Abilities

Something about his go-getter attitude and sheer recklessness pisses Bete off. The image of the dark-haired youth resurfaces in the back of his mind and he clenches his jaw.

The sheer violence in his eyes is still fresh. That's not the kind of gaze a simpleton has. No... crazy knows crazy. Broken knows Broken. As the proud owner of both the titles, Bete knows a similar individual at a glance, and that youth... Jackal... is one such person.

Others think that broken individuals are a sobbing mess. Traumatized. So full of holes that they seek anything or anyone to patch themselves. What a foolish idea.

Those kinds of men and women aren't broken. They are desperate. They think they have lost their hopes but they cling to them regardless. They WANT to cling to it.

Broken people... are the real reckless ones. Gareth was beside him yesterday. Bete is sure that Gareth knew it, too.

With the way he swung his ax, aiming for his neck... that got Bete riled up. It wasn't his craziness alone. For the first time, Bete saw someone as crazy and broken as him so... happy.

What's there to be happy about?

"Hraaaghhhh!" The monster in front of Bete is crushed with a roundhouse kick as he huffs and snarls under his breath, feeling restless.

There was something about that youth's mannerisms that got him this restless.

Crazy enough to swing an ax despite knowing the difference.

Reckless enough to stare down the second strongest Familia of Orario.

And...

'Stay out of it.'

Those words... those words that he snapped at Tiona...

That was no warning. It was no act of bravado. Nothing as impure as trying to look alpha in some woman's eyes.

'Ain't that right, furball?'

It was kindness.

'He sensed me willing to withdraw then and there...' Bete growls and chases after an escaping monster. He is on a lone slaughter trail despite his Familia's opposition because he cannot sit still! He can't! Not when... someone so weaker is remarkably better than him!

When someone understands the rule of the jungle, realizes the importance of strength, accepts his weakness, and still aims at the enemy's weakest spot— the heart... the ideals... the spirit.

Bete would have backed off the moment Tiona barged in. He is crazy and reckless, yes.

But do crazy people really believe they are crazy?

For most, their point of view is normal.

Bete isn't like that. He knows when he's being an asshole. But... when he should have backed off... he fell into someone else's control.

That's it.

Control.

'The bastard played me. Without strength... he had me in his palms. How can someone like him do that?'

But... eventually, Bete vents. His thoughts are in chaos. He has many things to work out but he knows he never will so he pushes the enigma of Jackal into the back of his head.

Covered with enough splashes of monster blood to be considered a disguise, he calmly leaves the dungeon without being bothered but in the sea of scents, he sniffs a familiar one and stops.

As expected, a grimy dark-haired youth steps out with a hooded supporter following behind him. A woman, scared, too.

Emotions, especially intense ones, have scents, too.

The next second, a bitchy woman raises a ruckus, and noticing the pallum's shivering ever so discreetly, he rolls his eyes.

There you go.

This is the true Orario. Not home of heroes but a swamp of filth and tragedies.

He silently stares at Jackal and scoffs under his breath.

'That's what you get to act mindlessly. Orario is large. More tragedies will befall you and eventually... snatch that last bit of kindness. Two adventurers, a crowd is already gathering. Nobody will save that girl, and you can't either. You'll get in trouble... the best way is to snuff out that last embers of hope and live. Grind your life in the dungeon and die... that's all we can aspire to be—'

Bete's thoughts are cut off midway as he sees Jackal smash the man's nose before throwing an ax his way. If it's for intimidation then it worked as the ax stabs into the pavement right between the man's legs and next to his balls.

"Tch, I missed," is what Bete's sharp senses caught Jackal whisper even from this distance.

Of course, not everyone with sharp senses can do this. A lot of training and focus are needed to single out a voice.

Then... Bete watches in slight surprise as he slices the woman's blouse. Alright...

This earned Jackal brownie points in Bete's books.

Glancing at the guards already stirred, Bete sighs softly.

But... next, he watches Jackal step over the woman's face and then even stomp on the man's ball before running away with...

The brightest smile ever.

Biting his bottom lip from the underside, Bete quietly enters the dungeon once more. He is feeling restless again.

But as he passes the Ganesha Familia members helping up the two adventurers, Bete shoves the guard away and kicks the duo at once, sending them smashing into the pavement.

Now, Bete doesn't know who is in the wrong or right. But acting the way one wishes is the right of the strong.

And... Jackal is strong. Even if not physically... he has a strong spirit. His body will catch up. At least, Bete hopes for it.

---

'That bastard,' Naaza stares at the ceiling quietly. She COULD be working on her potion. The shop is all sold out again... except for...

Her purple eyes glance at the lone love potion sitting on her shelf. Scoffing under her breath, she stares at the ceiling again.

'Last night, too, and now... he really thinks he can drop by any time he desires.'

A faint blush adorns her cheeks as she recalls last night... or, to be precise, this morning...

'Oh? Miach-sama's living good,' His comment and lop-sided grin already made her want nothing more than to smack the back of his head but... she adopted to not move too much in that delicate article of clothing. It didn't show much, in fact, at all. Aside from her right arm which she would have liked to tuck away, her beige nighty is rather simple and safe to see.

But that did not stop Jackal from laying it in thick.

'Did he get hit in the head? When did he become so... sigh...' She shakes her head. She is thankful to him, after all. It's only been days but things are looking up for her familia, even if it's just her and Miach.

'But can I blame them?' Naaza stares down at her counter now, 'In fact, most of them adored Miach-sama... now, many have returned to their hometowns. They all must hate me instead.'

The dungeon is a harsh location. It's not a location where one aspired to become a hero.

It's a location where dreams are crushed to pieces and the only thing left is pain.

'That pallum... is lucky,' Naaza grips are gloved right hand, 'I wish... I was lucky, too.'

It may be wrong to think like that. In fact, it IS ungrateful to think like that but Naaza would have wished to... come out in one piece or die right then and there. At least, that way, she wouldn't have caused Miach so much trouble.

'At least, that way, he wouldn't have been subjected to all that humiliation... all because of me.'

She sighs deeply, 'But the nerve on Jackal... truly! First, he wakes me up so early in the morning... it's embarrassing to meet others in that clothing! It can cause all sorts of misunderstanding... but then again, I did not have to open the door for him.'

Recalling the sight of his slightly red nose due to the morning chill but hearty smile regardless of the situation, Naaza snorts and smiles faintly, too. Today... she felt full just by three bento boxes. It must either be magic or he must have put in more share for her but... she feels satisfied.

'And then, he comes running along an hour after everything is sold out with a pallum in his hands, saying— take care of her for me until I show up. Thanks. Bye!— damn you! At least give me a chance to say something or thank you for the food!'

Naaza's ear twitches as she senses familiar footsteps.

"I'm back, Naaza," Miach returns with a wide smile, "Wow, everything is sold out?"

"Apparently Jackal-san is not going to open shop for weekends and the last four days of the month..." Naaza sighs, "He is in the dungeon."

Miach nods.

"And he brought one unconscious girl and asked me to take care of her."

"Eh?"

'Exactly. So, I'm not the only one who has this reaction. This means he is the weird one!' Naaza thins her lips and smiles, "Miach-sama, I'll be going to mix more potions for tomorrow."

"Of course," Miach smiles, "Practice well. I'll look after the shop."

*Ding-a-ling*

Their beautiful neighbor enters the shop with a fawning smile, "Ah, Miach-sama..."

Naaza looks at them before sighing softly and leaving.

'It's hard to care when I'm feeling this full... I hope Jackal doesn't die. He used to give good advice but... I hope he follows his own advice, too,' Naaza chews her lips in worry. He looked so dirty and grimy when he brought the girl to her...

'I hope he doesn't overwork himself... I could ask him to not cook bento...' she thinks while biting her bottom lip, 'No, let's not be rash. His cooking may not be top class but... I don't know. He seems to put quite a bit of thought into them, I can tell.'

---

*Clu—*

*Swish*

"FUCK YEAH!" Jackal's cry of victory echoes in the dark dungeon as the golden rooster disappears and leaves a Golden Egg!

A drop item.

Jack Bird is a special monster of the first floor that lures the adventurers to monster parties and such. The monster itself never attacks and the most attractive quality about this rooster is that it has a guaranteed drop item— the golden egg, which is worth upto a 1,000,000 Valis!

But after his shout of victory, Jackal grows silent.

Nothing.

The advancement to his mind is even smaller when compared to a Goblin...

'Well, shit. I wasted all that time for nothing... hopefully, the item made from its energy is better.'

He picks up the Golden Egg and pockets it carefully. He did not intend to sell it. Money is not his primary goal, after all. Instead, he will keep the Golden Egg as a personal reward for himself.

'Huh... pretty isolated point of the dungeon. Is there going to be a monster party?' Jackal muses and looks around cautiously. His clothes and armor are caked with blackened monster blood. He smells a lot and he really wants to bathe.

But... it is this mentality that accumulates over time and becomes a weakness.

Anyone finding glory in the dungeon will fail.

Anyone trying to achieve his dreams in the dungeon will fail.

No, the dungeon is a source of despair.

Glory is achieved when one feels they have achieved something be it within the dungeon or on the surface. The dungeon itself is not the crucial point but the sense of satisfaction is. Some feel satisfied when others sing their praises and others feel satisfied by simpler things like the touch of their woman, the taste of their favorite dish they cooked, and such.

Similarly, the dungeon does not build dreams. It breeds pain. And when this pain spreads, others dream to rise above it. So, the truth about grand aspirations is that it stems from a society filled with pain and despair, not the dungeon itself.

If there wasn't any dungeon, Jackal is sure that other mortals would have still found a way to breed pain. And thus, dreamers would have been born regardless.

'Man... I get damn philosophical when I'm bored. Problem is... I don't even know if I'm right or wrong. Then again, personal ideals are built by clashing with other ideals over a lifetime... see? I did it again...' Admonishing himself for being sentimental in Dungeon of all places, Jackal sighs and kicks a piece pebble.

*Thuck*

*Drrrrr*

The pebble bounces against a wall and as if triggering something, the walls begin to crumble into crushed rocks that open another entrance.

Electing to stay in his position, Jackal silently stares at the empty hall.

'What the hell...'

'An undiscovered location?'

'The adventurer in me rises and no, it's not the boner Eina, Maria, and Naaza gave me this morning!'

Checking the supply of his potions, all of them, and then confirming the condition of his weapons, Jackal takes a deep breath and enters the hole.

As they say, every hole is a goal, right?

Unlike the softly glowing walls, this hall is quite a bit dark. Jackal's senses have grown alongside his body, reflexes, and other raw parameters so this much darkness isn't enough to give Jackal a reason to return.

Clenching axes in both of his hands, Jackal looks around cautiously.

Again, he believes everything he told to Lili.

You show the dungeon an ounce of weakness and it will make sure that you lose your limb for it.

Feeling a shiver run down his spine, Jackal turns around and swings his ax only to find a regular goblin at the receiving end...

No...

Too silent.

Even its dying screech is silent.

And its head is slightly larger.

*Slash*

A claw tears into his back and snatches away the leather of his armor, leaving a shallow scratch on the exposed bit of his back.

Jackal turns quickly and slices the neck of the offending Goblin and without missing a beat, he turns around and bifurcates another Goblin who had snuck behind him.

'One trick pony it is then,' Jackal rolls his eyes and begins to butcher the strange goblins.

A new or variant species of Goblins, to be exact.

After their 'surprise' factor lost its meaning, they could only be as helpless as regular Goblins.

This is what Jackal was talking about not showing weakness. Had he panicked just by this, he would have failed to realize that these Goblins are not any bit stronger than normal ones.

Their tactics, too, are similar to the usual goblins— backstabbing.

After everything is said and done, Jackal silently contemplates the situation.

Finding a new variation of a species isn't off. It's the fact that he found it on the first floor that is odd and...

'The energy barely refined my body but my mind...' He heaves in excitement. To be fair, it wasn't too great of an enhancement after reaching the soft cap but compared to regular goblins and even kobolds, it was quite better.

'They moved like owls... it's a magical racial trait, most likely,' Jackal leaves the area but marks the spot in his mind. He'll visit again to try and grind the last drops of benefits for the boost of his mind.

"Now... Jack Bird is hunted. It's about time I dive down again for War Shadows."

He stretches his arm and starts to jog, feeling quite a bit satisfied after dealing with these strange goblins.

---

When Jackal says he is as strong as a beast, he means it.

Like other adventurers, he uses a weapon. But this is simply because he's a happy-go-lucky murder hobo who likes waving axes. In the case of an ordinary adventurer, a weapon plays an important role. It allows them to aim higher.

Meaning.

A weapon allows a weak adventurer to slay a stronger monster. A kobold's basic abilities may be close to the D rank of a Level 1 adventurer but a relatively fresh adventurer with basic abilities in I or H can slay a Kobold using tactics and a sharp enough blade plunged into its weak spots.

But Jackal is not like that. He has similar strengths. Meaning, when he fights, it's not adventurer vs monsters. It's technically— monster vs monsters.

As such... he found something today after getting clawed in the back...

He heals.

Slowly, yes. But he has a healing factor.

'Death Eater is... broken, man. If I ever decide to let go of all worldly possessions and live in the Dungeon I'd be unstoppable... probably.'

He has already noticed how he is 'growing' physically and visibly but he didn't think maxing out Kobol and Frog Shooter build will have this effect.

'No, actually, it is similar to adventurers. Aside from basic abilities like strength and dexterity, they are blessed with development abilities during their level-up. A few of these development abilities include Abnormal Resistance. It allows the adventurer to resist harmful substances such as poison. So... my healing factor can be considered a development ability of sorts.'

Jackal dodges Frog Shooter's tongue. He already feels filthy enough, having the cyclops frog spit on him will not help anyone.

His ax first slices apart the tongue itself and as the monster screeches in pain, he zooms forward and cleaves his ax on the large, skull-sized lone eye on top of the green frog.

*Squelch*

A sickening burst of noise and liquid is followed by the monster's final pained shout.

It's not like Jackal doesn't sympathize with the monster. He does.

But you know what?

If the monster he faces is stronger than him... he would cease to exist after a fight. He cannot afford to take pity, it's as simple as that.

With that, he collects the magic stone and sighs.

Behind him, silently, a shadow swims within the dusty floor of the dungeon. It's as silent as they come.

Or... so it thought.

And so Jackal thought.

His head whips back, his ears twitching crazily.

'What is this sensation?' Jackal frowns. This has been his main cause of concern for a while... after culling that group of owlish Goblins.

The pool of shadow behind him stretches out swiftly with a sharp claw aimed at his face!

'How did I hear a war shadow when they are supposed to be quiet?'

Jackal's ax phases through the shadowy limb with a purplish aura around its body. Not surprised, he let go of the ax which flies and stabs into another frog shooter that squeals in pain. Sidestepping the mysterious war shadow's attack, Jackal stabs his axe into the lone red orb acting as their 'eye.'

That ought to do it as the war shadow crumbles into ashes.

For a second, Jackal pauses and allows the sensation of Death Eater to work within.

The energy flows into him and nurtures his mind. It then nurtures the mysterious bit present within him. And finally, as it nurtures his body, Jackal doesn't feel 'stronger' but he certainly feels 'lighter.'

Two Monsters are graced with the title of Newbie Killers.

War Shadow is one of them.

Why?

Physical attacks barely harm them. They can slip into physical surfaces. They can sneak attack. They have small weak points and they show limited wisdom to protect themselves or find better ways to kill their target. Magic is the best way to defeat them... oh, and they are silent when they wish to be.

All this becomes a beast that can slay many newbies even if they are ready.

'Yet... I heard this one 'crawl' close to me. How?'

His vision is sharper than before and his ears are sensitive, too. But he never heard anything 'silent' before...

Not until he killed those silent goblins.

'Huh... so I still don't know all that much about Death Eater... did I get something else besides the usual from those Goblins?' Jackal furrows his brows.

'Pondering over it is useless. War Shadow makes me...' He slashes his ax aimlessly, 'Very quick. I think I'll also need to get used to the swiftness I earn from them.'

War shadows may not be stronger than him but their physical potential lay in speed and agility in which they are vastly superior. So, his body, too, will earn more agility than the overall balanced strength that other monsters possessed.

'Hmm...' Looking at another War Shadow creeping around, Jackal thinks for a moment... no, he doesn't even think of the implications the moment this particular idea strikes him.

He takes out a love potion and tosses it toward the monster. The vessel shatters and a sweet scent spread out. Meanwhile, the liquid is absorbed by the monster and it slows down significantly and moves erratically.

'It works?' Jackal then drops the lazy potion and it almost entirely stills.

Jackal cleaves the ax upon the red spot on the ground as the shadow disappears into ash, leaving behind a magic stone.

'I'll bring more potions from now on to make a few battles exciting... on the other hand, I shouldn't tempt the dungeon to focus on me.'

The day is still long. In fact, Jackal believes he may gain more than he bargained for!

---

"Nnnghhh~" Her petite body squirms against something soft as she feels the warmth and mumble, "You're so soft... and gentle... Jackal-sama..." This is the name she will 'reluctantly' etch in her mind... and her heart. She doesn't need to open her eyes. The warmth speaks for itself.

And the boing-boing, too.

Wait...

Boing-boing?

Lili's eyes snap open and she finds herself snuggling in the arms of a violet-eyed woman.

"Hiiii!"

Squeaking, Lili pulls back alongside the blanket with a heavy blush before confusion kicks in and she looks at herself. She is in a fresh set of pajamas...

And...

"Where am I? Who are you? Where is Jackal-Sama?! A-are you... his..."

"My name is Naaza," speaks the chienthrope as she sits up with a yawn. Lili would be focusing on her missing right arm but one look at the silver prosthesis on the table beside the bed answers that particular query. Instead, Lili's gaze is drawn to two perky peaks that threaten to leave the confines of the woman's beige nighty.

Despite yawning, Naaza retains her signature sleepy look, and gives a short smile, "Do you feel well now? You must have climbed into my bed last night..."

'I climbed into Jackal-sama's bed, wench! He promised to take me forever! Well... not out loud but it was pretty much implied!' Lili raises a cloud of insults internally but finally chooses the grateful route and nods, "Yes, Lili feels well... so? Where is Jackal-sama?"

"Well..." Naaza smiles, "He left you with me."

"Impossible!" Lili instantly becomes tearful. Her gaze grows dull but before she can process the full measure of this betrayal and walk down the route of vengeance upon the Adventurers as she will become the night itself, Naaza blinks and sighs, "Sorry, that joke was in bad taste. Jackal left you here until he can complete his dungeon dive..."

"Ah!" Adopting a furious scowl, the Pallum knocks at the level 2 adventurer with everything she can muster, "Stop toying with Lili's heart!"

"I will," Naaza leans forward and pats the girl gently, "You should still rest. Jackal did not tell me much about you but... one thing everyone in the city can relate to is the need for more peace."

*Grooowwwwllllll*

Lili's stomach rumbles and she covers herself with the blanket, only letting her face out, "That wasn't me... are you hungry?" She flushes.

"If you're not hungry... does this mean you don't want to eat the bento Jackal cooked for me and Miach-sama?"

"What?!" Lili bounces out of her blanket, "He can even cook?!"

Climbing out of the bed slowly herself, Naaza begins reattaching the silver arm to her right shoulder as Lili stills.

"No need to feel bad or whatever. I'm used to this. The dungeon is pretty unforgiving to the weak, after all."

"You don't need to tell Lili that..." the pallum huffs.

"By the way," Naaza looks back, "The bento might not be entirely freshly cooked. Miach-sama doesn't eat all of his stack of bento so I keep them in the refrigerator and snack on them from time to time."

"Doesn't matter!" Lili gushes with a wide grin, "I shall be the judge of Jackal-sama's cooking!"

***

Alternate Title: The New All For One; Silent Gobbos; Hearing Silence; Grind Gains!; The Grim and Smelly Reaper!; Hornifying the War Shadow; Naaza Has Dat Boing; Lili Feels Toyed With!; She Wants Jackal's Boing

***

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