Chapter 6

Bell's room was on the first floor of the Mansion.

The room itself was quite simple. He had a single bed, a small wardrobe, a bathroom and a desk with a lamp in case he wanted to write something or read a book that Riveria lent him for him to study. To top it off, an oval carpet of beige color adorning that room.

The boy was standing staring at that set he won from the Corporation. Bell had just left the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist.

The opaque look saw a scenario not so distant.

(...)

The sounds of the blades clashing fervently.

The desperate screams.

The scarlet blood gushing.

In the midst of that chaos of the battlefield, running at the highest speed he could, a boy wearing a light armor, a steel breastplate; elbow pads; shoulder pads and knee pads, advanced mercilessly carrying a rapier in his left hand.

The gun had been made to measure for him. All to take advantage of your superhuman speed to surprise and cut off your enemies.

The whitish threads, in the midst of the fighting, have gained a more boiling color. White has been replaced by scarlet red. The blood of the opponents, for the most part, soiled the smallest due to the way he cut them.

Due to their short stature, the enemies were surprised both by the speed and the force exerted in each thrust, the fast cuts mixed with the current characteristics of the boy, gave the hallucination to those who died of a white lightning dyed red.

In a few hours of battle, more than thirty people, whether men or women, had their lives sorved by the boy's rapiera. There is no distinction, if they wield their weapons against him, death is inevitable.

The boy had made a promise. He, at any cost, would go back to his family. And this promise would not be broken, even if he became a demon, he would come back no matter what it was.

(...)

Bell came back to himself.

He laughed in mockery.

- "And to think that after everything that happened, I will use this type of set once again."

Another laugh of mockery.

Bell shook his head to forget those memories.

- "Better to forget... Thinking about the past will not change my future. What I have to do is focus on the present, and at this moment, I have to prepare to face the <Dungeon > for the first time."

Going to the wardrobe, he chose a change of black clothes. Loki and Riveria bought some clothes for him. Your preference was for the color black.

The clothes were bought over the two months. A small bag was also bought so that he could use it both to store the magic stones and to store his groceries when he went down to the <Morra >.

Bell wore a black long-sleeved shirt, pants of the same color and a low shoe. He put on the armor, wrapped the sword on the waist on the right side and left the room.

He walked calmly down the corridor, with the cafeteria in mind. When he arrived, he quickly went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks so that he could eat at the <Dungeon >. After finishing preparing, he kept it inside the small bag.

- "Well, I think that works."

He sighed lightly.

Upon leaving the kitchen, he headed out of the mansion.

At 6:15 a.m., he was already on his way to Babel.

His first adventure was about to begin.

◇◇◇◇

When he felt the vaguely cold air on his skin, his eyes observed the environment.

Despite being underground, phosphorescence illuminated the area. The blue walls and the ceiling indicated that that was the entrance to the labyrinth.

This was the first floor of the <Dungeon >, on the upper levels.

Passing through the spiral staircase to the great well below Babel and beyond the wide Home Road, Bell reached a certain corner of the labyrinth. There was only one way to go, with no forks on the road. On the way down he noticed that there were few adventurers in that place. If I put it in numbers, less than 10 people were going down the stairs to enter the lair of the monsters.

- "I'm really getting into the <Dungeon >."

He thought examining the surroundings waiting for any surprise attack. On the outside, it exhibited a calm and centered expression. But at his heart, he was very agitated. His heart beat more than one beat per second while the sweat flowed excessively down his cheek, he tried to deal with that imaginary pressure.

- "It calms down, calms down, calms down."

He repeated countless times, but thinking about those words only increased the tension he already felt.

Bell heard a noise.

The heart seemed to go to the throat.

He, in a moment, wist his sword pointing to the place where there was the noise.

The boy trembled slightly while swallowing it dry. He was afraid. Facing the unknown is horrible.

- "Shit..."

Bell gnashed his teeth trying uselessly to calm down.

The noise of the steps was increasing, growing more and more.

It was close, getting close.

To the crimson eyes, a creature appeared.

She had greenish skin, short limbs, a chubby torso, pointed ears and held a club.

He was a Goblin.

One of the native monsters on the first floor and a common low-level creature for adventurers to face first.

Standing in front of him, the goblin showed his small prey and growled.

The monster advanced running disorderly with the clear intention of killing him. The little monster attacked with his club.

Bell had an immense difficulty in defending himself. Although the monster's blows were mostly repelled. The boy couldn't counterattack.

He was very nervous.

There was a huge difference in facing irrational beings and facing people.

The monster attacked instinctively. The blows were only summed up in the intention to kill him.

The goblin tried another attack with his club. The diagonal movement, from left to right, almost caught Bell off guard.

He managed to defend himself, but was forced to retreat.

Bell gnashed his teeth.

Anger began to sprout in his heart.

He, who killed hundreds, was afraid of a mere irrational creature.

- "Calm down, calm down, calm down."

Taking a deep breath, his heartbeat was slowly regularizing. Bell looked at the little greenish monster while analyzing him.

- "The club is short-range. The blows are strong, but not indefensible. I'm faster than him. There is an undeniable chance of victory."

He pondered watching the goblin once again advance.

The monster attacked again.

Bell defended himself skillfully with his sword. He repelled the attacks while using that first fight to understand that he, being an experienced fighter, should not fear irrational creatures.

- "People are scarier."

They kill, deceive and betray.

But they also love, trust and protect.

There is nothing scarier than a hopeless person.

The crimson look shone softly.

The Goblin attacked.

Your attack was repelled.

A counterattack was carried out.

A quick and precise cut that separated the little arm from the creature's body.

The sound of that member falling on the ground followed by the monster's cry of pain were picked up by the boy's ears.

Bell advanced.

In a single breath, Bell pushed the sword into a strong thrust piercing the breastplate and got up finishing that Goblin. He ignored the body that contracted and the blood that dispersed so that the next instant the monster would collapse and finally the whole body would turn into ashes and disappear without a trace.

And with the disappearance, a noise happened.

A shiny pebble fell to the ground.

Bell immediately picked up the bright purple-red fragment that was located in the center of his chest.

It was a <Magic Stone Fragment> the size of a nail.

According to Riveria's teachings, the <Magic Stone> that adventurers get from the monsters from the first to the fourth floor were basically the same size.

The exchange rate was extremely low. Therefore, the higher and better the quality of a <Magic Stone>, the more the Corporation would pay.

Bell looked at the purple-red crystal in his hand.

- "The monster disappeared as if it were a magic..."

This was the end of a monster that lost its <Magic Stone>. According to Riveria, the <Magic Stone> is the core of the monster and its source of life. She also explained that the <Magic Stone> was the most effective way to defeat monsters in case of need. It was enough to hit its core for it to disappear into ashes.

- "The first victory..."

Bell closed his hand squeezing the pebble.

He smiled on his side.

The first achievement of several.

He kept the pebble in his bag and moved forward.

The fear that initially plagued him no longer existed.

I was finally totally ready to face what would come.

- "I can manage."

And with that in mind, he advanced to clean the first floor of the <Dungeon >.

◇◇◇◇

In Twilight Mansion, a beautiful elven woman with emerald hair walked gracefully through the corridors of that huge construction. In his right hand he firmly held two containers. The vials were long and thin containing a liquid that has a deep ocean blue color. The liquid swayed back and forth like waves as she walked.

- "It will be very useful for him to have these potions."

Riveria thought.

The boy, Bell, would face for the first time the lair of the monsters, the <Dungeon >.

And with that in mind, he decided to give him an extra help. The high potions she had prepared herself.

However, at 8 a.m., when he knocked three on the door of the boy's room, all he got was silence as an answer.

Riveria even decided to call him twice. Tatsuo. Tatsuo.

And once again, no answers.

The High Elf sighed.

The understanding was present.

- "That boy..."

She shook her head by placing her fingers, index and middle finger, on the left temple. Riveria massaged the place gently, a small headache arising.

With a resigned sigh, he kept the two containers in his pocket. She went to the cafeteria to have her breakfast.

In the cafeteria the other executives were already getting ready to eat. Riveria approached the table. The dwarf, Gareth, noticed the High Elf walking towards where he and Finn were sitting. She nodded briefly to him and the dwarf returned it with a nod.

Riveria took her meal and sat next to Finn. The dwarf was facing the pallum.

- "Good morning."

She greeted them. They reciprocated the greeting.

- "The boy, if he left early, he must already be finishing the first floor at a time like this."

Gareth commented taking a sip of coffee.

- "Probably."

Finn agreed.

- "I told him not to go past the fourth floor. At least for now, he shouldn't venture deeper."

Riveria said taking a sip of coffee.

- "But will he take your words into consideration?"

- "I hope so."

A brief exchange of words took place between Gareth and Riveria.

- "At this moment, it is enough for us to pray that he will follow his instructions."

Finn said solemnly.

Her words generate a certain discomfort in Riveria, she looked at the window noticing the sun in its splendor.

- "Stay well, Bell..."

She prayed silently for him.

◇◇◇◇

The first floor was masterfully finished by Bell.

With its techniques, speed, reaction capacity and strength, everything that <Dungeon > threw at him on the first level was completely crushed.

In his bag he had some <Magic Stone Fragments>. Sixteen shiny pebbles. A reasonable amount taking into account the defeated monsters, since sometimes attacks ended up hitting the cores.

He went down the stairs stepping, for the first time, on the second floor of the <Donger >.

Entering, he advanced in slow and careful steps. Even if his enemies were irrational, quantity would always surpass quality, with that in mind, given the experience he accumulated on the previous floor, Bell only faced one-on-one battles. Where your win rate would be maximized by 100%.

Could he be worrying too much? Without a doubt.

However, Level 1 Status left no room for errors. Therefore, your strategy would remain.

But, learning and evolving, the <Masora > sharpened its prey slowly.

A tingling appeared on the back of his neck, his eyes widened when the monsters were born from the walls and the characteristic crying flooded the boy's ears.

- "It can only be a joke..."

Bell smiled ironically.

Eight monsters, four in front of him and four in his back, surrounded him.

A group of Kobold's.

When the prey in front of him gained clarity, the monsters, in unison, advanced wanting to hunt him.

Just as the <Dungeon > adapted and evolved to break that adventurer, the opposite also happened.

The boy changed his thinking and strategy by thousandths.

If there is no way to fight individually, just create a situation in which the fight takes place individually.

In a few seconds, a plan appeared in the boy's mind.

A simple, fast and direct tactic.

Hit and run.

With the decision made, he also kicked the ground advancing directly to the four in front of him.

- "There is one that is a little ahead of the others, I need to kill him quickly and then..."

The <Domsor >, where you could not see the sky, extended infinitely in all directions. Roads, and fork, crossroads, a slight descent. In this tidy and orderly path that was placed underground, Bell ran gaining an advantage over those who chased him and a dangerous approach to those in front of him.

Bell squeezed the handle of the sword, moved his arm in a quick cut to eliminate the first Kobold. The cut was made followed by a surprising action for the other monsters, Bell stepped firmly on the ground flexing his right knee and propelled himself giving a somersault in mid-air to pass over those monsters.

The right foot was the first to make contact with the ground. Then, in order not to overload his leg, Bell tilted his body forward, put his right hand on the floor, brought his head closer to the body, leaving his chin close to his chest and pushed himself forward using his right foot along with the force generated by the landing.

Bell rolled on the ground only once to quickly recover his base, turned his body and instantly advanced into the last Kobold of that first group previously formed by four. The boy took advantage of the disturbance created and one more of the Kobolds was eliminated.

The instant after the cut made, Bell turned his heels and began to run in the opposite direction.

While he was running, he thought about that irregular event.

- "According to Riveria, the Kobolds are not born together. Usually, they are found alone or in the company of a second. But what I just witnessed, besides being extremely rare, combined with another rarity! The Kobolds were born together and immediately formed a gang!"

A nervous tick appeared on the boy's forehead.

- "How lucky I am..."

He grunted at that thought.

Taking a look back, a total of six monsters were chasing him insistently.

- "I can no longer use the tactics of hitting and running. They are very united..."

Bell looked at his sword.

An idea came up.

- "It's going to be a bet, but if I don't overcome this challenge I can't say that I'm truly an adventurer."

The boy increased the speed of his race, acquired more distance, about three meters, and turned his body facing that group of bloodthirsty monsters.

What happened next was a matter of seconds to come true.

The opacity that commonly graces the crimson look has been replaced by a boiling color. The sharp flicker of scarlet red manifested an exorbitant murderous intention that involved that space.

Bell moved his body at the same moment that his intention to kill leaked from his body. He raised his left arm as far back as possible while keeping the sword at shoulder height.

Detecting the movements equally of all monsters, the target was stopped.

Simultaneously, Bell struck the ground with both feet wide open, one forward and the other behind.

Changing the acceleration to convert it into a spin, he sent his left shoulder back. Changing the spin again to the linear force, he threw the sword with all the strength that his level could attribute to that action.

The sword advanced forward instantly.

The metallic sound similar to that of a jet engine breaking the sound barrier minged together with a much stronger red glow that emanated from his eyes.

The blade passed millimetrically between the first two Kobolds and brutally pierced two skulls in sequence of the other monsters that ran further behind. The assigned force was able to eliminate two of the six Kobolds with extreme ease, however, the sword proceeded in a straight line until it totally lost its speed and finally fell a few meters behind the monsters.

The Kobolds stopd instantly when they realized what had happened to their two companions.

- "Two minus..."

With this thought the boy advanced totally unarmed.

- "A short-range combat while I try to separate them to get my sword back."

While taking advantage of the monsters' stupor for his attack, Bell shortened the distance of three meters in a few steps.

However, the paralysis was quickly stopped.

The remaining four Kobolds freed themselves from their immobility that was brought through that previous blow and set off for the attack.

Bell maintained the speed, he jumped hitting a right kick on the first monster that advanced disorderly. The Kobold was thrown towards the wall of the <Domorra > with brutality, with his ears, he heard the cry of pain of the monster.

- "This one will take a while to recover..."

He thought looking at the fallen monster.

His attention was focused on the next one. The boy immediately prepared himself as he raised his guard, the Kobold tried to make a claw attack at the height of the boy's head. Bell raised his right arm protecting himself with the outside of the slender limb. The guard of the irrational being was fully open. Taking advantage of that chance, in a matter of an instant, the boy applied a punch enjoying all the power that resided in his body thanks to his Falna. The Kobold was lifting slightly from the ground due to the power reached in his belly.

Once again the young adventurer heard the cry of pain.

The boy, with his peripheral gaze, saw the third Kobold advancing trying to take advantage of the attention that Bell was giving to his irrational compatriot.

- "NOT SO FAST!"

With an angry scream, Bell firmly held the Kobold who was hitting in the belly and turned on his own axis to take advantage of the force generated in the rotation to throw him into the third Kobold, who did not have time to react when his companion went against him.

The impact of the two monsters was gratifying for the boy's ears.

He advanced towards the last one who was visibly bewildered.

The murderous intention that emanated from that human left the one who should be the monster there in fear.

Kobold, in a desperate attack, tried to scratch the boy, but the young adventurer's true intention was another.

The black-haired boy plunged escaping the attack, rolled on the ground and ran again.

His intention was the sword thrown a few meters ahead.

With his gun in possession again, the boy turned to the Kobolds quartet.

He walked calmly towards them.

A sinister smile appearing on the boy's face.

- "Ready to die?"

Without that pressure to deal with eight monsters at the same time, the four Kobolds were obliterated in a few moments leaving only their <Magic Stone Fragment> as an indication that they once existed.

- "It was a lot of work, but I did it... I just hope I don't have to go through this ordeal once again."

Bell sighed. He advanced once again.

◇◇◇◇

After that double rarity with the Kobolds, Bell no longer witnessed any abnormalities.

On his way through the Second Floor, the boy realized that this was a little bigger than the first, that is, it would take longer to finish it and consequently move on to the next one.

- "The adventurer completely loses track of time down here."

Bell thought walking cautiously.

He left the Mansion at 6 a.m. and 15 minutes, it took about 15 minutes to get to Babel, so the time he entered the dungeon was 6 hours and 30 minutes.

This was the last time he had the understanding of the hours.

Having no idea how much time has passed since he started his descent, his only option was to rely on his biological clock to warn him when he was close to 12 o'clock. Since it was at that time that he usually had lunch.

Bell would rely on the snoring of his belly.

A somewhat old-fashioned action, but it was what could be done at that moment.

While wandering over the hours, a noise was picked up by his trained ears.

Bell immediately held the handle of his sword firmly.

- "Monsters..."

He saw two goblins.

Another fight would start.

◇◇◇◇

After a few more fights, he managed to finish the Second Floor.

In his bag, there were twenty-five <Magic Stone Fragment> and three drops, two <Goblin's Tooth> and one <Kobold's Claw> that he managed to fight with three more Kobold along his descent to the Third Floor.

- "I feel like the Kobolds are chasing me..."

He laughed lightly with that thought.

The boy was, at that moment, at the beginning of the Third Floor.

Becoming customary, his sword is held firmly.

- "Riveria instructed me not to go beyond the Fourth Floor... I'm already on the Third, so I think it's more than enough... I'm also starting to get hungry and the snacks I brought won't be enough to satiate her... I feel like I underestimated the demand for energy spent to face this place..."

He reflected silently.

Bell removed his bag from his back and sat on the floor leaning against the wall.

Leaving the sword next to his left leg, he took the bag opening it. He removed three of the five sandwiches he prepared before leaving.

Even if he was eating, his instincts were on high alert.

Bell was totally attentive to what was happening around him.

While tasting his sandwiches, he analyzed some things.

The current state of the body is considerably good.

There were no injuries. Just a few superficial scratches.

He still had enough strength, stamina and speed to face the adversities of the newest floor to be explored.

And his sword was still in good condition.

With that in mind, Bell decided that he would explore a little more of the Third Floor. Because it is only at the beginning, the boy considered that it would be prudent to know what would be the level of difference between this and the previous floors.

He ended up eating one more.

A satisfied smile on your lips.

- "I wonder what awaits me on this floor..."

He thought about putting the bag on his back and holding his sword.

The moment he stood up, once again the characteristic tingling appeared on the back of his neck.

New monsters appeared, rising from the walls of the <Domorra > at an alarming speed.

They were monsters with four legs that crossed the room, it was a silhouette identical to a lizard.

On top of his dry brown skin, a thin tongue came out hissing from his mouth that was open from end to end. Including the long tail, the total length should be the same as its height.

The monsters that climbed the wall were two <Dungeon Lizard>.

They appear from the second to the fourth floor of the <Dungeon > and was a member of the low-level monsters, along with the Goblins and Kobolds.

- "ClimBing the wall is slutty!"

Bell screamed internally when the Lizards began to move quickly through the wall making it practically impossible to be hit.

His eyes tried to follow his movements worrying more about defending than attacking properly.

But at a certain point, for measly seconds, the boy's attention was focused on only one of the Lizards. And it was at that moment that a great shadow seemed to completely envelop the boy, the shadow plunged towards him with a lot of speed.

Bell widened his eyes feeling the sickle of death caressing his neck. Being surrounded by a latent fear, the boy jumped to the side, and then could feel a soft breath of air caressing his right arm.

The boy, by pure instinct, awkwardly dodged a surprise attack.

- "Shit..."

He cursed quietly while standing once again.

One of the Lizards had taken advantage of his moment of distraction so that he could attack him.

- "I was careless... I can't let this happen again, because next time, I may not try so much luck..."

Bell began to have extra attention to the Lizards.

Once again Riveria's teachings came to mind.

(...)

Bell paid attention to every word Riveria dictated about the monsters of the first five floors. And for the next explanation she showed an illustration of a lizard monster.

— "The <Dungeon Lizard> can use his four limbs to cling to the walls and ceiling, allowing them to climb and move freely, so to get rid of this cunning monster, which can move to a place of difficult access, you must wait until it goes down to the ground."

- "So if I find him, I just have to be careful with his quick attacks and wait for him to come down."

- "Exactly."

(...)

- "I just need a chance... Just a chance..."

While watching the monsters moving quickly through the walls, the boy patiently waited for a breach.

- "Due to their strength and especially their speed, I can't stay close to the walls. It would be practically suicidal."

Bell moved to the center while keeping his attention on the Lizards that seemed to wait, just like him, for the right moment to attack.

And after a few minutes, the attack finally came.

The Lizard attacked, once again, in the boy's blind spot.

However, this time, Bell was attentive.

He dodged to the side and at the same moment that his feet touched the floor of the <Dungeon >, he advanced as fast as he could.

- "A chance!"

He advanced.

A strong and precise thrust in the Lizard's chest. Bell stuck his sword in the skin of the lizard tearing the scales, flesh and muscles of the monster. Without mercy, he forced her up, breaking the Lizard in half.

- "There's one missing."

Bell looked at what was still on the wall.

- "Cay inside, lizard!"

Calling for a decisive battle, the boy screamed.

The Lizard advanced even faster than expected.

Bell couldn't dodge completely.

The claws of the half-humanoid lizard tore the right arm of the boy who strongly clenched his jaw containing the cry of pain.

But even if he had been hurt, he ran quickly towards the Lizard.

The blood-bathed blade brutally cut the side of the monster.

The moan of pain was gigantic.

The Lizard fell to his knees as the blood flowed.

Bell took advantage of that moment of weakness to strike the final blow.

A clean and precise cut separated the head from the body making the Lizard disappear in black smoke.

The battle is over.

- "I got... Argh..."

Bell moaned in pain. He looked at your right arm.

The cut was deep, the smell of iron caressed his nose.

- "What a damage, huh..."

A crooked smile.

The throbbing pain would bother you for a while.

Bell took a deep breath trying not to focus on that wound.

- "I really underestimated this place."

Bell sighed.

- "Better to come back."

With a swing of his hand, the blood-filled blade was cleaned. But he heard a slight click happen, when looking at the blade, he noticed that it was starting to crack.

Her durability has decayed a lot with the last fight.

- "Don't leave me, if it's to break it, let it break when I'm out of here."

Bell grumbled looking at the blade.

His return to the surface has begun.

The boy would not use his sword unless it was extremely necessary.

Around him, he practically didn't fight with the monsters. Bell whenever he saw a monster in front of him he would bypass him or jump over it to continue his return safely.

◇◇◇◇

- "Het..."

Bell closed one of his eyes uncomfortably.

The sun was in its total splendor.

It was 3 p.m.

Because it is close to the surface, its climb was without major problems.

Bell was walking back to the Twilight Mansion.

The wound on his right arm no longer hurt and the blood ended up clotting.

Although any movement he made would be followed by an uncomfortable throbbing.

Your walk was closed in a few minutes.

There he was in front of the Mansion. Your new house.

Having entered, he walked through the courtyard calmly.

He climbed three steps and slowly opened the door of the Mansion.

And, impressively, the first person he met was precisely Riveria. She was alone.

- "Welcome back."

The Elf smiled at him as she approached. She had some papers in her right hand.

- "I'm back..."

Bell said with some concern.

- "When was the last time I was greeted with this reception?"

A bitter feeling wrapped around his mouth, but he quickly tried to forget.

- "How was your first adventure?"

- "I think that answers your question."

Bell showed the injury to his right arm.

Riveria widened her eyes slightly.

A soft touch of concern adorning the emerald irises.

Bell noticed that feeling of concern.

- "She looks like a worried mother..."

He smiled minimally.

- "Extend your arm."

- "Why?"

Bell tilted his head not understanding the reason.

- "Only do it."

Riveria said seriously and with a hardened expression.

- "Yes, ma'am."

Bell swallowed it dry as he extended his arm. Riveria could be scary when she wanted to.

Riveria gently grabbed him by the wrist, approached his left hand and recited a dressing song.

Bell once again found himself amazed by that greenish glow.

Your wound has been fully healed.

- "Great, it's perfect again."

Riveria smiled.

- "Thank you... But you didn't have to spend your magic on a silly little thing like this. In a few days it would be healed and, in a maximum of two weeks, fully healed."

Bell said looking her in the eye.

- "Really, you're right. There was no need for healing."

- "So-"

He was cut.

- "But I worry about you."

Bell widened his eyes with that statement.

- "I know you don't trust me, at least not totally. I also understand that you must have your reasons for this, but I want you to know one thing: No matter how long it takes, I will become someone worthy of your trust."

Those words caught the boy off guard.

Something inside him warmed up.

A feeling that was long forgotten.

No... It wasn't forgotten. It was buried.

- "What is that? Why am I... Why am I happy with these words?"

Bell squeezed the shirt he wore at chest height.

- "What happened? Are you okay?"

- "Huh? Ah... Yes. Don't worry. It was nothing."

- "Are you sure?"

Riveria asked visibly worried.

- "I have it."

Bell lowered his head, deviated from Riveria and started his way to his room.

The elf didn't understand, but in her heart, she believed she made a simple advance.

◇◇◇◇

The water flowed through his body.

He had his eyes closed while he felt that bath lead to fatigue.

In his thoughts, he remembered Riveria's words from a moment ago.

[ "I know you don't trust me, at least not totally. I also understand that you must have your reasons for this, but I want you to know one thing: No matter how long it takes, I will become someone worthy of your trust." ]

- "Maybe you've already become..."

Since joining Loki Family, the person who made him most comfortable was Riveria.

Even if at first it was troubled, the two months in which they lived together were shaping a certain confidence.

- "The maternal aura it emanates is also one of the reasons why I am relaxed near it."

He went out under the shower.

He turned it off, took the towel and started to dry himself.

He left the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

He opened the wardrobe picking up a set of clothes. A black T-shirt and beige pants.

Bell quickly got ready.

- "Leaving the thoughts about Riveria aside, I'd better go see Loki. I want to see how much I grew up..."

He smiled on his side.

Leaving the room, he went to Loki's rooms.

Upon arriving, he knocked on the door three times listening to the muffled voice of the cheating goddess giving him permission to enter.

- "Oh... Welcome back, how was it?"

Loki greeted him and referred to <Dungeon >.

- "I confess that I underestimated that place... But there won't be a next time."

- "You were surprised, weren't you?"

Loki smiled on his side.

- "Yes."

Bell confessed.

- "I'd love to hear about your first adventure, but you didn't come here to tell me about it, did you?

With a smile, Loki looked him in the eyes.

- "Yes. I want you to update my Status."

- "Okay, come, sit here."

Loki gave two little beats on the bed.

Bell sat on his back to her.

- "Taken off your shirt."

Bell did what he was asked to do. His skin was exposed and his Falna was fully visible.

Loki frowned.

- "I forgot to hide your Falna."

- "Is that even possible?"

Bell asked curiously.

- "Yes. Even among us who have already gone down to Gekai some time ago, there are some who do not know how to block. Poor children, having their secrets open like this."

Loki gently outlined his finger through the skin of the boy's back.

- "But is it really necessary to hide? Isn't it only the gods who can read what is written?"

- "Yes. But there are some children who can read hieroglyphs..."

- "Some would be, more or less, how many?"

- "Possibly... Hm... About six? I think so. I've never, truly, called."

- "A very tiny number."

- "Yes, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

- "True, even because your account has just increased one more."

- "What do you mean? In your adventure your Status was sampled and did anyone read it?"

Loki asked with an exasperated tone.

- "Don't worry, none of this happened. What I meant was that I also know how to read hieroglyphs."

- "Heh... Huh? Really!?"

- "Don't scream, I'm in front of you."

- "Oh... I'm sorry. But you're really a little box of surprises."

- "Oh... I thought you could ask about how I know."

- "Even if I ask, are you going to tell me?"

- "No."

- "So.

Loki laughed lightly

- "But in our Family, you are not the only one who can read. Riveria can read perfectly and so can Aizu, even if she understands very little."

- "Aizu?"

- "Well, let's get started."

Ignoring the boy's question, Loki started his work.

She took a small dagger that was on top of the desk and piercked the index finger of her right hand. The blood flowed, she put her finger under the boy's back letting the drop of blood fall on her blessing.

Loki looked through the series of hieroglyphs to find any faded characters or numbers and wrote new ones about them.

Adventurers like Bell have gained excellence through experience. Then your god or goddess would bring life with your own hands. The hieroglyphs recorded their actions and achievements, forming the basis on which their Status was based.

Adventurers went to their deity for a status update, adding new excelia to the existing foundation. However, this could be done only one at a time. Large groups like Loki Family had to find a way to create a hierarchy, allowing adventurers at all levels to receive Status updates, while still giving the most motivated members the ability to grow as fast as possible.

At that moment, Loki's eyes shone intensely with those numbers.

- "This boy will be a monster in a few years."

She laughed lightly. The laughter didn't escape Bell's ears.

He felt slightly worried, because Loki's laugh was strange, as if she were a maniac who had found a prey for slaughter.

Placing a paper on top of the boy's skin, he made a movement with his finger and the numbers were transcribed to the blank paper.

- "I'll transcribe for you to see."

- "Okay."

She finished transcribing and left the paper on the bed, next to her.

- "Now, I'm going to hide your Falna, wait a minute."

Loki said and Bell responded with a throat sound.

Then the goddess put her finger just below Bell's neck as soon as the first drops of blood came out.

Then she drew a series of movements on the girl's back with her firm hand, almost as if she were writing her signature. His blood flowed, forming straight lines and intricate patterns.

- "Hoi!"

Something seemed to be locked.

- "It's done."

Loki said looking at the boy's skin, now, without any remnant of his Blessing.

Bell put on his shirt and turned around sitting on the edge of the bed.

- "Here."

She gave it to him.

Bell widened his eyes surprised by those numbers. Of course, he knew that his ability would help him, but not as much as what was before his eyes.

It was simply surreal that a person could grow up so fast in such a short time.

LEVEL 1

Force: I 60 —> H 170

Resistance: H 100 —> H 190

Dexterity: I 60 —> H 160

Agility: H 100 —> G 230

Magic: I 0 —> I 0

Skills:

Blessing of the Fairy.

> Results In Rapid Growth

- "If you continue to grow like this, in a few months you will be able to reach level 2."

Loki smiled at him.

It was really exciting to see one of your children grow up so fast.

But his smile of happiness turned into an extremely serious expression.

A certain goddess came to your mind. And she didn't like that image.

- "Listen, Bell."

The boy immediately looked at her.

- "If she's calling me by name, the matter must be serious."

- "Can you promise not to go to <Donger > every day?"

- "Why?"

- "It's just a feeling. It's not something I can explain, at least not now."

- "Hm... I Understand."

Bell was surprised by Loki's change of mood. It was the first time he saw that expression adorning the face of that commonly playful and afoita deity.

- "So, see you later."

- "Yes, I'll see you at dinner."

Loki gave him a little goodbye.

When Bell left the room, Loki thought.

- "I'd better be careful, that sensual goddess is always so unpredictable."

His look became sharp.