Dungeon Dive

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.

-Author note start-

Sup people, shorter chapter this time around, however I believe comparatively this one covers a lot of content? Probably? Lmao! I'd appreciate any feedback on the *Slightly* accelerated pacing as well as how I depicted the fights and monsters. As always reviews, feedback, comments, ideas and suggestions would really boost my motivation and capability to write you guys a story you would enjoy! And...

Thank you for reading, truly! and most importantly... Enjoy!

'Indicates Thoughts'

"Indicates Speech"

*Indicates an action being done. for example... *Cough* *

""Indicates Multiple Peoples Speech""

(Indicates Author comment thing)

-Author note end-

-The Dungeon-

-Upper Floors-

-1st Floor-

Bell POV

We make our way down the old staircase and enter the 1st floor of the dungeon. As we move with a lack of caution, thanks to our high status, we speed through it until a crack begins to form on the walls, as it shatters and out pops the weakest monster and perhaps most slain monster.

The Goblin.

"Hmm... *Sniff* *Sniff* Yup, this place is definitely alive! Very cool! What a totally original concept! A living dungeon!" Merlin-sensei mentions mockingly as he takes a sniff? of the place. Firmly sitting atop my right shoulder, the classic position.

The goblin runs towards me with mechanical and murderous instinct. A soulless act that could not be seen on any wild animal. As it lacks any purpose but bloody murder, no hunger, no defensive action, just absolute nothingness. Unique to monsters and monsters alone.

*BOOM*

As I am about to strike the goblin it... explodes??? A gory mess of blood and monster innards that disappear at the goblin's death, leaving a... pile of ash in place of the magic stone

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Someone gets scared and shrieks like a little girl. That was not me. Promise.

Taking a calming breath at the absurd phenomena.

We all exchange bewildered eye contact, upon noticing each other's confusion we all turn to look at the most probable cause of the explosion.

"Oops... Forgot to turn off that passive! Just a second... Alright you're clear! That could of been bad, were we to meet an actual threat! Can't be solving your problems by accident after all! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!" Merlin-sensei explains with a sweatdrop, stopping for a second to turn something off? finishing it off with a pathetic laughter, shit eating grin back in it's rightful and grim place.

We collectively eye roll at his antics, not wasting even a moment to try and decipher his shenanigans. Only Lili-san seems to be interested in communicating with the wild animal.

"Lili asks Merlin-sama to keep talking to a minimum, although we are in the upper floors and we are in no real threat, it would be a problem in the more dangerous floors." Lili-san meets Merlin-sensei's eyes with a pleading look, patience radiating out of her entire body. As she politely asks of him to keep his filthy mouth shut.

We all stare at her in wonder and gratitude, impressed by her cunning attempt at making our dungeon dive much much easier.

However.

His face, unchanged. His voice, unwavered. His response time, instant.

"No." He says loudly, as it echoes through the cavernous depths of the dungeon walls.

*Grit*

Excusing the aforementioned patience of Lili-san, she smoothly transitions it to impatience and irritation. Evident by the sound of her pallum teeth gritting loudly, perhaps to dust?

*Sigh*

"Come on guys, what did you expect? Let's just go, ignore him and just... Let's work as we usually do alright?" Welf-san, as per usual, quickly adapts to poor and absurd circumstances, especially dragon related circumstances, telling us to get our head in the game and proceed as per normal. moving forward in a confident stride leading us towards the depths.

""Right!"" We all proceed, motivation and resolve renewed, as if it were never damaged by the scaly creature. Everyone moving after Welf-san, barring myself stuck in my own thoughts.

'Am I really the Familia captain here?' I think with irritation and sadness.

'Maybe I should ask Kami-sama to let Welf-san or even Lili-san lead?' I think self-depreciatively

*Slap* A loud vocal slap on my cheek

'No! Stop! You're here to save Haruhime-san! Don't get distracted! Focus Bell!' I slap myself back to reality in favor of focusing on more noble and selfless intentions.

"The fuck is wrong with you slapping yourself like that? Did my stick training unveil some hidden masochistic tendencies?" Merlin-sensei asks vulgarly with a look of genuine concern that is tinged with... dread?

'He better not be masochistic! Masochistic heroes are of the more... Unpleasant bunch to mentor, that's for sure. "Dodge this!" I say, then they get intentionally hit and they go "KYA!!!" red in the face... Abhorrent I'm telling you! They don't even improve as heroes at all! Like really, how am I SUPPOSED to train them, without them getting a hard on?!' Merlin-sensei seems to have gone into a continuous and frustrated rant in his head, noticeable with the occasional furious mumbles he spews out.

I raise my eyebrow at that and decidedly ignore the scaly rat. Opting to run towards my Familia members.

"Wait up guys!"

-Time Skip-

-Upper Floors-

-5th Floor-

We, expectedly, speed blitz through floors 1-4. No change of the type of monsters that spawn, only the amount itself has increased. They all get defeated by our party easily.

As we get to the 5th floor, the scenery changes, walls turn green here, larger tunnels and so on.

"Finally! A change of scenery! This shit's boring! Don't you guys have a teleportation mechanism or whatever?! If it's something only the top dogs get then I'll take one for the team and get you one! Like holy fuck this shit's making this old dragon want to go to sleep!" Merlin-sensei grumbles and complains like an old man. Tone and vocabulary completely on point with the impression he is making here.

"No Merlin-dono, such a thing doesn't exist, all the dungeon dives are repetitive travels through the floors. Were for such a thing to exist the dungeon might have been conquered already." Mikoto-san gracefully answers Merlin-sensei's question as we continue to make our way through the 5th floor without pause.

*Slash* A quick elimination of a War Shadow.

"Urgh... Alright, wake me up when shit gets interesting, if the scale of change and action is mobs getting one tapped and a scenery change composed of walls turning green. Then it's more worthwhile for me to take a nap. Your dungeon is getting a 4/10 for now! I'll speak with your creator once all this is done! Good night suckers!" Merlin-sensei physically withers as he mentions with frustration that he is going to speak with our creator? More nonsense... Also announcing, to our joy, his nap.

At that he lays on my shoulder like a bag of sand, unmoving, eye closed and silent breaths, seemingly falling a sleep in an instant. (I'd like that power)

""Thank Kami/Hestia-sama!"" We all thank God-dess for this blessing.

With that, nothing of note has happened, until we have reached Floor 14...

-Time Skip-

-Middle Floors-

-14th Floor-

We go down the staircase to the 14th floor.

I pause for a moment to take a look at the quest Hestia-sama has arranged for us.

"There should be more Hellhounds on this floor, the quest specified getting at least 5 Hell hound fang's" I mention lightly as I read through the exact specifications, as the payment is quite handsome. 1,000,000 Valis.

'Oh? I see... Should be interesting!' A dragon thinks to himself mysteriously.

"Good afternoon my favorite bipedal cretins!" IT woke up...

As we move without pause, it seems the filth has decided to wake up from it's beauty sleep.

"Urgh..." Lili convulses upon the sound of the creature.

"Am I that bad?" Merlin-sensei asks with concern pointing at himself, as he glances at all of us.

""Yes/Absolutely vile!"" Everyone collectively responds with indignation.

"Don't care! Anyways! Let's see, let's see... Now this! is what I'm talking about! An actual drastic change of scenery and atmosphere!" Merlin-sensei says as he analyzes the entire floor? or visible area to it's finer details. Draconic hands spread wide to emphasize his statement.

After walking without any suspicious activity going on for a few minutes, the well known and expected sound echoes through the open area we find ourselves in.

*Crack* A large crack appears on the bedrock walls around 20 feet away from us.

"Get ready! it's a big spawn!" Welf-san yells as we position ourselves defensively weapons drawn and ready.

*AROOOOOOOOOOOOOO* A large group of Hellhounds 18 in number, with a 4 Almiraj mixed in the former group spawns in front of us, howling threateningly.

"FIREBOLTTTTTTTTOOOOOOO!" I yell out my spell to spread the numbers thin and split them into smaller groups, instantly killing 3 Almirajs and 2 Hellhounds.

As my party and the monster group dash towards each other to engage.

*Clang*

*Slash*

*Swish*

"Yes! More challenging Fights!" Merlin-sensei praises and hums to himself with a pleased smile, as I dodge a bite to the face.

*Swish* I slice through the Hellhound that attempted to bite me with the Hestia knife, decapitating him in retaliation.

"Better monster design!" He continues.

"Welf-san! Roll!" I yell as I position my hands towards the 11 Hellhounds that are ganging up on Welf-san and Mikoto-san.

*Ding* *Ding* *Ding*

He rolls away from my direction as I charge up my Argonaut Strike, concentrating the light in my hand.

As I'm focused on charging, behind me unnoticed by myself, 2 Hellhounds are rapidly charging towards me.

"Oh you should take a look behind you kid, some sillies are coming to bite your ass." Merlin stops his analysis of the dungeon in favor of... Helping me out?

"I'm alright" I respond with an assured and confident smile.

*TANG* *TANG* 2 arrows hit the heads of the rapidly approaching monsters, killing them and causing them to dissipate.

"Thanks Lili!" I yell out my thank you as I finish up the charging

"FIREBOLTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" An extremely large and inflated firebolt was shot, engulfing 10 of the 11 Hellhounds, leaving 1 to be swiftly slashed in half by Mikoto-san through the smoke, thanks to her detection skill.

We all upon noticing the end of this short but tiring combat session regroup to catch our breaths and collect the loot.

"Did anyone get burnt?" Lili-san questions as she takes off her backpack to take out health and mana potions to distribute to all of us.

""No/Not at all!"" We all respond to Lili-san's question.

"Ahhhh, now this is bliss! 15 bloody chapters! To get to this point! 15! But no more! Now! Finally! The time for adventure begins!" Merlin-sensei begins with a satisfied sigh, following it up with a grim? reflection of the past? as he utters utter gibberish once again. A pleased smile plastered on his draconic face.

"Okay? Whatever you say Deadbeat Dragon... Good job guys!" Welf-san with a questioning look, against his better judgement decides to offhandedly respond to the gibberish of the dragon.

As we stop to take our breaths, Lili-san goes to the "corpses" of the monsters to check for drop items in addition to taking the magic stone.

"Did we get anything?" I inquire as I approach our expert supporter who is just finishing up picking up the loot.

"Lili believes we have been quite lucky, 3 drop fangs out of 5 obtained!" Lili-san responds with a smug grin meeting her eyes with mine.

"That's amazing!" I yell in excitement, an excited and hopeful smile on my face.

'At this rate... our valis goal to buy Haruhime-san wont take too long! Just you wait...' I think to myself a large grin and maximized motivation practically visible on my face. Which does not go unnoticed.

"Bell-sama that is quite the creepy grin on your face, Lili would appreciate to never see it again." Lili-san comments coldly and ruthlessly destroying my previously Radiant (Self proclaimed) expression.

"Kid must be excited at the news of him getting his new harem member very soon. Mhm! Seen that expression way too many times!" Merlin-sensei took me out of the frying pan... And straight into the fire with that one sentence.

A cold, suffocating pressure and killing intent could be felt directed at me.

Originating from the pallum girl known as Lili-san...

"Is that your reason for us going through all this trouble?" Lili-san asks with an absolutely bone chilling tone, promising instant death upon entering the wrong answer.

My face accordingly pales in pure fear.

'How are these guys going through a whole comedy shtick in the middle of a bloody dungeon? Meh, plot armor works in the most wonderous of ways!' Merlin-sensei wonders, completely perplexed by the ongoing situation.

"No! Lili-san I promise it's not for that! And I... I don't have a harem!" I, with lightning speed deny her ridiculous question and deny Merlin-sensei's very incorrect accusation.

At my denial the atmosphere instantly changes back to normal, the pressure and chill gone, reduced to atoms.

"I know Bell-sama. You're not that shallow. I was just messing with you! Hehe!" Lili-san says with a tone of amusement, apparently only messing with me.

"Pfft, HAHAHAHAHAHA" Welf-san roars out in laughter at my misery, having heard only my rapid denial and Lili-san's final sentence. But him being him, he probably pieced it together.

"Should we continue?" Mikoto-san asks as she approaches Lili-san and I with Welf-san.

"Nah, this is a chance to take a rest, after such a big spawn, we've got around 15 minutes. we've been fighting nonstop from floor 7." Welf-san announces our break, as he states the facts in the situation.

We all wordlessly agree and sit down on the bedrock to rest and discuss.

"Lili-san how much would we be at by the end of this dive in your opinion?" I ask Lili-san, oozing out a little impatience at saving Haruhime-san.

"Lili believes that if we include the quest, we'd be around 1,850,000 Valis alone, if we were to return after getting the drop items. if we stay for longer, around 2,400,000 Valis or so." Lili-san says as she holds her chin with her hand, staring at the bedrock ceiling as if calculating numbers on it's flat surface.

*Whistle*

"Quite the amount! At this rate we'll be done in no time!" Welf-san whistles, as he proudly mentions. A nod of his head and smile directed at me, which I reciprocate.

"Did you question your fun-bags goddess where exactly she got this quest?" Merlin-sensei asked with genuine curiosity and a unnoticeable hint of suspicion?, as he opted to give Kami-sama? another vulgar? term. Making eye contact with Lili-san, the one who took the quest from Kami-sama's hands.

"I did, she proudly told me that she worked very hard to get it and that we shouldn't worry and just take it." Lili-san responded neutrally, with a shrug of her shoulders, seemingly not digging too deep into it.

-Flashback-

-Pantheon/Guild Headquarters-

-Quest Board-

3rd Person POV

We can see Hestia pacing back and forth in frustration through the quest board inside the Pantheon. Searching for a fitting quest and way to be useful to her Familia.

"Excuse me! Hestia-sama?" A familiar voice strikes the ears of the short goddess.

"Hai, Hestia Desu." She says weirdly, as she turns her body to the direction of the voice calling for her.

That individual is non other than Eina Tulle, Also known as Number 3.

A silent pressure exudes from Hestia, A pressure only possible when 2 Numbers collide, a fateful meeting between: Number 1 And Number 3.

Anyways!

"Hmm, There is a group of merchants that are specifically asking for your Familia to fill a quest, here it is, would you be interested?" Eina asks Hestia, as Hestia only silently and threateningly glared at her, instead of talking. Handing out a piece of paper, which Hestia takes wordlessly, not losing eye contact and without blinking, to Eina's dismay.

'1,000,000 Valis for 5 Hellhound fangs?! That's... So easy! Jackpot! This will help them!' Hestia thinks with excitement at her potential usefulness, however, keeping the reaction and excitement only internal, Like a professional poker player, she keeps her face stoic in front of a rival.

"Alright Bell's ADVISOR, this seems alright, we'll take it!" Hestia announces with a threatening smile, as she emphasized the "advisor" title, accepting the quest

"Great! Thank you and see you later!" Eina responded with a professional smile, although failing to hide her physical unease and sweat as she made her way out of the uncomfortable situation the moment she could.

-End Of Flashback-

-Back To The Present-

"How convenient then! An easy and high paying job! Definitely nothing suspicious about that!" Merlin-sensei remarks amusedly at Lili-san's words, a knowing smirk appearing on his face. A look and statement that is not missed by Welf-san.

"What are you saying? You think this is some kind of set up?" Welf-san asks with a serious tone, looking at the Dragon with narrowed eyes.

At his serious claim and change of atmosphere we show similar expressions and point suspecting looks at the Dragon, looking for some kind of insight he might have. At our collective suspicion his smirk widens further as he says.

"Heavens, no! Seems perfectly fine to me! PFFT HAHAHAHAHHAHAH" His own amusement couldn't be contained as he responded and burst out in laugher. A disturbing and deranged laughter, uncharacteristic of him, as if he is warning us?

A dreadful and knowing laughter, as if he expects something to happen, our guts are telling us all to run. Our faces pale instinctively.

"*Tch*, Let's go back...NOW!" Welf-san shouts in a panic, vocalizing our own desires and distress as we get up on our feet and turn to run towards the staircase up, as we are not far from the entrance.

"Let me take the front!" I yell as I speed up to take the front. In case something happens I would react the best and fastest at a unpleasant surprise.

As I turn the corner of the next passage, I... SENSE a blow aimed at my head, fast and strong.

*Swish*

I duck under it in response to my senses, as I continue with a backflip to create space between me and the opponent.

Lifting my head up to see who my opponent is, I am met with a familiar face.

'Aisha-san...' I think with unease, as I recognize the attacker, a thousand thoughts passing through my mind in an attempt to understand the meaning of this.

"*Tch* We wanted to finish this quickly, but you seem to have a detection skill." The... Glowing? Amazoness says coldly and analytically as she takes a charging position with her scimitar.

'We?!' I notice with dread

"Aisha-san?! Why are you-" I begin to ask, while the rest of my Familia catch up to me and stand their ground behind me.

"Curse your own luck for drawing the attention of my goddess..." She rudely interrupts my own question with a convoluted answer. Which after that, out of the shadows and behind Aisha, a literal army of Amazonesses appear. Even the Level 5 Phyrne-san...

At the overwhelming sight we, the Hestia Familia take a deep breath.

But my deep breath contained a plan, a contingency that has yet to be used.

"MERLIN-SENSEI! USE A BOON! GET US OUT OF HERE!" I yell out with all the strength and air in my lungs, a shout of pure desperation, at knowing how this could end... Us all dead...

At the extremely loud shout of desperation, which echoes and reverberates through the spacious 14th floor, a dead silence is proceeded.

Absolutely confused and bewildered looks are pointed towards me, looking at me as if I was a mad man.

All of us, the members of the Hestia Familia, look at the aforementioned Merlin-sensei. Who has a visibly surprised look on his face at my request, of using one of the two boons. Which switches to a contemplating one.

A literal second of silence that feels more like an eternity passes and then...

"I refuse. Survive." He responds and orders chillingly, causing all of our hearts to drop to our stomachs at the reality of the situation.

To be Continued!

-Author Note Start-

Hey people, a considerably shorter chapter this time around! Sorry! But I'm planning on cutting this section to 2 parts, as the second one would be around 5-6k words on its own, by my estimation so yeah! Hope you guys enjoyed and thanks for reading!

Also! I'd like some feedback on how I did the dungeon section and fights, as short as they were. These were my first attempts at writing a fight section so yeah!

Again, comments, reviews, ideas, suggestions etc... would provide me more motivation to write and would be a good way to show your appreciation! I'll be happy and thankful to receive them! Constructive criticism would be the most appreciated as I wont be able to improve without knowing what my mistakes are! Goodbye for now my lovely readers!

-Author Note End-