章節 4: Rewards
The Wandering Devil
Chapter: 4
[Just a warning that the vali conversion rate isn't technically canonically accurate. Feel free to correct me on any mistakes, all criticism is appreciated.]
pa/t reon details below if you're interested, hope you enjoy the chapter.
(Rewards)
"Stop moving." Hestia chided lightly as she sat on my back. Hestia was currently straddling my back to check over my Falna.
Ten minutes had passed since we woke up, entangled in each other's embrace. As I shifted, I couldn't help but feel the lingering sensation of pain from the cuts that had only recently been healed from the healing powder.
While the healing powder was much slower acting than a healing potion which essentially healed all wounds and diseases instantly, the healing powder had made sure no scars had formed.
A light gasp caught my attention, I felt Hestia's delicate fingers trace over my back.
"I'm guessing that's good news?" I asked.
Fighting and living through an army of monsters has to count for something right? I swear, I would find a way up into Tenkai and behead all those Gods if they weren't impressed by this.
"That would be putting it lightly," Hestia softly said with excitement evident in her voice.
"Your stats have taken a huge boost." Hestia replied with a hint of admiration in her voice.
I suppose the Gods shall get to keep their heads for now.
"I knew my first child would be impressive." She squealed and pulled me into a tight hug.
After a tight hug that tested the limits of my ability to hold back my slumbering dragon from awakening, Hestia updated my Falna and I felt a massive surge of power.
My body was filled with energy as a golden glow pulsed out and I clenched my fist. I felt energised.
My Demonic Energy also expanded noticeably. My Demonic reserves become larger and deeper. My perception became a tiny bit sharper and I felt fucking amazing.
Zephyrion Gremory
Lv. 1
Strength: 187 (H)
Endurance: 203 (G)
Dexterity: 189 (H)
Agility: 198 (H)
Magic: 218 (G)
Demonic Energy Manipulation
The ability to manipulate the chaotic energy of demonic beings otherwise known as demonic energy.
Imagination Magic
The ability to create magic via imagination, cost is dependent on magic conjured.
Power of destruction (Mutated) [SEALED]
All-Speak
The ability to communicate with any being regardless of language. Users can communicate via any language.
I checked my stats with a grin, I see. So that's how it works. For a brief explanation. In the Danmachi stat system, values range from zero to nine hundred and ninety-nine, with the rate of stat gain slowing as adventurers approach higher stats.
Each set of one hundred stats corresponded to a rank, starting from I ascending all the way up to S.
You had to defeat monsters or perform feats that would impress the Gods, to collect Excelia, which the Falna stored to enhance your attributes. Your stats could be further boosted by doing actions related to them.
For example, performing physical activities should increase your strength stat, with the speed of growth depending on the Excelia you earned.
An adventurer who used a sword and relied on speed would have much higher stats in both Strength and Dexterity. They would still get some extra boost in the other attributes but since they focused on performing acts with those two stats, the gains would be much weaker.
High-Quality Excellia meanwhile required an Adventurer to perform a feat worthy of impressing the gods which further allowed an Adventurer to level up.
I was still level one. I wanted to go back into the dungeon at some point because I felt like I had held myself back with my caution. I felt like I was far stronger than I was consciously allowing myself to be.
I also took some time to reflect on what had happened, turns out my suspicions had been correct. The massive increase in monsters hadn't just been a part of the norm within the dungeon.
According to Ais, an event called a dungeon flood had coincidentally taken place during my first time dungeon diving. A strange phenomenon that caused the dungeon monsters on certain floors to suddenly increase twenty-fold in number.
Hestia had filled me in when I had asked her about it, after all, if that had been the dungeon's norm I would have had to hold off on dungeon diving for a while and train instead.
Perhaps even staying on the first floor and training myself up until I couldn't handle it.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case. However, I would be more cautious moving forward. While dungeon floods were apparently rare, I didn't want to think about the thought of being trapped on a lower floor during one.
Now I understand that if a dungeon flood occurs, my best chance of survival is to head either higher or lower, depending on the location of the dungeon flood. Even if I have to descend to a lower level, facing two stronger monsters is preferable to battling an unending horde of weaker ones.
Unless I have some powerful AOE spells, I could do just that. Unfortunately, my magic cost me a lot at the moment even though I had been able to shoot quite a few large fireballs. I should probably get to work on controlling my demonic power so I could use it more.
I would also be on the lookout for any other magic that had less of a cost. Perhaps look for one of those grimoires. Since my magical training had been rudely interrupted by my accidental arrival into another world.
I would have been trained earlier if it wasn't for my demonic power being weird and having two overprotective sisters.
Anyways, that knowledge on escaping a dungeon flood in progress would have been a good piece of information that they should add to their little flyer next time. I smirked as I remembered the face of Rose.
The pure look of confusion on seeing me alive had been funny.
Compared to her normally cold and frigid mask it was pretty cute. Now, if only my body would stop experiencing phantom pains from all the damage I had received.
My wounds were healed but the pain persisted. At least it wasn't for nothing, I thought as I looked towards the small pile of small purple stones. I hadn't been able to get a lot of them since I was busy fighting for my life but the time building up to that had been profitable.
I would need to visit the guild and see how much I could get for monster crystals. Hestia had used up all the valis buying the healing powder to ensure I was healed. I smiled as I watched her concentrate intently, checking my naked torso for any visible scarring.
I also had time to think about my experience in the dungeon. Ignoring the dungeon flood there was the fact the monsters had acted strangely around me. I had confirmed with Hestia that if any normal adventurer had tried the stunt I had pulled with the Kobold, they would be found half-eaten and all dead.
A normal person would have been thrown off instantly, despite the pain the kobold felt and would have had their throats torn out. Despite some of my actions, I wasn't a dumbass who was going to ignore the fact it could be because of my devil blood.
That did leave a far more serious question. Did I start the dungeon flood? This had been the first one ever to happen on the starter floors. Then here I come in, the monsters act strange and even sometimes downright peaceful.
If I did somehow cause the dungeon flood then that would mean I was capable of causing a lot of deaths. This also begged the question, would a dungeon flood happen every time I entered the dungeon?
I wasn't sure how to feel about that. If it turned out to be true, I might get many adventurers killed. While I wouldn't feel much guilt from it, I would still prefer they live. Was it because I was a devil? I did know that they were different in the way they perceived things from the memories.
My musings were cut off by the gentle voice of Hestia.
"Ok, it seems like all your wounds have healed up," Hestia said, her voice laced with soft concern. "But do you still feel any pain?"
I briefly considered whether to tell her the truth. Telling her I'm in pain will make going out harder. Not to say that she could stop me, but the attempts and pouts I would receive would definitely demotivate me.
A look into her sapphire blue eyes filled with concern, made me pause. The fact that she could detect lies as a Goddess definitely extinguished my desire to lie.
For the sake of my self-image, I'll focus on the former thought and make it the reason.
"It still hurts a bit, but I should be able to move around," I replied with a smile.
Hestia frowned. "You need to rest and heal back up to a hundred per cent. I'll go see if I can take a loan for some anti-pain medicine. Sta-"
I effortlessly scooped her up in my arms from her place straddling my chest, her curvaceous frame moulding snugly against me. I hugged her gently like a teddy bear nearly slipping as one of my hands accidentally sunk into the expansive flesh of her divine ass from my attempts to keep her propped up with one hand.
Seriously I wasn't a virgin but that couldn't be natural. That was an ass worth worshipping if I had anything to say about it.
I quickly stopped myself from marvelling at the sensation and forced Zephyrion Junior back to sleep. I then proceeded to lay her down on the bed with a gentle complimentary pat on her head.
Turning around she looked a bit dazed and a small blush could barely be seen on her pale cheeks at the sudden turn of events. I hurriedly scooped the monster crystals into a pouch and made my way towards the exit of the abandoned church.
"Hey!" Hestia stuttered. Regaining her bearings and hopping up, sliding in between me and the exit.
I raised an eyebrow as she held her arms in front of her. I didn't stop my walk as she skidded back in her attempts, while I watched in slight amusement.
"Hestia, you do realise I need to go sell these crystals?" I asked her. Raising the pouch full of monster crystals and shaking it in an almost exasperated manner.
"You need to rest and heal. Let me take care of you, Zeph. It's the least I can do." Hestia replied sternly. Which was kind of cute.
"I've already healed, thanks to the healing powder. It's just some residual stinging, nothing serious. We need money and I refuse to let you degrade yourself by working at some fucking food stall." I replied, with a flat tone.
Hestia's stubborn expression remained unchanged, but I couldn't bring myself to feel irritated by the fact that my Goddess was so determined to take care of me.
In fact, being treated with such care and concern was something that had never really happened, not including my life as Zephyrion. It felt surprisingly nice.
While I may like it. It just wasn't very productive. I let out a sigh, this was going to take a while.
-Scene Break-
After almost ten minutes of consolation and promises, I was able to go out.
I strolled into the adventurers guild building, the pouch of monster crystals held firmly in my hand. Making my way to the counter, I greeted the receptionist with a nod receiving a bored rehearsed greeting in return.
I emptied the contents of the pouch onto the tray he provided. Thirty-three monster crystals in total. Most of them were the small dark monster crystals that belonged to goblins. A few of them were a bit bigger and clearer, these belonged to Kobolds.
The majority of the monster crystals I had been able to take out of the dungeon with me were from goblins since I had been actively picking them before the whole dungeon flood event. Only a few belonged to Kobolds.
From what I was able to deduce about the currency of Orario, 2 Dollars were worth 100 Valis. Meaning every thousand valis was worth twenty dollars.
"Thirty-three monster crystals," I stated, sliding them across the counter.
The receptionist quickly examined the crystals before consulting a chart behind the counter. After a moment, she looked back at me and replied,
"With a total of twenty-six goblin crystals and six kobolds crystals coming to thirty-three monster crystals. One thousand two hundred valis per goblin crystal and two thousand five hundred per Kobold crystal. That would be 46,200 valis in total" The receptionist muttered boredly.
I grinned.
"With the customary 3% guild tax from your earnings," The receptionist's monotone voice continued.
I frowned.
The fuck are they taxing me for? The receptionist opened a counter lazily and slowly without a care in the world counting the Vali and putting it on the counter.
"You end up with 44,814 Vali total. Here you go."
896.28 Dollars counting the conversion rate. Not bad.
Still…
"May I ask why I'm being taxed?" I questioned as politely as I could muster.
The receptionist didn't look surprised if only mildly annoyed. Maintaining his professional demeanour, he explained.
"The taxes are for the services provided by the guild, including management and administrative costs."
I nodded in response, and he looked slightly shocked that I didn't make a big fuss about it. How could I? My old government used to take way more for doing a whole lot of nothing.
Tucking the pouch away I made to leave, only to come face to face with a pair of slitted yellow eyes. I would never admit that I jumped a little bit. There stood the cold beauty that was Rose Fannett.
"Yo."
Rose took my hand in a firm grip and led me to the familiar small guild advisor room. I simply followed along, slightly curious. I glanced down at her hand pulling mine.
Oh, my. Such a lewd act of affection. Mother always told me hand-holding was meant for after marriage.
"Explain," Rose demanded.
"I'm not the father," I replied instantly, doing what anyone should do when they are faced with a vague question.
Rose looked baffled at my supreme art of mental warfare, but she recovered quickly. Sending a very cute glare my way.
"What are you talking about, Mr. Gremory?" she asked, her tone cold.
"Nothing important. What did you want to ask?" I replied casually.
Rose appeared ready to reply but suddenly fell silent.
"You were right in the middle of a dungeon flood as a complete novice adventurer. It was your first time dungeon diving. How did you manage to survive? I was sure you were dead." Rose questioned me.
I gave her a lopsided grin, only feeling a bit of satisfaction at her confusion. She had been so quick to write me off as another dead adventurer in the making. What a cold woman~
"I guess I just have a knack for surviving," I replied nonchalantly, my grin widening. "And hey, you shouldn't underestimate a level-one adventurer. We may not look like much, but we're full of surprises."
Rose narrowed her eyes at me, clearly sceptical.
"Surviving a dungeon flood as a level one adventurer dive? I've been here a long time, and I've seen many adventures that thought themselves special. Some even were special. What many people don't know is that the dungeon is alive. It watches, it waits and it'll wear you down." Rose said harshly, looking the most emotional I had seen her. A change from her normally apathetic mask.
My expression hardened as I kept silent, listening intently. The dungeon was alive? Was she being dramatic or was that the strange force making the monsters turn hostile?
"I don't insult or try to push you away from the horrid path of an adventurer due to some sort of jealousy. I do it because I've seen hundreds of you go in and only a few dozens still remain. That's not even including dungeon floods. Which is why it leads me to believe that maybe you're lying about being a level one adventurer." Rose said analytically.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I gathered from the brief moment I saw her expression shift to sadness. She's not a bad person; she just has her own idea of what she thinks is the right choice.
"You want the truth?" I questioned with an easygoing grin.
Rose nodded her head seriously.
"Well, the truth is I'm a devil prince from another world, I had accidentally triggered something that has forced me into this world." I clicked my tongue with a what-can-you-do shrug.
Rose sighed.
"I see you aren't willing to be serious," Rose said, her tone thinly laced with disappointment.
I shrugged once more.
"I feel the need to inform you that falsely identifying your level regardless of whether it's higher or lower is illegal," Rose commented.
"I have nothing to worry about then," I responded easily.
The cold yellow-slitted eyes of Rose bore into me before she nodded.
"Even if I can admit you're not like any ordinary rookie adventurer, you should still be cautious. There are plenty of other professions besides adventuring such as being a shop owner, guild employee, blacksmith." Rose advised.
I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, I think I'll stick with being an adventurer," I replied simply.
"Then let me caution you, don't get too cocky about this victory. Whether it was luck or skill, you've barely scratched the surface of what the dungeon holds," Rose warned.
I waved her concerns off.
"Anyway, I wouldn't want to take up more of your valuable time. I'm sure with your beauty and responsibilities you have plenty of things to attend to. Until next time then~" I cheekily replied.
Rose didn't look amused by my jab at her beauty.
-Scene Break-
I thanked the man at the food stall as I began making my way back to the abandoned church, I had just brought a bunch of food to celebrate. Celebrate what? I don't know but I felt oddly jovial as I walked down the bustling streets full of people.
My body stiffened as I subtly glanced to an alleyway, two cloaked figures watching me intently. I frowned, I don't know how but I had somehow felt their gaze on my back for a single moment.
They seemed to notice my odd behaviour as I had slowed down, my shoulders tensed. A second later the two cloaked figures backed away into the darkness of the small alleyway.
I didn't bother chasing them. They were quick and probably knew their way around Orario much better than me. Chasing them would also alert them to the fact I saw them.
They were suspicious of my sudden change in demeanour but that could be written off.
I scowled. Why was I being watched? I had only been here for a few days. I sighed in annoyance. This was only more reason to become stronger.
While the blessing of the Falna was good it was only an enhancement.
I wanted to begin physical training to increase the gains from it. I doubted Hestia would let me into the dungeon for a day or two due to the dungeon flood incident anyway, so it's something I can focus on until I can go dungeon diving again.
After that, I'll have to make a schedule for it.
I caught sight of the abandoned church, glancing around to see if anyone was still watching. I made my way inside once I confirmed it was clear. Best to be extra cautious going out from now on.
"Hestia I'm back," I called out.
After I got no response in return I began looking around in confusion. A quick search around showed she was gone, huh?
She must have gone out, I guess I'll wait for her to come back before eating. I flopped down onto the couch. Drumming my fingers.
What to do in the meantime.
-{Hestia}-
Hestia sighed in relief as she sank into the hot water of the temple bath. She hadn't visited in a while, as Gods were naturally clean and didn't produce body fluids, but lately, she felt the need to indulge.
The baths always made Hestia's skin shine more, and she knew Zephyrion was busy exchanging the monster crystals. So, she had decided this was the perfect time to sneak out and freshen herself up, wanting to look her best for him.
She raised a finger to her cheek as the Goddess of the hearth thought about her special and only child, a small blush tinting her cheeks. A small giggle left her lips at his antics.
Zephyrion was a very chaotic person after all.
"Oh my, Hestia? I haven't seen you in here for a long time, what's the special occasion?" A melodious voice teased.
Hestia's beautiful smile dimmed as she gazed over to the form of Freya.
"Hmph, it just so happens I do," Hestia replied, earning an amused eyebrow raise from Freya.
Freya smiled politely.
"Oh my, do tell," Freya replied teasingly.
Hestia crossed her arms under her substantial bust and smiled proudly.
"It just so happens I have a new familiar member," Hestia responded.
Freya came to sit beside her.
"Congratulations! He must be quite the special person to inspire such a reaction from you." Freya replied smoothly, her purplish eyes observing Hestia.
Hestia beamed and went to speak before pausing.
'How did she know Zephyrion was a he.' Hestia thought, starting to feel the familiar obsessiveness she had started feeling about Zephyrion.
"How did you know my new familiar member was a 'he'"
Hestia responded, trying to sound casual and hide the growing agitation in her stomach.
Freya paused, her lips thinning before she covered it up easily enough.
"Lucky guess, you've got me intrigued now, why don't you tell me a bit more about the man that's got you so worked up?" Freya smiled invitingly.
Hestia's eyes squinted, the feeling of dread growing stronger at the vague reply and attempt at fishing for information.
'Why does she seem interested in Zeph? Also, how does she know of him?' Hestia wondered suspiciously.
Freya and Hestia stared each other down.
"Did I hear that correctly, Hestia's trying to look good for a man?" A voice came from beside them as another goddess with beautiful orange hair spoke with a teasing tone.
"If even the virgin goddess is dressing to impress, I might have to meet this lucky man," another voice giggled.
The gossip started among the goddesses, causing Hestia to bury her face in her arms to hide her blush.
A shadow loomed over, revealing the form of a fat goddess. "A man you say? Better watch out ladies or I might snag him for myself."
The Titan jumped into the pool a moment later, creating a devastating tsunami that enveloped everyone. Amidst the chaos, Freya slipped away unnoticed.
-END-
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