Hey guys, we still have about… double this number of chapters before we reach the end of this volume.
So any suggestions... that's about how long we have before the first major decision of the story is made.
Thanks for accompanying the story so far!
Thanks for all who have been pointing out mistakes! Let's keep working toward making this story better!
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Silver went on with his journey across the streets of northern Orario. He saw many unique things, from street performances to adventurers returning from the Dungeon.
Not all stood there all day long, some even spent multiple days there. It was all about their preparations and their team's performance.
Silver was particularly interested in the many shops lying around, especially the food stalls. He ate quite a bit since his last meal had been yesterday.
Even with his abilities, it took Silver multiple days to reach Orario, so he had to camp several times along the way. And if not for the dangers of traveling after the sunset, Silver would've reached Orario around a few hours before dawn instead of a few hours before noon... and that was with him sleeping only for a few hours.
His excitement led him to skip breakfast and run straight for the city, which he did reach within a few hours. It was also the same reason he'd risk continuing for a few hours every night…
Food was one thing… but he also couldn't help but admire the many weapon smiths, potion shops, and even the rare magic shops scattered around the place. He even found the clothing shops interesting… In looking at them, he realized he needed a change of wardrobe.
But that was a story for another time…
"… Holy sh… ahem… blasphemy and all… but what the hell?!" He exclaimed as he stood before a magic item store
'This Grimoire… why is it seventy million Valis?!'
A Grimoire was a type of magic item that forcibly unlocked a new spell slot within an adventurer while also giving them a spell to fill it, giving them the chance to go from mere scrubs to beings of considerable power.
Magic isn't needed for climbing to the top, but it sure makes things easier… so for the opportunity of awakening something someone would've otherwise been unable to… wouldn't it justify such a ridiculous price?
It was a massive book, hundreds of pages long, made with the highest quality items and extreme knowledge of magic. Silver was aware of the confection methods, but that was on the same level as a normal person knowing the mechanisms of a gun.
To actually make one, it would take an unbelievable amount of time just to gain the qualifications.
A Grimoire was probably one of the most expensive items out of them all, probably only losing to top-class magic items and equipment.
'Seventy million… damn… this alone might be worth more than what my entire family ever made.'
He shook his head, stepping aside from the shop.
"Maybe one day I'll be able to afford it… I wonder what would happen if I read one…"
'Perhaps my desire to travel to other worlds would manifest as a spell able to do just that… just kidding… it probably wouldn't work, and for a simple reason.'
"I simply have no desire for anything."
'Plasmids are everything I need, and I can't see anything being more practical than them… if a spell were to awaken, then it would have to be something to support them because my only issues stem from this body's limitations.'
'Maybe a spell to help me recover Mind faster so I can use my powers more frequently?…'
Silver took one last look at the shop before scoffing and entering an alley. He had asked for directions on the way, and he already had the path to the Guild's headquarters, Pantheon, memorized.
There were several small branches scattered throughout the city, including one directly under Babel, but he'd rather go somewhere quiet.
Silver went through a series of hidden pathways, going from the main northern road to the northwestern one. The moment he did so, Silver could already tell the difference, mainly from the buildings lying around.
(Image)
'There are so many cultures mixed that it's hard to tell when one ends and the other starts… where the old ends and the new begins…'
He tilted his head as he looked forward, "This must be it… it's a pretty fancy place." He muttered out loud as he looked at the rustic yet stylish building
(Image)
'I can tell this place's unique just from looking at it… although the adventurers coming in already tell me everything I needed to know.'
/Sniff…/
'It's very faint, but I can smell blood in the air… no wonder. If adventurers come here, then they must be injured and carrying their spoils. If even some of the magic stones I hunted weeks ago carry a faint scent of the monster they once inhabited, what about these likely freshly picked a few hours ago at best?'
He made his way inside, stepping through the already open doors and across a small waist-high gate.
/Chatter…/
The murmurs of chattering echoed from afar, which only intensified as he stepped inside.
"What a nice place."
Saying it was beautiful was an understatement. The ground was made purely out of unknown glossy stones cut in a blue and green checkerboard pattern. The walls seemed to be made purely of high-quality green wood with a few stone beams supporting them.
Right in front of him was a wide counter with multiple people, adventurers and Guild staff, already occupying it.
To his right was a large lounge with many chairs and a wide notice board, probably where Guild Quests and Notices are posted, while to his left was another lounge but also where the exchange booths were items and magic stones were exchanged for cash.
The booths were multiple boxes with thin wooden walls decorated and beautifully inlaid with many carving. According to his grandparents, the booths were meant to hide the identity of the Guild employees behind them so they wouldn't be coerced by the fierce adventurers demanding better rates.
They had a small hole to allow the exchange, bigger exchanges had to be made in special locations and were usually done so directly at the branch underneath Babel… no good team would drag their loot all the way here for that when they could just do that there.
As far as Silver could see, they had all been occupied with lines already forming behind them.
The ceiling was mostly the arching wood and artificial lights cast above, but some sections had been decorated with paintings of people Silver could not really recognize.
Behind the counter was a small area covered in tables and archives where dozens of Guild workers could be seen frantically doing whatever task they had been assigned… not all of them were like that though.
(Image?)
"I like this place…"
"HOW IS IT JUST THIS MUCH?"
"…"
'Someone's always screaming around here…'
In one of the exchange booths, an adventurer, clearly out of his mind, banged his hand on the small counter, causing his golden coins to fall on the floor.
Despite the strength of the impact, the thin wooden shelf persevered… He commended whoever built it with much respect.
A soothing, calm voice echoed from behind the booth. It was low, but Silver could faintly hear it if he paid attention, "Adventurer, you offered the Magic Stones of nine Kobolds, fifteen Killer Ants, five Frog Shooters, and six Goblins."
"The total of the exchange is about 390 Valis per Kobold, 400 Valis per Killer ant, 530 Valis per Frog shooter and 330 per Goblin. For a total of 14140 Valis, already including tax."
"Hm… Those are all Upper Floor monsters…" Silver mumbled as he listened to their conversation
It was good information to have. He had been putting his nose everywhere on the way here exactly for that purpose, 'That's a pretty decent number for a small hunt. What is he complaining about? A team of five decent Level 1 adventurers can only do around twice that in a day.'
"No… This can not be. We spent the night in the Dungeon…"
Silver grimaced… to spend the whole night hunting… when most were sleeping and still only do that much… he showed no visible reaction and instead went for counter joining in on a less crowded line.
He kept listening to everyone's conversations until it was his turn.
A beautiful attendant approached him after she finished stacking some papers and putting them aside, "Good morning… How can I help you?"
A serious face with sharp, thin eyebrows and lips. She had a pair of wolf's ears on her head, her eyes were golden, but she had that stoic disposition.
Her curly red hair reached all the way to her waist. She seemed like a no-nonsense kind of girl.
(Image)
If his grandfather were here, he might've told him to give it a shot, but Silver wasn't in the mood of making himself a fool, so he went with his pre-made introduction, "Good morning, miss. I am new to Orario, so I was told to come here to finish setting my papers."
"I also need to sell some surface magic stones."
"A new citizen? Are you planning on becoming an adventurer?"
Silver agreed, "That's the plan after I get everything in check. For now, I'm just settling down, looking around… learning about the dynamics of the city."
"Someone with a good mind. That's rare among adventurers. Please don't take this as an offense."
"It's nothing, really."
She turned around and went to a desk a few meters behind her and bowed down to pick some papers.
Her long red tail swayed around the place… hypnotizing the guys that looked at her swaying hips.
'Damn… Focus!'
Before he was busted for his ungentlemanly behaviour, he turned his attention to the papers above the counter.
Most of them seemed to be pamphlets, advertisements, nothing interesting. But there were some recruiting notices… 'So many Familias are recruiting… but their requirements are a bit high.'
'Most don't want complete nobodies to join them; they want people with some experience… mostly mercenaries working outside would fill these lines. But accepting such people also carries a risk.'
'I should be very careful with which Familia I choose because once I receive my baptism, it'll take me a year to switch deities… this means I'll be stuck with whoever I got for quite some time… and if I the divine I chose ends up being possessive, they could even prevent me from leaving.'
'Grandpa told me to look out for two things only… the deity's personality… the people surrounding said deity. The rest doesn't matter much.'
'Even if I join a poor Familia, making money is simple. Even if the people in the Familia aren't very strong, I can figure out a way to make it work. The important thing is having a supporting deity and people that are willing to work together… the rest is irrelevant.'
'I would prefer if I could enter a Familia that wasn't poor and had people that worked well together… but I can't see myself working well with others… unless it's in a lab. Well, that could be due to my training. I was mostly trained by myself and never had anyone to support me like that, so I can't envision having others beside me.'
'I'll figure that out later.'
While he read the pamphlets the girl came back with some papers in hand, "Here, sign this here and here, and by paying ten thousand Valis you can gain the temporary citizen permit, allowing you to access the minor gates and leave Orario."
"Be mindful that once you enter a Familia, the permits to come in and out of the city drastically change. Many others do, but that's a major one. Many adventurers only find out they can't leave the city when it's too late, so I suggest you get yourself accustomed to both forms before deciding."
"To gain permanent residency in the city, you need to gain the approval of at least two Guild members of a higher position, or remain in the city for a year with no criminal records. Be mindful that some rules, once again, change once you become an adventurer."
"I understand."
He did as she asked and paid the money. Once she picked up the papers and checked them, she pointed out with the same stoic gaze, "You have quite good calligraphy, quite rare among ordinary citizens…"
"That's a long story. My grandmother was a mage from Altena, and she was very strict. She forced me to learn how to write and read in her nations language and…"
He told her a bit about his life in the village, going quite into detail about it before he realized he was speaking too much and stopped awkwardly.
Only like this did Silver realize he missed speaking with someone around "his age" more. This was the second time he just kept talking non-stop without realizing it.
With a faint expression as she sighed, she finished checking the papers, stacking them on the side, "... Everything checks out. For the magic stones, you can bring them to the counter, just remember that the prices are considerably lower because of the reduced amount of particles in them. Is that okay?"
Silver shrugged, "It's not me who makes the exchange value, so I have to go with it one way or another."
"Good. I am sick of having to deal with nonsensical people. I will pick the Familia book for you to read and search for a proper one to join. Just remember not to take too long reading it since there are others who want it."
"We have only a few such books lying around, and they're always in use."
He gave her a nod after thanking her and went to the exchange counter.
…
A sweat voice welcomed him as he stepped before the booth, "… Hello, how can I help you?"
"Hello. I have some surface magic stones I would like to exchange for Valis. I also have some monster drops."
"Just deposit them in the basin, please."
Silver put his backpack on the ground and began by taking one large pouch from within. It was full of goblin magic stones, "Goblins…" he said out loud as he placed the bag on the basin
Next, he took three other pouches, one for the kobolds, one for the small forest lizards, and the final one for rocky moles, "Kobolds… small forest lizards… rocky moles…"
He added at least a dozen more bags. Even if they were all perfectly sorted, they had already clogged the basin…
"M-Mister! Can you slow down a little?..."
"Of course."
He head a faint sigh of relief coming from behind the counter… "Okay, please continue. May I ask how you acquired so many magic stones?"
"I did so over the years. I used to have more, but they naturally degraded. That's just what happens when you live near the Beol Mountains."
"So you have prior monster hunting experience?"
"I didn't hunt all of these. My family was there to help me… we had to keep the village safe. But yes, I have experience… I hunted goblins, kobolds, orcs, jungle lizards, stone fishes…"
As he kept listing them and telling her about how he hunted them, he kept adding more bags onto the basin, much to her horror.
After several minutes of putting bag after bag inside the basin, he stopped.
"Is-Is it over, Mister?…" She asked faintly from the other side
"Yes…"
"Thank the gods…"
"The small monsters are over, I mean. I still hunted some bigger ones. My grandparents also hunted larger ones over the years. One of them even took down a Wyvern! Man… that was quite the day. You see…"
"..."
As Silver narrated yet another string of stories, he went to the depths of his bag and pulled out a few more pouches of magic stones.
Silverbacks, Minotaurs, Ligerfangs, Bugbears, Battle Boar… mostly monsters that would be found in deeper layers of the Dungeon. They were far rarer to find on the surface, but they appeared from time to time, especially somewhere as dangerous as the Beol Mountains.
Each of those would be seen as a small disaster to cities on the continent. Without the means to defend themselves, they could cause significant damage or worse.
There were even some larger crystals belonging to creatures like Wyverns... all of those didn't really fit in one pouch, so he stacked them up in a big sack… much to the woman's waning sanity…
/Cling…/
After a few more minutes of narration, he placed the final Magic stone on the counter.
"… and that was the last of it."
Her tired voice soon echoed from beyond the booth, "... just… give me a minute…"
Some of the adventurers and guild personnel looked in his direction with pity, not at Silver, but at the girl making the calculations… was it really that bad?
"… Phew… okay… The final amount will be…"
"Wait…I still have the drop items." Silver said casually as he shuffled around his bag
He picked several more pouches and slowly placed them on the counter… 'If only I could sell everything at once… but some drop items are quite large and this bag only has so much space.'
'I still have some magic stones left to sell as well… It'll probably be too strange for me to come here again to sell those in the future so I'll have to find a way to drain those out eventually.'
'And that's not even counting the equipment me and grandfather made over the years…'
/Thump!/
Silver was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang coming from the other side of the booth.
"Are you okay, miss?!" Silver asked as he tapped on the wood
"... Yes… I am, mister… Thank you… for your care…."
Her voice grew a little rougher, "The final amount will be…"
"…"
"... No more items?"
"That was all."
'Even I can tell you look fed up with me… I know when to stop.'
"Finally! The amount is roughly 3.1 million Valis."
"Hm… Okay."
'Seems about right. The spoils of the last few years of work, since anything beyond that has long expired. Of the rest, I consumed a great deal of the drops to fuel my understanding of magic and other crafts, causing many magic stones to be sacrificed.'
'Some were even used to improve living conditions in the village. And my grandparents also took a great deal of the materials for their own activities… this is just a small part I managed to hog for myself in preparation for this day.'
'More than enough funds to get started… and they say making money is hard.'
He smiled faintly, 'There's still much to do… would she get upset if I asked her about currency conversion?… Better not…'
After a moment of pondering, she asked, "How would you like to receive the money?"
"Give me about fifty thousand Valis in small coins for day-to-day use and the rest in big coins."
She gave him one small sac containing thirty coins worth a hundred thousand Valis each, and one big sac with dozens of coins of multiple shapes and sizes.
"Thank you. Sorry for the uh… quantity…"
Silver could hear her sigh of relief from the other side, "It's nothing… Next time, please go to the bigger booth if you have a high amount of items to sell. Also… please don't come back." She said in a sweet tone as she waved her hand underneath the basin, shooing him off
Silver smiled helplessly. It seemed he overdid it… so with a smile, "See you soon!" before turning around and leaving.
He went back to the red-haired werewolf and picked up the Familia book. He also asked her a few extra questions, such as currency exchange, and she directed him to a bank just down the street.
He would go there at some other time. From then on, he sat in one of the padded chairs nearby, close to the window, and began reading it.
It was a thick book with several thousand pages, each one with several gods and goddesses, explaining their philosophies and strengths. The book even covered the deities outside of Orario, many of which he knew about.
Be it Ares to the northwest or Kali to the southeast of Orario, the world was ruled by Gods and their unusual tendencies and stories.
Even Orario was visited by dozens of traveling gods, some of their influence so great it could be felt even in their absence, such as Baldr, headmaster of the famed School District, also known as the Maritime Academic Institutions Special District, which has taught many prominent adventurers over the years.
Thousands applied when they opened their gates, but only a few could enter…
'There are even evil deities mentioned here… but they've clearly been sent back to heaven… or expelled from the city indefinitely.'
'Hum… there are many types of Familia, from exploration types that focus on Dungeon delving to manufacturing Familias that develop and create Items… What I want is something along the lines of an exploration-type Familia.'
'These types aren't just labels; they're a classification. Something that will affect how they are viewed by others and even how taxes are applied…'
'I don't think I have many suitable options… but… it's not that something like a Manufacturing Familia wouldn't do… they also have their raid-groups to gather materials, so maybe I could fit in there well. Hunt for items and transform them into something else later…'
At the same time, he needed a deity he could trust and show his skills to. But gods can be deceiving sometimes…
'It's a little cliche, but there is one God I could trust without fear… but she's not around… not at this time.'
He raised an eyebrow, deep in thought… "Perhaps I could bring her down from heaven?"
'What if I prayed really hard for her? What if I asked another deity that knows her to ask her to descend for me? Would they do it, or would it be too strange?… Or would they find it romantic?'
'Though even if I succeeded, I guess an issue would remain… an inexperienced deity would cause quite the trouble… but I would definitely exchange that for someone I can trust.'
'That said… there is that option… Loki is another excellent option, but they have their own rules, as is to be expected from a top-tier, S Class Familia… getting used to that would be… another heap of issues.'
'I do prefer to do things on my own… but they specialized in teamwork… can I work well with others?'
"… Perhaps I should just look for a cute goddess or something…" He said with a sigh as he flipped the pages
…
Time passed as Silver stood there reading through the pages for the next two hours before closing the book in wonder, stumped by the vast number of gods and their rich history.
'So many deities… from so many religions... just what kind of stories and truths about this world do they know? Things from so long ago even stone would've turned to dust from erosion?'
'Hum… time to move on... I've already inscribed this book within my Plasmids, I can keep reading it later if I want to.'
He got up and went to the counters. As the day passed, the lines only seemed to grow longer… "PSST!"
"Hm?"
But as he thought about what to do next, he was suddenly called by a pink-haired girl on the side:
"Heyyy you there! The handsome boy with the brick book!"
She looked young, about his age, maybe? She had a slightly mischievous look on her face as she stood there on the counter. Like all others, she wore the standard clothing of the Guild.
(Image)
He approached her with interest, "Did you call me, miss?"
"Yup! Rose told me you had the "brick" with you?"
"It's right here."
/THUD!/
"UGH!! Just don't drop it like that!"
He dropped it in her hands, causing her to almost fall forward… "Arg… I hate this book… Hey! Before you go, do you have any more questions?"
"In fact, I do… can normal non-adventurers enter the Dungeon?"
She raised an eyebrow at him, knowing exactly what he meant by that, "Yes and no! I mean, it used to be like that hundreds of years ago, but the death rate became so high that a rule was implemented to control passage in and out of the Dungeon."
She put her hands really high and got on her tiptoes to show him how high the mortality rate was, "Although the death rate is still high, it's certainly lower than it could be. But after the… well… war, the number of low-level adventurers plummeted, and we are now allowing normal people to enter if they have a pass."
'Also because we don't have enough people to put up as guards…'
Stepping forward, she pointed at him with a serious expression, "Although we always encourage people to enter a Familia first! Don't gamble with your life!"
She's quite energetic… Silver thought as he looked at her… but there seemed to be more than that in her tone.
"What do you need to enter? How can I gain a permanent pass?"
"After registering your Familia you will gain an adventurer card that can be presented at the entrance, but we aren't really enforcing it recently… as I said, everyone may go in, but… you didn't hear that from me!"
She shrugged, shaking her head, "Security is quite lax, after all. If people want to go kill themselves, why should we stop them? It's more for appearances than anything… to stop children and other civilians from getting inside. That's very important."
"What do you do with these… troublemakers?"
She scoffed, "Not much, most just die inside, unfortunately... But we punish the others by disciplining them, like throwing them in jail for a few days, usually just enough to scare them so they don't try it again."
"In any case, if you want to enter and believe you can handle yourself, just come here and apply for a permit. It's not that big of a deal."
"But there are those with criminal records… they sneak their way into the dungeon knowing they can not enter it through normal means to make a living." She whispered as she looked around warily
"Don't you try to stop them? That seems like a good reason to put guards there."
"And we do… but it's just that even if they come back, they need to sell their stuff… but you see, we don't accept items from those without identities. And it might seem easy to fabricate a new one, but it's not THAT easy…"
"Nonetheless… why not join a Familia? There are so many ragtag groups out there. Join one and all of that will go away… once again, I never said that." She said with a wink as she rested her elbows on the counter
"I see, thank you for your time… And send "Rose" my regards as well." Silver added with a smile before bowing and leaving the Guild
"Hum…"
The pink-haired girl watched him leave and then dropped her head a little, "I lost the bet…"
Behind her, Rose slowly stepped out from behind the corner, sighing audibly.
"I told you he wasn't trying to impress me. You owe me dinner for wasting my time…"
"Nooo…" She said dramatically as she deflated
"Can you two get back to work? Things are piling over here!" An elven girl exclaimed on the side as she frantically worked on signing papers
…
Outside the Guild, Silver looked around and went straight to the bank, only to go right through it as his eyes narrowed.
'I can't believe it… someone's following me. I've taken three unusual turns yet I can still hear them behind me…'
'But why? Was it the money? I suppose I was a bit careless… but give me a break. Let's get this over with.'
He entered an alley and hid using -Chameleon- to turn "invisible". His skin fused with his surroundings, and so did his clothes. Soon enough, he had vanished from sight.
/Step…/
/Step…/
/Step…/
Three guys soon entered the alley after him… a man man in a brown cloak, a dwarf, and a man with a bald head.
"Are you sure he entered this alley and not the next one? This is a dead end."
"He entered here, I'm sure! He probably jumped over that low wall over there. It's a bit tall but scalable. He must've noticed us and booked it!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be a newbie? How can he climb that so quickly? It's two person's high!"
"Lets go! We can't lose the fat sheep! He has millions on him!"
/Step…/
/Step…/
/Step…/
And so they went after the "sheep"… not only after, Silver stepped out of the corner and scoffed at them.
"Fucking idiots…"
He got out of the alley and continued on his way to the bank, and not long after, around half an hour after getting his documentation checked, he stepped out with his old currency exchanged.
'With this… I only have a few items left to sell, and I'll be clean of most things I wanted to get rid of. From here on out it's up to me to get things done. No more relying on anyone else… until I join a Familia there is.'
'But I want to try something first.'
Silver went down the street, entering a few alleys so he could shove his backpack inside his pocket space. With his spare sword in hand, he followed the rest of the way to the center of the city.
And after over half an hour of walking, he reached the large plaza where the dungeon was located!
(Image)
He turned his neck and looked upwards, squinting his eyes as the sun shone brightly above him.
"To think I'd finally arrive… man… I feel like a kid all over again." He said with some emotion as he took in the strange atmosphere of the region
"The Dungeon below and the tower above… Babel… the base alone is almost as wide as a small stadium if not a bit wider."
'Would the Guild have the schematics for this? Someone has to keep maintenance on time…'
/Chatter…/
Silver looked around in wonder as he saw dozens of people of different races wearing heavy and light armor.
Mages, assassins, everything you can think of. They all got together as they discussed whatever plans they had for the day. They were preparing and discussing the Dungeon.
Listening to their conversations was quite insightful. It reminded him of his time playing video games at his office…
He went to one of the entrances and saw multiple guards standing before it. Silver just showed them his papers before moving on.
But not long after he passed by…
"Another lost cause. He didn't even bring basic protection. Only a shabby sword… they're handling those permits to anyone these days."
"Maybe we should stop him. Remind him to step back and…"
"Not our problem anymore. Not when he has those papers… let's hope he comes back after a goblin beats him up. It's the best we can do now… pray that another soul isn't consumed."
"I hate this job…"
"Tell that to Ganesha-Sama…"
…
"… Come on, guys…"
Silver obviously heard their entire conversation, 'I agree with them in a sense, I should've at least put on some of my equipment. I was just used to not using any because of my training.'
'I'll put something to cover myself once I'm down there.'
"Growing up with so many tales of it… let's see how this Dungeon truly is!"
…
Inside the tower was a large area with a large hole in its middle; there were four entrances that led towards multiple spiral staircases… At the very bottom was his destination: the first floor.
Above, Silver saw an incredibly lifelike depiction of the skies, a painting of incredible design and craftsmanship.
(Image)
He clenched his fists, "First, let's see how strong these monsters are compared to their counterparts on the surface."
With that, he followed the other teams, stepping down into the world below… like many before him since the distant ages…
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Notes
See ya.
Peace!