerate.

It was almost comical how quickly the atmosphere turned. Just a couple of minutes ago, we were fighting for our lives, surrounded by slathering blood-thirsty monsters.

And now, I watched in morbid fascination as this small kid, no older than 14, plunged his bloody knife straight into the chest of a dead Kobold, blood spurting out as he extracts the magic stone in its chest. The body itself soon turned into black ash which faded out of existence entirely and Bell caught me looking, tilting his blood-splashed face at me.

"Is something wrong?"

Yes.

"Nothing," I shake my head at Bell, getting to work on my own corpses, the sound of ripping and tearing of wet flesh soon filling the air.

"So what does Hestia do while we're in here?" I speak up while a Goblin's body turns into ash in front of me, "Does she go out and look for new members or something?"

"Not...exactly?" Bell's voice speaks up behind me, sounding a bit uncertain, "She works at a Jagamarukun stall during the day. She's usually home when I get back though."

I blinked once as I stopped cutting open a Dungeon Lizard we killed before we got mobbed, turning to look at a sheepish Bell, "She...mans a stall? Selling finger food?"

Bell gives me an almost shameful nod, but I shook my head at him, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging here. But she's a Goddess. Why not just...I don't know, demand money from her worshippers or something?"

"Uhhm...She doesn't really have any?" Bell tells me awkwardly, "That's what Familia's are for. I've never heard of a God getting money from people who worship them like that."

"But she's still a Goddess," I say dumbly, shaking my head at Bell who shakes his head at me.

"I don't think any of the other Gods have that kind of thing. If Goddess had something like, I...don't think they would like it."

"Point," I say with a nod, getting back to work with a frown as I thought over Bell's words.

It's odd. To me, at least. At the same time, the Gods are both figureheads and yet they're more than that. I could see it in the way Bell treated Hestia, a figure to be respected, but not to really be worshipped.

Then again, knowing how Hestia looks, it would be pretty hard to take her seriously. If I remember correctly, the worship of Hestia consists of sacrificing a pig and offering meals at feasts and dinners. Considering everything, I doubt Hestia would actually condone any of that.

I shook my head and reached in to take the small magic stone from the soon evaporating Dungeon Lizard. I'm just being a busy idiot right now, worrying about stuff that doesn't really matter. It's still weird to see just how different these 'Gods' act compared to how I expected them to be.

Well, one comes to mind but considering how I blew her off, I should just be glad that I'm still intact.

"Hey, John, can I ask you something? I-If you don't want-"

"Shoot," I say without turning around, standing up and cutting open a Goblin impaled and stuck on a wall, feeling more like a butcher every minute, "Whether or not I give an answer depends on the question though."

"W-Well, it's just...Do you enjoy being an Adventurer?"

I stopped just as I pocketed another magic stone, drenched in blood as I frown at a somewhat nervous looking Bell. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again, frowning harder. I scratched the back of my head, uncaring of the blood now matting my hair into crimson clumps.

"I never really thought about it, honestly," I admit to Bell who tilts his head at me, a curious expression on his face, "I've had more boring jobs, I'll admit, but at least they don't make me fight for my life. Why do you ask anyway?"

"N-No reason," Bell says unconvincingly, but I don't force the issue. He's probably just trying to make conversation.

"What about you, Bell?" I ask the kid who gives me a cute, thoughtful frown, "You're a young kid in this whole fiasco, but it's not like someone forced you into it."

"I'm not a kid," Bell mutters weakly and my lips twitch into a coy smirk.

"That sounds like something a kid would say."

Bell gives me a glare that would've worked on old ladies who would ruffle his snow-white hair, but didn't say anything, instead peering back at the Goblin corpse slowly turns into black ash in front of him.

"I think...it's the only way for me to be where I want to be," Bell says to me rather slowly and mysteriously. Despite myself, I find myself nodding slightly at his answer.

I understood, even if he didn't know exactly why. If I had a choice, I don't think I would've picked being an Adventurer at all. But I never had a choice in the first place so that's not worth really thinking about.

"I get what you mean, but that you know that doesn't really tell me if you enjoyed it or not," I say to Bell who blinks at me before his cheeks slightly colour with a different shade of red.

"W-Well, you didn't really tell me either."

"Point made," I chuckle at Bell before jerking my head at the trail of corpses we left behind, "Come on, kid. We got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Right!"

With that, me and Bell carried on, cutting up all the monsters we killed. Even with both of us, it still took more time than I would've liked. It wasn't uncommon for monsters to pop out while we're harvesting our magic stones.

Luckily, I think after that massive group, the Dungeon was probably feeling a bit tired. One thing I've noticed about this damned place, it's not usually a constant spawning of monsters. It's usually either one of two ways monsters spawn:

A sudden flood or a steady stream. Some days, more monsters spawn than the days before, but those are rare. If I had to guess, it's how the Dungeon works. As strange as this place is, it can't ignore the basic rule that something can't exist from nothing. Making these monsters and by proxy, these magic stones have to take some kind of energy, whatever that might be.

And when that energy is expanded, it either saves what little it has for more Adventurers or for the lower Floors.

At least that's my theory on it. This place is smart in the way a vicious animal is smart. Whether it's actually sapient or not is still something I'm trying to figure out.

It's for this reason that I felt somewhat safe harvesting our magic stones here, where most of the monsters spawned. I don't exactly know how long until the Dungeon is finished 'recharging' but I'm sure we'll be fine for now.

And after what must've been a good 5 minutes of non-stop carving, we looked over our haul.

And what a haul it was.

"Wow...I don't think I've seen so many items drop before."

"Same here, kid," I say mildly as Bell looked down in wonder at the small pile of claws, fangs and a single tattered hide of a Dungeon Lizard laid out beneath them, the pearly white scales shining in the dim light.

"Good work, kid. You're probably the best good luck charm I've ever had."

Bell's cheeks flushed with a tinge of dark red as I gave him a pat on the back. He scratched his cheek, a silly little grin on his face, full of embarrassment, "W-Well, I only hid away and ambushed them at the end."

"That was the smart thing to do," I tell him bluntly, "I was too slow to catch up, so I acted as bait. Takes two to tango and all that."

"Tan...go?" Bell asks me with eyes full of innocence, but I shake my head.

"I'll tell you when you're older," I repeat a phrase that every kid heard at least once and he frowns up at me while I look down at our loot, counting and adding up our magic stones and items prior to the big fight we just had.

"Considering the magic stones and the few drops from before," I let out a low hum in my throat, scratching my chin in thought, "This is probably enough to hit our 14,000 goal, maybe more to boot."

"Really?!" Bell asks, hope and excitement plainly evident in his twinkling ruby eyes.

"Possibly," I try not to grin as Bell's expression of hope turns into a dejected sigh, "Come on, don't be like that. If we want to make sure, we just have to find more monsters."

Bell gave me a determined nod, packing up our drops into his backpack before hefting it up and putting it back on. He stood back up with a small grunt and as we walked through the Fourth Floor, I could feel him taking glances at me.

"Hey, John. Where do you put your magic stones? I don't see a pouch or anything on you," Bell asks me and I simply pat the pockets on my hoodie once, smirking down at him.

"Magic," I tell him simply and he frowns at my answer, making me chuckle, "Don't worry, kid. I'm not gonna drop anything."

Still though, I'll make sure to buy a bag or something. I would use my inventory for all of our magic stones and drops, but that's not feasible really. How can I even explain to Bell the concept, let alone prove to him the truth?

In the lull that followed, I looked to my HUD and opened up my inventory, checking over what appeared over me:

Valis: 0

Magic Stones: 67

Weight: 5/50

HP: 57/60

MP: 94/120

Without a doubt, this new Skill is going to carry me. In just 5 minutes, I went from 44 to 94 to MP. Normally, after 5 minutes, I would at 50 MP rather than 44.

That's 10 MP a minute. Compared to what I was working with before, that's insanely good.

Along with the improvements on the Earth Spike, I owed Hestia and Bell more than they would ever know. This whole Falna thing was turning out way better than I hoped.

That being said though…

I mumbled out a word under my breath and a screen that only I could see popped up in front of me.

It was my Skill list, the details of my Geomancy Skill still the same as the last time I saw them.

I thought about moving some rocks and-

[Insufficient MP.]

There we go. As if to pour buckets of sewage water all over my parade, the blue-white words mocking me popped up out of nowhere.

The prime effect of Geomancy, the reason why Hestia was so excited and somewhat scared by it, didn't work for me.

Well, it didn't work right now. It wasn't a percentage take of my max MP like I thought it was.

It was a flat cost. Of course, it doesn't tell me what the actual flat cost is because why would it? No, that would make things easier for me and we can't have that, no sir.

When I get back home, I'm never touching another video game for as long as I live.

Even so, this doesn't change the fact that I struck gold with this Skill. All I can do is just go along with this whole Falna and Gamer business and see where I end up. Can't be any worst than before, that's for sure.

"We're getting closer to the Fifth Floor now," I glance down at Bell as I started to recognize the twisting hallways, having walked through it countless times before now, "Are you up for it, Bell?"

The question was in part because the Fifth Floor monsters are stronger and more numerous than the Floors we just went through and because this is where Bell and I met.

After he almost died yesterday due to the whole Minotaur business.

I could see it in his ruby-red eyes, the way they darted to the end of the stone hallway as if expecting the bull-man to suddenly appear from nowhere, to charge us down.

Of course, nothing came. It was as empty and still as ever. Whether he knew it or not, Bell's stride came to a cold stop for a moment and I could hear him take a deep, sharp intake of air.

I would've stopped as well, but just as quick as it came, Bell walked to my side and gave me a firm yet slow nod, his big eyes peeled back as we carried on walking towards the Fifth Floor.

I felt my lips twitched up before I forced them into a stern look, though that didn't diminish the warm feeling I felt.

This was greedy. There's no point beating around the bush, this was pure and simple greed. We had everything we needed to for a big paycheck, way more than 14,000.

But why should we stop there? Why should Bell and I not go for more?

I didn't know what it was that Bell wanted or why he had to be an Adventurer to get it. It wasn't money, that's for sure. He didn't strike me as the type to go after riches.

He didn't seem like the selfish sort and they're always the hardest to read, but if I had to guess, Bell probably wants fame. It's the way he said that being an Adventurer is the only way for him to 'be where he wants to be'.

He wanted to be famous, for whatever reason. And while I didn't understand why someone would want that, it was his choice and I respected it.

And it was heartening to see that, despite the whole kerfuffle yesterday, Bell was still gunning for it.

If you're not hungry for something, you'll never take it for yourself after all.

"Bell, hand me your bag. I'll carry it from now on," I tell the kid as soon as we stumble upon the stairway to the Fifth Floor. It led down in roughly hewn rectangular shapes, the dim light of the Dungeon making it seem like a gaping maw of a beast.

"Are you sure, John? I can carry-"

"It's not like that, kid. That thing's heavy and you have to drop it to fight, right?" I look down at Bell, my brow arched in question as he gives me a shallow nod, "So let me carry it, at least for the Fifth Floor. Comparing how we fight, doesn't it make more sense for me to carry it?"

There was a...I didn't know what to call it, a manipulative element, I guess, as to why I let him carry a heavy bag for so long. Shamefully, it wouldn't be a stretch to call Bell a pack mule right now.

Simply put, I didn't want Bell to get hurt. The kid is so stupidly trusting and fragile, if a monster that could talk and it found Bell, he would believe it was a 'good' monster.

But I can't coddle him nor do I really want to. The kid can fight and against monsters, I've seen how surprisingly brutal he can be.

It boiled down to the Falna and his Basic Abilities in the end and how it functioned.

The more Bell and I fight, the more excellia we earn. When his Falna is updated, the excellia he accumulated will be spread amongst his Basic Abilities. I have no doubt his Agility stat will go up the highest, fast little bugger that he is. But that also leaves a glaring weakness:

If he's avoiding all of the attacks thrown at him, what about his Endurance? There was an argument to be made that avoiding attacks was better than taking them head-on, but that only worked until it doesn't.

Maybe it doesn't work like that and I'm going about this the wrong way. But on the off chance that it does, I'll have Bell carry a heavy bag rather than getting gutted by a Goblin or a Kobold. Sure, it might not be as effective, but it also had a 0% chance of him dying.

Hopefully.

But at this point, I was willing to shoulder carrying the bag for this floor. Such an act was only fitting for a martyr, but alas, I was only a simple man with a big mace caked in the blood of my foes.

In a way, having more monsters for both of us was both a blessing and a curse. Without monsters, we didn't get paid and we didn't get stronger. And yet, the lower we go down, the stronger and more numerous the monsters become.

Honestly, screw this place. It sucks so much.

Holding out my hand, I waited for Bell to unhook the bag from his back and drop it in my hand.

And when he does so, I almost dropped the damn thing, my arm being lurched down by the sudden massive weight in my hand.

"Jesus, you were carrying this?" I huffed out as I struggled to place the strap around my shoulders, eventually putting down my mace and shield down on the floor to do so, "What the hell is it filled with? Cinder blocks?"

"Eheheh…Just the item drops that we got today and a few essentials really," Bell tells me with an apologetic grin, but I noticed he doesn't seem very keen on hiding his relief as he stretched his arms up high, a sigh of sweet relief matching his motion bit for bit.

And then, almost on cue, the familiar blue screen popped up right in front of me:

[Magic-infused Backpack detected. Weight is now at 200 / 250.]

Thought so.

While the whole thing about it being magically infused surprised me, the fact that this popped up didn't.

This Gamer thing has so many quirks laying just beneath the surface of it and it's infuriating. What was the point of giving me this garbage if it never tells me anything about how it works?

Settling the hefty backpack on my back, I could feel it ever so slightly weighing down on my spine but either I got used to the weight fairly quickly or the Gamer garbage must've changed something. I didn't really care one way or the other, but I didn't think it would be an issue in a fight now anyway.

"So what's this thing made out of anyway?" I ask Bell, curious as to why it was exactly magic. The Guild didn't offer me anything like this and I'm sure even if they did, it would be expensive as all hell.

"I don't know everything, but I was told it was made with magic. It can hold more items than it should, but that doesn't really solve the weight issue…"

"Tell me about it," I grouse out, rolling my shoulders. With nothing else left to say, I nod down to the pathway deeper into the Dungeon, wetting my dry lips as I spoke:

"Come on, kid. Daylight's burning."

.

.

This day was a day of firsts for Bell.

It was the first day he's ever been in the Dungeon with someone else and it was the first day he's ever fought with a fellow Familia member.

It might also be the first day he would earn over 10,000 Valis. He tried not to think about that just yet though, not wanting to be let down by his high expectations.

Despite that, his thoughts kept going back to the number. Despite that, he found himself looking forward when both he and John go back to the Guild to hand in their loot for today.

With the thought of his new Familia member in mind, Bell found his gaze looking upon the broad-shouldered back of the spell caster, John having taken the lead ever since they set foot in the Dungeon.

It shocked Bell how natural John was in the Dungeon. Never once did they end up in a dead-end or trapped. Never once did John even have to take a minute to think of where to go, leading both of them deeper and deeper into the Dungeon.

Faintly, Bell realised that John knew these Floors like the back of his hand. He knew where to go to reach the lower Floors and he knew where to go so they could force a fight with the monsters for more Magic Stones.

Bell knew that John went into the Dungeon before they met. That meant he came into the Dungeon without a Falna, a secret only he and Hestia knew.

A mixture of awe and worry filled Bell's mind. He looked at the tall man in front, a silent figure as he and Bell walked to the Fifth Floor. Ignoring the jolt of cold that ran up his spine and thoughts of a raging bull-man, the young Adventurer found himself baffled by his new Familia member.

He could never imagine fighting without a Falna, let alone becoming an Adventurer without one. He wanted to know what drove John on so violently.

But he had to accept he may never know.

Bell considered himself ignorant, but not a fool. John was a person who held his privacy and secrets high, that much was obvious. Asking him would do nothing more than accomplish John dodging the question and he didn't want to push.

It frustrated Bell to no end. He could understand the reasons behind it, but that didn't mean he doesn't want to know more about John.

Such as when he asked if he enjoyed being an Adventurer. Though he couldn't see his face now, Bell found himself imagining a grim frown as he marched onwards.

But when they fought monsters that the Dungeon birthed, Bell would catch a glimpse of John smiling.

It wasn't the deranged wide-eyed smile of a mad man. It was more like the smile of someone having fun playing a game like catch or tag. At first, Bell thought he was seeing things, a trick of the light in the Dungeon.

But when they ran away from that horde of monsters and John acted as bait, he saw it as plain as day.

It didn't disturb Bell as much as he thought it would, but it made him wonder what sort of expression John wore when he came into the Dungeon by himself. It made him wonder if John was one of those types that like fighting and that had a hand in him choosing to be an Adventurer.

And Bell never did get John's answer. But he decided it was fair because he never answered John's question either.

In truth, Bell didn't know what to say other than what he told John. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't really answer the question either. It was Bell's dream to become an Adventurer, but...

"Head's up, kid," The gruff voice of John broke Bell out of his thoughts, the sound of stone cracking and prying open filling the still air, "We got company."

In front of them, the walls of the Dungeon birthed a mixed group of Kobolds and Goblins, slightly larger than the ones on the Fourth Floor above them. Their red eyes and sharp claws glinted with malevolence and hunger in the light of the Dungeon.

And then the same stone shattering sounds could be heard from behind them.

Readying his dagger, Bell calmed down his heavy breathing and ignored the slight tightness in his lungs. He turned to face the second group of monsters behind them, a group just like the first.

"And this is where it gets fun," John says in grim humour, making Bell smile awkwardly at his words, "I'll take care of this. Can you handle the other idiots behind us?"

"Leave it to me!" Bell found himself getting eager and ready to prove himself, all thoughts of the Minotaur pushed out of his mind. He came down here alone once. But he wasn't alone and neither was John.

They're a Familia, after all. While John might not trust Bell with his secrets, he trusted him enough to cover his back. It was a good feeling to be relied upon, Bell thought to himself.

Growing used to seeing the stakes of stone fly off of the Dungeon walls, the noises of crunching bones and sliced flesh began to fill the air. Bell fought as he always did, never stopping in place and always moving. As soon as his blood-caked knife slit the throat of an angry Goblin, it was already flashing towards its next target before the body hit the ground.

John fought the opposite way. If Bell had to describe the way John fought, the words 'stonewall' came to mind.

He didn't bother dodging attacks, at least not all of them as Bell did. He blocked the hits with his shield and counter attacked viciously with his mace, peppering monsters with his spells as appropriate.

It was not out of the question to say they fought in ways that are complete opposites. But they did have one thing in common; they were rarely clean.

The sickening sound of a skull crunching made Bell turn around, just in time to see a Goblin with a crushed head fall to the ground. The gruesome indent in the bulbous head of the Goblin made Bell grimace internally, but he was glad to see that John didn't suffer any injuries, even if he fought with the backpack on.

"You alright, kid?" John turned around, looking down at Bell with dark brown eyes.

Bell shook his head tiredly, "I'm fine, John. What about you? Fighting with the backpack on is a bit dangerous."

"Don't worry about me kid, I'm as fit as a fiddle," John once again strings together curious words that all Bell could respond with was an awkward chuckle.

After making sure that the monsters were dead, Bell and John got to work. It didn't take as long as when they butchered the group on the Floor above, but as Bell worked, he felt his limbs grow heavy and his breath laboured.

Not wanting to John to see him faltering and tired, Bell forced himself to move faster to gather the Magic Stones, finishing just as John took care of his own group.

"Kid?" You okay?" John's gruff voice made Bell look up to the older Adventurer and he hurriedly nodded his head, ignoring the heavy feeling in his limbs.

"I-I'm fine," Bell told the smallest of white lies to John who simply frowned, but thankfully nodded at Bell's reassurance.

With the Magic Stones gathered, the two Adventurers of the Hestia Familia set off once again, deeper into the belly of the Dungeon.

The silence around the two was thick with tension. As if he never handed John the backpack in the first place, Bell found himself straining just not to buckle under the imaginary pressure.

Maybe it was because this was the deepest he's ever been. Maybe it was because of the memory of the Minotaur or maybe it was because of John's silence, but Bell couldn't find the words to break the tension that had enveloped the both of them.

It was a stark contrast on the Upper Floors. That is not to say that there wasn't tension, but up there, it wasn't suffocating. Here, he could barely breathe

And yet John strode on. Taking the lead in front, John walked as if seeking something in the Dungeon far beyond what Bell could see.

It frustrated the young Adventurer to no end and he didn't know what to do. So he followed as the Dungeon tried to stop them.

The battles felt as if they became longer and longer for Bell. Each monster he killed put up just that bit more of a fight. What would require a single stroke of his knife became two which became four and finally became six, the knife in his hand like a lead brick.

It was inevitable that Bell finally became too slow. They hadn't rest for their

The rock wall he was thrown against bit deep into his back and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. His ribs yelled out in throbbing pain and his ears rung with a high pitched tone.

The Goblin that knocked him down to the ground almost seemed to loom over him despite its size. Bell threw up his unarmoured arms to protect himself as the Goblin launched itself at him, claws at the ready.

Ignoring the throbbing pain and the low pitching ring in his ears, Bell threw himself to the side, deftly dodging the fatal blow. With a wrench of his limbs, he brought the Goblin to its knees by shoving his knife deep into its thigh, warm blood covering his dirty hand. When he removed it, he barely managed to slit the Goblin's throat before it tried to lunge and bite out his throat in turn.

"Bell!"

The sudden yell from John made Bell's head snap, just in time to see John try to run over to Bell to help him.

And in return, a rabid Kobold jumped up on his back, clawing and biting at his neck. For a moment, Bell's heart stopped at the sight of almost certain death.

But John, as if unconcerned about the dog-man on his back, snarled and swore loudly. John threw himself at the wall, slamming the Kobold on the stone walls of the Dungeon. The monster let out a yelp of pain but still held on.

Reaching behind him, John's snarl turned furious as he had to drop his mace on the ground. With both of his hands free, John grabbed the monstrous Kobold and tore it from his back, slamming it on the ground.

With a stomp, his foot landed on the Kobolds throat, an awful choking noise coming from the monster.

Unable to move from his spot, John held up his shield as a Goblin tried to charge at him, deflecting the blow. The sound of more monsters could be heard, just behind John.

By that point, Bell was already on his feet and moving, the pain wracking his body overtaken by worry.

"Earth Spikes!"

Spearheads of stone ripped themselves from the Dungeon walls, flying towards the group of monsters and felling four of them, though the roars and snarls of monsters could still be heard approaching.

"John!"

"Thanks, kid!"

Having rushed to John, he scooped up his bloody mace and threw it at him. Almost fumbling the catch, John managed to grab it barely and removed his firmly planted foot from the Kobold's throat. It lept up, only for its skull to be caved in.

Having turned the tide, Bell and John managed to dispatch the rest of the monsters, made even easier by the fact that John became far more liberal with the use of his spells. In a matter of moments, what would've become a deadly scenario was reversed.

When it was over, Bell's legs gave way from under him. Exhaustion had more than caught up to him by now and he couldn't take a single step forward, despite how much he wanted to.

"Bell, are you okay? You took a pretty nasty hit back there," John had knelt down, looking over Bell, dropping his mace to the ground and looking over him with worried eyes.

"It's f-fine, John," Bell lied badly to such an extent that he even he knew it was a poor lie, but he still pressed on, "I can still keep going."

John sighed, unconvinced and without a word, placed his hand just above Bell's head.

"Soothing Waters."

Bell sucked in air when the bone-chilling waters splashed over him, quickly replacing the dull throbbing in his head. The dried and wet blood that covered him disappeared into nothing along with his pain and injuries.

"Rest here for a minute, kid. I'll get the stones."

Bell wanted to object, but John had already stood up. He even tried to stand up, but John simply spoke once more:

"Kid, I'm serious. A concussion is no joke and my magic isn't that good. Just take five, will ya?"

"...Okay."

With a mix of relief and shame, Bell took the time to rest, no longer in pain thanks to John's healing magic. With a frown, he touched the once wet parts of his clothes as if expecting them to still be cold.

John said his magic was weak compared to other mages and while Bell had no other frame of reference to compare, he felt that John was being too hard on himself.

Two spells, one even made stronger by his Skill and one that could wipe out a group of monsters and a healing spell that seemingly was able to heal most injuries on the fly.

Had John used his spells more often, most of the fights they had fought today would've been ended easily but John himself said he didn't want to rely on his spells. He wanted Bell to gather excellia and wanted to conserve his 'Mind' so he could heal if need be.

Bell was thankful for that, in part. But now Bell had to face the truth:

Bell was holding John back.

Even now, he was the one resting while John was the one working. In the time they had been here, it was Bell who had to be healed more and more while John never healed himself. He never got injured, even when that Kobold leapt onto his back.

He never got tired, no matter how much he fought. He never looked like he was in need of a break and Bell didn't want to be more of a burden he already was, so he tried to keep up with John through it all.

He was willing to go through it all. But his body could not keep up any longer.

To him, it was nothing short of humiliating.

"That's all of it," John suddenly spoke up, placing the Magic Stones in the bulging backpack and made his way to Bell.

"Don't be so down in the dumps, kid. For our first time together, I feel as if we did pretty good," John's voice made Bell look up and he saw the older Adventurer holding out his hand to him, a cocked smile on his lips.

"Shit happens, Bell. Just have to grin and bear sometimes."

Bell found himself smiling embarrassedly at John, taking his outstretched hand to pull himself up, "John, you shouldn't swear so much. It's not really...polite?"

"Swearing is great. I can sum up whole situations in just a word," John defended himself and Bell couldn't find it in himself to disagree despite wanting to, "But don't worry, I won't swear around Hestia. Hearing swears coming out of her mouth would give me a heart attack."

Bell laughed at the thought, standing on shaky legs as John pulled him up to his feet.

"...We've done good work today, kid. Let's head home, alright?"

There was something in the way John said those words that made Bell frown, "I can keep going-"

"Absolutely not," John said swiftly and decisively, his smile wiped out and replaced with a grim look before it softened.

"Look, Bell. We did good work today, really. Being greedy is good and all, but if you don't learn to temper that, you'll just end up getting hurt."

Like what happened, Bell thought to himself.

With that said, Bell gave a nod filled with slight shame but mostly relief and the two Familia members started to make their way back.

The silence wasn't like before. Rather than a natural, somewhat awkward yet comfortable silence between the two, it was heavy. Repressive.

Bell didn't know what the cause was nor how it even became like this. It wasn't until they got to the passageway leading up to the Fourth Floor that it came to a head.

Bell started walking up until he noticed something out of place.

He looked behind to see John, stopped in place. A foot was planted on the stairway leading up, but he had turned around to look behind him. His face was hidden as he looked down the hallway they just walked from.

"Hey, Bell," John says slowly and purposefully, turning to look at Bell with a blank expression, "How about you head on without me?"

"What?"

"Other Adventurers have probably cleared out the Floors above, so I doubt it'll be dangerous," John carried on as if he didn't hear Bell, "But you know, just to be sure we hit our goal, I think I'll spend some time down here."

Without waiting for Bell to respond, John took the backpack off and handed it to Bell who dumbly took as he looked at John with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open as thoughts ran through his head.

John flashed Bell a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Don't worry about me, kid. I'll be fine."

Unable to push through John's forceful words, Bell could only ask him one thing:

"Are you sure?" He asked uncertainly, unable to keep the apprehension out of his voice and words.

"I am," John said and Bell knew he couldn't do anything to actually stop John.

"Well...if you say so," Bell tried to keep his words steady as he grabbed the bulging backpack from John, shuffling it as he tried to ignore the spine-bending weight.

"Take care, kid."

Bell gave a solemn nod to John and with that, John turned and started to walk away. Bell couldn't find it himself to move up the stairs and as the seconds ticked away, the more and more the situation seemed...unfair to him.

"John," Bell called out and the older Adventurer looked behind him to see Bell biting his lip and his ruby-red eyes staring right through him.

"Be careful. Please?"

Bell didn't know what else to say or do. He knew he had to do something, but the words that came out sounded hollow and weak to his ears.

"Always am, Bell. See you topside."

And with those words, John didn't even look back to see that Bell didn't move from his spot until he was out of view.

And at that moment, Bell felt as if he had made a terrible, terrible mistake.

.

.

Sorry that this is so short and it took so long. I was planning for this to be like 17k words at least but before I realised it 2 god damn months had already passed me by and this seemed like a good point/cliff hanger to leave on.

When the world is literally on fire, time sure does fly by fast.

The reason for this taking so long is that, for me at least, quarantine is over and I'm now back at work, more or less full time. Have to wear masks and gloves, but I'm just thankful I still have a job.

The world is currently on fucking fire, but hey, I still got the time to write. So that's something.

For this chapter, I don't think there is a whole lot to say except that I really enjoy writing about fighting as you could probably see. It's just one of those things that I find really enjoyable to write. You could consider this chapter and the next a bit of insight into the SI's character and how they seem to other people in Danmachi.

Also, a bit of a non-sequitur, but I would just like to say beforehand, Self Inserts are fucking weird man. I thought writing one would be easy, but it's actually surprisingly difficult. It almost feels like I'm exposing myself. Add on to that fact, this doesn't really qualify as a Self Insert, really.

If I was Self Inserted in Danmachi and had the Gamer shit, I would spend the rest of my time selling Soothing Water Bottles for money, not actually risking my life in the Dungeon. But that doesn't make for a good story nor an enjoyable one, at least to me. A story about selling literal gamer water (yes I know the meme) sounds more like an omake or something. If you guys read the DxD Fic and this one, both Self Inserts, I wager you'd find it hard-pressed to find them to actually be the same type of character.

That little rant over and done with, I'm gonna stop before bloating the word count even more. I'm hoping to make my next update longer and not take two months, but I make no promises.

See ya guys later.