21 The beginning

English is not my first language so you might find some mistakes in the translation of the chapter.

This chapter has been translated by various means in order to obtain the best result, so you may find some simple or normal wordings.

Enjoy the chapter.

xxxxx

In the northern district of the city, just off the road, a large building towered high above the rest of those in the city nearby.

The building was composed of a great line of dark red towers that towered like spears over the city.

The structure looked like flames when the sunlight hit it right there. The joker's flag flew majestically at the top of the tallest tower with its red color that matched the towers.

Twilight Manor.

The house of the Loki Familia was made of a row of towers. They were all connected at the base and by several stone bridges above. There was no difficulty traveling between the towers.

The mansion looked more like a housing project of several tall towers gathered in one place. The largest and thickest tower was in the center and was surrounded by six others.

The shape and height of each of the six towers varied, but still they were all connected at the base while creating a ring around the independent central tower.

Each of the towers were connected on the upper floors by stone bridges to make the journey from tower to tower more comfortable.

Three of the towers were dedicated to the male members of the Familia, and the remaining four to the female members. Shared spaces such as the storerooms and cafeteria were not centralized in a single tower and were being overseen in a freely chaotic manner.

Amidst all that in one of the female members towers the situation was quiet. Night had come and the tower had to be illuminated by the light of the magic stone lamps.

The design with which the mansion was created was changing over time, at this time there were some lamps hanging on the wall and there were also specific designs that gave light.

In other words, until it is time to rest, the corridors and some areas of access to all members of the Familia will remain illuminated.

The room we are reading about is one that was recently opened and started to be used by the newest member of the Loki Familia.

Riku Cranel.

Currently she was sleeping comfortably in her bed without any disturbance from the outside world.

She was going through quite a bit today and like the little girl she is she wanted to take a break from everything that happened.

The argument she had with Syr and the fight she had with Bete were the two things that tired her out mentally, which is why she gave up when she touched the bed.

That wouldn't last long, though.

A woman was on her way to fetch Riku and take her to the dining room to give her a dinner with the other members of the Familia.

Anakitty Autumn.

Her black hair was down to her shoulders, she had her attractiveness reflected in her black fur on her ears and tail. Loki would waste no time and take care to enjoy every curve of her.

With a quiet excitement she walked to the room of the girl she had guided and was now coming to take her to dinner with to meet other people in the Familia.

Relationships between Familia members must always be at their best as support in the dungeon is of vital importance and if there is rivalry or annoyance between Familia members it can lead to big trouble.

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Knock*

After arriving at their destination she knocked on the door a few times trying to get Riku's attention.

"…"

Of course she didn't get an answer and just had to go back to knocking on the door trying to get Riku's attention again.

After a while of waiting she was a little disappointed. Aki's thoughts showed Riku as a child who needed support in the Familia because of her young age.

So she leaned her hand on the door to let out a sigh and leave everything behind, she would come back the next day for Riku and ask her to teach her how to defeat Bete.

*Chiir*

What Aki didn't expect was that the door would open and for that reason she lost her balance but was able to hold on to the door frame in time to avoid hitting the floor.

"It's not locked" She murmured with a bit of astonishment.

As a new person in an unfamiliar environment it was normal for Riku to take her precautions and eventually she would open up to the Familia.

Aki slowly entered the room and observed the surroundings carefully and took care not to touch anything that didn't belong to her.

There she saw her.

Resting on her bed with no hurry in her life as she drooled with the comfort of the bed.

The problem was that half of her body was hanging off the bed and would soon fall off if someone didn't help her or she didn't get settled properly to sleep.

"Riku"

Aki called out to her trying to wake her up with her voice hoping Riku would get up and avoid getting hurt.

"Riku"

Seeing how she didn't respond Aki acted and approached the girl to shake her a little. She put her shoulder into her and gave her a few light shoves.

"Hm"

"Riku"

"Muru... annuying"

Between dreams Riku mumbled some words while Aki just blinked at what was happening. She put her hand back on Riku's shoulder and again shook it with a little force to wake her up.

Nothing happened.

Why didn't she wake up?

"Hmumu"

Again Riku didn't wake up and Aki could only snort at the situation.

She got tired of trying to wake her up so she looked around the room and looked at the magic stone lamp on a table next to the bed.

If she couldn't wake her up then she would simply tuck her into bed and cover her with the blanket to keep her safe in her room and the next day she would come for her again.

Then she turned on the lamp to better observe the room and move Riku without having to wake her up.

"Guñuñu"

Aki stopped with wide eyes.

Riku stood up sleepily and with her forearm she wiped the drool that escaped from her mouth.

She blinked a bit and then saw Aki with her hand on the lamp showing that she was the reason why she had to wake up, she looked annoyed but hid her anger towards Aki.

Aki still didn't understand how Riku got up with the light but not with some movements in her body.

"Good morning"

Riku waved without knowing what was going on.

"Riku"

"Yes?"

"It's nighttime"

"Ah, thanks for telling me... Wait what?"

Riku quickly got up from her bed as she turned on the bedroom light and opened the windows to look at the sky.

She opened her eyes and her mouth dropped open with an 'Oh' not knowing what else to say for her situation. She didn't see anything wrong with sleeping, waking up and sleeping, but she had told Aki that she was going to accompany her and she felt bad for failing in that.

And she was only one day old in the Familia.

"I guess you came for me, didn't you?"

"Yes" she nodded "But apparently you got a little sleepy and preferred to take a little nap"

"Hehehe" Riku chuckled as she scratched her cheek "A lot happened and I wanted to take a little break, any time left?"

"Of course!" she gave her a smile making her sigh in relief "Come on, you have to meet the others"

"Yes! I'm coming after you!"

Riku got up, put on her shoes, but not her coat and walked with Aki out of the room.

With a meal it is a good way to get to know each other.

xxxxx

I can say that it's been quite a while since I've had a meal with a large number of people.

Probably the only times I've been in a similar situation with many people was at family gatherings and that would be saying a lot.

I rarely went out with my friends so I don't have a lot of social skills, although that doesn't matter to me since I know enough to be in a conversation with a person.

Aki introduced me to some of her companions. Most of them were adults and others were still in their teens.

Adventurer's work is dangerous so it is to be hoped that very young people do not go into the dungeon.

That won't stop me.

Dinner was a very different experience from what I've been used to during my time living here.

The reason is very simple, my job.

In my old life I always stayed in my apartment during my free time and I was into technology so there wasn't much to do at home.

In this world I became a pub worker so I learned a lot of new things about taking care of things.

When I was in the dining room I felt very strange when I saw that there were people who made the food and did not let others touch the dishes and put them on the table.

I noticed that there was a bit of distance between the junior and senior members, according to Aki this was because of the things they talked about or did. A bit silly to me since it's better to share some anecdotes that are helpful between people.

The food that had been prepared for dinner varied a little, I think it's because of the large number of people in the Familia so they can't prepare the same thing all the time and have to do different things from time to time.

There were various sliced foods for people to take what they wanted and also various condiments to taste.

I ate enough to have a good rest since I had only eaten around noon and it was already dark.

I had a good time in the dining room, although I felt small compared to everyone else. To put it another way, the experience could be felt by everyone and I only knew how to move a knife in the kitchen.

That doesn't affect me since at the beginning everyone can tell you what they think, but in the end you might even overcome those who only looked at you with disdain and that's what I plan to do.

After dinner I said goodbye to Aki and the people around me.

Along the way I thought of all the things I could do in the future after I got my status up enough to consider myself strong.

The falna is a weapon that still remains unknown in many areas to me, next time I update my status I will ask Loki the things she knows about the falna and all the potential I could get out of it.

After a while of walking I was almost to the tower on the female side but I collided with someone by accident and got into a very big problem that I'm thinking about how to get out of.

Now I'm in big trouble.

A wolf was cornering a rabbit.

His shadow was looming over me and he was intimidating me with his gaze.

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Yes"

Bete answered me without changing the indifference of his words while keeping his vision on me at all times, I think he doesn't blink much so as not to lose sight of me.

"Do you forgive me?"

"Grr"

"I'll take it as a 'I don't know what to say to you because I want to kill you', fine by me"

Bete just narrowed his eyes without changing his expression.

At this time as it is already night people already went into their rooms and some of their things so there is no one in the hallway.

"C-can I help you?"

"…"

"Just don't make it too strong please"

Bete slowly approached me as I shuddered at the thought of what was to come.

Just by looking at him I can tell that he wouldn't hit others just like that, he would just call them names, but I didn't do that and I ended up humiliating him which is much worse for someone like him.

He stopped in front of me, my back was touching the wall so I couldn't keep backing up and let alone running because he would appear at my side in the blink of an eye.

"You had guts to act that way a little while ago"

"In my defense you wanted me to prove myself strong"

"…"

"…"

"How did you do it?"

"W-what?"

I looked at him puzzled, not knowing what he meant. For his part, Bete only got more irritated and kicked the air and made me open my eyes in fear.

"What did you throw at me?"

"A-Ah, you mean the spray"

"That shit burned like hell you bastard"

"..." I had to put my hand over my mouth and look away to keep Bete from looking at my restrained laughter something that didn't do any good.

"I'll kill you" he growled at me.

"Wait!" I exclaimed with my hands raised high "At least explain to me why you want to kill me!... hypothetically!"

"You thought being surrounded by strong people would save you" Bete snorted with annoyance "Now you're just a scared doe who has no courage"

"...it was worth it"

"Your last words"

"You're amazing" I said firmly.

"..." that stopped Bete and he gave me an indescribable look before snorting and looking at me coldly again "What the fuck did you say?"

"You look great" he looked at me angrily "Say what you want about your shitty attitude" that made him growl in anger "But in my opinion if you ignore that and get used to it you look great"

I was not lying with my words.

In my old life I got used to swearing among my friends and with that I got used to receive them without getting hurt and sometimes I communicated that way with some friends.

Of course that time was over and I had to improve my speech so as not to disturb other people who were very sensitive to that kind of thing.

And seeing Bete...

He's not happy, I think.

"I've lasted long enough" he lifted his arm.

"I claim my first favor for my righteous victory!" that made him stop with an annoyed expression "You can't attack me unless we're trained together!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to be?!"

"The favor that I win!"

"You!" he growled full of rage "Have you no shame for covering up your own weakness you fucking bastard?!"

"It's called cunning!" exclaim I with mock pride "You ignorant wolf!"

Bete grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and pulled me close to his face as he bared his fangs "Don't get cocky little shit. I could end your career as an adventurer this instant" he said to me in an icy way.

I could even feel the coldness emanating from him because of my fear and horror at what he would do if I kept talking like that. I'm playing with my life and I'm losing, damn it.

"L-look we started off bad, didn't we?" tried to relax the atmosphere getting Bete to look at me then I let go with a shove hitting the wall "I'm Riku, new member of the Familia"

"…"

"Hey, at least say something" I snort with mock annoyance "You could do with being modest about your actions"

"You're annoying, you know that"

"Well... sorry"

"Are you really apologizing for your weakness? You've stooped so low, brat"

"If you so badly want to see my weakness it's okay Fenris" I pointed my finger at him causing him to raise an eyebrow "I claim my second favor for my victory!"

"Hey! Stop talking shit! Your favors are bullshit and there's nothing stopping me from breaking them!"

"Ohhh" I raised my voice dramatically as I covered my mouth to emphasize the sound "I see you are not as I expected and will break your own promises, thanks for letting me know"

That made him stop me and give me an unreadable look that unnerved me a little as his hatred momentarily disappeared.

"Say it" I looked at him puzzled "I don't have time for games, tell me what you want"

"I want you to be my teacher"

"What?"

Bete looked at me as surprised as I had seen him in the last few hours that I had known him. I don't think he thought I wanted him near me.

"I want to go into the dungeon tomorrow. I know that the profession of adventurer is dangerous so I want someone to tell me about my beginner's mistakes" I said firmly.

"Why the hell do you want it to be me?"

"'Cause I don't want them to be nice to me" that made Bete blink in confusion "Many would say to be gentle at first with the teachings as they are learning, but the last few days have shown me that kindness isn't always good and ends up being bullshit"

Bete laughed at the last.

"I want to learn from someone who knows that it is necessary to be tough to be stronger and you are my first and best choice for me"

Bete looked at me and then turned around and started walking.

I was going to follow him but something stopped me "First hour at the door of the headquarters"

That stopped me and a smile grew on my face but then something made me frown "Hey! What's your name werewolf?"

He just snorts but not before turning to give me a look "Bete Loga, I look forward to seeing how you fall you bastard"

I stood in the middle of the hallway watching Bete's silhouette disappear from the hallway and a smile of victory grew on my face.

"Yes!" I raised my fist " I have a teacher. Tomorrow I'll see what I can do in the dungeon"

I made my way to my room with determination in my whole being.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day.

xxxxx

Shitty, my day went to shit.

I got up first thing in the morning and had to gather a lot of things for the dungeon, things I had overlooked even though they were small.

I had to have breakfast, I prepared my fanny pack with my stuff, I visited Loki to tell her that I was going to the dungeon with Bete which made her mumble a lot of things but after that she gave me the go ahead.

She also gave me a backpack that was imbued with magic which allowed me to store more things than I could see at first glance.

Now I'm walking towards the entrance of the headquarters to see Bete.

I think he has something to do with the promises since not everyone stops his anger for words and also swallows his pride to help someone else.

That's where I saw him.

Bete and... Riveria?

What are they two doing together in the morning?

"Riveria-san, Bete, is something wrong?" I spoke to them getting both of their attention.

Riveria had a serious look on her face and Bete looked irritated.

"Riku, I see you're ready"

"Of course Riveria-san, the dungeon is not a game so I have to take it seriously" I said while showing a small smile.

"Still..." she kept silent as she looked at Bete "I didn't think Bete would go with you on your first day"

"Say what you want, she used her 'favors' to ask for my help" Bete sneered at Riveria "The sooner they're over the better for me"

"I see you lowered your pride with someone weak" Riveria remarked making Bete growl.

"Come to annoy or hinder?"

"Isn't that the same thing?" I asked.

"Never mind, she's getting in the way. I want to see you get destroyed by a goblin" Bete said making me snort in amusement.

"I was planning on leading you to the dungeon, but I see you already chose Bete" she said to me with a raised eyebrow "I was planning on leading you and then teaching you how to use your magic"

"I like the unknown and using my magic on monsters is a wonderful idea" I said excitedly.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Bete exclaimed in surprise "You have magic? How the fuck does a level 1 like you have magic?" Bete looked at Riveria for answers but she didn't answer him.

"I see you're interested Bete-kun" his eyebrow twitched at my words "In the dungeon we can experiment if you want to"

"Anyway, I've taken up a lot of your time" Riveria told us looking towards the mansion "Bete I entrust you to Riku, find Rose she'll know what to do"

"I know" Bete said exasperated "Come on brat"

"Wait, Where are we going?"

"Guild"

"And the dungeon?" I asked in confusion looking at Bete and then at Riveria.

"The guild has the records of all the Familias of Orario" she clarified "We need to register you as our Familia so you can enter the dungeon"

"Oh, I didn't know that" I said looking at the ground and kicking a stone.

"Don't worry about it" to my amazement it was Bete who spoke "It's just writing down nonsense on the paper and everything will be ready"

"That nonsense is vital to the guild Bete" Riveria spoke harshly and Bete just snorted "I hope you do well"

"Shut up already" Bete said as he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and pulled me with him.

I waved goodbye to Riveria and Bete and I walked slowly out of Twilight Manor.

It all starts here.

xxxxx

Orario.

Judging by its appearance, the impending structure would have been able to repel enemy attacks from the outside.

However, its true purpose was to contain the monsters that emerged from a giant breach in the earth. Built in Ancient Times, this was a testament to how hard people fought to contain the monsters that emerged from it.

The stone barrier enclosed buildings of all shapes and sizes. Standing in the center of it all was a huge white structure.

This was built directly over the entrance and served as a lid: The Tower of Babel.

With Babel as its symbol, the city built above the dungeon had become a thriving metropolis.

A large part of the city's population was made up of adventurers, people who lived inside the dungeon. It was said that many restaurants and bars were built to help them celebrate their successes and let their fatigue slip away.

Humans and demi-humans gathered in their favorite holes, drinking, and living side by side. Occasionally, some deities got along and joined them with mugs of liquor or beer in their hands.

These were places where there were no divisions of race and allegiance, where people laughed and enjoyed each other's company.

But among all the places that were built there was one that had far more importance than any other there is.

The Guild.

It was built in white marble with the front lined with a series of large pillars, this building was called the Pantheon, the temple of the gods.

Several monuments stood on the front lawn, greeting adventurers traveling through the front gates. Anyone was allowed to enter as long as they didn't cause trouble.

The Guild was the engine that made the city prosper as it had complete control of the economic benefits that came from the dungeon, from the adventurers' income and the exchange of magic stones.

All adventurers were registered in their database as a way to protect them and average citizens at the same time. In return, their employees advised the adventurers and provided them with information about the obstacles they would encounter inside the dungeon. The more prepared the adventurers were, more money they would make, and the city would prosper even more.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the guild's support was indispensable for every adventurer.

At this moment a white-haired girl with red eyes was keeping her expression serious as she walked beside a grey-haired wolf boy with a wild aura around him.

Anyone who saw them would think they weren't a duo that could combine, the girl showed curiosity in her eyes which ruined the serious image she was trying to create.

They both entered the guild listening to the boisterous voices of other adventurers already inside the building.

Bete led the way and Riku tried to keep her composure, a bit difficult for someone like her who is very curious.

"We arrived"

Riku observed the reception where there were several people chatting with the adventurers and others were exchanging the magic stones they got.

"Hey, Rose"

Bete called a receptionist and she responded with a bored but professional look.

She was a beauty, she received stares from many people but even so she wasn't fascinated or jealous with the stares there, rather she seemed annoyed. She didn't change her dull curved posture.

"Welcome, Bete Loga of the Loki Familia, What brings you here?"

"Cut the crap" Bete said nonchalantly "I want to get it over with as soon as possible"

"The manual says we are to be respectful to the main Familias, so I can't help it" she said with a shrug "If we don't work properly we will take a pay cut"

"Tch" Bete growled irritated "Just register her as an adventurer so we can get out of here"

"Hm?" she cocked her head in confusion "Who is this person?"

"Come on, hurry up" Bete placed his hand on Riku's shoulder and moved her to the front of him placing her in full view of the receptionist.

Rose looked down a little, seeing a peculiar girl.

Her face didn't show much emotion but her eyes did show it for every thing she saw. Her unusual white hair and ruby red eyes, she looked more like a rabbit than anything else.

"...Fine" she stifled a sigh "I'll take over"

She bluntly accepted Bete's request.

Assuming her professional attitude, she suppressed a reproachful look and swallowed the words she wanted to say when she saw another girl being searched by the Loki Familia.

"Can you write?"

"Yes"

Riku nodded with a determined look and stuffed the paper with the quill pen she had received.

Bete kept silent, he just wanted to see the dungeon and not waste his time on these things.

"Ready" she held up the paper and held it out to Rose who took it carefully to check it properly.

'Name Riku Cranel, nine years, huh? That's more than the other time and... almost nothing more'

The birthplace was blank, her backstory said her family died and her aunt took care of her, but after that it was blank. Other than her age there wasn't much to speculate on for the girl.

Rose frowned but said nothing.

This was Orario. Outlaws looking to get rich quick and people with guilty consciences came here all the time, even children were not exempt from this sort of thing.

The Guild welcomed anyone who could face the dungeon. If they investigated everyone who did not reveal their past or career, they would never finish.

Apart from special cases like spies or informants working for other countries or cities, anyone could become an adventurer. That was the rule here. Rose accepted the parchment and approved it, as always.

"As for an advisor... well, you won't need that. A big Familia like yours doesn't need our support"

"Yeah yeah, let's go"

"It's okay"

They both got ready but were stopped by Rose.

"I can think she's ready to go to the dungeon, right?"

Riku stopped in her tracks at Bete's annoyed look and Rose's critical gaze, she started touching her things then nodded " I prepared myself before coming to the Guild"

"Fenris" she turned to Bete "Could it be that the Loki Familia is desperate to train children into their faction?"

"…"

"About four years ago Riveria did the same thing to a girl with golden hair. Luckily that girl survived, but what about her?"

Riku's gaze darkened and Bete remained unfazed by Rose's words.

"She's excited about a quick death. You are leading her to a death at a very early age"

Bete still held her gaze but she just snorted making Rose irritated and looked at the girl.

When Rose looked at her she saw that she was trembling but she didn't speak. At that the girl looked up and saw Rose's eyes puzzling her from today to the future.

"Fuck you and your words"

Rose stopped with wide eyes.

Bete smiled in amusement.

"You're a Guild advisor so you support adventurers" she pointed her finger at her "All you've said is pure bullshit and that's more annoying than drunks in the street"

She was silent not knowing what to say, even the advisors behind her were watching the commotion with different looks on each other's bases.

"You're just talking nonsense and comparing me to other people" she snorted annoyed "It's irritating to see people like you who only know how to live belittling everything that moves"

Bete moved in place but no one saw him and he didn't care if they did.

"So fuck you and if we're not going to have a conversation that involves something important then I wouldn't want to talk to you"

Riku turned and started walking towards the exit ignoring the shocked looks of the people around her.

Rose just stared blankly and looked at Bete who was laughing silently.

"You stuck your nose where it didn't belong. Heh" he came out after the girl.

They left behind the Guild hall and the adventurers and workers moving from one place another at work. Rose folded her arms sullenly and headed back to her work, she had other things to think about than an annoying girl.

The guild was left behind and they both started walking towards their destination.

The only place that leads to the gates of hell the deeper you go. The gods don't even know everything about it but still the children of the earthly world go to investigate.

The dungeon.

xxxxx

The university is very problematic, but I'll manage... I always do. So the imagination for each chapter in the dungeon is a bit difficult.

Creating fights is not my forte, rather I would say I need a lot of inspiration or I might make small scenes and then explain my battles something I find a bit strange.

After this start in the dungeon I will soon enter with the hostess and the assassins coming for Ryuu. Those chapters will have a good story and you have to remember that Riku killed Jura Halmer who was a vicious Evilus that Ryuu hated with all her being.

That event will change the future and Fanfic are fictional stories with the main story modified for the readers' entertainment.

Thanks for reading.