A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here. Back again with another chapter.

Have fun and Happy Reading ^^

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- Aftermath -

It was fairly clear in the skies above Orario. The bustling commerce reverberated outside the streets as the day began without anything big to discuss with. There were talks here and there but they were mostly drowned out by everyday activities of the normal folk. The sun was up and people were ready to make their lives worthwhile once again.

It was just normal for most of them. Gods, on the other hand, had their own matters to deal with. Not a day went by that something interesting would appear in this city that would catch their eye. Entertainment was, after all, their sole reason why they descended into this world. Everything from simple work on a stall to uncovering mysteries of the dungeon was nothing short of entertainment for them, though some of them were keen on just experiencing the mortal life. Most of them simply lived alongside their children as if like normal people. However, they were still given some level of reverence because they're still, in fact, gods. Despite sealing their Arcanum, they exhibited a small divine presence that set them apart from the mortal fold.

Suffice to say, it was an experience that they all have in common but it was nothing sort of concern in the way of experiencing life with their children. In fact, as they continued to live with them, they slowly changed and began to feel much more attuned to the mortal life rather than their life as a god back on Heaven. They began to act almost like any other mortal except that they still had their titles and were feared when confronted.

Still, that doesn't mean that all of them are that intimidating. Most of their personalities are strongly tied to the domain in which their godhood is affiliated with. A god associated with war is likely to be one who instigates violence and war while a god of love is more likely to spread their influence through affection, and so on.

Hestia was never the type to adhere to her trait as the goddess of the hearth when she first came down from Heaven. Her current home would be like a mockery of her representation, judging by its broken-down state. The fact that it was also located on one of the most desolated areas in Orario, the Abandoned District made it seem like she didn't put much effort into reflecting her values as a god.

But then again, she was still a newbie goddess. It hadn't been a year since she came down so being able to live this much was already an achievement. Plus, she never really cared about her symbol as a god. She was lazy at best, proven by her freeloading with her fellow friend, Hephaestus before finally getting kicked out for basically not doing anything. But all of that changed when she first met Natsu.

The petite goddess sat down on the couch as soon as her memories came rushing back inside her head. Her eyes darted over to the bed where she could see him, slumbering peacefully after what it seemed to be a hard and difficult journey from the dungeon. The pink locks of his hair swayed gently as a small gust of wind swept inside from an open window. His face looked calm and full of vulnerabilities which would be very unlike of him since he usually donned a confident look every time he looks at her.

It was his way of showing her not to worry. After all, his line of work was usually synonymous with danger.

As a god, she could not accompany him but she would always pray for his safety every time he embarked on a journey.

But for now, he was simply resting comfortably like a child who had gotten tired after a long day.

She slowly got up from the couch and quietly sat right beside the bed. She gently caressed his hair to soothe him. As she was doing that, her mind soon recalled of their first meeting.

It was such a memorable encounter. Her struggle to find someone to join her familia and the looming fact of seeing Hephaestus scolding her again was the only thing that was in her mind at that time. She had been slacking with the fellow goddess during her first days in the Lower World and it was at that time she needed to find work if she wanted to survive.

At first, she didn't want to make a name for herself. She just wanted to experience the world that made most of her fellow deities to come down and play. She was curious about their mundane yet fulfilling lives to the point that she wanted to become one herself. And the best way to experience that kind of fulfilling life was creating a familia of her own.

Unfortunately for her, the Lower World wasn't that kind to newbie gods like her. Most adventurers wanted a familia that could easily grant them fame and success so the competition to attract children to a familia was obviously one-sided. Gods and goddesses who recently started their familia had to scrap the bottom of the barrel of whatever's left of potential children that would be interested to join them.

Would they even join them at all? After all, no one would waste their time joining a familia with no background.

Hestia was no stranger to this treatment. She knew that mortals were selfish to their desires and she couldn't blame them for not giving her a chance. For a goddess like her at this time, forming a familia difficult. Hephaestus even said to her that the best way for her to get a familia is to work on her own and build her reputation there.

But that was not what she wanted. She wanted to create a familia that took on adventures to the dungeon and build it a place of home for those who were abandoned.

She still had her pride as a goddess of the hearth so a familia that treasures family was a thing that she wanted to have.

Who would've thought that it would start on a certain pink-haired young man that she met on that hot sunny day?

Hmm? Join you? Sure why not?

Are you sure? Do you not doubt me?

Why would I? You look so happy when I agreed. Isn't that enough? Plus, this city is cool.

R-Really?

Seriously.

Then, there's something I want to do. Natsu, I want to build a familia.

Familia?

Not just any Familia. I want to create a Familia that would cherish others! A Familia that would look after each other and care for each other. Will you help me?

Of course!

Her lips curved into a smile as she gently hovered her head above him. She kissed his forehead affectionately as the boy in front of her continued to dose away in peace. She lightly giggled at the oblivious response as she imagined him panicking for receiving a kiss from a goddess. Regardless, it was nothing short of simple gratitude from her. That gesture would be one of the many things that she would express to him as he grew. While a part of her was slightly disappointed with him not being able to see this moment, she felt like this would suffice for now. There would be more chances for her to show them to him in the future.

The struggles that they endured all this time. She could not help but feel proud of his growth more than ever. His adventure was a testament to his ever-growing potential and now, he was ready to take the next step.

The first page of their story had just begun.

With one last stroke of her hand over his hair, she stood up and made her way towards the door. She took one last glance at the pinkette. His face contorting to a cute smile as if he was having a victory over some phantom monster in his dream. A light giggle escaped from her lips, thinking her child would even dream about defeating monsters from his sleep.

A few words left her mouth as she shut the door behind her and went on her way.

"Rest well, Natsu."

...

The Guild was working hard as ever. It had been a few days ever since the Irregular incident and things were already back to normal almost as if nothing happened between the course of days that would have caused a massive uproar if not for the unexpected turn of events that quickly dispersed said problem and somehow managed to scrape by without much of a concern. Everyone was on edge during the following days but the tension was seemingly dying down little by little.

Well, at least it would've been for Eina.

The half-elf was standing morosely in front of the desk of many adventurers that lined up before her to ask questions and tips about the dungeon. Needless to say, people were confused by her lack of motivation and sullen look. If there was one unspoken rule for Guild members to adhere to, it was to greet adventurers with a smile to ease their tension as they go in and out of the dungeon facing danger. Eina was by no means doing the opposite.

"Psst. Hey, Eina." Misha, the half-elf's long time colleague and friend, scooted next to her since she noticed her staring into open space with the same sullen expression. The poor elf had been making the same look and would not bother to change it unless she was called out by her whenever she fails to do so.

Her voice didn't seem to reach her due to the lack of response which only caused her to sigh in the process. She could already guess where this sunken mood was coming from.

"Haaah, if you're so worried about him, why don't you take the day off and visit him?" She advised, knowing that her current mood wouldn't make any difference if she didn't do so. Honestly, it was quite depressing to look at, seeing her fair looks constantly covered in such a state. The only thing that would make it worse was for her to shed tears in the process.

Her words seemed to have gotten through her as she saw her face snap out of its daze and suddenly turned towards her in panic.

"I-I wouldn't do that! Plus, I still got work. I need to maintain myself for the others too." Eina spoke frantically though stopping soon after as she saw her concerned face. The half-elf slowly turned her eyes upfront in deep thought. "I just need to prepare myself for what's to come."

Misha sighed again as she simply watched her forced to continue her duties despite the poor face she's making.

She could only wonder how far she would fare if she kept worrying about the adventurer all the time. She knew Eina was a strong person. Although when it came to the pinkette, she would definitely switch into something else.

Not that she was against it or anything but there should be a line to draw between her and the adventurer as to not make herself hurt in the process. After all, she had witnessed her experience the same thing in the past and she was still recovering from it even until now. This new adventurer seemed to have made an impact on her to make her this worried.

At that point, a slight interest grew on Misha as soon as she thought about the pinkette.

From her perspective, he was nothing more of a brazen type of guy who would fail at the simplest of things, judging from how she usually saw him returning to Eina from the dungeon full of scratches and injuries. And that's not to say of all the lessons that he took while he was being tutored by the elf. It was interesting to watch how he would fail in answering them, much to Eina's dismay. It made her wonder just how long he was able to survive in the dungeon until now.

Nevertheless, he was a strange person. There was never a hint of fear or despair in his face. He was the type of person who would help those around him at all times. He was willing to learn despite how bad he was in it, to the point of completely being stubborn. To be honest, she was impressed by his persistence at doing things. She never saw that in most adventurers she came across.

The dangers of the dungeon could easily change a person. Whether from a simple monster encounter to a life-changing one, everyone was prone to change one way or another.

And last week just so happened to be the same for the pinkette.

She could only wonder what sort of face he would make when he comes back. Or would he come back at all?

Would he even come back after that incident? It's not like she wouldn't understand that the young adventurer suddenly stopped at this point. After all, he just encountered the worst kind of event that an adventurer should face inside the dungeon. You would have to be so unlucky to have encountered such a thing.

Now that she thought about it, he seemingly got the short end of the stick at that time. Even back at the Monsterphilia too, he was in all kinds of life-threatening situations that seemed too unreal for someone. She wondered if the pinkette was cursed or something. Like, no one really expected it, let alone imagine that such a creature would come emerging from the least dangerous floors. It's like the world itself was laughing at his demise during that time.

Gods would sometimes refer to it as fate or perhaps karma in the far east.

Well, for all the things that happened so far, everything eventually went be back to normal. The threat had been neutralized and the dungeon was safe to traverse once again.

At least, that's what she would've thought if, not for a fact that the said adventurer was the one who put down such a beast that was leagues above his capability.

She couldn't believe her eyes at that time when she and all other members greeted the Sword Princess who came back with the pinkette, barely conscious. He was carried right around the arm over the back of the Sword Princess and was needed for immediate medical attention. Aside from him, Tiona also came back with two more survivors that she carried solely back to the surface for the same treatment.

However, it was not the appearance of the three additional survivors that shocked them, it was the words of the Kenki who described the events that transpired below.

Needless to say, a good amount of faces dropped as her words were caught by the ears of the crowd surrounding them at that time.

"Ne, ne. Is it really true?" A voice called her thoughts back as she glanced over to her side as another co-worker approach her.

"About what?"

"The one who slew the Irregular?"

"No matter how many times you heard it, it's just as what the reports said."

"Well, I mean, come on. You wouldn't believe it at first too. A level 1 adventurer taking down an Irregular all on his own?" From an outsider's point of view, Misha could understand her co-worker's doubts but since she had interacted with the pinkette and heard more from Eina and the official report, it might not be quite farfetched as she thought it would.

"The Sword Princess was a witness, right? I don't think she would go on her way and lie just give credit to someone unrelated to her if that's the case. Plus, it's the Sword Princess we're talking about here."

"Maybe you're right. But still, that's quite the news. Gods have a knack of looking into this type of development very seriously. They're going to have a field day on this one."

"Well, that's to be expected though it's not like something big is gonna change. For the better part, that boy would get recognition from this." Misha pondered as she thought about Natsu.

"Alright, that's enough gossip. Get back to work you three." It was then another coworker appeared himself before them which prompted them to end their conversation as they scrambled back to their stations to resume their duties.

Misha looked at Eina once again. Her face still wearing a solemn expression though it seemed to have improved even just a bit.

She approached her one more time, putting a gentle pat on her shoulders as she smiled before her. "Don't worry, he'll come back. I may not know him very well but he's not that kind of guy who would back away from just a single incident like this."

There was a short pause between them as Eina thought about the words Misha said to her which caused her expression to finally manage a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, you're right."

"See? That's why when he comes back, be sure to muster your best smile and greet him as usual, okay?"

"Hnn..." She nodded. "Thank you, Misha."

That's more like it. The pink-haired girl felt relieved seeing her more at peace. It was painful over the past days seeing her emotionally hurt after the whole incident. It looked like things were already starting to get better for her.

There is still no news about the young man's recovery but she is confident that he is probably doing well. The only thing they need to do is to keep working. His adventure has already been the talk amongst adventurers.

Needless to say, many are anticipating to hear from the man who slew the Irregular.

Things are about to get interesting from here on out.

18th Floor, Rivira

One of the key places of the dungeon is the safety zones that adventurers take refuge during their journey to the deeper floors. The 18th floor is one of the places inside the dungeon that doesn't spawn any monsters compared to most of the floors. However, monsters can come up from below the floors but that is a rare case and is often taken care of by adventurers to prevent them from wreaking havoc.

However, the one prevailing feature that this floor has apart from the previous floors is its abundant crystal and nature. Massive forests and lakes cover most of the floor and an enormously high ceiling is filled with brilliant crystals of white and blue which mirrored the color of the sun and sky from the surface. A large tree can be seen at the center of the floor where nature is predominantly located.

And on the eastern part of the giant tree was the town of Rivira which is located at the cliff, facing a lake below. This town was made as a shelter and safety point for adventurers traversing further down the dungeon. However, it was not controlled by the Guild or any Familia from above. It acted as some sort of an independent town and was operated by adventurers which also had its own set of rules and economy. The latter part still paled in comparison to Orario.

History about this town was that it was named after the adventurer who first founded its creation. Since then, adventurers came around and further developed it into a more functioning town with its own trading shops, bars, and inn. It also suffered constant attacks from monsters who were left unchecked from the deeper floors which subjected it to numerous reconstructions and repairs.

In the event of a monster threat, adventurers were often called to together to repel them.

It was not an ideal place for settling for a temporary stop but it was better than any of the other floors because of the lack of monsters spawning here. Plus, the presence of civilization within the floors of an otherwise ecosystem of monstrous beings gave huge morale for adventurers traversing into the unknown.

High-level familias didn't need to stop by at the town for the same reason due to their ability to provide their own provisions in their journeys which was more applicable. Furthermore, it helped reduce the friction of other adventurers clashing with theirs, especially if said familia had some volatile members that went along with them.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case right now as Finn found himself standing in one of the rooms of the inn, examining what it seemed to be a case of murder in front of him.

He and other core members of the Loki Familia with the exception of Gareth and Bete were just passing by to make for a swift stop. They hoped to proceed into the deeper floors to gather some valis in compensation for their expenses from the last expedition. They had also undertaken some high-level quests as well when they stumbled into this incident. Apparently, there was murder when one of the tenants happened to come across a body in one of the rooms with its face torn out with the exception of the lower jaw. The stench of blood got the person investigating the source which led to him immediately to the scene of the crime.

There were in the middle of investigating the case as he knelt down just right beside the body and examined it.

Judging from its twisted neck, it was fair to say that the method of killing was through snapping the victim's neck. It was one of the most effective killing methods against a human that happened in unexpected circumstances. Usually, in a fight, this didn't get used pretty often due to both sides having a level of caution. Skilled adventurers were taught to keep a level of attentiveness in and out of battle. The dungeon was merciless towards them so they were expected to not let their guard down when they were inside of it. High-level ones tend to apply this all the time though it could not be said for low-level ones.

However, that still depends on the situation. Anything can happen in a span of a few minutes.

If this guy was a high-level adventurer, it had to happen where the victim had his guard down completely and got taken out by surprise.

At least, that's what the Pallum had deduced so far as he finished examining the body. He bit his thumb lightly as he continued to collect thoughts inside his head while considering all the explanations given to him by the other witnesses present in the room.

From their reports, the man didn't come alone. Interestingly, the inn owner saw him with a robed woman and rented a room just before the murder took place. Judging from her lack of presence in the room, it was clear who the criminal is. As for their intentions renting a small room in this part of town, it was fairly up for speculations and imagination.

After a few seconds of pondering, he turned his eyes towards a muscular man who was also at the scene with them.

"Bors, do we have any information on the woman? Perhaps a name or any distinguishing feature? Or even a glimpse of her when she came out of this room."

"I have the inn owner here but he couldn't make any recognition on her face. I also had my boys asking around about it but they don't have anything to tell about the woman. There's no one around who could recognize or suspect someone wearing a robe. Heck, it could be any woman around this town at this point." He grunted in irritation.

"I see. It looks like it all comes down to the identity of this adventurer." Finn muttered.

"While I'd agree with you but probing on someone's Falna and status is still a breach of privacy. Even if they're dead." Bors interjected.

"Even if we didn't, the threat still stands. There's a murderer around this town. We can always compensate for the affected familia once this is resolved. This already calls for a sense of urgency that needs to be dealt with."

"R-Right. I guess we'll have no choice then."

"Do you have some Status Thief stocked around here? That should help the investigation go faster." Riveria asked.

"I'll fetch someone to get it here in a minute," Bors replied as he went back outside to fetch the bile.

As they were doing that, the rest of the Loki Familia group stopped their musings as they waited for Bors to return back with the Status Thief. With some time on their hands at the moment, they all decided to take this moment to talk to each other ever since they departed from the surface.

"It's one thing after another and now we get to see this type of development. Aren't things happening around a lot lately?" Tione questioned, seeing that they've been witnessing some interesting developments over the past few days. Starting from the appearance of an Irregular from the Upper Floors to a murder case in Rivira.

"Well, it certainly is not your usual kind of day now that you mention it." Riveria pondered, pulling a tiny spell around the room to dampen the stench of blood hovering in the air.

"Right? We still haven't started with our quests and now this case is gonna be in our hands too." Tione groaned.

"It's unavoidable now that we come across this. Plus, this whole thing interests me. Murders are usually rare in these types of places where there's a lot of people. Most of them take place on the dungeon floors due to the threat of monsters for any investigation to be conducted properly. It seems like this one never bothered to consider that thought." Finn narrowed his eyes as he continued his investigation.

Meanwhile, other members beside him such as Ais, Tiona, and Lefiya had their own thoughts to think about as they stood in waiting from the sides thinking about today's events.

One, in particular, happened to be the minds of both Ais and Tiona who were still recalling the Irregular incident. The latter seemed keener to finally open up the conversation to her friend ever since they dealt with the problem back the surface. There's something she had been wanting to ask the Sword Princess ever since they rescued the survivors.

"Say, Ais. About that Irregular incident. Is it really true that a Level 1 adventurer managed to defeat it?" It was the question that was nagging the Amazoness for quite a while now ever since they finished their business and went to the 18th floor.

Ais perked up at the mention of the event and turned to face her with a face of confidence. She shook her head approvingly to answer the girl's question which prompted her face to light up in curiosity.

"So it's really him then! That guy with pink-hair!" Her face lit up in excitement. Her voice happened to be heard across the room as their faces glanced over to the Amazoness in curiosity.

Ais nodded once again to the girl's confirmation.

"Amazing! I wish I could've seen it too. That might've been cool to see!" Tiona said in frustration, feeling like she missed something amazing while attending to the injured ones back at the Upper Floors.

From what she heard from the blonde girl, that pinkette apparently took down the beast himself. She could not doubt her words when she saw her smile as she held the barely unconscious boy beside him. There was no presence of heavy fighting sustained by the Sword Princess which would otherwise be the cause of battling the Irregular. The boy, on the other hand, was in a battered state as if a hundred monsters ganged up on him at the same time and seemingly won that encounter.

It was clear that she was telling the truth.

It could not have gone any better when she proceeded to recount the events when they returned to the surface. Adventurers and Guild members had their faces bore incredulous looks and their jaws dropped into the ground when they heard the things transpired between them and the Irregular. Needless to say, even some of their familia members had shocking expressions about the whole thing.

Unfortunately, they did not have the time to stay for much longer as they had their own quests to deal with. They left the premises and transferred the emergency quest to the pinkette's familia, seeing that he was the one who killed it.

As for him, he was immediately sent to the emergency building for recovery along with the other two. The group didn't manage to ascertain his condition after the incident, though at least they knew that he was no longer in danger now that he was being taken care of. Apart from the four parties reported to be missing except for the pinkette and his supporter, only one survivor was accounted for throughout the incident.

And that was the last thing they heard about the incident and went straight to the dungeon to finish their original goal.

However, it still left a lasting impact on Tiona's mind or more so to Ais for that matter as they kept pondering about the boy who they met in that place. Even Finn and the others seemed to have recalled about their encounter at the surface that they couldn't help but join in the conversation after noticing what they were talking about.

"That boy. What's his name?" The Loki expedition leader asked. A hint of interest plastered his eyes as he looked at the duo.

"Hmm... I didn't know his name but I do know his familia. Hestia Familia, is it?" Tiona hummed in thought.

"A newly established adventurer-type of familia. Same as us." Riveria pondered.

"Hmm, for a new familia, that's quite an achievement," Finn said. "Interesting."

"How about you, Ais? Do you know his name by any chance?"

"Natsu."

There was a short pause between them as soon as the blonde girl blurted out the boy's name to Tiona. Others also caught up the name of the boy but it was not that they were surprised about. What they're shocked about was that Ais knew the name of the adventurer for some reason.

"Eh?" Their stupefied faces uttered those responses simultaneously as if their minds were still processing the girl's words, particularly to Lefiya and the two senior adventurers.

Riveria was about to ask her when Tiona answered first.

"Whoa! So his name is Natsu, right? Hnn, hnn... I'll remember that. He's the same guy who got involved with that Monsterphilia incident. Poor him. Getting tangled up in all kinds of things but he managed to win it all. I want to meet him next time." The Amazoness nodded to herself, saving the name of the boy inside her head so she wouldn't forget it. On the other hand, some of her statements caught the high-elf pondering as she heard her speak.

"Monsterphilia, huh. Do you mean that he's the same one we helped during that time?"

"Where did you get his name?" Finn asked, a bit curious about how the girl managed to get his name without even a moment of conversation between them. Or perhaps they already did. He and the others weren't aware of it until now.

"His party member told me. When we're dealing that Irregular." Ais answered straightly which got others dripping cold sweats on their heads in the process.

"I see." Finn pondered yet again. A mention of the incident about the Monsterphilia suddenly grew in his mind. Two separate events seemed to have involved the pink-haired adventurer in a lot of trouble. Not that he was in control of the two situations but it somehow caused him to think deeply about today's recent events.

While it was unnoticed by others, the Pallum could feel some sort of unseen force at work during the two situations - the Irregular incident seemed natural than the Monsterphilia since it was the dungeon's doing. Whether it was done by a god or someone, he didn't know but it did put a smirk on the Captain's face seeing how the events seemed to revolve around the pinkette for some reason.

To begin with, there was little information about the boy, other than the only sole member of the Hestia Familia. There was nothing worth noting about him apart from his tendency to pick up fights on adventurers for some reason and several destroyed properties on some accounts. Basically, he was a walking heap of trouble that caused many headaches for carpenters.

He had come across some rumors about it a few weeks ago but he didn't expect that it would come from the same boy who now managed to take down an Irregular without a weapon of his own.

Needless to say, he was interested to learn about his fighting capabilities.

"Your smile is showing, Finn," Riveria noted. Her brow raised in amusement as she looked at the kneeling Pallum.

"Is it? Well, it's just that it's been a while since I last felt like this."

"How interested?"

"Very."

"Well, might want to put a good note on our first impression should we cross paths with him in the future. I reckon that it would also serve a great deal for Ais' wellbeing." Riveria smiled.

"You noticed?"

"I've been her caretaker. I would know first when something changes with the child. And I have to say, this Natsu might've left such an impression for her to change like this."

"I see. All the more reason to thank him when we meet in the future."

Riveria nodded in agreement. They observed Ais as she, together with the others, continued to chat about the incident. Although her expression didn't change much all the time, there was a subtle difference in how she would express her emotions than before. Her interactions looked more lively and expressive than before.

If there was one silver lining to this incident for the group, it was this.

"Now, it seems like Bors is coming back with the Status Thief, we shall talk about this later."

Calling their attention, the group dispersed their previous ventures as they watched Bors returned with the Status Thief in hand.

Ais looked in anticipation as the adventurers poured a drop on the vile to reveal the victim's identity. A slow emanation of light occurred as the vial worked its charm. The blonde-haired adventurer thought about the things she remembered about the young man once more.

His adventure lies elsewhere. Surely, there's more to come for him in the future.

Ais knew that much. She knew that from the moment he fought the Irregular without fear and hesitation. The bright golden flame that seemed to shine in the murkiest and darkest depths of the dungeon, saw proof of his bravery. She wanted to see it again. She wanted to be reminded of that flame that was lost within her. She hoped that flame would someday replace the dark flame in her heart.

She would surely wait for that day.

He will surely challenge the dungeon again. And he will experience another adventure, perhaps, even greater than before.

In the meantime, her own adventure lies here. The mystery of this unexpected encounter is her to explore. Whatever results they find in this murder, she is ready to face it.

After all, adventurers are poised to face the unknown.

That pink-haired boy faced the unknown and came victorious. She would do the same.

For the sake of getting stronger.

Above the surface (One week later)

It had been a week ever since that incident and Orario went on as usual. Robaul sat in his own room with an open section that leads to a small garden where he tilled each and every single plant ever since he established his Familia. He had just finished watering them as the sun provided them with the energy needed to keep themselves alive and healthy. He observed them, each to their own different species with their own beauty. His eyes peered over to a lone blue flower that was reflecting its color. It was only one of its kind and apparently, its species were not common in this continent.

He recalled having to catch one when he was selling some stuff with a traveling merchant from afar. He had a few seeds that he got from a distant place and was told that they usually don't grow around this place.

The god took it upon himself to plant one since it was an opportunity to raise something that wasn't available in this city. He made adjustments to the soil to help it grow a bit faster and easier. Since then, he had been watching over this particular plant. Although he didn't expect it to bloom in such bright and azure color. It was fairly similar to the flower he had seen from the merchant.

Interestingly, every time he looked at this blue flower, it always reminded him of Wendy.

The girl that came from a faraway place together with her grandmother. He could remember the days when she was still young and timid compared to herself in the present day. If Porlyusica heard from the others of this current Wendy, she wouldn't have believed it. The girl had been reliant on her late grandmother throughout her life even after settling in Orario. She never did anything for herself and was always withdrawn because of her shyness. He became even more worried after her grandmother's passing that she might not get out of her own shell.

Surprisingly for him, it was not the case. If anything, he noticed the slow change from her as soon as she decided to become a supporter of the familia. It was such a big change for her that he could barely see the scared one from before in his eyes. That old woman wouldn't even let her take up adventuring, knowing that it would expose her in a lot of danger with the addition of her timid personality.

Robaul might have agreed on that part if it wasn't for the fact that she was no longer inhibiting such behaviors today.

It was quite a shock for him and the others when she suddenly asked for others to help her train to be an adventurer. Up until yesterday, she had no problem accepting her role as a supporter but something must've changed. Even after experiencing an incident involving an Irregular, she never once displayed fear when she recovered.

Of course, it wasn't easy for him to adhere to that request but over the days, she would come out from the familia and study in the library about the tips and lessons regarding adventuring and dungeon explorations. She would even come up to the Guild and ask for some lessons about monsters, dangers, and even loot drops on every monster on the Upper Floors.

At first, they were worried about her mental state. It might've been an effect just like Raul and the others when they encountered that Minotaur a few months back but upon closer inspection, Robaul noticed nothing wrong with the girl. It was like a case of a sudden turn switch that made her desperate to learn more about adventurers.

It was only made clear when she expressed her desire to get stronger to him after that incident.

Robaul was worried that a little girl like her was not yet ready to face the bigger challenges ahead of her and that it would wear her down in the process. Worse, it might be too dangerous for her. However, Wendy insisted. She said she wanted to be of help for the pinkette. Something that he got his attention throughout their conversation.

Wendy was never the type to make a decision by herself. She was timid although that part of her was slowly diminishing as she continued to strive to better herself as a supporter and even a magic-user. Ever since revealing her ability to use magic, she was learning to master it every day by attempting to practice her chants until her magic ran out.

It was such a huge change, seeing her actively trying to train herself in every available opportunity she was being given. Almost to the point of crazy. Even some of her fellow Familia members took inspiration for her hard work and decided to work better than before.

All of this... just because of one person.

"I'm off, Robaul-sama." A girl's voice entered his ears as he looked at her preparing herself from their home once more.

"Off to see him again?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Be careful on your way. Oh, and can you deliver this to Hestia while you're at it." He handed a large pouch of valis to her. "Tell her, it's for her child. If she ever needs to buy something for him. Oh, and can you also send my message to her as well? Take it as my gratitude for taking care of you."

"Of course, Robaul-sama." Wendy happily nodded as she proceeded to head outside.

The god watched her depart from the distance as he sat down on the floor and turned his eyes over his garden once again. He took a glimpse at the blue flower and smiled wistfully in silence.

"Children grow up so fast, don't you think, Porlyusica?"

...

Wendy strolled towards the West Main, following the large path littered with people. She carried her small backpack behind her which were filled with food and some provisions for the pinkette. She had been visiting the Hestia Familia on her own accord ever since she learned the news of the pinkette still recovering from his injuries. There was nothing that could pose a danger to his life. He just needed a little more rest.

She had been the first one to recover from the three and was sent back to her familia in the process. She could still remember the teary-eyed faces of her familia members after rumors of her encounter with the Irregular spread across town. Needless to say, she was constantly put under great care to make sure she would be nursed back to health.

It was touching to see them worry for her though, at times, it can get very annoying whenever she wanted to find the time to check out her party member, she would be put back to her own room to recover. They even decided to put Gaul and Eve to guard her to make sure she wouldn't sneak out of the house. Not that she blamed them for doing so.

After all, she was just worried about Natsu.

The one who saved her once again from that predicament.

She could remember how much he put himself into danger just so she would be safe from it. However, it was also at that time, she discovered her own helplessness. Even though they've been only working as a party for a few weeks, the whole situation made her realize her inability to help at the most crucial of times.

Sure, she would receive praises from the pinkette for helping him out with small things in the dungeon but a scale something as an Irregular, she couldn't do anything but tremble under her knees. She was quickly reminded how brutal the dungeon was towards adventurers. As a supporter, she had a role to fulfill but she failed to do anything other than flee and look for help.

Which was why she was currently undertaking some extra lessons from the Guild and from her fellow familia members. Even though she heard that Natsu was able to stop the Irregular on his own, she felt that she could have done something in that situation. She can't let herself repeat the same mistakes as that time when she was left with no other choice but to run instead of being of help for the pinkette.

If she was a little bit useful at that time, he wouldn't have probably struggled and succumbed to the current situation as he is now.

With the appearance of her magic now, she would make use of her abilities and try to be more helpful for him in their future battles. She had been saved by him numerous times. She wanted to do the same to him without faltering from her own fears and doubts.

Practicing her magic is the first step to that process.

Wendy mentally agreed upon that thought as she continued to think about the future. She was so ingrained in trying to better herself that she didn't notice a familiar voice calling out to her from behind. It was only by the second time that she was able to pick up the voice and turned her head back, spotting a familiar face.

"Wendy?"

"Goddess Hestia!" The twin-tailed goddess nodded as she approached the petite supporter with some stuff held on both her hands.

"Visiting our familia again?" Wendy nodded to her question which prompted the goddess to smile as she urged her to walk beside her. "Well, I was about to head back too. Wanna come along?"

"Yes!"

The two started their pace as they carried their things. They also took this time to talk to each other. Over the past few days, the two had been encountering each other a lot since Wendy had been visiting the Hestia Familia to bring over some food for the pinkette.

"So how is he, Goddess Hestia?"

"He's fine. He's just been talking about wanting to go back in the dungeon again. As if the whole thing about the Irregular never bothered him at all."

"I-Is it really okay to let him go back?"

"No. Certainly not from me. I ordered him to take it easy and recover from his injuries. No dungeon exploring from him, not until I could sort out the incident with the Guild." Hestia sighed in exasperation.

"I-I see. Are they still questioning you about it?"

"A third time this week. Though I can understand their doubts, it's not like they have seen someone taking down a monster that mutated and isconsidered to be dangerous even to some high-level adventurers."

"Well, it's Natsu-san."

"Please don't get used to it." Hestia pleaded as she watched the blue-haired girl giggle at the thought of her party member.

Despite all the things that went through, their days are gonna be much busier than before. Especially with the gods from other familias catching wind of this. Hestia knew the gods in Orario have what one would call an obsession to anything that catches their eye. Anything that interests them will immediately cause them to move and see for themselves if it's worth the taking. And when it comes to children, oh boy, she better have some extra security prepared because they are some gods out there that are really thirsty for that sort of thing.

It's one of the reasons why she has the pinkette stay put in the church until things settle down. They'll be gathering some information about them and eventually be put under observation. At least for now.

The timing could not get any better when someone asked about the pinkette regarding the incident. Hestia was just finished wrapping the Irregular business but found herself talking to this unfamiliar man. She could tell in an instant that this man belonged to Apollo Familia after recognizing the insignia of the sun present in his clothes. She didn't bother to entertain him with answers as this was privacy between familias though she knew that it would be far from over.

She might need to take a watchful eye on Apollo. To think that he already started probing on information about her familia. It was quite a frightening thought. After all, his Familia was fairly powerful though not at the same level as Loki or Freya but just enough to put on airs against smaller familias just like her. She hoped that they won't bother them as much as what happened that day.

They arrived at the church which was now repaired, making it more presentable on the outside. The reward from the Irregular incident boosted their savings by up to a seven-fold which was a great benefit for a Familia of two people.

Hestia hired some masons to repair the damaged building. It took only a few days to finish the job which still amazed her to this day. She also made some improvements to the interior as well, cleaning up the rubble and replacing the old furniture with new ones. She removed half of the long chairs inside the church and decided to turn it into a kitchen. Since Natsu was able to bring back a lot of fortune, she made sure to use them for their benefit. Now they wouldn't need to worry about getting food from the outside all the time. The goddess took upon herself to learn up some new recipes to cook for the pinkette.

Some decorations were placed here and there, including some lamps and paintings on the walls to spread the vibrance of the place. The only thing missing was people. Despite Natsu's accomplishments, they never once had one invitation from others wanting to join their Familia.

While it seemed like their reputation hadn't gone up, Hestia was relieved of the results for now.

Building a reputation takes a long time and effort for someone to be recognized by many. But that doesn't mean that Natsu is just a nobody.

His feats in the dungeon went as far as the common folk, as well as, children. A story of one man slaying an evil dragon and saving the world was the common phrase everyone's been talking about regarding that incident.

Needless to say, the goddess was every bit excited whenever someone was talking about him. Like, how could any god never be happy about that?

"Should I put these here?"

"Yes, just put them at the table." They settled their things down as soon as they made their way inside. "Now then, shall we meet him?"

Wendy nodded and without a moment sooner, they made their way towards the secret room, leading below. They came across the door and opened it.

"Hey, Natsu. You have a vis-" Hestia came about with smiles and was about to greet the pinkette inside when her eyes landed towards an empty bed.

"Is something wrong, Goddess Hestia?" Wendy who was behind her, couldn't see what was up front so she scooted to the side to get a better view. When she asked that question, her eyes also darted over to the bed which answered the goddess' sudden halt.

For a minute, a flash of worry went across their faces as soon as they were unable to find the pinkette's whereabouts. No sign of a pink-haired adventurer could be seen from the room. Hestia thought that something happened but all of a sudden, a booming sound was heard from the back of the church. This caused the two to look at each other and immediately raced back upstairs and outside to see what was happening.

And when they finally came to a corner leading to the back of the church, their eyes spotted the familiar scenery of pink-hair and burnt debris around it.

"Oh, welcome back, Goddess! And Wendy?" Natsu greeted with his usual toothy grin as he was in the middle of training at the moment, seeing the number of black patches of ground surrounding him, probably from his magic. He had been wearing nothing but his baggy pants and slippers which showed his physical appearance in his upper body that was laced with sweat due to today's practice.

Hestia had seen this familiar sight a couple of times but every time she had a chance to take a glimpse at it, she couldn't help but blush. Moreover, it sure looked like he had improved a lot with all the training he had been doing for the past couple of days.

She wasn't the only one blushing though. Her eyes landed back to the blue-haired girl who just happened to see him half-naked just now. The goddess was so engrossed in admiring her child's appearance that she almost forgot about the visitor too. To top it off, a little girl no less.

At that moment, she knew what was happening in front of her and proceeded to act fast.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Put some clothes on! Wendy's here!" Hestia shouted and proceeded to cover the poor little girl's eyes in hopes of not letting her see any more of his bodacious body.

"Ah." The pinkette having realized what's happened muttered a single word from his mouth and casually grabbed his shirt along with his scarf to cover himself. "Sorry about that. I thought you were alone, Goddess."

Seeing that the boy was clear from exposing himself, the twin-tailed goddess finally let go of her hands from the bluenette. "You seriously need to change that habit of yours. I can't be the only one being present in this church now, do I? Miach and Naaza had been visiting here from time to time. Wendy's here too so do remember when you're out here training half-naked, okay?"

Natsu seemed to consider her light reprimand. "Okay."

Hestia sighed, smiling at him. "Geez, training out here again. You really can't take your mind off from the dungeon, are you?"

"Well, I have to find ways to kill time. I'm almost fully recovered so I'm preparing to head back in once I'm done." He said as he made twists and turns in his body to exercise.

"Whoa not so fast there, hotshot. We still haven't updated your status so you have to wait a little bit before I could let you off the hook."

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that."

"Well since you're probably done with your practice, let's head back inside. I bought some snacks on the way back." Hestia offered.

"Really? That's great! I'm just about starving right here. How about you, Wendy?" The pinkette turned towards the still standing bluenette who was still somewhat in a daze after what just happened earlier. His voice seemed to have snapped the girl back to her senses, prompting a stuttered reply.

"Y-Yes! Coming!"

The three went back inside as they settled their time eating snacks and talking about various things throughout the day. It's been like this for them ever since. Despite Wendy being from another familia, she seemed to act like a fellow member of theirs and had been helping around the church as they waited for the whole thing to settle down. It was a wild and tiring incident and they could all take a day or two just lazing around and talking to each other like friends.

It was only a shame that Wendy was from another familia. Hestia would at times thought about recruiting her but that would depend on her and her god's decision. Transferring from one familia to another was not a common occurrence. It would be a strange thing to ask her out in the blue about it. Right now, she was just glad that Natsu had got himself a reliable party member to look after him side by side.

Whether the time to part sometime in the future is for them to decide.

At that moment, she was thinking that bringing more people to their familia was an inevitable course of action. As much as she wanted to keep themselves out in the dark from the other gods, she could no longer deny the achievements that Natsu made over the past few months. They were already rising as a new familia and news about them would certainly reach far outside of Orario if they kept going at this pace. She was fairly impressed by how all of it was done by a single child from her familia with no background or whatsoever. She never really thought that he would make a name for himself so fast.

She could not help but feel proud of him.

"I see. So you've been practicing with your wind magic?" Natsu said as he took a bite out from his food as he listened to the blue-haired girl beside him.

"Y-Yes. It's not much but I'm trying to improve it since it would make a great deal in helping in our future dungeon explorations. I also tried to improve my shooting to get better too."

"Is that so? That's cool. Ah, but don't push yourself too hard, okay? We can still take it easy until you're used to it." He answered with a with toothy grin.

"Of course!"

"Hmm?" Hestia hummed in thought, observing the two in silent contempt. Perhaps a little jealous about the whole conversation going in between them. While she suspected no special feelings happening around them, their relationship had gotten a little bit better in the past few weeks of just partying with each other.

She always blamed it on the pinkette's heartwarming personality. The boy was always quite the talker. She worried about the other females his age would feel when they got to know him well.

She really can't keep him all to himself nowadays.

The goddess inwardly cried at the thought but she didn't want to hold him down from other people all the time. Still, she couldn't afford to let down her guard especially towards other goddesses. Mortals she could deal with but her fellow goddesses were the real threats towards her sweet time with him. Just like gods, they were also quite possessive - thirsty to some as well. And she knew a list of those in the latter category. Oh, and don't get her started with the goddesses of beauty.

Hestia had every bit of confidence to her own charms but against a deity who embodied the concept of love and beauty, she might as well spun a lottery for better luck.

"Is something wrong, goddess?" Her thoughts were cut short when the pinkette spotted her somewhat already grumpy face. It must've been the thoughts she was having right now that made her face look sour in front of them.

"I-It's nothing. I'm just thinking about your future."

"Really? What's it like?" Natsu said, seemingly curious.

"Grim. Too grim, my child."

"Eeeeeeh?" Natsu drawled out.

"I-It can't be that bad, right?" Wendy reassured.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm already fired up!"

"Yes, you were always that kind of child." Hestia sighed, seeing that he didn't realize that she wasn't talking about the dangers of the dungeon.

"Well, I did promise you before, didn't I? That I'll make our familia bigger and stronger! And then we'll rise up to the top and surpass anyone!" He declared with a pump fist, suddenly becoming fired up from his words.

"Slow down there, Natsu. You keep forgetting that we need to recruit more people to our familia to get bigger, right?"

"Ah, and that too. Hehe..." He said sheepishly, realizing his childish remarks.

Well, at least, he's not that frustrated about their current situation. Hestia can rest easy taking her time to get some people to join their familia as they continue to expand their influence. It's still a long process but it's a challenge that she is willing to take to get him and herself atop as a familia that can stand atop and build it as a place for family. Their dream has already started so there's no need to rush.

"So, before we could continue, let's have you update on your status," Hestia suggested.

"Oh, right. It's been a while, isn't it?"

The two proceeded back to a room just next to the altar. It was a new addition to the church since they needed a new place to sleep rather than sleeping at the secret room underground. The air was better since it had a lot of space compared to their old room and a window that connects to the outside. Hestia had Wendy wait from the outside since this was a matter of privacy between familia. The bluenette nodded in response and waited outside the church to let them conduct their status check without anyone prying.

After that, the two started their ritual. Hestia opened up the pinkette's status with a single drop of her blood as his back glowed in bright light. It's been a long time since she got to check the boy's progress since she's been handling a lot of paperwork mostly about the Irregular incident. Because Natsu was still hospitalized during those times, she had to fill in his place and collect the rewards personally from the Guild. In addition, she had been talking with Eina, Natsu's personal adviser in the dungeon about things concerning the pinkette.

It was mostly conversations about his wellbeing which to the relief of the half-elf after being informed that he's doing well over the past few days and would be expected to come back after another few days of rest.

She never got to deal about the status check but now that things were solved, it was time for her to check on it again.

As for the status check, she would expect a huge increase in progress if that Irregular incident was anything to go by. At the very least, Natsu would probably max out his abilities for that huge boost of experience. It wasn't common for most Level 1 adventurers but in his case, he would certainly get a big chunk of numbers from it.

And what a big change it was.

Hestia had to rub her eyes for a second, no maybe a third or a fourth time to make sure that she wasn't seeing things.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

She wasn't prepared for the result which prompted her to scream at the top of her lungs that caught both Natsu and Wendy off guard - the latter was even outside of the church for god's sake.

"W-What's wrong?" She heard him ask at her sudden outburst but she ignored it as she was too focused on the readings that she had in front of her.

'Are you being serious right now? This... This is just insane.'

A brief form of excitement washed over her face as soon as she realized that the numbers were not lying to her. This was truly unprecedented. Not a single adventurer in this city had ever achieved something like this in their life. At least, that's what she knew about adventurers in Orario. If anything, Natsu would be the first one to have achieved this.

But then, her thoughts from earlier suddenly came haunting her.

Damn it, now the whole pantheon is gonna hear more from her if this gets out at the Denatus.

Her life just got even busier. Fortunately for her, the recent Denatus was done last week and she had just only found out the status check so she would have to wait for another three months for this to become official.

Still, this was a big moment for the boy. She didn't want to hide his real progress just because of her own worries.

If anything, this should call for a celebration.

She plastered a blank paper onto his back to imprint the numbers of his status. In just a flick of a finger, she was finished and handed the folded paper towards the pinkette.

"So what was that earlier? You look like you just saw something amazing." Natsu asked, still confused about the scream just moment before.

Hestia was simply grinning from her spot as she looked at him with proud eyes. "Oh, it's amazing alright. Why don't you take a look?"

Natsu never having to get an answer directly, simply unfolded the paper from his hands, and decided to read it. It only took a good few seconds before his eyes suddenly widened like saucers.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?! IS THIS REAL?!"

"Yes!" Hestia nodded at his exclamation.

"REALLY?! THEN, I REALLY DID LEVEL UP!"

"Congratulations, Natsu!"

"YOSH! THIS IS AWESOME!"

What happened after was a series of events with Natsu happily jumping high in the air after seeing the results of his status check for so long. Hestia couldn't believe his excitement and was surprised to find him so elated about the news that even Wendy who thought something was wrong came back to the church and was suddenly hugged by the overjoyed pinkette that caused her to blush heavily from her face at the sudden gesture.

Needless to say, Hestia quickly sprung to action to separate the two but it didn't calm down the boy's excitement throughout the day.

...

...

Natsu Dragneel

Level 1

Strength: A821 - SS1088

Endurance: B788 - A897

Dexterity: B741 - A840

Agility: B770 - A893

Magic: S944 - SS1099

- Magic -

[Fire Dragon's Flames]

- Skill -

[Flames of Emotion]

[Draconic Aspect]

...

...

...

Natsu Dragneel

Level 2

Strength: I0 - I40

Endurance: I0 - I22

Dexterity: I0 - I17

Agility: I0 - I15

Magic: I0 - I59

- Magic -

[Fire Dragon's Flames]

- Skill -

[Flames of Emotion]

[Draconic Aspect]

...

...

"Cheers!"

"Congrats on getting Level 2."

"It's your achievement, Dragneel-san."

"Thanks, everyone."

Words of praises were thrown in the air along with mugs clashing as Natsu thanked his fellow acquaintances at the pub after announcing his level up along with his goddess. It was night time in the city and people from the dungeon had come again to the pub to settle down after what's been a grueling journey for most of them.

After knowing his recent rank up, Natsu and Hestia eventually decided to make their celebration outside, specifically to the Hostess of Fertility. Wendy couldn't come as she was still mentally young to be mingling in these types of celebrations, much to her pout-like mood when she was forbidden to join them at the celebration. It was only thanks to the pinkette's suggestion to make up for her the next day that finally made the bluenette relent to his request.

The blue-haired supporter wasn't just suited to be in these types of places. Even Hestia felt like it was out of place to invite the young girl to a pub full of adults.

That aside, the goddess decided that tonight's going to be a big celebration for the pinkette so she made sure to pack some valis for food and drinks that they could spend now that he had also fully recovered. It was quite a scene when she brought him here to the pub once again. They were greeted by the people who knew him before.

Syr was the first one to have noticed their arrival and couldn't help but burst into tears when finally saw the pinkette fine and well again. She was followed by Ryuu who despite her stoic face and limited conversations with the pinkette, seemed to have an ounce of relief present on her face when she saw him fine and well. Little by little, more waitresses appeared and expressed their shock at the appearance of the pinkette which resulted in Mia finally shouting at them for shirking their duties in the middle of the night. It only took a few seconds for the head owner to realize what was going on and finally laughed wholeheartedly upon seeing the pinkette with her own eyes.

Needless to say, the pinkette was poised to turn the other direction when he noticed the giant dwarf coming at him with one swing. He failed to escape her clutches and was subdued into a world of twists and hugs that could otherwise break a bone or two in the process just from the sheer strength she possessed in her arms.

The question about her unbelievable strength remains unanswered from the pinkette.

A few waitresses expressed their condolences at the poor guy, even Hestia too who couldn't bring herself to help her child out of the situation. She could've sworn she saw his soul dangling out from his mouth during those bone-crushing hugs.

"Well, it seems like the little boy is no more. Moving up in places now, are you?" Mia smirked as she passed down another food plate at the table for Natsu to enjoy. The pinkette was accompanied along with Hestia, Ryuu, and Syr. The last two were granted permission by the head waitress to accompany the adventurer for his celebration.

"Not yet. I haven't gotten back to the dungeon." Natsu replied while munching the grilled meat from his plate.

"Stupid. It's not always about the dungeon that matters when leveling up. You'd be in the eyes of everyone now that you're Level 2. Heck, after that little stunt you pulled a few days back caused some of our patrons here to ask about you. You're a star now, hotshot." She laughed.

"Thanks."

"No problem! It helps the pub's popularity to have someone popular to be a frequent customer as well. So I gotta thank you more for that, kid! The place has never seen this many customers!"

Natsu didn't get most of what she was saying so he could only nod in response while focusing his attention on his food. Honestly, it was like a whole buffet for him right now. He could barely understand what others were saying since he was busy enjoying Mia's cooking. He got to enjoy as much without paying a lot since she also said that it was for her gift for leveling up in just three months.

Apparently, he was the first one to have ever leveled up that fast in Orario. The last record-holder got around half a year to do that and to achieve it in three months after receiving a god's blessing was quite the achievement. Needless to say, several eyes from other tables began peering in their direction since the rumors about him were still rampant even after the incident.

Natsu could notice their gazes as if they were checking him out or something. It was starting to get on his nerves and was about to throw a mug on one of their faces if not for Hestia looking at him to not cause trouble. It was difficult to hold back since he usually starts a fight without her around but since she was here beside him, he had to limit his troublemaking tendencies.

Were they eyeing him for recruitment? Or just curious?

If its partying, they should forget about it because he won't be partying with anyone except Wendy. He was quite content with his own current standing so there would be little concern from him about partying in the dungeon any time soon. Plus, he won't just be partying with someone he was not familiar with. He knew some adventurers were not kind about the whole party thing with other familias and probably only in it for the shared spotlight.

"I'm glad that you finally recovered. It looks like we've worried for nothing." Ryuu added.

"Really? I thought it was just like any other day for me. I mean, I get injured most of the time so I thought it's a normal thing." Natsu replied.

"That's not true! I was quite worried when I heard you were involved in that Irregular." Syr joined.

"Indeed. Word came fast about the incident and Syr here couldn't keep herself composed about the news." Ryuu pointed out, much to the silver-haired girl's embarrassment and Hestia's suspicion.

"R-Ryuu-san!"

"Anyways." The elf lightly coughed as she decided to change the subject to ease the teasing of her colleague. "Forgive me for prying but may I ask what you are going to do from now on, Dragneel-san?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if your goddess has told you this during your recuperation but have you considered what would you do specifically once you return to the dungeon?" She asked.

Natsu paused for a moment before pondering about her question. It took a few seconds as his face donned a realizing look and answered her confidently. "Umm, go to the Middle Floors and kill a lot of monsters? And I guess repeat the next day until I level up too if that's the case."

Out of nowhere, two people fell from their seats as both Hestia and Syr stumbled from their positions after hearing his response.

Ryuu remained seated with a composed face but it looked like she was also quite shocked to hear his answer. At first, she thought the boy was joking but she realized that Natsu was the type of person who would prefer punching through problems than solving them. She held a hand over her head as she looked at him disbelievingly.

"Are you serious about that?"

"No."

"It was not a nice attempt to joke about something like that."

"It did work on Syr and Goddess."

""HEY!""

"I never took you for a comedian, Dragneel-san," Ryuu smirked.

"Not really one. But hey, if you get drunk, you get to do some stupid things."

"Hoh~ Am I to assume it from experience?" A pair of curious eyes appeared from the elf's eyes.

"Maybe at some other pubs before though I can't seem to do it here. Mia's gonna kill me if I start trouble here. I just got on her good side tonight so I'd rather not." He said, his tone dispirited.

"I guess some other time. Though I warn you not to attempt it here if you have such thoughts." She closed her eyes in content. "Kidding aside, I strongly advise you and Wendy going to the Middle Floors immediately."

Natsu perked up in curiosity. "Why is that?"

"Well, I'm just saying this at the current state of your party numbers. If I recall, you've been functioning as a two-man party until now, right?" She asked.

"Well, yeah. We're pretty fine just the two of us."

"At your current numbers, two people won't be enough on the Middle Floors unless you're extremely capable. And one of you is still a supporter and a Level 1 at that. The distribution of capabilities in your party is unbalanced. While I can guarantee your abilities to be able to match the difficulties of the Middle Floors, I can't say the same for little Wendy. Plus, the Middle Floors aren't made to be solo unless you're a 1st Class adventurer. They're just that different from the Upper Floors that you've grown accustomed so much." She reasoned.

"Is that so?"

"Aside from the variety of monsters, the spawn time, encounter rate, the probability of a monster party, and their numbers vary greatly from the Upper Floors. It's a much more brutal and dangerous place. Your case with the Irregular might be different but the Middle Floors make up for the numbers and unexpected ambushes. It's not the strength that these floors excel with, it's the number of monsters. You will not have the time to rest like you do on the Upper Floors. Most incidents that happen to adventurers are usually through overwhelming monsters or a monster party."

"That many?" Natsu asked to which Ryuu nodded without hesitation.

"That's just how dangerous these floors are."

"Then how could we beat them?"

"There are two ways: you either try to improve each other's experience but this is a long route or add another person to your party."

"I see. So our party's not enough for that kind of thing."

"I know I might be pessimistic but not everyone gets to experience their Middle Floor experience immediately upon rank up. Most adventurers who recently leveled up usually take up more people to their party to proceed further or stay on the Upper Floors until they're ready to proceed further. It's a normal thing for adventurers in a big familia but you and Goddess Hestia are still a rookie familia with extremely limited members. Partying with another familia is a good thing to move past that problem for now. Additionally, it's not just a matter of individual rank up, it's the experience. You and Wendy have no experience in the Middle Floors so even if you've become stronger, I advise you on moving recklessly on the Middle Floors."

"She's right, Natsu," Hestia said.

"But... ugh, I just want to fight stronger ones." He groaned.

"There he goes again. I swear, did you develop a fetish when you fought that Irregular?" The twin-tailed goddess sighed.

"But isn't it like him?" Syr pointed out. "He's still the same adventurer who was looking for stronger opponents to fight."

"I guess, that's one trait you would see in him. I never saw anyone who had more passion for fighting stronger people than him." Ryuu remarked.

"Come on. I only fight them just to see if I can beat them. But I guess from what you said, I need to find someone to join our party to be able to proceed further." Natsu drooped his shoulders in realization.

"Lighten up, Dragneel-san. From what I hear, your familia is still open up for recruitment. Perhaps you might get a new one to your party sooner now that you've made a name for yourself." Ryuu reassured.

"How about you join my party, Ryuu?" A sudden question from him caught the elf off guard.

"E-Eh?"

"I mean, you're pretty strong. I can tell you from your moves. I feel like I can rest easy watching my back with you."

There was a pause between them as Ryuu simply stared at the pinkette after uttering those words. A shock ran through her face, watching the smiling face of the pinkette. Syr seemed to have noticed her expression as her face also stopped smiling and looked at her in worry.

"I'm sorry, Dragneel-san. I'm afraid, I'm not worthy of such a thing." Ryuu said in a mellow tone. A hint of sadness was visible on her face but only for a moment before returning to her usual stoic expression that was left unnoticed by the group except for Syr.

"Is that so? I see. I guess it's a no then." Natsu chuckled lightly for being rejected.

"Of course not. She's a waitress here." Hestia said.

"Ah. So waitresses can't be adventurers?" The goddess simply held a hand over her head in exasperation.

"It looks like it was a good idea that I have to do the recruitment."

"What do you mean?" Natsu tilted his head in confusion.

"Nothing. Anyways, leave the recruitment to me, Natsu. I'll make sure to find you a suitable party member to help you along the way!" Hestia added.

"Thanks, goddess. You're the best!"

"Fufu... Right?" She chuckled with a prideful remark as she puffed her chest out with confidence. "Now, let's celebrate! Tomorrow's the day you'll be returning to the dungeon, right? Better enjoy this moment because we'll be busy with our jobs soon. You don't get to have this kind of free time now that you ranked up."

"Of course!"

The group raised their cups in the air as they celebrated through the night without a care in the world. Natsu could only think about what things he would experience tomorrow. Maybe some new powers or even stronger spells? He trained himself consistently over the past few days and he could feel that he had gotten stronger than before. He can't wait to try it against those monsters tomorrow.

Somewhere on an alley

It was a dark corner as the lights of the district couldn't reach in this part of the city. There were numerous dark alleyways situated around the city just like this which made it a perfect place for less than favorable members of societies to mingle. One particular group of men walked along the dark path seemingly on a rendezvous on tonight's activity. They consisted no more than five with one person at the center being the leader of the group, seeing that he was the one stepping in front of the group as they made their arrival at the scene.

He was a short middle-aged man with red-brown hair and a pair of ears protruding from his head reminiscent of that of a raccoon. He stopped just a few feet away from the group as he came face to face with another man who was supposed to be the other party in this secret meeting. The lack of lighting made it hard to ascertain this other person's identity from observation but the demi-human seemed familiar with him as he didn't exhibit any hint of caution towards him despite in this type of environment.

Maybe it's because he had several lackeys with him compared to this man.

Sure, he could see that the man wasn't just a small fry but the presence of his men behind him made sure that he wasn't here to be intimidated by his strength alone.

"You're late, stinky geezer." The man spoke, his tone initially harsh and even disgusted by his presence.

"Forgive me. It was hard taking the eyes off of many people for this meeting."

He heard the man click his tongue in response, seemingly uncaring of his excuse.

"I did what I asked. The haul was good this time. It was a party of five." He then tossed a huge bag of what it seemed to be a collection of armors, weapons, and valis. The bag landed just next to the demi-human and the man turned his head behind him. His eyes darted over to the darkness. "Hey, you there. Toss that thing over here as well."

Soon afterward, a small figure emerged from his orders and slowly walked beside him with another bag similar to the one he tossed earlier.

"The plan worked well this time. They never saw it coming. You even got yourself a magic sword of all things."

"Hoho~ A magic sword, you say? I gotta say, you outdid yourself this one, Ged."

The man Ged simply smirked despite his hostility towards the demi-human.

"Of course. It was fun tricking those fools. Shame I didn't get to have fun with that elf in their party. Well, I'd rather be out here than being killed off by monsters."

"Heh, you could always just go to the district. I heard they're having a new batch of girls over there."

"Leaving that aside, your little mutt here did her job well too. A bit slow on the uptake at times but quite good enough. She got that magic sword from them without them suspecting." His eyes looked down on the small girl beside him.

"Of course, that's what she's good for. We wouldn't be using her for you if she wasn't that competent." He then tossed a medium pouch of valis towards the man who caught with his hand. "Your share."

The man looked at the bag for a moment and simply clicked his tongue once again in irritation. "Tch. Hey, isn't this a bit short?"

"Sorry about that. We didn't expect a great haul so make do with that for now. It's not like our business is going out very soon." The demi-human chuckled mockingly as if he shortened the amount purposely which further soured the man's mood in the process.

Ged, after a moment of leaving hostile gazes towards the demi-human, simply pocketed his share. His eyes traced back on the little girl beside him. A moment of frustration went across his face and suddenly, he found the chance to vent it out. Without a moment, he suddenly kicked her back as the girl stumbled from the force and landed face first in front of the demi-human. "If you have any fresh targets in the future, make sure to contact me again."

"Of course. There's a lot of new ones ripe of the taking. You will have your job cut out for you soon."

"Tch. What a waste of time." With those last words, the man turned back to the other direction and disappeared from the shadows.

A short wave of silence went by as the group stayed there for a moment, watching as the man disappeared from their eyes. At that moment, the demi-human kneeled down towards the small figure who was trembling after what it seemed a terrible kick, seeing that she was struggling to get herself back up. Not only that, but the girl also seemed extremely tired and looked like she would faint any second later.

"Get up, Arde." The demi-human spoke as if he was ordering her.

The girl kept struggling and couldn't seem to comply with his order. After a few seconds of unable to respond, the demi-human proceeded to pull her girl all of a sudden, much to her shock because of the sudden yank. A hurtful shriek escaped her lips as the pain caused her to jolt into attention and gritted her teeth in the process.

"I told you to get up. Are you listening, you worthless mutt?"

"Y-Yes. I-I'm sorry." The girl mustered her best to speak but the demi-human didn't let go of her hair and proceeded to talk down to her. Moreover, his four other companions huddled around the two.

"Good good. I was thinking for a second that you weren't obeying me." He gripped her hair tighter as he inched his face closer. "Now, what else did you get from the haul. Pretty sure that wasn't all of it."

"Y-Yes. I-It's in the secret locker as you said. H-Here's the key to it." The girl weakly reached over key strapped over her neck.

Once she showed it to the demi-human, a wide grin went across his face and suddenly yanked it from her. In a quick snap, he grabbed the key from her with such force that it snapped the small rope almost immediately but also caused immense pain from the girl's neck as it was suddenly pulled from her. At that moment, he finally let go of the girl's hair and stood up with the key on his hand. His eyes now staring at it as if he found treasure with his own eyes.

"Very nice, Arde. Did Ged know about this?"

"N-No."

"Good good. You showed yourself to be useful yet again." The demi-human smirked evilly as he planted his boot onto her face. "As for your reward. Hmm, let's see. Sorry, guess I used it on Ged. Better luck next time, okay?"

Adding more insult to injury, he put a little more force from feet, causing the girl to wriggle in pain as she felt her head being squashed little by little. Her cackled screams sent the others into a fit of laughs as if mocking at her suffering. After a few seconds, he finally let his foot go from her simply turned towards the other direction, leaving the girl behind.

"Make sure to drop by the familia some time, alright?"

There was no response since the girl was too weak to even move after that torture.

At that moment, the girl felt a sudden wave of pain from her stomach as she failed to anticipate a foot planting itself towards her as she was sent careening down to the stairs. She couldn't prevent keeping herself from hurling from the painful attack which resulted in her gagging out her own spit while suppressing her urge to scream out in pain and settled with pained grunts that were barely heard from the distance.

"I TOLD YOU TO NOT IGNORE ME! YOU USELESS SHIT!"

The demi-human screamed from the distance. However, after realizing that he wasn't getting another answer, he turned his eyes back towards the direction while followed by the others laughing at her misery.

As soon as they were gone, the girl was left on her own to fend for herself. She was still registering the pain she just got from that kick and could feel a bruise coming up in the few days. Regardless, she decided to ignore it for now and tried to get herself to stand up for now. She flickered her eyes awake as she looked around and found herself further down the dark alleyway.

Fortunately for her, she knew a place where to settle the night. It might not be luxurious but it was enough to get a roof over her head and someplace to rest in peace. She clutched her pained abdomen with her left hand while resting her right hand at the walls to guide her. She barely had the strength to walk straight so a little mistake on her part and she would be crashing back to the pavement.

She stumbled further away and found a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel from her eyes. Finally, she found a way out of this wretched place. Perhaps someone out there might spot her current state and help her rest on one of the inns situated near her.

As she thought about that, she didn't notice a piece of elevated pavement and suddenly came crashing headfirst without anything to soften her landing. As a result, her face was now riddled with scratches along with arms and upper body.

At that moment, every bit of her power suddenly snuffed away from her body as her mind simply couldn't hold the misery and suffering she had until now.

Her eyes quickly watered as her heart couldn't take it anymore. As if the very moment of her fall was a sign of her giving up. She just wanted it to end. Her frustrations bottled up and her dirtied face couldn't look anymore horrible with the number of tears coming out of her bloodshot eyes.

She had decided that she wouldn't cry because that would mean that she would've lost in this life. But every moment of her life, she couldn't even begin to imagine a life beyond this suffering. Whatever she did to turn it around, she would always find herself in the very same situation. It was like she was bound to this dirty life that she had right now.

The light of the buildings in front of her seemed close yet so far at the same time. No one could even see her suffering right now.

What's the point of continuing if nothing's gonna change?

She had considered these thoughts but a part her simply didn't want to lose to this feeling. So she struggled to survive. And continued to survive, to the point of using other people's lives just to get by.

Without realizing it, she had turned into something different. Her suffering. She turned it into her strength... and anger.

Anger. Yes, she always had that on certain types of people. It was the source of her hatred all these years. She wouldn't forgive them. She would always resent them. Because in her eyes, they were all the same, no matter how kind they were. They were greedy and hateful but she wasn't any different from what she is right not.

She could care less about her hypocrisy but if it's something to get back at them, she would take it. No matter what methods she would use. No matter who it was, she will resent them until the end of her breath.

Negative thoughts circled around her at that time. A wicked smile went across her lips as she thought about those things.

However, at that moment, she stopped.

And then, her tears continued.

"P-Please... someone... help me..."

...

A/N: Hello. Just had to dish this out because I'm rewatching danmachi again like for the third time so... I'm more geared to write this. I apologize for the other stories. I promise to get back at them but because I revising on another story, it's hard to work on them simultaneously. I'm still putting words on them from time to time but it's hardly an update for me so I ask you to be patient a little more.

Anyway, this is the part where I'll be introducing characters on both fandoms so look forward to it. A new arc is coming up so let's get into it as I post more updates.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. See you all in the next chapter. Peace.

- The wiErDos send their regards...